Leaving the Show? (2) — The Sincere Words to Her... And Just Her and the Milking Queen
Deep in the mountains far removed from the city, this place was so isolated that the word "remote" fit it perfectly.
'Wow... how did she even find a spot like this?'
There stood a rustic hanok that felt straight out of a fairy tale, with a spacious courtyard and a large anggung (traditional stove) that somehow looked both cozy and impressive.
"Wow, I haven't seen an anggung in ages."
"You have? You have, sis?"
"Of course~ This sis here has lived in a mountain village and valleys for years, even if it is just an act."
Of course, I knew full well that this "sis" who was playing a country girl had to be familiar with anggungs and cauldrons, having grown up in a remote village.
But the real reason I mentioned it was those two damn cameras that had followed us the entire time.
They existed solely so we could share the story of how my "sis" had grown.
Hey, advertising sponsors~
Even though actress Kim Si-a wears that icy, elegant mask, in truth she is such a naive, small-town girl!
So don't just watch her proud side—remember this pure, nature-loving side too!
For instance, every line that came out of my mouth was basically product PR.
"Kya~ Boiling ramyeon in a cauldron is seriously delicious, right?"
"Ramyeon? With a pot this big, you should be making chicken breast soup!"
"Ramyeon... is just ramyeon."
"What? With a body like mine, you need real food!"
I kept blurting out lines and turned my back to the camera, licking my lips in a way that was strangely suggestive.
But even with that lewd expression on her face, I didn't blink once and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Eat ramyeon. Only ramyeon."
"Aww~ Why are you acting so rundown lately? Your energy's gone, hasn't it? Sis will handle everything, so just eat ramyeon with me~"
I layered on the aegyo as much as I could, but my decision never wavered.
We were eating nothing but ramyeon... and specifically this particular brand that was starting to lose sales.
"Yeah~ I'm eating ramyeon."
"What? You said you'd do everything, so why are you eating it?"
"Because we have to film the ramyeon ad, of course."
At my answer about filming the ad, the writer and PD Ji-ho just stared at me with blank, dumbfounded expressions.
And Si-a began sulking a little.
"Tch... we came all the way here just for ramyeon?"
"Didn't we come here just to do this? How amazing is it? A pot bubbling hot, a bowl of steamy ramyeon..."
Of course, with the high-end, premium kimchi from a big company already prepared and added, it would be an absolute feast.
'Khh... I hear a phone ringing. The barrage of advertising calls from food companies!'
Honestly, before I joined this program, I had thought about everything very carefully.
Even if it wasn't true, my real face had been approached multiple times with offers to be an actor, so it was a fact.
What if our handsome faces were captured together in one shot? Would anything good come of it for us?
I could swear there wouldn't be even a single benefit.
'Ah, that damn older brother-type guy...'
If it weren't for him, I would never have made such an idiotic decision to put my face out in front of the public.
Even if it meant overturning the program, even if I had to fight the PD, I never would have gone.
'So I have to perform thoroughly...'
That capitalist attitude of treating her only as a product, not as a woman.
Even if I come across as unappealing or as a ridiculous manager, I don't care.
The more I break down, the more lovingly Si-a will watch over me, after all.
"Sigh, really! She just works, works, works all the time!"
"Really? Working and eating too~ How blessed is her life?"
"Got it, so light the fire already! I'm starving..."
I roughly scooped the required amount of content and even smeared charcoal on my face.
Pretending to light the fire in front of the anggung, but failing over and over.
Finally, when Si-a had to step in, we were finally able to boil just one bowl of ramyeon.
"Is it that good?"
"Of course it is! With a place like this, you have to eat this brand of ramyeon, right? Hahaha!"
"If you keep saying that, no one will film the ad... it's embarrassing, so please stop."
"Whether it's long or short, you just have to see it for yourself... haven't you heard that saying? It doesn't end until the very end..."
"Aigoo, really! If you're going to say such serious things, at least clean your face first!"
She quietly raised her hand and wiped the charcoal off my face.
"If you're going to smear charcoal on your face like this, just give it to someone else! What are you doing carrying such a face around?"
The way she wiped my face with care seemed more like a lover's gesture than a sister's.
"Khh, now that you've eaten, go inside and warm yourself up."
"Why do you have to do the dishes...?"
"Since I boiled the ramyeon, it's only fair that I wash the dishes!"
Pretending to wash the dishes, I rolled up my sleeves.
But Si-a never let the sight stand.
"It's fine. You go inside... remember? Last time when you said you'd wash the dishes, you broke a bunch of the bowls sis treasured..."
