165. The Life of a Face Genius
165. The Life of a Face Genius
***
After ending the stream, Serin let out a sigh for no particular reason.
"Hoo."
Watching Serin exhale softly beside her, Eunha gave a small smile.
"Serin, you worked hard."
At that, Serin quickly shifted her expression and smiled.
"No, not at all. What do you mean, worked hard? And are you okay, Eunha? Today was your first time on an internet stream, after all."
Eunha gave a small nod at Serin's question.
"Yes, I'm fine. And I'd been curious about how you normally run your streams, Serin, so actually getting to experience one like this was fun in its own way. Though it did seem like things got a bit chaotic because of me, so you're the one who had a hard time running the stream."
As Eunha spoke warmly in a calm voice, Serin's gaze drifted toward her.
'I'm the one who should be looking out for her...'
Even though this was our first collaboration stream, the way Eunha seemed to be the one looking out for me felt strangely novel.
From her striking appearance to her composed personality and outstanding game skills. And now, even this consideration—she truly shone in every little detail.
"Looking at you, Eunha, I guess there really is a reason why popular people are popular."
"Hearing that from you, Serin, is a little embarrassing..."
At her softly laughing reply, Serin added something she'd been curious about.
"Seriously, how were you so calm throughout the whole stream? I know this was your first internet stream."
Unlike Serin, who had flustered her way through the stream at the sight of 100,000 viewers and the chaotic chat, Eunha had only hesitated slightly at the very start, and from some point on had remained perfectly composed.
She hadn't stumbled over her words or anything like that while reading the chat on screen and interacting with viewers.
In Serin's opinion, even a professional broadcaster probably wouldn't have been able to stay that composed in that situation. Eunha had been so unruffled that it was genuinely puzzling.
Facing Serin, Eunha calmly parted her lips.
"Of course, appearing on an internet stream is a first for me, but... that doesn't mean appearing on broadcasts is a first for me. The atmosphere of an internet stream and a shoot are different, but I do have quite a bit of experience appearing on broadcasts in my own way."
Eunha paused there and chose her words for a moment.
"Compared to the various brand ad shoots or broadcast programs I've appeared on, it wasn't that hard. Compared to having to react and respond to fit each situation, at least. Honestly, the stream I did with you, Serin, felt much more comfortable to me."
As she spoke about reality in such a matter-of-fact way, Serin understood why Eunha had been so composed.
In a way, it was only natural. She was never someone living the simple life of a pro gamer.
She was no different from a famous celebrity.
And once again, from her composure, I could feel just how different the worlds we lived in were.
Actually, it had always been that way. The way she casually used department store VIP facilities, the way she made restaurant reservations—it was all so natural. So how had she ended up doing a collaboration stream with someone like this? It felt strange all over again.
"Serin, what are you thinking about right now?"
At the sound of Eunha's voice, Serin snapped out of her thoughts.
"Nothing. Just that it feels kind of surreal that I did a stream with you, Eunha."
As Serin absentmindedly voiced what she was feeling, Eunha's eyes lit up.
"...You've thought that too, Serin?"
"Yes, I mean... you've thought that too, Eunha?"
"Yes. I was just thinking the same thing. Honestly, when I first donated, I never imagined things would turn out like this. But now, before I knew it, I'm doing a stream with you, Serin, and we're actually meeting in person and talking like this, right? It just feels like a dream."
As she spoke with an uncharacteristically bright smile, Serin's gaze was drawn to her without realizing it.
Her excited demeanor felt like it was denying the thoughts Serin had just had.
She'd realized they lived in different worlds, but it was as if Eunha was telling her that she lived in the same world after all.
While Serin was feeling that strange sensation.
Eunha, with an expression of fresh emotion, looked at Serin with a deep gaze, as if committing her to memory.
The sight of her running the stream had been something else entirely.
From the way Serin had initially been flustered by the countless chat messages and rising viewer count to the way she eventually settled down and ran the stream calmly, Eunha couldn't help watching. Serin's voice, heard right beside her rather than through a microphone, sounded subtly different too.
Because she had really watched Serin stream right beside her in reality like this.
It even felt like watching a famous actor filming a scene in person.
Every word she spoke felt new, and even the smallest actions felt somehow fascinating.
In the midst of that feeling, various images suddenly surfaced in Eunha's mind.
The person who had been delighted to meet her at the cafe and said they were a fan, the passionate fans cheering for her at the stadium.
Honestly, she hadn't been able to understand why they liked her so much, why they called themselves fans. But now, she could vaguely understand how they felt.
'So this is what it means to like someone without a reason.'
Just watching like this was enough to make her happy, so she naturally donated while watching the streams. That was why she'd kept tuning in.
A relationship that felt too distant to call friendship, yet a little too close to call herself just a fan.
Eunha thought that was what things were like between herself and Serin.
She still hesitated to treat her too casually, but wanting to get closer was a rather fluttering feeling.
