SDM 72
by SoraiAre the Music Box guys crazy?
Isn’t today the recording day? Why hasn’t an article about who the new MC is come out yet?
22 comments
I know, right
Since the original guy got fired for drunk driving, what can they do? It must be difficult to suddenly put someone in
➥So last week they did it with two, and they even put an ad at the end of last week saying they’d put in a new face this week
A fan’s cry hoping their idol will join
➥Do you know what a great benefit it is to see a well-groomed face once a week?
I hope an idol doesn’t join, always missing shows for tours and needing substitutes is annoying
I’m at the venue now hahaha Just wait 2 hours hahahaha
➥If you’re not going to say anything, get lost
➥➥The production team said they’d blacklist anyone who leaks this. It’s not just the agency, you can’t be blacklisted by the broadcast station, especially RBS. They often do K-pop concerts too, so we can’t be blocked from those, so everyone’s keeping the secret with one mind
➥➥➥What’s with the talk about broadcast station blacklisting???
➥➥➥➥Wasn’t it a rookie who debuted last week?
➥➥➥➥➥That’s worth keeping secret too, there would be an uproar about who picked them
➥➥➥➥➥➥Anyway, Music Box is RBS’s, so RBS probably picked them
Man, really… Today’s Music Box… is fun…^^
➥Are you at the venue? I feel like I’m losing my voice now
➥➥It’s not even my idol, but this is the first time I’ve screamed like this
[Discussion Board] Is today’s MC invisible? I’m going to roast the Music Box production team
If they’ve caused all this fuss and we can’t even recognize the face, I’m going to roast them
2288 comments
The MC’s special stage will be right at the beginning, right?
➥Usually, yes
Two ads left
Crazy, Ryu Chae-yoon TV commercialhahahahahahahahahaha
➥No matter how you look at it, the person in charge must be a fan
➥➥There’s a rumor that the person in charge is the CEO…
What is this?
Didn’t the ad just end? Why is Ryu Chae-yoon appearing again?
Whi… white hair??? White-haired Ryu Chae-yoon????
What’s going on?
The Music Box crazies kept this secret until now??
Is Ryu Chae-yoon the new MC????
Hey, what are Ryu Chae-yoon’s fans going to do hahahaha They’ll be in Gangnam for the fansign today hahahahaha
This is insane, what’s with that wink
He’s really amazing, I thought the commercials were edited but there’s no awkwardness at all
➥For real, he seems like a 5-year idol??
Look at the audacity of the song choice hahahahaha Last year’s mega-hit girl group song hahahahahaha
➥This song became a hit because of the challenge dance part, wonder if he’ll dance too? So far it’s been a slower arrangement…
Is this live?
➥Looks like the mic is on
He sings well?
➥Is it not lip-sync?
➥➥Even if it’s lip-sync, the recorded version itself sounds good
Wow, he’s dancing
He dances well???? Is there something wrong with my eyes? He’s dancing well, right??
Seems better than average idols, can’t even compare to rookies. He’s quite tall and uses his body really well
The face attack is incredible
➥I’ve found the proper use of the word ‘devastating’
➥Really quite holy, I was lying on the sofa but now I’m kneeling
➥➥Feels like if you pray, he might answer hahahahaha
With that platinum blonde hair, he doesn’t look human
➥Of course not, because he’s not human
➥➥What?
➥➥➥He’s a fairy
➥➥➥➥I’ll raise you and say he’s an angel
Look at the articles coming out hahahahaha Seems it was embargoed, they’re only uploading the prettiest photos from the pre-recording
➥It’s not that they’re only uploading pretty ones, there might not be any unflattering photos to begin with..
Is this not AI-generated??? He doesn’t seem like the same species as me
They say he danced on stage at the live venue too
➥So jealousㅠㅠㅠㅠ
When he’s all done up with lenses and makeup, he really doesn’t seem human
➥I know righthahahaha To prepare such a sincere special stage just for being an MC
➥➥We didn’t even ask for this!!
Don’t tell me he bleached his hair just for this?
