Muscle Memory for the Next Role
His body seemed to have memorized the movements for his next project. His mind was a total blank from nerves, everyone in front of him looking like grains of rice, yet his body followed the song flawlessly.
You—thank you so much for waiting.
Flash!
Moo-young nailed the sultry pose, perfectly completing the stage. A single beam of red light illuminated him, the surroundings hushed. His long hair damp with sweat framed his slightly flushed face, making him utterly beautiful.
"Uh...."
Ro Min, lost in a daze, started to cheer but was cut off by the next song, the Do Ha main track from You Are a Star, I Am a Star.
Moo-young removed his wig and slipped on the leather jacket handed to him by a backup dancer.
"Oh...."
"Whoa...."
Just moments ago, he'd embodied a mature woman, but in an instant, he'd transformed into a rocker. Wet hair, heavy makeup. The skirt offset by the leather jacket exuded a strange allure. Like a rocker who might smoke in some back-alley bar, belting out tunes.
"You're falling for my charm—! You won't be able to escape!"
"Kyaaah!"
"Do Ha! Do Ha-ya!"
"Woooah!"
The audience responded enthusiastically, waving at him. Reporters snapped away frantically, capturing that split-second transformation. Ro Min gazed up at him in awe.
Damn, that's killer. Should we try something like that at our concert?
He'd never once considered expressing that ambiguous allure between woman and man. It was a whole different realm from boyish charm. A subtle shock from that hazy boundary.
"Moo-young-ah—!"
"You won't be able to escape—!!"
Moo-young passionately wrapped himself around the stand mic, pouring his soul into the song. Months of practice paid off—he nailed it. The short three minutes flew by on the melody.
Thud! Boom! Dang—!
He wrung out the final note like he was devouring it, snapping his head back with a flash!
With Moo-young's second prepared song complete, the event hall erupted like it might collapse. Fans, stunned by the unexpected spectacle, unleashed their frenzy.
"Woooah!"
"Moo-young! Epic!"
"Alright, alright. Wow. Ha Moo-young-ssi, that was incredible. You really caught us off guard. I heard your prep time was short, but is it because you played a musician before? It felt like watching a real singer."
As the performance wrapped, staff set three chairs on stage. The MC, Moo-young, and Ro Min sat in order.
Moo-young, wiping sweat furiously, flashed a bright smile and grabbed the mic.
"I practiced a ton. Hope it looked good."
"It was super cool and awesome, right, everyone?"
"Yesss—!"
At the Guardians' cheers, Moo-young clapped and bowed his head in thanks. It felt like he'd shed a massive burden.
"Now I can stretch out and sleep easy. Haha. Thanks so much to Ro Min for the great stage too."
"Nah, come on."
"I heard you two got close even before drama filming started?"
"Ah, thanks to Enbin. Bin bridged the gap for us."
They shifted to talk centered on guest Ro Min, flowing into the signing session.
Guardians came up row by row to meet him.
"Moo-young-ssi, I'm such a huge fan. You were amazing today."
"Thank you. Ah, but I'm sweating buckets. Haha."
"It's fine. Handshake, please. I'll always cheer for you."
"Oppa! Loved the movie."
"Oppa? You're twenty?"
"...When you're that handsome, everyone's oppa."
"Oops, sorry. Didn't know that. Got it, dongsaeng. Wanna take a pic?"
Blissful time meeting fans. Moo-young shook hands and posed sincerely. Gifts piled up in the back box accordingly.
"Ah, it's truly a shame. Just one last segment left."
"Aww—"
"Nooo! Don't wanna go home!"
Moo-young smiled softly at their outcries. Time to wrap the fan meet with his letter reading.
He pulled out the neatly folded letter from his pocket.
"Hello, Guardians. This is your cultural treasure, Ha Moo-young. I've barely taken my first steps, yet you've showered me with more love than I deserve—I don't know where to put myself."
For a fortnight, he'd agonized over what to say, how to convey genuine thanks and love, and now read the words he'd penned.
"They say we can only live fully through each other's existence. Becoming an actor made me realize that. I love acting so much, but without you all watching, I couldn't have felt this immense joy—"
His voice rang calm and resolute, like a vow he'd keep until death, until his last breath.
"I'll do my absolute best to be your little joy and comfort. I won't forget this gratitude, and I'll be the Ha Moo-young who finds happiness in acting. Let's be happy together."
Fans cheered in agreement. What a precious, endearing promise.
Moo-young beamed, waving both hands to everyone.
"Thank you! Get home safe. See you again!"
"See you, Moo-young-ssi!"
"Take care! Love you!"
"Bye~!"
And so ended Moo-young's first fan meet—and the drama ratings pledge event.
Curtain down, he walked the waiting room hallway with Ro Min.
"Seriously, thanks for coming today."
"What're you saying. Technically, it's 'our thing' anyway."
Ro Min slung an arm around his shoulders amiably. Having shared their debut drama, it felt regrettable that everything tied to You Are a Star, I Am a Star was truly over.
"What're you up to for a bit? Got next projects in mind?"
"Nah. Thinking comeback prep. Hyung Si-won suddenly got his groove back. Haha."
"Got his groove back?"
Si-won, who'd been in a slump-like rut. Tied to the music chart ghost incident, the drama's smash hit seemed to spark something. Like a placebo, he'd regained confidence. Tracks for the next album were pouring out like factory ramen.
