LS Ch 2

After finishing his dance practice, Yiwon wiped the sweat off his face with a towel. Although there hadn’t been much group activity recently, he still practiced dancing whenever he had time. He didn’t want his body to stiffen, and he didn’t want to be a burden if the group activities resumed, no matter when that might happen.

“When did you get here?”

When he went to the dressing room next to the practice room to change clothes, his manager, Doyoon, was sitting on one side of the sofa. At Yiwon’s question, Doyoon checked his watch.

“About an hour ago.”

“You should have called me when you arrived.”

“You don’t like being interrupted.”

That was true, but Doyoon was quite something too. If he was going to wait for an hour, he could have at least shown his presence in the practice room. However, Doyoon wasn’t someone with a lot of free time either. Although he was mainly managing Yiwon now, he seemed to be involved in planning for other teams as well. When he was really busy, he would even leave Yiwon to a junior manager.

“What’s the matter?”

There was no way he would wait here for an hour without reason. When asked about the purpose of his wait, his gaze moved to the table.

“A script?”

“The CEO told me to choose your next project.”

It hadn’t been three days since he finished a drama and attended a fashion show in Paris. It seemed like the CEO had no intention of giving him a break. Although the group hadn’t made it big, Yiwon alone had a significant level of recognition, and it seemed like the CEO wanted to recover the investment in the group from Yiwon. He didn’t mind it much. Being busy was better than having no work. Acting, which he started two years ago, was unexpectedly fun.

“Choose something suitable.”

Yiwon was quite good at being objective about himself. His acting skills or experience weren’t enough to pick projects. Thanks to his fanbase, whatever he did had some popularity, but the projects he was offered were still quite similar. Most were romance dramas based on webtoons or web novels, the type that would be popular among teenagers and young adults in their 20s.

“Why is this one set aside?”

Among the several scripts on the table, one was particularly separated, which seemed odd, so he asked.

“It’s not under consideration.”

Doyoon answered succinctly. What kind of project was it that it wasn’t even considered for selection? This piqued Yiwon’s curiosity even more.

“What’s the story?”

Sitting across from Doyoon, Yiwon picked up the set-aside script and started flipping through it. Doyoon took his eyes off the script he was reading to look directly at Yiwon. Feeling his gaze, Yiwon still focused on the script.

“This isn’t a modern piece? A historical drama?”

He could tell from just reading the first page by the setting and the language used.

“It’s not a traditional historical drama; it’s closer to a fantasy historical drama.”

Doyoon responded calmly, having already reviewed this script too. A fantasy historical drama? The genre sparked his interest. Having done modern romances several times, he was more interested in other genres.

“And it’s BL.”

“BL?”

“A work dealing with homosexuality.”

Doyoon answered straightforwardly, even though Yiwon wasn’t asking because he didn’t know what BL meant. Yiwon chuckled and flipped through more pages. Even though it was a BL, it wasn’t immediately obvious in the beginning. As he read on, it was clear that roles that appeared to be female had little significance, and both leads were men.

“The story seems pretty good.”

“It’s based on a web novel.”

“But why isn’t it under consideration?”

At Yiwon’s question, Doyoon looked back at him with an expression of disbelief.

“It doesn’t seem like it would be beneficial for you right now.”

That was a pretty straightforward reason.

“Haven’t BL dramas been quite popular recently?”

The social atmosphere had changed a lot from before. Not to mention overseas, even on domestic OTT platforms, there were quite a few BL dramas. So, there was no need to be prejudiced, but Doyoon’s response was still cold.

“You’re not a rookie, so there’s no real reason for you to do this. Most BL dramas are filmed by rookie actors or idols transitioning to acting to gain recognition.”

“That’s a prejudice too. One of the BL dramas that got quite a bit of buzz recently had a lead actor who was known for serious dramas.”

Doyoon frowned, seeming to understand what Yiwon was talking about.

“That’s an exception.”

