The Blog, the Premiere, and Five Million Followers
On a rare day off, Team Lead Han Su-a was sprawled at home, killing time by surfing the internet.
She had started with financial news, but the algorithm had led her from shopping tips to travel content, and before she knew it, she was browsing a blog she had stumbled across.
"Hm. This place has a really nice vibe overall."
It was exactly the kind of atmosphere Team Lead Han Su-a liked.
There were none of the over-the-top flourishes or excessive emoticons that power bloggers loved to cram into their posts. Aside from a few photos here and there, the writer had described the mood entirely in prose, laying out the feelings they had experienced on the spot, and that struck her just right.
"The writing is good, basically. It pulls you in."
She had been looking up information on Jeju NW Hotel, but before long she was reading posts about the blog owner's Shanghai trip, where they had eaten lamb skewers and drunk Tsingtao, and even a visit to the National Museum of Korea.
Then, as she kept reading, something about it began to feel strangely familiar.
"Wait. For some reason, this itinerary is kind of like mine."
The post about the National Museum of Korea had gone up on the exact same day she had visited, and Shanghai had also lined up closely with her own schedule.
And that wasn't all.
Hold on. There's even a sushi omakase post?
What was more, the table and even the seat position matched the one she had sat at.
There's no way I have a stalker.
Even if she somehow did, there was no reason they'd leave such obvious traces.
So she retraced the people whose paths overlapped with hers, and only one face came to mind.
"Wait, could this be Deputy Kang's blog?"
As she examined the photos uploaded to the blog, the hand of a man holding a beer glass came into view.
The bulging veins, the long straight fingers.
"It really is Deputy Kang..."
Warm delight bloomed all at once.
"I knew he blogged, but I didn't expect to find it like this."
She pulled out her phone and immediately started typing him a message.
[Recipient: Kang Seo-jun]
- I found this by chance, but is this your blog, Deputy? I'm so glad to have found it -
"Wait."
Just as she was about to send it, she hesitated.
"It's Saturday."
She had nearly forgotten her own position.
A company superior contacting someone on the weekend? That's the worst.
She deleted the message she had been typing.
Maybe I should bring it up casually when I see him at the office later?
Even as that thought formed, she stopped.
She shook her head violently.
What if he thinks I'm a company superior snooping around his personal blog?
A middle-aged department head with a bald spot following her private SNS, finding her, and acting like they knew her?
That's awful.
It was enough to make her skin crawl.
Damn it. Why do I have to be his superior?
If only she were a junior, or even just a peer, she would have talked to him casually, but the very title of superior made it likely she'd put him on edge.
I'll just pretend I don't know. That's better.
She made up her mind that way.
Still, somewhere in her chest, a faint sense of disappointment remained.
I don't exactly dislike him.
Of course, it wasn't romantic feeling.
It was the sort of good feeling that could exist between coworkers.
That seemed like the right way to describe it.
She wanted to get along with him as a person.
He's different from the other people at the company.
When they talked, there were plenty of things that clicked, and plenty of things they had in common.
Beyond that, it was hard to put into words exactly what it was, but Kang Seo-jun had a certain aura about him. He gave off the sense of not being swept away by the current, of walking his own road with quiet dignity.
She wanted to share in that hard, steady thing buried somewhere inside him.
But the TF team is already nearing its end...
Wasn't there some good way?
No. If anything, maybe if I approach him after the TF team is over, the wall between superior and team member will have fallen away...
If he found her uncomfortable, then by that point Kang Seo-jun could also draw a line without pressure.
I'll give it a little more time.
She decided to take it slowly and let them become close naturally.
***
Meanwhile, at the same time, in the GCV theater in Yongsan.
The preview screening of Choi Kang-san's starring film had come to an end.
To be honest, romantic comedies weren't really my thing, so I hadn't come in with high expectations.
I had only shown up thinking I'd at least help preserve Choi Kang-san's pride by writing a decent review.
But this is fun.
I ended up fully immersed from beginning to end.
Maybe not ten million, but it could easily clear five million.
I could even recommend it to couples and tell them they had to go see it.
"Hello, everyone."
As the end credits rolled, the cast who had appeared in the film, including Choi Kang-san, stepped out in front of the screen with the director.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Did you enjoy the movie?"
"Yeeeesss!"
"The theater business has been in such a gloomy period lately, so I tried to aim for something with a brighter mood..."
While the director was explaining the film,
I glanced over.
My eyes met Choi Kang-san's.
He flashed me a grin, then mouthed, Hyung-nim, was it worth watching?
I answered with a thumbs-up.
Ah, right.
And then I pointed to the high school girls sitting behind me.
"...?"
Choi Kang-san tilted his head and looked back.
Flap, flap, flap!
