Chapter 99
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 99
‘Is Min Ji-heon actually fond of me, or what?’
Or does he just plain hate me?
Ad-libbing with a rookie?
Fine, let’s say he’s trying to mentor my acting through ad-libs. Even so, shouldn't he have given me some kind of heads-up? This is my first project, and I barely have any scenes to begin with.
‘So this is the "fun stuff" he was talking about.’
What’s even crazier is that the director isn't stopping him. In fact, seeing how he’s gripping his script so hard it’s wrinkling, looking like he’s witnessing something thrilling, it’s clear he has no intention of calling a halt.
Ah, I never heard that Min Ji-heon was big on ad-libs. This damn bastard…
Anger flared within me, but I didn't want to run away using excuses like being a rookie, having few scenes, lacking experience, or being an idol.
I locked eyes with Min Ji-heon… no, with Min Seung-tae.
He had completely shed the mask of the protagonist who acted like a "good person" to everyone. His gaze was now chilling and predatory—the look of a cold-blooded man who cared for nothing and no one except Yoo Jeong-hwa.
“I thought you were a bit smarter than this. If you know I’m the son of Seonghu Corporation, is there any reason for you to get involved in someone else’s business and make things difficult for yourself? You don’t exactly look like the type to be driven by a sense of justice.”
Even as he backed me into a corner, the jerk was actually providing me with a hint.
He was telling me to act like myself.
‘Giving me a hint just makes me even more pissed…’
But I might as well take what’s offered. Without losing my composure, I scanned him from head to toe.
“……Well, strictly speaking, I don’t really have one.”
Since the character was essentially me anyway, I just had to respond with words that felt like ‘me.’
As I fired back the line, the staff members—who had clearly expected me to cause an NG—wore looks of pure shock.
“But just watching what you’re doing to that nooo-na… it’s a bit much, don’t you think?”
“What is?”
Min Seung-tae tilted his head to the side and shoved a hand into his pocket. True to his character, who looked down on everyone except the female lead, he was clearly trying to suppress me and seize the initiative.
“What exactly is so ‘much’?”
“Hmm. If you don’t know, maybe instead of asking me, you should try some self-reflection?”
I curled one side of my mouth into a smirk as I countered him. A flicker of guilt momentarily crossed Min Seung-tae’s eyes.
“A childhood friend of over ten years turns out to be the son of your enemy. But you knew and pretended not to? This isn't a movie. In reality, that’s an immediate ‘cut ties’ situation.”
“…….”
“Unless you’ve tossed your conscience in the trash, you should really think about it.”
I must have hit the nail on the head. Min Seung-tae slowly rubbed his mouth and nodded. He didn't look particularly pleased.
“Right. That… is a fair point, Senior.”
“I’m glad to see you have at least a gram of conscience left.”
When I said that, Min Seung-tae looked up.
“But it’s none of your business, Senior. You’re a complete stranger.”
So that’s how he wanted to play it. Sparks flew in our battle of nerves. Min Seung-tae drove the point home.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn't go around poking your nose where it doesn't belong.”
“…….”
Poking my nose.
I stared at him for a moment.
What would I have done back when I was a PD? Would I have stayed quiet after hearing something like that from a guy I barely knew? Would I have backed down just because he was a chaebol?
I slowly toyed with my lighter before setting it down on the railing. Then, after taking a deep breath to suppress my irritation, I looked at Min Seung-tae and gave him a bright, sunny smile.
“Whew, Seung-tae-ya~.”
“……!!”
Stay quiet?
‘Not a chance.’
I was famous for having no brakes.
“I’m telling you this because it seems like you don’t quite understand… but let’s take a moment to think about who’s in the more disadvantageous position here, okay?”
I saw a staff member’s jaw literally drop. Well, my character wasn't supposed to use informal speech. But my mouth was already open and running.
“Is it me, who just works overtime at the station while chugging coffee? Or is it Min Seung-tae, who loses sleep every night because he’s terrified Yoo Jeong-hwa might find out?”
