Chapter 45: Writing a Review
Squeak-
“Oh? It’s Muyoung.”
“Yeah. Ha Muyoung, who’s hard to see these days.”
Sitting on a chair, Muyoung shook his wet hair and greeted his older brothers with a smile. He left before sunrise every morning and only came back after sunset. He wasn’t surprised to get this reaction.
“Hello. Long time no see.”
“Kid, are you some kind of semi-celebrity now? How are you so busy?”
“Are you actually going to class properly?”
Park Moon-sung and Choi Hwan put down their bags and asked worriedly. He was attending classes. For now.
“But honestly, I’m not sure about my grades. I’m trying, though.”
It wasn’t a major he was interested in or passionate about, and he didn’t have time to be holed up in the library like everyone else.
The studying he did in his spare time on set was probably only good enough to compete with his rivals in a game.
“Just make sure you don’t fail. You’re not going to make use of your major anyway. Just do enough to graduate on time.”
“Yeah. If I were you, I’d take a leave of absence and get out of there. Things seem to be going well for you, so why be stuck at school?”
Muyoung just smiled at their words.
Dormitory, dormitory. If you don’t go to school, how can you find such a cheap place to live in Seoul? Big Win’s office has opened, but…….
“I’m a little worried. What if I don’t get into the dorm next semester?”
The dormitory criteria were half distance score and half campus grades. Since he didn’t have a home, his distance score would be perfect, but the problem was his grades. Choi Hwan answered as he organized his clothes.
“You can get a room now that you’re working, right? It’s a Jin Gyeongmun film, isn’t it? That must pay pretty well.”
“It was stingier than I thought.”
Still, he’d managed to pay off more than half of his student loan at once. It felt like a breath of fresh air.
He’d only done two commercials, but if they kept coming in like this, it was only a matter of time before he went from minus to plus.
“You idiot. The real money is in dramas. Dramas. They say you get paid every time it’s rebroadcast for the second, third, or fourth time. Muyoung, you should go into dramas instead of movies?”
“I’d do it in a heartbeat if I had the chance.”
Saying that, Muyoung took out a Dr. Martel package.
He tapped his bouncy, pudding-like cheeks and checked his skin.
“What is that?”
“It’s sponsored. I just have to try it and post a review on SNS.”
“Wow. Ha Muyoung, you’re doing well?”
Muyoung smiled and opened the lid of the skin cream.
Poong-!
A cute sound and a burst of cool fragrance. Is it pine needle scent? Muyoung closed his eyes and sniffed. He didn’t know what it was, but it definitely smelled natural.
“Are you going to eat it?”
“It’s made of natural ingredients. It smells really good.”
“Let me try it too.”
“Okay. Go wash up first.”
Muyoung scooped some skin cream onto his palm, and there was something shiny in the thin liquid. Oh, maybe it’s skin cream mixed with gold powder?
“Huh?”
He swirled it around with his index finger and thumb, and Muyoung realized something was strange. What was inside didn’t look like cosmetics, but like pollen.
“Brother, can you see this?”
“What? Your palm?”
“No. The shiny stuff inside.”
“……It’s transparent.”
“Hul!”
Skin cream with pollen in it. Muyoung was excited and jumped up. Choi Hwan looked at him strangely as he grabbed a towel. Regardless, he squeezed a lot of skin cream into both hands.
“Brothers! Come here quickly and put this on!”
Splat-
As hard as he could, slap, slap, slap!
His hands moved firmly until his cheeks were red and swollen. The sound was very strong, as if he didn’t want to leave a single drop. Muyoung looked in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction.
“Hmm. It’s really good-!”
Vroooom-
A few days later.
Muyoung focused on his script in a shaking car. Ko Gyeongmin glanced at him but he looked calmer than expected.
“Are you not feeling carsick?”
The car was shaking badly because they were in a hurry, but it couldn’t be helped since it was an old wreck.
“I’m fine. We have to hurry, so it can’t be helped.”
“I’m sorry. I got a sudden call too.”
“Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault. How’s Senior Hyojung? Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard that far.”
He’d been having a peaceful time in the dormitory before suddenly having to leave. That was because a call came in from a shoot that had been canceled.
“She’s been admitted to the hospital, so the results will come out soon.”
“But do people get hospitalized for skin breakouts?”
“You’d be shocked to know how much celebrities spend on their skin. It’s lucky if they just get hospitalized.”
There were people who spent tens of millions of won on post-care, and many who blindly accepted unscientific superstitions. Since it’s a visible profession, they can’t help but be sensitive.
“I heard she’s been suffering for a few days because it’s so itchy.”
Hyojung’s face was completely broken out.
She thought it was just a few pimples, but her skin got noticeably worse every time she woke up from sleep, so she stopped all her schedules. From what she’d heard, it was a complete mess. So bad that she couldn’t cover it up with makeup.
“We’re here.”
Since there was no actor, the shoot was obviously canceled. The outsourced team (lighting, sound, etc.) had come to the site, but since there was nothing to shoot, how troublesome it must have been for them.
-I’m sorry, but can you come right now? If this fails, it’s going to cost us a lot of money. I’m really sorry.
The assistant director was desperately trying to fill the gap by calling people left and right. And Muyoung was the one who got caught up in it.
“I’ll park and come in. You need to get your makeup done first because we’re in a hurry.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Muyoung got out of the car and ran to the set. The staff, who had nothing to do, were gathered in groups of two or three, smoking or chatting.
“Hello. I’m here.”
“Oh! Muyoung’s here?”
“Assistant director! Muyoung’s here!”
At that signal, the assistant director ran out barefoot. He grabbed Muyoung’s hand and kept expressing his gratitude.
