Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 042
Chapter Title: Radio Appearance (1)
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“Who are you talking to?”
“……Just on a call.”
This was one of the perks of living in a modern, civilized society. People didn’t bat an eye when you talked to yourself.
But Min Yerin’s sharp eyes weren’t so easily fooled.
“I don’t see any earbuds.”
“Ended the call and took them out.”
“I know that’s not it. Were you practicing your lines or something?”
“Huh?”
“Did you already sign with someone else for your next project……?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then……?”
“Were you talking to Dongja-ssi?”
“Dongja-ssi?”
Min Yerin reacted sharply.
“Who’s Dongja-ssi? Does Kwon Sung-hyun know him too?”
“Of course. Naturally.”
Kwon Sung-hyun crossed his legs leisurely and flashed a grin.
“Oh dear. Looks like Yerin-ssi doesn’t know. He’s very close to Yeonwoo-ssi.”
Was it just my imagination, or did that sound like, ‘This is the difference between you and me’?
‘But isn’t that beside the point right now?’
I’d gotten sidetracked talking about my mom, Kang Yeon-hwa. Kwon Sung-hyun wasn’t the only one here—Min Yerin was too.
I’d made an excuse, but it didn’t land. She didn’t buy it, either.
‘……Bold? Or what should I even call this?’
No earbuds in sight, so it must’ve looked like I was talking to myself, yet Min Yerin didn’t treat me like a lunatic. Instead, she latched onto something else entirely.
Namely, the fact that Kwon Sung-hyun knew something she didn’t.
She even seemed a bit offended, pride bruised.
“Who’s Dongja-ssi? Can you introduce me? If he’s close to Kang Yeonwoo-ssi, I definitely want to know!”
Min Yerin always came off as cold and aloof on the surface.
But right now, she looked surprisingly enthusiastic.
“You wouldn’t like it.”
Who knew with actors?
“Who’s to say.”
“…….”
Any normal person would’ve thought, ‘What’s wrong with this guy muttering to himself like a nutjob?’ and ripped into me. But here she was, doubling down and asking for an introduction.
[Yeonwoo! Me! Show me to Min Yerin quick! She wants to meet me!]
As if that were genuine. The reason was obvious—she just didn’t want to lose to Kwon Sung-hyun.
[She’ll love this form for sure! She seems to hate furry animals, so a hairless one should win her over!]
Even back then, Min Yerin had called the hamster super cute. Sure, she’d delivered it in that staccato, textbook-reading tone with her killer acting skills.
Still, reptiles weren’t exactly animals, but when would Dongja-ryeong figure that out?
“You’d hate it.”
“No way. I wouldn’t.”
There was even a hint of stubborn determination in Min Yerin’s response.
The awkward standoff ended thanks to Dongja-ryeong.
The little guy suddenly poked his head out.
[I’m Dongja-ryeong! What do you think? Look at these sleek, beautiful scales and this adorably cute face! This’ll definitely win Yerin-ssi over! Go ahead! Pet me all you want! C’mon, pamper me!]
Dongja-ryeong waved his hands excitedly in the air like he was thrilled.
Yeonwoo pressed down firmly on the lizard’s head as it showboated with words the others couldn’t hear.
“It’s my…… pet lizard. Pretty smart—understands people talk and all. Living alone, I got into the habit of chatting with my pet…….”
The excuse was reasonably plausible, but the room went oddly quiet.
“……?”
A glance over, and Min Yerin’s eyes were trembling wildly.
Like a magnitude 9 earthquake—shaking visibly.
Her face had drained white, and she looked about to collapse.
No way was that from finding the lizard cute.
[Why doesn’t she think I’m pretty……? Don’t I look good? I picked this cute gecko form on purpose!]
Dongja-ryeong waddled toward Min Yerin, stubby legs pumping.
He even blinked up at her with big eyes.
But the praise he awaited never came.
Instead.
“……Min Yerin-ssi?”
“…….”
“Min Yerin-ssi? You okay?”
The response came from elsewhere.
“Looks like she fainted.”
Kwon Sung-hyun sipped his lukewarm coffee and summed up the situation in a smooth voice.
***
Have you ever seen someone faint with their eyes open?
[I…… I failed……!]
By the time Kwon Sung-hyun elegantly finished his coffee, called his manager on his phone, and had Min Yerin carted off to the hospital, Yeonwoo was half-heartedly consoling the shocked, devastated Dongja-ryeong.
“I told you not to.”
[How could anyone hate this cute body of mine?!]
“Let’s be precise. It’s not hate—it’s so grossed out she fainted.”
[Why!]
“Don’t take it too hard, Dongja-ssi. Not everyone likes everything. Even I’ve got haters.”
[What? Haters for you, Actor-ssi? What scum-sucking bastard deserves to die? Who is it? I’ll go rip out their guts right now!]
“Hey. Character shift. Calm down.”
[Oh…… right. Forget I said that, Actor-ssi.]
Dongja-ryeong grinned sheepishly.
After Min Yerin was carted off to the hospital.
Dongja-ryeong grumbled mournfully and declared he’d ditch the lizard body.
A ton of spiritual power went into that form, yet he didn’t hesitate a second.
Just then, Kwon Sung-hyun’s manager returned.
“Why are reporters so damn fast these days? Hospital was already crawling with a few. Broke a real sweat shaking off Min Yerin’s manager.”