➥Isn’t it a wig?
➥➥They say it’s not, he bleached it… The salon even posted confirmation…
➥➥➥Crazy, bleaching three times, is Chae-yoon’s scalp okay?
What to do, he’s really handsome
He speaks well too?
What’s this.. Why isn’t he looking at cue cards or a prompter?
Shouldn’t Ryu Chae-yoon become an idol? His singing and dancing are all good?? I’m not a fan because he rarely appears on TV as an actor and doesn’t have many personal events…
➥At least Chae-yoon will appear once a week now, right?
* * *
Two weeks before Ryu Chae-yoon was set to take the stage as the MC for Music Box, the internet erupted over a drunk driving accident involving a male idol member.
The group this member belonged to was rising in popularity, but drunk driving of all things! And not just getting caught in a crackdown, but causing an injury accident! It was bound to cause an uproar.
As the idol member immediately went into self-reflection, Music Box, which had been using him as a regular, found itself in hot water. They urgently contacted various agencies to find a replacement, and Seong-woon, who had come to the RBS actors’ department to check a script, discovered this.
“Hyung, what’s this?”
“Huh? Oh… this was sent to all the managers. But young master, you don’t need to…”
“A new MC for Music Box…”
It was a request asking them to recommend suitable candidates for a music show MC, which they would review for casting. A music show MC… Could he try hair dyeing and idol makeup?
“Hyung. Can I do this?”
“…Pardon?”
“There are so many people on the fan cafe who want to see me in idol makeup. If I do this, can I do that too?”
When he was with an actor agency before, one of his juniors had been a music show MC. He didn’t remember them dressing up too much then… But appearing on the show every week consistently, the fans seemed to like it quite a bit.
“…They’d love it. The production team.”
“Really?”
“If you want to do this, you’ll have to prepare for a performance too. They do a sort of initiation.”
“What kind of performance…?”
Hyeong-seok played videos of several MCs’ initiation performances on his tablet. Seong-woon quietly watched a few videos, comparing his abilities to those performances. The ones by idols were naturally hard to compare, but the ones by actors… He could do that, right?
Seong-woon’s greatest strength is, of course, his acting ability. Another strength is that he doesn’t get nervous in any situation, as long as it’s scripted. And Seong-woon… had learned to dance when Ginkgo Actors tried to expand the company with some questionable decisions. Although it was just the basics.
“I think I can do it.”
“Have you danced before, young master?”
“I’m good with my body.”
“…That’s true.”
“I’m good at memorizing scripts, and I don’t get nervous on stage.”
And he has experience as a live broadcast MC. When he was eighteen, wasn’t it? He once MCed an awards ceremony where they wanted to show how much their child actor award recipient had grown. That was possible before he became so hated.
“…Do you really want to do this?”
“Yes.”
“The problem is… right after your first live broadcast, you’ll have to go straight to Cheongdam. The press conference is at 7 PM. There’s also a photo wall event before the conference.”
“Is it not possible?”
“It should be doable, but… do you want to do it that badly?”
“Yes, look at this.”
Hyeong-seok looked at the phone Seong-woon held out. They were screenshots from an anonymous site.
I really want to see Ryu Chae-yoon wearing colored contacts! Can you debut as an idol?
Please
2 comments
LOL
He’d probably be good at being an idol too, he moves well
RCY would look really good with platinum blonde hair
So become an idol
1 comment
You’re that colored contacts bastard, aren’t you?
Wouldn’t he likely do a congratulatory performance at something like an awards ceremony?
I want to see platinum blonde hair.
3 comments
Wow, I can tell even without a subject in the title lol
Is this that guy who always comes here?
I want to see it too
But for real, how do we see actors with dyed hair?
Am I the only one who wants to see Chae-yoon and Baek Sang-hyun with dyed hair? Give Chae-yoon silver hair and Baek Sang-hyun violet color
5 comments
You can see it when he gets gray hair
➥LOL
➥Do you want to die?
