Chapter 9 : The Teaser Effect

After overcoming the hurdle of the basketball scene, the shoot flowed smoothly.

“Good! Right there—just lift the corners of your lips a bit! That’s it! Perfect~.”

In front of the monitoring screen, Jintae grinned so wide that his cheekbones practically touched his eyes.

“Hey, is that kid a rookie actor?”

A hair staff member, watching Hyunjae film, tapped Eunha’s shoulder and asked.

“Oh—no, he’s not.”

“Then is he one of the contestants on this show? He’s really something.”

“Hahaha, right?”

Even though it was clearly his first time filming, he looked so natural—it was obvious he was born for the spotlight.

“We can always tell, you know? Whether they’ll make it big or not.”

I didn’t answer out loud. I just replied with a knowing smile.

“I don’t think I saw him at the last shoot. Did he join late?”

“Oh! Right, you probably didn’t. You did hair for the profile shoots, right? He wasn’t there.”

I’d forgotten for a second—this staff member had done the contestants’ hair for their profile photos.

“He’s definitely debut material. Is he good at dancing or singing too?”

“Hahaha, that’s still a secret.”

“You’re keeping too many secrets, aren’t you?”

“Just make sure to watch the first episode.”

I silently apologized in my head—he wouldn’t actually be on it.

“Wow~ Writer-nim, you’re way too good at marketing. I guess I’ll have to watch the premiere live.”

“Haha, please do.”

Before the conversation could dig deeper, I quietly slipped away.

“Let’s take a short break!”

“Okay~ Noona!”

As soon as break time was called, Hyunjae ran straight to Eunha.

“Did I do okay?”

“Of course~ You were great. Come on, let’s rest in the waiting room for a bit.”

“Okay.”

“You’re hungry, right? I bought some sandwiches—go inside and eat.”

There was something about Hyunjae that always made Eunha want to take care of him—maybe it was the age gap, or how much like a kid brother he felt.

“Eunha, wait.”

“Hm? Hyunjae, go ahead and eat first—I’ll be right there.”

Jintae called out to her, so she sent Hyunjae off and walked over.

“We’ll release the first video as planned, and for the second one…”

“Huh? I thought we were only putting out one.”

“Now that we’re here, we might as well milk it for all it’s worth.”

How much more did he want to squeeze out of this?

“For the second video, ask the agency for the kids’ practice clips—mix them in well and upload it.”

So calculating.

He clearly wanted to use the other trainees to keep anyone from saying he was pushing just one person.

“Okay, got it.”

“But is Hyunjae really not interested?”

Jintae still hadn’t let go of that hope.

“I doubt it’ll ever happen.”

“Ah~ what a waste.”

Considering Hyunjae didn’t even know the biggest hit songs, his chances were zero.

“Just having him do the promo shoot is already a huge favor.”

“You’re right. And if there’s too big of a gap after the premiere, the buzz will die down—don’t forget to keep dropping little teasers.”

“Got it.”

Looking a bit rushed, Jintae turned his head and called out to the staff.

“Hey, let’s wrap up the prep for the next shoot quickly.”

Once filming ended, I returned to my ordinary life.

“Goodbye~”

“Ttori, say goodbye to hyung.”

“Bye~”

I waved off the occasional Shih Tzu guest, then sank onto the sofa.

“It feels like we’ve been getting more dog visitors lately.”

“That’s because of you. It wasn’t like this before.”

Well, I was good at it.

Communicating with dogs—figuring out what hurt and where—was second nature to me.

“Thanks to you, people say we have a ‘dog whisperer’ here.”

My knack for it had spread rumors that this vet clinic, which once mostly treated cows and pigs, had become the best place for dogs, too.

“Be honest—were you a dog in your past life?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve told you again and again—it’s just that I can read their expressions well.”

Even if I admitted it, no one would believe me anyway, so I just kept pretending.

“Anyone would think you’re an actual vet.”

“It’s all because I’m good at reading emotions.”

“Look at you, dropping fancy words after reading a few psychology books lately.”

I’d realized during the shoot just how clueless I was about the world, so I’d been studying hard these days.

“A book said it—life is a continuous learning process.”

“Oh, come on.”

Kyungho shook his head, exasperated.

“If you’re so eager to learn, why don’t you go do something else instead of staying here?”

“Why do you keep trying to get rid of me? It’s not like I have anywhere to go.”

I’d felt it for a while now—ever since Eunha showed up, Kyungho seemed oddly intent on pushing me out.

“Don’t you feel it’s a waste? A twenty-year-old kid stuck in the countryside, wasting time with an old man like me?”

“Not at all.”

I still had things to do for my revenge.

And I had no plans of leaving the man who’d taken me in.

“Other kids would be dying to run off to Seoul. Why aren’t you like that?”

“If I’m gone, what’ll happen to all those regulars we worked so hard to get?”

“I’m a capable vet, too, you know.”

“Who’s gonna do the heavy lifting? And what about the grandmas who come all the way into town just to see me?”

On market days, grandmas would often drop by the clinic just to say hi.

“Seriously… you’ve gotten closer to everyone here than I have, even though I’ve lived here for years.”

“They just like me for saying hello nicely.”

“Hello? More like wagging your tail at them.”

Wagging my tail?

I’m practically human now.

“Hmph. Anyway, don’t think about kicking me out.”

“So, when’s that thing you filmed coming out?”

