Countryside Three Meals production announcement venue.
“Hyeonjae-ya, stand still for a sec.”
“Yes.”
Today I was wearing a crisp suit I rarely ever put on.
“Phewww…”
“Nervous?”
The stylist asked as she watched me quietly take deep breaths.
“Haha, no, not nervous exactly… just a little tense.”
I was fine with drama set cameras, but I still hadn’t gotten used to the ones that flashed nonstop.
“You fly around on set like it’s nothing… Okay, done. Hmm~ your physique is insane; the clothes look killer on you.”
“Is it okay?”
“Perfect! This is my absolute favorite brand, and getting to dress you in it makes me so happy!”
I didn’t know much about fashion, but the suit was apparently luxury, and the stylist looked genuinely thrilled.
“Popularity really is nice. Stuff like this gets sponsored left and right now.”
With Today’s Fruit Shop doing well, my own popularity was skyrocketing too.
“I’ll work even harder.”
“No~ you’re already doing amazing. I’ve never been this happy working.”
The stylist smiled warmly and used a lint roller to remove every speck of dust from my clothes.
“Here, drink this.”
“Thanks.”
I took a sip of the water Hayoon handed me just as Seungkwon opened the door and walked in.
“Hey~ Hyeonjae!”
“Hello! Wow—hyung, you look so cool today!”
“Ha, this is the real me.”
I was used to seeing him bare-faced in T-shirts, shorts, gloves, or rubber boots, so seeing him all dressed up definitely gave off full celebrity vibes.
“You really look like a celebrity.”
“Like a celebrity?”
“Yes!”
“Haha, man, you crack me up.”
Why am I funny? I didn’t get the joke, but I just laughed along with the grinning Seungkwon.
“What’s so funny?”
Hearing the laughter, Haejin and Youngjae walked into the waiting room together.
“Oh, Hyeonjae just said I look like a real celebrity and complimented me.”
“Pfft! Ugh, I’m jealous.”
“Wow~ our Hyeonjae looks awesome!”
Youngjae praised me the moment he saw me.
“Thank you. PD-nim looks great too.”
Youngjae was also neatly dressed in a collared shirt with perfectly styled hair.
“Come on, it’s just me…”
“PD-nim is more of a celebrity than we are. How many seasons of this show has it been?”
“He’s basically a master now.”
Seungkwon and Haejin didn’t miss the chance to tease Youngjae.
“What are you talking about~”
“It’s true! Your recognition is higher than most celebrities.”
“At this rate you’ll be holding fan meetings.”
“Fan meetings… don’t say ridiculous things!”
I was about to quietly slip out while they bickered when Haejin called me.
“Oh, Hyeonjae-ya. I watched your drama—it’s good.”
“You watched it?”
Haejin suddenly brought up the drama.
“Not all of it, just the beginning, but it was pretty fun.”
“Thank you!”
Since it was only on a domestic OTT with limited accessibility, I thought he might not have seen it.
“There aren’t many works like that these days; it’s been a while since I enjoyed something.”
“Right! Where is she? Jooyeon-ah!”
Seungkwon suddenly shouted someone’s name, and the owner of the name jumped in surprise before bolting out of the waiting room.
“She ran away. She’s from our agency; she tagged along because she wanted to see you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. According to her manager, she goes around the company singing ‘Dohwan~ Dohwan~’ all day.”
“Why did she run?”
“Probably embarrassed.”
I’d only ever heard second-hand that someone liked me; this was my first time actually encountering a fan, so I was happy—but she had already vanished.
“I could’ve signed something for her and taken a photo…”
“Just leave her. She’ll be peeking from a corner again soon.”
“You’ve done a production announcement before, right?”
“No, this is my first.”
“Really? Your first?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m super nervous right now.”
After hearing I’d be attending, I looked up past announcements and saw that reporters often asked rude or sensitive questions on the spot.
“What if I can’t answer properly?”
“It’s fine~ if it gets tough, we’ll help from the side.”
“Just smile and let it slide.”
Having done the series for so long, they all looked completely at ease.
“It’s almost time~ we’re going in soon!”
A staff member announced the start, we did one last styling check, and headed to the venue.
“Wow…”
There were way more reporters than the last event, completely filling the space; some were even standing at the back because there weren’t enough seats.
“It’s nothing. When they introduce you, just go up, strike a pose, and come down.”
“Got it.”
Youngjae kindly explained to rookie me, and soon it was time—the event began.
All the lights in the hall went dark except for the stage.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Park Kyungmin, your host for today. TVM’s flagship variety show! Countryside Three Meals Season 6 is back. I’m already excited to see what kind of healing it’ll bring us this time.”
As expected from a famous event MC, she spoke smoothly without a single hitch.
“Returning for a new season—let’s meet them! The ones who always delight our eyes and mouths with delicious food…!”
With flashy praise she introduced Seungkwon, then Haejin and Youngjae in turn, and finally called my name.
“And next is our brand-new face! Hard worker, full of aegyo—nothing he lacks, the golden maknae of Countryside Three Meals! Jung Hyeonjae-ssi!”
My name was called; I strode confidently onto the stage.
