Chapter 99: Next Work
It’s as if my body has memorized the movements. I’m so nervous that I can’t think straight, and the people in front of me all look like grains of rice. But somehow, my body moves well to the music.
[You—thank you so much for waiting for me.]
Flash!
Muyoung flawlessly executed the stage performance in a seductive pose. Only a single beam of red light illuminated him, and the surroundings were quiet. His long hair was wet with sweat, and his slightly pale face was truly beautiful.
“Uh······.”
Romin, who had also been mesmerized, was about to cheer.
But then came the next song, Doha’s main track from You Are a Star, I Am a Star. Muyoung took off his wig and put on a leather jacket handed to him by a backup dancer.
“Oh······.”
“Whoa······.”
Just a moment ago, he definitely had the aura of a mature woman, but in an instant, he transformed into a rocker. His wet hair and heavy makeup, combined with the leather jacket that offset the skirt, exuded a mysterious charm.
Like a rocker who would smoke and sing in some back alley bar.
“You’re drawn to my charm—you won’t be able to escape!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Doha! Doha!”
“Wow!”
The audience enthusiastically cheered and waved their hands at him. The reporters, too, frantically snapped photos to capture his momentarily changed appearance.
Romin admired his performance and looked up at him in awe.
‘Wow. That’s amazing. Should we try something like that at our concert?’
Not once had he thought about expressing that subtle allure between a woman and a man. It was a completely different dimension from boyish charm—a subtle shock arising from an ambiguous boundary.
“Muyoung-ah!”
“You won’t be able to escape—ahh!”
Muyoung passionately sang while wrapping the stand microphone around him. Still, after doing it for several months, he’s gotten pretty good at it.
The short three minutes quickly melted away with the melody.
Boom! Kukukung! Taaan!
For the final note, he tilted his head back as if to devour the sound—Flash!
As Muyoung’s second prepared song ended, the event hall erupted with excitement. The fans were thrilled to see something they hadn’t expected.
“Wow!”
“Muyoung! Awesome!”
“Well, well. Mr. Ha Muyoung, this is incredible. I was really surprised. I heard the preparation time was short, but I guess it’s because you’ve played a musician before? You looked like a real singer.”
After the performance ended, a staff member placed three chairs on the stage. The host, Muyoung, and Romin sat down in order. Muyoung, busy wiping away his sweat, smiled and grabbed the microphone.
“I practiced a lot. I hope you enjoyed it.”
“It was so cool and amazing, right, everyone?”
“Yeees!”
At the fans’ cheers, Muyoung clapped and bowed his head in gratitude. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted.
“Now I can sleep with my legs stretched out. Haha. Romin, thank you for putting on a great show too.”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“I heard you two became close even before filming the drama?”
“Ah, thanks to Enbin. He acted as a bridge between us.”
They continued the talk centered around the guest, Romin, and then proceeded to the remaining event—the autograph session. Fans came out row by row from the audience to meet him.
“Mr. Muyoung, I’m such a big fan. You were amazing today.”
“Thank you. Ah, but I’m sweating so much. Haha.”
“It’s okay. Please shake my hand. I’ll always support you.”
“Oppa! I loved the movie so much.”
“Oppa? You’re twenty years old?”
“······If you’re handsome, you’re oppa.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that. Okay, little sister, shall we take a picture together?”
It was such a fun time meeting the fans. Muyoung sincerely shook hands with them and took photos. As a result, the box behind him was filled with gifts.
“Ah, it’s really a shame. We only have the final event left.”
“Aah—”
“No! I don’t want to go home!”
At their outcry, Muyoung also smiled softly. It was now time to end the fan meeting with his final letter reading. He took out the letter he had carefully folded in his pocket.
“Hello, everyone. I’m your Muyoung Cultural Heritage, Ha Muyoung. I’ve only just taken my first steps, yet I’m overwhelmed by the love I’ve received and don’t know what to do.”
And for the past two weeks, he had pondered what to say, how to sincerely express his gratitude and love, and now he read aloud the words he had struggled to write.
