Chapter 121: Rumors Before the Storm

We settled into a corner of an old, traditional pub.

“This place has a really nice atmosphere, doesn’t it?”

The walls of the restaurant were plastered with old movie posters. 

They were torn, the ink faded, and the colors bleached, but that only added to the vibe of the place.

“Right? The food is even better.”

“It totally looks like a hidden gem.”

“I got introduced to it by a senior, and apparently, it’s a legendary spot passed down among theater actors.”

It was a place that exuded the kind of depth that matched Jeuk’s confidence.

“Thanks for coming out like this, everyone.”

“No problem. We had to come see it.”

“Ah! Jibin said he was sorry he couldn’t make it because of shooting for his new drama today.”

“He texted me separately too. He was bragging about landing a sub-male lead in that M Network Monday-Tuesday drama.”

That’s so like Jibin. 

He’d already bragged to me once, and it seemed he’d done the same to Jeuk.

“He was super excited about it.”

“Well, yeah, the response is at its peak right now, so it makes sense.”

The project we’d all worked on together had been praised as a well-made drama, and with V as the center, it had gained a lot of drama fans, noticeably increasing each actor’s individual fandoms.

“Eighty percent of the people coming to my performances are fans who got into me through our drama.”

“They’re shipping you two like crazy.”

Taewoon pointed at me with his chin as he said that.

“Ah…….”

“Hey, I hate it even more, you know?”

“What’s wrong with me!”

“Ugh~ Just thinking about it makes me cringe.”

“Who do you think likes it…….”

We exchanged looks of utter disgust, shuddering dramatically. 

Of course, we both knew it was all in jest.

“But how did you memorize all those lines, hyung? Wow, that was no joke.”

It was truly impressive that he could memorize a two-hour script and sync his performance with his co-actors.

“I thought I was gonna die.”

Taewoon shook his head, expressing how tough it had been.

“How long did it take you to memorize them?”

“Almost four months.”

“Wow…… Respect!”

“You worked hard.”

“But doesn’t it get boring doing the same thing for four months?”

Unlike dramas where you film a scene and move on, theater involved endlessly rehearsing and performing the same content over and over.

“Well, there are times when it gets a bit tiring…… but it suits my perfectionist tendencies pretty well. I can keep refining my acting.”

“Oh~”

That made sense too.

“You should try it if you’re interested.”

“I’m good.”

Theater looked fresh and fun, but it didn’t really appeal to me.

I have something I need to focus on right now.

I didn’t have the time, and what caught my interest wasn’t the stage itself, but the character setups and the power to draw the audience into the story in such a short time.

“I’m going into an independent film this time.”

“You’re doing an independent film?”

Jeuk’s eyes sparkled at the mention of independent film.

“You weren’t interested at all when I talked about it before. What happened all of a sudden? Did you see a good project or something?”

His rapid-fire questions left me breathless.

“Hyung, you’re suffocating me. Ask one at a time.”

“No, it’s just that you suddenly deciding to do an independent film is surprising. Did your agency okay it?”

“Well…… the CEO isn’t thrilled, but I wanted to try it.”

“You’re really taking an unusual path.”

Jeuk commented on my choice of independent film as if it were fascinating.

“Why? Is it that weird?”

“You’re at the height of your popularity right now—why an independent film…….”

“But you have a lot of interest in independent films too, hyung.”

Even as he said that, Jeuk was the one more interested in independent films than I was.

“That’s because I want to break into the film industry.”

“Huh?”

“It’s hard to get into commercial films, so I’m building connections through independents to make my way in.”

“Wait, that’s what it was, hyung?”

Taewoon seemed to just now catch on to Jeuk’s words.

“Of course, I value the artistry too…… but anyway, it’s not a bad move, right? This is your first film.”

“Ye……ah?”

The special appearance didn’t count, so yeah, this would be my first proper film role.

“Is the project good?”

“It’s the only one with a fresh character among all the clichéd roles coming in.”

“Then…… yeah, not bad.”

Jeuk, who had been questioning why I’d do an independent at this stage, quickly agreed with my reasoning.

“So, who’s the director?”

“Director Seo Incheol.”

“Seo Incheol? Seo Incheol?”

“Yeah, he’s a director who was active a while back…….”

Since Jeuk had been in the industry for a while, I figured he might not know about the hiatus and started explaining Incheol. 

But Jeuk’s expression hardened in an instant.

“Hold on.”

“What’s wrong?”

Taewoon, who knew nothing about this side of things, looked at Jeuk in confusion.

“No way?”

His eyes seemed to say, It can’t be.

“Uh…… yeah, I think so?”

“Urk! Cough! Cough! You’re joining that?”

At my confirmation, Jeuk choked on the water he was drinking.

“Hyung!”

Taewoon called out to Jeuk as his cough sprayed spit toward the food, but Jeuk paid no mind.

“You’re…… joining that?”

“Is it that shocking?”

“Of course! This is news that’ll turn the film industry upside down!”

I barely managed to calm him down as he raised his voice in excitement.

“Hyung, keep it down.”

“Wow…… that’s really impressive.”

Impressive? 

I knew Incheol’s situation, but I didn’t think it was that big a deal.

