Chapter 302
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 302
"Good morning!"
The next day, I scattered radiant smiles as I walked onto the set.
"Seo Ho-yun, you look like you're in a great mood. Did something happen?"
"Ahaha! It’s just because I get to see the camera director so early in the morning."
"Seriously, this guy... you’re nothing without that silver tongue of yours. Today’s the scene where you meet your brother, right? I’ll make sure to capture you looking cool. Look forward to it."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
Perhaps because my reputation on the internet was becoming a total disaster as time passed, the staff members I encountered greeted me with even more friendliness.
The manager following right behind me was constantly on edge, busy gauging my mood. It seemed WH Entertainment had contacted Lee Kang-seok to handle things quietly, but it hadn't gone well.
I shook my head, stopping the manager who said he would tell the company to take a tougher stance.
"Just leave it alone."
"But they keep posting things like this!"
The phone screen the manager shoved in my face showed Lee Kang-seok’s personal Starstagram account. He had posted a series of black images with captions like, 'Even when it's hard, I just have to work hard,' or 'What an absurd world.'
He was taking shots at me in his own roundabout way.
"Wow, they’re really laying the MSG on thick here."
"Ho-yun-aaaa..."
I grinned at the manager’s crumpled face.
Every time Lee Kang-seok posted one of his pathetic, emotional appeals, the public churned out all sorts of fanfiction about him and me.
[I knew Seo Ho-yun had a weird vibe from the start.]
[LOL, but looking at his role as Kim Woo-ho, he really seems like the type to charge at anyone regardless of seniority.]
[They say actors are all about image management anyway.]
A tiny minority clicked their tongues at Lee Kang-seok for constantly posting similar things, but the majority were debating the whereabouts of my missing manners.
And though I hadn't told the manager, Lee Kang-seok had even sent me a text, though I had no idea how he got my number.
[Lee Kang-seok: Seo Ho-yun-ssi.]
[Lee Kang-seok: You know it only gets worse for you as time goes on, right?]
[Lee Kang-seok: If you admit your mistake and apologize as a junior now, I can find it in my heart to forgive you as a senior.]
Naturally, I ignored it.
This guy would be a natural-born actor if it weren't for his personality. Where does he even come up with these gem-like lines?
Regardless, the more he ran wild, the better.
Once the attention was focused and I became the center of the conversation, the people who make a living exposing the private lives of celebrities would swarm like moths to a flame to dig up the truth.
While those around me looked on with pity, I was actually just excited and enjoying myself.
The rewards are quite sweet, too.
Finish the first filming.
Successfully air the first episode.
Appear on a variety show.
Reach 10% viewership ratings, etc.
Quests were being provided one after another, and thanks to that, I had accumulated a decent amount of points.
Ding!
[I feel like Seo Ho-yun-ssi would survive just fine even if he were dropped on a deserted island...]
I flicked the system window away as it babbled nonsense and stepped out of the waiting room.
"Hello, Seo Ho-yun-ssi!"
The actor playing Kim Woo-hyeong greeted me warmly.
"Wow, we finally get to film together!"
"Ah, hello."
Shin Hee-chan.
He was a rookie actor who had been active in web dramas and was climbing up a path similar to Seo Ho-yun's.
He was someone I had heard about occasionally back when I was a PD; he had a friendly, likable face and a good reputation.
"Are you... um, okay lately?"
He checked his surroundings cautiously and spoke hesitantly.
"...That person is a fan of Min Ji-heon sunbae, so the rookie actors who film with him usually go through... something similar at least once."
"I see."
"It seems especially bad this time, so I was worried..."
With his eyebrows slanted in concern, Shin Hee-chan glanced at me.
"...It’s probably because Seo Ho-yun-ssi is close with Min Ji-heon-ssi—"
"We're not close."
"......Ahaha, haha. Anyway, I hope you don't let it get to you too much."
He scratched his slightly reddened cheek and laughed bashfully.
I felt a strange sense of déjà vu from that expression, so I stared intently at Shin Hee-chan’s face.
"Everyone on set knows you're a good person, and things like this will naturally fade away with time."
...It felt eerily similar to his role.
I quickly looked away before he could find my gaze strange and let my lips curl into a smile.
"Thank you."
"Whoa! Hyung, you've got a great mindset."
Despite already calling me 'Hyung,' Shin Hee-chan followed me around, belatedly asking if it was okay to call me that.
He seemed a bit like the Jeong Da-jun type.
"Anyway, let's do a great job filming today!"
"I look forward to working with you too."
The scene we were filming today was the moment Kim Woo-ho finally reunites with the younger brother he had been searching for so desperately.
