Rooftop Samgyeopsal Celebration
Rooftop space in front of a shabby attic room. A small burner sat on dozens of sheets of newspaper. Sizzle, chiik— a middle-aged man waited for the pork belly grilling to a golden crisp, chuckling like a madman from moments ago.
"...Pfft, puhehehit!"
His face mixed joy and resignation in a strange brew—this was none other than O Director. As he flipped the meat on the foil...
Around him sat three actors, each perched on a single sheet of newspaper under their butts, chopsticks in hand.
"Director, do we have to eat here?"
"If we go to a proper BBQ joint, everyone'll recognize you big stars and get all awkward. Then what's the point of me showing my gratitude?"
"We could just cover the whole bill."
"I got no money."
"Then let me treat—"
"Hey! You calling me a third-rate director and looking down on me?!"
"......"
"Nah. If this goes well, maybe I can climb to second-rate. Hell, who knows... Huhu... Nah, no! If the truth comes out... Wait, it'll be fine, right? Hahaha!"
Cheon Yoo-seong pulled his gaze from O Director, whose expressions flipped faster than a Chinese sword trick, and shook his head.
Smack! He wiped the pork fat that had splattered on his shirt, grimacing in disgust, then turned to the two actors who seemed totally unfazed by this mess.
Lee Tae-gyu and Yang Se-hee, his co-stars in Sai-bi Church Maknae Son.
"That one's not cooked yet."
"Whoa?!"
"It's done?!"
"Whoooaa?!"
"See? Told you it's not ready..."
Lee Tae-gyu shook his head calmly, while Yang Se-hee stomped her feet, the hot meat burning her mouth as she slapped Tae-gyu's shoulder.
How do they even converse?
And on top of that...
O Director kept adding raw pork belly—dripping blood onto the foil—with a complicated look, ignoring Tae-gyu and Se-hee entirely.
"Take it slow. There's plenty of meat. Well, not that plenty. But compared to my luck... Ah, is my luck finally turning? Wait, what if it bombs? Nah, the acting was solid... Damn, I'm losing it."
"Hot—!"
"Director. No LA ribs by any chance?"
The rooftop in front of O Director's attic room—a combo straight out of hell.
The reason they were here, invited by O Director and waiting for his grilled samgyeopsal, was simple.
Arena Short Film Festival
Their entry, Sai-bi Church Maknae Son, had been selected for the main screening lineup—only 50 films made the cut.
Of course they'd love it.
Cheon Yoo-seong knew full well. As an opportunist who accepted the opening ceremony invite without a second's hesitation, he grasped just how massive this chance was for next week's festival.
May 1st ~ 5th
Screening his film at CGV Yongsan—one of Korea's top five theaters—during that stretch? Insane.
Directors and actors from Japan, Thailand, China, Hong Kong; critics, fans, journalists—a swarm of Asian film folks.
Just making the 50-film lineup could skyrocket your name value.
...Gotta win an award.
Cheon Yoo-seong was dead certain they'd take home prizes too. Like the Mizansen Short Film Festival that ended in 2022, Arena divided awards into five genres.
Horror/thriller's already in the bag.
Not just topping that category, but eyeing the genre-unified grand prize, decided by unanimous jury vote.
"...Still, gotta celebrate. This is all thanks to you guys. Really grate... right? This is really happening to me? Yeah, it is. Getting this far is plenty."
O Director, flipping meat with his face swapping joy and worry by the second? His worries were over.
Just one problem.
My screen presence.
Sai-bi Church Maknae Son leaned heavy on actor ad-libs. Midway through shooting, O Director lost his directing mojo and leaned hard into the actors' improv.
So...
From watching the edited cut, pure actor skill poured straight onto screen.
Damn it.
Cheon Yoo-seong felt a twinge of anxiety.
Lee Tae-gyu was a given, no contest.
Han Joo-hyuk skipped due to promo lines for the festival.
...Was the gap that wide?
Revisiting the footage, the skill gap looked way bigger than he'd thought.
And that wasn't all.
"That one's not done either..."
"Huhuhehehe!"
"Mm."
Even cautious Lee Tae-gyu hesitated with his chopsticks, while Yang Se-hee demolished the meat at warp speed.
Why's she so good?
This nobody he'd ignored was growing fast—and in the final cut, she matched him blow for blow.
"Huhuhehehe!"
