Survive! Foolish Bottom!

 

The scene involved Jungho bringing Sooyul back to her and Soohyung’s home, where he would encounter her younger brother. 

 

Although Soohyung didn’t have many lines in this scene, it was his first appearance, and it needed to capture both his fierce attachment to his sister and his underlying temper that contrasted with his gentle face.

 

“Action!”

 

At the director’s cue, Haeun turned his gaze toward Kim Gyowon, who stood looking down at him.

 

“Who are you?” 

 

‘Kim Soohyung’ asked with his voice filled with suspicion.

 

“And why are you the one bringing my sister home?”

 

‘Seo Jungho’ didn’t reply, only scrutinizing Soohyung in silence.

 

“I asked, who are you?”

 

Still no response, just continued silence. So far, this was all within the script’s direction.

 

“I said, who are you?!”

 

“…”

 

That’s when something felt off. By now, it was Kim Gyowon’s turn to respond. But his silence stretched on.

 

There was no way he could have forgotten such a simple line—especially him,

the

Kim Gyowon. This wasn’t a case of forgetting a few words. Instead, he was outright ignoring the line he was supposed to deliver to Park Haeun. 

 

Everyone looked bewildered, as if no one had expected Kim Gyowon to pull something like this. Haeun’s face cycled between pale and flushed a few times. As he looked down at him, Kim Gyowon raised his head calmly and addressed the director.

 

“Oh, sorry. Could we try that again?”

 

Could he really have forgotten?

 

It seemed impossible, but he didn’t deny it and even apologized for the lapse, so there wasn’t much more anyone could say. After a perfunctory reprimand from the director to “do better this time,” they started filming again.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“…”

 

“Who the hell are you?!”

 

“…”

 

‘This son of a—’

 

Haeun held back an intense urge to curse. How many times could she repeat a line with the same uncertainty? Just like the last take, Kim Gyowon stayed silent, simply looking down at Haeun without saying a word. A mistake once might have been excusable, but twice made it clear this was deliberate. 

 

He could feel the entire set buzzing with unease. 

 

The director seemed just as clueless as everyone else about Kim Gyowon’s attitude. He hurriedly signaled to stop filming and walked over to Gyowon. 

 

Trying to overhear their conversation from a distance, Haeun caught fragments like “Is something wrong?” “Are you feeling off?” and “Did some issue come up suddenly?”—questions that sounded more like gentle inquiries than frustration or reprimands.

 

It was clear how highly they regarded Kim Gyowon. He had blatantly disregarded the script and refused to speak his lines, yet rather than reprimanding him, the director seemed intent on coaxing him along. 

 

Watching the director tiptoe around Kim Gyowon, Haeun felt a wave of resignation. He noticed his manager and stylist hurrying over to check on him, but all he could think about was one thing:

 

‘Why didn’t he say his line?’

 

Was he trying to mess with him on purpose? Was it because his opinion of him was so low, maybe around a -12 in terms of “favorability”? But then, this was supposed to be a guy who prided himself on professionalism. Why would he, of all people, play these kinds of games?

 

Haeun was at a loss of words the first time, angry the second time, and worried the third time.

 

‘Am I that terrible? To the point he didn’t even think it was worth responding to him?’

 

You’re the one who’s terrible.

Why are you pretending to be so expensive and difficult to spit out these words!

 

In preparation for the shooting, Park Haeun had filmed himself numerous times to review his performance, getting his manager to help record so he could assess his acting objectively. Honestly, he thought he had done better than what he’d seen from Jaewoon earlier. 

 

But now, with Kim Gyowon’s blatant dismissal, he was starting to doubt. Maybe he genuinely thought he was hopeless—so hopeless that he didn’t even bother to speak.

 

‘Damn, am I really going to get fired right here on set?’

 

As Haeun sipped water handed to him by his manager, he felt a cold sweat forming. His manager looked just as unsettled and muttered quietly under his breath.

 

“What’s his problem, acting like you’re not worth his time just because you’re not well-known. Don’t worry about it, Haeun. If he keeps acting like this, the director will have to step in.”

 

But it didn’t seem like Kim Gyowon’s behavior was about status. After all, he’d thrown sharp comments at Gloomy’s Jaewoon, who was practically an icon. Haeun realized he probably just didn’t hold back with anyone when it came to acting. He found himself mentally justifying his actions, which made him feel a bit awkward.

 

‘Why am I defending this guy?’

 

He had clearly watched too many of Kim Gyowon’s movies while preparing for this role. The thrill of being his fan had evaporated into a sense of embarrassment and frustration. 

 

Soon after, the director returned to his position, having finished speaking with Kim Gyowon, and the set buzzed with activity again as everyone prepared for the next take.

 

“We’ll take a break right after we finish this scene!”

 

The announcement sounded upbeat, but it only added to Haeun’s anxiety. What if he clams up again? Are we just going to keep retaking this scene endlessly?

