Chapter 296
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 296
[Title: The Ep 3 trailer for Dead at Hope is out!!!!
Dead_at_Hope_Ep3_Trailer.avi
No, but is the budget getting crazier as it goes? lolololol Look at the set.
I heard the studio really put their all into this, and man, they produced a masterpiece.
Holy crap, this is going to be a hit.
I’m getting so hyped just saying "this is it."
Citizens_helping_each_other.gif
Min_Ji-heon_digging_through_rubble_while_crying.gif
Min Ji-heon is the ultimate pick for drama fans...
I cried because it’s been so long since he played a kind-hearted protagonist...
Ji-heon always played those cold, rational roles forever... I’m so happy he’s finally playing someone nice.. ㅠㅠ
It’s still early in the show, and the director is famous for portraying human psychology well, so I don’t know how the protagonist will change, but for now, I’m going to be screaming and watching every day..
└ The way people helped each other during that urgent situation in Ep 1 was so cool.... I’m a sucker for that kind of storytelling.....
└└ Don’t trust the main PD and the writer.. They’ll make it touching and then have those same people stabbing each other five seconds later.
└└ For real, PD Jeong and Writer Kim are total sadists.
└ Min Ji-heon is a god........
└ I’m telling you, Min Ji-heon has officially peaked as the top male actor, not just among those in their 20s, but in the entire mainstream.]
[Title: About when Seo Ho-yun appeared in the Ep 2 trailer of Dead at Hope
I was honestly so indifferent because the dramas I saw him in before were... well, honestly, they weren't great....
But what’s up with Seo Ho-yun this time?
He only showed his face for three seconds in the trailer, but my heart actually fluttered.
When the other characters were screaming about needing to find supplies (which sounds normal but is probably total nonsense in context), Kim Woo-ho just bit down on an unlit cigarette and said, “Why should I?”...
I just want to grab my head and yell, "You little bastard~~!!" It feels like someone shoved a dry sweet potato down my throat, so why is my heart fluttering? ffs.
└ You’re not the only one. "3-Second Kim Woo-ho" is already trending lol.
└ I totally get the "fluttering while eating a dry sweet potato" feeling. It feels like he won’t be a purely good character lol. Didn't he really find his element this time?? All his previous roles felt a bit bland... I’m actually looking forward to this.
└ Hey guys, is the part-time pay sweet?
How do you even write a promotional post over three seconds of a trailer?
└└ That hurts.. I’m just a fan sucking on a one-second crumb without getting paid a cent..
└└ If we were part-timers, we wouldn't even be upset because we'd be getting paid. We’re writing these promo posts for free.]
[Title: To those who don't understand why "3-Second Kim Woo-ho" is trending
Excuse me, people used to say that his face alone is a whole narrative.
└ lololol People are calling him the "3-Second Archer" these days.
└ A legendary face... You can even see a sense of tragedy in it...
└ Why did this blow up so much?
└└ His face..?
└└ Most likely... his face....?
But it’s not just his face; his vibe has changed lol. Even the original Seo Ho-yun fans are getting hyped up.
└ I’ll have to wait and see his diction. Anyone can make a trailer look cool lol.
└└ True, true lol.]
The start of Dead at Hope was smooth.
From the moment the main trailer was released, it was the talk of the town, and as soon as Episode 1 aired, everyone fell in love with Min Ji-heon’s acting.
Reviews followed, calling it a masterpiece and praising how it portrayed a complex cast of characters despite the common subject matter.
Even Seo Ho-yun, who appeared briefly in a thirty-second preview for the next episode, garnered significant attention.
By the time Episode 2 finished airing, Seo Ho-yun’s awareness had skyrocketed.
[Title: What do you think is Seo Ho-yun’s "moe" animal?
Cat vs. Rabbit
Vote for your animal! >____<
└ Where did the rabbit even come from? ;;
└└ He’s a cat, obviously.. Can’t you tell by looking at his face?
└└ Sorry..
└ lolololol The rabbit is so random, it’s hilarious lolololol.
└└ Yeah.. My bad.
└└ lolololol Don't be so depressed lolololol.]
[Title: But does the actor himself not communicate with fans?
I heard actors are usually rare with that, but coming from an idol fandom, this part is a bit disappointing..