“……What?”
Min Seung-tae was rendered speechless. In the story, Yoo Jeong-hwa meant everything to him. If I brought her up, even the high-and-mighty Min Seung-tae had no choice but to lose.
“I’ve already got a mountain of work to do. Can’t I just look after my own team’s slaves in peace? Why do you have to keep pestering me and making me lose my mind…?”
“…….”
“If you understand, I’m leaving.”
There. That was enough. Thinking that the ad-lib had gone on so long it might just get edited out, I started to walk away when….
“Wait!”
He urgently grabbed me. With his wavering gaze, it seemed Min Seung-tae had already admitted defeat.
“I thought you were someone who only looked out for himself… I guess I was prejudiced. What do you want?”
“…Do you really want me to tell you?”
“Yes. If there’s something you want.”
I pulled my arm out of his grip, dusted it off, and answered concisely.
“…A salary that comes in on time, substantial bonuses, a decent work-life balance, and a boss who doesn't steal credit for my work.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Does it sound like a legendary creature or something?”
I let out a sigh.
“Looking after my own rice bowl and my slaves’ rice bowls. That’s all I want.”
“Hah….”
‘……Hmm?’
Min Seung-tae frowned as he delivered his line, but something felt strangely off. It was a different vibe from before… this wasn't Min Seung-tae; it was just Min Ji-heon.
Min Ji-heon’s eyes wavered for a moment, but he delivered his next line naturally enough to avoid an NG.
“Is that all I have to do? Should I just change PD Lee Jeong-hun’s boss?”
“Chaebols are seriously annoying. If you’re going to change someone, change the Bureau Chief.”
“…That won’t be easy.”
“You can’t even do that?”
He looked slightly amused, almost as if….
‘As if he’s being swayed by the acting?’
“Is there nothing else? Something I can do as the price for your silence….”
“Something else you can do?”
Well, I had to deliver the final line.
I tapped his shoulder with my hand, as if brushing off dust. Watching Min Ji-heon take a couple of steps back in displeasure, I spoke clearly and deliberately.
“Get. Lost.”
“…….”
“I’m going.”
As I walked out of the frame, the director shouted excitedly.
“Cu—t!”
‘That Min Ji-heon, I swear….’
My strength drained away. Even if Lee Jeong-hun was exactly like me, having to stay on high alert in front of the camera to deal with unexpected situations was exhausting.
Director Yoo poured out words in a state of excitement.
“In… in… insane! You’re both insane!!”
“…….”
Yeah, I’ll admit Min Ji-heon is completely out of his mind.
But I’d appreciate it if he left me out of it.
“That was incredible! Wow, how are you both so good at ad-libbing? The back-and-forth was amazing…!! The relationship between Min Seung-tae and Lee Jeong-hun was so clear! We don’t even need a retake.”
“…Wow, are we done in one take~?”
“Seriously, Ji-heon! Your character really came alive this time. I’ll have to show this to Writer Kim. Min Ji-heon was great, of course, but Seo Ho-yun, you were incredible! Really~ I can’t believe I almost missed out on a treasure like you!”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
I responded to the reactions around me with an awkward smile, but something kept bothering me. Even though I should have been happy with all the praise.
‘What is it?’
If it had just been an ad-lib, it wouldn't have mattered, but it felt like I’d missed something….
The excited director moved away to monitor the footage again, and as the hairstylist came to fix Min Ji-heon’s hair, our eyes met.
Min Ji-heon….
“Pfft….”
The moment he made eye contact with me, he couldn't hold back a leak of laughter.
“Seo Ho-yun, just now… pffft, that was some good ad-libbing.”
“……!”
—Is there any reason for you to get involved in someone else’s business and make things difficult for yourself? You don’t exactly look like the type to be driven by a sense of justice.
—I thought you were someone who only looked out for himself… I guess I was prejudiced.