 

If this strange situation kept dragging on, someone was bound to get cut—and he knew it would probably be him. After all, he was Kim Gyowon, and he was just a small idol from Stone Cherry.

 

‘I’ve worked so hard for this role… this is beyond frustrating.’

 

With his mind already racing ahead, Haeun had started to imagine herself getting fired and feeling utterly defeated. The initial goal of “improving Kim Gyowon’s opinion of me” was now on the verge of total failure, and his emotions were all over the place.

 

“Ready, action!”

 

With the director’s call, Haeun barely managed to hold onto his focus. This time, he lifted his head higher, his tone more defiant as he asked.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“…”

 

“And what gives you the right to bring my sister here?”

 

“…”

 

“I said who are you?”

 

From an angle unseen by the camera, Kim Gyowon narrowed his eyes, as if to taunt her. Haeun’s face began to tremble with an emotion that was somewhere between shock and anger.

 

‘This jerk… he’s really planning to skip his lines again!’

 

Fury surged through him, completely unrestrained. Practically boiling over, Haeun raised his voice in an indignant shout. 

 

“Hey! I said, Who the hell are you?!”

 

The raw frustration in his voice reverberated through the air, almost as if it were creating its own echo. For a moment, the sly smile on Kim Gyowon’s face vanished. Then, as if anticipating the camera’s tight close-up, his expression shifted in an instant, his face hardening. 

 

To Haeun’s astonishment, his lips parted in an almost agonizingly slow manner. He stood there, caught off guard, watching as a faint, taunting smile spread across his lips. 

 

“So, you’re that kid.”

 

Kim Gyowon muttered in a low voice, almost as if his tone were breaking. Park Haeun was completely stunned for a moment.

 

“Cut!”

 

With the director’s call, Kim Gyowon immediately dropped his intense expression, returning to his usual annoyingly indifferent face. Haeun couldn’t help but feel his opinion of him plummet in an instant. Stretching his neck a few times, Kim Gyowon, for the first time, threw a comment his way.

 

“That last expression was your best. See? You can do it.”

 

Haeun’s jaw practically dropped. He was absolutely speechless.

 

***

 

Haeun couldn’t get over her irritation. “What? See, you can do it?” Was he serious, or just messing with him? The worst part was that his baiting had actually gotten himto react in a way that looked great on camera.

 

He kept gulping down water when his manager placed a drink in front of him. It looked like an iced Americano… which his manager knew he couldn’t stand. Haeun shot her a look. 

 

“What kind of coffee is this?”

 

It was a question with an edge, close to saying, “You know I don’t like this stuff, so why bring it to me?” His manager raised his hands defensively.

 

“I didn’t buy it. It’s from Jaewoon over there. He’s handing out drinks to everyone on set.”

 

Looking around, Haeun noticed that every staff member was holding a coffee. In the middle of it all, Gloomy’s Jaewoon was moving around with a warm smile, chatting with everyone. 

 

‘Oh, so this is what they meant by good social skills. Generous spending tends to work wonders for likeability. If I were in my own body, I’d have been able to do that too.’

 

Park Ha thought, thinking of his current state of his wallet which didn’t get much when they got paid.

 

He briefly considered taking a sip, but the system finally piped up after being quiet for so long:

 『 If you drink that Americano, you’ll feel sick! (´Д`) It’s better not to. 』 

Yeah, right. It was obvious an excuse. The system thought he didn’t suit something as sophisticated as an Americano, as if he were some childish, naïve thing who should stick to fruit juice. Begrudgingly, Haeun put the coffee down.

 

He saw Kim Gyowon across the room. He was heading toward the door, picking up his own cup and politely dismissing those around him. Maybe he wanted some quiet time outside to drink his coffee. Either way, Haeun couldn’t have cared less.

 

Feeling defeated by his failed attempt to get some caffeine, Haeun decided that maybe splashing some water on his face would help his refocus. Today’s shoot wasn’t over yet, and he needed to stay sharp. He sluggishly informed his manager that he was heading to the restroom, and the manager, seeing how worn out he looked, just nodded sympathetically.

 

The restroom nearest to him was packed, and the idea of washing his face in a crowded space wasn’t appealing. He looked around for an alternative and eventually found another restroom tucked away in a quiet corner. The building was large enough that a few out-of-the-way facilities were scattered throughout.

 

Haeun had thought the restroom would be empty. But just as he approached, he heard a loud, obnoxious laugh and hushed voices coming from within. 

 

“I’m telling you, it’s true. Why would I lie about something like this? Yeah, he actually took it. That stuff works like a charm. Right about now, he’s probably stuck in the bathroom, unable to even walk out.”

 

Haeun’s heart skipped a beat. The tone, the laugh—everything about it was unsettling. What were they talking about? 

 

He listened closely, a knot forming in his stomach, realizing he might have stumbled onto something he wasn’t supposed to hear.

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