Free Web Novel“Not really.”
Joo Junseo left the waiting room with his manager after dropping those two words. From beyond the closed door, it almost sounded like Myeong Jeha’s voice drifted faintly through.
“...You’ve changed a lot.”
* * *
Thirty minutes remained until the awards ceremony’s red carpet ended. Once the red carpet wrapped up, sponsor-brand commercials would roll immediately, and then the curtain would rise with the opening lines from the MCs—Seo Eden and me.
“You’re good! Cutie.”
As always, Manager Ma followed right behind me with the camera. He seemed even more famous than I’d thought.
‘Since yesterday, people have been whispering every time they see Manager Ma’s face....’
I’d heard he was a shut-in among shut-ins, someone who never left the company. Did I really drag a person like that all the way to Osaka?
‘This is... a celebrity’s....’
“The audio’s been a little empty since yesterday. I can’t keep putting my voice in, so try chatting a bit while looking at the camera.”
“Yes!”
This wasn’t the time to soak in the mood. I briefly recalled various videos I’d watched back in the day.
[LiveOn: MC doesn’t get nervous ♡ Baekryong Film Awards Special MC Behind] 13:18
[Eun-Behind / Baekhap’s Year-End Vlog / A Day as the MBS Acting Awards MC] 15:27
Okay. The lines organized themselves in my head.
“It’s now forty-five minutes before the MNAA live broadcast starts. I memorized all the cue cards yesterday, but I’m so nervous.... I’m not sure if I can do well.”
Of course I’ll do well. You’re supposed to show a bit of this side—it makes you look more endearing. The real pros hide their strength just a little.
“Maybe it’s because coming to Osaka really makes you feel K-POP’s popularity again, but my heart keeps racing for no reason....”
Add a spoonful of national pride here.
“I’ll do my best to introduce the singers who prepared the stage, so everyone who came today can have a great time!”
I wanted to say how happy I was to meet Japanese fans, but... are there even my fans here? Probably not. Being realistic, it was better to wrap it up like this.
“Then I’ll see you again when the stage starts—.”
“Okay. Cut. You’re doing great, cutie!”
Manager Ma turned off the camera and flipped the screen around so I could monitor it. The cuts we’d filmed since arriving at Kyocera Dome played briefly. I could already picture how the vlog would turn out.
‘Someday, I want to say how happy I am to see my fans.’
After checking the camera battery, Manager Ma left first. Then I should head back to the MC backstage, drink some water, rest a little, and get ready for the live broadcast.
“Unnie! Let’s go—.”
“....”
I called out to Coordinator Hwang beside me. But her gaze looked oddly uneasy. Come to think of it, she’d been strangely quiet since yesterday’s rehearsal. Coordinator Hwang wasn’t usually like this....
“...Unnie?”
“O-oh. Sorry. Sorry....”
What was she sorry about? She’d suddenly gone overly deferential. Was {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} she sick?
“Unnie, are you not feeling—.”
“Hello.”
That was when someone greeted me. Reflexively, I bowed and returned the greeting.
“Yes! Hello.”
When I straightened up and looked at who had approached, an unexpected face was there.
“Oh? It was you, unnie? You’ve changed so much I wasn’t sure—. I almost didn’t recognize you!”
It was Kwon Junhyeok. After greeting me, she immediately turned to Coordinator Hwang beside me and acted delighted, as if they’d known each other before.
“Uh, yes. H-hello....”
“Hey, unnie! Why are you suddenly putting distance between us—. Talk casually like before, casually! I was wondering where you went after leaving here, turns out you became an actor’s coordinator?”
It was strange. When I looked at Junhyeok, they seemed incredibly close. But when I looked at Coordinator Hwang, it didn’t feel that way at all.
“Uh, yeah....”
“I thought you quit being a coordinator altogether. That’s great! It’s so nice seeing you like this—. Yeoreum hoobae? Or Yeoreum-nim? What should I call you? I watched <ParCheHi>!”
I was checking Coordinator Hwang’s expression when Junhyeok’s arrows suddenly turned toward me. I answered naturally.
“You can just call me comfortably, sunbae.”
“Hehe. Then I’ll call you Yeoreum hoobae! Yeoreum hoobae, is our coordinator unnie doing well at work now?”
“Of course. She does an amazing job. I really, really like her.”
