Chapter 69: One Wish
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: One Wish
"Let them go."
It was just a single line.
But overwhelmed by the charisma he exuded, everyone held their breath in unison, as if by some unspoken agreement.
The silence was absolute.
It felt as if time itself had momentarily stopped.
Even the veteran actors, the drama staff, and Minato Nao and the director who had cast him couldn't move a muscle, as if bound by invisible chains.
In the long, unintentional silence that followed, the first to speak was the rookie actor who had been grabbing the protagonist, Agito, by the collar.
"Boss! This bitch Sato sold Komuro out to the cops to save her own skin! And you're still going to let them go?!"
It was an unscheduled ad-lib.
But it was so natural that no one could cut him off—
Startled, Kim Yoo-Sung looked at the rookie actor.
His expression clearly said, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’
But perhaps misinterpreting that look, the actor stared back into Kim Yoo-Sung’s eyes for a few seconds without flinching, before finally looking away with an air of resignation and letting go of Agito’s collar.
"Tch, take them."
The actor playing Agito, looking bewildered as he rubbed his neck, glanced back and forth between Kim Yoo-Sung and the rookie actor for their unexpected performances. Then, he helped the fallen Minato Nao to her feet and they hurriedly escaped the dark warehouse.
"Cut!"
It was at that exact moment that the director, who had been watching the scene from behind the camera with bated breath, shouted in a loud voice.
*
"Wow! That was amazing acting, Kim-kun!"
"Huh? Ah, yes."
I wasn't sure what to make of the director's sudden praise, but I gratefully accepted the compliment.
It was my first time acting, but I was glad he liked it.
"Have you ever had vocal training or something? Your diction is so good, your voice was crystal clear even from a distance."
"I've never learned anything like that."
"What about the acting, then? That commanding presence isn't something just anyone can pull off!"
"This is the first time I've ever acted in my life."
"...Have you ever thought about becoming an actor?"
"No, I prefer working out."
"Argh! What a waste! To think I have to let a diamond in the rough like you go after just a bit part!"
Feeling out of place in this atmosphere, I looked around for help, but Minato, the only person I knew, was nowhere to be seen.
The shoot had just ended, so she must have gone to the restroom.
Trapped by the director and pestered with questions, I was only able to escape when another staff member announced it was time to shoot the next scene.
"Phew..."
I'd only filmed one scene, but I was incredibly tired.
I'd heard that for dramas and movies, they usually reshoot scenes multiple times to get the best take, but the director said this one was perfect and didn't need it. He told me to go to the break room and rest.
After thanking the director, I was about to head back to the container where the supporting actors rested when the actor who had ad-libbed earlier came into view.
It seemed I wasn't the only one who noticed him; the director asked with a pleased expression.
"You, what's your name?"
"I'm Yamada Junpei!"
"That ad-lib earlier was fantastic! Keep it up!"
"Yes! Thank you!"
After receiving the director's praise, the actor's eyes met mine. He gave me a thumbs-up and a wide grin before heading off to film another scene.
...What was that supposed to mean?
*
When I returned to the container where the supporting actors and extras were waiting, there was no one else there.
It seemed everyone had gone for the afternoon shoot.
Thanks to that, it felt like I had the whole place to myself.
First, I went into the changing room to get out of the stuffy clothes.
Taking off the student cap that had practically fused with my waxed hair and shedding the modified gakuran—a symbol of delinquency—I felt a sense of relief.
Until a moment ago, it had felt like I was being forced into clothes that didn't fit.
After a final check of my appearance in the mirror, I opened the changing room door and stepped out.
"Huh?"
There stood Minato Nao, who I thought had gone to the restroom.
"What are you doing here?"
As I voiced my question, Minato Nao brought a finger to her lips and made a "shhh" sound.
I didn't think it was necessary since we were the only ones here, but I nodded anyway.
Then, with her hands behind her back, Minato strode toward me and stopped right under my chin.
"Sunbae, there's something I want to ask you."
Flustered by her strangely meaningful aura, I tried to step back, but the wall was behind me.
