The Way She Was Talking
The way she was talking, it was like she could eat mountains. She was right, though. Ryu Min-hye had thrown together a meal plan that left Deok-su utterly shocked.
She ate five times a day and the portions were enormous.
Kim Deok-su used to love food, but his new body wasn’t the same. It barely knew what hunger felt like.
Min-hye-ya. If I eat like this, I’ll…
I know. It’s harder to put on weight than to lose it. You said you’d follow my advice from the beginning, right?
Hearing that, there was nothing left to say.
Plus, the meal plan was based on his InBody scan. There was no excuse to refuse.
Because of that, he never felt bloated or sick no matter how much he ate.
I’m sorry, Mother. I’m making you work too hard for nothing…
If it’s like this, you can say something anytime. I’m trying to make your body healthy, even if it means stealing time from my schedule.
Thanks to that hidden ally, Lee Jeong-mi, Deok-su had no choice but to eat everything on his plate.
The pain he endured helped his body improve day by day, and his stamina grew rapidly.
One evening after work, Deok-su was scrolling through his SNS inside Lee Hui-yeong’s compact car when he tilted his head.
The number of comments has dropped a lot.
Lee Hui-yeong, who had been flooring the accelerator, became gloomy.
Did I overdo it?
Some people would spend extra time commenting hate when she posted luxury items. But with only practice photos, the hate comments and overall comments decreased.
People love something stimulating. Still, look. The number of people reposting has definitely increased.
It was clear how powerful Kim Deok-su’s looks were.
The most widely reposted video was the one of him practicing acting.
This is Kim Deok-su’s voice? I thought he was a completely different person…
I turned off the screen and just listened to the voice, and I was instantly smitten. It’s Kim Deok-su. Damn…
That man… Brother, I want to date him.
Is this dubbing? It’s not Kim Deok-su’s voice.
What? Is the dubbing that well synced? Keep an eye on this.
…
Deok-su showed those completely different reactions to Lee Hui-yeong.
Don’t get anxious just because the number of people decreased. Slowly, steadily. Understood?
Yes.
Lee Hui-yeong was amazed by the current Kim Deok-su.
Rarely did celebrities so sensitive to SNS as to eat up attention like this. It was only natural.
SNS let you feel the buzz of being wanted directly.
Being sensitive to comments or likes was only natural.
Ah, there’s one hate comment.
What is it?
She says to wear better clothes. She calls me a fashion idiot.
Deok-su laughed out loud.
Thinking about it, Kim Deok-su had been a famous fashionista.
To Deok-su, it was just a money-grubbing guy who wore designer brands.
Still, it sounds like a valid point. It’d be good to pay attention to your outfit, even for commuting.
She’s not going to the broadcast station… Why waste money like that.
Clothes and fashion were like that to Deok-su.
Necessary for important events, but in daily life, just something to keep him warm, like a towel.
It’s strange. I heard Oppa became famous as a fashionista…
I don’t want to get involved.
Yeah, it’s rare to find someone who’s tried expensive clothes like Oppa. Still, many people pay attention to commuting outfits, so why not look good while you’re at it?
Hmm…
I’ll find some good clothes for you.
Since Lee Hui-yeong was taking care of it herself, Deok-su was grateful.
It would have been nice to have a professional stylist, but they were busy taking care of other celebrities.
The next morning, Deok-su went to work early as usual, but an unexpected person was waiting for him.
Mr. L’Vyu, you’ve been causing quite a stir lately?
You’re here?
It was Ryu Gang-hyeok, who had just returned from Brazil.
This was the first time since the hospital.
I’m sorry about then. I should have tried harder to stop the PD…
It’s fine. It ended up well anyway.
Deok-su tried to calm down the still-apologizing Ryu Gang-hyeok.
He seemed to be carrying the guilt of not being able to stop PD Lee Gwang-yong.
Deok-su barely managed to soothe him and got him to sit.
…It seems the rumor is true.
The rumor?
The rumor that Kim Deok-su has changed. If he was the old him, he’d probably still be acting like a thug for over a year.
Deok-su smiled, but he felt awkward.
Even though the amnesia story sounded convincing, dealing with people who really knew Kim Deok-su, like Ryu Gang-hyeok or his mother, was always hard.
Not just kids. You must have had your own reasons.
…Amazing. I heard from Min-hye. You’ve been working out with her lately?
Throughout the conversation, Deok-su was curious.
Ryu Gang-hyeok was definitely a good leader. The rumors were all positive.
So why did such a person cling to a monster like Kim Deok-su so desperately?
You know I have amnesia, right?
I know, but why bring it up?
I’m curious. Why are you treating me so well?
Ryu Gang-hyeok scratched his head and told the story.
You forgot that too? Seriously. The reason I debuted with Signature was thanks to you.