—What do you want?
Like a bolt of lightning, the lines Min Ji-heon had spoken flashed through my mind.
‘Ah! Dammit!’
Those… those weren't lines.
Because I’d been shutting down most of his questions lately, that bastard had intentionally used ad-libs on set to fish for information about me!
What kind of person I really am… what my actual thought process is, and how I react in these situations!
He had just thrown out ad-libs in front of the camera out of pure curiosity!
My jaw dropped in a sense of betrayal.
“Wow…… you crazy—!”
“Ahaha, haha, ah, seriously.”
I almost lost my mind and cursed out loud, but I quickly shut my mouth. The quick-witted Min Ji-heon noticed even that; he gave up on trying to stifle his laughter and doubled over, clutching his stomach.
Overwhelmed by a sense of defeat, I could only stand there like a statue, waiting for Min Ji-heon to calm down….
“Ha…. Seo Ho-yun, your personality is seriously hilarious… Is that how you’ve been living? Do you act like that toward chaebols too?”
Min Ji-heon laughed so hard he even wiped a stray tear from his eye.
“Ah, life’s been worth living lately because things are so fun….”
“…….”
“Another joyful day on set~! Let’s all do our best, everyone!”
“Oh my, yes sir!”
As Min Ji-heon moved on to the next shoot, the staff members chirped happily about how ‘Sweet Ji-heon was being sweet again.’
Sweet, my foot. That guy was completely unhinged, even in an entertainment industry full of people who were all a little crazy in their own way.
‘And he said he doesn't mess around with acting!’
No, I’m the idiot for believing him!
I’d been played by that snake again. I stood there trembling, glaring in the direction Min Ji-heon had disappeared….
* * *
Whether Min Ji-heon was having the time of his life teasing Seo Ho-yun or not, Idol Seo Ho-yun lived his life to the fullest.
Furthermore, thanks to Lee Ji-hyeon—who was now practically one with her energy drinks—working like a demon, self-produced content for The Dawn was pouring out in droves.
[[IMG_1]]
[Seong Ji-won OST Making Film]
[Kang Yi-chae: "Get to my room right now." Producing Behind CAM]
[The Dawn Human Theater Documentary (Feat. Leader Seong-hyeon’s Reality Check)]
[Seong-hyeon and Da-jun’s Chaotic Macaron Making Feat. A Disgusted Ji-won]
[Heart-Pounding Deonging School Student Council Election]
As a result, the Noeuls would wake up every day to find new self-produced content, behind-the-scenes photos, and B-Lives waiting for them.
Among them, the self-produced content was the clear standout.
[LOL XDD Seo Ho-yun’s student council pledges are so half-assed.
He said he’d buy hamburgers for the class.
(End)
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
└Kang Yi-chae: (Raises hand) Can’t we just buy four?
Seo Ho-yun: Lol yeah
└└Ah, I’m dying. I knew it from the moment this guy walked in all nonchalant with his hands in his pockets.]
[Meanwhile, Seong Ji-won’s pledge:
Seong Ji-won: Um…
I’ll reduce practice by two hours. ^^
Everyone: (Leaps up) Seong Ji-won!! President Seong Ji-won!! Please give us an acceptance speech!!
Seong Ji-won elected unanimously.
└LOLOLOL are these guys comedians?
└Damn, Seong Ji-won really must be a tiger during practice LMAO]
The student council election content received a great response, and wanting to reuse the fan song they’d already made, Lee Ji-hyeon set out to plan a new piece of self-produced content.
The concept was 1980s American High School, "Will you go to Prom with me?", mixed with the students.
However, this was Korea.
There was no way The Dawn would know what American school life—with its red plastic cups, active club activities, and heart-fluttering proms—was actually like.
“Alright! Listen up!”
And so, Jeong Da-jun, wearing glasses, slammed his hand against the chalkboard.
“This right here is the exam range! Okay? Everyone, write it down!”
They were K-High Schoolers.