#059
‘Oh, my poor life.’
Lately, the demands from the actor he managed, Kang Dojun, had increased significantly.
It wasn’t that he disliked the change.
The Kang Dojun he knew was someone who handled everything well on his own without help from others.
So much so that when company managers had dinner together, he would often hear “That’s unearned income for you. Do some work.” Though he constantly talked about wanting to quit, he knew deep down that his workplace was a sweet gig.
That’s why he could always accommodate Kang Dojun’s requests. As long as they weren’t ridiculously absurd and strange demands.
‘Yeonwoo said he’s hanging out with a friend today. But I think I left something at home.’
‘What? Is it important?’
He didn’t even tell him what the item was.
‘Go home and call me. It’s in a hard-to-find place.’
When he actually arrived home and called, what he said was ridiculous.
‘I found it, it’s here. Sorry for making you go for nothing. While you’re at it, tell Yeonwoo and his friend to come visit the filming. You can bring them.’
“But is it okay for me to go?”
Lee Yeonwoo, sitting in the passenger seat, asked with subtly expectant eyes.
“Yes.”
Park Daeho answered while checking the rearview mirror. He could see Yeonwoo’s friend, Kim Haseon, looking around the car interior with excited eyes.
‘He was definitely someone who does YouTube.’
He recalled when Kang Dojun had commented on Kim Haseon’s YouTube channel last time.
“Um… excuse me, is filming possible?”
Kim Haseon, who seemed unprepared for the unexpected situation and hadn’t brought a camera, asked while carefully holding his phone to his chest.
Visiting actors’ filming sets was not something ordinary people could commonly experience.
“It’s possible, but it would be better to turn it off when the actual filming starts. You also shouldn’t cause trouble for others.”
“Of course! I’ll film quietly without causing any trouble and leave.”
After that, Kim Haseon seemed to have many questions as he chattered non-stop, bothering Park Daeho.
“Manager-nim, did you manage any other celebrities before actor Kang Dojun?”
“No.”
“Wow, then you got to handle a great actor from the start!”
“I knew him from before he became an actor.”
Kim Haseon tilted his head. Did that mean he had been his manager since before Kang Dojun became famous?
“We’re elementary and middle school classmates. Him and me. Not the same high school though… Well, to be frank, I became a manager through connections. I chose my friend well.”
“Then how did you become friends?”
At Kim Haseon’s question, Park Daeho recalled the past. First grade elementary school, when they somehow became desk partners. He still vividly remembered the first words Kang Dojun said to him.
At 8 years old, he experienced spiciness for the first time in his life.
The seemingly indifferent but sharp tone and the pointed gaze glaring at him. Definitely back then… ah, before words…
“Then do you have hyung’s childhood photos too?”
Yeonwoo, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, seemed curious as he interrupted Park Daeho’s reminiscence with a question.
“They’re probably circulating on the internet.”
“Not those, the ones only Manager-nim has.”
Park Daeho tapped the steering wheel. Since their parents were also close, they used to travel together with each other’s families when they were young.
“If I look through childhood albums, there would be some.”
“…I want to see them!”
Yeonwoo’s eyes sparkled unusually.
“Manager-nim looks troubled.”
Kim Haseon, who had been firing questions non-stop without giving him a break, wasn’t one to talk.
“Dojun would also have albums… ah, they’d be at his family home.”
Park Daeho nodded thinking of Kang Dojun who lived alone. Then he was flustered by Yeonwoo’s sudden question.
“Manager-nim, do you know my number?”
“…Pardon?”
Yeonwoo smoothly recited his phone number.
“Please contact me anytime. I’ll be waiting.”
Contact? Waiting? For what? Silence flowed in the car stopped at a red light. It passed so quickly that he couldn’t even memorize the number.
“…Contact?”
“Yeonwoo-ya, didn’t hyung tell you not to give out your number carelessly?”
“If you give me your phone, I’ll enter my number for you.”
“Ah… yes.”
The phone he handed over in confusion came back with 11 digits entered.
Yeonwoo smiled proudly at his accomplishment and imagined Kang Dojun’s childhood photos that would arrive soon. Then an arm reached from behind to tap the forehead of Yeonwoo sitting in the passenger seat.
His head suddenly hit the seat.
“Strange. You don’t have a fever.”
“Let go of this.”
Kim Haseon lightly ignored him and lowered his hand to check the temperature of his neck instead of his forehead.
Yeonwoo raised his head and bit his hand hard.
“Ow! Are you a dog?”
“I told you not to do that.”
“I was worried and checking your temperature!”
“You’re not a thermometer, how would you know by checking?”
The car instantly became noisy.
Park Daeho, accustomed to silence from traveling with Kang Dojun, turned on the car radio and raised the volume to maximum. If it was going to be noisy anyway, music was much better than fighting sounds.
“Run through the sparkling universe with me~ Hold my hand! Just you and me, our own Paradise~”
“Then should I go to a pharmacy now and buy a thermometer? Jump out of a moving car and just go get it?”
“What jumping out? Just fasten your seatbelt properly. Three years on a ship and you’ve lost your mind.”
“Oh yeah, come here. I’ll get your temperature right to the decimal point. From now on, call me the human thermometer.”
“Stop talking nonsense, really.”
‘…Really.’