They had been childhood friends from the same neighborhood.
Ryu Gang-hyeok had talent in height and charm, so he entered the JMT trainee program from a young age.
On the other hand, Kim Deok-su had no connection to the entertainment industry until a casting at a street corner brought him into the Signature debut group.
When Deok-su joined, Ryu Gang-hyeok was a veteran who had been a trainee for seven years.
At that time, you said you wouldn’t let me debut unless you let Ryu Gang-hyeok join too.
…Embarrassing. There was such a bro moment?
It happened. Back then, they used to use each other a lot… My head feels weird.
At the time, the company had rejected Kim Deok-su’s suggestion.
But finding a visual like him wasn’t easy. After much deliberation, they accepted his request, and Ryu Gang-hyeok could join the debut group.
You’re my benefactor. Today, let me treat you to dinner. Let’s go.
Really? Can I order something expensive?
Today, you should go all out with meat.
Deok-su and Ryu Gang-hyeok left the company while talking.
After the meeting, President Kang Sang-mi closed her documents and stood up.
The headquarters meeting held once a month was boring and uninteresting.
Listening to old people talk about the same old things made one want a drink.
…Why are you demanding this from this side!?
Wasn’t the original responsible department that side?
President Kang Sang-mi grabbed her head.
Hah… It’s starting again.
The two were fierce rivals vying for the vice president position.
Competing through performance was fine, but fights like this were irritating.
Two, what’s the matter that has you so worked up today?
As President Kang Sang-mi approached, the two department heads straightened their backs.
Although she was much younger, there was a chairman of another company behind her.
Even the president herself was not someone to be trifled with.
Department Head Kang Ha-seong of the Idol Planning Business Division cautiously opened his mouth.
I apologize for making it so obvious. It’s about Kim Deok-su’s training expenses. Kim Deok-su has started full-fledged acting training, so I requested budget support.
Hah! An actor? Has Kim Deok-su quit Signature and gone full-time as an actor? Is there any reason to spend money on the actor team because of that half-baked guy?
You didn’t say he had to pay it all. Isn’t it difficult even to pay 50 percent?
Department Head Min Du-jin of the Acting Planning Division didn’t back down.
President Kang Sang-mi clicked her tongue.
The department heads had no reason to argue over such petty money.
The truth was that they were building their reputations. It was a power struggle.
Kim Deok-su was just a pawn in between.
Kim Deok-su is pitiful. Tsk tsk.
President Kang Sang-mi clicked her tongue and placed her hands on the shoulders of both.
All right, let’s summarize. When the PD said to send Kim Deok-su away, where was the team that brought him back?
…The Idol Division.
Bring it back, and you take responsibility. You know this is the basic policy, right? Are the results also in the Idol Division?
Department Head Kang Ha-seong squinted his eyes.
He judged that the president was favoring the actor side.
The smile on Department Head Min Du-jin’s face of the Acting Planning Division deepened.
But President Kang Sang-mi’s words weren’t over.
However, we are both part of the same JMT. Isn’t that right, Department Head Min?
…Y-yes.
In that case, I believe you should know how to offer goodwill. I think we two department heads have that much camaraderie.
President Kang Sang-mi removed her hands from the shoulders of both.
The actor side is right, but it’s also the appropriate amount to send some support funds to the idol side.
In the end, neither side would give any strength.
Leaving the two department heads with sour faces, President Kang Sang-mi left the conference room.
But this matter didn’t end simply with an argument.
This PD, you…! Why did you grab Kim Deok-su and complicate things!
Lee Gwang-yong, the PD who had rushed to the department head’s office from the countryside, had to endure every curse in the book.
…Recently you said Kim Deok-su was practicing a lot, right? Let’s test to see if there are any results.
What? Well, he did practice a lot… Still, it’s a bit early. There are also places to cut…
You want to test if he’s usable. Isn’t it too difficult to send just one profile? We can’t just steal money when the contract has only one year left.
Without even a word of excuse, PD Lee Gwang-yong was thrown out of the department head’s office and sighed.
Kim Deok-su, who couldn’t even receive the care of the Signature management team.
Recently, he seemed to have pulled himself together and was working hard personally…
But whether that would connect to a schedule was questionable.
Who is Kim Deok-su’s manager?
Manager Lee Hui-yeong.
Hui-yeong? Who the hell is that?
After hearing the direct team leader’s report, PD Lee Gwang-yong laughed bitterly.
It was absurd for a new hire, no matter how washed-up Kim Deok-su was, to take on driving or anything.
It was amazing that he hadn’t caused any trouble so far.
PD Lee Gwang-yong, who was holding his head, called Lee Hui-yeong for now.
Sorry. It’ll take about two hours to return.
