Chapter 33 : Red Flag

At first, I thought, “No way.”

The name Lee Hayoon made me think it might be a female manager, so I was even more skeptical.

“Lee… Hayoon-nim?”

But those bright, rabbit-like eyes shining within that tiger-like appearance were unmistakable.

“Huh? Donghyeok?”

“No way, you’re my manager?”

As Hayoon and I exchanged glances, the staff looked back and forth between us.

“Uh… I think so, right…?”

I asked cautiously, and Hayoon nodded silently without changing his expression.

“So, you’re not an extra?”

“Why would a manager be here…?”

“What’s going on?”

The staff found it strange that someone claiming to be a manager was appearing as an extra.

“Are you really a manager? You didn’t come here as an extra, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you here?”

Junhyung asked Hayoon with genuine curiosity, and Hayoon stared at him blankly with an expressionless face.

“Why… why are you looking at me like that…?”

With his tanned skin, sharp eyes, broad shoulders, and forearms as big as his face, Hayoon looked intimidating just standing there, even without doing anything.

“They told me to…”

“Huh?”

“They… dragged me…”

“What? What did you say?”

He mumbled so softly that Junhyung couldn’t hear him clearly.

He doesn’t look like it, but is he actually really shy?

With my sharp hearing, I spoke on Hayoon’s behalf.

“He said they dragged him to the set as soon as he arrived.”

“What? Who dragged him… Wait, is that suit yours?”

Junhyung looked Hayoon up and down.

“Yes.”

“Oh! That must be why they got confused.”

Since no one would wear a suit on a film set, they must have mistaken Hayoon for an extra because of his attire.

“If you’re not an extra, you should’ve said something…”

“Sorry.”

“If you stay quiet until the shoot starts, what are we supposed to do?”

Junhyung scratched his head, expressing his frustration.

“Sorry.”

Hayoon apologized again in his deep voice.

“What are you all doing? Hurry up and find the real extra!”

“Yes!”

“This is a first, even for me.”

“Haha, seriously. All kinds of things happen.”

Since it was just a small misunderstanding, everyone laughed it off.

“Manager-nim?”

Hayoon, now out of the camera’s frame, approached me.

He was slightly taller and bulkier than me.

Is this a manager or a bodyguard?

It didn’t seem strange at all that the staff mistook him for a gangster extra.

“Hello, I’m Jung Hyunjae.”

“Hello, I’m Lee Hayoon.”

We greeted each other, and a brief silence followed.

To break the awkwardness, I spoke first.

“You’re my manager starting today, right?”

“Yes.”

“I never would’ve guessed you’d show up in a suit.”

“It’s my first day…”

“Oh~”

A suit for his first day. What era is he living in?

“I feel like I’m younger, so you can speak casually if you want.”

For some reason, I felt like he’d keep using formal speech unless I said something.

“Oh, slowly…”

“Take your time and call me when you’re ready. It’ll probably be a while before my shoot starts.”

“Oh, okay.”

I’ve met many managers, including Jaehyun’s—talkative ones, overly enthusiastic ones, boastful ones, clumsy ones—but someone this shy was a first.

“Have you always been a manager?”

“No.”

“Then, can I ask what you did before?”

“Just…”

He trailed off after saying “just.”

“Well… anyway, I look forward to working with you!”

We’ll get close soon enough, right?

They said they picked him after reviewing tons of resumes, so I was a bit puzzled by how different he was from my expectations.

But it didn’t take long to understand why Hyungkyu chose Hayoon.

“Here.”

“Wow! Hyung, how did you know this is my favorite?”

“…The CEO told me.”

Despite his appearance, he was thoughtful and kind.

“You’ve got great taste! I’m touched!”

And when I hyped him up or complimented him, his ears turned red, and he got adorably shy.

“It’s not a big deal…”

It was like a Doberman with a Shih Tzu inside.

“Shooting prep is done~”

“Yes!”

The final shooting day for Blue Sky Spring had arrived.

The last scene was with Gongjun.

“I’ll be back!”

The final shoot took place at a middle school.

It was a scene where Donghyeok and Beomwoo become true friends and have a conversation.

“Okay, let’s adjust the camera and go right in.”

While preparing, Gongjun casually asked me,

“Got your next project lined up?”

“Yeah, it’s already in the news. Didn’t you see it?”

“Oh… I think I did. Who was it… Oh, that web drama with the idol Taeun, right?”

You saw it pretty well.

For someone claiming not to remember, he recalled it perfectly.

“Yup, that’s the one.”

“No projects to pick from, so you’re taking a supporting role with Taeun?”

There are so many successful idol-turned-actors these days, and he’s still got that mindset?

“What’s wrong with Taeun?”

“Isn’t it his first time acting? A newbie in a supporting role is a bit much.”

“I chose it because I wanted to.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have taken it. It’s embarrassing.”

At this point, I caught on.

He’s just bragging about his next project by putting mine down.

“What about you? Got your next project?”

I asked, throwing him a bone since he clearly wanted to talk about it.

He answered with a smug look, barely pausing for breath.

