The Fan Club President's Collapse

Was it naivety? Or just an act of being naive?

I stared at the person apologizing straight away, asking if my clothes had worn thin.

How did he even manage to drag busy people into something this trivial.

It wasn't like the police ran errands for people.

It was almost funny how quickly he'd backed off from his own nonsense of a story, but the two eyes that met mine looked genuinely frightened, and that just left me feeling hollow.

"Director. I've made my position clear enough. I've told you over the phone, again and again, that I'm not interested. You said if I met you just once, you'd accept my decision without lingering regrets, so that's the only reason I came—and now you're breaking even that promise. And even if I did develop a desire to write screenplays, I wouldn't want to work with someone I've already lost trust in."

"...I'm sorry."

"And I told you last time not to go around wearing clothes that thin. Don't tell me you wore that on purpose?"

That'll only make him dislike me more.

When I furrowed my brow, Director Jang scrambled to explain himself.

"No, no. I told you on the phone. This is my lucky coat! The first contract I ever signed, I signed wearing this coat... And it even let me meet you!"

Lucky or not, freezing to death would be the end of it.

I had plenty to say, but getting worked up over someone I'd never have to deal with again seemed pointless, so I let it go. Instead, I unwound the scarf wrapped around my neck.

When I wound it around his, the dazed man managed a thank you.

"Oh—thanks."

"I'm not giving it to you because I have clothes to spare. I just hate being cold."

"...Then shouldn't it stay with you? You're the one who should be wearing it?"

When he tried to unwrap the scarf I'd just wound around him, I stopped him with a look. Director Jang froze at my gaze and mumbled.

"Thank you... I'll return it later."

"You don't have to. It's a gift—use it well."

"A gift?"

"That was my first time ever going to a movie theater, you know. It was thanks to you that I saw that film at all. Like I said back then, there was a lot I found lacking, but it wasn't bad. You gave me a good two hours, so this is what it cost."

"......"

Looking at the man who had fallen silent, I said,

"I'd like you to stop contacting my manager. He's busy enough as it is."

"Yeah. I won't anymore. I'm sorry..."

"All right. I'll believe you. I turned down the screenplay work, but I still hope things go well for you."

I signaled to Jinbae-hyung, who was sitting at the next table over. Just before I stood and walked out of the café, a small voice reached me.

"If I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do end up writing a screenplay again... could I reach out then? Just, you know, to have you read it, nothing more..."

I turned around slowly. This time, the face looking back at me was full not of expectation but of hesitation, and I spoke.

"That's fine."

"...! Thank you!"

"But don't contact our manager directly. Send it through the agency like everyone else does."

After bidding farewell to the man nodding his head vigorously, I finally stepped outside.

"Yeonjae! It's snowing!"

"So it is."

If it keeps this up tomorrow, we'll have a white Christmas.

What had I done last Christmas? It had only been a year, but it felt like a lifetime ago. The streets were filled with songs announcing the holiday season.

The orphanage had always thrown Christmas parties too, but it had always felt like someone else's celebration.

"It's a little late, but how about we buy something like Santa hats? It'd be nice if we all wore them at the party tomorrow."

"Good idea. Can I pick out what you'll wear, then?"

"...You'd do it even if I said no, wouldn't you."

"You said you trusted my eye. Was that a lie?"

Jinbae-hyung shook his head with a look of utter surrender. The next day, a film camera photo of Jinbae-hyung wearing a Rudolph headband and nose appeared on my desk.

"I want to go back to Christmas. The party was fun."

"It was fun for me too."

"Don't make me laugh. From midway through, you were making faces like you wanted to go home."

Noh Bihyeok let out an exasperated laugh. I had nothing to say to that.

It just so happened the party was held at our place, so I'd stayed behind with nowhere else to go.

I had invited Jung Hyun, Noh Bihyeok, Seong Ijun, and Nam Inhoo over for Christmas.

Aside from Nam Inhoo being far more starstruck than expected upon meeting Jung Hyun for the first time, it had been an ordinary dinner with nothing special about it.

Compared to the lavish parties in movies and dramas, it was modest—but it wasn't a bad party.

"It was fun. Just a little noisy, that's all..."

"You must be so exhausted~. Liking quiet as much as you do, with all this racket around you."

It'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠improve things if you talked a little less yourself.

I didn't dare say it out loud, but apparently my eyes did the talking for me. Noh Bihyeok averted his gaze and changed the subject.

"Lee Yeonjae. I can give you a birthday present, right?"

Out of nowhere?

"What birthday present?"

"Your birthday's coming up. And word is your fans are in an uproar because you said you won't accept presents."

"An uproar is a bit much..."

"Right. More like a riot than an uproar, actually."

I couldn't bring myself to refuse the guy saying it so casually, so I gave a vague answer. My fans were angry, after all.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason I'd publicly declared I wouldn't accept birthday presents was simple.

A year ago, when I'd received a gift from the fan club, the membership hadn't even reached ten thousand.

Now it's over sixty thousand.

