144. …Lies.
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
This was the first time that an actor, not a director, said something to me directly.
“They say that if only Taemin shows up, they’ll film all day. I understand why.”
Her words, which seemed like she wasn’t expecting anything, pierced my heart so painfully.
“Just memorize the script correctly, okay?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Even if you’re a rookie, don’t you have to do the basics?”
Nothing else came to mind other than saying I was sorry.
“Don’t ruin the fun of filming. Other people.”
She clicks her tongue and sighs.
I want to run away.
I want to stop.
Her hands, hidden under the table, were shaking uncontrollably.
There was no one who protected me.
The director looked at us with a cold face. Instead of scolding me, he just gave me a look as if he were looking at an insect.
“I’ll go again. Q.”
After that, I couldn’t concentrate any longer and ended up getting my lines wrong.
* * *
[Brother. Are you late today too?]
My brother comes home a lot late these days.
On days when there is no filming, he seems to be practicing until at least 10 o’clock these days.
It seemed like it was almost dawn just yesterday.
Maybe that’s why sending a text message like this actually seemed a bit tactful.
Because it seems like busy people keep getting on my nerves.
Just as my brother doesn’t make personal contact when I’m broadcasting, I thought I should also be able to show that kind of consideration.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of desire to see it.
I just sent a short message and rationalized that I had waited this long.
The reply came back shortly after.
[Yes. I think so. Sorry.]
[What is there to be sorry about? Do well! Call me when it’s over.]
[Yes. I’ll contact you later. Thank you hahahaha]
When I put down my phone, I felt like my body was losing energy.
Ah… I was going to ask you to come early and see your face…
I envy my older brother who is still able to watch his lover again.
I wish I could see how my brother is doing when he works.
Even though he is busy, Lucario watches Luca’s broadcasts through clips and replays.
You can’t ask for a recording of this.
Wait a minute… Um… Then…
Okay! I’ll have to ask later!
I turned on the mobile game on my phone and waited until my brother contacted me before making up my mind.
The phone call came in 1 hour and 30 minutes later.
[Hello.]
[You worked hard.]
[No. What. I have to do something like this so I can go and pretend to be a person.]
[Aren’t you working too hard these days? Then what should I do if I receive the Rookie Actor Award?]
I try to be more charming by adding a more nasal tone to his tired-looking voice.
[It wasn’t like that.]
The sound of his awkward laughter reaches my ears.
[I said there was a filming tomorrow, right?]
[Yes. It’s in the morning.]
[What time is it?]
[It’s 11 o’clock, but you leave in the morning at 7 o’clock? I think it would be around 8 o’clock at the latest.]
[You came this late and left that early?]
[Because I have to get my makeup done and then wait.]
[Hmm… Hmm…!]
After clearing my throat a couple of times, I brought out the main topic of the day to him.
[Where do you film?]
[Where was it? I think it was somewhere in Hyosin-dong.]
[Where exactly is Hyosin-dong?]
[I heard it was somewhere in the residential area behind the cafe street. But why?]
Hyosin-dong… Behind the cafe street… Residential area…
After moving my thumb to complete the memo on my phone, I pressed the save button.
[Why? Can’t you ask my boyfriend where he is and what he’s doing?]
[No. That’s not true. But he usually didn’t seem that interested.]
[Hey. Why are you saying that? Regretfully.]
There were some things I didn’t ask about because I thought they were confidential.
[Ah. But I’m tired.]
As I was lying down in bed, I could hear the sound of the blanket being moved from the other side.
[Take a break.]
[I’ll talk to you a little longer.]
[Good.]
I feel like he takes care of me even though I am soaked in fatigue.
I wanted to go to my brother’s house and give him a kiss even now.
[Ah. Oppa, this is a secret, but they say a Closer music production contest will be held after that one concert!]
[Music production?]
[Yes! So, when people make music, the company directly selects them through a popularity vote and makes a music video for them. It’s really cool, right?]
[Yes. We will support many people.]
[Um… Since there are so many fans, wouldn’t there be more multi-talented people?]
After telling my brother the news about Luca and Closer that he would most like to hear, I talked about it for just 30 minutes and then sent him on his way.