└ It depends on the person.
└└ Yeah, case by case.
└ I heard he’s actually a bit prickly lol.
└└ Ha, I like that too..]
Then, as if sensing the people’s wishes, Seo Ho-yun turned on a live broadcast on his personal Starstagram.
“Hello.”
[Omg, Seo Ho-yun is doing a live!]
[Crazy!]
Since he had appeared in various web dramas and had some young fans, and was a rising star who had made a name for himself by winning the New Star Award at the Baekho Film Festival, the number of viewers grew rapidly. "Kim Woo-ho" from Episode 2 of Dead at Hope also played a part.
[What kind of coffee do you like??]
The people weren't about to leave their prey alone now that he had appeared in person to communicate.
While most would be flustered by the sudden influx of questions, Seo Ho-yun continued to answer calmly, as if he were used to such situations.
“I... like sweet things. If it’s a drink, I like anything sweet.”
[lolololol Omg, he says he likes sweet things. That’s legendary cute...]
In truth, his number one choice was Sol-ui-nun, but having already gained plenty of experience as an idol and knowing what the public went wild for, he didn't let that fact slip out.
“What do I usually do?? Just filming... and memorizing scripts.”
With a face that looked like he would give you a cold stare and radiate a chilly aura if you even spoke to him, Seo Ho-yun acted soft and sweet. Various SNS platforms and communities were going into overdrive.
[Please pick your favorite animal. Rabbit vs. Cat]
“Huh?”
Seo Ho-yun’s eyebrows twitched as he scanned the chat window.
He seemed to deliberate for a moment over the repeated question before finally speaking.
“...A rabbit?”
[Please think about it one more time.]
[lolololololol]
“Aren't rabbits cute? Their fur is fluffy and...”
[No, if you had to pick one more time.]
Seeing the chat flooded with cat emojis, Seo Ho-yun let out a small "Ah."
“...A cat.”
He pivoted his stance instantly.
It was because he realized exactly what kind of answer they wanted from him.
[lolololololololol Hey, this guy is freaking hilarious.]
[His intuition is insane lolololol.]
[lolololololololol Ho-yun is a cat, confirmed!!!]
[Ah, Actor Seo Ho-yun has no shyness.... No.. what is this? He’s calm, but he feels strangely more like an idol than a "muggle" actor.
└ Oh!!!! You’re right lol. This is so funny.
└└ The way he filters out the comments he should ignore and picks only the good questions... it feels like he’s done this a lot, like he practiced or something.]
After listing various TMIs for a while, Seo Ho-yun placed an ice pack behind his phone, perhaps because it was getting hot.
“Ah, I have to go now.”
[I’m baffled. Look at Seo Ho-yun’s skill with the ice pack. Is he actually an idol?]
[At this point, he’s the idol of Dead at Hope. Ah, I’m dying lolololol.]
“I’ll come back often. Noeul...”
Seo Ho-yun’s words stopped abruptly.
His eyes darted around for a moment before he beamed at the camera.
“...Don't you think the no-eul—the sunset—will be beautiful today? Since the weather is nice, why don't you take a walk this evening and look up at the sky?”
Though he stuttered slightly at the end, Actor Seo Ho-yun’s first live broadcast ended successfully.
[lolololololololol Why did he end it like a greeting from a school newsletter? ㅠㅠ lol
└ I can't pin this man down...]
[Guys, what does "the sunset is beautiful" mean...
Is it like "the moon is beautiful tonight" or something?
└ lololol The sunset is beautiful....]
[So cute, our kitty ♡]
.
.
.
“...So you couldn't find Seong Ji-won in the end?”
[Yeah.]
On his way to the WH Entertainment cafeteria after finishing the live broadcast, a call came from his manager.
[It seems certain that there was a long-term trainee named Seong Ji-won at D.go, but they can't get in touch with him at all.]
“You’re saying he didn't even debut in a group or anything?”
[Yeah. There was nothing like that.]
He swallowed a rising sigh.
Various hypotheses rose and fell in his mind.
[But why are you looking for him? Gasp! Did you lend him money?]
He hung up, ignoring the manager’s fuss.
To think that the group "The Dawn" didn't even exist in the first place.
‘It’s strange.’