“There’s a saying that we can only truly live through each other’s existence. Becoming an actor made me realize that. I love acting so much, but without all of you watching me, I wouldn’t be able to experience such great joy—”
His voice echoed calmly, as if making a vow.
Until death. Until the very moment his breath ceased, this was a place to make that pledge.
“I’ll do my best to be your small source of joy and comfort. I’ll never forget my gratitude and will continue to act happily as Ha Muyoung. Let’s be happy together.”
The fans cheered and empathized with his words. What a truly beautiful and precious promise. Muyoung smiled and waved both hands at everyone.
“Thank you! Please be careful on your way home. See you again!”
“See you again, Mr. Muyoung!”
“Take care of your health! I love you!”
“Goodbye~!”
And so ended Muyoung’s first-ever fan meeting, which also served as a drama viewership rating promise event.
As the stage curtain fell, he walked down the hallway to the waiting room with Romin.
“Thanks so much for coming today.”
“Well, when you think about it, it’s ‘our job.’”
Romin casually slung an arm around his shoulder. Having worked together on their first drama, they both felt a sense of loss now that everything related to You Are a Star, I Am a Star was over.
“What are you going to do for a while now? Have you thought about another project?”
“No, I’m thinking about preparing for a comeback. Ciwon suddenly regained his energy. Haha.”
“Regained his energy?”
Ciwon, who had been stuck in a slump like a limit, seemed to have felt something when the drama became a hit amidst the music ghost incident.
It was like a placebo effect—he gained confidence. Thanks to that, the tracks for the next album were pouring out like factory-made noodles.
“Is that so? What about you, hyung?”
“I’ll have to work on my next project. I’ll think about it.”
“It’s not going to be a drama, is it?”
“Of course not. It cuts into your lifespan. It does.”
As the two jokingly exchanged banter, the reporters’ photos were already being posted online.
Muyoung’s bold cross-dressing appearance, titled as a viewership rating promise for You Are a Star, I Am a Star, gradually gained attention. When a 4K fancam shot by MusicUs was uploaded to MeTube, it sparked an explosive reaction.
Among them were flower petals that only Muyoung could see.
“Wow, is all this really for me?”
“This is only half of what I’ve sorted out first. There’s so much that it would take a full year to go through it all. I’ve selected these based on famous directors, writers, and production scale, so take a look at this first.”
A handcart was piled high with scripts. Ko Gyeongmin dragged it into the officetel.
It was a flood of love calls for him, who had achieved a splendid viewership rating of 32.2%, a fitting end to the series.
“Um, I see. Still, please move the rest of the scripts over here too. I won’t be able to read them all, but I’ll at least skim through them.”
“Okay, got it.”
Muyoung, wearing pajamas, squatted down and flipped through the papers. He had really rested well these past few days. His face was so smooth and shiny it almost glowed.
“You’ve separated the dramas, right?”
“Yeah, the ones piled up at the bottom are all dramas. If you want to make some money, dramas aren’t a bad choice.”
He had gone from being a complete rookie to a promising star, so now even if he couldn’t do it per episode, he’d start at least in the thousands.
You Are a Star, I Am a Star paid 500,000 won, so he’d have to aim for two or three times that. If he hit another home run this time······.
“You’ll establish yourself right away.”
His pay would jump several times higher again.
Unlike Ko Gyeongmin, who was slightly excited, Muyoung just scratched his chin and yawned. He had a house, he wouldn’t starve, so now he could live without any pressure, right?
“I’ll choose after looking at the works.”
“That’s the right thing to do. The work comes first! Of course! That’s what makes the process and the result good! Just don’t take too long to decide on your next project. You know? The flow?”
This market heats up as quickly as it cools down. Soon, new works would completely overshadow the memories of You Are a Star, I Am a Star.
“Yes, I’ll read through all of this first.”
“Okay, then rest well. Don’t forget, you have an ad shoot tomorrow. I’ll come pick you up on time.”
“Let’s go down together. I’m going to buy some ice cream.”
“Huh? I was just about to buy some on my way up.”
“Never mind. Why bother with something like that?”
