By Zephyria 
“It’s a good thing we reshot this, right? We almost missed a masterpiece. Our actor thinks it was good to do additional filming too, right? Huh?”
“Ah, I don’t know! You said the filming was really over last time.”
“Aish! What could I do when I couldn’t catch the exposure of the passerby at that time. Come here and check the video. It’s really amazing.”
Whether it was because Choi Hwan was a famous actor with a high price tag or because he was good at acting, he was being treated very well even though he was grumbling. When Choi Hwan was satisfied after checking the video, the director shouted excitedly.
“Good luck today! Let’s take this momentum and shoot all the additional footage in one go!”
Yeon-rok, who wasn’t very interested in this kind of work, realized for the first time that filming also required quite a bit of luck. First of all, the weather had to be right, and even if the lead actor was good at acting, it was useless if the supporting actor made an NG. Props couldn’t be broken, there couldn’t be any external noise, and the action had to be well-coordinated. Today was particularly lucky. Everything was going smoothly, so the director was excited.
“Let’s take a short break!”
Only then did Choi Hwan return with a tired face. He was shivering from the cold due to the out-of-season clothes, but his face was beaded with sweat from the heat of the lights. The stylist quickly ran over to wipe away the sweat and fix his makeup. Choi Hwan, taking the water bottle that Yeon-rok handed him, asked.
“Hey, did Jun-ho Hyung come?”
Yeon-rok, who was also unwrapping snacks to hand him because he was hungry, answered after seeing a text message on his phone.
“He said he’ll arrive in an hour?”
“Really?”
In fact, the manager’s job was surprisingly easy, so Yeon-rok was feeling a bit guilty about whether he deserved to receive 5 million won.
Several times, the staff had looked for Choi Hwan’s manager and went to Yeon-rok, but most of them just gaped at Yeon-rok and sent him back. Maybe it was because of his clothes that they couldn’t just order him around. Thanks to that, Yeon-rok got to eat a lot of snacks from the food truck sent by the fans and got to see a lot of celebrities.
Choi Hwan, who had been taking a break while looking through the script, was called out for monitoring. It was when Yeon-rok was starting to feel tired and yawning. The stylist exclaimed in surprise.
“Oh! Manager, you’re having a nosebleed!”
“Am I?”
Yeon-rok, who had been watching Choi Hwan’s acting, replied nonchalantly, as it was something he had been experiencing often lately. The stylist handed him a tissue and worried.
“Is it because the weather is dry? Choi Hwan was also having a lot of nosebleeds like that a month or two ago. You don’t look good either. Do you want to go to the car and rest for a bit?”
“But…”
Feeling a bit awkward about resting when his employer was working hard, Yeon-rok hesitated, but the stylist pushed him on the back, saying that since he wasn’t doing anything anyway during monitoring, he should go and rest for at least 30 minutes. Feeling a sudden drop in energy and also feeling cold, Yeon-rok crawled into the van with the fluffy blanket that the stylist had given him.
“Ugh, it’s still cold.”
Even though winter was almost over, the wind was cold and chilly. Yeon-rok wrapped the blanket around himself and lay down on the seat. He hadn’t done anything much, but he was so tired that his eyelids drooped shut. He realized for the first time that it took so long to film a short scene of just a few minutes.
‘They’ll call me if they need me later…’
As soon as he reclined the seat, he fell asleep. How much time had passed? Yeon-rok, who had been sleeping soundly, lifted his heavy eyelids at the rattling movement.
“……?”
What is it? It seems like the car is moving? Soon, his eyes widened. It wasn’t a mistake, the car was really running with the sound of the engine. Surprised, Yeon-rok jumped up and looked around, and then he heard a voice from the driver’s seat.
“Woke up? I thought you were hibernating.”
Choi Hwan, sitting in the driver’s seat, said in an indifferent voice. Yeon-rok, who still hadn’t grasped the situation, asked in a daze.
“What? Is the filming already over?”
“Of course. Look outside. The sun is starting to set.”
As Choi Hwan said, the evening glow was starting to spread. However, winter days were short, so it was difficult to check the time with just that. Yeon-rok rummaged through his clothes to find his phone. But no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find his phone. Wondering if he had dropped it on the floor while sleeping, Yeon-rok sighed.
“Lend me your phone. I’ll call and try to find it.”
“We don’t have our phones.”
“……? What does that mean?”
“I left yours and mine with the stylist. We can’t have them tracking us. I think Yeom Cheon-ho is capable of doing that.”
