Chapter 170

Chapter 170

The script reading took over five hours.

By the time the interview was over, it was already evening.

“Actor-nim. You’ve worked hard.”

“Yes….”

I leaned on Jin-bae hyung, who was gently massaging my shoulders. I was exhausted.

“They said we’ll have the get-together next time. Shall we go home right away?”

“What about Hyung Jung-hyun?”

“Lee actor-nim has a photo shoot at dawn, so he’ll be moving separately.”

Jung-hyun hyung was so busy that even though we lived in the same house, it was hard to see his face.

‘But now that the filming starts, we’ll probably see each other often.’

In the drama ‘Killing Horn,’ the character I played was named ‘Horn.’

At first, I wondered how I would handle such a cringeworthy name, but when I received the script, it didn’t seem that bad.

Most of the characters didn’t even call the protagonist by his real name.

‘A superhuman….’

Horn was a superhuman born with abilities that humans couldn’t possess.

He grew up in a facility from a young age, filled with vague fantasies about society.

The drama began with Horn stepping out of the facility for the first time to handle his first mission.

‘In other words, it starts with action from the opening.’

There was still quite a bit of time before filming started.

Until then, I decided to attend action school every day.

My days were spent reading the script with Jung-hyun hyung or coordinating with actors at the action school.

School life was the same.

“Yeon-jae, it’s PE next. Let’s change clothes.”

“Okay.”

Responding to Seo Ji-oh, I grabbed my gym clothes.

‘It’s quiet.’

Since Baek Seo-jin transferred out, school had become much quieter.

Noh Bi-hyuk was still only seen in text form today.

[Lee Yeon-jae’s real best friend Bi-hyuk: I don’t think I can go to school today either. ʕ ´•̥̥̥ ᴥ•̥̥̥`ʔ I practiced all night again yesterday.]

[Lee Yeon-jae’s real best friend Bi-hyuk: The first debut member announcement is next week ㅠㅠ Wish Bi-hyuk good luck ㅠㅠ sob sob]

[Lee Yeon-jae’s real best friend Bi-hyuk: But don’t get too close with Seo Ji-oh just because I’m not there.]

Life without that noisy guy was dull.

As a result, I ended up spending more time with Sung Lee-jun and Seo Ji-oh.

Fortunately, Seo Ji-oh didn’t try to manipulate Sung Lee-jun or say anything weird.

Sometimes it felt too quiet, but seeing Sung Lee-jun’s excited face chatting away lifted my spirits.

Before I knew it, such an event arrived.

“Yeon-jae, let’s try on that suit too.”

“Noona, please spare me.”

The hottest August sun.

It was also the month when the most famous film awards ceremony in the country was held.

I had been reporting to the stylist’s office for several days.

“Good boy. Come on, stand up. Good boy~.”

I stood up with a half-dead face under the stylist’s coaxing.

‘How many times have I changed clothes now.’

I lost count after ten times.

Seeing the stylist so unusually serious today, I asked earnestly.

“Noona, you didn’t go to this extent even for Cannes.”

“I didn’t know you’d win Best Actor then.”

The stylist replied nonchalantly as she prepared the next outfit.

“This is your first awards ceremony after winning Best Actor. It’s also your first time attending a domestic awards ceremony. I can’t stand the thought of my actor being looked down upon by other celebrities. I must find the best fit.”

I swallowed the words that nobody would care in the first place.

Seeing her crazed eyes, I couldn’t say anything.

‘…Save your strength instead of complaining.’

I tried on various suits from different brands for several days, finally narrowing it down to two.

“Yeon-jae, what do you think? Which one looks better to you?”

“I—.”

“If you say both are okay, you’ll be in trouble.”

“….”

With that preemptive strike, I quietly turned my gaze.

‘They both look the same to me.’

It wasn’t that I was dismissive of fashion because I wasn’t interested in it.

I was just honestly blind in this field.

‘Isn’t that why experts exist?’

I wanted to leave it entirely up to the stylist, who was an expert.

But with no choice, I picked the less flashy of the two.

“I’ll go with this one.”

“Oh my, that’s the brand my mentor just launched. Oh my, my mentor will be so pleased.”

Mentor?

I frowned slightly and asked.

“Is the mentor the one I met a few months ago? Blonde hair, blue eyes….”

“Yes. Right—.”

“Then I’ll go with the other one.”

As soon as the stylist nodded, I immediately changed my choice.

Her expression became blank.

“Why suddenly?”

I debated making an excuse but decided to be honest.

“I met her son in France, and he said something rude to me. So I’m not really drawn to it.”

“Rude? What did he say?”

“He said I shouldn’t have won the Best Actor award.”

“….”

I spoke as nonchalantly as possible.

The office fell into a heavy silence.

Everyone was looking at me.

Among them, the stylist’s gaze was the most intense.

“…Her son, you mean Noah? That bastard, no, he said that to you?”

“Yes. Jin-bae hyung heard it too.”

Sorry, hyung.

Jin-bae hyung’s eyes widened at the sudden mention of his name.

But I needed his support more than ever.

The stylist, after seeing Jin-bae hyung nod, took a deep breath with a flushed face.

Then she exploded.

“Isn’t he a crazy bastard??!!!!”

