Chapter 66: Filming the Drama
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: Filming the Drama
It was late in the evening, after I’d gotten back from the gym, that I made my decision about the drama role.
Considering my weekly allowance is only 5,000 yen, I figured it was worth it to take the offer.
After quickly washing my face, I sat on the living room sofa and sent a message to Minato Nao.
「I'll take the part-time job.」
Sent.
A reply came back almost instantly, as if she’d been on her phone at that very moment.
「That's great! I'll tell the director right away! You won't back out later, will you?」
And just like that, I’d crossed the point of no return.
Well, it’s just a minor role, a brief appearance. It probably won’t be that difficult.
"Hey, Yoo-Sung, come get some apples~"
"Okay~"
I put my phone down on the table for a moment and went to the kitchen to eat the apple my mother had cut for me.
I returned to the living room sofa with a piece of apple on a fork in my mouth, a plate of sliced apples in one hand, and my protein shaker in the other.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
A series of messenger notifications chimed.
I glanced at the screen to see what was going on and found a pile of messages from Minato Nao, all sent in the short time I was away.
「Senpai, why aren't you replying? Are you busy?」
「I'm really interested in you, Senpai, but it seems like you're not interested in me, and that makes me sad.」
「Senpai? Are you doing something else?」
「Senpai? You didn't read it and ignore me, did you?」
「Senpai? Are you with a girl?」
"..."
What was this? Is she always this impatient?
I tilted my head at her messages, which had piled up in less than five minutes, and sent a reply.
「My mom called me, so I was in the kitchen for a minute.」
A reply came back immediately.
「Oh, so that's what it was. I almost misunderstood.」
Kids these days, I guess. Her reply speed is insane.
I still haven't gotten used to the Japanese keyboard.
「Anyway, aren't you busy, being a celebrity and all?」
「It's my off-time right now. Being a celebrity doesn't mean I work every single day.」
After that reply, a photo suddenly came through.
It was a picture of Minato Nao in colorful pajamas, making a V-sign with her fingers.
It seemed she sent it right while on her phone in her room, as a pink wall and what looked like a poster on it were visible in the background.
「That's a Mr. Olympia poster. You like bodybuilders?」
The moment I sent that message, a reply came back in less than a second.
「Yes! I love them!」
They were just plain text, but I could feel her excitement through the screen.
A high school girl liking brawny bodybuilders was definitely an unusual hobby.
It felt even more niche than Rika liking shonen manga.
She probably has a hard time talking about it openly.
「If you're okay with it, I can be someone you can talk to about it sometimes. There probably aren't many people your age who like bodybuilding, right?」
「If you would, I'd be super grateful!」
After sending that, Minato Nao paused for a moment before asking.
「But, won't I be a bother to you, Senpai?」
「Not really. I like talking about muscles too.」
Truthfully, the only person I could openly talk to about this stuff was Director Nakayama.
Goto joined the club recently, but he’s such a gym newbie that he can’t follow any of the more in-depth conversations.
He'll need to build up his knowledge for at least a few more years to reach my level.
In that sense, having another muscle aficionado like Minato Nao around was a welcome development.
「Then, I'll message you from time to time! My mom's calling me, so I have to go. That's all for today!」
「Okay. Take care.」
After the chat ended, I reached for the fork to eat the apple I’d momentarily forgotten, only to realize the plate was already empty.
I looked to my side and saw my father, watching a baseball game, nonchalantly chewing on an apple.
"Go ask your mom to cut some more," he said.
"Yes, sir."
Holding back tears, I quietly headed to the kitchen.
*
'Oh my god♡ Oh my god♡ Oh my god♡'
After the chat ended, Minato Nao pounded her bed with her fists, then grabbed a teddy bear and put it in a triangle choke.
The teddy bear's neck was twisted to an unnatural angle, but she didn't care.
She’d hastily sent the picture, wanting to make an impression, but realized her mistake too late.
She hadn't noticed the bodybuilder poster on her wall.
Just as she was starting to worry, What if he thinks I'm weird?, her senpai actually empathized with her unique taste.
