Frost in June
"Aaaargh!!!"
The room was quiet. It was a standalone house rather than a typical apartment complex. That was why he could scream like this even in the middle of the night.
"Haa, haa, haa."
Jang Seon-woo panted roughly. He had thrown a vase and screamed, but no matter what he did, his rage refused to subside.
"Ugh... Woo Dan-wol..."
They said that when a man harbored a grudge, frost would fall even in June. The more he pictured it, the hotter his inferiority complex burned.
He surpassed Woo Dan-wol in recognition, filmography, appearance, and most other areas. Yet there was one exception besides personality. Acting ability.
One of the cardinal rules among entertainment reporters was this: never mention the acting controversy during an interview with Jang Seon-woo. Follow that single guideline, and the article would rack up views like crazy.
It was proof of E-Doon Entertainment's power and the strength of an actor with a solid fandom. Yet the fans themselves still felt frustrated.
Even Jang Seon-woo's own fans occasionally brought up his acting. Of course, those who spoke the truth as pioneers never met good ends. Getting expelled from the fan cafe was the least of the dishonor. So everyone was simply attending a masquerade ball.
Back to the point. How did Jang Seon-woo handle the emotion called inferiority?
"Huu..."
By browsing communities. The place where his name appeared most often, a fan cafe overflowing with praise.
He deliberately sought out spaces where only favorable words were spoken.
Especially since Jang Seon-woo had a higher proportion of male fans than female. Naturally, voices about Woo Dan-wol were bound to surface in the fan cafe. The administrators should have issued a new notice to address it, but.
Because the cafe's vice president was Jang Seon-woo himself, it received a special exemption. As a result, the space had become a hideout for "those people" in this extremely male-dominated community. What did it matter? It was nothing more than a gloomy hobby he enjoyed alone.
The room he had trashed could be cleaned up by ordering the manager around. He paid those who needed money, so what excuse would they have to leave? Today as well, wearing the mask of anonymity, he wandered the internet world.
The next day at lunch, suspicious activity was spotted at the school Woo Ri-na attended. Dozens of students were converging on the classroom where she sat.
"Quiet down! Be quiet!"
"The message from that person!! Has arrived!!"
They looked like fanatics. Drawing the curtains in broad daylight and blocking the doors turned the classroom into a secret society's base in the blink of an eye.
"Thank you to everyone who has gathered here."
In the end, it had only been a matter of time. Woo Ri-na was being treated like a cult leader. All because of the 'Forest of Flowers' craze that had swept the school.
Of course the excitement had died down after the drama ended. The problem began once it became known that Woo Ri-na was Woo Dan-wol's sister. She had expected the story would spread eventually, but she never imagined Woo Ri-na herself would be the one spreading it.
All of it had started from a careless slip of the tongue. So she began cleaning up the mess she had created.
"Woo Dan-wol..."
Gulp. Roughly forty people had crowded into a single classroom. With a typical class size of twenty, it was as if two entire classes had merged.
Beyond the numbers, every single one of them was a fan of Woo Dan-wol, so this was no mere student gathering. This was a fan club, a school-based fan corps.
All eyes turned to Woo Ri-na. As though she were delivering divine revelation.
"His next project drops next month!!"
"Woaaaaah!!!"
The screams of these beastly—no, vigorously energetic third-year middle school girls echoed across the entire school.
"Look at her."
"...Why?"
"With just a few words, Woo Ri-na has become a goddess."
"Stop watching so many dramas."
"Yeah..."
Lee Da-bin kept her mouth shut again today. It was autumn.
"Seon-woo, you're here?!"
"Hello. Director. Writer."
"Good. Since it's the first shoot, let's do well."
The beautiful duo smiled as they greeted Jang Seon-woo. The lead actor's mood was extremely important.
The script that had been distributed covered only four episodes. It was a sixteen-episode drama, so one might wonder why so little had been released. But although only four episodes' worth had come out, the main storyline and framework were already complete.
This was writer Seong Da-un's style. Rather than producing a perfect script from the beginning, she preferred to adjust in real time based on the actors' performances and the viewers' reactions. She was the type who displayed explosive speed once work began.
