The public always had a lot to say about idols transitioning into acting.
However, such reactions were of no concern to production companies.
For them, only a few factors mattered—production costs, recognition, and overall visual appeal.
Unless it was a hugely famous writer’s work, the production company had no intention of putting much effort into casting anyone other than the main roles.
And in tis like these, there were always a few so-called ‘lucky’ individuals who seized the opportunity.
People who, despite lacking acting skills, managed to secure supporting roles simply because they were good-looking—even if they had minimal lines but still appeared in every episode.
The idols who ca in this ti were probably all good-looking.
What was the rit of using this guy other than for the dancing scene during the company dinner?
Sure, his outfit suited the character Do Younghwan, but that was probably all there was to it.
“Shall we start with the character analysis?”
Director Cha asked. Since they were all the sa anyway, he wanted to quickly finish the perfunctory audition and choose the actor who best suited the writer’s taste.
The young man in front of him cleared his throat and began to talk calmly about his character analysis.
At first, it wasn’t much different from any other actor’s approach. He referenced details from the script, matching them with Do Younghwan’s profile, such as his age and personality.
However, the idol’s character analysis presentation continued uninterrupted for over five minutes.
“Considering that many financial firms are clustered in Yeouido, he likely commutes on extrely crowded subways. As a result, he’d prefer light clothing that wouldn’t be easily disheveled by the heat, and he’d favor a structured backpack to keep his docunts and laptop intact.”
“What about a watch? Have you thought about that?”
“I understand that many male office workers in their late 20s use smartwatches. I tried to dress as close to the image as possible, but I don’t personally use a smartwatch, so I couldn’t wear one.”
The young man responded to the writer’s sudden question with an awkward, yet a pleasant, smile.
His neatly styled hair and the light gray suit, which gave off a light and airy feeling, caught Director Cha’s eye once again.
“When do you think Do Younghwan joined ‘My Asset Managent,’ Mr. Iwol?”
“At the age twenty-six years old, I think.”
“Do Younghwan is twenty-eight, so according to you, he’d have been there for about three years. Wouldn’t he be an assistant manager by then?”
“The script describes ‘My Asset Managent’ as a prestigious asset managent firm. I assud they recruit through conversion-based internships rather than open public hiring, similar to major firms in the industry.”
The writer nodded. Any writer would do research when writing a drama. The rookie idol’s answer seed to align with what the writer had investigated.
‘Why does this feel like a job interview?’
The handso young man from earlier was gone, replaced by a veteran who seed to have been going to job interviews for years.
The excited writer and producer threw all sorts of questions, but the man in front of them handled every question flawlessly without changing his expression.
“Well, yes… The character analysis seems sufficient. Let’s see the script acting.”
Director Cha hastily flipped through the script. He had been in this business for years—there was no way he’d let himself get drawn in by an idol who wasn’t even a rookie actor.
However, Director Cha never regained control.
As ntioned before, Do Younghwan was a minor supporting character with very few lines, and…
“Assistant Manager, here are the materials you requested.”
“Don’t say that. It brings bad luck.”
“Every ti I want to quit, payday cos around.”
…yet, the rookie idol, Kim Iwol, was uncannily good at acting like an office worker.
The audition, which could have been mistaken for a skit, ended just like that.
* * *
“I’m back.”
“How was your first audition? Did it go well?”
“Hey, give a mont to breathe.”
The youngest mbers rushed out to greet , followed closely by Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo.
Choi Jeho also erged from his room, made eye contact, and then retreated back inside.
He grumbled about why I bothered with acting when I had no interest in it. Thanks for the greeting, though, brat.
“It was interesting. Although I didn’t do particularly well.”
“Why? Was it very difficult…?”
Park Joowoo looked at cautiously.
“Wouldn’t it be weird if I suddenly turned out to be amazing at it?”
“That… is true.”
After a mont of thought, Park Joowoo easily accepted my reasoning. But I was right. I was already struggling just to keep up as an idol.
‘Especially the director, he didn’t seem to like very much.’
No matter how I looked at it, his expression had been far from welcoming. That was why, after the interview… no, the audition… ended, I just handed over the list of setting errors I found in the script and quickly left.
On the way back, the system rewarded . I hadn’t checked it yet, planning to open it later at night.
“That’s a sha. I thought we’d have a genius actor in our team.”
“What if I suddenly decide I want to focus on acting and leave the group?”
“Go ahead and try.”
Lee Cheonghyeon boldly pulled a ‘Are you scared?’ on . I really was, so I didn’t argue any further.
As I was showcasing the Do Younghwan scenes I’d practiced at the audition for the mbers, the dorm phone rang.