"Mm."
"The meat's almost gone... mm... but this is worth celebrating... or is it? Nah, it's good. Yeah. Let's buy more."
Amid the chaos on O Director's rooftop, Cheon Yoo-seong played his own game, anxiety creeping in.
He'd even flunked the private audition for Model Detective 3 recently.
Even with a star-studded cast, this was serious for an actor.
National Younger Brother
Have I been coasting too hard on this title?
Yeah. Time to get serious about acting.
Cheon Yoo-seong slowly raised his camera.
...Starting tomorrow.
To fulfill his goal amid the bustle: publicly documenting his bond with Lee Tae-gyu in a private setting.
Click!
Another selfie today...
A luxury villa in Cheongdam-dong. In the walk-in closet off the living room, Seol A-yoon frowned as she changed.
...Ha.
She'd just seen Cheon Yoo-seong's fresh SNS post.
Specifically.
Again with Lee Tae-gyu in the shot, plus the actress and director beside them.
...They hang out without me a lot, huh?
Han Joo-hyuk was probably there too, out of frame.
A strange sense of exclusion hit her. As a top actress her age, she didn't need to mingle with them, but lately...
Lee Tae-gyu.
That deadpan face in the middle of the photo.
She'd see him post-festival at the CF shoot, sure... but that wasn't enough.
Like on the Hoshi-jeol set.
She craved real, meaty interactions that boosted her acting—natural closeness building there. Seol A-yoon waited for such chances.
Then—
"Unnie!"
The staff voice pierced from outside.
"Not dressed yet? Up to no good again!"
"...I'm dressed, coming out!"
"I know you—don't lie, get changed quick!"
"Fine!"
"We've got tons of outfits to try, unnie! Han Joo-hyuk and Joo Min-hee are coming—you gotta be the prettiest at the festival!"
"Agh, I got it!"
She slipped into an outfit for her honorary judge role at the upcoming Arena Short Film Festival.
Thump.
Still, she felt like she'd cross paths with Lee Tae-gyu very 'naturally' this time.
April 30th.
Arena Short Film Festival D-1
Finally here, thought the hulking man.
Thud, thud, thud... Past the first-floor lobby, elevator up, down on the conference floor, striding the wide hall.
"Hello, Director!"
"Director!"
"Hi!"
DK Entertainment staff greeted him boisterously, but he never forgot his role.
Of course.
His 'role' today differed slightly from what the Arena Short Film Festival expected of him.
...Honorary judge?
Kim Kwang-woo smirked.
One of the honorary judges, reserved for hot actors? Nice, sure.
But today held a schedule as crucial as the festival itself.
Nay—maybe more vital for a long-lasting acting career.
They're probably buzzing right now.
Kim Kwang-woo nodded, picturing his target.
Lee Tae-gyu. Skyrocketing post-Monster City, his lead short selected for one of 50 slots at CGV Yongsan?
Perfect hype fuel.
Senior's moment to shine.
Thud, thud... At the conference room door, Kim Kwang-woo rolled his shoulders menacingly and eyed the posted sign.
'Model Detective 3' – Script Reading
Yes.
Today was Model Detective 3's script reading.
With his unmatched presence everywhere, he saw today as prime for checking juniors' headspaces.
Han Joo-hyuk's solid.
Making time despite festival promo? Commendable.
Though the guy's a vet, no test needed.
...Lee Tae-gyu.
A bit uneasy.
The kid burned with passion at the private audition, even rattling him—then popped up on Cheon Yoo-seong's SNS again.
Samgyeopsal party, huh.
Kim Kwang-woo's brow furrowed.
Bad for muscles—no, he knew talents who hung private with Cheon Yoo-seong and fizzled.
To spare Lee Tae-gyu that fate—if the kid floated in unfocused...
Won't goof the vibe or giggle, but if he blanks his lines from slacking...
As 'senior,' he'd roar him awake. Kim Kwang-woo vowed it.
Grip.
With that resolve, hand on the knob.
Chest puffed, mighty.
—Clack!
Kim Kwang-woo flung open the script reading room door.
"You're here!"
"Hello, sunbae!"
"Let's start."
Exactly 30 minutes later.
Amid the war-like frenzy from those two mad juniors, Han Joo-hyuk and Lee Tae-gyu...
"......Huh?"
...Kim Kwang-woo blanked on his lines.