"Honestly, even now, looking at you, Serin, it's a little surreal? I find myself thinking, is this what it feels like to be a fan meeting a star? Just being here with you like this makes me happy. Really, thinking about it again, thank you. It must have been a lot to ask, but you agreed to spend your weekend with me like this."
Eunha said she was a fan without any hesitation.
"If your fans heard that, Eunha, I think they'd find it really strange."
"Why would fans find it strange?"
At Eunha's natural response, Serin could only make an odd expression, unable to answer.
Because it somehow felt like I was hearing everything Eunha's fans would want to hear.
***
A high-end Korean restaurant in central Seoul, where the wrap party for the drama "A Thousand Faces" was being held.
True to a Korean restaurant, the interior was decorated with a clean yet classic image, brightly lit.
And now. Inside the spacious interior, only people involved with the drama "A Thousand Faces" were seated.
Clink—!!
The cheerful sound of glasses clinking rang out.
"Honestly. How is our Seo Eunwoo's face so perfect today, of all days? Don't you all agree?"
Shin Soyul, the PD in charge of "A Thousand Faces," spoke with a bright smile, and the various actors answered with beaming smiles as well.
"Of course. A face genius is really born, I'm telling you~"
"For men, it's all about the face!"
"Pfft. Seoha, wasn't that originally... about ability?"
"Looking at Eunwoo, that saying is completely wrong, you know?"
"Well, is that so?"
After "A Thousand Faces" had become quite a hit, the wrap party was filled with warm, friendly conversation.
And in the middle of it all was Seo Eunwoo. On the surface, he was smiling brightly and exchanging drinks.
His seat was right next to PD Shin Soyul, in the section for the drama's lead actors.
Slip.
As Soyul subtly held out her glass to Eunwoo, he smiled brightly and poured her drink.
Glug, glug.
"PD, even if you praise my face this much... there's nothing I can do for you in return."
"Oh, please. What would our Seo Eunwoo need to do for me~? Just looking at him like this fills me with happiness. Seoha, don't you think so too?"
Soyul smiled with ease and looked at the woman seated directly across from her as she asked.
"Yes. That's right. Honestly, just having drinks together like this is more than enough!? And Eunwoo, aren't you really too shy? It's not like you're hearing this for the first time, but you get so embarrassed every single time... Women go even crazier over that side of you, seriously..."
Seoha, who answered with a bright impression, was the center of Black Velvet, a girl group currently on the rise, and had played the female lead in "A Thousand Faces."
When Soyul raised her glass, others raised theirs.
Clink!
At the sound of glasses clinking again, Eunwoo, who had been drinking, grimaced deeply as if it were because of the alcohol, but as soon as he set his glass down, he smoothed his expression back into a bright one as if it had never happened.
"...Hah. How can even his grimace be that handsome?"
"Minju! Aren't you being way too obvious?"
"Hey~ What's wrong with that? It's a compliment."
Because of the women seated around him, Eunwoo had nothing to say except to laugh goofily.
A thoroughly uncomfortable wrap party drinking session.
'...Hoo.'
Even as he sighed inwardly, Eunwoo spoke up.
"PD, how does your skin seem to get better and better? How is it that you're always so fair at every drinking gathering?"
Eunwoo looked at Soyul's face with a soft gaze as he spoke.
At that, Soyul blushed faintly and waved her hands.
"...Honestly. At times like this, you're a total wolf. Even though I know it's all just flattery, hearing Seo Eunwoo say something like that... it makes me feel good for no reason."
"Eunwoo! What about me?"
When Seoha spoke up with a deliberately pouty expression, Eunwoo gave a small laugh and shook his head.
The gender ratio was always important.
Too many men was no good, and too many women was no good either.
Given the nature of "A Thousand Faces," which had almost no male cast members, Eunwoo couldn't help but feel it keenly at every drinking gathering.
......
The wrap party, which continued to a third round, didn't end until past 2 a.m.
Whoosh!
Eunwoo, who returned home late, roughly tossed his outer coat onto one side of the sofa.
His head was spinning from all the drinks he'd accepted while keeping up appearances. But it felt like too much of a waste to just fall asleep like this.
"......Seriously draining."
He muttered blankly as he lay down on the sofa.
Debuting as an idol and then becoming an actor was, in a way, a successful transition, and the money he'd earned had far exceeded his expectations—there was already enough in his account to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
It wasn't that acting didn't suit him. Receiving various scripts and filming was certainly fun and rewarding in its own way.
But being dragged around to unwanted drinking gatherings like this was definitely not a pleasant feeling.
The break he'd been given after the drama ended now had only a few days left.
"Hoo..."
Realizing that after this he'd be buried under a packed schedule again, Eunwoo sighed for no reason.
BaTalk!
BaTalk!
His BaTalk kept going off. While replying out of courtesy to messages that seemed to be about how fun the wrap party had been, Eunwoo sent a message to the manager who had just dropped him off.
Seo Eunwoo.
[Can you push the agency hard on one schedule I want?]
Eunwoo figured he'd reached a level where he could at least tell the agency one thing he wanted.