“Wow~ look at those long legs. Hyeonjae-ssi, please step forward and strike a pose!”
Posing was easy—I’d taken countless photos on jobs so far.
“Great~ next! How about a cute maknae pose?”
C-cute pose? I was momentarily flustered, but after doing every trending challenge for drama promotion, I could pull it off.
I unleashed every aegyo expression and pose I’d been asked for lately, and the camera shutters went off nonstop.
“Oh my! That pouty face! So adorable! As expected from the golden maknae.”
“Hahaha.”
I could hear Seungkwon and Haejin laughing beside me, but I shamelessly kept going.
“We’d love to see more, but we’re short on time. Now, after a short break, we’ll begin the official production announcement.”
A table and chairs were brought onto the stage, and we sat in our assigned seats.
“Finally, the Countryside Three Meals we’ve been waiting for returns in a new form. First, a short greeting and program explanation from the director.”
“Hello, I’m Na Youngjae, director of Countryside Three Meals. Once again…”
They clearly hadn’t reached season 6 for nothing; they spoke flawlessly, and the announcement sailed along smoothly.
“Hyeonjae-ssi?”
“Yes!”
I just answered when Kyungmin called my name, and small laughter erupted from the front.
“Mic.”
“OH!”
Haejin pointed at the mic in front of me; I hurriedly grabbed it.
“How did it feel to be on the same show with such senior entertainers?”
“Uh… first of all, it’s an honor to be on the same program…”
“Turn it on.”
“Ah.”
I must have accidentally turned it off after the greeting earlier.
I’ve never used one of these before—of course I wouldn’t know.
Talking into a mic felt awkward too.
“S-sorry.”
“Our maknae is new to these events, so please understand.”
“It’s his first production announcement~”
“It’s okay, it’s too cute.”
“It was an absolute honor to film with the seniors, and they took such good care of me that filming was comfortable… yes, that’s it.”
Why do words that usually come out fine disappear at times like this?
“Alright~ that’s how it was. Even your frozen state is adorable. Now we’ll move on to questions from the reporters. Please raise your hand if you have a question.”
Several reporters raised their hands, and the mic went to one of them.
“Hello, News Media here. Question for the director. You’re famous for casting big stars—how did you come to work with Jung Hyeonjae-ssi?”
Put nicely, but in one sentence: Why cast a total rookie? Is there something going on?
Youngjae smiled as if he’d been waiting for exactly this question and picked up the mic.
“I’ve been waiting for this one. Casting Hyeonjae-ssi really was pure coincidence.”
Youngjae told the story of meeting me during location scouting.
“I thought it would be good to have someone connecting the villagers and the members, and I felt this friend could do it perfectly. And of course, he did.”
“Wow~ what a fateful connection.”
“You’ll understand the moment you watch why Hyeonjae was needed.”
“Next question?”
A few more questions came, mostly directed at the director and the two seniors; I just listened quietly.
“Hello, Light Sports. Question for Hyeonjae-ssi.”
Finally, one came to me.
“You’ve debuted less than a year ago, yet you’re already a drama lead and now on a flagship variety show—an unusually bold path. What’s the secret, and between the two seniors, who took better care of you?”
“Bold path,” “secret”—the intent behind the question was obvious.
“Thank you for the question. It’d be a lie to say luck had nothing to do with it. I was lucky, and many people helped me. But the most important thing… is probably challenging yourself and working hard, right?”
At my words, Haejin quietly nodded beside me.
“I’m still lacking as a rookie, but I’ll keep challenging myself and working harder to become someone who can bring even more joy to everyone.”
I stood up, bowed ninety degrees toward the reporters, and greeted them.
“Ah! And the senior who took better care of me today… is Senior Haejin.”
“You!”
The moment Haejin’s name left my mouth, Seungkwon grabbed his mic and pointed at me.
“Haha, Senior Haejin gave me candy in the waiting room earlier.”
“Wow… when did I even do that?”
“You didn’t give him any? You’re supposed to carry snacks for the maknae in your pocket.”
“Waa~”
Seungkwon looked dumbfounded as if he’d been tricked, while Haejin flashed a gummy smile.
Thanks to their bickering, the atmosphere brightened again.
“Thank you to all the reporters here today. We’ll see you on the 27th for Countryside Three Meals Season 6. This concludes the production announcement. Thank you!”
And with that, the event ended.
“Great work~”
“You did well.”
“That last answer was perfect.”
Haejin patted my back.
“No, it wasn’t.”
“There are always people who can’t stand seeing others succeed.”
“Wanna grab dinner? You guys free?”
Youngjae suggested food, but Haejin declined.
“I have a movie meeting.”
“Another movie?”
“Every time I ask what he’s doing, he’s filming a movie. When does the guy ever rest?”
Movie? Movie… ah! The script!
Haejin’s mention of movies suddenly reminded me of something I’d completely forgotten.
The moment I got in the car, I pulled out the script I’d stashed away.
“Wow, I totally forgot about this.”
I’d meant to read it later but got too busy.
I turned to the first page—and a business card fell out as soon as I did.
This name…
A name that felt both unfamiliar and familiar was written there.