Chapter 103
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103
Jeong Da-jun is being rude?!
Our people-loving youngest puppy? To his absolute favorite idol?
This was earth-shattering news, yet Jeong Da-jun was simply staring at Min Ji-heon with a stoic expression. His attitude was so different from the last time he was practically worshiping the man that not only I, but the other members as well, were taken aback.
"Hmm..."
And Min Ji-heon, who might look airheaded but was actually quite sharp, couldn't possibly miss it. He gave a smirk, looked at each of the members in turn, and then gave a slight nod.
"Seo Ho-yun must be happy~."
"..."
Don't say unnecessary things.
"I'll be going now..."
"Yes, please, hurry up and leave already."
"Ahaha. See you later."
I watched him walk away with a look of indifference, then turned my head toward Jeong Da-jun.
...Da-jun was covering his face with both hands.
"Jeong Da-jun... what was that?"
"...Give me a moment. I'm sublimating my sorrow."
If you're going to be this sad over snubbing a greeting once, why on earth did you do it?
Da-jun rubbed his face for a long time before snapping his head up.
"Phew, okay. Da-jun, you did well. Bias vs. Nuisance... I, who chose the nuisance, was actually quite cool. Don't you think so, Hyung?"
"...So I'm the nuisance?"
"Hyung, why are you really doing this to me??"
Rarely for him, Jeong Da-jun was genuinely annoyed. As I stood there dazed, taking the brunt of his irritation, something flashed through my mind. Come to think of it, I think I might have said something stupid to him.
Right after that incident, I had asked him who he would choose between Min Ji-heon and me. A faint smile crept onto my face, and I poked Da-jun’s cheek.
"Between Min Ji-heon and Seo Ho-yun, did you choose me?"
"...Hyung, thinking about it again... do you remember that fan meeting a long time ago?"
Da-jun said primly.
"I choose the 'vs'..."
"..."
Kim Seong-hyeon looked so proud of Da-jun for putting me in my place that he threw an arm around his shoulders and ruffled his hair vigorously.
Hmm. Still, I didn't expect even Jeong Da-jun to act like that.
The older guys are all more or less capable of looking out for their own interests, so I expected it from them, but I’d always thought of Jeong Da-jun as a child left near the water's edge—someone you always have to worry about. It felt strange.
"Where on earth did he learn to act like that..."
[For the past six months, the only person he's seen is Seo Ho-yun. Who else would he have learned it from?]
...Is that so?
It seemed it was already an established fact within The Dawn that I was uncomfortable with Min Ji-heon.
There was no way that brat Kang Yi-chae didn't know. Kim Seong-hyeon and Seong Ji-won must have noticed to some extent as well. And seeing Jeong Da-jun now, he clearly knew too.
...But how much do they know?
...Should I test the waters? I organized my thoughts and opened my mouth, but...
"Hey, you guys..."
"Ho-yun, what do you want for dinner?"
...Seong Ji-won quickly cut me off. As I quirked an eyebrow, Kang Yi-chae followed up immediately.
"Foie gras."
"Pork belly? Got it."
"Hmph, Ji-won Hyung, you're so mean, so mean~."
"Bang-bang~."
With the sudden noise, I missed my timing again. While I was just blinking, the members, who were chatting noisily, had already moved quite a distance away. Kim Seong-hyeon looked back.
"What are you doing? Hurry up."
"...Yeah."
I nodded and followed them slowly, staying a step behind. I intentionally slowed my pace and quietly asked the system window so they wouldn't hear.
"That wasn't my imagination just now, right? Cutting me off like that."
Ding!
[Nope!]
"...Are they upset?"
As I watched them, feeling dumbfounded, the system window seemed frustrated and snapped at me.
[I really... Seong Ji-won is so cool... Kang Yi-chae is so, so great... Jeong Da-jun is so cute... and Kim Seong-hyeon is just a light...]
"What are you, Noeul?"
[And Seo Ho-yun is the most annoying...]
When I intentionally walked right through the system window, it hurriedly floated back up.
[From the members' perspective, it was obvious you were trying to probe them.]
"......So?"
[Excuse me, please get your act together in this harsh world.]
If I haven't, then who has?
As I glared at it, the system window provided further explanation.