When Jeong Seongbin, who was closest, answered the phone, we busily mouthed questions.
‘Is it the company?’
‘Manager hyung?’
Jeong Seongbin shook his head, then focused on the call.
His expression changed in an instant.
His face turned pale, and he barely managed to utter, ‘Jeho hyung’, after hanging up.
“Choi Jeho, soone’s looking for you.”
“Who?”
At my call, he sluggishly sat up from his bed and opened the door.
“Your dongsaeng, I think. She said it was urgent…”
Before I could finish, he bolted out of the room.
He practically almost snatched the phone from Jeong Seongbin’s hand.
“What’s wrong?”
Choi Jeho’s voice was sharp as he spoke to the person on the other end.
Jeong Seongbin cautiously approached us and said,
“His dongsaeng… she was crying…”
“Oh…”
Lee Cheonghyeon covered his mouth and looked at Choi Jeho, who was completely focused on the phone call.
Throughout the conversation, Choi Jeho only said, ‘Yeah’.
The call wasn’t long. After three minutes that felt like an hour, he hung up.
“What happened?”
“I need to go out for a bit.”
“Now? Where?”
Choi Jeho grabbed his wallet and put on his shoes without answering. The heels of his sneakers were crumpled.
As Choi Jeho left, too quickly for to stop him, I quickly called out to Jeong Seongbin.
“Seongbin, if our manager looks for us, tell him we went to the convenience store. Okay?”
“You’re going too, hyung?”
“I can’t let him go alone. I’ll contact you if anything happens.”
I grabbed my wallet and jacket and went out, just as the elevator doors were closing.
I pressed the open button and forced the doors open. Choi Jeho frowned as I got in.
“Why are you following ?”
“Don’t you know Spark has to move in pairs?”
“Aren’t you the one who breaks that rule the most?”
Despite his retort, he didn’t tell to go back.
Instead, he silently hailed a taxi. He must not even have ti to argue with .
Fortunately, a taxi arrived quickly. We seed to have benefited from it being the ti when people were leaving bars.
I quietly fastened my seatbelt while Choi Jeho gave the address.
Even after the taxi started moving, Choi Jeho couldn’t seem to relax.
“Are you okay?”
I couldn’t help but ask, even though I knew he wasn’t.
I didn’t expect a reply, but surprisingly, he spoke.
“…My father showed up at my noona’s place.”
“Didn’t you say they’ve been living separately for a long ti?”
I had heard a brief account of Choi Jeho’s family situation.
His father was problematic, so his parents divorced and they had been living separately ever since.
But family issues were not sothing you could just sever cleanly.
Even after I beca independent and restricted access to my records, I still spent sleepless nights imagining them suddenly showing up. I’d had to docunt every instance of abuse, every insult, just to make it legally possible. It must be even harder for those who hadn’t.
“Shouldn’t we call the police?”
“It’s useless.”
Choi Jeho’s voice was strained.
“That man, he doesn’t hit people. He knows he’ll really go to jail if he does.”
“…”
“But since he doesn’t hit people, they just try to calm him down and tell him to sleep. They say things like, ‘Family argunts happen,’ or ‘Your father will co to his senses in the morning.’”
I had no words.
Even though I tried to live as if I had no family, I still had nights where I lay awake, dreading the possibility that they’d find .
I knew the pain of not knowing how many years, how many more tis, I would have to see the people I wanted to be strangers to.
“It’s bullcrap.”
Choi Jeho muttered. I pretended not to hear and closed my eyes.
* * *
The neighborhood where his sister lived was quiet. In other words, deserted.
After paying the taxi fare and getting out, Choi Jeho, who followed out, looked around, seemingly checking if his father was nearby.
I grabbed his arm before he could take off running.
“Wait a second.”
“What?”
Choi Jeho’s reaction was sharper than ever. His eyes flashed with a dangerous glint.
“What are you going to do when you see your father? You’re an idol now. Are you going to have a huge fight with your father and end up at the police station?”
“…”
“Let’s say you don’t resort to violence. Is there any guarantee that your father won’t accuse you of threatening him? Violent cris against direct relatives are serious offenses.”
Choi Jeho’s breathing turned rough.
However, he didn’t refute or tell to watch my mouth. He knew. He knew I wasn’t wrong.
Choi Jeho clenched and unclenched his fists several tis, his hands turning red as blood rushed to them. The veins, bulging and blue, pulsed beneath his skin.
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
His dark eyes locked onto mine, making no effort to hide the ominous energy radiating from him.
“Leave it to , and you stay back.”
“What?”
“Wait. Until I call you.”
I entered the convenience store. I needed to prepare sothing.
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