When I searched things like celebrity fan support and birthday gifts, the conclusion came quickly. The scale of what fans pooled together to give the stars they loved was beyond anything I'd imagined.

It might have been an empty delusion, but just imagining that enormous outpouring being directed at me was enough to make it hard to breathe.

I haven't done anything to deserve it...

I hadn't done anything for my fans just because it was my birthday. It was literally just a birthday—what reason was there to receive gifts?

So I'd refused. The way ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they'd looked at me, eyes shining, at the fansign had already been more than enough.

I'd turned down the café trucks sent to filming locations from the very beginning too, so I'd assumed this would pass without incident as well.

"...Do you think the fans are really that angry, from what you've seen?"

"Angry isn't quite the word. More like disappointed. They've held back and held back on things they wanted to give you all this time, and now that they're finally ready to give, you're saying you won't even take that."

I turned Noh Bihyeok's words over in my mind.

I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings for no reason...

But that didn't mean I wanted to accept the gifts either. Remembering scrolling endlessly through another celebrity's gift list that never seemed to end made it all the harder.

As I was wondering what to do, Noh Bihyeok's phone rang.

"Ugh. I've got practice now."

"Good luck. Don't overdo it."

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm giving you a birthday present? You'd better not refuse mine."

"Okay. I'd appreciate it, honestly. Just get me anything."

"Don't say that, you'll hurt my feelings~. I'll pick out something incredible for you, hyung-nim!"

Please don't.

The guy scratched his ear and disappeared. Left alone in my room, I sank into thought. What was I supposed to do?

The fan club president lay sprawled on the living room floor, her face etched with heartbreak. Her younger brother, coming out for a glass of water, froze at the sight.

"Jeez! You scared me."

"My whole world has crumbled..."

"Don't care~."

The brother drifted indifferently back to his room. Only the president remained, murmuring to herself.

"I even put together an incredible list... How could you do this, Bambi...?"

A few days earlier, the fan club staff had gathered for a meetup. It was an offline gathering for Yeonjae's birthday, now less than a month away.

They were all faces none of them had ever seen before, but the awkwardness melted away quickly. They shared a common passion: Lee Yeonjae.

So, what should we get Bambi for his birthday? He never seems to want anything, the little rascal.

He wears the same watch every day—what about getting him several designer pieces?

Hmm. I don't think Bambi's the type to care about luxury brands, though...

True to form for people overflowing with love for Bambi, their read on his character was spot-on.

The president suggested they first watch the magazine video that had just been released, and pulled out her phone. Then the whole group fell into silence.

And no wonder—in the video introducing his prized possessions, every single item Bambi presented turned out to be a gift from someone.

Every time he pulled something from his bag, the introduction was the same. "This is from my manager," "This is from a friend," and so on. Something received from someone, without fail.

When the production crew asked if he'd bought nothing himself, Bambi only looked awkward.

It was the voice of someone who seemed like they'd give you the shirt off their back if you so much as mentioned wanting it.

As expected, the production crew has fallen for our Bambi's charm too. The president then watched Yeonjae smile on screen.

It was the tone of someone who could ascend beyond the mortal world at any moment.

The staff fell into brief confusion, but collective wisdom prevailed. They drew up a list of items that weren't expensive, yet weren't cheap either.

But just as everything was flowing perfectly, a post went up.

Yeonjae's post, written in firm, unambiguous terms: I will respectfully decline birthday presents.

All of Bambi's fans, staff included, sank into disappointment. Last year's gift verification post had brought in a wave of new members, so plenty of fans had been looking forward to this.

Could it be that he feels burdened by it all, and that's why he's refusing?

Whatever the reason, it was sad all the same. And they couldn't force gifts on someone who'd said no.

So they arrived at a conclusion: donations to underprivileged communities in Yeonjae's name.

They steeled themselves—if he refused even that, they wouldn't hold back—but fortunately, they received a positive answer.

First, the Gangnam Station and Jamsil Station billboard ads will proceed as planned... and I'll just have to organize the donation item list.

The president pushed down her bitter feelings and opened an Excel file. Since money was involved, the settlement records had to be neatly organized in advance.

Which is exactly why it took her so long to realize the following fact.

That Bambi had sent her a text message from his own phone.

Two days after that conversation with Noh Bihyeok about birthday presents, I visited the company.

"Yeonjae, they say she's waiting for you in Meeting Room 5 right now."

"Okay."

I rode the elevator with Jinbae-hyung. In front of the door marked Meeting Room 5, I took a short breath.

Let's not look nervous.

I'd already met fans before. I could do this.

Having given myself that pep talk, I opened the door.

And the sight that greeted me was a woman gone deathly pale, frozen in place.

"Are you feeling unwell? Are you all right?"

Her expression was so rigid it bordered on grave that the words burst out of me before I could even greet her.

I hurried toward her, but the woman let out a strangled uuuuh and stumbled backward.

"W-wait. Just wait right there, please. Don't come any closer."

"...?"

She was definitely my fan club president, wasn't she?

Then why was she looking at me like that... like she was watching a horror film?