[Think about it from the members' perspective. Since Shining Star, you've been handling everything unilaterally and taking all the burdens on yourself. Seong Ji-won and the others have already understood and accepted that that's just the kind of person you are.]
"Then why did he do that just now?"
[That was Seong Ji-won's way of being considerate. He's saying you don't have to tell them, so if you're not going to be completely honest, don't even try to probe. ...Instead, they'll share the burden with you.]
I couldn't readily understand it.
...Anyone who has worked a job will understand. When someone takes on all the burdens and works on their own, only those who are truly grateful will appreciate it; 99% of people either don't know or pretend not to know. You just end up working yourself to the bone alone.
But here, they're saying they'll share the burden instead?
Why?
[Why don't you just tell them honestly?]
"What, should I tell them I'm talking to a system window and that I actually came from a parallel world?"
[That would be difficult, but...]
"See."
I clicked my tongue.
"Even if I say it, I'll just be the crazy one. I'll be sent straight to the hospital for delusions."
[......]
There was no reason to talk about my situation, and there never would be. My conviction on that point remained unchanged.
[Fine, suit yourself.]
But strangely, the system window seemed to have taken offense.
"......What? Why?"
[Just keep living like that then...]
"Hey. Hey!"
No matter how much I called, it didn't reappear. It was definitely listening, but it seemed determined to ignore me. I sighed and approached the members, who were still bickering over the dinner menu.
What's the point of saying anything?
It's not like anything good would come of it anyway. I watched them with my arms crossed. Seong Ji-won, who was firmly pushing back against Kang Yi-chae's insistence on foie gras, suddenly looked up.
"Oh, right, Ho-yun. I forgot to tell you."
"...What?"
I braced myself for some kind of criticism, but Ji-won just tilted his head slightly.
"Your acting was really good, Ho-yun."
"What?"
And then, with a smile, he said something I hadn't expected.
"We're really proud of you."
"..."
At Ji-won's sudden praise, I lost my words for a moment, my lips just twitching before I turned my head away without a word. Even so, Ji-won just kept smiling.
Kang Yi-chae and Jeong Da-jun, witnessing this from the side, muttered to each other.
"Whoa... Ho-yun Hyung looks like he just had an exorcism..."
"It was the warm sunlight that made the traveler take off his coat..."
"...Shut up."
* * *
The drama was slowly heading toward its latter half, and it was almost time for PD Lee Jeong-hun's scenes to wrap up. For a supporting role, that was the most appropriate amount of screen time. It was also a signal that it was time to return to idol activities.
Of course, my main concern was the 18% viewership rating... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried, but for now, there was nothing I could do except give my best performance. Though, it wasn't like there were no other ways...
Anyway, if there was any consolation, it was that Please Take Care of the Camera was interesting enough that even Jeong Da-jun, who was picky about dramas, was completely hooked.
[Jeong Da-jun: The culprit Da-junie thinks it is]
See, even now as we're riding in the van, the KakaoTalk messages from Jeong Da-jun are endless.
Since I already knew the plot, I tried to ignore them, but the notifications were ringing reeeeentlessly.
[Jeong Da-jun: The manager is the culprit]
[Kang Yi-chae: Ah]
[Kang Yi-chae: Are you kidding? That's too much. I'm betting on the guy next door.]
[Jeong Da-jun: No, it's suspicious. Min Seung-tae trusts the manager.]
[Jeong Da-jun: That's why Min Seung-tae gets kidnapped, but Yoo Jeong-hwa has a Type 1 driver's license, right?? She'll probably drive a truck, ram into them, and rescue him.]
[Jeong Da-jun: Trust my 18 years of experience as a drama geek.]
[Kang Yi-chae: Damn.]
[Kang Yi-chae: That's actually kind of convincing.]
...Jeong Da-jun is scary.
He was about 90% correct. He only missed the part where Yoo Jeong-hwa, after finding out the truth, gets angry, smacks Min Seung-tae, and they reconcile... I shook my head and looked out the window.
"Ah, please let me off here."
"Ho-yun, let's go together!"
"No, could you go buy some coffee with this? Get a cup for yourself too, Manager."
"......!! I'm touched!! Okay!"
