One More Fan
“I'm sorry. I have a prior engagement.”
Lee Yeonjae spoke with an awkward smile.
Hong Jiyeon sighed inwardly.
She didn't know much about navigating office life herself, but she knew enough to tell that this was not a good answer.
“Aw, come on~. Why do you have to kill the mood like that? Who could you possibly be meeting?”
“Lee Jeonghyeon-sunbaenim.”
“Jeonghyeon? You can see him any day of the week~. That's just rude, isn't it, Yeonjae? You're supposed to see these things through to the end.”
Somehow, every word out of his mouth was garbage.
Even from a distance, Hong Jiyeon couldn't keep her expression under control, while Yeonjae looked utterly at a loss.
“Ah... I'm sorry. I'm not really familiar with this sort of thing. I apologize.”
“No, no. Don't apologize. So we're all going out for the company dinner then?”
“Could we invite Lee Jeonghyeon-sunbaenim too? He said he has something he really needs to tell me today.”
The way he chose each word so carefully made him look remarkably well-mannered.
“Of course~. It'll be nice to see Jeonghyeon after so long. He's quite a few years my junior, you know.”
“What a relief, then.”
Saying he'd check with Jeonghyeon for a moment, Yeonjae took out his phone.
Ahn Gukyoung looked down at him with a satisfied smirk.
Well, look at that. The kid's learned how to be a person.
He was a washed-up comedian whose prime had long since drained away, but Ahn Gukyoung took enormous pride in his twenty-five years in the industry.
Watching the hottest icon in entertainment bend to his words filled him with swagger.
Once you roped in one person, the rest inevitably went along out of sheer social pressure anyway.
He glanced around. Everyone was sneaking looks his way with troubled faces.
I'm the most senior one here, so they ought to listen to me.
A truly boomerish thought.
Ahn Gukyoung was just about to deliver the apex of boomerdom — demanding to know why everyone wasn't rushing to leave yet — when Yeonjae spoke up.
“Sunbaenim. Lee Jeonghyeon-sunbaenim says he's currently meeting with someone. Would it be all right if that person joined us as well?”
“Even better~. The more the merrier. Who is it? Someone famous?”
Delighted at the prospect of being treated as the big senior at the dinner table, Ahn Gukyoung grinned ear to ear.
Facing that grin, Yeonjae answered quietly.
“Choi Dongwoo-sunbaenim.”
“...What?”
Ahn Gukyoung froze in horror.
“Wh-what did you say? Choi Dongwoo? *The* Choi Dongwoo-sunbae?”
“Yes.”
“Ah. Uh. Um.”
The color drained from his face in an instant as he stammered.
“Are you all right, sunbaenim?”
“N-no, I'm fine. Hey. You. Did you, uh... mention me to him?”
“No. I was just about to—”
“Never mind! Come to think of it, I have something urgent to take care of today! Haha, sorry. I'd better get going. Whew, I'm exhausted. See you next time!”
Ahn Gukyoung scurried away in a flustered scramble.
While Hong Jiyeon stood dumbfounded, wondering what on earth had just happened, Yeonjae silently watched the man's retreating back.
That gaze, which had felt oddly chilly somewhere far off, vanished as the man turned his head away.
“Thank you all for your hard work. Everyone, you did wonderfully today.”
Responses came from all directions at the sight of him smiling so courteously at his surroundings.
“You worked hard too, kiddo!”
“What am I supposed to do now that I won't get to see our little cutie? I'm genuinely sad about it.”
“He was your little cutie, Sehyeon-hyung? I thought that was my job.”
“You're greedy, hyung.”
“Haha!”
The atmosphere turned warm and cheerful in an instant.
Yeonjae went around greeting the other actors and staff one by one, smiling at each of them.
By the time he finally made his way to Hong Jiyeon, a full thirty minutes had passed.
Doesn't he get tired? Incredible stamina.
Thinking she should send him off quickly for his own sake, Hong Jiyeon was about to offer a light goodbye when Yeonjae suddenly held something out to her.
