The Wrap Party
"Actor Ryu, have you eaten? Shall we stop at a rest area?"
"Oh, I was just starting to get a little hungry. Have you eaten yet, Min-su hyung?"
"Not yet. I'll pull over at the next one."
They stopped at the rest area that appeared shortly after. Yeon-woo moved to get out, but Min-su stopped him.
"I'll go. If you step out right now, it'll be a disaster. Stay in the car."
The firmness in his voice had Yeon-woo sitting back down before he quite realized it. Min-su sprinted for the food court.
Having spent most of his time shuttling between home and the set, Yeon-woo still hadn't fully grasped how famous he had become. Min-su's warning that going outside would cause chaos still didn't quite land.
"Hmm. He didn't really need to run like that…"
He waited only a short while before Min-su returned, arms full, and opened the door. With practiced ease he folded down the jump seat, spread a plastic sheet he had prepared in advance, and laid out everything he had bought. Clearly this was not his first time eating rest-stop food in a car.
"Wow, you only grabbed the good stuff. Min-su hyung, you've got great food instincts."
Yeon-woo gave him a thumbs-up.
"Hahaha. You do this job long enough and you know every rest stop on the map."
Before taking on Yeon-woo, Min-su had managed an unknown girl idol at another agency who mostly did military consolation tours. Long-distance travel, regional restaurants, and highway rest stops were all second nature to him.
"Ah, that makes sense. Well then—thanks for the meal."
Yeon-woo picked up a few bites with his chopsticks and set them down again almost immediately. Min-su looked at him with concern.
"Does it not taste good?"
"No, it's great! I just don't eat much. I'm already full."
He calls that full after eating that little…?
Min-su decided that actors really were a different breed—at least, this one was. The girl idol he had managed before had also eaten absurdly little by ordinary standards, but that had felt like constant self-denial. Watching Yeon-woo, even with only one actor as a sample size, Min-su got the impression of someone whose stomach had simply always been small.
Had he ever seen the Yeon-woo who once weighed over a hundred kilograms, he would have been stunned.
Noting that he should buy more carefully measured portions from now on, Min-su finished his own food quickly, cleaned up, and got them back on the road.
"Do you need the restroom? I can pull right up to the entrance if you want."
"Nah. Seoul's not far, and I'll just go at the salon."
Min-su's car rejoined the main highway and headed straight for the salon. Director Jeong Ha-neul of the shop greeted Yeon-woo like an old friend.
"My goodness, you got even handsomer while I wasn't looking."
"I look exactly the same. You're the one who keeps getting younger, Director."
"Hoho. How does a high-schooler deliver lines that smooth?"
They chatted while Yeon-woo received his makeup. Afterward, the stylist sent by the agency dressed him in the sponsored outfit she had brought, and they set off for the restaurant in Yeouido where the wrap party was being held.
"Whoa. Quite a few reporters showed up."
Yeon-woo was startled—and so was Min-su. This was his first wrap party as well. Outside the car, reporters and fans armed with cameras the size of cannons were already waiting by the dozen.
Lee Ye-eun, the stylist who had ridden with them, carefully straightened the clothes of the star she would be dressing from now on.
"Well then—I'll be back!"
Yeon-woo's bright smile left Ye-eun's face faintly pink. Min-su hurried out of the driver's seat to assist him.
"Ah! He's coming out!"
The moment Yeon-woo stepped from the car, flashes erupted. Smiling, he accepted Min-su's guidance, bowed lightly to the crowd on either side, and took a few steps forward to stand in the center.
"Look this way too, Yeon-woo!"
"Over here—give us a finger heart!"
Yeon-woo struck every pose the reporters requested with easy professionalism.
"Wow, they said he was the visual top among rookies, but that's not it at all."
"What do you mean, not it? He's ridiculously handsome."
"No—I mean he's not the top among rookies. He's just the top of the entire industry."
Reporter Jeong's exaggeration drew snorts of laughter from the others.
"There he goes again, overdoing it."
Among the fans thrusting massive cameras forward, admiration broke out as well. Most of them were Son Jin-uk's fans, or Han So-hyun's who had come to support their bias's co-star—but a fan's heart is a reed in the wind. Seeing Yeon-woo in the flesh was more than enough to shake them.
"I think I just got a Cha bias today. As long as my main doesn't change, it's fine, right?"
"Sorry, Jin-uk oppa. Me too."
While Yeon-woo kindly held every pose the reporters and fans asked for, Min-su approached.
"Actor, we should head inside now."
"Yes, of course."