Only after a few seconds did Yeon-rok realize what the situation was. Right now, Choi Hwan was ditching his manager, stylist, and even the bodyguards and running away. Yeon-rok screamed.
“Hey, you crazy bastard!”
“Ah, why! What’s wrong with me wanting to play a little since the filming ended early and I have time to spare!”
“I don’t care about any of that, but why are you taking me!”
“Do you think I want to take you? Who told you to sleep here? I can’t just leave you on the ground! They’ll find out soon anyway.”
Yeon-rok, feeling dumbfounded, touched the back of his neck. His head was spinning. He realized firsthand why Choi Hwan’s bodyguards had been complaining so much. By now, the four of them must be tearing their hair out because the two people they were supposed to be guarding had disappeared at once. Choi Hwan, who had successfully run away, hummed a tune, glanced at Yeon-rok, and said this.
“Well, at least you’re dressed nicely, so I won’t be embarrassed to take you.”
This bastard! He’s driving, so I can’t even punch him! Even as Yeon-rok clenched his fists, the car was running smoothly. Looking at the scenery outside, it seemed like they had already gone far from the filming location. Eventually giving up, Yeon-rok asked.
“So, where are we going?”
“Club.”
“Club? Cluuub? Dressed like that?”
Yeon-rok’s voice trailed off. That’s because Choi Hwan was still wearing the same clothes he had worn during filming. He hadn’t even removed the makeup from his face, so the scratches were still there. But Choi Hwan shamelessly said this.
“Why? Everyone likes it more. They say it’s like cosplay.”
I should have just let him call the President of his agency today. I was blinded by 5 million won. It looks like a similar predicament to when I was blinded by 3 million won last time is coming. Yeon-rok was just tearing at his hair, and Choi Hwan, interpreting it somehow, said confidently.
“Don’t worry. You’ll have fun once you get there. Hyung will take responsibility and make sure you have a good time.”
“Don’t call me Hyung!”
Perhaps because it was rush hour, the traffic was a bit heavy as they entered the city. Yeon-rok, who had neither a phone nor a wallet, gave up and just hoped to arrive at their destination. He just wanted to go eat something. No, to be honest, he wanted to go home and lie down because he wasn’t feeling well. In the meantime, Yeon-rok couldn’t just pass it by and asked.
“You have a Darling, so is it okay for you to go to a club?”
“Why? It’s not like I’m cheating there. I’m just hanging out with friends, and the place just happens to be a club.”
How could his answer be so shameless and immature!
“So, does your Darling say it’s okay for you to go to a club?”
Choi Hwan pretended to ignore him and focused on parking, saying nothing. Fine. I don’t care if they fight or make up at the club. What loyalty do I have to Moon Kyeon-woo to interfere…?
The place the car arrived at was the same club they had gone to last time. He thought it then too, but the entrance process was very secretive. They approached the parking lot of a seemingly ordinary building and slightly lowered the driver’s side window. A person who looked like a guard checked their faces and let them in, and inside there was a secret door. When they opened the door and went inside, an employee who had been waiting at the entrance quickly ran over.
“Welcome! I’ll guide you to your seat right away!”
The seat that the employee guided them to with a deep bow was different from last time. Last time, it was a relatively private seat, but this time it was right near the stage. It seemed that Choi Hwan had been mindful of Yeom Cheon-ho’s eyes last time and sat in a secluded seat, but today it meant that there was no one to be mindful of.
“Oh? Hwan, you came early today?”
“Hyung, are you here?”
“There are still plenty of seats here! Come quickly.”
The faces he had seen last time greeted Choi Hwan enthusiastically. Looking closely, there were also faces that were familiar to Yeon-rok. It meant that he had seen them in the mass media. Two or three of them looked around.
“Didn’t that Hyung from last time come?”
“What.”
Without any explanation, Choi Hwan replied curtly, but everyone seemed used to it and didn’t mind.
“I’m just saying it’s a shame. He could have become an advertiser… He looked like he had a lot of money at first glance. It would be great to make an impression.”
“This bastard shot a lot of commercials this year too.”
“Lee Min-young is also greedy.”
They chuckled among themselves, and then they turned their attention to Yeon-rok, who was standing behind Choi Hwan blankly.
“By the way, is he an acquaintance? Who is he?”
“I don’t know. He’s a face I’ve never seen before?”
None of the people here remembered Yeon-rok from last time. Maybe it was because he was wearing a baseball cap then. Someone asked mischievously.
“Could he be a Darling?”
“Me and this guy?”
Choi Hwan, leaning back on the sofa in a slouch, spoke rudely, and even the way he referred to him was very rude.