[In front of XX Department Store.
On their way to the Gangwon-do Shelter, Min Han-jun’s group is surrounded by a horde of infected. As they deal with the infected one by one, a voice that sounds very familiar reaches them.]
"Over here!!"
Between the shattered windows and crumbling buildings stood a department store, its display windows equally smashed to pieces.
Just as I pulled Min Ji-heon back by the scruff of his neck after firing an arrow to keep him out of an infected's reach, a loud shout from behind hit my ears.
[It was Kim Woo-hyeong’s voice. Kim Woo-ho’s gaze wavers.]
"Over here! Hurry, this way! You’ll die the moment you let your guard down!"
I saw Shin Hee-chan encouraging and taking care of those who had fallen behind while fleeing. Just as he sent the last person ahead and tried to escape himself, an infected lunged at him from behind.
At the moment Shin Hee-chan’s eyes widened in shock—
Thwack!
"Ugh, ha, haaa..."
The infected’s head burst, and red blood splattered everywhere.
Through Shin Hee-chan’s blood-stained vision, I was captured, panting heavily.
"......H-Hyung."
Seeing Shin Hee-chan slumped on the ground, blankly calling out for his brother, I knelt down to meet his eyes.
As if confirming it was reality, I clenched my trembling hand into a fist once, then spoke as if nothing were wrong.
"You idiot, seriously..."
Then, I threw my bow onto the ground and crawled toward Shin Hee-chan on my knees.
"Can't you fix that habit? Why aren't you running away? Why are you helping people?"
"...Hyung?"
My hands moved on their own first.
I fumbled over his face, eyes, nose, and mouth, checking for any injuries.
Shin Hee-chan called out to me again, his voice filled with bewilderment.
"......Is it really you, Hyung?"
Only after clearly realizing my brother was safe did I wipe my face with my hands and let out a sigh of relief.
"Yeah. It’s me, you brat."
I judged that the scene was progressing quite well and waited for Shin Hee-chan’s next line, but—
"......Uh, uh..."
Only nonsensical sounds came out.
When I glanced up, I saw Shin Hee-chan looking toward Director Jeong with a flustered expression.
"Cut!"
Director Jeong eventually stopped the filming, and I asked Shin Hee-chan.
"......Hee-chan-ssi, why didn't you say your line?"
"Ugh, no, that is, well, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"
Shin Hee-chan scrambled to his feet and bowed repeatedly to me and the staff, apologizing.
However, the person Director Jeong called over wasn't Shin Hee-chan, who had caused the NG, but me.
"Seo Ho-yun-ssi, a moment."
Director Jeong was monitoring the footage. Beside him stood Min Ji-heon, looking disheveled in his costume, already with an ice cream in his mouth.
"It doesn't quite feel like Kim Woo-ho."
"Pardon?"
"Yeah, I wasn't the only one who felt it, right?"
Looking at what was playing on the screen, there didn't seem to be any particular problem, but Director Jeong nodded as if agreeing with Min Ji-heon’s opinion.
"Listen, Seo Ho-yun-ssi."
As I stared at him with a frown, Director Jeong spoke in a cautious tone.
"I’m going to ask you something, so don't take it the wrong way."
"Yes. Go ahead."
"Do you... have a kid?"
"......Excuse me?"
What kind of question is that for a twenty-five-year-old rookie actor with a bright future?
"Like a hidden child, or maybe... a child you're looking after for some reason."
"......"
"Or a nephew?"
As my expression gradually soured, Director Jeong gave an awkward laugh.
"I just asked just in case... all sorts of things happen in this industry. You know? It felt so realistic that I thought it might be based on real experience."
Director Jeong tapped the monitoring TV with his script.
"Then isn't that a good thing?"
"The direction is a bit different. The emotional line is too deep."
Director Jeong pointed to the part where I was fumbling over Shin Hee-chan’s face.
"In the drama, Kim Woo-ho and Kim Woo-hyeong are only two years apart, but look here. It feels like Kim Woo-ho is someone who just found a child he lost decades ago."
"......"
A child he lost decades ago...
I couldn't say anything after being called out on a blind spot I hadn't even realized myself, and he continued his explanation.
"They are close, of course. They lost their parents in their early twenties and have no one but each other to rely on."
"......Yes."
"Even so, they are within the framework of typical brothers. If it’s expressed too excessively, the viewers might find it burdensome or awkward, so I’d like you to keep that in mind while acting."
"......I see..."
Burdensome...
"Shall we take a short break to let the emotions settle? We're near the end, so it might be exhausting, but let's give it a bit more 'fighting'."
"......Thank you."
