The categories in which Tae-ha was directly nominated for the Baegam Arts Awards were as follows:
Grand Prize (TV), Best Drama, Best Screenplay, and Best New Actor (Film).
Although Tae-ha was associated with several other categories, these were the ones where he was a direct nominee.
As a reminder, Tae-ha had been nominated for Best New Actor (TV) at the Baegam Arts Awards the previous year. It was thanks to his performance in *Heureojeo Itdeon Saramdeul*.
Unfortunately, his chances of winning back then hadn’t been very high. There were several other rookie actors who had shown similar or even better performances than Tae-ha.
Therefore, he hadn’t bothered to attend the Baegam Arts Awards the previous year. His entertainment agency had mentioned that showing his face at least once would be good for his public recognition regardless of whether he won an award, but he simply didn’t have the time. He had been too busy filming *Killer x Killer* while simultaneously writing the script for *Virus*.
However, this time, he was nominated in four categories, and his chances of winning at least one were quite high. Consequently, even for Tae-ha, who was preparing for a shoot alongside working on the script for *Your Radiant Shimmer*, it was impossible to miss.
And so, despite his busy schedule, Tae-ha had to prepare for the awards ceremony.
Of course, the person busiest with the preparations was stylist Kim Su-jin, who had to secure clothing sponsorships. In Tae-ha’s case, all he had to do was wear the clothes Kim Su-jin prepared, attend the ceremony, take photos without appearing nervous, and — if he was lucky — take the opportunity to give an acceptance speech.
But…
“Tae-ha. You have to do well today. You really have to do well. You know that, right?”
Inside the car heading to the awards ceremony, Im Chan-hyung repeatedly emphasized this, putting pressure on Tae-ha, who was wearing an Ilario suit prepared by Kim Su-jin. It was a level of pressure from Im Chan-hyung that Tae-ha had almost never experienced before.
The reason Im Chan-hyung was acting this way was obvious. He was more nervous than Tae-ha himself. He was so anxious that his face remained pale throughout the entire drive to the venue.
After checking Im Chan-hyung’s complexion, Tae-ha let out a small chuckle, unable to help himself. Im Chan-hyung, who had been sitting next to him with an anxious expression, caught the smile and asked with a dissatisfied look.
“What is it? Why are you laughing?”
Normally, Im Chan-hyung would have been behind the steering wheel. The reason he was currently sitting next to Tae-ha was simple: the one driving wasn’t Im Chan-hyung, but a newly hired road manager.
Due to the success of *Killer x Killer*, Tae-ha was now the undisputed flagship star of Sa Entertainment. Im Chan-hyung, who had raised such a flagship star, was receiving significant recognition from the company. The hiring of a new road manager for Tae-ha was for this very reason. They couldn’t have someone of Im Chan-hyung’s standing doing the driving anymore.
That meant the company was now determined to officially groom Im Chan-hyung for higher positions. Soon, he might even hold the title of Director.
Yet here he was, looking this nervous.
Tae-ha spoke up, thinking once again that Im Chan-hyung was quite cute.
“Ah, sorry, sorry. Seeing you more nervous than I am just made me laugh suddenly.”
“Darn it. Do you think I want to be nervous? I don’t want to be, but my heart won’t stop racing. What can I do?”
“Why are you so nervous? Are you worried I’ll make a mistake at the ceremony?”
“As if… why would I be nervous about that? I know your character better than anyone.”
“Then why?”
“I just can’t help thinking that my actor might actually win an award at a place like the Baegam Arts Awards. How can I not be nervous?”
“……”
Tae-ha couldn’t help but be moved by the fact that this was the reason for his manager’s anxiety. It made him realize once again how much Im Chan-hyung truly cared for him.
On the other hand, he understood why Im Chan-hyung was so tense. The Baegam Arts Awards was indeed a massive event. It could be said to hold the highest authority in the country. In terms of film, it was considered one of the top three along with the Daemyeong Film Awards and the Hwangryong Film Awards. In the TV category, its prestige surpassed the awards ceremonies of the three major terrestrial broadcasting stations.
In particular, cable stations and OTT platforms currently had no awards ceremonies of their own. For that reason, as the only major integrated ceremony, the authority of the Baegam Arts Awards was growing with each passing day. It was natural for Im Chan-hyung to feel immense pressure while watching Tae-ha participate in such an event.
Of course, unlike Im Chan-hyung, Tae-ha wasn’t particularly nervous. The reason was simple: his immersion ability.
That was right. Unlike the other people invited to the ceremony today, Tae-ha had one more thing to prepare. He had to decide which target he would immerse himself in.
‘Through repeated use of my immersion ability, I’ve realized that the effect changes depending on the target.’
The first time he had confirmed such a dramatic difference in effect was during the stage greetings for *Killer x Killer*. At that time, he had even set the target incorrectly, which prevented the immersion ability from working effectively. If he hadn’t used his wits to quickly change the target to an ‘Idol’, something disastrous might have happened.
Because of that experience, Tae-ha had no choice but to be cautious when choosing his target. After much deliberation, the target Tae-ha chose was ‘a top-tier actor who overwhelms the atmosphere just by appearing’. It was a setting that could be considered a bit excessive, but it was necessary. To stand out at an awards ceremony where numerous stars were showing off their most glamorous selves, he had no other choice.