He’d probably be cute with gray hair too
➥For real lol
“…Where did you receive things like this?”
“They came as DMs.”
“These posts were probably all written by one person.”
“Anyway, they say they want to see it. If they’re this passionate, we should oblige!”
There’s no way Hyeong-seok could refuse Seong-woon’s words as he clenched his fist with determination. He immediately turned on his phone and dialed the contact number at the bottom of the request form. There was no need to go through higher-ups separately. Because Music Box is RBS’s music show, and RBS’s president is Ryu Chae-yoon’s aunt.
And Hyeong-seok, with a mother hedgehog’s heart, was certain that Music Box wouldn’t refuse Ryu Chae-yoon. Casting a music show MC is quite troublesome, as idols who are too popular often miss recordings due to overseas tours, but they can’t use idols who aren’t popular enough either.
The situation is even worse for actors. Actors are always fully prepared when they stand in front of the camera, so they’re naturally weak at live broadcasts, and many don’t even consider things like being an MC.
Of course, there are even fewer people who have both the courage and ability to be an MC here. But in Hyeong-seok’s eyes, Chae-yoon’s appearance is flawless, and he excels at things he’s confident in. He even handles things he’s not confident about very well. For example, cute commercials…
“Yes, then when can he start appearing… This week is difficult. How about next week? March 10th.”
Hyeong-seok set the start date while stopping the PD in charge, who said he’d rush over right away since RBS Entertainment is right next to the RBS broadcasting station. Seong-woon watched with sparkling eyes, his chin resting on both hands, and when Hyeong-seok signaled that it was done, he jumped up from his seat.
And so began the approximately two-week preparation period for the initiation performance.
* * *
It’s fun to go to work these days.
Boss is mean • RBS
It’s been a bit boring lately with our artists doing celebrity interviews, but now the actor department is giving us such a big benefit lol
Does anyone know why RCY comes to the Musician Department every day?
He even ate at the company cafeteria today… I thought he only ate dew, but he ate yukgaejang too?
This is what you call a benefit lol
88 comments
I heard he’s always in the singer practice room, but I don’t know what he’s doing
➥Is he becoming an idol?
➥➥That wouldn’t be bad
➥➥➥Is there an idol debut coming up?
➥➥➥➥Even if there isn’t, if RCY says he wants to do it, the boss would make it happen
It was so funny when he spilled coffee in the lobby lol The finance team leader was watching with his mouth open and his coffee cup went flying whee lol
➥It was like a sitcom lol
➥➥Ryu Chae-yoon’s eyes went wide in surprise, it was really cute
➥➥➥When RCY asked if he was okay, the team leader stuttered and ran away, then came back to clean up after disappearing lol
I heard he makes a sad face if other employees don’t ride the elevator with him even when there’s space
➥That’s right, so we all crowded in until it was full
➥Why doesn’t he ride the VIP elevator?
➥➥He says he doesn’t like being lonely
➥➥➥Cute…
But why does he really go to the singer department? If he’s going to read scripts, he should be in the actor department
➥Right
➥He’s preparing something lol You can look forward to it lol
➥➥What is it???
This is the idol casting team.. We made a casting offer to Ryu Chae-yoon and got rejected right away…
➥Are you serious?
➥➥Yes, I was 100% serious…
Why is Baek Sang-hyun coming these days?
➥He’s in the practice room with Ryu Chae-yoon
➥➥What are they doing? A duet?
➥➥➥Du-lol-et lol
The practice room is really… fun…
➥What’s going on? Tell us
➥➥If I tell you, I’ll get fired
I heard they went to the recording studio late last night.. Are they really doing a duet?
Lol it’s not a duet, Ryu Chae-yoon is doing something and Baek Sang-hyun just got roped into it lol
It feels like I’m getting free LASIK every day
➥Lol you’re saving money lol
So what were the two actors doing while providing improved eyesight benefits to RBS Entertainment…
“Wow, Chae-yoon. You’re really good. Let’s just work on a few more details, okay?”