“You came really quickly! Thank you, Muyoung.”
“My manager drove really fast. So, what are we shooting today? Since Senior Hyojung isn’t here…….”
The two quickly went into the dressing room and checked the scenes they were going to shoot that day.
“Yuna and Hijun are waiting in the car because you’re coming.”
“Oh. Are all the two-shots done?”
“Almost. I don’t know if there will be any additional shooting during editing, but the rest are separate scenes. Come on. Get your makeup done and come out right away.”
Splat-
Muyoung was filling in for Hyojung, Yuna, and Hijun’s schedule for the day. The assistant director checked the scenes that could be filmed again and called the staff.
“Oh? Where’s the youngest sister?”
Muyoung pulled his bangs back with a headband and greeted a makeup team member.
The youngest sister, who usually did the makeup, wasn’t there. The staff just shrugged, as if to say not to ask.
“The team leader and Hyojung are at the hospital.”
“Why are they there?”
“Don’t even ask. Hyojung’s skin breakout is apparently our fault. They changed the skin cream on set, and that’s when it started, so the manager got into a fight and went to a meeting.”
“……They changed the skin cream? But we all use the same one, don’t we?”
“That’s right. That’s what I’m saying.”
Whether they worked in a shop or on location, the products they used were the same. Unless the cast brought their own, they all got the same makeup.
“Did I use the same one too?”
“Of course. Everyone who got their makeup done here did.”
“But why did only Senior Hyojung have that reaction?”
“I don’t know. It seems like she had some kind of allergic reaction. The hospital will let us know after they do some tests. Anyway, our team leader and the youngest sister have been suffering since early morning-”
She rambled on with her complaints as she looked for the skin cream. A familiar container. Muyoung recognized it as a Dr. Martel product right away.
“Oh? Is this it?”
“Do you know it? Dr. Martel.”
“I’ve been using this all the time. It doesn’t smell that bad.”
“There are two lines. Do you use this too?”
“Yes. I really like it. It’s refreshing. Chop, chop, chop! I put it on this morning too.”
Muyoung chatted happily as he enjoyed her touch. A moist liquid soaked into his flawless skin.
“It’s only been out for a short time, but it’s become almost essential in our industry.”
“Oh. Really?”
“It’s a bit pricey, but it’s very good. Their marketing on SNS is aggressive too. It seems like a new brand, but I think there’s something behind it.”
“What is it?”
In response to Muyoung’s question, she whispered.
“I’m not sure, but I heard it from the team leader. The place that supplied this is a shop called J-el in Cheongdam-dong, and one of the owner’s regular customers is a famous businesswoman. She was the first one to recommend it and tell her to try it.”
It was like listening to an interesting rumor. Muyoung opened one eye and blinked as if to say, “Keep talking.”
“Isn’t that strange? Someone who has so many expensive and good things at their feet, why would they recommend such an unknown brand to try?”
It was secretive, as if something was hidden. At her words, Muyoung was silent for a moment and then clapped his hands.
As if he understood something! Ahara!
“Maybe she’s someone who cares about cost-effectiveness?”
“……Never mind. Never mind. What am I saying.”
“Or maybe she’s an early adopter? That’s cool. Rich people have great hobbies.”
“Ha Muyoung, shut up and say, ‘Ommmma, ommma.’”
The staff finished the clueless actor’s makeup and wiped her hands.
“Anyway, I don’t know what’s going to happen. The youngest sister said she could use a different skin cream if she wanted, but since celebrities’ bodies are their assets…….”
She was probably also thinking about suing.
They’d have to look into the circumstances, but either they’d go after the youngest sister directly or they’d go after Dr. Martel. Either way, that would probably be the last time they came to this
“Sister, don’t worry too much.”
Muyoung noticed her mood and comforted her. But that was it. Since he didn’t know the details, there was nothing more he could say. The staff smiled and put away her makeup tools.
“Muyoung’s makeup is done!”
“Yes. Just a moment. We’re organizing the set, so Muyoung, stand by for a moment!”
“Yes!”
Muyoung smiled energetically and said he understood. And then he just stood there blankly. With nothing to do, he reached for his script, then looked for his phone.
Tap, tap.
“Are you not hungry?”
At that moment, Ko Gyeongmin asked as he brought drinks and snacks. Muyoung shook his head without taking his eyes off the screen. His fingers were moving quickly.
“I’m fine. I can’t eat anything because I just put on lipstick.”
“But what are you doing?”
“A review of Dr. Martel. Do you think this is okay to write?”
Muyoung wrote a detailed review in Dr. Martel’s PR manager’s DM.
[The scent is so refreshing and nice. It’s not as sticky as I thought, and most of all, the feeling of putting it on—what was it called? Anyway, that feeling was really nice. (Omitted) But it suited me really well. It felt mild because it’s made of natural ingredients. But it didn’t suit one of my colleagues. She said it didn’t suit her, and her skin broke out and got worse. I’m sure people will have different opinions about it.]
“What do you think? I’ll send it and if they like it, I’ll post it on my feed. I like the product, so I want to do it nicely.”
Muyoung showed the text confidently.
Let me see, let me see…….
“I don’t think it’ll work.”
“Why? It’s an honest review! I didn’t just write bad things.”
“Delete the part about your colleague. Delete…….”
Tap, tap.
Ko Gyeongmin was hitting the backspace key repeatedly with his thumb.
“Muyoung, stand by-!”
“Ah! Yes!”
Muyoung was startled by the sudden call for him and accidentally bent his finger. Instead of backspace, he hit enter.
Ding.
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
Ko Gyeongmin hesitated and handed the phone back to Muyoung.
“……I sent it.”