Rather, Tae-ha believed that a true star should shine even among a sea of stars.
While Tae-ha was lost in thought, his vehicle finally arrived in front of the red carpet. Just before the car door opened, Tae-ha activated his immersion ability and looked at Im Chan-hyung.
“I’ll be back.”
At that moment, Im Chan-hyung felt a wave of warmth spread through his body, and all his nerves and worries seemed to melt away. The immersion ability had been successfully activated.
Finally, the car door opened. Maintaining his immersion, Tae-ha stepped onto the red carpet.
However…
‘Huh?’
The atmosphere around the red carpet was strange. The moment he stepped onto the carpet, he expected camera flashes to start going off like crazy, but he felt nothing. Tae-ha looked up in confusion and realized why the surroundings had gone quiet.
The photographers holding their cameras were staring at Tae-ha with dazed expressions.
‘The immersion ability… it’s working!’
Realizing this, Tae-ha made a hand gesture as if pressing a shutter toward the photographers and asked, “Aren’t you going to take photos?”
Only then did the photographers snap out of it and begin pressing their shutters. Soon, loud voices echoed across the red carpet.
“Tae-ha! Please look this way!”
“Over here too!”
“Please!”
The photographers competitively took an enormous number of photos. Among them, the one that stole the fans’ hearts the most was the shot capturing the moment Tae-ha made the gesture of pressing a shutter.
***
After taking photos at the photo zone and entering the venue, Tae-ha immediately sent a message somewhere along with a selfie.
[(Photo)]
[The ceremony is about to start!]
[I wasn’t as nervous as I expected on the red carpet, but I’m not sure how I’ll feel later;]
[I’ll do my best! Please cheer for me so I can do well without getting nervous! ^.^]
It was Planet, the message communication platform he used consistently. As soon as Tae-ha sent the message, words of encouragement poured in as if they had been waiting. Among them were messages praising his outfit in the photo and mentioning the red carpet articles that had already been uploaded online.
It was a moment that made him realize once again how much interest his fans had in him. Because of that, Tae-ha thought to himself.
‘I hope I can win at least one award so I can express my gratitude to Taecho.’
While many people helped Tae-ha, the ones who gave him the most strength were undoubtedly his fans. After all, without fans, Tae-ha wouldn’t even be able to participate in such a glamorous ceremony. The reason Tae-ha consistently communicated with his fans through his fan cafe, MyStar, and Planet was for this very reason. He wanted to give back even a little to the fans who waited for news of him day and night.
This was also the reason why Tae-ha wanted to receive an award at the Baegam Arts Awards today. He wanted to express his gratitude to his fans in a public setting.
Unfortunately, Tae-ha’s chances of winning weren’t very high. Although he was nominated in four categories, the only one where a win seemed likely was Best New Actor (Film). In the other categories, the people and works he was up against were far too formidable.
Especially in the TV categories, he had completely cleared his mind of any expectations. This was because, in the winter of the same year *Virus* recorded excellent viewership ratings, an all-time hit had been born.
It was the drama *High Level*, which dealt with the wealth gap in high society, entrance exam wars, and school and domestic violence, recording a peak viewership rating of 26.3%. Even though it had aired on the terrestrial station SBC, the difference in ratings alone showed what kind of drama *High Level* was. In fact, public opinion suggested that *High Level* surpassed *Virus* even in terms of topicality.
The timing of the broadcast also favored *High Level*, as dramas that aired just before an awards ceremony naturally received better evaluations. Recent experiences were bound to leave a stronger impression. This was simply human psychology.
For that reason, it was better for Tae-ha’s peace of mind not to expect a win in the TV categories.
The silver lining was that in the film category, no work had recorded better results than *Killer x Killer*. In fact, *Killer x Killer* was currently nominated for seven categories: Grand Prize, Best Film, Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and the category Tae-ha was directly nominated for.
Because it was nominated in seven categories, some were even talking about whether *Killer x Killer* would become the first film to win seven awards at the Baegam Arts Awards.
Of course, seven awards was likely too much to hope for. However, since the talk was so positive, the expressions of the *Killer x Killer* staff members attending the ceremony today couldn’t help but be bright. Jeong Myeong-hwan, in particular, was a strong candidate for the Grand Prize, Best Film, and Director categories. Lee Seok-hyun was also one of the powerful candidates for Best Actor.
‘Both of them seemed visibly nervous yet happy about being nominated yesterday. I wonder what their expressions are like today.’
In addition to those two, he was also curious about the expressions of Han Yun-seong, Yoo Yeonha, and Yun Taeseong, who were nominated for Best Actor (TV), Best Actress (TV), and Best Director (TV), respectively.
Of course, as mentioned before, because of *High Level*, the chances of those three winning were not very high. *High Level* also featured outstanding actors and a director who showcased incredible acting and directing skills.
As one could tell from this, *Virus* was nominated in a total of five categories: Best Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Unfortunately, it didn’t make the list of nominees for Technical Awards, Best Supporting Actor, or Best New Actor.
Anyway, just as Tae-ha was lost in thought about the ceremony after sending his message on Planet, an usher who had been following him since the red carpet spoke to him.
“I will guide you to your seat, Actor Kang Tae-ha.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Tae-ha followed the usher.
A moment later, after confirming his assigned seat, Tae-ha couldn’t help but feel troubled.
‘The seating… why is it like this?’ —