What a wonderful senior you are. In terms of work, there’s still a lot to learn.
“Really? Well, that’s great. I was actually worried...”
Deok-su had to discreetly wipe the sweat from his brow.
The pressure he’d felt because of Yu Tae-seon was real, but he had no intention of spreading it around.
The kind look in Kim Hye-seon’s eyes felt like genuine encouragement.
“It’s been half a year since we last met. That time...”
“Yes, senior. It was the first time I saw you at the Itaewon after-party.”
“That time... it was with the head of the investment team, wasn’t it? She said there was a promising rookie who acted so well.”
A rather long conversation flowed between the two women.
The fact that they knew each other surprised him, but that the conversation had turned to Head Min Du-jin was truly unexpected.
While the two women chatted, the monitor screen overflowed with messages from the viewers.
‘Senior! Come in!’
Kim Hye-seon, spotting the sign from the PD through the window, adjusted her headset properly.
“...Kim Hye-seon’s real-time. The first song is ‘Is It Because I’m a Latte?’ from Rune. Ah, the weather is turning chilly. There’s a chance of rain for the next two days, so you should definitely bring an umbrella when you go out.”
The gentle voice continued, and Deok-su’s breathing grew tighter.
This was his first radio appearance, let alone one for promoting a drama.
Having brought along Shin Da-hyun as a helper, the tension of the first time was unavoidable.
Kim Hye-seon watched him and drew a gentle smile at the corners of her eyes before continuing her lines.
“...Today, special guests have come to find Kim Realta. Ah, there are more messages than usual today. The new Monday-Tuesday drama ending at university will end soon. Please wait a moment for the actor L’Vyu, who plays the role, and Shin Da-hyun, who has recently been spotlighted as the character Hae-wol in ‘December Is Autumn.’ Both of you can be enjoyed on the visible radio, so please hold on a little longer.”
After the ad ended, Kim Hye-seon removed her headset and smiled at Deok-su.
Deok-su’s right hand was already trembling faintly.
“Ugh. Don’t worry so much. There’s a professional right in front of you. What’s there to be anxious about?”
“Ah, I wasn’t trembling. It’s just...”
“Haha. Yeah, the questions from people who called Deok-su were enormous, right? Answering all of them would make anyone nervous. Da-hyun, you’d better work hard if you want to become like Deok-su.”
Throughout the entire ad time, Kim Hye-seon busily relaxed Deok-su’s tension.
Shin Da-hyun, for her part, gently encouraged Deok-su and worked hard to do her part.
Because of that, Deok-su’s hand trembling gradually subsided.
After the ad, accompanied by the logo song, Kim Hye-seon’s bright voice flowed out.
“Kim Realta’s showcase! What is study? A legendary drama that will give the true meaning of study to both students and parents has come.”
“The powerhouse production team and hot actors have come together for a hot story: University Ending. We’ve brought the actor who plays the role of exam coordinator, L’Vyu, and the spotlighted rookie, Shin Da-hyun. Please come in.”
“Hello.”
“L’Vyu, I saw you for the first time today, but you’re really tall in person. Since everyone knows the visuals, I won’t say anything else.”
“This is embarrassing, but hearing that from a beautiful senior like you makes me feel good.”
“L’Vyu. I’m not married. Don’t say things like that casually.”
A light laugh flowed through the studio, and the chat window scrolled furiously.
“2870-nim, L’Vyu oppa is mine. Don’t touch. 3390-nim, I love my sister but can’t give her to L’Vyu oppa. 4931-nim, I’m a guy. If you touch L’Vyu hyung after removing him, you’ll... oh my. Popularity that doesn’t distinguish between men and women. No way. L’Vyu, Shin Da-hyun. First of all, please give a formal greeting to our Kim Realta fans.”
Deok-su bowed his head in the direction of Kim Hye-seon.
“Hello. I am actor Kim Deok-su.”
“Hello. I am rookie actor Shin Da-hyun.”
Kim Hye-seon read one of the fan letters as if she had been waiting for it.
“A fun question just came in. 4887-nim asks if you didn’t originally hate the name Kim Deok-su.”
“I did hate it. In the past, I was teased a lot because of the name Deok-su.”
“You don’t hate it anymore?”
“I came to understand the meaning behind the name Deok-su. I was born as a sickly child. Even afterward, I had many illnesses, and my mother worried a lot about me.”
“Could it be that a clumsy name guarantees a long life?”
“Yes. Because I was lacking in maturity, I thought bad names were bad. I hadn’t realized the meaning.”
The tension seemed to have eased, and Deok-su answered comfortably.
Even when difficult questions came, Deok-su answered as faithfully as possible.
Because there were so many questions about Deok-su himself, Kim Hye-seon cut them off and handed the questions over to Shin Da-hyun.
But unlike with Deok-su, the listeners’ reactions were not so warm.
In the end, Kim Hye-seon wrapped up the conversation with Shin Da-hyun shortly and moved on to the next topic.
“The actresses who match breaths together are all difficult. Im Na-ra, Kang Jeong-ran, Yu Tae-seon... all the actresses who are respected when they act. Is there no difficult point?”
“Actually, it’s always difficult. I worry about whether I can empathize with my seniors’ emotions... When seniors do an emotional scene, the surrounding air even becomes quiet.”
“L’Vyu, you do well in social life.”