Lying face down on the cold wooden floor, Seong-woon only wiggled his fingers. Somehow understanding this, the dance trainer clapped and continued speaking.
“Yes, I think just one more time will do it.”
“Um… I’m not debuting, you know?”
“You could debut!”
“I said I’m not!”
Seong-woon shouted as he abruptly raised his upper body, while Baek Sang-hyun, who had been knocked down earlier, was sprawled out in the distance. He wasn’t physically exhausted, but rather tired of himself dancing.
“Tomorrow, let’s try it once with the backup dancers.”
“…Do we really need to go that far?”
“I’ll get them to sign confidentiality agreements.”
This isn’t making sense. Seong-woon shook his head and went to sit down next to Baek Sang-hyun.
Why did I agree to do this? Why is that dance trainer so obsessed with quality? It’s not like I’m going to be an idol, I’m just preparing for a music show MC initiation special performance. Is it right to go this far?
“Sunbae-nim.”
“…”
“I know you’re not getting up because you’re embarrassed, so get up now.”
As Seong-woon poked Baek Sang-hyun’s side with his toes, Baek Sang-hyun slowly raised his head. He was fully immersed in self-loathing.
“You use your body well when acting, why can’t you dance? Are you tone-deaf?”
“…Don’t rub salt in the wound.”
“Sunbae-nim, you should stick to acting for life.”
“Why are you good at dancing?”
“I don’t know.”
Although only the two of them remained in the practice room, Seong-woon asked Baek Sang-hyun to treat him as Ryu Chae-yoon, just in case. By now, hearing Baek Sang-hyun speak informally had become almost unfamiliar, but this wasn’t bad either. He liked how Baek Sang-hyun’s tone and manner of speaking changed when using formal versus informal speech.
“Let’s stop now.”
“But sunbae-nim, you teased me first.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s too late now.”
While Seong-woon had a reason for doing this – preparing for the initiation – why on earth was Baek Sang-hyun here? It was because on the first day of practice, Baek Sang-hyun had teased Seong-woon for not being able to dance.
At that time, Seong-woon had only tried to do a simple dance move he’d seen on YouTube Shorts, pulling it from his memory, and he wasn’t actually that bad at it. At least he was on beat.
So Seong-woon dragged Baek Sang-hyun in like a water ghost. Let’s do it together, he said. Let’s see who’s better, he said, provoking Baek Sang-hyun’s competitiveness. And now, Baek Sang-hyun had ended up like this.
That was only at the beginning, and now Baek Sang-hyun would come even if told not to. Seeing that he just wanted to spend time together, Seong-woon could only laugh.
“Let’s go home.”
“Want to eat breakfast before we go?”
They had thought it wouldn’t be a big deal if some actors wandered around the entertainment company, but both Ryu Chae-yoon and Baek Sang-hyun were drawing more attention than expected, so Seong-woon changed their practice time to the dead of night.
As a result, their stamina was rapidly depleted, and they couldn’t do anything in the morning except sleep, but Seong-woon refused to let things get any noisier around here.
“I want to eat sundae-gukbap at that place nearby.”
“Shall we? It’s open 24 hours, right?”
“Yes.”
After a quick shower in the practice room’s attached bathroom, the two headed to a nearby sundae-gukbap restaurant. They thought there would be almost no one there, but PDs with conflicting schedules, writers, and other broadcasting industry workers were all mechanically spooning sundae-gukbap into their mouths with vacant eyes and dark circles under them.
Glances swept over them, but that was all, so Seong-woon and Baek Sang-hyun took their seats without paying any attention.
“What would you like?”
“We’ll have one regular sundae-gukbap and one without blood sausage, please.”
“Do you need anything to drink?”
“No, thank you.”
Being the time between night and dawn, most people were opening soju bottles with their sundae-gukbap. Seong-woon couldn’t drink alcohol anyway, and Baek Sang-hyun had a schedule from this morning, so alcohol was out of the question.
“Will you be okay with your morning schedule?”
Baek Sang-hyun had an interview and photo shoot at 10 AM or so, which is why Seong-woon had told him to go home earlier. But Baek Sang-hyun stayed until the end.
