The Live Broadcast Surprise

‘Do you want to do a live broadcast?’

It had been exactly three days since Junghyun hyung said that.

‘What is going on?’

I thought dazedly as I pulled on the white hoodie the stylist handed me. The impossibly soft fabric brushed against my cheek.

‘Is this how it usually goes?’

No, it wasn't. Last time, Sehyun hyung from SPACE and Choi Injun had just turned on a stream on the fly, no fuss at all.

Come to think of it, arriving at a studio absolutely crawling with staff should have been my first red flag. I was following their instructions in obedient silence, but deep down I'd been quietly thinking that something here was very, very off.

“Yeonjae, this is a hairband. Try it on.”

“…….”

Nope. Absolutely not.

Convinced that something had gone deeply wrong somewhere, I finally spoke up.

“Noona, do people normally wear one of these for a live broadcast?”

“What do you mean? Idols wear them all the time these days. And this brand is sold out everywhere—I had a nightmare of a time getting my hands on it.”

That's exactly my point.

Why was I, right this second, wearing something idols wore on stage?

I pressed a hand to my forehead, staring at the white hairband with the brand name plastered across it in bold letters.

“Hyung. Jinbae hyung. What is all this? I think it's about time you told me.”

“I merely follow this actor's lead.”

“Junghyun hyung's word matters more. My word matters more.”

“……You're obviously the one who matters to me, but this time, I'm afraid I have to side with this actor.”

No matter how hard I glared, Jinbae hyung just shook his head, saying he couldn't say another word.

‘What on earth—’

The mastermind behind all of this was Junghyun hyung.

The live broadcast proposal had come out of nowhere, but I'd said yes right away. If it meant getting to see Biyeon, what reason was there to refuse?

The moment I nodded, though, Junghyun hyung had announced that he would personally prepare everything.

‘…? It's my broadcast, so why would you—’

‘Shh. Quiet, Yeonjae. Your hyung is going to prepare something spectacular. Don't you worry.’

Had his face been playful, I might have caught on. But he was completely serious.

I wondered if anything could really go wrong, but figured—adult, grown man, surely he'd handle it fine. And left it at that.

‘That was my mistake.’

As I sat there wearing the hairband, the regret came flooding in, far too late.

“Yeonjae, close your eyes for me? Just a little blush touch-up.”

“There's makeup too?”

“Just a touch on the cheeks. Your skin's already flawless. Ahh, youth really is the best.”

“No, noona—”

“Mm~, Yeonjae, you're so pretty. Should I do the left cheek too?”

Why does nobody listen to a single word I say?

By this point, I honestly couldn't tell whether I was awake or dreaming. Once they'd styled me within an inch of my life like we were shooting a magazine cover, someone finally led me to where today's live broadcast would take place.

And I lost the ability to speak.

“Jinbae hyung. One question. I need you to answer this one honestly.”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

“Where is Junghyun hyung right now?”

Where indeed—look around, man.

My field of vision was filled with a plump, cloud-white duvet and a mountain of cushions so tiny and adorable they looked like they belonged in a kindergarten.

There were so many of them that I half-feared if I fell in wrong, I might suffocate.

‘Who spends this much money on a live broadcast?’

I'll admit there's a lot I don't know, but even I could tell this was no set for a simple shoot. No product placement, nothing—just a casual stream to chat with fans.

When I asked a second time where Junghyun hyung was, Jinbae hyung answered with a pained look.

“He should be picking up the cake right about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now.”

“The cake?”

What cake? Where did that come from?

“Whose birthday is it?”

Was it someone on the staff's? Some of these people I'd met for the first time today, so I was slowly scanning the room when Jinbae hyung gave an awkward smile.

“No. It's a cake to celebrate your first live broadcast, Actor-nim.”

“…….”

The world spun in front of my eyes.

“What in the world is this….”

Those were the first words out of my mouth when I saw the cake.

A handmade cake with a white deer standing at its very center—it radiated care and effort from every surface.

‘I'm just an actor. Why go this far for me?’

My feelings were getting hopelessly tangled.

The moment I laid eyes on Junghyun hyung, I'd fully intended to demand an explanation for everything. But watching a man this busy go all the way out to pick up a cake himself and hold it out in front of me—I couldn't bring myself to say anything sharp.

“Let's light the cake once the broadcast starts.”

“……Yes, sir.”

I swallowed my question—why on earth would you put in this much effort?—too. Why would he go to such lengths for me? Because he actually liked me, that's why.

‘When I get home, I'm doubling my practice.’

I could never let down someone who treasured me like this.

We were already halfway through filming Killing Horn, but for whatever time remained, I'd show him even better acting. That was the only way Junghyun hyung would keep liking me.

“Three minutes until eight, everyone! Please head to your positions!”

At the camera director's shout, the staff snapped into motion.

Why on earth was there a camera director at a fan-communication broadcast, anyway? I decided not to ask and simply did as I was told.

I climbed into the space between the duvet and cushions, white as freshly fallen snow. As I sat there obediently, Junghyun hyung came up close and grinned.

“Our Yeonjae is so pretty.”

“Thank you for preparing all this when you're so busy. Next time, I'll do the same for you.”

“Haha, I'll hold you to that. For today, though, it's your day—so enjoy it to the fullest.”

Junghyun hyung pointed at the teleprompter.

“Today's content will come up on that screen. I planned all of it myself, but if there's anything you don't want to do, you can skip it. If you don't read it, the writers will move things along on their own.”

“……Could you not tell me what that content is in advance? Right now, ideally?”

“Nope.”

He shook his head without a second's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hesitation. How remarkably decisive.

By this point I was so far beyond frustration that laughter actually escaped me.

“Understood. I'll do my best.”