“...?”
“You have a cut on your thumb. You must have cut it on the glass earlier.”
She could only blink at the bandage that had come out of nowhere, until a gentle voice followed.
Wait. He's right.
How had he even noticed that? Marveling at it, Hong Jiyeon hid her astonishment and thanked him.
Smiling, Yeonjae carried a fresh, clean scent.
Her own sweat smell suddenly felt all the more mortifying.
All she wanted was to go home, but Yeonjae, oblivious, kept talking.
“When you get home, take a careful look at your legs. Rinse them thoroughly under running water first, and if anything feels even slightly off, please make sure you see a doctor.”
“Yes. Thank you...”
He was so kind it made her grateful, and so close it made her nervous.
Worried her sweat might waft toward him, she shuffled back a step — and Yeonjae, puzzled, took one step closer. Stop coming closer!
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“No, no. It's just that I've sweated so much today. I smell like sweat, so...”
It all spilled out of her mouth in the end. Her embarrassment doubled.
Forget this month — she was seriously contemplating quitting on the spot, today itself.
“Ah. I saw that earlier, actually.”
“Sorry?”
“You ran back and forth any number of times, didn't you? So busy you didn't even notice your finger was cut.”
“Ah...”
“The way you work so hard is honestly really impressive. Thanks to you, today's shoot went off without a hitch. Thank you.”
The fairy smiled brightly.
No, I— Hong Jiyeon mumbled dazedly.
When she came to her senses, the fairy was gone and she was standing there alone.
Her whole body still felt grimy, she reeked of sweat, and her clothes were caked in dust.
And yet, strangely enough — it didn't bother her much at all.
The way you work so hard is honestly really impressive.
Words that had surely been tossed out without a second thought kept echoing in her ears.
They lingered even after she got home and washed up thoroughly.
Hong Jiyeon fiddled with her phone.
She stared blankly at the message window that read I want to quit, then moved her thumb and sent it anyway.
Then she opened a browser window.
That night, Lee Yeonjae's fan club gained one more member.
—Thank goodness. So you're heading home now?
“Yes. If it weren't for you, hyung, things would've gone really badly.”
When I thanked him, Jung-hyun-hyung laughed heartily over the line.
He told me to go in and get some rest right away, and I said I would before hanging up.
“Haah...”
“You did well today, actor-nim. Any injuries?”
“Nothing hurts, I'm just incredibly tired.”
Only when the familiar car seat pressed against my back did I finally relax.
“You've more than earned the exhaustion. I'd heard Ahn Gukyoung was a talker, but... he was worse than I imagined.”
“Tell me about it.”
Comedian Ahn Gukyoung was truly the worst.
Fortunately, he was also easy to handle.
He'd done nothing but lob unpleasant questions at me throughout the interview, so the moment filming wrapped, I'd hurriedly contacted Jung-hyun-hyung.
He must have been taken aback when I abruptly messaged him asking if he knew anything about the comedian — but in that short span of time, a remarkably thorough answer came back.
As I parsed the information packed into that text, the shape of comedian Ahn Gukyoung came into focus.
After that, placating him appropriately wasn't difficult.
I acted excessively polite, which also preempted any follow-up remarks he might have made.
Running through the situation one more time, I checked whether I'd missed anything.
Doesn't seem like it.
Gently loosening my stiff shoulders, I spoke up.
“Hyung, is your schedule okay for going to Sehyun-hyung's exhibition next week?”
“Yes. Though... am I really allowed to come?”
“Of course. Sehyun-hyung told me to bring you along.”
“What a relief.”
I watched his smiling face in the rearview mirror for a moment, then blurted out something unexpected.
“I was happy today.”
“Really? Why's that?”
“Everyone said the slit in my eyebrow suits me.”
I raised a hand and touched my eyebrow.
It wasn't like I'd put some pattern in it or anything — honestly it was nothing much — but it was the first time I'd ever styled my appearance by my own choice, so I felt a little giddy.
“It really does suit you, actor-nim! I thought so too!”
