Chapter 135: Streaming Communication
“Muyoung, over here too!”
“Yes, just a moment.”
“Oppa, can I have your autograph?”
“The movie was so much fun. Really!”
After the screening ended and before the interview, Muyoung took some time during the break to meet with fans outside. There were still some reporters lingering, and thanks to that, the place was bustling with people… but…
“Thank you. I’m so grateful you came today.”
“Mr. Muyoung, I’m a Muyoung Cultural Heritage Protector.”
“Oh! Protector! Nice to meet you.”
When else would they get a chance to meet with fans like this?
Moreover, half of the people who attended the screening were there just for the movie, but the other half had applied because they wanted to see their favorite actor in person. And most of them wanted Muyoung.
“Muyoung, I think it’s time to head in.”
“Oh, really? That’s a shame. Just let me finish this.”
“Ah! Me too! Please take a picture with me too!”
“Yes, sure. I’ll take a picture with this person and then head in. I have an interview. Do you watch
“I don’t, but if Muyoung’s on it, I’ll watch…”
Muyoung, busy chatting and taking pictures with fans, ended up delaying things further by signing a few more autographs than promised. Even as he headed back into the theater, he didn’t forget to wave.
“What about the others?”
“They’re waiting inside.”
“This is a bit awkward.”
Bora and Taeseok had also met with people, but unlike Muyoung, most of them were just curious and asked for photos. So, they wrapped things up and headed in.
Squeak—
The theater where the screening took place.
With everyone gone, the place felt oddly empty. The setup for filming was almost complete, with lights and cameras arranged in a semicircle.
“Are you done?”
“Yeah. Where’s the reporter?”
“Over there.”
Bora fixed her lipstick and gestured to a spot.
“But it’s someone I’ve never met before. When I asked, they said today’s their first broadcast.”
“Wow, really? What an honor.”
“An honor?”
At Bora’s words, Muyoung smiled and nodded.
“It’s about being someone’s first, right? Anything with the word ‘first’ attached to it is cool.”
In the long journey of showbiz, this would definitely be a memorable shoot. After all, it was their first! Bora chuckled and shrugged.
“You’re so romantic when you look at things. I was just worried.”
“Worried? Why?”
“I was wondering if they’d do well. This is our first promotion too, and if there’s a mistake, it’d be troublesome, right? And there’s a live segment in the middle.”
Hmm. I see where you’re coming from.
Muyoung headed toward the spot Bora pointed to, to greet the reporter and PD.
“Have, have a pleasant Sunday night! Pleasant! Pleasant Sunday night!”
“Hello?”
“Squee-llo! Mr. Ha Muyoung!”
Mumbling to herself, the reporter, who had been rehearsing something, jumped in surprise and turned around. With her hair cutely braided into pigtails and glittery makeup, she seemed to be going for a bubbly image.
“Are you the reporter for today? Nice to meet you.”
“I, I’m equally pleased to meet you. Um, I’m Areum.”
Her voice was sweet, her hands were sweet.
Muyoung took her hand and smiled brightly.
“Yes, I’m Ha Muyoung. Where’s the PD?”
“Oh, um, over there—”
“Muyoung!”
Before Areum could finish, Gyeongmin called out to him.
There, with Teacher Jinrim, the three of them were chatting excitedly about something. Muyoung bowed politely and approached them.
“PD, this is our Muyoung.”
“Oh, nice to meet you. Teacher Jinrim has been praising you so much.”
“You’re too kind. Looking forward to working with you today.”
“Yeah! Let’s do our best.”
Amidst the warm atmosphere, preparations for the shoot were finalized. Of course, Muyoung, Bora, Taeseok, and even Teacher Jinrim seemed at ease… but…
“Hiccup— Hiccup!”
“Are, are you okay?”
Reporter Areum’s condition wasn’t looking good.
Her face had turned pale, and she was even hiccupping from the tension!
She kept drinking water and managed an awkward smile.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“We’ll start shooting in 5 minutes!”
The reporter took a deep breath to calm herself.
Soon, at the PD’s signal, she shouted with a vigor she hadn’t shown before,
“Have a pleasant Sunday night! I’ll take responsibility for your last weekend! Focusing on Showbiz, rookie reporter Areum here!”
She gave an exaggerated greeting toward the camera.
With the theater empty, her voice echoed, and Muyoung and the team cheered and clapped enthusiastically from behind.
Clap, clap, clap!
“Wow, thank you so much for the support. First, could you introduce yourselves to the viewers?”
Her hand, holding the mic, trembled like she had a nervous tic. But he pretended not to notice and looked straight into the camera.
“Hello, I’m actor Ha Muyoung, returning as the vampire in
“Hello, I’m Kang Bora, playing the nurse.”
“I’m Taeseok, playing the nightclub employee.”
“Truck driver Jinrim here, nice to meet you. Hehehe.”
Though there was no one in front of them, thanks to the staff, the atmosphere wasn’t too awkward. The reporter began speaking while looking at her cue cards.
“Yes! We have the cast of
“…?”
There was a moment of silence.
Everyone looked at each other, their eyes wide with surprise.
But the reporter, lost in her own world, didn’t seem to realize her mistake.
“Let’s start with a brief synopsis—”
“Areum!”
The PD, scratching his head in frustration, interrupted her.
“Yes, yes?”
“It’s
“Oh! Ahhh. Did I just say Plague? I’m so, so sorry.”
She stood up abruptly and kept bowing her head.
Muyoung laughed it off, signaling it was okay.
“You must be really nervous.”
“Let’s take it from the top. I’m sorry. Areum, focus! We can’t delay the broadcast.”