Two hours? Kim Deok-su is in the company right now, where did he go?
He’s at Dongmyo now. There’s something I want to show Deok-su Oppa.
All right. Just come in.
Two hours later, Lee Hui-yeong entered.
Lee Hui-yeong sat facing him with her body tightly tense.
It’s not easy to appease a washed-up person’s ego, is it?
No. Deok-su Oppa has been practicing hard lately, and he hasn’t caused any special incidents…
Hui-yeong.
PD Lee Gwang-yong’s eyes shone sharply.
We can skip the obvious boring stuff. I heard you ended up with Kim Deok-su because of the seniors.
…
You’ve held up well. I knew he was usable when you stopped. I’ll make room for him on the Signature side.
Lee Hui-yeong flinched for a moment.
Becoming the Signature manager at JMT meant guaranteed promotion.
When they offer such things, there’s always a reason.
This is only for you, but the company has no intention of renewing with Kim Deok-su. Right now, Kim Deok-su is practicing so hard to extract as much as possible from the company…
That can’t be.
Seeing the newbie’s words cut off, PD Lee Gwang-yong glared.
But Lee Hui-yeong paid no attention and continued.
Deok-su Oppa is truly working hard. His image has improved a lot lately. And…
Little one. Do you really think that washed-up Kim Deok-su can make a comeback?
Yes.
Even with blatant mockery, Lee Hui-yeong nodded.
Her face held certainty.
PD Lee Gwang-yong was bewildered.
Was she being arrogant because of her youth, or was she simply stupid?
He asked again, but the answer didn’t change.
Before Lee Hui-yeong could leave, PD Lee Gwang-yong grabbed her.
…Good. Let’s talk about your transfer later. There’s an OBC short role audition going on now. Send Deok-su’s profile.
You want me to send Deok-su Oppa’s profile for a short role audition? It’s not a main or supporting role?
Lee Hui-yeong was dumbfounded.
Although his image had already fallen just before quitting, Kim Deok-su was a member of a top idol group. Going for a short role audition seemed mismatched for someone like him.
A short role is something the company can easily handle with just a little effort…
You can’t make PD Jo suffer for this. Think of it as gaining experience. It’s only natural to include rookie actors’ profiles.
Stop talking nonsense and just send it.
Lee Hui-yeong left with a heavy heart and headed to the training room where Kim Deok-su was practicing.
Whether it was too early to send the profile or not.
It was a complicated feeling.
When Lee Hui-yeong entered the training room, Deok-su and Kim Hyeok-jung were putting their all into practice.
Deok-su’s manager. I’m about to finish, so wait just a moment.
Kim Hyeok-jung refocused on Deok-su.
Hehe. This is it. Don’t think too much with one line.
I’m sorry.
Acting is instinct. Instinct. Don’t think too much and make it late.
Follow your instinct? Instinct…
Do you know why you keep thinking during acting? You don’t know because of that. You have to prepare a lot in advance for that instinct. That’s character analysis.
Lee Hui-yeong watched Deok-su’s acting with bated breath.
Even switching to a different voice was surprising once acting started, but his passion was even more amazing.
Like no one else, Deok-su poured everything into acting, even if the building burned down.
Kim Hyeok-jung, too, was pouring out his own things as if drawn in by Deok-su’s passion.
How long had it been?
Today is up to here. What was the homework?
Short line practice. Hello, you’re home. A call came.
Why do you have to practice such lines?
Newcomers don’t get opportunities for long lines, so you have to express short lines well to seize the chance for long lines.
He didn’t slack off.
There was no praise for Kim Hyeok-jung, but he was happy.
The more training continued, the more Deok-su absorbed Kim Hyeok-jung’s teachings like a sponge.
Before, he was surprised by the voice, but now he was surprised by the effort.
He hesitated to praise, but he held back, wondering if he was becoming arrogant like before.
After class, as Kim Hyeok-jung was about to leave, Lee Hui-yeong approached.
Sensei, may I have a moment of your time?
What is it? Is it an important matter?
Kim Hyeok-jung asked in his usual gentle tone, not the strong one from class.
Lee Hui-yeong took a deep breath and continued.
I want to send Deok-su Oppa’s profile. I heard there’s a short role in the OBC monthly historical drama My Hwarang.
Deok-su’s fans slightly grimaced.
In truth, Deok-su was working hard, but whether he could actually go on stage was still unclear.
Oppa, I’m sorry. I should have blocked it somehow… No. I’ll go now and stop it. Just a second…
Deok-su couldn’t open his mouth easily either.
He still wasn’t sure if he could stand in front of people.
Just send the profile. Since it’s happening, you should show your face on the broadcast.
Deok-su and Lee Hui-yeong’s eyes widened at Kim Hyeok-jung’s words.