“Oh, that? Well, I’m sure it’ll come out someday.”

After the shoot, I hadn’t heard a word.

“What was it again, an idol survival thing?”

“Yeah, an idol show.”

“You did a promo video—why not just go for it yourself?”

Last time he’d scoffed at the idea—now he was saying this?

“No way. I looked it up—turns out those kids train for like four or five years.”

“Really? They train that long?”

“Told you. It’s not something I can just jump into.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

What I wanted to do…

The only thing I really cared about was revenge.

“I don’t know yet. I haven’t really thought about it.”

“A kid your age, living with no goals?”

Kyungho lightly smacked me on the head.

“I do have a goal!”

“If you ever figure out what you want, just say so… Don’t worry about money.”

Then, as if embarrassed by what he’d said, Kyungho headed outside.

‘This tsundere old man…’

He was second only to my old master when it came to good people I’d met.

“If I want revenge, I need evidence first… Whoa—!”

While I was lost in thought, my phone suddenly buzzed.

“Hello?”

It was an unknown number, so I asked who it was, but only laughter echoed through the receiver.

Hehehe! Hahaha!

‘Ugh, this guy.’

I knew who it was the second I heard that laugh.

“If you’re just gonna laugh, hang up.”

Kekeke!

Ah~ thanks to you, I’ve laughed more today than I have all year.

“What now.”

He was the only friend I’d made as a human—my one same-age friend.

Aw, pretending you don’t know, huh?

So you are embarrassed.

“I’m busy, man.”

What nonsense, calling me after disappearing for ages.

Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to vote for you.

“Vote? What vote—oh, no way.”

The word ‘vote’ triggered my memory of the shoot. Had the video finally dropped?

But that eye smile of yours?

Seriously annoying.

Ugh—I hate it so much.

“When did you see it?”

Just now.

I never imagined your dream was to be an idol.

“It’s not. Just hang up.”

Come on~ don’t be shy.

Having a dream isn’t something to be ashamed of.

He kept babbling on, so I just hung up.

He was so excited to have something to tease me about.

“Did the video go up today?”

Pretending not to care, I still got curious. I searched ‘Number 9’ on the portal site.

[Hey, hey, hey! Did you guys see the new teaser for the Met survival show?]

└Isn’t that the place with all the rigged votes? No thanks.

LMAO, that show’s still going? Must be making money.

LL (link) No, just watch it first.

The linked YouTube video had only been up for thirty minutes.

[(Teaser1) Refreshing Boyish Charm—Global Idol Survival #Number9]

The clip was under thirty seconds, but the comments were pouring in.

LMAO he’s gorgeous

└Who is he?

└Must be a contestant. He’s guaranteed to debut.

LI bet he’s never once been ugly in his life.

The moment my face filled the screen, everyone reacted the same way.

└So what’s his name?

LI kinda want him to fail, but I feel like he’ll do well.

└Isn’t a solo teaser crossing the line? They’re clearly pushing him too hard.

LLIt says Teaser 1—just wait, the others will drop too.

└They were shady before, and this kinda smells fishy again.

Of course, some people grumbled about the solo teaser, but they were a minority.

And the buzz spread like wildfire.

[New Survival ‘Number9’—Contestant with Explosive Reactions]

[A Visual That Looks Three Years in the Making]

[Trainee Riding the Puppy-Faced Idol Route at Met]

LMAO, my eyes are blessed.

└Honestly, I thought it was overhyped, but I admit it now.

└So when does the show air?

└At this level, even if he’s awkward, I’ll forgive it.

└There haven’t been any decent rookies lately—guess I’ll look forward to this. LOL.

The ‘Number9’ production team was thrilled by all the buzz.

“See! I knew this would happen.”

“A few comments and shares, and the reactions came flooding in.”

“Normally, teasers don’t even hit these numbers—over 300K already!”

“I told you it’d work.”

“The video really came out well.”

“That’s why I had a good feeling about it.”

“He’d do great as an actor too.”

“Don’t even get me started—the calls haven’t stopped since it dropped.”

Agencies were blowing up their phones, demanding to know why he’d gotten a solo teaser and asking if he already had a contract.

“You didn’t give out his number, did you?”

Worried Hyunjae might be swarmed, Eunha checked.

“Nope, didn’t tell them.”

“He doesn’t even do social media, so as long as no one gives them his number, they’ll never find him.”

“Let’s ride this momentum—drop the second teaser right away and keep the hype up until the premiere!”

But despite Eunha’s hope that no one would track him down, Hyunjae’s phone was ringing off the hook.

“No… I’m not interested. Sorry.”

“How many calls is that now?”

No idea how they’d gotten his number, but every entertainment company imaginable had called since the video went live.

“I should just turn my phone off for a while.”

“Hey, hey—another call.”

“Ugh, I’m gonna lose my mind. Hello?”

Just as he’d feared—it was another agency.

Hello!

Is this Jung Hyunjae’s phone?

I’m Kim Hyungcheol from Vest Entertainment…

“I’m not interested in being a celebrity~ sorry.”

He rejected them automatically now, like an answering machine.

Wait!

Please, I’m Kim Hyungcheol, CEO of Vest Entertainment.

“Wait, what? Who did you say you were?”

The name Kim Hyungcheol made Hyunjae freeze.

Kim Hyungcheol, from Vest Entertainment.