“What’s going on? Who’s this director? Tell me too.”

Taewoon, stuck in the middle and clueless, kept asking, so I gave a brief rundown of Incheol’s history.

Taewoon’s expression shifted to match Jeuk’s.

“You’re joining that now?”

“Yeah.”

“Dude, you should avoid stuff like that! As a 10-year veteran in the industry, I’m telling you—stay away from controversial things. Getting tangled up will just give you headaches.”

“It’s too late. I already signed the contract and had a meeting today.”

These were the same things I’d heard from Hyungkyu, so I brushed it off casually.

Probably everyone else will say the same if I tell them.

Just thinking about the nagging I’d get for why I took this on already made my ears hurt.

“Wow~ I thought it was just a rumor, but you’re actually in that film.”

“Rumor?”

“Yeah, a senior I know in the film side mentioned rumors of that director’s comeback. No one believed it though.”

He must have had that much influence if he was doing so well back then.

“But it’d be tough for a director who did commercial films to switch to independents.”

“Is it that different?”

“Obviously! The budget’s small, so there are tons of restrictions on directing, and you have to handle everything yourself without the usual support. Plus, there are rumors his skills were overhyped…….”

I didn’t believe the overhype part, at least. I’d seen the ‘Collision’ script and his directing on the ad set with my own eyes.

“It’s not overhype.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“But do independent films even get theatrical releases? I don’t think I’ve seen many.”

“Yeah. Release might be impossible. Those people aren’t ordinary…….”

“The director already got a distribution deal lined up.”

Jeuk made a strange face at that.

“Oh? More capable than I thought…….”

“That probably wasn’t obtained through good means.”

“Huh?”

“From what I know, the staff who defended the director back then still can’t get a foot in the industry.”

If those people are blacklisted…… would they just overlook the director’s comeback?

Something’s off.

They must know about securing distribution in this tight-knit world. I felt the need to look into this more.

“But since you already signed, nothing to do about it…… I’m just saying this because I don’t want you getting caught in their crossfire.”

“Thanks.”

I knew Jeuk’s words were all out of concern for me.

“Enough of that talk—let’s change the subject! I just redid my home interior recently…….”

We wrapped up the serious discussion and chatted about trivial things.

[Kim Jeuk’s play today with Taewoon and Hyunjae]

He said Jeuk invited them, but I wondered when they’d come, turns out Taewoon came right after his schedule. I was thinking of going to see Kkabi today, but Hyunjae got there first and was waiting, then he wanted a pic with the life-size cutout so he was lingering around—super cute hahaha

ㄴDid he get the pic?

ㄴㄴYeah hahaha Some passerby took it for him

ㄴEven with a mask, anyone could tell it’s Jung Hyunjae hahaha

Loving Jung Hyunjae so much lately!

ㄴLooks like Taewoon went straight to see Jeuk after his promo ended. Nice seeing the Fruit Shop crew staying close

ㄴSad Jibin’s not there

ㄴㄴHe’s in a drama now, must be busy.

Fans watched warmly as the actors maintained their friendships even after the drama ended.

-Hyunjae, work like an ox for us.

ㄴHe just finished a drama—have some conscience?

ㄴ└Sorry to Hyunjae, but do I care? Hahaha Work hard for me!

ㄴㄴㄴTrue lol

-First time stanning an actor, dying from lack of content lol

ㄴHow’d you end up on this rough path

ㄴㄴHyunjae’s just too pretty.

└At least we have music shows for now—hang in there. The stylist unnie is killing it, love it!

ㄴShoutout to God Yerin!

ㄴHe was a prince this time—what’s next? So exciting

Actors inevitably have downtime between filming and releases, so fans craved more activity from Hyunjae.

-There’s a rumor Hyunjae’s in a new project

Then one comment shook the fans.

Huh? For real?

ㄴIt’s only been a bit since filming ended—how’s that rumor already out?

ㄴWhere’d you see it?

ㄴDon’t leave—spill

Fans piled on replies under that comment, and the person posted a new thread.

[Hyunjae in a new project, an independent film apparently]

I heard Hyunjae’s in a new independent film. Shooting starts soon…… but that’s not the issue.

Not sure if it’s true, but it’s supposedly S I C’s work.

└Film is great, but who’s S I C? Anyone know?

ㄴInitials—who? I have no idea

ㄴㄴThat guy who got in trouble for plagiarizing a junior’s idea?

ㄴHul? For real? They’re putting Hyunjae in something like that? Agency crazy?

└What is it. Please tell me too

ㄴㄴJust search on portal—it comes up right away, though it’s old so search back a bit.

With the initials out there, fans found it in no time.

ㄴShouldn’t we protest to the company? Why cast him in something like this.

└No…… Hyunjae, this isn’t it…….

No articles yet, so let’s not jump ahead

ㄴㄴWhat if it’s real?

ㄴㄴStorm Kingdom then—how dare they put our baby in this?

But the fans urging to wait exploded the next day when articles dropped.

[Jung Hyunjae, next project with Director Seo Incheol?]

[Seo Incheol making another comeback? ‘Collision’ teams up with rising star Jung Hyunjae]

[‘Baekdusan’, ‘To My Dear One’ director returns, this time with an independent film]