A Celebrity’s Busy Schedule
A smile softened Lee Hui-yeong’s face as she caught the scent of the schedule in the air.
“If it’s work, could you be more specific?”
“This month we’d like to focus on L’Vyu as a special feature. We’d like to pair the photo shoot with a simple interview.”
“Has the cover model been decided?”
“If L’Vyu agrees to it, we’d be delighted.”
The terms were good.
The magazine was indeed prestigious, but it still sat slightly behind women’s magazines or fashion publications like Vogue.
There was no reason to turn it down unless the cover model was involved.
“I’ll check my schedule first and get back to you.”
The other party hung up, clearly expecting a positive reply.
The answer was only slightly delayed, but it had come through.
With her heart racing, Lee Hui-yeong stepped into the training room.
Deok-su sat with furrowed brows, watching a video on his laptop.
“…Brother. You said you’d rest after filming ended, right?”
Lee Hui-yeong let out a sigh.
Deok-su was jotting down the thoughts that had struck him while filming the final scene of Jin Dong-ho’s trial in Moment.
“Just because the drama ended doesn’t mean it’s over.”
“I know. I know that… but even if it’s forced, I hope you’ll rest now. You need to let the character go as well.”
“I’ll finish this and then stop.”
Deok-su finally closed his laptop after wrapping up the monitor.
Lee Hui-yeong admired Deok-su’s relentless effort, but worry tugged at her too.
As he had immersed himself in the villainous Jin Dong-ho, Deok-su’s face had begun to darken, resembling the character more and more.
Especially during the final shoot, dark circles had formed and he had been skipping rope.
The dark circles had helped portray Jin Dong-ho’s chaotic mind even better, but in another role…
“Hyeong-jung said we have to completely leave the character behind once filming ends, right, Hyun-woo? You can’t let Deok-su-oppa touch scripts or monitors for a while.”
“Yes? Yes…”
The lightning bolt struck Park Hyun-woo unexpectedly.
For Park Hyun-woo, this was truly awkward.
Deok-su was the center of the team no matter what anyone said, and Lee Hui-yeong was his direct senior.
Lee Hui-yeong firmly restrained Deok-su and swiftly changed the subject.
“Oh, the reward vacation schedule has been released.”
“Who’s going where?”
“Almost everyone’s going. Jin-ho and Se-a are going too… only we’re left.”
At the mention of reward vacation, Deok-su froze for a moment.
In his previous life he had never even dreamed of reward vacation.
Background actors had no connection to whether the drama succeeded or failed.
“Brother?”
“Ah, no. Let’s go. So when exactly are we going?”
“Departure is next week. But… there’s a problem.”
Lee Hui-yeong showed him the schedule.
Strange schedules were listed under the reward vacation heading.
Deok-su turned to Park Hyun-woo.
“…Signature photo shoot? This is the magazine the soldiers love the most. Hyun-woo, it’s still like that now?”
“I can’t even say it. After vacation ended, the seniors really grilled me if I didn’t buy it.”
At the mention of the army, the men’s conversation flowers instantly bloomed.
By the time the story had turned from training camp to soccer stories told on base, Lee Hui-yeong, who had been pressing her temples, quickly jumped in.
“Anyway! The reward vacation is three nights and four days, and it’s to Bora Bora. But…”
“Ah, the second day is the photo shoot day. If I ask to reschedule the shoot day…”
Wait a minute? What’s this?
Deok-su pointed to the place where the three letters “SQUIN” were written.
It overlapped with the reward vacation date as well.
Park Hyun-woo opened his mouth with a puzzled look.
“SQUIN? That’s a laxative, right? My sister would have… This isn’t some…?”
“Brother. A CF came in.”
Deok-su and Park Hyun-woo’s eyes widened at Lee Hui-yeong’s excited voice.
For celebrities, a CF was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to earn a huge amount at once.
“They asked if we could change the schedule, but the advertiser was very firm. A rival company has released a new drug, so it has to go out as soon as possible. That’s why I called you first…”
“Call them right now.”
Surprisingly, Deok-su agreed so readily that Lee Hui-yeong blinked blankly.
The first CF for him was a laxative…
It was hard to imagine Deok-su, a male idol-turned-actor, doing this.
“Are you really okay with it? Doing a laxative ad as a man…”
“Why not? It’s a medicine that’s absolutely necessary. Female singers proudly do contraceptive ads, so why is a laxative a problem?”
“All right. I’ll proceed then.”
Deok-su called PD Oh Chang-seok directly to notify him of his absence.
