“What do you mean by that? Last time it was CEO Kang from my agency who made the request, and this time it was the EnterK wardrobe team.”
Her playful tone made him pause in thought. The stylist’s expression subtly stiffened.
“Oh… are you not satisfied with what I’ve picked? Should I call someone else?”
At her cautious question, Kang Hyeon hurriedly shook his head.
“No, not at all. I was just curious. Last time, Do-yeong sponsored some of the clothes, so I wondered if that was the case again.”
When Kang Hyeon purposely crinkled his eyes and smiled, she returned a soft, wordless smile and held up the outfit to him.
“I think it’d be best to go with base styles that have some accent points. You could wear this shirt layered over a turtleneck. For casualwear… this one looks good.”
As she picked out pieces, the overall concept started coming together, and soon, the outfits for each scene were finalized.
“You remember that thick white-gray knit from the clothes Do-yeong sponsored before? I think that would pair well with this.”
She even remembered items Do-yeong had sponsored, and having worked with Kang Hyeon a few times before, she had a solid grasp of his style, which allowed her to pick quickly and decisively.
To be honest, Kang Hyeon wasn’t very knowledgeable about fashion, but he usually liked whatever she chose for him, so he just nodded along with her suggestions. The fitting wrapped up only after she added a few more layering options.
Afterward, he went upstairs to discuss his hairstyle. While they were in the middle of it, Lee Hyun-sook and CEO Goo Seong-do showed up late.
To look a bit older, Kang Hyeon tried a few hairstyles that exposed his forehead and sent photos of each to Director Ji Seok-woo. Just when it started to feel tedious waiting for a decision he’d expected to come quickly, a response finally arrived. The chosen hairstyle—decided by a staff vote—gave Kang Hyeon a noticeably stronger image.
At Director Ji’s suggestion, he dyed his hair mocha brown. CEO Goo, filming like it was a vlog, captured bits of the process. Having spent the whole afternoon at the shop, Kang Hyeon headed home with an indefinable sense of discomfort.
***
“Wow… I really didn’t see that coming.”
Kang Hyeon’s bewildered tone made Baek Ga-yeong beam.
“Told you I was sly, didn’t I?”
“Still, you could’ve at least given me a heads-up.”
Caught off guard, he couldn’t help but laugh. It was only today he found out that the first scene of the shoot would take place at a café—and not just any café, but hers.
Picked up at dawn by CEO Goo Seong-do, they’d stopped by Edith Shop to get ready, and the location they’d arrived at was none other than Baek Ga-yeong’s café.
The whole ride, Goo had been busy checking the schedule and calling the ad agency, so Kang Hyeon, feeling comfortable in a familiar space, served coffee and drinks to the crew like a pro while chatting with Ga-yeong.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect my café to be picked over all those well-known places either. I only offered the space—I don’t have the money to pay for product placement.”
“Oh…”
Kang Hyeon just nodded, a faint smile on his lips. Considering the tight production budget, they probably needed some PPL support, right?
Naturally, Yoon Do-yeong came to mind. They were even filming together today. The day’s shoot was divided into a few scenes: one where the female lead and he exchange info at the café and plot something together, one where he and Kwon Ji-sang are at odds and exchange barbs, another where he bristles at Kwon Ji-sang dating the female lead, and finally, one where the two men stand on either side of the woman, full of hostility.
He took a seat at a table in the corner and reviewed the script while waiting for his turn. At some point, someone placed a sticky rice cake in front of him. When he looked up in surprise, he saw Chief Choi holding out a soy milk.
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“Uh… not yet.”
“Eat. You’ve been up since dawn—you’ll wreck your stomach.”
Kang Hyeon accepted the soy milk, but his gaze involuntarily searched for Yoon Do-yeong.
“Do-yeong’s coming with his manager.”
“…Why?”
“The agency doesn’t delegate stuff to me anymore. They’re handling things internally, so I don’t know much outside of the schedule.”
Unwrapping the rice cake for him, Chief Choi continued,
“Well, I get the gist of things through context. Still have to keep him in check… and manage his mental state too.”
He gestured for him to eat and looked toward CEO Goo, who was still outside, busy on the phone.
“He’s really working hard…”
Slouching into a chair like he had all the time in the world, Chief Choi stuck a straw in the soy milk and added,
“Keep going over the script. I’ll let you know when we start.”
Kang Hyeon hesitated, then bowed his head and returned to the script. That’s when he noticed he was still holding the rice cake, so he took a bite. Feeling something off, he glanced toward Chief Choi, who was scanning the set, checking things over. At that moment, CEO Goo rushed over.
“There’s this camping gear site—uh, what’s his name? Seok-do?”
“You mean Seok-du sunbae?“Yeah, yeah! They said they need a model—someone friendly, comic uncle type—so I mentioned him.”