Even with the warm words floating up from the front seat, there wasn't a single thing I wasn't pleased about.
I leaned back against the car seat, savoring the satisfaction.
The cushy seat felt especially cozy today.
“You actually came! Thank you for coming!”
The moment we stepped into the upscale building, singer Kang Sehyun came bounding out.
His crisp suit suited his tall frame wonderfully.
“Thank you for inviting me. This is from Jinbae-hyung and me.”
I handed over a bouquet and a box holding a set of wine.
“You coming is more than enough, and you brought gifts too... Thank you, really. And manager-nim, thank you so much as well.”
Singer Kang Sehyun, repeating his thanks over and over, looked thoroughly flushed with joy.
“Oh, noona's here? Yeonjae, I—”
“Yes. We'll just look around on our own.”
“Don't forget we agreed to have lunch together. Take your time looking around!”
Leaving singer Kang Sehyun behind as he hurried off to greet someone else, Jinbae-hyung and I began slowly making our way through the gallery.
“This is my first time coming to an exhibition.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Do you come often, hyung?”
“I came a lot as a kid, following my parents around. Since I started working, though... it really has been a long time.”
Smiling at the sight of him saying I'd given him a good experience thanks to actor-nim, I chuckled softly.
“I won't bother you, so take your time. Shall we meet at the entrance?”
“Ah — would you rather look around alone?”
When I said yes, Jinbae-hyung nodded and moved off.
It's not like I care whether he looks with me or without me, though.
Jinbae-hyung preferred watching movies alone, too.
I figured exhibitions would be the same, which was why I'd offered — and apparently I'd guessed right again.
I barely held back a laugh at the sight of the man who'd done everything in his power not to leave my side outside promptly scurrying away.
He could just tell me honestly when he wants something.
He was too kind for his own good. Not that it was a problem.
I could simply notice first and speak up for him, like this.
Keeping a comfortable distance between us, I stole a glance at Jinbae-hyung.
His brows were furrowed in deep concentration on the paintings.
Taking in the busily at-work brows of Jinbae-hyung, then the works displayed beneath the warm yellow lights, then his brows again, I moved slowly through the space.
“There you are. Enjoying it?”
Singer Kang Sehyun approached mid-visit.
“Yes.”
“I've never properly studied painting, so it's all just... whatever it is. Go easy on me and factor in the amateur status.”
He was preemptively self-deprecating, as if laying down a defensive barrier in advance, which struck me as odd.
“Hyung, honestly, I haven't been to many exhibitions either, so I wouldn't know.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. I don't have a trained eye for art, so I don't have anything clever to offer... but it's just really impressive.”
It was impressive that someone busy enough just from his group activities could devote himself to a hobby like this on the side.
He'd even put on a whole exhibition. Wasn't that more than impressive enough on its own?
As I said it matter-of-factly, singer Kang Sehyun broke into a wide grin.
“Thank you for saying that. What were you looking at? Oh, that's the one I worked hardest on.”
At his question of whether I liked it, I looked at the painting once more.
Studying the abstract piece, where countless colors tangled intricately together, I opened my mouth.
“It looks just like you, hyung.”
“......”
“This is from SPACE's Dream Haze promotions, isn't it?”
“What?!”
The man who'd been standing there dumbfounded suddenly shouted.
“What! How did you know?!”
“Hyung, your voice...”
“Ah, right. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”
After bowing his head to the surrounding patrons several times over, singer Kang Sehyun stared at me with burning eyes.
Faced with a gaze demanding an answer with full force, I replied reluctantly.
“I told you when we first met, didn't I? That my friend is a huge SPACE fan.”
“And?”
“You have no idea how many stage videos I watched sitting next to him. The colors used here seem similar to the outfits you wore on stage.”
I'd been only half-sure at first, but the previous painting had brought Reality to mind.
And Dream Haze was the promotion that came after Reality.
Given the order they'd been arranged in, it wasn't exactly a difficult deduction.
What I don't get is why he's reacting like that.