As if they had been waiting for it, the banners and placards the girls had brought started waving in a frenzy.
Choi Kang-san gave them a celebrity smile and mouthed, Thank you.
The high school girls looked like they were about to melt with delight, their eyes practically dripping honey.
Watching them lose their minds over it made me feel proud, too.
That probably counted as repaying the chocolate I'd received earlier.
***
On the way out after the stage greeting.
Since these were VIP tickets, we didn't go straight out the exit. Instead, the path led to a waiting area used by the actors.
Choi Kang-san, who had been waiting there, came straight toward me the moment he saw me.
"Hyung-nim, how was the movie?"
"It was fun. Didn't you see me give you a thumbs-up earlier?"
"I did. I just wanted to hear you say it again, haha!"
"It was really good. Honestly, once it officially opens, I might even buy a ticket and watch it again."
"Oh, really? That's a huge compliment. Thank you, Hyung-nim."
"No, I'm the one who should thank you. Thanks to you, I got to come to a screening like this."
"I'll invite you again from time to time. There are a few other films coming out soon. Now that I think about it, there are a bunch that were filmed years ago and were just waiting for the right release window. That's okay with you, right?"
"I'm the one who's grateful."
"I'll let you know when the tickets come out. Oh, Hyung-nim, you don't have any plans after this, do you?"
"No. Nothing else lined up, but why?"
"Come have dinner with me."
Choi Kang-san smiled warmly and added, "And we'll talk about what we didn't finish talking about last time."
"Sure, sounds good."
"Then could you head over to the pork-belly grill place across the street? I'll wrap things up here and come over."
***
...
Something about this felt off.
Peering into the restaurant, I could see a crowd of people who clearly looked like film industry folks.
Creaaak.
A large van pulled up.
Whirr-
The door opened, and actress Lim Yu-jin stepped out.
She was the lead in the film I'd just watched. When our eyes met, she gave a quick bow and went inside.
Don't tell me...
Just as my suspicion was starting to harden into certainty,
"Hyung-nim~!"
Choi Kang-san suddenly appeared from the parking lot side.
"Let's go in."
"...W-wait a second."
"Why? Are you going to smoke first?"
"No, that's not it... It looks like the film crew and actors are inside."
"Yes, that's right."
Choi Kang-san asked as if there were nothing strange about it.
"It's our company dinner."
"...?"
This was getting pretty awkward.
"Then I... I think I should probably just go home."
"Why? Are you uncomfortable?"
"More than that... I don't have any reason to crash your company dinner."
"You said you'd talk movies with me."
"Wouldn't it be fine to do that alone some other time?"
"Come on, nobody's going to care. You don't need to feel pressured. They're all people I know, so it's fine."
"I'm the one who's going to feel weird about it..."
"I'm telling you, it's really fine."
He even hooked his arm through mine and dragged me inside.
Jingle!
The instant the door opened, all eyes turned in our direction.
"Hey, Kang-san's here?"
"Actor Choi's here!"
"Good evening!"
He pointed at me openly and said, "I brought a close hyung-nim with me. Is it okay if he eats with us?"
"Oh, the person you said you'd bring from the chat room? Of course it's okay!"
"Exactly! If he's your hyung-nim, he's our hyung-nim too!"
"Welcome! The meat here is good!"
"You heard them, right? Let's go."
"..."
At that point, there was no way out of it.
***
"To ten million!"
"To ten million!"
Clink.
We toasted and knocked our glasses together.
I had already been roped into the dinner party, and on top of that, Choi Kang-san had seated me at the lead actors' table so I wouldn't feel awkward if I went to another one.
Damn it.
I didn't think I could handle this sober, so I downed a shot of soju too.
Ugh, bitter.
Just as I reached for a side dish,
"Excuse me."
A voice popped up from across the table.
"I heard you're close with Kang-san oppa..."
It was actress Lim Yu-jin, who had come in earlier.
"Ah, yes. We are."
It would have been stranger to say we weren't.
"Then do you act too? I'm not very good at recognizing faces."
"No, I just work a regular office job."
"Oh, a civilian!"
Only then did Lim Yu-jin's face brighten.
Now that I wasn't a celebrity, she seemed even more pleased.
"Hey, hey, Yu-jin."
Choi Kang-san lightly tapped her arm and said, "This hyung-nim works in advertising. You need to make a good impression."
"Whoa, seriously?"
Her eyes sparkled.
"Please look at me kindly. I'm especially interested in fashion models, too."
"Oh dear, Yu-jin, you're already pretty enough. But I don't have that kind of power. I'm just the guy who carries out orders from above... This only really applies to the clients."
"Still, you're the type who can really make yourself heard, Hyung-nim."
"Well, occasionally, yeah..."
"Then I knew it! I knew it!"