As the two voices rose in volume along with the music, Park Daeho vented his frustration internally.
‘Stop making barking sounds.’
* * *
“You’re here?”
Kang Dojun folded the script he was reading and stood up to greet them.
“Thank you for inviting us.”
“Not at all. It’s been a while, Haseon-ssi. I was worried that I might have made you tired by inviting you when you were having fun with Yeonwoo.”
“No! Not at all. Absolutely not. I’m just grateful for giving me such an extraordinary experience.”
Yeonwoo held hands with Kang Dojun and looked pitifully at the flustered Kim Haseon.
Just at home he had been all confident saying they were the same age so he could speak casually, it was fine, but now standing in front of him it was like a rabbit playing king in a valley without tigers.
Yeonwoo quickly turned his gaze to Kang Dojun. Since the movie he was filming was an action movie, he seemed to be playing a police officer.
“Police uniform…”
He muttered in a daze. The dark navy jacket without a single wrinkle over his angular shoulders. The tightly fastened tie visible inside. The dress pants that fell in a pretty fit.
The harmony of his gorgeous face and neat uniform created an ascetic image.
Yeonwoo stared without even blinking to engrave that image in his mind. Kang Dojun, noticing his gaze, brushed his hair back. Sweat came off on his hand.
“Did you have fun? Why are you sweating so much? Didn’t you turn on the air conditioning in the car?”
Kang Dojun’s gaze turned to Park Daeho. He grumbled in response.
“Turn it on my ass. He got heated up from fighting.”
“Fighting?”
Yeonwoo, finally coming to his senses, answered.
“It’s nothing. More importantly, what were you doing, hyung?”
“I have to go into the next scene, so I was waiting. Once we film this, today’s shooting is over, so just wait a little.”
“Okay.”
After exchanging a few more words, Kang Dojun was called by the director and went to film.
‘I should have at least taken a photo…’
Yeonwoo belatedly took out his phone, showing his regret.
“Kim Seungseon, where did we… Where did he go?”
Before he could even say ‘Let’s wait quietly,’ he had disappeared. As Yeonwoo looked around confused, Park Daeho pointed to Kim Haseon with a gesture.
“So you’re saying the waiting time is actually longer than the filming time.”
“Yes. Still, for the experience, at least once…”
Kim Haseon was grabbing passing extras and conducting interviews.
Since he didn’t bring proper equipment and was relying on his phone to film, it was hard to tell whether to praise his professional spirit or scold him.
“Don’t do weird things.”
Kim Haseon held out a square paper card from his wallet.
“I didn’t. I just did a quick interview. Here’s my business card, if you have anything more to say, please contact me anytime. Have you heard of ‘Wonseon’ on YouTube?”
Yeonwoo’s pupils rolled following the business card.
Broadcaster. Kim Haseon
It was a simple business card with black text on a white background.
“You even had business cards?”
“What wouldn’t I have?”
‘…I don’t have any.’
Come to think of it, Park Daeho also had business cards. Kang Dojun… his face was his business card and profession.
‘Should I make one too?’
Lee Yeonwoo. Beekeeper – it would be good to hand them out to everyone he met.
Since everyone keeps honey at home, wouldn’t they place orders through the contact information on the business card when needed? Ah, then just in case, I should also write ‘delivery available.’
If there’s a bee drawing next to the name, it would be easy to recognize the profession at a glance and differentiate from other business cards, right? Then add a bee, and make the background yellow…
“Um, excuse me.”
“Yes! Do you have something to say? But I’m pressed for time right now, so if you contact me later at the number written here…”
“No, that’s not it… Are you Lee Yeonwoo? From 〈Rural Conquest〉?”
The part-timer skipped over Kim Haseon and spoke to Yeonwoo.
“I am.”
Yeonwoo’s gaze was still fixed on the business card as he spread his wings of imagination. Then the black text disappeared and the white back was revealed.
“I don’t have paper right now, could I get an autograph here? I’ve been watching so well. Oh, congratulations on the show ending!”
As Kim Haseon’s business card was instantly transformed into autograph paper, Yeonwoo slowly raised his gaze. After making eye contact and pausing briefly, he continued.
“I don’t do autographs.”
“Even just your name is fine!”
“I don’t have a pen.”
“Ah, a pen… pen!”
She hurriedly looked around for a pen, but it was so empty that there was no one else besides them to borrow from. Yeonwoo snatched the business card from her hand.
“Huh? The… autograph.”
“What autograph? This doesn’t seem necessary either, so I’ll take this back. Hey, let’s go.”
Then he dragged Kim Haseon toward where Park Daeho was.
“Why did you grab such a person for an interview? Are you dying of thirst for broadcasting?”
“She’s pretty.”
Yeonwoo stuck the snatched business card to Kim Haseon’s forehead. He didn’t forget to hit him hard while sticking it.
“Ow! What’s that for?”
Kim Haseon caught the paper fluttering down from his forehead and put it back in his wallet.
“So what if she’s pretty? She has no manners.”
“She said she’s your fan.”
“I’m not even a celebrity, what fan would freeze to death. And…”
To ask for an autograph right in front of the business card owner. It was so pathetic he laughed. Kim Haseon just stood there watching the situation like an idiot, which annoyed him.
And…
“She’s not even that pretty.”
‘Dojun hyung is prettier.’
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
