It's Too Sexy
A week had passed. Woo Dan-wol had wrapped filming for episode nine and was about to begin work on episode ten. Episodes five and six had already aired.
Woo Dan-wol's Action Scene? The Unfiltered Truth From That Day...
Sweat-Inducing Action! Did Netizens Grab Something Else Too?
What Was Woo Dan-wol Wearing? Men's Sports Apparel Sells Out!
Peak Rating Hits 16.4 Percent!!
Bold Exposure! The Actor Says It's Fine!
The media exploded once again. Ratings climbed higher with every passing day, and the reaction online was nothing short of explosive.
The viewers' reactions were red-hot. As a result, Woo Dan-wol's mood improved by the day. Even Jang Seon-woo, who used to show up late without fail, was now arriving on time like a model employee. It might have seemed surprising, but with his screen time slashed nearly in half, being late to a set that was already operating under extreme time pressure would have been a one-way ticket to the guillotine. Apparently lacking the courage to earn everyone's hatred, he had finally raised the white flag.
Thanks to that, the I Want to Stay for Just One More Minute team was sailing smoothly. If things continued this way, they would be able to air all sixteen episodes without any major disruptions. It would have been far more relaxed if Jang Seon-woo hadn't caused problems in the first place, but at least there were no canceled broadcasts.
Meanwhile, Woo Dan-wol was feeling completely flustered. The reason stood right in front of him: Woo Ri-na and her friends, who were currently shoving and bickering with each other. He wore a genuinely confused expression. Was there not enough pork in the stir-fry? No, that wasn't it. They began explaining the reason.
"H-how... how could you do that!"
"...Do what?"
"The e-exposure!"
Woo Dan-wol finally nodded in understanding. He himself didn't mind it at all, but it seemed the rest of the world felt differently. Even Woo Ri-na was gesturing wildly at him in protest.
"Was the exposure... that bad?"
"Look at this!"
It was a strangely familiar situation. Jin Yu-jeong fiddled with her smartphone and pulled up a YouTube video. It was a channel he recognized.
Hello. This is the Issue Queen...
"......"
He wasn't sure where the photos had been taken, but they had been stitched together into a montage. It was a channel he knew, but his packed schedule had kept him from watching it. This was the controversy? He was so bewildered it almost felt absurd. The video continued, narrated by an ambiguous AI voice that could have belonged to either a man or a woman. Ultimately, the core of the controversy was this: Woo Dan-wol was simply too sexy. Shockingly, the comments were overwhelmingly supportive of that view.
He couldn't understand it. The speculation even went further. The production company and drama team had supposedly demanded the exposure on purpose.
"Is this... true?"
"......"
Jin Yu-jeong was in a highly emotional state, looking ready to charge like an angry dog. She was only a third-year middle school student, but that might have been exactly why she seemed so frightening. The other two beside her were the same. They weren't speaking, but their eyes said it all. Yeah, that's exactly what happened. One word from him and they would have sprinted to the broadcasting station to bark like guard dogs. Three of them together made a Cerberus, apparently.
Anyway, Woo Dan-wol was grateful they were worried about him, but he was still incredibly flustered. It was his first day off in a while. What was this? Still, he had to clear things up.
"No, I chose to do it myself."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Like, if you didn't do stuff like this they'd say you have no talent and bury your career. They threatened you, right... Ack!"
"That doesn't even make sense... Sigh."
Blink. Blink. Did I just get hit?
Jin Yu-jeong, who had just received a sharp flick to the forehead, wore a dazed expression. Woo Dan-wol was the one who became flustered by the sudden burst of madness he sensed from her. She slowly rubbed the spot where he'd flicked her. The stinging pain must have lingered, because her face gradually flushed bright red.
"J-just one... Ack!"
Woo Ri-na threw herself forward to protect her older brother.
"You like getting hit that much?!"
"H-hey... what are you talking about..."
Woo Ri-na looked even more dumbfounded. Anyone could see she was a total masochist, yet the moment she was asked, she denied it. Her breathing was shaky and her face was flushed.
"Ugh, forget it!"
"Ack!"
Woo Ri-na began pounding on her. Woo Dan-wol watched with interest, lips pursed in a soft "O" shape. It seemed Jin Yu-jeong's body was honest; when hit by another girl, she felt nothing. But the moment it was Woo Dan-wol... only Woo Dan-wol. Unable to watch any longer, he turned his eyes away.