He had felt like this was a world where only the parts related to The Dawn and the idol "Seo Ho-yun" had been carved out, but he hadn't expected it to be such a physical reality.
“Whoa.”
“Wow.”
Regardless, a Seong Ji-won who was a long-term trainee at D.go did exist in this world.
As he was pondering whether he should look further—
“That’s amazing~.”
“I know, right?”
But it was too noisy.
He looked up with a frown.
“...!”
Ju Woo-seong was standing right in front of him.
“Uh...”
Their eyes met directly for a moment, and he almost acknowledged him out of habit, but the guy passed right by him as if he had no memory of him.
‘...Fine, I didn't expect anything anyway. You brat.’
If he had known me, he wouldn't have been able to act so nonchalantly. He was a genius at dancing, but he didn't have any grand acting skills.
In this place, the connection between Ju Woo-seong and me didn't exist.
A relationship without blackmail or anything else.
He tried his best not to pay attention, but the conversation naturally drifted into his ears.
Well, then he had no choice but to listen.
“Woo-seong, are you okay?”
“Yes...”
“Oh dear, your face looks terrible.”
He glanced toward Ju Woo-seong.
Indeed, the areas around his eyes were dark, and he looked haggard. Moreover, his condition was strange.
“No, I’m fine.”
It was the same feeling as when he first met Ju Woo-seong up close. The guy responded dutifully, but his soul seemed to be missing.
Even so, he was still a member of "Black Call" and seemed to remain at the very top of the idol world.
“Manager, I’m going to step out for a bit. I want some fresh air.”
Ju Woo-seong, who had been pressing his fingers against his brow, stood up as if even answering was a burden.
“Oh, okay!! I’ll go buy you something to drink.”
“Yes...”
He walked toward the terrace located on each floor of the WH Entertainment building.
Let’s ignore him.
Look at how many people are around him. He’ll be fine on his own.
His head certainly calculated it that way, but his body was following Black Call’s manager. As he drew closer to the man who had entered the cafeteria, he could hear the sound of deep sighs.
“No, he’s been quiet lately. No sign of him meeting anyone.”
“.......”
Ho-yun pricked up his ears while pretending to choose from the menu.
“Yes, yes... he’s just been a bit out of it. He’s not even showing up for the practice sessions he used to attend faithfully. Aside from Chae Jeong-woo, he doesn't seem to talk much with the other members either....... Yes, of course. I’ll make sure to manage his mental state thoroughly.”
It sounded like he was reporting to his superiors over the phone.
He seemed to be a new recruit, overflowing with motivation, and his clumsiness was just as apparent.
No. Don't take it to heart.
Just order a sweet, calorie-bomb drink and leave.
Just as he made that resolution—
“Ah, wait a second. I’ll just place the order. ......Do you know what Ju Woo-seong likes? Ah...... I see. Then I’ll just buy something like an Americano. Two Americanos with three shots each, please. He looks a bit tired.”
“.......”
Ho-yun hurriedly changed his order.
“...A green tea latte, please.”
The conversation continued beside him, but his gaze was fixed on the terrace where Ju Woo-seong would be.
“Ah...... it just seemed like he’s been worried about a lot of things lately.”
“.......”
He felt a bit...
“He said that he feels like being an idol wasn't his path from the start...”
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
“Pardon? Yes?”
What is this, some morning soap opera?
Like a viewer who couldn't stand the frustration and threw out a comment, he had meddled without realizing it.
“Ex-Excuse me. Are you talking to me?”
Even standing in a massive crowd, he shone alone.
A man with innate talent who was also a hard worker.
Ju Woo-seong was the idol that idols admired.
Even if he acted arrogant sometimes, he was a guy whose skills made that arrogance understandable.
And a guy like that said what? That being an idol doesn't suit him?
“...No.”
The other man looked troubled, not knowing what to do.
Ho-yun grabbed one of the Americanos that had just come out.
“Hey, I’ll take the Americano. Take the green tea latte instead.”
“...Huh??”
He wouldn't drink an Americano even if someone paid him.
After taking a sip and grimacing, he pulled his ball cap down low and added one more thing. He thought to himself that he really needed to clear Unknown Actor Tycoon quickly.
He hated to admit it, but...
“He likes this better.”
The arrogant, obnoxious Ju Woo-seong was much better to look at.