The director and cast members were sorry to hear Deok-su’s absence despite his big contribution, but when they learned he was filming a CF, they brightened up.
“…Congrats! Deok-su, you’re gonna throw the money around after you get paid, right?”
“Yeah. Let’s have a drink sometime soon.”
After hanging up, Deok-su stepped out of the car.
The moment he entered the cafe, editor Han Sang-ryul of Maxim was waiting for him.
Han Sang-ryul had thick, unshaven facial hair that gave him a dignified presence.
“…You look much healthier in person than I imagined from TV. Nice to meet you. I’m Maxim editor Han Sang-ryul.”
The small talk was over; the real discussion began.
“I didn’t expect Mr. Deok-su to come to the pre-meeting himself.”
“I’m not very experienced with photo shoots, so I wanted to understand everything properly and prepare.”
“That would be a great help. Our concept is…”
Han Sang-ryul opened his laptop and showed the concept.
There were two concepts.
One was L’Vyu wearing stage costumes and wearing a wireless microphone, and the other was Kim Deok-su dressed as the villain Jin Dong-ho from Moment.
After glancing at Jin Dong-ho, Deok-su examined his own appearance in the stage costumes and tilted his head.
“Two faces: singer and actor. L’Vyu and Kim Deok-su. What do you think she is? Should I even say my ideal type for this?”
“There is an ideal-type question, but we’ll focus more on future plans than that. For the photo shoot it’s stage costumes and…”
As his explanation continued, awkwardness appeared on Deok-su’s face.
Noticing this, Lee Hui-yeong spoke up.
“Is there no other option? Stage costumes are… they don’t really match my brother’s current image.”
“Ah, there is. Look at this…”
Han Sang-ryul hurriedly showed the B plan.
The B plan was to shoot Deok-su in slightly modified versions of the characters he had played so far.
It included Jin Dong-ho from Moment, the double-faced protagonist Hyeon-o from Let’s Go to Your House, and Mihyeonrang from My Hwarang.
“This seems good. It would be better with this.”
The pre-meeting continued for about two more hours.
Together with the simple interview, they coordinated costumes, hair, and photographer details.
“So you’ll personally select the hair and costumes?”
“Yes. The people who will match Deok-su-oppa well. They’ve done it during dramas before, so you can trust them.”
“Understood. We’ll prepare the photographer and the rest on our end.”
Han Sang-ryul stood up with a satisfied smile.
When the B plan was chosen, his heart had dropped, but after seeing the results, it felt even better than A.
Several days passed.
The photo shoot took place at a studio in Gangnam.
Deok-su posed in front of a white wall and horizon.
“L’Vyu. Look this way. A little more… can you just tilt your head slightly? That’s it.”
Click—click—
The sound of the shutter echoed loudly in the studio.
But photographer Ju Min, despite the loud shutters, was not particularly satisfied.
“A bit brighter. That’s it. No. It’s too stiff. Just a little more…”
There was a difference between the video camera and the DSLR that captured the moment.
Deok-su, now accustomed to cameras, sighed at the awkward results next to his own poses.
“…I’m sorry.”
“L’Vyu, don’t worry. It’s different from drama.”
The shoot continued, but he still had nothing in hand.
Photographer Ju Min, checking the results, shook his head.
“I can’t feel the emotion at all. Strange. L’Vyu isn’t even a beginner.”
Ju Min was puzzled.
Even his entertainment career alone exceeded ten years.
Although he had spent more time inactive than active, the awkward poses he showed were exactly what rookie photographers produced.
Deok-su felt the same burn.
After the profile photo, he had thought he had found his rhythm…
Reality was different.
Deok-su, watching the limited time pass and no results appear, said, “Photographer. I’m sorry, but can I try something strange…?”
“Strange?”
“I need to act.”
Puzzled, Ju Min nodded.
If the results were good, the model could do anything.
Once permission was granted, seriousness flowed across Deok-su’s face as he adjusted his cap.
“…I… I was a bad guy! I…! I sent my colleagues to the front lines…”
Ju Min’s eyes widened.
Forget the acting; Deok-su’s voice had grown rough.
‘Wh-what is that?’
He had heard rumors, but seeing it in person was even more shocking.
Tears flowed down Deok-su’s cheeks, and the awkwardness was disappearing.
Click—click—
After the initial shock, Ju Min’s fingers began to move quickly.
When he checked the results, all were A-cuts.
They were perfect enough to cause decision paralysis.
“Let’s go with this. Great!”
