Chapter 261
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 261
Kim Ari, a broadcast writer and a "Bloy"—a hardcore fan who had stanned Black Call for four years with a particular devotion to Ju Woo-seong—was currently losing her mind.
‘Today’s guest is Ju Woo-seong!!’
She couldn't believe they had actually succeeded in casting him.
She had only become a writer to earn a little extra cash to support her boys, but now, she was a writer for a hit major network program, actually working alongside Ju Woo-seong himself. It felt surreal.
Before leaving for work, she had even bowed deeply to her most cherished Ju Woo-seong poster.
‘Crazy… What if Chae Jeong-woo shows up as a surprise guest?’
The mere thought made her heart race like she was having an arrhythmia. Ari quickly popped a Cheongsimhwan she had bought a few days ago.
Upon arriving at the station, she began the handover with the morning team, who had been working since dawn.
"Seo Ho-yun’s been cast."
"Oh~ He’s totally trending right now. That’s great."
"Right? But get this—apparently, Seo Ho-yun accepted the casting call in five seconds."
"Five seconds?!"
‘Ah… so it’s not Chae Jeong-woo.’
Even though Woo-seong was appearing on the variety show to promote his solo track, she had held out hope that Jeong-woo might show up too….
The Main PD had asked Woo-seong to invite a friend he felt truly comfortable with, and he had called Seo Ho-yun immediately.
"Well, good for you, Woo-seong…."
She was just glad he finally had a friend he could call in the middle of the night.
Tears pricked her eyes as she remembered Woo-seong’s rookie days. Back then, during a quiz show where he had to call an acquaintance for help, he had desperately called Chae Jeong-woo five times in a row.
‘Come to think of it, he’s been working really hard lately.’
About two years ago, there were occasional rumors that Ju Woo-seong was seeing someone. Given his reactions toward fans at the time, she had actually thought those rumors were somewhat credible.
However, at some point, he had thoroughly cleaned up his act to the point where such stories were dismissed as mere sasaeng gossip. He had become incredibly attentive to his fans.
As for his main job? He was always perfect. And being close to a fellow idol junior like Seo Ho-yun certainly wasn't a flaw.
Besides, Seo Ho-yun had a good image.
"Didn't Ju Woo-seong call Seo Ho-yun on a variety show before, too?"
"They really do seem close. But since they both have such likable images, it works. Fans usually hate male idol friendships, but these two are an exception. No matter how much the paparazzi tail them, they just end up going out for fried rice… Uh, Ari, why the face?"
"It’s nothing…."
Despite her thoughts, she felt a tiny bit of lingering disappointment. She wished he’d get that close with his own group members instead.
"Ju Woo-seong, hello!"
But that feeling vanished the moment Ju Woo-seong appeared before her. Her mind went blank, and her heart hammered against her ribs.
"Ah, hello."
Everything else faded away. It felt as if a divine light was pouring from the ceiling and a choir of angels was singing somewhere in the distance.
Since she was at work, she fought to keep her composure and greeted him as naturally as possible.
Woo-seong, who had begun talking with the Main PD, flashed a bright smile every time he caught a writer’s eye.
"I’ll be in your care today."
‘Oh… fuck… my vision is cleared. It’s like instant LASIK….’
Under his neat, dark eyebrows, the corners of his slightly upturned eyes crinkled softly.
In the past, he had a much colder aura, but perhaps because he was now a veteran with more breathing room, he seemed much softer.
Just then, a man carrying a full tray of coffee appeared.
"Hyung."
It was Seo Ho-yun.
"……Huh? Oh?!"
Woo-seong looked a bit flustered, but he awkwardly accepted the green tea latte Ho-yun held out to him.
Ho-yun then began handing out coffee to the staff with a genial smile.
"Hello, Writer-nim. I’m Seo Ho-yun."
"Ah, yes."
When it was her turn to face him, Ari realized Seo Ho-yun was even more handsome than she had imagined. He wasn't exactly her type, so she hadn't paid much attention before, but the camera definitely didn't do his real-life appearance justice.
"What the—how did you know I liked this?"
"Just because."
While Woo-seong was moved to tears, eyes sparkling as he inhaled the green tea latte, Ho-yun looked around the station with a strangely stiff expression.
‘But how did they even get close?’
It was impossible for Black Call fans not to know: Ju Woo-seong was picky about people and tended to build walls.
She couldn't quite wrap her head around Seo Ho-yun’s sudden appearance on Woo-seong’s Starstagram and the title of "close younger brother."
"Alright! Let’s start filming!"
Kim Ari watched Seo Ho-yun with a hawk-like gaze. And bit by bit, she began to find suspicious details.
First of all.
"This mission is to find the fake PD among actual variety show PDs! You need to identify the actor among the PDs working at designated locations."
Seo Ho-yun’s attitude was far too composed.
"Didn't we see all the PDs' faces today?"
"PDs from various variety programs at our station have agreed to help us."
