Chapter 347
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 347
“Sigh…”
After a brief scuffle, I was eventually forced to lie down on the bed, just as Ju Woo-seong demanded. Meanwhile, he slapped a cooling sheet onto my forehead as if throwing it, having just ripped open the packaging, and then pulled himself up, looking disheveled.
“Just rest. The staff are going to have lunch once they finish the interviews anyway.”
“Rest? I haven't even produced any broadcast content yet.”
“On Woo-seong Broadcast, Ju Woo-seong is the content. So stop obsessing over the broadcast, PD-nim.”
I was about to snap back, but the title ‘PD-nim’ at the end made the words catch in my throat.
I quietly watched Ju Woo-seong’s back as he walked out, letting out a deep breath a beat late. Recalling my role during Please Take Care of the Camera, it was a joke that wasn't particularly strange, yet I had almost overreacted.
Taking another deep breath, I slowly blinked my eyes.
It is comfortable lying down, though…
I rolled over to face the door.
The scent of firewood crackling in the yard and the metallic clinking of the staff checking their equipment made me relax slightly.
These were sensations I was intimately familiar with during my days as a PD.
“Cough, cough—”
Huddled up, I let out a dry cough and buried my head in the pillow, gasping for air.
Right, it wasn't like Ju Woo-seong was expecting anything in return.
If he were the type to care about image-building, he would have built up a network and acted as shrewdly as any other celebrity long ago. He would have at least pretended to get along with the Black Call members for the public eye before any rumors could even start.
At this rate, if he actually makes a friend, is he going to go as far as co-signing a loan for them? How is he going to survive in this harsh world? Tsk.
But was it really okay for me to just coast through this self-produced content like this?
I pushed myself up and brushed back my messy hair. I had to prevent Ju Woo-seong’s Woo-seong Broadcast from turning into Seo Ho-yun’s Nursing Hospital.
I should probably go out, read the room, and play along.
I peeled off the cooling sheet that had been hidden under my bangs and opened the door.
The humid, slightly damp air brushed against my cheeks. Walking along the wooden veranda, I saw Ju Woo-seong’s interview in full swing in another room.
“—Woo-seong, do you usually get along well with the juniors at your company? We’ve felt this since the Hawaii trip, but you seem to take very meticulous care of them.”
“Huh? Oh, no, it’s not like that with him…”
I could see exactly where the question was headed.
It seemed they had quickly assessed the initial flow and decided to make ‘the good senior’ the focal point of this shoot.
“Calling him a junior is a bit…”
I plopped down next to Ju Woo-seong mid-interview and flashed a grin. Satisfied by his flustered expression, I draped a friendly arm over his shoulder.
“He’s a bit lacking for that, isn't he? Wouldn't it be more accurate to call us very close friends?”
“Did you eat something spoiled?”
I patted him as if comforting him despite his strong denial, curling my lips into a wider smile.
“Our Woo-seong Hyung is such a prankster. He doesn't mean what he says.”
“……”
Ju Woo-seong stared at me, speechless, his mouth hanging open.
“But he really does take great care of me.”
I withdrew my arm and stroked my chin, speaking in a more serious tone.
“Kindness and affection are second nature to him, so he’s always good to other juniors as well.”
“What on earth are you…”
“There are so many people within the company who respect Woo-seong Hyung. He always takes care of everyone while pretending to be indifferent, just like today.”
“Me? When?”
“……”
Shut up, please.
Can’t you feel everyone here glaring at you, trying their hardest to save your image?
I relaxed my posture and playfully slapped Ju Woo-seong on the back.
“Honestly, the man is just so humble.”
“Good grief. Exactly who am I close with?”
“……”
I racked my brain at Ju Woo-seong’s retort, but excluding the ‘Seo Ho-yun Bashing Group’—Im Hyeon-su and Kim Hee-yeong—no one in particular came to mind.
“…………The Black Call seniors?”
The answer that finally came out was inevitably cliché.
Ju Woo-seong’s cheeks twitched. He then averted his gaze and muttered.
“…Well… obviously… why even state the obvious…”
Don't get all awkwardly shy here.
It’s painfully obvious that you guys only got close recently.
Thinking that this might already be a disaster and wondering if it could even be saved in editing, I forced my lips into a smile.
“Anyway, I’m always grateful to Woo-seong Hyung. I’m learning a lot from him.”
“That doesn't even make sense—”
“Wahahaha! You two really have a deep friendship!”
Before Ju Woo-seong could respond, the staff jumped in and ended the interview.
In an instant, the cameras and lights were turned off, and the microphones were cleared away.
“I told you I’d handle it, you’re so annoying… Why are you wandering around when you’re hacking up a lung instead of just lying still…”
I stood up and stared at Ju Woo-seong, who was grumbling despite the fact that I’d just set the stage for him. I gave him a nudge.
“Let’s go to the mart. I’m craving ice cream. I’ll buy.”
“Haagen-Dazs.”
“Picking the most expensive one, I see.”
He answered immediately and followed behind me.
After receiving the keys to the vehicle—which already had filming equipment installed—from the staff, Ju Woo-seong naturally took the driver’s seat. I sat in the passenger seat and asked.
“You do know how to drive, right?”
He snorted and curled one side of his lip.
“I’m Ju Woo-seong. You think I can’t?”
I nodded as if I understood and leaned back against the seat. The nausea I’d been holding back felt like it was stirring again. I turned my gaze out the window toward the distance, and soon, Ju Woo-seong’s voice reached me.
“Hey, use your phone to look up where the nearest mart or convenience store is. I think I saw one on the way here.”