Muyoung threw on a padded jacket over his pajamas and pulled down his hat. He was just going to the first floor of the shopping center, after all. Besides, there was no need to overdo it in the neighborhood.
Ding-dong.
Muyoung got off on the first floor and waved to Ko Gyeongmin. His car was in the underground parking lot.
“Hyung, take care. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, go on up. It’s cold.”
Muyoung hunched over and hurried to the convenience store. As usual, he loaded up on ice cream······.
Crash!
“Oh no! Are you okay?”
“Ah······I’m so sorry.”
A man eating ramen at a makeshift table suddenly fell backward.
The broth had spilled all over the floor. The part-time worker sighed and went to find a mop, while Muyoung naturally helped the man up.
“Thank you.”
“How did that happen all of a sudden?”
As he tried to pick up the man’s bag scattered on the floor, a bundle of paper peeked out from inside. Muyoung instinctively pulled it out.
Whoosh!
Flower petals poured out endlessly, like from a magic bag.
Well, that’s strange. I’ve never seen anything like this before. The embarrassed man covered his face.
“Are you a director, by any chance?”
“I’m doomed······.”
“Step aside. Wow, you really spilled it all.”
At the part-time worker’s scolding, the two slipped out the door. The man glanced around, then zipped up his bag and twisted his body. He was trying to run away.
Flash!
But there was no way that would work. Muyoung grabbed the hood of his hoodie and laughed.
A young man in his early thirties. He closed his eyes tightly and sat down calmly.
“So······my name is Bae Cheolmin.”
“You’re a director, right?”
“No, I don’t have any works yet.”
He then moved his fingers and began to speak.
“Actually, I saw your fan meeting performance last time. After seeing that, I really wanted to work with you, so I sent a script to your office. But I didn’t get a reply······.”
Ah, I see. It got filtered out by the boss and manager hyung.
The company was focusing all its energy on his next project during this critical time. Naturally, works by rookie directors without any previous projects would be excluded.
“Things weren’t going well, and I was feeling frustrated, so I thought, what if, just what if, I came here. I saw a documentary that said you live in Yonggang-dong······.”
“So you made me fall? But why run away? You should’ve grabbed my arm and said, ‘This is my chance!’”
“It would’ve been annoying.”
Just coming to meet him without any real intention of doing so would have been annoying.
“I was, um, kind of wandering around alone, like, you know, training myself. Really.”
Bae Cheolmin mumbled an excuse, but Muyoung didn’t hear it. He was more interested in the pile of glittering paper soaked in sparkle.
“Is this a script?”
“Ah, yes. I wrote it myself. The production company has already approved it, but I’m having trouble finding the right actor.”
Muyoung naturally checked the cover. It only had the words Tentative Title written on it. Slowly, he turned the pages soaked in ramen broth. Along with him, flower petals scattered in the winter wind.
“······To sum it up, it’s a vampire story. But since they’re supernatural beings, there’s no distinction between male and female.”
Bae Cheolmin, holding only the ice cream Muyoung had given him, added an explanation. His words imprinted clearly in Muyoung’s mind.
“The protagonist, burdened by hundreds of years of time, is so bored. The same scenery at night makes him feel like he’s going to die. So, for the first time, he participates in a strange place—an insomnia support group.”
At those words, Muyoung raised his head.
“There are people there who have worked at night their entire lives—nurses, truck drivers, entertainment workers, thieves. They’ve stopped working, but because of the traces of time, they can’t sleep at night.”
It was a story about people who lived in the world of night when everyone else was asleep. And in fact, the protagonist and everyone were connected by an incident. It was a work that portrayed characters forgotten in the darkness, who simply wanted to see the sunlight normally.
“The genre of the movie is drama. I wanted to portray them through a neutral personality that transcends gender and age, so I set it up that way.”
Muyoung slowly nodded his head.
He’d have to look into the details more, but something about it appealed to him. It wasn’t just the flower petals—the director’s intention and color were clear, which made it more appealing. The brighter something is, the more it stands out, after all.
“The title is still Tentative, right?”
“I do have a candidate name······.”
Bae Cheolmin spoke cautiously.
“It’s called Street Sunlight.”