Following Min-su's lead, Yeon-woo entered the restaurant. Inside, most of the seats were still occupied by staff; few of the actors had arrived yet. Yeon-woo greeted the crew he hadn't seen in two months with genuine warmth, then made his way to the table where Director Kim Han-su and Lee Sang-jung—who had played his father in the drama—were sitting.
"Ohhh, my son has arrived!"
"Have you been well, Father?"
With an affectionate laugh, Yeon-woo hugged the seated Lee Sang-jung, then turned to Director Kim Han-su beside him.
"Director, I saw in an article that you've already locked in a shooting schedule for a new project. You didn't even rest for your health."
"Haha, Yeon-woo. This is my livelihood. Jumping straight into the next project is a blessing in its own way."
Director Kim looked at him with warm eyes, then spoke carefully.
"If it's all right with you, Yeon-woo—of course I know you're a senior in high school and need to focus on your studies—"
For a director known for being sharp and decisive to hesitate like this was enough to spark curiosity.
"Could you free up about two days of shooting sometime in April or May?"
"Of course, Director! What kind of shoot is it?"
Watching Yeon-woo agree so readily, Director Kim continued.
"In the new drama, there's a flashback sequence that needs the female lead's first love. I can't think of anyone who would fit better than you."
"I'd be honored, Director."
Kim Han-su smiled at the answer.
"It shouldn't take long. Most of the scenes are set on a school campus, so one day—two at most."
After that, Yeon-woo stayed at the middle-aged men's table, chatting without the slightest awkwardness. Reincarnation had made his thoughts and mannerisms younger, but his original age was roughly the same as the men around him—so in a way, it was only natural.
An Jun-ho and Son Jin-uk arrived next. They threw their arms around Yeon-woo the moment they saw him after two months apart, and the reunion was loud and warm. Last of all came Han So-hyun, who had played Yeo-reum, the owner of the closet. With the exception of writer Choi Mi-hyeon, who was absent for health reasons, the entire cast and crew was present.
They laughed and talked while watching the final episode together on a large television. The last scene—of the two leads blessing each other's paths at the airport and parting ways—gave way to the end credits. Cast and crew applauded, celebrating one another for finishing strong.
Director Kim Han-su, who had been on a call, lowered his phone with a smile.
"Our finale rating came in at 15.1 percent."
The directing team shouted right after.
"And 15.3 percent on Naver!"
A roar went up, mixed with half-intelligible chants from the staff.
"Everyone, your attention please."
Director Kim raised both hands and quieted the excited restaurant, then dropped another piece of good news.
"The network has decided on a reward vacation for the entire team."
"Kyaaaah!"
"Nice! Here it comes!"
The restaurant, already festive over ratings that far surpassed JNBC's highest drama numbers of the year, tipped into pure chaos.
"Director, where are we going?"
Son Jin-uk, drinking beer with An Jun-ho, asked.
"Well, JNBC was going to send us to Saipan—"
"Ohh! Saipan! Not Southeast Asia—Saipan!"
Director Kim smiled at their reaction and continued.
"—but LN Media coordinated with the network and upgraded it to Hawaii."
The tables practically shook.
"Kuooh! Company loyalty just spiked!"
Cinematographer Kang In-chan thrust his spoon into the air in triumph, and the whole room burst out laughing. The chants shifted to "Hawaii!"
"Yeon-woo, can you come too? You're a senior…"
Han So-hyun, who had been chattering excitedly in the seat beside him, turned with hopeful eyes.
"No reason to turn down a free trip."
Yeon-woo smiled.
"Yesss! This is going to be so fun. Jin-uk sunbae, you're coming too, right?"
"Obviously. With So-hyun and Yeon-woo going, how could I skip it?"
Jun-ho, drinking beside Jin-uk, looked over at Yeon-woo.
"Yeon-woo, you ever fired a gun? Last time I went to Hawaii there was a live-fire range—it was a blast."
"Come on, he's still a minor. When would he have shot a gun? He hasn't even done military service yet."
At Jin-uk's words, Yeon-woo gave an ambiguous smile.
"Well… 'Yeon-woo' has never fired one, no."
"What? Are you referring to yourself in the third person? Ahh, that's so cute. Did you get drunk off soda?"
Han So-hyun mercilessly pinched and stretched Yeon-woo's cheek.
"Ahaha."
Yeon-woo could only laugh sheepishly.
Bzzzt.
His phone, still in his pocket, kept vibrating. Thinking it was a call, he checked—and found it was the group chat.
Watching his friends trade articles from the wrap party and banter back and forth, Yeon-woo felt a swell of gratitude and began to type.