“I didn't bring it. You didn't know that by now?”
“Everything is usually prepared for me, so why would I ever need to go to a place like that?”
He unlocked his own phone, which was sitting in the cradle, and tossed it to me.
I chuckled at the photo of Nyang-nyang-i set as his wallpaper and tapped on a portal app among the default icons. The moment I tapped the search bar to check for nearby facilities using the local area name…
[Cold]
[Tea good for colds]
[Pear and balloon flower root tea]
[How to make pear and balloon flower root tea]
A list of his previous search terms appeared.
“……”
For a moment, I forgot the pain in my body.
My eyes didn't just glitch out, did they?
They say when a person changes too much, it’s time for them to die.
Was it actually Ju Woo-seong who was dying, not me? Or was this all some high-level strategy of his that I just didn't know about…
I slowly scanned the man beside me with narrowed eyes and called out softly.
“…Hyung.”
“What.”
“Being this kind is just for the broadcast, right?”
“You ungrateful brat. You’d better shut your mouth before I throw you into a muddy rice paddy.”
I just shrugged and looked back down at the phone.
* * *
[Title: Teaser for Woo-seong Broadcast: Seo Ho-yun Edition
The official schedule was only posted a little while ago, and the teaser is already up.
Is WH, the masters of taking credit, finally starting to resemble Daepasung’s speed? (Daepasung trait: Their volume and speed of self-produced content is unrivaled…)
Woo-seong sourcing ingredients from the surroundings to whip up bean sprout soup and pear and balloon flower root tea.
It’s so cute I’m crying ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Title: Summary of this Woo-seong Broadcast teaser
Welcome to Woo-seong’s Forest
└ LOL for real ㅋㅋㅋㅋ It’s crazy how he just grabs ingredients from somewhere and diligently makes things… Woo-seong is surprisingly capable.
‘Obtained Kimchi and Flour-!!’
└ Seo Ho-yun’s complexion looked a bit bad for some reason… but seeing the two of them bickering and getting along as usual was so touching and cute ㅠㅠ]
The reaction to the teaser is good, at least.
I had just returned after being nursed back to health without doing much of anything until the very end.
He even served me porridge made with finely chopped summer vegetables for dinner—just because I bought him ice cream—and the next morning, I was treated to warmed silken tofu with braised radish that was cooked soft enough to swallow easily.
It felt like I had truly rested in the countryside, rather than being there for work.
The penalty was still in effect, but my body felt a bit refreshed.
However, while I assumed WH Entertainment would have edited it appropriately, I was checking SNS and communities because I was a bit concerned about my appearance and the fact that the shoot had gone completely differently than usual.
As I scrolled down the screen, I spotted a title that caught my eye.
[Title: But that place in Woo-seong Broadcast
It looked strangely familiar, so I dug through old videos like crazy.
Isn't that the same place The Dawn went to in their first year for that ‘Healing Rural Special’ self-produced content that turned out to be a horror special?
There was so much talk back then about a ghost being seen in the video…
The one where they… wrote letters to themselves 5 years in the future!!
└ Hul, I think you’re right. Crazy, how did you find this? Eagle eyes.
└ No, they filmed it there? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Ju-seong-ah ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ Ju Woo-seong looked so calm, does he not know or is he just not the type to get scared?
└└ If you look at past interviews, he doesn't seem to believe in superstitions, mysteries, or ghosts. He said there are so many scary things in the world, why be afraid of stuff like that?]
The time capsule was no longer there.
I had heard that the agency retrieved it immediately, fearing it might interfere with other programs or that fans might reserve the location and take it.
‘Make everything the way it was,’ I wrote.
My thoughts on that hadn't changed.
Because that’s how it has to be.
All of this will end once I achieve the main scenario and scenario quests of Unknown Idol Tycoon.
I leaned back on the sofa, setting the phone down as a familiar headache surged. Near my feet, Mallang-i scurried about busily with a toy in his mouth.
Just then.
Beep, beep-beep, beep…
Along with the sound of the front door passcode being entered, someone soon stepped inside.
“Hellooo.”
It was the owner of the house, Min Ji-heon.
He said he was going on an overseas location shoot, but despite not having adjusted to the time difference yet, his face was somehow even more radiant and glowing.
Min Ji-heon tossed his suitcase and luggage aside and approached with a smirk.
“Let’s see how our guest is doing. Still alive and well?”
“I was, until I saw your face.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.”
Pretending to be sorry only with his words, he sat down on the floor and asked.
“So, how long are you planning to stay?”
“Until I’m back to normal.”
“At this point, wouldn't it be easier to just tell the members to some extent…”
“Forget it.”
Tell them what?
I firmly cut off Min Ji-heon’s words.
“This won't last much longer anyway.”
The day would never come when I confessed everything to those kids.
After a moment of silence, Min Ji-heon grumbled with a pouty face.
“Look at you taking your frustrations out on me just because things aren't going your way.”
“You noticed?”
When I retorted indifferently, Min Ji-heon shot me a glare and tried to calm himself by stroking Mallang-i. However, Mallang-i quickly escaped his grasp and came trotting over to me.
Ignoring Min Ji-heon, who was frozen with a shocked expression, I picked up the dog and thought as I stroked his fur in one direction.
“Mallang-i, do you like me that much?”
“……”
In truth, there hadn't been any major problems so far. Except for the fact that my physical condition remained consistently poor.
Comeback preparations were continuing somehow without being delayed.
It is a bit unsettling, though.
If I had to pick one slightly bothersome thing…
It was the fact that Kang Yi-chae had been far too quiet lately, which was very unlike him.