“It’s fine.”
“I mean, at first you were teasing, but now even though I said it’s okay to stop, why…”
“Might be useful to learn, don’t you think?”
“…Want me to make it useful for you?”
“Could you make it useful?”
“Not right now.”
“‘Not right now’… I don’t think I could do it even if I practiced for a lifetime.”
It wasn’t that Baek Sang-hyun couldn’t use his body. The problem was that he just couldn’t match his body movements to the music beat.
“If you get an offer to be a music show MC, reject it.”
A sizzling hot bowl of sundae-gukbap was placed in front of Baek Sang-hyun, who was nodding with a smirk. Soon after, steam rose from the bowl in front of Seong-woon as well.
“Ah, they got them switched.”
“I guess you don’t look like someone who would eat intestines.”
“I really love gopchang, you know.”
They carefully switched their steaming hot bowls. Baek Sang-hyun couldn’t eat intestines, so he ordered the plain sundae-gukbap, while Seong-woon could eat any kind of meat.
“You can’t eat seonji-gukbap either?”
“I’ve never even thought about trying it.”
“There was this hangover soup place I used to go to often, if you went early in the morning, they’d give you seonji haejangguk for free. It’s in Mungyeong… Their hangover soup is really delicious.”
Seong-woon swallowed his words as he was about to say something that Ryu Chae-yoon shouldn’t know. It was a place he had frequented when he was practically living in Mungyeong for a historical drama filming, and he had almost let slip a story from his past without realizing it.
As Seong-woon boldly spooned up some rice mixed with the soup, he ended up burning his tongue. In the past, he could have slurped this down without a problem, but Ryu Chae-yoon’s tongue, not yet accustomed, was still very sensitive.
“Drink some water.”
Baek Sang-hyun quickly handed him a cold cup of water. After hastily swallowing the water, Seong-woon rubbed his slightly stinging tongue around in his mouth. Would this get better with practice too? As he stuck out his tongue and tried to touch it with his hand, Baek Sang-hyun swatted his arm away.
“Let me see.”
After carefully examining Seong-woon’s tongue, Baek Sang-hyun patted the back of his hand, saying it was fine.
“It looks okay, but if it hurts, should we go to the hospital?”
“…It’s fine.”
This guy is no different from a family now. Even if he told them he was fine until he was blue in the face, they would still send him to the hospital at the slightest thing, so tiresome.
“Alright, eat slowly.”
Well, he’s not a supporting actor who has to gulp down his soup and run off to the standby anymore. Seong-woon chewed his radish kimchi thoroughly and ate his soup slowly.
It had been well over a month since they had eaten together like this, and even this calm silence that flowed between them was very pleasing. After finishing their bowls without leaving a drop, they got up from their seats.
“Shall I give you a ride?”
Seong-woon and Baek Sang-hyun had come here in the same car. Baek Sang-hyun’s manager didn’t particularly stick by his side outside of scheduled times. Years of experience had built trust, and anyway, they knew that when Baek Sang-hyun was with Seong-woon, Hyeong-seok, and a bunch of bodyguards would be trailing behind.
“That would be great, thanks.”
“Then the car…”
Standing at the counter, Seong-woon glanced over Baek Sang-hyun’s shoulder as he spoke. Then he took out his phone, immediately called Hyeong-seok, and spoke in a low voice.
“Hyung, there’s a reporter here.”
─ A reporter?
“Yes. At the table next to where we were sitting.”
He had seen the phone lens pointing directly this way. As soon as Seong-woon made eye contact with the lens, it was hastily put down, which was enough to tell that they had been taking photos or videos.
─ I understand, I’ll take care of it.
Seong-woon hung up and let out a deep sigh. As they finished paying and left, he nodded to Hyeong-seok and the bodyguards who were rushing into the restaurant. Then he looked at Baek Sang-hyun with sympathetic eyes.
“This must have happened to you all the time.”
“Well… you’ll have to get used to it too now.”