"I'm relieved, oppa."
"Hm?"
"You were so... sexy. It surprised me."
Who knew what kind of fantasies were playing in her head. Lee Da-bin looked just as dangerous as Jin Yu-jeong, but in a completely different way. Yeah. Time to escape. Woo Dan-wol firmly decided to get out of there.
"Let's work haaard and film well again today~!"
Auntie energy. Talking to herself in a singsong voice. If Seong A-reum heard it she'd probably scream that it was still too early, but everyone who saw her high-tension behavior had the same thought.
"Aigoo! There's my pretty Dan-wol!"
"Yes, Director."
"Uhahaha! I love how consistent you are!"
Her hearty laughter drew a perfect arc across her lips more and more each day. It was only natural. Even while filming episode ten, the ratings for episode six kept climbing higher every day.
And it wasn't just reactions to Woo Dan-wol. Plenty of discussion about the drama itself was pouring out. The most frequent topic was, of course, the romance line.
"Dan-wol, it looks like you'll need to match your rhythm with Ha-ryeong quite a bit."
"...!!"
Woo Dan-wol's eyes widened. It was thanks to Seong Da-un's words. Until now there had been no direct statements about the romance line. He had only predicted the general direction through analysis.
But hearing it straight from the writer's mouth carried a completely different weight.
What she meant was this: You're the lead now. So you'll need to break open that romance line at the right pace, won't you?
Woo Dan-wol's smile grew even brighter. He decided to pour even more effort into his acting.
"Yes! I'll do my very best!"
"If you work any harder than this we might be in trouble~"
It was half a joke, half sincere. His acting was already top-tier. Sometimes the gap between actors could make scenes feel off, so Seong Da-un had been thinking that if he simply kept performing at his current level, she would be more than grateful.
Who could have known there was still more to come?
The script for the day was nothing out of the ordinary. Episode ten would reveal Lee Shin-woo's family background and past. He should have realized something was up the moment Woo Dan-wol put on that meaningful expression.
The instant filming began, his entire aura changed. They had seen his acting before, so they thought they wouldn't be surprised anymore. But gradually, the eyes of the Seong A-reum and Seong Da-un duo grew wider and wider.
"......"
He walks down the street. It was simply Lee Shin-woo walking. Yet his steps were slightly unsteady. It was an ordinary gait, but his body looked uncomfortable, precarious. One might have mistaken him for being drunk, but no one who saw the expression on his face could possibly say that.
Through the microphone came a breath with no dialogue attached. Just by controlling the strength and weakness of his breathing, the atmosphere on screen grew heavy. It wasn't the directing or the effects. The mood had been created by the actor's performance alone.
All the staff held their breath. They were so immersed in Woo Dan-wol's acting that they momentarily forgot the script. Even the people who knew the full story found themselves wondering if something had actually happened to him.
"Mom..."
He staggered. Lee Shin-woo's family situation could not be called good. No, it had once been normal before it fell apart.
The pillar of the family, the only support they had, his mother, had been diagnosed with cancer. For over two years she fought the illness. The family's finances crumbled visibly. The chicken they used to order occasionally could no longer be afforded.
His mother was hospitalized all day. Brief periods of improvement were always followed by sudden deterioration.
His father left early in the morning and returned late at night. After a lifetime of only doing housework, she had begun working at a restaurant.
In the end, Lee Shin-woo was left alone at home. Naturally, he began to twist. The time he spent eating alone grew longer. His increasingly sharp nerves and behavior drove his friends away.
Even the one path he had, boxing, became impossible as the family's circumstances grew worse. The word "dropping out" began to float through his mind.
To his friends, he was a delinquent. He bothered the kids around him, acted however he pleased, and made others uncomfortable with his sharp tongue and words.
However, his true nature wasn't entirely bad. Feeling lonely eating alone, he would drag another student with him by force. Even in difficult circumstances, he couldn't bring himself to steal, so he gave them money for the errand and asked them to buy bread.
There were good days and bad days. Lee Shin-woo was...
Just an ordinary high school student who wanted to live an ordinary life.
"...Cut."
Silence fell over the set. The bitter atmosphere he had created still lingered in the air.