Perhaps finding it strange that I, who usually acted so sharp, was only giving short answers, Director Jeong suggested a break.
Dammit...
I crouched in a corner of the set and buried my head in the script.
After reading the black letters that weren't sinking in at all, I turned on my phone to catch my breath.
There were numerous texts from the manager. I skimmed past them and accessed a portal site to search for my name and Lee Kang-seok.
As expected.
The controversy had just entered a new phase.
Just as I was thinking I’d get a free ride this time too—
"Seo Ho-yun-ssi."
A slow, languid voice drifted down from above.
"Want a drink?"
Min Ji-heon was holding a Frappuccino topped with plenty of whipped cream. When I waved it away, he immediately brought the straw to his own mouth and plopped down beside me.
"What is it?"
"Junior, I heard something from the head writer."
Wondering what he was going to blather about now, I took my eyes off my phone and looked at Min Ji-heon.
Since he also played a role with volatile emotions, he often found it mentally taxing, but he acted composed in front of me.
"Apparently, they originally planned for the role of Kim Woo-hyeong to be a young child. About ten years younger than Kim Woo-ho."
"......"
"But as they developed the story, he needed to travel with me in the beginning, he needed to be more active... and there were censorship issues, so they eventually changed him to an adult."
Min Ji-heon turned his face toward me.
"But just now, Seo Ho-yun-ssi, you acted as if you knew that original setting."
Then, the corners of his eyes crinkled softly.
"Isn't that interesting?"
"No, not really."
"Do you have a younger sibling?"
Seriously, this guy is sharp as a tack.
I had thought the 'Min Ji-heon' here was nothing special since he seemed to be easily handled by me, but a pro was a pro for a reason.
"I have a sibling too."
I know.
I even gave her an autograph.
"We only share half our blood, though. Anyway, it was really fascinating. I used to really hate babies. But my mind changed after I met my sibling."
Min Ji-heon stirred his Frappuccino once with the straw.
"A tiny little baby wiggling their fern-like fingers and smiling at me... That was the first time I realized that a scent that literally means 'warmth' actually exists."
"Sure."
"Hey, listen seriously. I felt like my affection for the world was just overflowing."
I remembered it vividly too.
The moment I first met Seo Ho-jin.
The day my slightly thin mother came home carrying a small swaddle.
That moment when the bright red, wrinkled baby tightly gripped the finger I held out.
Min Ji-heon, who had been blinking slowly as if recalling that time, added:
"So, I’m kind of like that. When someone says they have a sibling they cherish, I start to care about them. It’s a bad habit of mine—blindly believing that person is a good soul."
"......"
"Your acting earlier felt a bit like that, too."
A hint of favor colored Min Ji-heon’s gaze.
Only then did I vaguely understand why this guy had started helping me in Unknown Idol Tycoon.
I listened quietly before muttering.
"......I am a good person."
"Eh?"
Min Ji-heon tilted his head slightly, then burst into laughter.
"Pfft, that was actually kind of funny."
I stood up and lightly kicked Min Ji-heon’s foot.
"Ji-heon, stop grinning."
"...Yes, sir."
Actually, I felt a slight surge of annoyance.
Because I had related to Min Ji-heon’s story just now.
...Disgustingly so.
*
[About actor Seo Ho-yun
Why did he have a power struggle with Lee Kang-seok?
└ It’s not confirmed yet
└└ It seems almost certain though lol
└ Based on that old interview, they definitely fought lol I’m just curious how they fought]
[Isn't Lee Kang-seok usually known for being super gentle?? He seems like the type to be nice to juniors... Did Seo Ho-yun just totally disrespect him? lol]
[I’m most pissed that controversy is staining a drama I cherish. I love Kim Woo-ho so much, but I keep flinching because I remember the Seo Ho-yun controversy...
└ Why even post something like this? Nothing’s come out yet, just stay neutral.
└└ 'Stay neutral' my ass, people like you are the worst.]
As the viewers' affection for Kim Woo-ho grew, so did the attention on Seo Ho-yun, and the controversy burned even hotter.
Past interviews, roles, or even a single passing remark from a colleague were blown out of proportion and circulated.
While everyone’s attention was focused on how bad a person Seo Ho-yun was and what trashy things he had done—
[Anyway, someone tell me why Lee Kang-seok is addicted to Starstagram right now lol I’m so curious how Seo Ho-yun charged at him lol
└ If someone knew that, wouldn't they have to be someone who was on set? But I’m curious too, yeah.]
One post set the community ablaze.
[Title: I think I know why Seo Ho-yun is ignoring Lee Kang-seok lol]
The time Seo Ho-yun had been waiting for had finally arrived.