I handed my card to the manager, who was easily moved as always, and stepped out of the car. I did it on purpose to move around alone without the manager.
Today, I'm going to go and do some backroom scheming with the staff!
I still didn't know what Min Ji-heon was thinking, but as I always say, insurance is a must for a working professional. It couldn't hurt to have some.
"Oh! Ho-yun is here."
"Hello."
Ho-yun's backroom scheming, start!
As I revved up my engine and exchanged greetings, the camera director, whom I'd become somewhat close with over the past few weeks, held up the coffee cup in his hand.
"The King of Coffee Trucks is here! Nothing today?"
"Do I look like a walking coffee to you?"
"Hahaha, you're quite the smooth talker."
In front of the camera, Min Ji-heon was talking with Director Yoo. They seemed to be discussing the scene they had just filmed.
I watched them for a moment, then chatted with the camera director, who was leaving to swap equipment on his way to the dressing room.
"PD Lee Jeong-hun is really popular in the episodes that aired recently. Even though he doesn't have that much screen time..."
"It's all thanks to the staff for filming me so beautifully."
"Ahaha. The writer really agonized over it. Whether to make Lee Jeong-hun the second male lead or not."
"I'd really appreciate it if she refrained from that..."
When I scratched my head with a slightly troubled face, the camera director seemed a bit disappointed as he tinkered with his equipment.
That's when my intuition kicked in.
Okay.
Now is the perfect time to throw out some bait.
"The ratings are really good this time, aren't they?"
"They are. 12%! And this isn't even a weekend drama. These days, everyone is moving to cable or OTT services, so those ratings are great."
"We're beating the ratings of the drama in the same time slot."
"Ah, that one~."
The director suddenly burst into laughter.
"You mean the one where Lee Kang-seok was rushed in as the second male lead?"
"Rushed in?"
"Yeah. Originally, Lee Kang-seok was practically set for the role of Lee Jeong-hun. The audition was just a formality, but then Seo Ho-yun came in and that was that."
I knew the gist of that story.
"But it's a good thing we didn't work with Lee Kang-seok."
"Why?"
"Partly because Seo Ho-yun is a lucky charm, but..."
The director trailed off slightly, then, after checking that no one was around, he gave a playful wink.
"There are some bad rumors about Lee Kang-seok."
"What kind of..."
I threw in a proper reaction and waited. People are more likely to get excited and spill the beans when you act like you don't know much and give them a modest response, rather than when you're desperate to find out.
Sure enough, the reaction came quickly.
"Power tripping. Toward his own manager."
I knew you'd be like this, you bastard!
I cheered inwardly. At times like this, I have to admit: I'm quite lucky.
The system window appeared, having caught on even though I hadn't said a word.
Ding!
[Seo Ho-yun, you reaaaally...]
"Well, it's not like celebrities doing that is a rare thing... but Lee Kang-seok is a bit much. It's like he's got a major case of 'star disease.' He's verbally abusive to his manager."
"Oh dear, is that so..."
"The riper the rice, the lower it should bow its head, right?"
I organized my thoughts. I wondered why Kim Jae-yeon hadn't told me such useful information, but I guess a manager's power-tripping controversy isn't even worth a paparazzi's time.
Or maybe he's pretending not to know on purpose.
"I'm so glad we're working with Seo Ho-yun~. There's not much left until the final shoot, so hang in there a bit longer!"
"Let's grab a meal together after we're done, Director. You mentioned you liked Chinese food last time."
"...Wow, you remembered that? You're really detailed, Ho-yun."
The camera director went to swap his equipment as filming was about to resume, and I went into the dressing room to get my makeup done. As I changed into my costume and rolled up my sleeves, I pondered.
If a controversy about a manager being mistreated breaks out... the ratings for that drama will naturally drop.
There could be various variables, but if the ratings for the drama in the same time slot drop, there's a high probability that the ratings for the other side will naturally rise.
The conclusion was set; what I was debating was... the method.
Should I do it, or not?
Can I get this for free without having to blow the whistle myself? As I was organizing my thoughts...
"Ho-yun-ie Hyung~."
"......!"
...Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulders.
Even though the place was packed with staff, Min-gro, who calls me 'Hyung,' had made his appearance.