"……Then how are we supposed to know?"
"Hahaha, you only get one chance. If you fail, you’re working overtime at the station with us tonight."
"……."
As the difficulty of the mission set in, Woo-seong’s blinking grew rapid with anxiety, yet Ho-yun just calmly sipped his hot chocolate.
‘Suspicious.’
The scent of something fishy was wafting off him. A very pungent, questionable scent.
Secondly.
"We’re doomed, totally doomed. I don’t think we’re going home today. I need to go play with Nyang-nyang-i."
"Hyung. Not that way, this way."
He knew the layout of the broadcasting station unnervingly well. Even for a celebrity, it was difficult to know the ins and outs of the building unless it was a specific set they filmed in often.
Yet, this was already the third time Ho-yun had grabbed the grumbling Woo-seong’s arm to correct his direction.
‘What is it? Does he have a friend who’s a PD? Even so, could he know the place this well?’
Is he dating a PD?
While her suspicions deepened, Woo-seong was busy trying to charm the PDs with bright smiles to get even a tiny hint. Ho-yun just watched from the side, looking amused.
And finally, the third suspicious point.
"This is how you edit."
"Oh~."
"……."
Every time he saw the PDs editing, Ho-yun’s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
He didn't let anything else show on his face, but Kim Ari, who was watching him intently, caught that subtle change.
"Alright, let’s do the rough cut screening."
A rough cut screening was a type of meeting where the director and writers gathered to watch the first draft of the edited footage, weeding out the boring parts and deciding on the final direction.
Throughout the screening, Woo-seong kept picking on perfectly innocent PDs, saying things like, "This person’s opinion is too plain, so they’re suspicious," or "That person looks totally awkward."
Meanwhile, Ho-yun remained silent, merely scribbling something on a blank sheet of A4 paper.
"A rookie PD did today’s edit, and their skills don't seem bad. They did quite well. Hahaha."
The Main PD of Racing Me added a bit of praise.
However, as the screening progressed, Ho-yun’s face grew pale, as if he were witnessing something he shouldn't have to see.
‘…Huh?’
He had the exact expression of that famous meme of a man looking through a window, thinking, 'Oh dear, they shouldn't be doing it like that...' with pity.
Ho-yun even started fumbling through his pockets repeatedly until Woo-seong leaned in and whispered to him.
Of course, Kim Ari, who had her ears perked, heard it as clearly as if he were speaking into a megaphone.
"Are you sick? Why are you so restless today?"
"……What?"
"And what do you keep fumbling for?"
After a long silence, Ho-yun finally spoke.
"…I’m looking for candy."
Candy?
Woo-seong tilted his head.
"You want candy? Should I buy you some?"
Muttering about whether Ho-yun was actually sick, Woo-seong raised his hand, said he was going to the restroom, and left the conference room. A staff member with a camera followed him.
A moment later, Woo-seong returned with an armful of snacks. He gave drinks and crackers to the others in the room and slid a whole bag of candy to Ho-yun.
Kim Ari’s eyes flashed.
‘Wait.’
Just as a hunch struck her, Ho-yun, who had popped two candies into his mouth at once and was chewing away, tapped Woo-seong.
"Pick one. Do you want more screen time?"
"Eh?"
"Or do you want to go home early?"
At that confident declaration, the main camera swiveled to focus on Ho-yun.
Ari could bet her life that this scene would be captioned with something like: 'This man is cool… A heart-throb for the working class!'
Woo-seong, who wouldn't have been able to complete the mission alone, looked at Ho-yun with watery eyes and covered his mouth in awe.
The staff all burst into laughter at the sight.
"Shall we go home early, then?"
.
.
.
And then, Ho-yun identified the fake PD in a single second.
"Ahaha, sorry. Did I cut the screen time too short?"
He even gave a humble, easygoing laugh as he apologized. At that, hearts practically sprouted from the eyes of all the staff members.
"Seo Ho-yun is a real stand-up guy, a real professional…."
"There’s a reason he’s so popular with the staff. It’s been so long since I’ve gone home before sunset. And we got plenty of footage, too."
"Oh, you all should get home quickly."
As Ho-yun spoke politely, Woo-seong watched him from behind with a pouting expression.
Kim Ari, loath to let Woo-seong go just yet, racked her brain and spoke up.
"But it feels a bit a pity to just leave after a 'PD experience' like this. PD-nim, why don't you let the two of them try being real variety PDs for just a little bit?"
She still had things she wanted to verify about Seo Ho-yun.
"Oh! That’s good. It’ll be perfect for a short Nutube pre-release video. Come to think of it, I saw you editing in The Dawn’s self-produced content, and you were really good."
"…Haha. I’m not that good, but thank you for saying so."
Mm, as I thought.
Ho-yun’s response came with a vague, one-beat delay.
"Then do you want to try? What about you, Ju Woo-seong?"
"I’m a total tech-illiterate. I only use my phone for calls and texts. I’ll just watch him."