"...What do you want to ask?"
"It's something very simple."
As she said that, Minato Nao brought out what she had been hiding behind her back.
"The person in this video... it's you, isn't it, Sunbae?"
It was a video playing on a smartphone.
The same low-quality video that had been the talk of the school just a few days ago.
The matter had been brushed aside because there was no proof that I was the protagonist in the video, but Minato Nao's eyes were filled with conviction.
A conviction that the man fighting like a madman in this video and I were one and the same.
I decided to think calmly.
First, it was clear she didn't have conclusive evidence.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to see me privately to ask like this.
So, if I just didn't fall for her questioning, there was a chance I could get through this tight spot safely.
Alright. Let's give it a shot.
"Sorry, but the person in that video isn't me."
At that, Minato grinned like a cat.
"Really? But my eyes are telling me it is."
Minato paused the video at a specific point.
"The forearms, the trapezius, and even the overall shape of the muscles from the thighs down to the calves. The muscles of the man in this video and your muscle shape are a 100% match. Since you're so interested in muscles, Sunbae, you must know, right? That no two people in the world have the exact same muscle shape."
"......"
This was undeniable proof.
A person's muscles, like fingerprints, have their own unique shape.
It seemed I had misjudged the situation from the start.
In a case like this, it would be better to give up quickly and negotiate.
"...What do you want from me?"
She must have some objective to have come looking for me in secret like this.
She probably planned to use my secret to get something.
Of course, I wasn't the type to meekly comply with blackmail, but I decided to at least hear her out.
Sensing that we were on the same page, Minato Nao took a small, deep breath, stepped back a few paces, and spoke in a nervous voice.
"I'm not going to ask for anything difficult. All I want to ask of you, Sunbae-nim, is..."
"Is?"
"P-P..."
"P?"
Finally, Minato Nao clenched her fists and said with a determined expression:
"Please show me a side chest pose!"
*
Side chest.
One of the seven mandatory poses in bodybuilding competitions.
You push your more confident chest forward, slightly bend your legs, and simultaneously contract the bicep and calf muscle on the side facing the judges.
It's one of the first poses that comes to mind when thinking of bodybuilding because it allows one to see the development of the pectoral, bicep, and calf muscles all at once.
When guys who've worked out a bit at the gym pose in front of a bathroom mirror, nine times out of ten it's either a side chest or a front double biceps.
And now, I was doing this very side chest pose in front of Minato Nao, my school junior and a famous celebrity known as the "Nation's Little Sister."
"Kyaaaaaa! Can I take a picture?"
"...As long as you keep your promise."
In exchange for keeping my secret, Minato Nao had asked me to hold bodybuilding poses until she was satisfied.
Thanks to her, I found myself showing off my body, something I never expected to do. Feeling a strange sense of shame under Minato's scrutinizing gaze, I obediently struck various poses as she requested.
From the double biceps to the lat spread, side chest, triceps, and even the abdominal & thighs.
After being photographed relentlessly, and finally taking a commemorative shot with Minato hanging off my arm, I asked in an exhausted voice.
"Why did you ask me to do this?"
Clutching her smartphone, Minato Nao beamed and said.
"Because, Sunbae-nim, you have my ideal muscles!"
Ideal muscles, huh.
I kind of, sort of, understood what she meant.
"Anyway, you'll keep your promise now, right?"
"Of course! I'll take your secret to my grave!"
Minato said, striking a pose to show off her bicep, then bowed deeply.
"Thank you for indulging my childish request, Sunbae. I think the others will be back soon, so I'll get going now."
"...Alright."
I decided to take comfort in the fact that the one who found out my secret was Minato, who at least seemed like a good person.
If it had been someone else, they might have demanded money.
Considering that, I was lucky I could just pay with my body.
"Well then, get some rest!"
Minato gave me a bright smile, then carefully opened the container door and stepped outside.
After she left, finally alone, I dragged my tired body to the sofa and glanced at the clock on the wall.
5:00 PM.
Twelve hours had already passed since I left home at dawn.