They say it’s a morning shoot, but how are they supposed to catch it?
Instead, I will have to go and see the faces in person tomorrow that I didn’t see today~
I’ll have to see it briefly so you won’t even know I’ve come and gone.
Hearing that there was a cafe street, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to bring a laptop and work there for a while.
Still, just in case my brother recognized me, I planned to wear a mask and a hat.
Also, if you become conscious of my presence, you might break the flow.
After completing the preparations for the trail alone, I went to sleep with an excited heart.
Without knowing what I might have seen.
* * *
Hyosin-dong is a neighborhood where land prices are quite expensive.
There was a cafe street near the flat area, and the residential area was an area with many luxury housing complexes and houses where many celebrities would live.
After getting off the subway and transferring to a bus, I looked around as if I was in a foreign country.
So where do we go from here?
Would it be possible to come out if I just follow the uphill road?
I came to see the filming location, but I didn’t know the exact location, so I walked into the alley in front.
“The houses are really big…”
As I passed the houses that made me wonder how much this would cost, there was another hill waiting for me.
From noble mtl dot com
Hmm… Is it right to go higher?
Actually, I don’t want to walk that long with my laptop.
After stopping in front of the streetlight and checking the map on my phone, I decided to just go up this hill and come back.
Yes. What if you can’t find it? Just think of it as just visiting the cafe.
You have to keep it a secret even from your brother.
It was clear that if I told them that I had failed while following them, I would be laughed at.
Although it was not long until the destination, I couldn’t find a single camera. I smiled at the large filming vehicle parked in front of me.
There you are!
I had to look like a local resident and not someone who had come to see the sights, so I put my hands in my pockets and walked very slowly.
Wow. There are so many people.
The closer I got to the house, the more I could see the staff gathered in groups in front of it.
I saw cameras and celebrities…
Oh! He’s a real celebrity!
I could see the face of the actor my brother had told me about, and a person who looked like a manager was standing next to him.
As expected, it was a good thing you came.
When will I ever see something like this again?
As I was trying to sneak past towards the outermost area, I was startled by a loud noise and had no choice but to turn my head.
-BeeeD
The unique sound that comes out when a speaker is torn hits the eardrums.
At the same time, the name that was called was not anyone else’s but my boyfriend’s name.
“Mr. Taemin Han!”
A loudspeaker thrown to the floor.
The man, presumed to be the director, strode forward as if angry.
“You can’t do this?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Is this difficult?”
The director, whose face was bright red, brushed his bangs with one hand.
“Is this really that difficult? When did I ask Taemin to do something amazing? Now I have to demonstrate it to him?”
The director’s words were true, but what captured my attention was my brother’s expression.
The already pure white face became even whiter.
It was quite a distance away, but I could clearly see my brother shaking.
“Here! Like this! While kicking the wall once!”
The director must have been so frustrated that he moved his whole body to explain things.
“Ha… That’s it… Let’s stop filming today.”
As he was talking, the director seemed to have been struck by a surprise and walked towards me, who was standing on the outskirts.
The rest of the staff urgently grab him.
My brother shivers alone with his head down.
Ah… What should I do…
I couldn’t breathe because of the pain that felt like my chest was being torn apart.
I wanted to run to my trembling brother and hug him right now.
But I knew very well that I shouldn’t do that.
If I were to jump out and protect my brother, there was no way public opinion would get any better.
Rather, it could be rumored that he is a rookie who is busy dating.
I bit my lip and moved the foot that wouldn’t fall.
Go back the way you came.
I had no idea what it was like in a cafe.
In my head, only the image of my brother trembling was playing over and over again infinitely.
I heard you say it was difficult, but was it always being treated like that?
As the face of my brother, who had been telling me that I had to work hard, overlapped, cloudy moisture began to form around my eyes.
If it’s that hard, just say you can’t do it.
Why are you suffering so much?
I couldn’t understand.
And I didn’t know why it was hidden from me.
After returning home, I sat blankly and sent a text message to my brother.
[Are you doing well?]
-Weeeing
The reply arrived about 20 minutes later.
[Ah. Then~]
…Lies.