Chapter 31 : A Gift from a Star

“Why’s he on the phone? Who is it?”

“What’s going on?”

I mouthed the question quietly, curiosity tugging at me, but Minhee seemed too distracted to answer, her attention glued to the call.

“Delivery’s here!”

At that moment, a courier package arrived at the office.

“EHUH?”

One of the staff dashed out to retrieve it from the front of the building.

“Whoa, what’s this?”

“Is that… Hermès? Who sent this? Who’d send something like that?”

“Must be for the boss, right?”

The sight of a luxury shopping bag sparked a buzz among the staff, who crowded around to inspect the label.

“Huh? BigHigh? If it’s BigHigh, then…”

“EH?”

“Taehwan!”

As one, they shouted a single name.

“Taehwan, really?”

His name had been on everyone’s lips for days now, so familiar it almost felt like second nature.

The person I’d helped turned out to be one of Taehwan’s fans, and because of that, our agency had been flooded with gratitude from his supporters.

“Guess they sent it as a thank-you.”

“Wow, stars really are on another level, huh?”

It was a brand synonymous with luxury, and the staff’s reaction was nothing short of explosive.

“Yes, we’ll confirm on our end and get back to you.

By the way, has anyone here been contacted by the Today’s Fruit Shop team today?”

Minhee, having just ended her call, turned to the staff, who were still gawking at the luxury bag.

“Huh?”

“Nope, not me.”

Two of them shook their heads at her question.

“Didn’t they already wrap up casting for that show? Why would they call us?”

“We haven’t gotten any calls from them.

What’s up? Something wrong?”

Minhee frowned, tapping at her smartphone before holding it up to show us an article.

[Taehwan’s Acting Debut, Today’s Fruit Shop, Reveals Surprising Connection Among Friends?]

[Taehwan’s first acting role in Today’s Fruit Shop has already generated buzz with its casting now complete.

Jung Hyunjae takes the role of Dohwan, Park Jibin as Minwoo, and Kim Jewook as Junghyun, promising a charming quartet.

The standout casting, however, is Jung Hyunjae as Dohwan, recently the star of a viral SNS video…]

“What? Me?”

I blinked, stunned.

I distinctly remembered the audition—those skeptical glances, and Hyungyu telling me the role had gone to someone else.

“What’s going on?”

“How does a casting article drop without the agency even knowing?”

“Where’d this come from?”

We quickly traced the source, and there it was: the production company behind Today’s Fruit Shop.

“From the production company?”

“What the…”

As confusion swirled, Hyungyu strolled into the office.

“Boss! There’s an article out there—”

“I know.”

Unlike the frantic staff, Hyungyu was calm, unruffled.

“You know?”

“Yeah, it’s a mistake.

We were about to issue a correction—”

“No, we’re doing it.”

“What?”

I was the one who gasped this time.

“No idea what changed their minds, but they suddenly called and said they wanted Hyunjae for the role.”

Suddenly?

“Taehwan’s done with his solo album promotions, and they figured now’s the time to capitalize on the buzz, so they pushed the article out first.”

The explanation sounded plausible, but something felt off.

The casting was supposedly finalized, and they hadn’t seemed impressed with me at the audition.

So why me?

“They could’ve at least given us a heads-up.”

“Almost put out a correction for nothing.”

“Either way, Hyunjae, this is huge!

You wanted this role, didn’t you?”

The team was still reeling, but they rallied to congratulate me.

After all, I’d landed a part in a project I’d been dying to do.

“You’ll probably jump straight into this after wrapping Blue Sky Spring.”

“Got it.”

Donghyeok’s scenes were nearly done anyway, so the timing worked out perfectly.

“What’s that, though?”

Hyungyu nodded toward the bright orange shopping bag.

“Oh, that’s from BigHigh.

Probably a thank-you for what Hyunjae did.”

“Should we open it?”

The sealed bag was carefully opened, revealing a box inside.

“Look! There’s a note too!”

[Thank you for helping my precious fan. Please accept this small token.]

Taehwan’s name was signed at the bottom, and inside the box was a pair of luxury sneakers.

“Those must cost a fortune.”

“Seriously, we’re talking hundreds of thousands at least.”

“It feels like too much.”

Honestly, the attention was starting to feel overwhelming.

I’d only done a small favor.

“Don’t worry about it.

They probably didn’t even bat an eye at the cost.”

They sent something this expensive without a second thought?

“They’d rather you mention it later, like, ‘Oh, Taehwan sent me these as a thank-you!’

That’s what they’ll love.”

Hyungyu seemed to have their mindset pegged.

“If it feels like too much, just wear them.

If someone asks, mention it casually.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“I heard Taehwan gets paid millions a month.”

The staff nodded in agreement with Hyungyu’s take.

“I’ll get the script to you as soon as possible.”

“Got it.”

“Oh, and the production company wants to have a get-together now that casting’s finalized.

No scheduling conflicts, right?”

I nodded—no plans—and Hyungyu gave a satisfied “Alright” before heading to his office.

“Those shoes are gorgeous.

Try them on!”

“Now?”

“What, you planning to sell them on Grape Market or something?”

“No way! You think I’d do that?”

“Come on, put them on!”

At the staff’s insistence, I slipped them on.

They weren’t exactly comfortable, but they sure looked good.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“Gotta get some photos.

Your StarStar followers might not seem like a big deal, but people notice more than you think.

Come on.”

***

Minhee dragged me out, and that day, a rare new post went up on my StarStar account.