The sweat-soaked manager plopped into a chair and pulled out his phone.
“Check it out. Articles already up. ‘Min Yerin collapses from overwork, rushed to ER,’ ‘Grueling schedule takes toll: Actress Min Yerin faints from exhaustion’…….”
We’d done nothing wrong, so why did it prick at my conscience?
[I didn’t think she’d be that scared…….]
“Go face the wall, hands up. Pull any more stunts till I say stop, and you’re in deeper shit.”
[Hiiing…….]
Dongja-ryeong—no, the still-untransformed tiny gecko—shuffled off, planted his face against the café wall, and raised his hands.
“Ahem! Before we left, Min Yerin-ssi woke up and asked me to pass a message to Yeonwoo-ssi.”
The manager ignored the desperately atoning lizard and spoke up.
“What’d she say?”
“Guessed you didn’t bring the lizard just to scare her, so she’ll chalk this one up as a debt…… or something.”
“A debt?”
“Said she wants one day of your time? Somewhere to go together.”
Crack!
A plastic cup crumpled out of nowhere.
“Gasp! Sung-hyun! Your hand! You okay?! Drop that and gimme!”
“It’s fine, hyung. Just tensed up for a sec.”
“Fine my ass! The cup’s smashed! You hurt?!”
The manager wiped the spilled drink from Kwon Sung-hyun’s hand and checked him over.
“Why pull this out of nowhere? Whew. Lucky it wasn’t hot, or it could’ve been bad. You know how many fans you’ve got over those hands?”
Kwon Sung-hyun’s long, elegant hands were pretty famous.
Knuckles nicely defined, no flaws—about as ideal as it gets.
Those lengthy fingers looked strong too; crushed the cup without a scratch.
“Got pissed off for a sec.”
“Pissed? You? You got mad?”
The manager gawked like he’d seen a unicorn.
“Yeah. Hyung, hold on. Dongja-ssi?”
[You called me, Actor-ssi?!]
“Kneel too.”
“Huh……?”
“Kneel and hands up.”
“For real……?”
“Yeah.”
The firm reply.
Kwon Sung-hyun ignored Dongja-ryeong’s sky-falling stare and turned to Yeonwoo.
The manager glanced curiously at the kneeling, hands-up lizard.
“Yeonwoo-ssi. Ever thought about doing radio?”
“Huh? Radio?”
Yeonwoo blinked at the out-of-left-field question.
“Yeah. Remember the offer that came through me?”
“Yeah, vaguely…….”
Still didn’t get why offers for him were going through this guy.
“I’m turning down the small fry, but this one’s solid. That’s why I brought up the agency…….”
Kwon Sung-hyun trailed off with a grin.
“Looks like an annoying fly buzzed in.”
“…….”
“I think it’d be perfect if you joined my agency and kicked things off with this. No pressure, though.”
He smiled brightly again.
“Timing’s good too. Drama team reward vacation’s in a week, so knock this out before and boost your name recognition. Late-night slot, but solid regular listeners. Not the type to sensationalize. Solo guest, so no split attention. Great for pulling in drama fans curious about you.”
Kwon Sung-hyun explained why starting with radio over talk shows or variety.
“Variety risks shattering the image from your drama. They chase laughs with forced drama. Talk shows too. Once your footing’s firmer, diversifying works, but it’s risky now.”
“I see.”
“Yeah. You’re just hitting recognition—muddying that impression backfires.”
No clue what he was on about, but a top pro said it, so it must be true.
“Radio’s live, so no malicious edits like other shows. Solid first step. Host’s a cheeky bastard off-mic, but runs a clean show.”
Some were pre-recorded, but this one was live.
“Whaddya think? Interested? You can ease in slow…….”
“I’ll do it.”
Yeonwoo replied.
No need to overthink.
“Strike while the iron’s hot, right?”
***
Recognition.
Exactly what Yeonwoo wanted.
Plus, it lined up perfectly with his plans.
‘What I need isn’t a flash in the pan—it’s long-term staying power.’
Easy to see why Kwon Sung-hyun pushed radio specifically.
And if it was his pick, no second-guessing.
Following him had already netted a jackpot.
Creak—
Yeonwoo pushed open the frosted glass door.
Inside brimmed with gear, a large soundproof booth at the back.
Today’s live radio studio.
“Huh? Kang Yeonwoo-ssi? Come on in! Early bird, huh? Could’ve taken your time—broadcast’s not for a bit.”
A writer-looking woman jumped up to greet him.
“Blown away watching on TV, but you’re even more handsome in person!”
“Thanks.”
“And that voice! Drool-worthy. Phone interview had me hooked, but…… Listeners are gonna melt today! Oh god, I’m fan girling. Happens around hot guys. Instinct.”
“That why you go quiet every time you see me?”
“Huh? Joo-ha, you’re here already?”
“Yeah. Just now. While you trashed me behind my back.”
“Trash? I’m just honest!”
“Wow, savage.”
Yeonwoo turned at the interruption.
A big, tall guy lounged casually.
One side buzzed two-block, the other grown out in loose curls—total hippie vibe.
Not ugly; even with Yeonwoo’s raised bar from Kwon Sung-hyun, he looked easy on the eyes.
Standout feature: all the piercings lining his ears.
‘This guy’s a beast in a whole other way?’