Her immense fury.

I was startled by the loud decibel that made my body tremble.

“Noona. Calm down—.”

“What nonsense is he spouting. Isn’t he a total lunatic?? Alex can’t even educate his son properly, and he’s saying that to my actor?!”

The stylist boldly dropped the mentor title.

‘So his name was Alex.’

An unnecessary piece of information.

I quickly forgot it and tried to calm the stylist.

“Noona, it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay at all!!”

“Yes, it’s not okay. But right now, it really is. I think I’ll feel even better if I don’t wear that suit.”

The stylist glared at me, angry at stating the obvious.

She ordered an employee to take the suit out and burn it.

I rubbed my ears as I watched.

For some reason, I didn’t feel that bad.

A strangely warm feeling tickled my ears.

“Crazy, I’m too angry to function. Let’s keep the remaining one as a candidate and get a few more.”

“….”

Cancel that.

I felt cold as if my blood was drying up.

I quickly stopped the stylist with a pale face.

“Noona, I’m really okay—.”

“Be quiet.”

The stylist’s anger lasted for hours.

After much trial and error, the suit I would wear was finally decided three days later.

It felt like three years.

* * *

“Wow, Yeon-jae, you look so cool!”

On the day of the awards ceremony, Jung-hyun hyung approached me with a smile.

“Thank you….”

“What’s this? Your eyes are unfocused? Are you okay?”

I wasn’t okay.

After making an excuse to Jung-hyun hyung, I closed my eyes.

‘I want to go home.’

I had been up since dawn for the ceremony, getting massages, makeup, and hair done.

In between, they even made me take a half bath for better complexion.

After a whole day of this, I was already drained before the ceremony even started.

‘This really isn’t easy.’

I hadn’t attended many award ceremonies, but I felt this every time.

“Hyung, I don’t think I’m made for award ceremonies….”

“Haha! Me neither. Let’s endure a bit and go home together.”

Jung-hyun hyung laughed and pinched my cheek lightly.

It didn’t hurt, but seeing my makeup staff’s expression change, I quickly pulled my face back.

“Huh? Why?”

“Because of the makeup.”

“Oh, sorry. I guess they’ll have to redo it. My bad.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s fine!”

The staff member, who apologized to Jung-hyun hyung, approached me.

I felt something being applied to my face as I spaced out.

‘When will this end.’

I knew for some people, just attending this event would be a dream.

All the things I enjoyed without much thought might be someone’s lifelong dream.

‘But it’s uncomfortable, so what can I do.’

I was the type who enjoyed practicing acting alone more than attending these events.

As that blond kid said, not valuing the trophy might be seen as a mockery to some.

But honestly….

‘Why should I care?’

I wasn’t showing it outwardly.

As long as I didn’t make anyone feel bad, I didn’t need to feel guilty about my feelings.

In other words, my feelings were a realm no one could criticize.

These were my feelings. I was uncomfortable and tired.

The waxed, stiff hair, the flashy suit that fit perfectly, everything.

But it wasn’t unbearable.

“Actor-nim. Look here.”

“Hyung, we took enough pictures earlier.”

“Those were for ☓star, and these are for the fan cafe.”

“Oh, then let me see a mirror.”

As soon as Jin-bae hyung finished speaking, I jumped up.

I thanked the staff who quickly brought a mirror and checked if there were any eye boogers or

unclean parts.

“Yeon-jae, you look really cool today. Wow, so cute.”

“You look great, actor-nim! Just one more shot from a different angle.”

“Sorry, but please take it quickly.”

The endless praise from the hyungs was enough to make me blush.

‘…But since the fans will like it.’

I heard that many fans liked the suit I wore at Cannes.

I had seen many photos and videos posted on the fan cafe.

‘That’s enough.’

Surprisingly, I meant it.

As soon as Jin-bae hyung posted the photos on the fan cafe, countless comments poured in.

The comments, resembling their owners, were all lovely.

Seeing the affectionate words, my fatigue and discomfort vanished in an instant.

“Actor-nim! It’s time to go outside.”

“Yes.”

Though the post was hastily written and had fewer words than usual, there was no other way.

I stood on the red carpet and the ceremony began.

And I won an award.

“The grand prize for Best Actor goes to… ‘Twins’ actor Lee Yeon-jae! Congratulations!”

Since I had been informed in advance, I wasn’t surprised.

After politely greeting those around me, I went up to the stage.

“Hello, I’m Lee Yeon-jae.”

It was my first time winning an award for a movie domestically.

I gave thanks to Director Yoon, the staff, fellow actors, and fans for allowing me to enjoy this honor.

Normally, I would have stopped at this, but….

I had something to say today.

“Lastly, I’d like to use this moment to say something personal.”

I looked at the camera facing me directly.

The camera lens seemed unusually vivid today.

Maybe because of the bright lights, it felt like looking into someone’s eyes.

“Mist.”

My reflection in the camera’s faint view was unfamiliar.

Even without a mirror, I could tell I was smiling.

‘Finally, I get to tell you this.’

Looking at the mist-like dim light, I raised the corners of my mouth.

“…Happy birthday.”

Today was August 20th.

It was the birthday Mist had set for himself and the day we first met.