At a restaurant in Cheongnam-dong, the first gathering for Today’s Fruit Shop took place.

Managers and staff sat at another table, leaving the main cast—minus Taehwan—to share a table.

“Hey, we’re all playing friends, so just call me ‘hyung’ like it’s no big deal.”

Across from me sat Park Jibin, cast as Minwoo.

In the show, Minwoo’s the talkative, carefree one, and whether it was perfect casting or not, Jibin’s chatter never stopped here either.

“Yeah, we’re gonna be working together a lot, so let’s keep it casual.”

Next to him was Kim Jewook, playing Junghyun.

Jewook had started as a child actor, taken a break, and was now returning to the screen with this project.

“Haha, alright, got it.”

Among the four leads, including Taehwan, Jewook was the oldest, followed by Taehwan, Jibin, and then me, the youngest.

“At twenty, don’t you mostly get cast in school dramas?”

Jibin asked, picking at the food in front of him.

“Yeah, the project I’m on now is a student role too.”

Most of the scripts I got were for high school settings.

Early twenties actors often looked too young for adult roles, so the variety was limited.

“What’re you working on?”

“Blue Sky Spring.”

“Whoa, you got into that?”

Jibin’s eyes lit up at the mention of the title.

“I auditioned for Park Jaehoon’s younger brother in that one and didn’t get it.”

“I heard the competition was insane.”

“You’re in it? That’s wild!”

“Not that role, just a friend character,” I added quickly, not wanting any misunderstanding.

“Still, the director and writer are huge names.

Just working with them is an honor.”

“Totally! Plus, it’s Park Jaehoon’s project.

Man, that must be amazing.”

Jibin downed a glass of soda as he gushed about Jaehoon.

“I’d kill to land a project like that just once.”

“Speaking of, where’s Taehwan? He’s not here yet?”

Jewook checked his phone.

We were already thirty minutes past the meeting time.

“He’s a star.

You think he’s gonna show up on time?”

Jibin spoke as if he’d never expected punctuality in the first place.

“But didn’t he suggest this get-together to bond?”

“Come on, hyung.

Suggesting it doesn’t mean he’ll be on time.”

“Huh?”

Jewook tilted his head at Jibin’s comment, and I shared his confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“That’s just how they are.

I worked with Bora on a web drama once, and oh man, talk about a princess.”

Jibin shook his head, launching into a story.

“It was an autumn setting, and she suddenly wanted cherry blossoms falling during a kiss scene.”

Cherry blossoms in autumn?

Fallen leaves, maybe, but cherry blossoms?

“When we said it wasn’t possible, she went on about ‘dramatic license’ or whatever and threw a fit until they made it happen.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“And then in interviews, she’d act like she was this passionate actor contributing ideas, when all she did was memorize lines on set.”

Jibin’s words tumbled out breathlessly, the memory clearly still vivid.

“They just say whatever without thinking, and the crew ends up suffering to make it happen.”

“Maybe it’s not the same for everyone?”

“Yeah, he’s a busy idol.

A packed schedule could make him late,” I said, trying to defend Taehwan.

But Jibin seemed set in his disdain for idol-turned-actors.

“Be honest.

You know Taehwan, don’t you?”

Jibin leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

“What? No, not at all.”

I didn’t even know his name until recently.

“So they really picked you just because of that one thing?”

“Who’d pick me?”

“Your role was set for someone else, but it suddenly changed.”

I’d suspected something was off when the casting article dropped out of nowhere, and now it was confirmed.

But why me?

“Word is, Taehwan was the one who asked for the change…”

“Sorry I’m late!”

Taehwan’s arrival cut Jibin off mid-sentence.

“No, no, it’s fine! Come sit!”

What? People can just change like that?

Jibin, who’d been griping moments ago, greeted Taehwan with a bright smile, as if their earlier conversation never happened.

“Sorry, my last schedule ran late.”

“Haha, no worries!

You must be swamped.

Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Let’s order some more food!”

Jibin rang the table’s bell to call a server, adding more food and drinks to the order.

Who was the one complaining?

His enthusiasm for Taehwan was almost comically obvious.

Jewook caught my eye, clearly just as dumbfounded.

“We’re keeping things casual among ourselves.

You can do the same, Taehwan!”

“Really? Alright, I’ll drop the formalities then.”

“We’re all friends now!

Hyung’s the oldest, then you, me, and our youngest over here.”

As Jibin made introductions, my eyes met Taehwan’s for the first time.

“Hi, I’m Jung Hyunjae.”

“I’ve been wanting to meet you.

Thanks for helping my fan.”

“No, it was nothing.

I’m kind of embarrassed it got so much attention.”

“Haha, stuff like this makes me think the four of us coming together is fate, don’t you think?”

Jibin kept the conversation rolling, with Taehwan and Jewook chiming in occasionally.

It was better than awkward silence, but I felt oddly drained.

“Excuse me, I’m just gonna hit the restroom…”

“I’ll come with.”

Taehwan followed me as I headed out.

“Those shoes look good on you.”

“Oh, thanks.

I’m putting them to good use, thanks to you.”

He’d recognized the sneakers he’d sent me.

“Is there… something you wanted to say?”

It didn’t feel like he’d followed me just for a casual chat.

“I want to get to know you.”

“Huh?”

“I want to get close.

Like, really close.”

He winked at me with his left eye, a playful glint in his expression.

Why… me?

Getting flirted with by an idol in front of the restroom was a first.