"Yeah, that happens. And you?"
"Gotta do my next project. Planning to mull it over."
"Not drama, right?"
"Obviously. It shortens your lifespan. Big time."
As they bantered playfully, reporters' photos hit the internet first.
Titled with the You Are a Star, I Am a Star ratings pledge, Moo-young's bold cross-dressing gradually drew reactions. When Music Thru's 4K fancam hit YouTube, it exploded.
Among them, flower pollen only Moo-young could see bloomed too.
* * *
"Whoa. All this really for me?"
"This is just half, pre-sorted. Too many to go through in a year otherwise. Picked based on famous directors, writers, production scale—start with these."
Scenarios piled on a handcart. Go Kyung-min dragged it into the officetel.
Magnificent finale ratings of 32.2% brought a flood of love calls to him.
"Got it. Still, move the other half too. Might not read fully, but I'll skim."
"Sure thing."
Moo-young, in pajamas, squatted flipping papers. He'd truly rested these past days. His face glowed radiantly.
"Dramas separated, right?"
"Yeah. Bottom pile's all dramas. Not bad if you're chasing cash."
From raw rookie to rising star, now per-episode guarantees started in the thousands at least. You Are a Star, I Am a Star was 5 million won, so double or triple baseline.
If he hit another homerun...
"He'd claim his spot instantly."
Fees would jump several-fold. Unlike hyped Kyung-min, Moo-young scratched his chin, yawning.
Got a home, won't starve, can live without pressure now, right?
"Gonna pick based on past works~."
"Obviously. Project first! Of course! Gotta love it for the process and results to shine! Just don't take forever deciding. Know what I mean? Momentum?"
This industry's heat cools fast. New shows would soon bury You Are a Star, I Am a Star memories.
"Yup. I'll read these all first."
"Cool. Rest up, then. Ad shoot tomorrow—I'll pick you up on time."
"I'll head down with you. Gonna grab ice cream."
"Huh? No need. Grabbing some on the way up."
"Nah. Don't bother with that."
Moo-young threw on a padding over his pajamas, tugged on a cap. Just to the first-floor shops. No need to overdo it locally.
Ding-dong.
At the first floor, Moo-young waved to Go Kyung-min. His car was in the basement garage.
"Hyung, drive safe. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. Hurry back up. Cold out."
Hunched against the chill, Moo-young scurried to the convenience store. Loading up on ice cream as usual...
Crash!
"Gasp! You okay?"
"Ahh.... Sor, sorry."
A guy eating ramen at the instant table suddenly toppled backward. Broth everywhere. The clerk sighed, fetching a mop. Moo-young naturally helped him up.
"Th-thanks."
"What happened?"
Picking up the spilled bag, a thick stack of papers peeked out. Moo-young unconsciously pulled it free.
Whoosh—
Flower pollen poured endlessly, like a magic bag. Wow, neat. First time for this.
The man, flustered, covered his face.
"Director, by any chance?"
"I'm screwed...."
"Move. Ah—really spilled everywhere."
At the clerk's scolding, they slipped out quietly. The man glanced slyly, bag zipper open, turning to bolt.
Flash!
No chance. Moo-young grabbed his hoodie hood, chuckling.
Young guy, early thirties maybe. He squeezed his eyes shut, sitting resignedly.
"So... I'm Bae Cheol-min."
"You're the director, right?"
"Not yet. No project."
He fidgeted with his fingers before speaking.
"Actually, I saw your fan meet stage. Wanted to work together so bad, sent the script to your agency. But no reply...."
Ah. Filtered by boss and manager hyung. Company laser-focused on next project now. Rookie director sans film? Bottom of the list.
"Work wasn't going well, frustration building, so I thought, just maybe... Saw your Yonggang-dong docu...."
"So you flop in front of me? Why run? Should've grabbed my arm like 'jackpot!' "
"Wouldn't that annoy you?"
Chasing him down uninvited, after all. Even without intent to meet.
"Kinda like training, wandering solo. Really."
Bae Cheol-min muttered excuses, but they didn't reach Moo-young's ears. Drawn to the pollen-soaked stack.
"Script?"
"Ah, yeah. I wrote it myself. Prod co okayed it, but no fitting actor."
Moo-young checked the cover naturally. Just "Provisional Title".
Slowly flipping ramen-soaked pages, winter wind scattered flower pollen.
"...Boils down to a vampire story. But transcendent being, no gender divide."
Bae Cheol-min fiddled with the ice cream Moo-young handed him, adding details. Words etched into Moo-young's mind with the text.
"Protagonist, steeped in centuries, bored to death. Same nightly vistas make him wanna die. So he joins something new. Insomnia club."
Moo-young looked up.
"Members who've worked nights forever. Nurses, truckers, nightlife workers, thieves. Retired, but time's toll keeps them sleepless."
Tales of those living in the world's sleeping hours. All unknowingly linked to the protagonist. Ordinary folks yearning for sunlight, forgotten in shadows.
"Film's drama genre. Wanted to portray them through a neutral persona transcending gender and age, so that's the setup."
Moo-young nodded slowly. Needed deeper read, but it pulled at him. Not just pollen—the director's clear intent and color shone through. Brighter flashes stand out, right?
"Title still Provisional?"
"Got candidates, but...."
Bae Cheol-min ventured cautiously.
"Streets' Sunlight."