Not only that, but he’d even offered to talk with her about it if she had no one else.
'Senpai is so kind♡'
He wasn't much different from the senpai she had vaguely imagined.
She was so glad she’d worked up the courage to talk to him.
If she hadn't, she'd still just be staring at the photos taken by the private investigator.
As she was happily imagining what kind of message she would send tomorrow, her door burst open and her mother walked in.
"Hey, I told you to come eat some apples. Why aren't you coming down?"
"I was just about to."
She instantly wiped the silly grin that was spreading across her lips.
As a rule, the celebrity Minato Nao was forbidden from dating.
If it became known that she was getting along well with her senpai, her mother would be the first to put a stop to it, so she had to hide it at all costs.
"Hurry up. The apples will dry out."
"Okay."
As soon as her mother closed the door and left, she stopped acting and broke into a silly grin again.
She was happy that she could finally talk to the prince she had always admired from afar.
What’s more, he even understood her tastes.
Whenever she told other people she liked muscles, they all looked at her strangely.
But her senpai didn't think she was weird at all.
'I like you♡I like you♡I like you♡'
The more she pictured her senpai's face, the more her feelings of affection overflowed.
She liked him so much that the thought of anyone else having him was unbearable.
But it was still too soon.
To her senpai, she was just a junior he had only just met.
It would be better to approach him slowly, little by little.
Taking a deep breath to calm her soaring emotions, she returned to her usual quiet demeanor.
It was too early to let her feelings for her senpai be known.
Even if she just blindly said she liked him, it was obvious her mother wouldn't approve.
Pondering how she could get her mother's permission to date, Minato Nao headed downstairs.
*
A few days later, on the weekend.
I headed to the bus stop in front of the NHK broadcasting station at the crack of dawn. I was there for the part-time gig in a minor role, an offer I’d gotten through Minato Nao, my junior from school and a famous celebrity.
Apparently, when traveling long distances for a drama shoot, everyone gathers at a specific location like this and takes a bus together.
The sun hadn't risen yet, and the sky was a dim, dusky color.
Pulling the baseball cap on my head down low, I walked toward the bus stop and saw that many people were already there, waiting.
Since it was my first time, I didn't know what to do and was looking around when someone who looked like a staff member approached me.
"What are you here for?"
"Um... I'm here for the minor role today, through Minato Nao-san's introduction."
"Ah~ The high school senpai Minato-san mentioned? Can I see your face?"
The man, who had smiled warmly and patted my shoulder, flinched and took several steps back the moment I took off my cap to show him my face.
"Uh... well, you really don't look like a high school student, just like she said."
"I get that a lot."
"If you need anything, just let me know. Since you're Minato-san's senpai, I'll make sure you're taken care of."
"Yes. Thank you."
As I said that and bowed my head, the staff member let out a nervous laugh and quickly walked away.
Hmm. I guess wearing a hat was a good call.
This wasn't the first or second time I've seen someone react with such shock upon meeting me.
"Those with minor roles and the extras, please board this bus!"
Following the staff's directions, I boarded what looked like a tour bus chartered by the broadcasting station.
The atmosphere inside the bus was somewhat bleak.
I found a suitable empty seat and quietly gazed out the window.
The station staff were bustling about, loading all sorts of equipment onto the vehicles.
Sitting here like this, it was finally starting to feel real.
That I was really going to be in a drama.
Eventually, it seemed everyone who was coming had boarded. After the driver got into his seat, the bus doors closed quietly.
I looked around to see what everyone else was doing. Most were either looking at their smartphones or had their eyes closed, taking a nap.
I didn't know how many hours I'd be on set today, and it felt like a waste to use my phone battery carelessly, so I decided to just sleep until we arrived.
They said it would take about an hour to get to the filming location, so that should be plenty of time.
I crossed my arms and leaned back in the bus seat.
Perhaps because the bus was dark and quiet, drowsiness quickly washed over me.
I didn't fight the encroaching slumber and let my heavy eyelids fall shut.