Laughter flowed through the studio and monitor.
“This time, please read it, Da-hyun.”
“3991-nim, L’Vyu oppa seems to have social life at an extreme level... I can’t do that to our boss. Yuyu.”
“Da-hyun, please read several of them.”
“5044-nim, L’Vyu hyung, you haven’t done that before either... 6001-nim, hyung, why were you like that before? 7599-nim, you can tell you received education before appearing. They’re all similar. L’Vyu senior really has good social skills.”
Shin Da-hyun had taken on the role of reader, but she worked diligently at her job.
As the talk continued, naturally the casting story flowed out.
“...So, how were you cast, L’Vyu?”
“The director recommended me. Then the writer Shin Yu-mi and the CP-nim gave me good looks and I was able to join the team.”
“I heard that the writer Shin Yu-mi has an unusual attachment to villain characters. It’s almost like the writer’s persona, right? Do you have a secret?”
“I just worked hard. I’m not talented in any special way.”
“Right now 5332-nim says you look talented. You said your face is talent...”
“People like me are everywhere.”
Looking at the articles, Deok-su broke into a cold sweat.
More than the drama, one careless word had become the hot topic.
It had been a light comment since he had lived without paying much attention to his face...
“...I want to live just one day with your face.”
“Yamma.”
Park Hyeon-woo, gripping the steering wheel, spoke, and Deok-su shook his head.
Rather than promoting the drama, the situation where his face was promoted without him wanting it had come.
People were enjoying it, but for Deok-su, who had intended to promote the drama, it was embarrassing.
“...Hehe. Deok-su, you really had a sharp tongue?”
“CP-nim. That’s...”
“Hahaha! Don’t feel burdened with the promotion. Just that your name came up in the search is enough for our drama to promote well.”
Real-time search ranking 7th place.
The result of one careless word.
Deok-su took a deep breath and put his phone away.
‘Today I have to do well.’
Today was the day of recording NBN variety radio loop.
He promised himself he would not make the same mistake as that time, and made the promise again and again.
“Hyeon-woo. Do you have something to say?”
Deok-su tilted his head, seeing Park Hyeon-woo peek into the back seat.
“Ah, nothing.”
“No. If you have something to say, just say it.”
Avoiding Deok-su’s eyes had not been easy.
In the end, the hesitant Park Hyeon-woo talked about the task he had been given by Lee Hye-yeong.
“...So, she told me to find out why I focus more on acting than Signature activities. She didn’t ask me, did she?”
“Yes. But... no matter how much I think, I can’t figure it out...”
“At four months, you seem a bit... rough around the edges.”
Deok-su shrugged his shoulders.
She was educating her junior with her own standards.
He hadn’t thought of intervening much, but he wanted to give some small help.
“I do like acting.”
“That means that’s not the whole reason.”
“That’s right? You gave too big a hint. Think about it more.”
Still unclear, but Park Hyeon-woo nodded.
They arrived at the NBN broadcasting station.
Radio loop recording was done at the 15th-floor studio.
This program, hosted by three MCs, featured guests from various fields and had a fairly lenient atmosphere.
It was also one of the strongest weekday variety shows that aired every Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Deok-su and Park Hyeon-woo entered the studio, greeted the PD and writer, and headed toward the MCs who were looking at the script.
“Hello.”
“Oh, it’s Kim Deok-su.”
MC Lee Chae-ha waved at Deok-su.
Though she had a slim figure and appeared delicate, she was actually a sharp and witty singer.
Beside her were former comedian MC Park Seong-un and comedian Guk Gwan-hyung.
After Deok-su’s greeting, Park Hyeon-woo handed him the coffee he had prepared in advance.
It was the kind of coffee they all liked.
“Oh, I’ll drink it well.”
“Thank you, hyung.”
After the coffee was passed around, the two headed to the waiting room.
There, as they received makeup, the guests arrived.
Actor Ahn Seok-hwan and actress Lee Young, who were roughly the same age as Deok-su, and comedian Hong Jong-hak.
Everyone was a stranger, so it was awkward.
Deok-su ended up sharing the waiting room with actor Ahn Seok-hwan.
In the awkwardness, Ahn Seok-hwan spoke up.
“You came into a work this time, right?”
“Yes. Senior too...”
“What about the senior? If we just look at the debut period, Deok-su seems older than me...”
Ahn Seok-hwan was a straightforward person.
Moreover, they were the same age.
The two decided to be friends rather than strictly senior-junior, and because of that, they could use the waiting room comfortably.
But once the recording started, the story changed.
“...You and Lee Young shot a movie together this time?”
“Ah, yes. It’s a movie called Changcheon.”
“Hey, why do you let them promote it so easily?”
Park Seong-un and Guk Gwan-hyung teased, naturally arousing curiosity about the movie.
Of course, that had already been discussed beforehand.
The flow of talk led to movie promotion, and the two continued the talk centered on the work.
In the middle of it, MC Park Seong-un looked at Deok-su and said,
“Deok-su, you also entered a new drama, right?”
“Yes. But... hah.”
“Why the sigh? The ground has sunk.”
Ignoring the scolding from MC Park Seong-un, Deok-su shook his head vigorously.
“I haven’t done many works, but this is my first drama. I don’t know about promotion or anything.”
Everyone in the studio blinked at Deok-su’s words.