The Next Project
Eun Chae-won met Kang Tae-san’s eyes.
There was no trace of him trying to impress her or gloss over the situation. In other words, he meant every word.
And it was something she had never heard before.
Phrases like “No one but Eun Chae-won could pull this off” were the usual lines directors, producers, and writers trotted out when they wanted to cast her. Of course, she knew those lines weren’t reserved for her alone. They were the best efforts to land top-tier actors, and she understood that if she turned a role down, the script would immediately go to someone else. That was why the words had never truly reached her heart.
But Kang Tae-san’s words carried no hidden agenda or personal gain.
Feels… strange.
Of course, from Tae-san’s perspective, he desperately wanted to escape the MT training that had peaked at its most intense. Yet to Eun Chae-won, who had never imagined such impure motives, his sincere gaze and words sank straight into her chest.
What is he thinking? His expression never changes, so I can’t tell at all.
Meanwhile, Kang Tae-san kept studying Eun Chae-won’s face. He worried that blurting out the memories he had just absorbed might sound like nonsense to someone who had been in the industry as long as she had.
From his repeated experiences with the cleaning ability, he had learned that the knowledge became more natural the more time passed. He had tried to organize the sudden influx of data, but he still lacked the confidence to defend his insights if she challenged them.
“Thank you. Hearing you talk has helped me sort through a lot.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Kang Tae-san’s face relaxed into a genuine smile.
“……”
Eun Chae-won watched him for a moment, then turned away.
“Let’s head back.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Regardless of what Eun Chae-won might be thinking, Tae-san felt lighthearted at finally being free to return to the drinking session.
Of course, he wouldn’t be completely free while sitting next to Gu Yang-man.
“Let’s see. Is this the bottle my boy brought?”
Already tipsy from the ginseng wine, Gu Yang-man poured the blue-labeled whiskey Tae-san had brought into a beer glass and downed it in one go.
“Whoa, sir, that’s expensive.”
“Is it? If it’s good stuff, my boy should drink it too.”
Gu Yang-man cheerfully poured another glass for Tae-san.
Tae-san followed along, wondering just how delicious a drink that cost 333 won per drop could possibly be, and took a big gulp.
“Ugh!”
It felt like his throat was on fire. Taste, aroma—none of it mattered.
Why would anyone drink this?
Meanwhile, Choi Hyung-tak, who had seen Eun Chae-won leave with Kang Tae-san, moved over and sat beside her.
“So, have you done enough script research?”
“Kang Tae-san seemed to be reading the script pretty carefully.”
“Really? That’s a talent I didn’t know he had.”
“He knows every writer’s work and style by heart. More than that, he has a good eye for which project suits which actor. I was just trying to help because I figured he wouldn’t have many chances to read scripts yet, but I ended up getting help instead.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“You always say that actors who read scripts well have long careers.”
Eun Chae-won glanced across the table at Kang Tae-san. He looked far from reliable, sipping beer with a slightly dazed expression, yet for some reason her gaze lingered on him.
Oh-ho.
Watching the two of them, Choi Hyung-tak found himself smiling like a proud father without realizing it. He had never pictured either of them in a romantic or marital scenario before, so he had felt relieved that nothing would happen in that department. But now…
They said Chae-won seemed to like Tae-san. Looks like it’s true.
Choi Hyung-tak shot a glance at Park Sang-ho across from him. Park Sang-ho gave a quick shake of his head, signaling him to drop it.
“Where’s that deputy manager from the planning team?”
“Yes! I’m right here!”
“Hey, come here for a second.”
At Choi Hyung-tak’s call, the man rushed over like Pavlov’s dog. After listening to a few quick instructions, he hurried off to make a phone call.
……
……
The next morning.
The early-morning courier was startled by the luxurious pension complex, then blocked by the strict security. Muttering, “Uh… they said the recipient has to receive it in person…,” he had no choice but to turn back.
The box in the security guard’s hands was delivered to someone’s room.
Ding-dong—
“Ugh, who is it this early? Go check!”
Gu Yang-man’s hoarse, hungover voice rang out.
The one who opened the door was Kang Tae-san, hair tousled and face pale from yesterday’s hangover.
“Are you Kang Tae-san? A courier from headquarters.”
“Headquarters?”
Tae-san carried the mysterious, surprisingly heavy box inside. When he opened it on the table, it was packed with script binders.
What’s all this?
He checked them one by one. Unlike the scripts he had seen yesterday, these were all new works.
“Who was it so early?”
“Uh… headquarters sent over some scripts.”
Gu Yang-man, still looking like he had slept on the street, shuffled over beside Tae-san.
“Really? Guess they’re finally treating you like a lead actor.”
“A lead actor?”
“Choi Hyung-tak only gives script selection rights to leads.”
Gu Yang-man chuckled as if the whole thing delighted him and headed for the bathroom.
“I’m curing my hangover with ramen! Don’t put egg in it, and sprinkle green onions before you turn off the heat~”
Come to think of it, why had that guy slept in his room? Each actor was supposed to have their own room.
Grumbling, Tae-san still had to go make the ramen—the pitiful life of the youngest member.
A few hours later.
After an uncomfortable breakfast where he couldn’t tell if he had eaten the ramen with his mouth or his nose, Kang Tae-san boarded the returning bus without a shred of joy at being recognized as a lead actor. For two straight hours he kept his head buried in the scripts.
Gu Yang-man had warned him, “If you don’t pick fast, the good ones will all go to someone else.”
For Tae-san, this was his first time choosing a script. Thanks to his experiences, he had developed an eye for good writers and good stories, so it wasn’t that he lacked interest. Still…
Was MT always this brutal?