“I’ve got some other things behind me, so it’s not easy for me to just let it slide.”
Anyway, with the huge Ryu Shin Group behind him, he couldn’t ignore talk about maintaining dignity and such. Most things were usually resolved at the security team level, but Seong-woon was actually more sensitive about cameras, so he often reported things like this first.
“It’s too cold.”
Shouldn’t he be used to it by now after suffering from the cold for months? Shivering, Seong-woon got into the car that Hyeong-seok had astutely brought around and started the engine.
Finally alone in an enclosed space, Seong-woon took off the thin mask he had been wearing. Then, with a bright smile and in a very casual voice, he said:
“Since it’s cold, give me a hug at home before you go to your schedule.”
“That…”
“Don’t misinterpret, it’s a very innocent request.”
They’re at the point where they’ve done pretty much everything except penetration. Yet, Seong-woon still loves hugs the most. It would have been nice to know earlier how blissful human body heat could be, but… well, that wasn’t possible. Baek Sang-hyun was so warm that just being in contact felt good.
“Of course, I’m always innocent.”
But the hand creeping up onto Seong-woon’s hand resting on the gear shift was anything but innocent. Seong-woon quickly flipped his hand, interlocking their fingers once before pushing Baek Sang-hyun’s hand away.
“Don’t touch me while I’m driving.”
Seong-woon was an absolute advocate for safe driving.
* * *
And so, Seong-woon successfully completed his Music Box MC initiation and smoothly delivered the short script for the music show.
While Seong-woon, who had skillfully finished the live broadcast, was on his way to the cinema in Cheongdam still in his idol makeup, the actors and director who had gathered earlier in the waiting room were huddled together watching Chae-yoon’s initiation performance.
“Wow… he’s good at this too.”
“Surely… he won’t become an idol, right?”
Director Lee Jun-ho anxiously chewed his nails. Even though Chae-yoon hadn’t even verbally promised to do his next project, in his mind, he had already finished conceptualizing a film with him as the lead.
“Hello.”
“Oh, Baek Sang-hyun. It’s been a while.”
“Yes, Director. It’s been a while.”
“How do you keep getting more handsome?”
“Pardon? Haha…”
Because behind-the-scenes cameras were still rolling, Baek Sang-hyun sat down on an empty sofa, keeping his words to a minimum. Seong-woon had left RBS broadcasting station around 5:20 PM, so it seemed he would arrive just in time for the photo wall event starting at 6:30 PM.
“What were you watching?”
“Ah, we were watching Chae-yoon’s music show MC debut today.”
“The performance?”
“Yes. He was incredible. Did he train as an idol by any chance?”
“I don’t think so.”
“True… he was good with his body during filming too. Even stunt scenes aren’t easy.”
In “Orbit Collision,” Ryu Chae-yoon mostly played a role that involved getting hit, which required quite a bit of skill. Everyone had been worried because when people who aren’t good with their bodies are in such scenes, the timing doesn’t match up and filming time increases exponentially.
Fortunately, Seong-woon used his body well and received the hitting scenes well, so it went very smoothly.
“Yes, he did very well.”
“Baek Sang-hyun, did you see this too?”
Song Ji-kwang, sitting next to him, suddenly thrust his phone forward. It was a video that the excited music show production team had uploaded to YouTube even before the live broadcast ended. Thanks to that, Baek Sang-hyun had already seen it countless times.
Jin Seong-woon singing and dancing on stage, not acting, was just as dazzling. With his hair bleached snow-white and softly permed, Seong-woon looked truly like an angel from a painting, bouncing around in a cool pink tweed jacket.
His eyes looked larger due to gray contacts, eye makeup accentuating his long eye shape, a slightly purple-tinged blush on his cheeks, and lips shining like glass.
Add to that the intense lighting and flashy graphics unique to music shows, and he really didn’t look human.
“They’re definitely going to make him do this at the press conference today, right?”
