The heated atmosphere from the sauna story began to subside.
Taeha was somewhat flustered by the unexpected flow of the Part Three talk show.
However, he soon felt relieved. It was a good thing that the situation had ended without overheating any further.
An Ji-yeon also seemed relieved as she regained her composure and continued the program in a calm voice.
“Hearing that you actually went to a sauna with Actor Kang makes me feel strangely shy and envious. Then, shall we conclude the battle of who cherishes Actor Kang more like a younger brother with Actor Lee Seok-hyun’s victory and move on to the next question?”
It was a transition filled with An Ji-yeon’s characteristic wit.
Normally, at this point, a positive response should have followed according to her intention.
There was no reason to ruin the fan meeting atmosphere by fighting further. However, that was not the case.
“Wait a minute.”
For some reason, Lee Seok-hyun spoke up with a look that suggested his anger had not yet subsided.
“Why are we just moving on? I need to get recognition from these two right now. Recognition that I am the person who cherishes Taeha the most, like a real younger brother.”
In particular, the look in Lee Seok-hyun’s eyes as he stared at Seon Min-gi was unusual. He seemed to hold a grudge against Seon Min-gi’s earlier comment about how he had come without expecting anything in return.
And Lee Seok-hyun was not the only one who had no intention of letting it go. “Ah. I was going to stay quiet because of the atmosphere, but if Actor Lee is going to act like this, I can’t back down either. What’s the big deal about going to a sauna once? The one who cherishes Taeha the most is me. Let’s make that clear.”
Han Yun-seong also raised his voice as if he would not tolerate it.
At this, Seon Min-gi rubbed his temples with his hand as if annoyed and spoke.
“What’s the use of getting recognition from others for how much you cherish someone? This is so childish I can’t watch. I’m too annoyed to play along with this.”
The intensity of his sharp words was fierce, as expected of Seon Min-gi. Because of that, Han Yun-seong and Lee Seok-hyun appeared even more agitated.
“What? What did you just say?”
“Ha. Childish…? Do you think you look particularly dignified, Senior?”
The atmosphere, which had seemed to be improving, was now heating up further in a strange direction. ‘What? Why are they being like this?’ Taeha could only be bewildered.
It was absurd that the three people were fighting, but the reason for the fight itself was even more ridiculous. He couldn’t understand why this was something they had to fight over so intensely. Moreover, there were too many eyes watching. Five thousand Initial members were filling the audience, watching the fight between three top-tier actors.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before today’s fight was immortalized on SNS and various online communities.
An Ji-yeon also judged that the situation was serious and signaled the staff.
“Please turn off the microphones and lights here. Hurry.”
However, the staff seemed just as flustered, as the microphones and lights did not turn off immediately.
Then, to make matters worse, Han Yun-seong’s gaze turned toward Taeha.
“Hey. Instead of doing this, let’s ask Taeha. Taeha, you tell us. Out of the three of us, who do you think cherishes you the most?”
“Don’t feel pressured and just try talking. Since you’re the one who deals with us directly, you must feel something normally.”
‘They want me to say that in this situation?’
Taeha couldn’t hide his horror at Han Yun-seong’s absurd suggestion.
To Taeha, all three people were equally precious.
It wasn’t as if he liked one person more than the others.
In the first place, Taeha had never even thought about such a matter.
It was just as Taeha was hesitating, unable to answer.
The staff, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation, cut the lights and microphones.
Simultaneously, a video began playing on the screen installed behind the stage.
And in the video, Han Seul-gi, who had appeared in with Taeha, made an appearance.
[Hello, Taeha! Congratulations on your first fan meeting! Wahhh!] That was it.
This was a surprise hidden camera prank prepared for Taeha by Initial along with the three top actors.
It was very common for fans to prepare hidden camera pranks for fan meetings.
It had become a kind of regular event that could be found in almost every fan meeting.
Because of that, Taeha had also kept the possibility of a prank in mind to some extent.
‘I will never be fooled.’
He had even made a secret vow.
But now that he had actually experienced it, he had no choice but to be fooled.
It was only natural since he never imagined Han Yun-seong, Lee Seok-hyun, and Seon Min-gi would participate in a prank for him.
Furthermore, the fact that the reason for the three people’s fight was so absurd was the decisive reason Taeha hadn’t anticipated it.
Since he couldn’t understand what was happening logically, he had been completely distracted.
And this was the strategy Initial had prepared to deceive Taeha.
Anyone who knew Taeha well couldn’t help but know how excellent his ability to handle situations was.
Therefore, Initial’s judgment was that they couldn’t fool Taeha with a realistic and logical situation.
They decided to prepare an absurd fight so that Taeha couldn’t regain his senses.
They decided to ask the three people who were the best at acting in the Republic of Korea to perform that fight.