With Ju Min’s energetic voice, the stagnant shoot suddenly accelerated.
Inappropriate lines continued to echo in the photo shoot set, but the results were all A-cuts.
The staff watching and even editor Han Sang-ryul opened their mouths in amazement.
‘…He shoots photos like this too.’
‘…Kim Deok-su is really something.’
‘Somehow he meets the deadline. Kim Deok-su really is professional.’
Afterward, editor Han Sang-ryul, photographer Ju Min, and Lee Hui-yeong gathered to debate the results.
Meanwhile, Deok-su interviewed with other editors.
“…Recently netizens call L’Vyu a human x, but why don’t scandals appear even when he’s with actresses or female idols? Do you think it’s because of your preferences…?”
“Absolutely not. I just hide my face.”
“You don’t have any musical desire other than acting desire?”
“There are so many excellent musicians around, so for now…”
After the interview, the three-hour shoot finally ended safely.
On the way home, Deok-su muttered while watching out the window.
“Hui-yeong. I really need to learn how to be photographed.”
“For a profile, ask Hyeong-jung…”
“No. Since I’m doing it, I want to be photographed properly. Look into a modeling academy for me.”
It was an unexpected statement, but Lee Hui-yeong nodded.
The day before the CF shoot, Deok-su was dragged to a famous dermatologist by Lee Hui-yeong.
“…Hui, Hui-yeong. Do I really have to come all this way?”
Even as he was being pulled, Deok-su muttered several times.
It would have been better to read the script again instead of this.
But Lee Hui-yeong ignored his words as if they were in one ear and out the other.
“Nyeong nyeong. I know your skin is good. But you have to take care of it when it’s good, right? It’s inconvenient if it suddenly goes away.”
“It’s going to disappear? Not yet…”
“Ah, brother. When I film Brother’s works every time, I wish you would beg for skin exfoliation.”
When Lee Hui-yeong got this strong, there was no easy way out.
Finally, Deok-su grumbled all the way and had to go inside.
While Lee Hui-yeong confirmed the reservation, a woman wearing a mask sat next to Deok-su and pretended to know him.
“Eomma eomma. What? Deok-su! You’re here too?”
“Sunhwa senior?”
When the mask came off, Yu Seonhwa’s face without makeup was revealed.
She looked happy to see Deok-su and kept smiling brightly.
“…So Deok-su has heard the rumors and come here. Our senior is skilled. High nose, so no sponsorship, but…”
Yu Seonhwa, who had already been rejected for sponsorship several times, grumbled unnecessarily.
But her composure suggested there was no better place than this.
While talking with Yu Seonhwa, Deok-su’s turn came quickly.
Inside, the doctor held a magnifying glass to Deok-su’s face.
“First, let’s check your skin age.”
The kind-voiced doctor examined Deok-su’s skin condition.
After the check, when he looked at the results, his mouth opened wide.
“Se, seventeen…? I, it’s impossible…”
“Seventeen? What does that mean…?”
“It means your skin age is seventeen. You said you were thirty-one this year, right?”
Deok-su nodded, and the doctor continued with a long sigh.
“…Your skin texture is appropriate and your skin surface is stable. Pores are clean too. Seeing a thirty-one-year-old man with such clean skin is the first time. How do you cleanse your face?”
“I use soap. Facial soap…”
Lee Hui-yeong watched Deok-su with eyes mixed with envy and bewilderment.
‘Is he secretly getting any special care?’
But the doubt was short-lived.
Since she had been practically glued to Deok-su for almost twenty-four hours, she couldn’t have been secretly receiving care.
The doctor set the magnifying glass down and said in a meaningful tone.
“If you’re interested, we can provide sponsorship through our hospital…”
“If it’s about sponsorship, you should talk to me instead.”
Lee Hui-yeong, who had been deep in thought, quickly cleared her mind and jumped in.
When the other party offered sponsorship first, Lee Hui-yeong could secure better terms.
Deok-su was also pleased with the unexpected success.
When they returned to the company, stacks of mail awaited Deok-su in the training room.
Fan letters and mysterious document envelopes addressed to Deok-su.
When Deok-su opened the fan letters, he was gripped by a strange feeling.
“It’s truly grateful…”
Many emotions crossed him.
Knowing someone supported him made his heart feel steady.
“Huh? Brother. Look at this.”
While Deok-su looked at the fan letters, Lee Hui-yeong handed him the contents of the document envelopes.
“Looking forward to today, toward the sun… These are scripts, right?”
It wasn’t just one or two.
Seven works in total were sending Deok-su love calls.