Once the additional filming was confirmed, everyone moved to the editing room.
"So, what would be good? Idol cross-editing is hot these days. How about a Black Call cross-edit? Hey, Maknae! You said you’ve been doing cross-editing as a hobby lately, right?"
The designated rookie PD stepped forward hesitantly and began to slowly explain how to operate the editing software to Ho-yun.
"You shouldn't have too many inserts. For cross-editing, it’s important that the transitions are natural…."
The corners of Ho-yun’s mouth, which had been turned up at first, slowly began to droop.
‘What is it?’
Every time the rookie PD asked if he knew something, Ho-yun would tilt his head with an innocent look. Ari imagined her own internal monologue as a fan reflecting on his face: 'Black Call? I don't know them well… but they’re famous lately, right? Bloy? What’s that? But Chae Jeong-woo? Ju Woo-seong? Solo song MYTH? What were the first-week sales?'
Because of her profession, Ari strictly hid the fact that she was a Bloy to avoid any rumors.
"Ah, never mind. Instead of something difficult like that, you should probably learn how to cut the cross-scenes first, right? Haha."
"Hahahaha."
Ho-yun’s laugh wasn't a real laugh. His eyes weren't smiling.
Seeing that, her suspicion solidified into a conviction.
Seo Ho-yun is a hardcore fan of something.
If he had learned video editing for the sake of his hobby, then his behavior so far made sense. His composure could just be his personality, though his knowledge of the station’s layout was still a mystery.
‘So that was it.’
In an instant, her wariness toward Seo Ho-yun melted away, replaced by a sense of human connection.
Ho-yun, who had been listening intently to the rookie PD, bowed deeply once the explanation was over.
"…Thank you for the kind explanation. I’ll give it a try."
The moment Ho-yun sat in the chair, the look in his eyes turned fierce.
The intention was to create a heartwarming and cute short clip for Nutube promotion, but….
Click.
Click-click-click-click.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
"……!!"
As the sounds of the mouse and keyboard echoed through the room, the production team was struck with horror.
"Whoa! Wait, what? Seo Ho-yun, what was that just now?"
Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, Ho-yun finished the task in an instant. He blew a breath to clear his bangs and played the video from the beginning.
Woo-seong, standing behind him, watched the edited version of himself with fascination.
"Whoa, you made Kings look like my solo."
"Hey, hey. Seo Ho-yun, you can do this too?"
"What the……. Wait. Ho-yun. Did you actually memorize my choreography?"
It was clearly a cross-edit of Black Call’s Kings, but it had been transformed as if it were a solo performance for Ju Woo-seong.
While Woo-seong was being moved to tears again, Kim Ari, standing off-camera, was equally moved.
‘Incredible….’
These days, "shaky cam" wasn't as common, but as a fan, she often felt frustrated when camera work was too excessive or focused only on faces, making the choreography hard to see.
However, this video addressed all those frustrations, correcting them perfectly to show the best possible version.
‘Seo Ho-yun, I don’t know what you’re a fan of, but you’re a serious hardcore fan.’
He was at the level of a professional cross-editing Nutuber with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
"So, we’re done now, right?"
Woo-seong asked the Main PD, thinking the additional filming was sufficient, but—
"Where do you think you’re going?"
A chilling voice rang out.
"…Pardon?"
Woo-seong, who was about to lift his butt from the chair, froze in an awkward position and looked at Ho-yun, who seemed to be in a very foul mood.
Ho-yun, his eyes fixed on the monitor as he corrected the video frame by frame, stopped clicking the mouse.
"…Ah."
A cold silence fell over the room.
"—Hahaha."
Slowly turning his head, Ho-yun instantly smoothed over his expression.
"My goodness, I was holding you all up. I’m so sorry."
With a smile that seemed to scatter flower petals, the atmosphere thawed immediately as if nothing had happened.
Ho-yun continued to smile as he repeatedly pressed Ctrl+S before standing up.
"Thank you for your hard work. Today’s filming was so much fun."
"Yes! Ho-yun, Woo-seong, great job today~!"
As Ho-yun bowed to the staff, glancing back at the computer with a hint of lingering regret, Woo-seong quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
"Get out of the editing room, now. It’s scary being in here with you."
"……Good instincts."
"Huh?"
Kim Ari watched the two of them bicker as they walked away with a satisfied gaze.
She watched until they turned the corner and were out of sight. When she turned back toward the editing room, the staff were gathered together, whispering.
"Where? ……Oh, this is incredibly clean and sophisticated. Isn't this Senior Yu’s?"
"It’s not mine. It’s so veteran, is it Senior Lee’s? I’ll have to ask later."
However, that storyboard was something a certain second-tier idol had scribbled while watching the screening in the corner.
And the truth of the matter would eventually spread through the station by word of mouth, thanks to the rookie PD of Racing Me who had screamed in shock after reviewing the footage for editing.