Chapter 56: Onlookers

“Hello!”

Muyoung greeted them more energetically, as if trying to chase away the early morning chill. A staff member checking the sheets recognized Muyoung.

Considering the cameras and lights are on, it looks like they’re filming right now… Where did everyone go?

“Mr. Ha Muyoung?”

“Hello. Nice to meet you!”

“Assistant Director, Mr. Ha Muyoung is here.”

He immediately called the assistant director. He was told to notify him immediately when Muyoung arrived. Sang-il approached, scratching his stomach.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Hello, Assistant Director.”

“You don’t have any schedule, I guess?”

Even if they booked him the night before, he still came out early in the morning. It was a condescending tone toward him as a rookie, but Muyoung smiled and replied.

“Yes, fortunately. If I had another schedule, it would have been a big problem. Please give me more notice next time. I might miss it if you tell me just a few hours beforehand. Thank you.”

Muyoung, who played the drums and flute by himself and even gave the answer in advance. The staff member standing next to him glanced at the assistant director.

What the hell? Did they really tell him about the shoot the night before? It’s early morning now. Are they crazy?

“Ahem. Yeah. Uh, go over there and wait.”

Noticing the glance, the assistant director coughed and tried to send Muyoung away.

The place he pointed to was the end of the set, where onlookers could reach.

“What about the makeup?”

At his request, the assistant director just smirked and looked him up and down arrogantly.

“What makeup?”

“What?”

“Didn’t the PD tell you earlier? We’re going for a nerdy look. Did you bring your glasses?”

“I have them right here.”

“Then that’s fine. Wear your clothes like that, too.”

Wow. Are you serious?

His hair was a mess from being pressed under a hat, and his T-shirt was ragged, the kind he would only wear to sleep. He was told that the uniform would be provided separately, so he just wore what he had.

And if he’s a nerd, he’s a nerd. That doesn’t mean he’s dirty.

“I’ll give you the bottoms, so wear them accordingly.”

“Then I’ll go to the bathroom for a moment.”

I need to get rid of any sleep in my eyes. I should also check for bed marks.

But the assistant director immediately scolded him and pressured him.

“Where to! Do you know when the shoot’s going to start? You haven’t even met Unta yet, have you?”

Unta, who played the bully sub-male lead. He was also an idol who was popular for his sturdy physique and rugged charm, even outside of his idol activities. That’s why there were so many onlookers. It made sense.

“You just went to change your clothes, right? You’ll be back soon, so try it on as soon as you get back and go right in. Don’t leave your spot. How much of a nuisance would it be if the outdoor shoot got delayed because of one extra actor? Right?”

He smirked evilly.

This was the best revenge he could think of. How much of a risk would it be to go on TV bare-faced these days, where you could see every pore?

‘Let’s see how you like it, you bastard with no manners!’

Even actresses with porcelain skin and top actors who are quite confident avoid this. The bare faces shown on variety shows are all naturally made up with transparent makeup.

“But still……”

He turned away without listening to Muyoung and rushed frantically among the busy staff, looking as if he had a lot to do. Gyeongmin, who had just finished dealing with the car, grabbed Muyoung’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“They told me not to do my makeup.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. They said they were going for a nerdy look, and I wasn’t even allowed to go to the bathroom.”

When Gyeongmin heard that, he immediately realized what was going on. They were giving him a hard time. As a rookie, he was subjected to all kinds of nitpicking, scrutiny, and unnecessary fights. He scratched his head.

“What can I do? You should have come more prepared, Hyung.”

“Prepare? How?”

“Cosmetics or something like that.”

A successful agency would have provided a separate hair and makeup team, but Big Win was grateful enough that they weren’t behind on their building’s rent. Muyoung replied with a smile.

“What good are tools if my hands are useless? You don’t even wear sunscreen regularly, Hyung.”

“That’s true, but……”

“Just go and buy me some water and tissues. I think I need to wash my face properly. I’ll sit over there.”

At least they provided a cheap fishing chair.

Gyeongmin felt unnecessarily sorry for his dignified demeanor and dove back into the crowded crowd toward the convenience store.