“It’s not in the news yet, but… it’s a youth drama on KBC. Opposite Jeon Sohyun.”

That’s worth bragging about.

Being the counterpart to Jeon Sohyun, who successfully transitioned from a child actor to an adult, was a solid role.

And if it’s the male lead, that’s an ideal path.

“Nice. Congrats.”

“Well, it’s only natural.”

I’m pretty confident, but this guy’s no slouch either.

“We’re starting the shoot!”

Just as I was getting tired of humoring him, the shoot began at the perfect time, and I slipped into Donghyeok’s role.

“If you want to be a big deal, you’ve got to prepare early. Just studying like this won’t cut it.”

“You’re going on and on just to say you don’t want to study.”

“Hey, I’m only saying this because it’s you.”

I put my hand on Beomwoo’s shoulder and continued the lines.

“Should I learn a sport like your brother?”

“Stop talking nonsense and study.”

“Let’s go sign up for boxing after this. You’ve got to jump on these things.”

“Ugh…”

Beomwoo shook his head at Donghyeok, who wasn’t listening, but his face was full of smiles.

“You’re still loitering out here when class started ages ago!”

“Hakju!”

“Huh?”

At Hakju’s voice, Donghyeok turned around, and when he looked forward again, Beomwoo was already running off.

“Hey! You’re ditching me?”

“You’re the idiot for turning around.”

“Both of you, stop right there!”

The shoot ended with Beomwoo and Donghyeok running through the school together.

It was a clean wrap for Beomwoo’s friend, Donghyeok.

“Cut!”

With Director Myungchul’s call from Team B, Donghyeok’s final scene was over.

“Good work!”

“Today’s Donghyeok’s last day, right? Great job.”

“You worked hard.”

The staff, knowing it was my last shoot, offered their congratulations.

It’s a little emotional.

Though the role wasn’t huge, it was my first, so I had an attachment to Donghyeok.

“I was worried since you’re a rookie, but you did great. Thanks.”

“No, thank you. I learned so much because of you, Director.”

Unlike the cold Yongseok, Myungchul communicated a lot with actors and was supportive of a rookie like me.

“Don’t act like you don’t know me when you make it big.”

“No way~ I’d never do that.”

“You worked hard.”

Myungchul patted my shoulder twice and moved on to the next shoot.

“I’ve got another shoot, too.”

Gongjun left abruptly without another word.

Yeah, I didn’t expect much from you anyway.

“Huh?”

But this was unexpected.

“They say you do this for the last shoot…”

Hayoon appeared holding a bouquet of yellow flowers.

“Wow, what’s this~?”

“The CEO said he was too busy to take care of it, so he told me to do it instead…”

He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, and handed me the bouquet.

“I’m so touched! Thank you~ We’ve got to take a photo for this.”

As I was taking pictures with the bouquet Hayoon gave me, I heard a voice calling from a distance.

“Hey! Oppa!”

“Over here! Here!”

Three high school girls from the school next door opened a window and waved their arms, shouting.

“Me?”

“Yeah! Is this you?”

One of the girls stretched out her arm, holding a tablet PC to show me a photo.

What’s that… Oh! It’s that one.

The photo was from the first meeting of Fruit Store Today, with the four of us together.

“That’s me!”

I nodded and made a circle with my arms, and the girls squealed in excitement.

“Kyaa! I knew it!”

“You’re so handsome!”

“Are you filming with Taeun-oppa? I’m jealous!”

They seemed to be Taeun’s fans, judging by how they mentioned him.

Idol popularity is something else.

Though my casting was recent, I could feel Taeun’s popularity enough to understand why Hyungkyu talked about him.

“Please show lots of support~”

“We’ll definitely watch the broadcast!”

“You’re handsome!”

“Take good care of our oppa!”

I waved back with a smile as they shouted.

After a few more words, they disappeared in a panic, probably because a teacher showed up.

“Haha, they’re cute.”

Starting tomorrow, I’d dive into preparations for Fruit Store Today.

How’s it going to turn out?

I was excited about what this project would bring.

At the first meeting, I could tell—nobody seemed particularly invested in the project.

If they were, they wouldn’t avoid talking about it this much.

But I didn’t have any complaints about that.

An actor just needs to act well.

Interest in the project or not, as long as I did my job well, that’s what mattered.

“Hyunjae-ssi?”

Lost in thought, Hayoon called out to me.

“Oh, hold on. I haven’t taken the photo yet.”

Until I was smiling brightly with the flowers, I didn’t realize how tough the condition of “just act well” could be.

“Uh…”

At the first script reading, everyone was stunned.

Gongjun was a saint compared to this.

I thought bad acting from idols was a thing of the past, but seeing it in person… words failed me.

“Don’t talk nonsense and get lost.”

Every line was so cringe-worthy that I could see the “What do we do?” looks on everyone’s faces.

“Yoo Dohwan!”

How does he make just calling a name sound so awkward?

An unexpected problem—bad acting—had entered my plans, and a thought crossed my mind:

This… might actually flop.