The song Seong-woon chose for his initiation was a mega-hit from a girl group in the latter half of last year. It was especially famous for its chorus dance challenge that had taken over YouTube and SNS reels. If so… those viper-like reporters wouldn’t miss the chance.
“The PR team is probably already revising the script, I bet.”
There’s no way the film’s PR team would miss this opportunity either. They’ll be fully prepared to make him do it even before the reporters ask.
“But… does that mean Chae-yoon is coming to the press conference in this setup?”
Director Lee Jun-ho muttered with a serious face. Even while thinking why he was stating the obvious, Baek Sang-hyun diligently answered.
“Probably. He’ll be coming straight from Sangam.”
“No, but then won’t Chae-yoon be the only one people look at! Ji-kwang hyung! Hyung… at least change into some flashier clothes!”
“No thanks.”
“Baek Sang-hyun… um… You don’t need to. You already look good enough.”
Lee Jun-ho gave two thumbs up and started frantically applying something to his face. Other supporting actors started arriving one by one. While waiting for the last person to arrive, the waiting room door opened, and Seong-woon walked in.
“Hello. I’m a bit late.”
Although there was still time before the scheduled time, Seong-woon bowed deeply, apologizing for being the last rookie actor to arrive.
When he raised his head and looked around, the atmosphere felt strange. Everyone was just staring at him without saying a word.
Seeing fear momentarily seep into Seong-woon’s face, Baek Sang-hyun quickly approached and held his hand.
“I think they’re all speechless because you’re too handsome.”
“…Pardon?”
“Right, Director?”
“Chae-yoon, you really don’t benefit from cameras… Even while editing, I kept thinking Chae-yoon looks much better in person, but the broadcast cameras are even worse?”
“Ah… thank you.”
With the tension finally easing, Seong-woon smiled, melting softly. As Seong-woon, now much more relieved by the once again noisy waiting room air, was about to sit on a hard plastic chair, Baek Sang-hyun pulled him to the center sofa.
“I was going to sit there.”
“Ji-kwang sunbae is filming a variety show right now. He asked to show your face there.”
“My manager didn’t say anything about that…”
Seong-woon’s long eyelashes cast deep shadows on his cheeks as he grumbled slightly. His eyelashes were already long and pretty, but with a professional’s touch, they far exceeded expectations.
“Hello, sunbae-nim.”
“Oof, it’s blinding.”
“What do you mean?”
Seong-woon mumbled with downcast eyes in response to Song Ji-kwang’s mischievous teasing. After covering his face with both hands to calm his embarrassment, Seong-woon cleared his throat as staff informed them the photo wall event would begin first.
“I should’ve removed my makeup before coming…”
Seong-woon stumbled, feeling he had prepared too earnestly on his own. But as the door opened, he straightened his back and checked his face in the mirror.
“Did you review the script?”
“Yes, on the way here…”
“If you find it hard to answer reporters’ questions, just defer to the director.”
“Haha, is that okay?”
“The director likes talking anyway.”
“Ah, right. I wish the press conference would last about 3 hours.”
The director, overhearing their conversation as he passed by, chimed in. Then he patted their shoulders as if to say “relax” before heading out first. Usually, directors reluctantly go out last, but Director Lee Jun-ho excitedly goes first like this.
Seong-woon, who had hurriedly changed from a pink jacket to a blue one, stood behind Baek Sang-hyun. He seemed to think he’d naturally go out after the lead actor and the supporting actors.
“You go first.”
“Me…?”
“Yes.”
But Baek Sang-hyun desperately wanted to see the scene that would rise like a mirage against his eyelids when he closed his eyes, exhausted from insomnia after losing him.
“I’ll go right out!”
Seong-woon, who had been quietly looking up at Baek Sang-hyun, flinched at the staff’s shout. Then, tilting his head as if unsure, he went out first.
The bursting flashes, the erupting cheers, he briefly paused in surprise before naturally continuing his steps. A light that only Baek Sang-hyun could see still flowed from him.
A light of the soul that even camera flashes couldn’t obscure. Baek Sang-hyun gazed at it in rapture as he walked.