“Sigh.”

Muyoung sat in the chair, reading the script. Even with the barricade in place, the stares of the people were uncomfortable. And more than anything, that assistant director was making things difficult for him. He wondered how to deal with him.

‘This is a first for me.’

Someone holding a grudge against him. Oh. Wait. There was my stepfather. Still, it’s a bit different, right? Compared to that, this is kind of cute.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

Then, someone called Muyoung from behind.

A woman who was quite drunk. She smiled bashfully and spoke to him.

“Are you an actor?”

“Yes, I’m a rookie actor, Ha Muyoung.”

“Wow. You’re so handsome.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s this drama about? I only know that Unta is in it. Will you be in it too, Oppa?”

Oppa? Judging by her drunkenness, she was at least Muyoung’s age or older. But Muyoung just smiled and answered kindly.

“I’m just an extra, so I won’t be in many episodes. There are a lot of great actors in it. It’s a pre-produced drama, so the quality will be high. Please watch it.”

When the actor answered, the people started whispering. They began to crowd around Muyoung and pay attention to him. It was natural that this seemed more interesting than an empty set.

Besides, other celebrities don’t react like this. At most, they just wave.

“Oppa! I’m using Dr. Martel well!”

“Whoa! Who is that?”

“It’s me! I became a fan after watching Late Night Pocha!”

Far away, in the crowd, one of Muyoung’s fans appeared. She was short, so she raised her hand high, as if trying to reach him, and shouted with all her might. It was adorable, and the crowd burst into joyful laughter.

“Wow. It’s my first time seeing a fan. Please shake hands with her.”

“Aaaak! No, my face is a mess right now.”

“My face is a mess, too. I didn’t do my makeup today. Come on, shake my hand.”

When Muyoung stretched his hand out into the crowd, they twisted their bodies to make way for him. A happily drunk woman couldn’t contain herself and tightly grasped both of Muyoung’s hands.

“My wish came true! Heung.”

“It’s really nice to meet you. Thank you.”

“Oppa, why aren’t you wearing makeup? Aren’t you filming a drama?”

Oh. Oops. Was that an unnecessary comment?

Muyoung smiled awkwardly and gently changed the subject.

“Today’s concept is a nerdy bully, so I don’t have to dress up. I’ll be wearing glasses instead.”

“Still, you should do your base makeup.”

“Yeah, yeah. But your skin is like an egg. You just need to even out the tone and shape your eyebrows.”

“I have a transparent lip gloss.”

“This color is so pretty!”

Since everyone was dressed up and out drinking, their pouches were perfectly stocked with cosmetics. The onlookers exchanged glances. Can we help?

“Uh……”

“Muyoung! Here’s some water and tissues! I also bought some wax just in case, but what should I do with your hair……”

He stopped. Gyeongmin looked at him as if to ask what was going on. Muyoung and the onlookers behind the barricade locked eyes at the same time, with Muyoung standing right in front of the line.

“Hyung. Give that to me.”

Without thinking twice, Muyoung crossed the line, holding the fishing chair. He plunged into the crowd and raised his head.

“Nice to meet you. Since I’m playing a student, please don’t go overboard.”

“Honey. Do something about your hair.”

“Me? Me?”

“Comb your hair back.”

“Does anyone have a new puff? And an eyebrow razor.”

“I do. Muyoung, sign this for me later.”

It was a strange sight.

Drunk people. The youthful energy of Daehangno. The strange scene that occurred because of Muyoung’s carefree personality. Gyeongmin stood blankly in the set, watching the scene. In fact, he couldn’t see much because people were in the way.

“What’s going on?”

A staff member cleaning up the set asked Gyeongmin.

“Oh, no. It’s nothing. But when will the shoot start? Where are all the actors……”

“They’ll be here soon. We had to stop filming earlier because someone stepped on vomit and slipped.”

Holy shit. Just imagining it is disgusting.

The actor must have felt terrible, and the staff in charge must have been scolded for not doing their job properly.