It was his first time experiencing MT in his life, and he swore he would never come to a place like this again while battling motion sickness from his lingering hangover.
***
Beep-beep—beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Beep-beep-beep.
The cheerful sound of the door lock code being entered rang out. Kang So-yeon, returning home after several months, stepped inside feeling the cozy warmth of her own place.
“Oppa! I’m home!”
“So-yeon, you’re back?”
As she entered, Kang Tae-san slowly stood up. He had been sitting by the sunny window reading a script binder, looking like he was filming a coffee commercial.
“Whoa, what? You look like a total star right now.”
“If I’m a star, I’m a star. What do you mean ‘like’?”
Tae-san set his coffee cup in the sink and asked, “Want some coffee? Or should I make that barley powder drink you like?”
“Aww, I want the barley powder. But I can’t. I have to manage my diet strictly starting tomorrow for the university festival circuit.”
“Then how about a detox juice?”
“Whoa, you know how to make that too?”
“I got a blender almost for free through a secondhand deal last time. Felt wasteful not to use it, so I tried a few things and it turned out pretty good.”
“That’s awesome~”
While Tae-san pulled kale, beet, and apple from the fridge to make ABC juice, So-yeon leaned against the table and chattered about everything that had happened lately.
“You know, last time some crazy fan jumped into the middle of an interview and hugged Ji-eun? Everyone was shocked. Luckily nothing serious happened.”
“Our fan meeting was seventy percent female fans? Getting that kind of popularity with women is a huge source of pride for girl groups.”
“Of course I have to do whatever the fans ask at signings! They’re spending time and money because they like us.”
“And guess what I ended up doing? I even did the aegyo dance! It got recorded and archived. Want to see?”
Kang Tae-san listened to most of what his sister said, but the topics changed so fast and her emotions swung so wildly that he could barely get a word in. She had been so busy with variety shows and YouTube channels lately that she barely had any personal time. Just being able to talk freely like this seemed to be healing for her.
“Huh? What was I about to say? Oh, I forgot.”
“What happened with that crazy fan who barged in?”
“Oh! Right. So what happened was…”
Whenever she hit a buffer, a little prompt got her going again, and she would chatter away excitedly.
After days of reading scripts alone at home, Tae-san found his little sister endlessly adorable and couldn’t help smiling like a proud older brother.
After they shared the ABC juice and So-yeon volunteered to do the dishes, Tae-san sat at the table and told her about his own time. She kept asking detailed questions about the movie shoot and what Eun Chae-won was like.
He had half a mind to complain about Eun Chae-won’s strictness, but as her older brother he had his pride to maintain. Besides, he had also seen a surprisingly vulnerable side of her, so he kept his answers mild and positive.
“By the way, oppa, want to hear something huge? Yoon Si-on sunbae still contacts me.”
“He contacts you?”
“Yeah! He went to America, right? He was furious that your movie almost got ruined, but then he realized it was thanks to that that you got the lead role, so he’s grateful too? Anyway, I reply pretty casually and it’s hilarious.”
“Wow… he really is something.”
“Does he like me that much?”
Seeing Kang So-yeon wink playfully, Tae-san thought that no matter how pretty his sister was, this was getting out of hand.
“Want eye drops? Your eyes look dry.”
“Why~”
When she kept winking at him from both sides just to annoy him more, Tae-san quietly got up and headed for the sofa by the window.
“Aww, oppa! I won’t do it. Let’s chat while I finish the dishes!”
“A star actor is busy.”
“You’re really doing this? I have to go back to practice right away~ Okay, no more winking! No more aegyo! Pleeease!”
Tae-san gave in and came back. Anyone watching would have thought he was living in such luxury that he was bored and overindulging as an older brother.
“So I’m trying out a new aegyo move for the next dance video. Watch it once and give me honest feedback. Tell me if I should do it or not, okay?”
“Sure. Just don’t wink.”
“Seriously, everyone likes it except you.”
Complaining that she would be late for practice if she kept chatting, Kang So-yeon hurriedly packed her things and headed for the door. Tae-san warmly saw her off, thinking that no matter how busy an actor got, it could never compare to an idol’s schedule. Still, seeing his sister grateful just to be this busy compared to the old days made him feel it had all been worth it.
“Be careful. You don’t need me to walk you down?”
“My manager oppa is waiting on the first floor. I’ll call you! Make sure you eat properly!”
“Okay.”
Now that he had finished reading all the scripts, Tae-san stretched and was about to enjoy his rare moment of peace when the phone rang again, refusing to leave him alone.
It was Min Jin-cheol.
“Yes, hyung.”
—Hey, sorry to bother you while you’re resting.
“No, it’s fine. Is something up?”
—I got your schedule sorted. Looks like you’ll have to go to Busan with Eun Chae-won.
“Busan? All of a sudden?”
—Not exactly sudden. It’s the week after next. You got invited to the Busan International Film Festival.
“What’s the Busan International Film Festival?”
—……Tae-san.
“……Is that something a star actor shouldn’t ask?”
—A star actor? Yeah, you are one. Our Tae-san’s nose is getting pretty high these days.
“Busan… International. I looked it up—it’s the ‘Busan International Film Festival.’ Can’t believe a star actor would make that mistake.”
—Our Tae-san’s sense of humor is improving. Anyway, if you’re not busy right now, they want to fit you for outfits. Want to come?
“Yes. If it’s my great manager’s suggestion, I have to get up.”
—Oh yeah. I’ll call you when I’m downstairs.
Kang Tae-san felt strangely energized. It was probably thanks to soaking up all his little sister’s bright energy.