“Want me to give you his number?”
“Yeah. Actually, if you could both shoot it together, that’d be great.”
“Together?”
“Yeah… Just a suggestion. Since you’re in the same drama, the chemistry’s already there. And they are looking for a friendly older guy, right?”
“Wait, am I doing a camping gear ad?”
“We’re in talks.”
At that, Kang Hyeon nodded and handed over the soy milk Chief Choi had left. Thirsty, Goo downed it in one go and went back to making calls. As Kang Hyeon stared blankly at the whirlwind of activity, Chief Choi came back.
“Time to get ready.”
“Yes, sir.”
Following Director Ji Seok-woo’s instructions, they checked the blocking and wrapped up the rehearsal. Then Chief Choi called out to stylist Yoo Kyung-mi, who was resting nearby. She quickly came over to check his makeup, while another staffer clipped a mic to the inside of his clothes, out of sight. During that time, Kang Hyeon rehearsed his lines out loud.
The first shoot began. The lighting was blinding, and the reflectors below his chest and from the sides made it hard to even open his eyes. He tried to adjust as he followed the scene: ordering a drink at the café and stepping outside while taking a call. They filmed various angles—indoor shots, side shots, exiting the café.
Unlike minor roles or extras, shooting different angles for one scene dragged out the time. In the middle of it all, the female lead arrived, and Kang Hyeon changed outfits for the next scene.
While acting, he glanced aside without thinking and saw his former agency CEO, Kang Hoon.
Then Yoon Do-yeong appeared.
His newly dyed black hair shimmered softly and looked particularly glossy. His skin, almost translucent, contrasted strikingly with his lips, which were a vivid red. The patterned leather-accented black jacket he wore struck Kang Hyeon belatedly as overly flashy for men’s wear. But with someone that radiant, even flashy clothes faded into the background.
When Director Ji shouted “Cut,” the shoot wrapped, and they went to monitor the footage. The way they’d shot the actress’s scene made it clear they’d taken extra care. He’d thought the lighting was excessive, but on screen, his smiling eyes glittered with reflected light, making the shot pop. Satisfied with how he looked, he smiled without realizing it—just as someone approached. It was Director Yoo Ji-ha, who hadn’t been visible during the shoot until now.
“Ooh… this is definitely Seon-ho’s signature touch.”
Praising the camera director in front of Director Ji, he chuckled and handed over a memo. It was an insert script.
“Need a few shots to bridge the scenes.”
While they filmed a few simple lines from the insert script, Yoon Do-yeong crept closer, standing quietly behind the staff at the edge of the café. Noticing Do-yeong watching him act made Kang Hyeon self-conscious. When the female lead threw a slight side-eye at him, he involuntarily smiled. He quickly composed himself, but he knew it would probably need a retake.
However, Director Ji just gave the cut sign and wrapped it up. That’s when Yoon Do-yeong waved at him.
“Let’s go eat.”
Before Kang Hyeon could respond, CEO Goo approached with an apologetic look.
“Hyeon-ah, think you can hang out alone for a few hours?”
“…Sure.”
“The dishware brand we’re working with wants to see Hyun-sook. They even prepped the contract, so… looks like we’ve got to drop by.”
“Go ahead.”
When Kang Hyeon replied, CEO Goo bowed repeatedly and approached Chief Choi nearby.
“Could you keep an eye on Hyeon for a bit?”
“Of course. I’ll call if anything comes up. I’ll move the outfits to my car.”
“Ah, thank you so much.”
CEO Goo thanked them profusely, asked stylist Yoo Kyung-mi to take care of things too, and left.
Before he knew it, Kang Hyeon was moving around with Chief Choi. As Yoon Do-yeong chatted with Baek Ga-yeong about lunch, Kang Hyeon made his way over to his former CEO, Kang Hoon.
“Have you been well?”
“Getting by. Heard you landed a lead role.”
“Yes, and… I also heard you put in a good word with Director Ji.”
“I just told it like it is. Said you can blend into any role like water, so if he had a good part, he should give it to you.”
After a short pause, Kang Hoon lowered his voice.
“You gave me advice on how to keep Do-yeong, remember?”
Kang Hyeon recalled the last time they’d spoken. Kang Hoon had been furious, ranting about Do-yeong saying he’d leave the agency with him. Through Chief Choi, Kang Hyeon had advised him to keep the work going regardless. Feeling unsure, he carefully asked,
“…Did Do-yeong renew his contract?”
Kang Hoon held up three fingers. Three years. Kang Hyeon nodded. Even from his perspective, Do-yeong seemed better off staying with the agency that already understood him.
“That’s good.”
“You’re working with CEO Goo now, right?”
“Yes.”
“Goo’s still green for big stuff. When your contract ends, come back to us. We handle international projects better anyway.”