That’s why the atmosphere on set was like that. Gyeongmin wiped the sweat from the back of his neck and looked at Muyoung with concern.

‘He’s already getting a lot of flak, but I wonder if he can do well in this environment…….’

Unaware of his manager’s worries, Muyoung was finishing his makeup while chatting happily with his fans.

“F*ck…… I still smell something.”

“No, you don’t. It’s the perfume.”

“I think it’s mixed with that!”

Unta was annoyed and checked his clothes. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt, but the wrist he used to support himself on the floor seemed to have a lingering smell.

“Why the hell did they choose this place for the shoot?”

“We couldn’t help it. The writer said she wrote it with this place in mind.”

“Ah. Seriously. What a pain in the ass until dawn.”

“Are you ready? Should I tell him?”

A large van. It was basically a mobile waiting room in the form of a car. As soon as he got out of the car, he covered his face and entered the set.

“Mr. Unta. Is your wrist okay?”

“Yeah. Well……”

“I’ll call Songmin for a moment. Oh, and that’s Ha Muyoung, who’s playing your friend this time. Please go over the lines with him briefly.”

The staff member pointed to a tall man standing there. His hair was roughly combed back, and he wore silver-rimmed glasses. He had a sharp aura, but his face was soft. A man with a strange charm.

‘What the hell? Why is he so handsome?’

Even Unta wasn’t short wherever he went, but their builds were similar.

“Hello. I’m Ha Muyoung. Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah. Hello.”

“Are you a rookie?”

For a rookie, he seemed quite relaxed. He also looked familiar. Unta asked as he flipped through the script, and Muyoung answered.

“Late Night Pocha-”

“Oh. The one Enbin did?”

“Do you know Enbin?”

“……Don’t you know me?”

They were from the same agency as Enbin and were also close friends personally. But unless you’re a fan, it’s hard to know.

“Right. I saw you on MeTube. You looked familiar. Oh, right. I remember hearing about it.”

Since he called Enbin a ‘hyung,’ Muyoung must be the same age as him at most. Muyoung calculated his age in his head and tried to keep his mouth shut as much as possible. He’d be careful until the honorifics were sorted out.

“But you seem close to Hyung.”

“Um. Yeah. We’re friends.”

Oh ho. Enbin doesn’t usually hang out with rookie-level actors. Since he started working at a young age, he’s wary of strangers.

“Are you ready? The PD will be here soon…… Oh, Ha Muyoung.”

The AD saw Muyoung’s condition and frowned.

“Who told you to dress up like that? Huh? Did you forget that I told you not to do your makeup?”

“Makeup? Why?”

Unta, who was listening from the side, asked in surprise. It didn’t make sense to not wear makeup for a drama shoot, of all things. Then the AD smiled with a very pitiful expression.

“Well, if we shoot a two-shot, he’ll stand out too much-”

“So what you’re saying is that I’m more attractive than him?”

“I didn’t mean that. It’s just that we have no choice if we want to focus on Unta.”

“Seriously. That’s ridiculous. Instead of focusing, how about cleaning up the floor? How can someone slip on vomit? Huh?”

At Unta’s scolding, the assistant director just smiled awkwardly. He held up the script and asked the AD for a favor.

“This is the first and last time we’ll be able to rehearse the script together.”

“Uh, yeah. I’ll make sure you can go in ten minutes.”

He spun around and ran away. Unta clicked his tongue at the sight. The set was a mess. How could this happen during pre-production?

Zziiing.

And a woman was filming them. From the second-floor bar in the adjacent building, a so-called ‘camera fanatic’ was filming them with a telephoto camera.

“Wow. This is ridiculous.”

Not only did they make her favorite Unta fall, but they also compared his face to a rookie actor’s? And they said he’d be buried?

“I can’t let this happen.”

Unta’s camera fanatic watched the video again, wondering what to title it. Staff abuse on set? Idol appearance comparison with safety at risk? Whatever it was, they were all dead.

But there was one thing she overlooked.

Unta wasn’t the only one being filmed. Muyoung was also in the frame, and from an objective point of view, if you weren’t a fan, Muyoung was more attractive.