As I said it with a smile, a pair of gentle eyes met mine.

“Yeonjae. Will you promise me one thing?”

The tone was playful, but the eyes that met mine were brimming with something deadly serious. For a split second, anxiety flickered through me before I fought my expression back under control.

“Of course. What is it?”

“Just enjoy today's broadcast. No thinking.”

“…….”

“Don't tell yourself you can't make mistakes, don't tell yourself you have to do well. Just enjoy it. It's a room with only you and your fans in it, after all.”

Why was this hyung like this….

‘Why does he like me this much?’

I already knew ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the reason Junghyun hyung liked me. And that was precisely why it scared me.

I knew better than anyone that there were countless kids around my age who could act just as well.

What if he discovered a new child actor he liked better than me someday? Would we just naturally drift apart? How, exactly, would Junghyun hyung discard me?

Every dark thought under the sun crowded in, but a promise made to the person who'd prepared all this for me was a promise I had to keep.

“All right. I will.”

No thinking—just enjoy it.

For now, I decided, I'd look only at what was in front of me and have fun. I hooked my pinky around his and sealed the promise.

“Hello, everyone. I'm Lee Yeonjae.”

The moment I received my first sign-in, I dipped my head into a polite bow.

At the same instant, the comments on the monitor began scrolling at breakneck speed.

They'd set up an oversized monitor specifically for reading comments, but even at that size, the messages streamed past far too fast for human eyes.

I stared at the screen for a moment, concluded that reading them was physically impossible, and gave up without ceremony.

“I did make a brief appearance on the SPACE broadcast last time, but this is the first time I've been on a stream just for Biyeon. Thank you all for coming.”

Seeing my own face reflected on the monitor, I felt a little embarrassed—it looked far too polished, too much like a made-up celebrity.

“Today's broadcast was prepared by Junghyun hyung—I mean, my senior, Lee Jeonghyun. Thank you, hyung.”

Talking into the empty air felt awkward, but I pressed on gamely.

“I know I look awfully dolled up, and it's a little embarrassing to admit… but they say that whether you're a man or a woman, if there's someone you want to look good for, you start by checking the mirror. I hope you'll take it in that spirit.”

My eyes snagged on a comment that happened to drift by, and I jolted.

Playing it cool, I changed the subject.

“Just getting to talk with Biyeon like this is wonderful enough, but Senior Lee Jeonghyun also prepared some special content for us. He's such a busy man, and he did all this because of me….”

Mid-sentence, someone beside me waved their hand vigorously.

I rolled my eyes as subtly as I could. It was Junghyun hyung, making a giant X with his arms.

Wondering if I'd made some mistake, I glanced at the teleprompter. There it was: Say "Junghyun hyung."

“……Right. Junghyun hyung prepared the content. To be honest, I haven't been told what any of it is either, so we'll just take it one step at a time.”

I held it in with everything I had, but the laugh rising in my chest was beyond suppression.

A snort slipped out before I knew it, and I read the line floating on the screen.

“First up, the commemorative cake…. Yes. The commemorative cake….”

My face went hot.

Seriously, who on earth cuts a cake to celebrate their first live broadcast besides me?

Ashamed for no good reason, I scrambled for an excuse.

“Junghyun hyung prepared this as a sort of… well-done-on-your-shoot kind of gesture. Thank you.”

And with that, the cake with the white deer standing proudly at dead center was handed over to me.

Junghyun hyung made a brief cameo to light the candles, and the comment speed jumped to a whole new gear. Amid the blur of scrolling text, I caught glimpses of the words dad and son.

I didn't read them precisely, but I got the gist. If I were watching, I'd have thought the same thing.

‘Who does this much for a junior they're close to?’

The next content was apparently designed to make the Lee Jeonghyun & Lee Yeonjae Father-Son Theory even stronger.

“Second, the gift-giving ceremony…. The gifts?”

Before my bewildered eyes, the staff swarmed over and piled presents in front of me.

Baffled, I checked the teleprompter and found the next line written there.

"Because Yeonjae keeps forbidding everyone from sending him gifts—"

“No, hold on. When did I ever forbid anything? I just said that you all loving me is more than enough.”

The injustice made my words spill out faster and faster.

Having corrected the misinformation, I continued reading.

"I'm sure our Biyeon has suffered plenty of heartache on my behalf. So in return, I've prepared the gifts that Biyeon always wished they could give Yeonjae—"

Haaah.

A sigh I couldn't swallow came pushing its way up. I closed my eyes and took a long, steadying breath.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, Junghyun hyung's voice drifted faintly past.

Just enjoy today's broadcast. No thinking.

That was turning out to be a far harder mission than I'd bargained for.

I had plenty to say, but I couldn't very well unload it in front of the fans, so I smiled for now.

“Yes. Thank you. Let's… start with the first present.”

And so I unwrapped the gifts one by one.

Astoundingly, they were all such perfect fits for my taste that I didn't even have to fake a reaction.

“Whoa, this—I've actually been meaning to ask Jinbae hyung, I mean our manager, if I could buy this!”

I held the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠item up, shouting before I could stop myself.

“It's the new hand sanitizer that just came out! And not all hand sanitizers are created equal, you know—you really have to check the ingredients—”

The words came pouring out with no room left in me to glance at the teleprompter. I turned the sleekly designed bottle over in my hands, eyes shining.

Wow. This is in my hands right now.

“The company that makes this is a multinational famous for its cleaning products. They make this stain remover too, and honestly, everyone, it's incredible. When your shoes get covered in mud, or, um, stained red, this one product wipes it right out!”

I'd gotten so carried away that I'd slipped straight into home-shopping-host mode.

I barely managed to dam the next flood of words and turned to the comments instead.