"Let's be friends, oppa."
"Sure..."
"Since we're talking, how about we follow each other?"
That was one bridge I wasn't eager to cross.
Having the posts of people I barely knew constantly show up in my SNS feed was a burden.
Unlike Choi Kang-san, this woman felt like the kind who would exchange contact info and then that's it.
Honestly, she might not even recognize me if we met again later.
I hated that kind of shallow relationship, but...
"I'll give this hyung-nim's SNS ID to you."
"Yay, then I'll follow him."
"..."
My account got exposed.
That brat Choi Kang-san was the problem, as usual.
"Kang-san. What are you talking about over there? Sounds fun."
A woman who looked to be in her early to mid-thirties walked over.
With her bobbed hair and her rather stern air, she didn't seem like the type to be easygoing.
"Ah, writer-nim, long time no see. You came today."
"Yeah. It's been a while."
"Let me introduce you first. She's my close hyung-nim. He's an ordinary civilian."
"I'm Kang Seo-jun."
"I'm Kim Mi-na."
"Hyung-nim, Writer Kim Mi-na works at MBS. She's in the current affairs and culture department... you know that 'Brain Quiz Show,' right? She's about to become the main writer there soon."
"Main writer? Not yet. I'm still a long way off."
Kim Mi-na waved a hand dismissively.
"Anyway, if he's a civilian, then he could come on the show at least once. If you're interested, let me know. I should probably give you my contact info before I go."
Even as she handed me her number, she kept trying to sell it to me enthusiastically.
"If you get first place, the prize money is enormous. It's a full 100 million won. Want to give it a shot?"
"If Hyung-nim goes on, I'll appear as a guest too."
"Oh, nice. Deal?"
"But only if Hyung-nim appears. Otherwise, I'm not doing it either."
"You heard him? Then Seo-jun, you really should appear. When would be good for you? I can even give you some special hints."
"I, uh, don't think I'd get that far..."
My network was expanding at a ridiculous speed.
This... at this rate, I might stop being able to remember people's faces.
***
The drinking session grew livelier.
The people around me were well and truly tipsy now, and my own face had gone red too from all the drinks.
If I hadn't been trained by so many company dinners, I probably would have been drunk long ago.
"Thanks, Kang-san."
"For what?"
"For inviting me."
Just the fact that I was sharing drinks with film-industry people, including celebrities, was an astonishing, dynamic experience for someone who had been living such an ordinary life.
"I want to repay you somehow, but what would be good..."
"Oh, it's fine. Just having you enjoy the movie was enough for me."
"Come on, still..."
The cocktail from last time had been the same way. I didn't like feeling as if I were just taking things from him.
But giving him a present that can just be bought with money wouldn't mean much.
Even if he treated me casually, he was still a top-tier actor in Korea.
If it could be bought with money, he probably already had plenty of it.
Then I guess something special, something only I can give, would be better...
One thing came to mind.
"Kang-san. Do you use emoticons a lot?"
"In messengers? Yeah, a lot. Why?"
"Want me to give you one?"
"Oh, did you release something cute?"
"Not exactly. I just launched an emoticon recently."
"You launched one, Hyung-nim?!"
"Yeah, this one..."
"Amazing!"
He widened his eyes and came closer to me.
"I have a few gift codes since it's something I released, so I'll send you one."
"That's great. Thanks, Hyung-nim."
After receiving the emoticon gift, he immediately used it in our chat.
"Wow, this is really cute. Nice."
"Yeah? It's okay?"
"Yeah. I love it."
Just as expected, Lim Yu-jin, sitting at the same table, poked her head in with interest.
"What's that?"
"Our hyung-nim made this emoticon."
"He made it himself? Wow, could you gift me one too?"
"Of course."
I had dozens of coupons anyway.
Even if I handed them out to people around me, I'd still have plenty left over.
Honestly, I hadn't planned on telling my coworkers or acquaintances about it openly because I was embarrassed, so I was bound to have a lot of gift codes left.
"Hahaha, it's like a modern-day Joseon scholar."
"His face is so cute."
Choi Kang-san and Lim Yu-jin spent a while using the emoticon and chattering among themselves, and then Choi Kang-san suddenly said, "Hyung-nim, can I post this emoticon on SNS?"
"Huh...?"
"It's just too cute not to. I want to brag that I got it as a gift."
"Well, sure. Go ahead."
I had forgotten, until that moment, that this guy had 3.6 million followers.
But that wasn't the end of it.
"I want to post it too. I need to brag!"
"...You too, Yu-jin?"
"Yep! I'll tag you too, since we're following each other!"
"Sure, do whatever you want."
Add Lim Yu-jin's 1.44 million followers to the count.
And just like that.
My emoticon got promoted to a combined audience of five million people.