This was Initial’s strategy, and it had worked.
It was a moment that showed how meticulously Initial had prepared this prank, proving the saying “like actor, like fan.”
Anyway, the prank ended successfully, and the screen prepared by the fans showed almost everyone Taeha had worked with appearing to leave words of celebration.
Perhaps because of that, the video was quite long. However, Taeha focused on the video and listened intently to every congratulatory word.
He had no choice but to do so because he could feel the sincerity in every single word.
And when the video ended, the Initial members, each holding their phone flashlights, began singing an a cappella song in one voice. —You were born to be loved.
In your life, you are receiving that love. —You were born to be loved. In your life, you are receiving that love. —Our love, which began from the Initial, bears fruit through our meeting with Taeha. —Because you exist in this world, how much joy you bring to us.
It was a parody of a famous song. However, it was deeply meaningful because it included the word Initial, and the lyrics contained the words Taeha specifically wanted to hear, making it even more touching.
Eventually, Taeha couldn’t hold back his tears while listening to Initial’s a cappella song. These tears didn’t stop even when he received the gifts prepared by the fans through An Ji-yeon. Watching that, Initial also shed tears with him.
***
A short while later.
Taeha checked the gift he received from Initial.
It was a set-up outfit with a gray denim feel.
Taeha went backstage to change into it while cooling down his emotions.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere of the Part Three talk show, which had been agitated by the surprise prank, was able to calm down a bit. In that settled atmosphere, An Ji-yeon continued the Part Three talk show.
Her question was directed at Han Yun-seong, Lee Seok-hyun, and Seon Min-gi, the protagonists of today’s prank.
“You three are going to stop fighting over Actor Kang now, right?”
“Yes. We won’t fight.”
“The prank is over, so we should.”
“I’ll settle the score separately after the fan meeting.”
“That’s a wise choice. But looking at it now, I noticed the messages from you three were missing from the video Initial prepared earlier. Is it possible to hear them directly here? I’d like to hear a short story about what kind of person the Actor Kang you met is.”
Having gained the floor, stories filled with nothing but praise flowed from the mouths of Han Yun-seong, Lee Seok-hyun, and Seon Min-gi.
Han Yun-seong talked about the shock of discovering that Taeha, who stood out as an actor even in a supporting role, was the writer of a script that a veteran writer could only dream of writing.
Next, Lee Seok-hyun described Taeha as someone who had everything a top-tier actor should have—from emotional acting to action, and even mediating conflicts on set—right from the time he took on his first lead role. Lastly, Seon Min-gi praised Taeha, saying he was deeply impressed by how Taeha not only got along well with a bad-tempered actor like himself but also captured the hearts of everyone on set with his outstanding acting and led the atmosphere in the right direction. Naturally, the reaction of the Initial members listening to these stories could only become heated again. It was a chance to hear stories about Taeha that weren’t well known to the public through the mouths of top actors. After hearing all three stories, An Ji-yeon finally handed the microphone to Taeha to wrap up the Part Three talk show.
“During the talk, Actor Kang showed us a side of himself that smiled warmly while keeping his words brief. Finally, is there anything you want to say to the three people who showed us an amazing event and to all the Initial members, Actor Kang?”
While Han Yun-seong, Lee Seok-hyun, and Seon Min-gi were talking, Taeha had only reacted occasionally and spoken briefly, purposely refraining from opening his mouth.
If he misspoke in a situation where praise was pouring in, the atmosphere could become awkward.
In this way, keeping words to a minimum was the wisest attitude when receiving praise.
However, now was the situation where he had to wrap up the Part Three talk show, which had featured the massive event of the surprise prank.
Taeha thought for a moment and then began to speak.
“At one time, I doubted whether I was a person worthy of receiving someone’s love. I longed for someone’s love that much, and sometimes I even overextended myself for it. In that regard, the three people here and all the Initial members are very precious to me. Because you are the ones who personally showed me through your actions that I am a person who is allowed to receive love.Once again, thank you so much for being here today, and I will work hard to repay your love in the future. I love you all.”
As soon as Taeha’s story ended, the fan meeting venue was enveloped in silence.
The reason was none other than the fact that everyone present was deeply moved by Taeha’s sincere closing remarks.
After a few moments, a massive cheer erupted from the Initial fans.
An Ji-yeon, who had been similarly touched, regained her senses and delivered the next line.
“Now for the final sequence! Actor Kang has prepared a surprise performance that can’t be seen anywhere else just for you Initial members today! Perhaps it could be called a response to the surprise prank. Then, we will begin the final performance! Reunited once again! It’s the stage of Fri-Queen by Freesia!”
When the screen at the back of the stage opened and the members of Freesia appeared, Initial’s cheers could only grow louder. An unexpected response to the surprise prank had just revealed itself.