“That’s such a relief. Back then she was so scatterbrained that I worried a lot. Or... is unnie still not totally comfortable with Yeoreum hoobae?”
Junhyeok casually looped her arm through Coordinator Hwang’s and looked at me.
“That outfit—your coordinator unnie didn’t choose it, right?”
“...No. Director Ryu styled me.”
“No wonder. The moment I saw it, it was so pretty. You get Best Dresser every red carpet, don’t you!”
I’m an actress. Someone who analyzes every word, every nonverbal gesture.
‘She’s doing this right now....’
So I could tell immediately.
‘She’s needling me.’
Even without wanting to, the other person’s intent translated instantly. According to the Han Yeoreum translator, what Junhyeok was saying meant this:
=You were so bad at your job I thought you quit this industry altogether, but now you’re clinging to some rookie actress? And you’re bad at your job, so the kid you’re handling probably doesn’t even like you lolol Honestly, what do you even do? Ryu Risa picks the clothes and you just iron them, yeah yeah
‘Is she kind of stupid?’
She’s being this blatant.... Or maybe it’s because she’s smart.
‘Because she knows if she openly needles us, we can’t respond properly.’
Celebrities hold power, and popular celebrities are the top of the top. Compared to what I’d heard from Dok Gomin, this didn’t even qualify as real power abuse.
If Coordinator Hwang or I snapped back here, rumors would spread about how we were “too sensitive when she was just trying to be friendly with a junior.”
When I stayed silent, Junhyeok must’ve thought I couldn’t say anything in front of a senior, because she fired off the next line.
“Congrats on becoming an N Company model too! I couldn’t keep being their model anymore because of my schedule anyway.... I was really worried about who the next model would be. But it’s such a relief that a hoobae whose image fits so well stepped in!”
=You’re happy you became an N Company model, right? Feels good? I was going to dump it first anyway, you just picked up what I threw away
The translation happened automatically again. So what? I shortened my response to avoid saying, “I’m the model now—what can you even do? You got pushed out and you talk a lot.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I smiled as if I truly knew nothing. Managing your expression is basic acting. When she saw I didn’t look affected, Junhyeok launched her next attack.
“I heard you’re entering a drama next year? When I first saw that ASMR, I thought you were some kind of kids’ Intube creator! Like reviewing toys.”
=I didn’t even know who you were. You, an actress? Please.
“It’s good you’ll be wearing hanbok in your next project. In many ways—. If you keep wearing only N Company stuff as their model, that’d be a bit much, right? I’m done being their model this time, and since my character is a chaebol daughter, I’ll mostly be wearing high-end. Stuff like this really makes it great that unnie changed jobs. If something gets damaged, someone has to pay for it.... Back then I paid for her clothes a lot. I was so upset then. You really have to treat our unnie well.”
=You keep wearing cheap clothes, I’ll wear expensive ones. And your coordinator doesn’t deserve to touch expensive clothes anyway.
‘Couldn’t she at least breathe between sentences.... Her breath control is a mess.’
If she delivered lines like this in Professor Geum Bitgang’s class, a reprimand would fly within three seconds.
After rattling all that off, Junhyeok leaned playfully against Coordinator Hwang’s shoulder. I felt Coordinator Hwang stiffen. She smiled awkwardly, but that definitely wasn’t a real smile.
‘So now it’s my turn?’ fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
The attack turn had come around. I answered with a gentle smile, using the pronunciation Professor Geum taught so the message would be conveyed clearly.
“Maybe back then our coordinator was just overwhelmed. Idol schedules are like that, after all. Constantly moving from place to place. Long on-site waiting times, but barely any prep time. I guess our coordinator was meant to handle actors from the start.”
=Oh dear.... Are idols... and actors... the same thing? And our noble JC ENM provides optimal working conditions. Unlike your 80,000-won-per-day gigs.
“You must be really nervous since it’s your first acting challenge, sunbae.... I’m looking forward to your pretty styling!”
=I’m not looking forward to your acting.
“Oh, and our coordinator is really, really good at her job—I was so surprised. I wondered who she used to be in charge of. But when I heard it was you, sunbae Junhyeok, it all made sense!”
=Don’t touch my coordinator. And your rumors.... Sigh, never mind lolol Just live like that.
At my words, I could feel Junhyeok’s expression freeze solid.