“Yes! I’ll really focus… Ahem!”
As the slate clapped, Areum continued from where she’d made the mistake.
“Yes! We have the cast of
“Yes, that’s right. It’s about the events that unfold when a vampire bored with the night meets members of an insomnia club…”
Muyoung calmly recounted the synopsis, and as the introductions of each character followed, the interview flowed as smoothly as water.
“I heard there are some interesting stories behind the casting for
Until the reporter made another mistake.
Teacher Jinrim sighed and looked at the PD, while Bora and Taeseok exchanged glances, looking concerned. Only Muyoung faced the camera with a laugh, saying, “This is bad. Hehehe.”
“I’m sorry. Just a moment. Let’s cut.”
At the PD’s stern words, the reporter froze.
At a gesture to come over, the two of them quietly moved to the side. When Teacher Jinrim asked for water, Muyoung opened the bottle and asked,
“This is troublesome.”
“Exactly. The shoot’s not going well.”
Usually, they were really fun and nice people, but when it came to work, there were no exceptions. It’s something a veteran who’s stood the test of time must have.
“How much time is left for the venue?”
“About… 30 minutes, I think.”
Teacher Jinrim called their manager and stood up. Since it was a regular theater without partitions, the reporter getting scolded was clearly visible.
“Are you messing around?!”
“I, I’m sorry.”
“Listen, if your first broadcast starts like this, what’s going to happen going forward? If you don’t have the ability, at least put in the effort. And stop causing trouble. How can someone who can’t even get a movie title right think they can hold a mic—!”
Wow. That’s harsh.
Muyoung gasped and grabbed Bora’s sleeve, but she closed her eyes tightly, as if saying, Don’t look, don’t listen.
“PD, the streaming time is almost here. What should we do?”
They had announced it on the MeTube official channel.
They said they’d open a live chat at the scheduled time, so please ask the cast of
“Sigh. How many minutes left?”
“About five minutes. Should we postpone?”
At the staff’s words, the PD looked at the reporter. Her face was a mess, with tears and a runny nose. The PD held their aching head and groaned.
“I’ll give you 5 minutes. Go fix things quickly.”
“Yes. Whimper— I, I’m sorry.”
Areum kept apologizing to the actors sitting there and ran to the bathroom. The team was, in many ways, a hot topic.
First, there was Ha Muyoung, then the dating rumors with Bora, and the competing film’s scandal involving drugs in showbiz…
“Should we postpone?”
There was no choice. They said to prepare within 5 minutes, but would that even be possible? For someone who was just crying.
With just one week left until the release. It was supposed to be an exclusive interview for that one week, but things were going wrong like this…
“Um, PD.”
“Yes?”
“What if we do it ourselves? Like on the W app?”
Muyoung raised his hand and asked cautiously.
“Do we really need the reporter there? Since we’re just reading questions and answering, I think we can manage on our own. I use the W app every day.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Teacher Jinrim gasped and shook Muyoung’s arm.
“Oh, Muyoung. I can’t do that.”
“Teacher, it’s actually kind of fun. It’s like a video call. I think 5 minutes will be fine. I feel bad for the people waiting to join the stream.”
The PD crossed their arms, looking conflicted, then sighed as if to say, Can we really do that? After all, it’ll be edited for the main broadcast…
“Then, we’d appreciate it.”
“Wow, this will be fun. Let’s gather around.”
Muyoung pulled the chairs closer and smiled.
The camera was set closer, capturing the actors’ upper bodies, and Teacher Jinrim awkwardly hid behind Bora, watching the screen.
“Shall we connect then?”
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, we’re ready!”
Muyoung said that and scanned the screen. The number of participants on the side had reached 20,000. With so many people waiting, they couldn’t cancel.
“One, two, three!”
Smack—
With the slate, the dark screen lit up, showing the actors’ faces.
-Finally, it’s starting! It’s starting!
-I’ve been waiting for so long ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-What’s this awkward setup? Are we video calling right now?
-Muyoung!!!! How was the screening today? If only that jerk boss wasn’t there,,, sigh,,,
“Hello!”
Muyoung waved and greeted. Bora, Taeseok, and even Teacher Jinrim waved gently.
-LOL, the teacher’s so cute.
-Still so elegant~
At the comments praising them, the teacher, overwhelmed, whispered to Bora,
“The text is scrolling too fast. Oh dear.”
“I can’t read it well either. Hehe.”
Muyoung kept his eyes on the screen and smiled.
“First of all, thank you so much for your interest in
As soon as he said that, questions poured in like a flood.
Usually, Muyoung read them, and the answers were shared appropriately.
-Was Muyoung cast because of the cross-dressing fan meeting? Is it true?
“Yes, it’s true. The director liked my androgynous charm. For the detailed behind-the-scenes story, please check the main broadcast! Thank you.”
-Are Muyoung and Bora really not dating?
“Whoa, I knew this would come up. Absolutely not! Never! We’re beyond family. You don’t do that with family, right?”
“Just thinking about it makes me shudder.”
-LOL, that reaction’s genuine?
-Right, you don’t do that with family.
-What’s the expected box office score for this movie?
“Of course, I hope for 10 million! But honestly, I’m just grateful it’s being released. What about you, Bora?”
“I’d be very satisfied if it reaches 3 million.”
“And Teacher?”
“I…”
Teacher Jinrim hesitated for a moment, then smiled awkwardly, clearly not used to the live app.
“Seeing the movie in the theater today, it’s truly charming and resonates deeply. It’s fun, of course. I think it’ll surpass 7 million. It’s a movie worth that much—”