I remember... the bowls she broke while claiming she was going to wash them...
'No... that was just a concept video...'
A kind of experiment video to see how far she would hold back her anger.
Of course, since I never explained that it was a concept video, even if she thinks I refused to wash dishes, I'm not that bothered.
It had boosted the views quite a bit, after all, and it was a legal way to avoid doing the dishes.
So I left her to wash dishes and sent a meaningful glance to the writers while interviewing them.
***
—Unlike what you expect, you're actually a pretty sloppy type, Manager.
"Haha... I am a bit like that, yeah?"
—Umm... this is hard to say, but you seem more like an irresponsible younger brother and his sister rather than a manager and an idol, don't you?
"Hyuk, hyuk, this is just my act when I'm working..."
—Ah! I heard that too~ The Lovely Lady you just joined... everyone around you tried to stop it, but the Manager pushed for it.
"Well, yeah. But as you can see, our sis is really good at acting..."
Honestly, I never expected Kim Si-a to be that skilled.
How else could she have taken away the main roles and given her own more?
'If it keeps going like this, we might actually hit 30% viewership.'
In a 16-episode drama, breaking 20% in just 8 episodes...
And not a quick spike-and-drop, but steady upward momentum.
—It does seem like you're fixated on other broadcasting companies, though... do you have anything planned like a viewership guarantee?
"Ah, a viewership guarantee...?"
Of course I had thought about it, but it sounded a bit arrogant coming from a manager's mouth rather than an actor's.
'Those crazy people... if they don't hold a fan meeting this time, I can't even predict what they'll do...'
Recently I've been receiving dozens of blackmail emails a day threatening to burn the company or cause a truck accident if I don't schedule the fan meeting faster.
If it surpasses 25%, maybe it's not bad to grant one of their crazy wishes as a little commemoration...
"A viewership guarantee should come from our sis or the main actors, right? I can't say much..."
—Thinking about it, that makes sense too. But you two seem really close... do you treat Kim Si-a well normally?
"Don't even mention it. It's not like we're really close... we just treat people generally kindly.
Though I have a bit of a tsundere side, once I get close, I spoil her rotten."
With that, I filled the interview with nothing but praise for Si-a...
The sun hung high in the sky and eventually set, replaced by a moon full of mysterious, suggestive vibes.
—Thank you for the interview. Finally, may I ask Kim Si-a for a short word?
The sudden, emotional insertion.
If I had never come to this company and met her, could I have lived this fun life?
Could I have spent this golden time like this now, happily?
'I guess not...'
I moved my lips slightly, but they wouldn't come out so easily.
To the first gem who made my life this happy,
to the one who made me forget all the pain of my dark, long previous life...
How exactly could I convey these grateful feelings?
"Well..."
—Speak comfortably... you don't need to hold back.
"Well... because my words aren't good enough, I don't know how to convey my feelings properly."
I struggled to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over.
To hide my trembling voice, I stood up and looked at the camera pointed at me.
"Just... thank you, sis. For always believing in me... and for taking care of me so well..."
A plain, unadorned greeting, no fancy words.
I bowed my head toward the camera, carrying deep gratitude for her in my heart.
Hoping my feelings would reach her.
With that, today's filming ended, but my work wasn't over yet.
"Are you okay, Si-a? Just stay at the lodging and rest, it's not bad, is it?"
"That's impossible! We're here for a one-night, two-day stay... you can't lie!"
"If you do that, we're happy... but..."
"Don't worry, just go rest comfortably at the lodging and come back."
"This is too much gratitude... what do I do?"
"I'm really used to places like this... just rest well and come back early tomorrow~"
Park Ji-ho PD, who looked apologetic and couldn't leave right away, while Kim Si-a desperately tried to chase away the production crew.
"Since you've already taken plenty of footage, don't worry and just rest comfortably."
I knew exactly what would happen to me the moment he left, so I wanted to keep him there.
But with the massive strength of this succubus pinning my arm, I couldn't even open my mouth.
'No! We have to have a drink together, hyung... hyung likes drinking... just one word, just one word to say let's have a drink!'
Thinking maybe my desperate wish would be granted, I sent countless telepathic messages...
But this clueless guy just awkwardly smiled without saying a word and left.
"Thank you, Si-a... I was having a really hard time because the kids' scheduling wasn't working...
With you here, our kids can finally relax a bit."
"Hyung, me too... eek!"
Her hand pinched my arm sharply.
And just like that, my desperate escape attempt ended in failure—I had no choice but to stay here.
And it was with this **Milking Queen** and just the two of us...