He had a point there too. An actor’s image could stick with them depending on the role they take, much like how an actor who plays a villain might only get villain roles thereafter. So, it made sense that the agency would be reluctant for him to star in a drama dealing with homosexuality.

“Who’s the co-star for this?”

After hearing the talk about most actors being rookies, Yiwon asked out of genuine curiosity. Doyoon, after a brief moment of thought, raised one eyebrow crookedly, a habitual reaction when he found something surprising or difficult to understand.

“Han Jewoo. It’s not confirmed, just mentioned.”

At his answer, Yiwon tilted his head. Could this Han Jewoo be the Han Jewoo he knew?

“Han Jewoo isn’t a rookie.”

Not only was he not a rookie, but he was close to being a veteran actor, having acted since he was seven years old, capable of handling any role. And…

The comments on the work outfit photo he posted this morning came to mind, making him chuckle. Fans had made a fuss over their outfits matching.

— Surely it’s not a couple item, is it? If so… we support you.

Lately, there had been talk about couple items, and now even supporters had appeared. Though he found it absurd, in the idol scene, fans often paired members up as couples and supported them, so he let it go.

“Is it really Han Jewoo?”

Hearing his name made Yiwon even more interested in this project. Doyoon, noticing the interest from Yiwon’s tone and gaze, let out a small sigh.

“I said it’s not under consideration.”

“I’m telling you it’s a prejudice. Plus, if Han Jewoo is the co-star, it shows that the production team is putting some thought into casting, not just filling it with rookies.”

Yiwon flipped back to the first page of the script to check the list of the production team.

“The director’s name sounds familiar…”

Pointing at the director’s name, Yiwon looked at Doyoon. Doyoon, after just glancing down, let out a short grunt. The director was famous for historical dramas and martial arts films. It was surprising that he hadn’t even checked the production team, focusing only on it being a BL drama. The production company was also known for making good fantasy works with CGI.

“Could be better than expected?”

Yiwon smiled at Doyoon. With such a production company and director, the budget wouldn’t be small, indicating they would put effort into the project. Ignoring genre prejudices, all the conditions were much better than the other projects.

“Can you really do it?”

Doyoon asked with a face full of doubt.

“Why not?”

“It’s not as simple as you think. There might not be any in the beginning, but later on, there will definitely be love scenes, and physical contact like hugs or kisses will be included.”

Blinking at Doyoon, Yiwon didn’t see the problem. Doyoon sighed again, seeing that Yiwon still didn’t understand.

“I mean a real kiss, not just a light peck for fan service during group activities.”

Doyoon questioned if Yiwon would have no aversion to kissing another man. Even if it was just acting, if the actor felt uncomfortable, it would show. Yiwon’s acting experience wasn’t yet enough to hide such discomfort skillfully. Therefore, it was better not to start at all than to encounter problems during filming.

“Hmm.”

Yiwon made a long nasal sound. His eyes rolled back to the script. Considering the genre of fantasy historical drama and the flow of the story in the beginning, it would definitely be a new challenge for him.

“No matter how you look at it, the risk outweighs the potential return for the time invested.”

BL works were harder to make a hit than regular romances. Doyoon added that they should judge this coldly. Everything he said was correct. There were plenty of other project offers without any need to choose this one.

But.

“I want to do this one.”

When Yiwon clearly expressed his interest, Doyoon’s face slightly hardened. It seemed like this wasn’t a project he was keen on.

“But there’s a condition.”

Given the high risk, Yiwon also needed some insurance. Or at least, some minimum gain.

“If Han Jewoo’s casting is confirmed, I’ll do it.”

“Han Jewoo?”

Doyoon repeated, finding it odd that Yiwon would bring him into this.

“I think I could kiss him.”

Doyoon’s eyebrows twisted, unsure if Yiwon was joking or serious. Regardless, Yiwon smiled broadly enough to crinkle his eyes and stood up.

Finally, he had a chance to meet Han Jewoo. They worked in the same industry, so he thought they would meet eventually, but surprisingly, it had been hard to cross paths. It must have been a few years ago… Quite some time had passed. So, he couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.