The early portion focused on overall atmosphere rather than emotional lines or romance. Infusing it with fun and youthful freshness was where the writer's skill showed.
The actors simply needed to follow along. No wonder people said dramas were the writer's playground.
Still, the lead actor was the lead for a reason. He was the face on the main screen, the one viewers would naturally focus on.
Whether that position would last until the end, however, remained to be seen. No matter how strong Jang Seon-woo's influence was, could it truly overpower the viewers?
"Hello!"
Woo Dan-wol was still busy greeting everyone. The warm gazes watching him made Jang Seon-woo feel inexplicably irritated.
Just then Woo Dan-wol approached him and offered the same greeting.
"Hello, senior."
"Yeah."
Woo Dan-wol was slightly flustered as well. Even if few people were watching, to show so openly that something was wrong.
But who was he? A madman. No. A man mad about acting.
He immediately turned his head and moved on to the next person—the staff member in charge of lighting.
"Hello."
"Ah, hello..."
How much conversation could there be between an actor and a lighting staffer? She was naturally flustered, but soon smiled, exchanged a few words, and each returned to their positions.
Then, as Woo Dan-wol was calmly heading elsewhere, his eyes met Jang Seon-woo's. It was only a glance, but within Woo Dan-wol's eyes...
"Is he smiling?"
It set him off. It wasn't exactly a wrongdoing, but there was something about it that scratched at the nerves.
The professional term was "irksome." Getting angry here would make him look petty. Enduring it or biding his time would be the wiser choice. Yet the look was too grating to simply let slide.
"Haa..."
The gaze was far too irritating. His hands trembled, but there was nothing Jang Seon-woo could do. The signal that filming was beginning had come.
A short while later, filming started and Woo Dan-wol watched the scene with a serious expression. In life there is always someone you dislike. Knowing how to get along with them anyway is what makes someone an adult.
Because he became serious about anything related to acting, he was carefully observing the chemistry between Ju Ha-ryeong and Jang Seon-woo.
As expected, frustration washed over him. That's not how you do it. Woo Dan-wol was not the type to meddle in others' affairs.
He was closer to an eccentric who cared more about his own acting than anyone else's. Yet this was irritating enough to dirty even Woo Dan-wol's eyes.
It wasn't that the performance was impossible. There was some foundation there.
He was simply a person who did not suit acting. While it might be difficult for any human to judge such a thing,
Woo Dan-wol, who took pride in his craft, judged it coldly. Jang Seon-woo should have become an influencer, not an actor.
"Cut. Seon-woo, look here..."
A chilly silence gradually settled over the set. This was the drama's first day of filming, the very first scene. Yet it was already creaking from the start?
Cracks began to appear in his expression. The face that had been expressionless or wearing a gentle smile now had downturned lips, and his eyebrows twitched from time to time.
"Shall we try that once more?"
Director Seong A-reum gave the signal, and another NG occurred.
As it repeated, the atmosphere on set grew stiffer. A trace of unwillingness appeared on Jang Seon-woo's face. It was very subtle, but Woo Dan-wol noticed it before anyone else.
"Cut! Hmm..."
Seong Da-un let out a tiny sigh. It was something she had anticipated, yet seeing it in person was still disappointing. Especially with a clear point of comparison right there, it stung even more.
She was filled with the desire to replace the lead. But they had to continue at least through the currently distributed script. Only then would they have proper justification. After all, E-Doon Entertainment was no small company.
"Okay. Let's move on to the next scene."
In the end, Director Seong A-reum compromised with herself. Society was truly a cold place.
After filming several scenes like that, it was finally Woo Dan-wol's turn.
"Dan-wol."
"Yes."
He strode confidently onto the set. Ju Ha-ryeong, who had been filming until a moment ago, continued to the next scene without any sign of fatigue. Normally she should have taken a break.
However, because of Ju Ha-ryeong's strong determination, they were pushing through this forced schedule. For Seong Da-un, it was good news. Too many NGs had come out during the previous filming.
And Jang Seon-woo's eyes as he watched the shoot grew sharp. Just try making a mistake! He would definitely scoff and land a solid blow.