Chapter 256


“Did you stay up all night?”

Moon Chang-sik replied, looking a bit embarrassed at my not-so-gentle remark.

“…I did it because there’s no filming today.”

His lackluster response made it clear he was really tired, and to be honest, it stung a bit.

Did I just ruin someone?

“Uhm….”

I noticed he had dark circles under his eyes… Honestly, I had never seen him like this before.

He was always so meticulous with self-care.

“There’s no filming today?”

“Yeah, I came because, like Soo-hyun, a new set was made at the filming location.”

I see… But he really looks like he wants to sleep right this moment.

“Let’s head to the waiting room for now.”

“Ah, okay.”

At this filming location, there’s an empty waiting room to practice with Moon Chang-sik, just like in the historical drama set, so we made our way there.

Once we arrived and I casually took off my coat, I caught sight of Moon Chang-sik, who looked extremely drowsy.

“Uh… um, do you want to take a quick nap?”

I wondered if he could even practice looking like that, so I made the suggestion, and he nodded.

“I’m sorry, but I think I need to.”

As he said that, he pulled out a fluffy-looking sleep mask from a small bag he had just set down.

“…You carry a sleep mask?”

He took it out so casually, I asked, and he reached back into the bag to pull out another one.

“This is my favorite for when I sleep in the car. Do you want one?”

“Uh, sure….”

I ended up taking one sleep mask without thinking too much.

It felt nice to the touch… Well, I suppose a top actor would buy good stuff.

“Then I’ll excuse myself for 30 minutes….”

With that, Moon Chang-sik put on the sleep mask and immediately laid down on one of the sofas.

…Looks like he was really tired.

Shall I go explore the filming location a bit?

Since practice wouldn’t happen without Moon Chang-sik, I figured I might as well take a look around and stepped out of the waiting room.

“Umm.”

Once I stepped out, I saw busy staff members moving around.

While I casually wandered through the bustling place, I spotted a familiar face up ahead.

“Soo-hyun? Are you looking for a senior?”

It was Kang Ha-na.

Of the actors, she was the one I was somewhat familiar with, excluding Moon Chang-sik.

“No, I’m just taking a look around.”

“Really? Oh, right. The coffee cart just arrived over there.”

“The coffee cart?”

“Yeah, another senior sent it over.”

Oh… a coffee cart.

Should I go over and grab some coffee?

Since Moon Chang-sik seemed like he was dying of sleepiness, I should get some for him too.

“By the way, why are you out here alone? Where’s your senior?”

“Chang-sik fell asleep, so I was just checking out the filming location.”

“Really? Senior Chang-sik?”

Kang Ha-na looked surprised when I mentioned that he was asleep in the waiting room.

“Oh, yeah, he’s sleeping comfortably on the sofa.”

So I told her about how he had put on the sleep mask and laid down, causing her to slightly drop her jaw.

“Really? I want to see that at least once.”

“Then do you want to go to the waiting room together?”

It’s nothing worth hiding from, and since Kang Ha-na has a friendly relationship with Moon Chang-sik, it should be fine.

However, at my suggestion, Kang Ha-na said with genuine regret.

“I have filming now… If you tell me where the waiting room is, I’ll go after it’s done.”

“I don’t think he’ll be awake by then… But alright, I understand.”

After finishing our conversation, I grabbed two cups of coffee from the coffee cart and returned to the waiting room, where Moon Chang-sik was still sleeping.

“Still asleep?”

I sneakily went closer and saw he was indeed sleeping soundly, like a mouse.

…He sleeps really well.

Was he that tired?

Since it feels odd to wake him up, maybe I should rest a bit too?

I took out the sleep mask I received earlier from my puffer jacket’s pocket.

Coincidentally, there was another similar sofa placed in symmetry with the one Moon Chang-sik was on.

Should I lay down on it like him?

I wanted to know how comfy it was to sleep that deeply, so I tried lying back on the sofa with the sleep mask on.

“Oh….”

The feel of the high-quality sleep mask combined with the soft sofa made it clear why Moon Chang-sik had been sleeping for so long.

It was surprisingly comfortable even without a bed.

With that, I closed my eyes.

“…Soo-hyun.”

“…Hyun, wake up….”

When I regained my senses, someone was gently shaking me.

I opened my eyes, but perhaps due to the sleep mask, I couldn’t see clearly, so I took it off.

I flinched slightly at the incoming light, but soon I could see the person in front of me clearly.

She looked so pure and beautiful, like someone you’d find in a drama… Ah, it’s Kang Ha-na.

“Hana?”

“Finally waking up, huh? But wait—are you really still sleeping?”

Uh-oh… Did I sleep too long?

Where did Moon Chang-sik go, anyway?

I looked beyond Kang Ha-na’s shoulder, but the opposite sofa was empty.

“Where’s Chang-sik?”

“Oh, he woke me up earlier and went to the restroom.”

Ah, so it wasn’t that I woke up late; Moon Chang-sik had been sleeping soundly too.

…Wait, looking outside, it seems like today’s practice is off.

“You two… pfft, look at this.”

At that moment, Kang Ha-na quietly tried to hold back a laugh and showed me a photo.

“I took this right when I walked into the waiting room earlier; isn’t it hilarious?”

In the photo she showed, there was a view of the waiting room capturing me and Moon Chang-sik on our respective sofas, both cluelessly wearing our sleep masks.

“Can I post this on my Insta?”

“Insta?”

“Yeah, I think it’d be nice to share it after the drama airs! Senior gave me the green light!”

“Uh, um….”

I glanced at the picture.

It looked like the vibe of a late-night work session.

…It shouldn’t matter, right?

Even though we were both sleeping, we each wore a sleep mask, so our faces didn’t look that odd.

“I think it’ll be fine.”

“Ah, thanks! By the way, can I get your Insta ID? Oh, wait, we haven’t followed each other yet, huh?”

“Oh, I don’t have an Insta….”

“You don’t use Insta?”

“Uh, nope.”

I felt like I’d missed a good chance to connect with Kang Ha-na if I had an Insta ID.

“Hana, making one might not be a bad idea.”

She waved her phone when I said I didn’t have one.

“Really?”

“Yeah, everyone’s doing it nowadays.”

Hmm… Maybe I should consider it?

“I’ll think about it.”

“If you make one, let me know right away!”

“Sure, alright.”

Insta… Maybe I should give it a try.

I think having my face on there could help boost my follower count too.

“Ah… Finally coming to your senses, huh?”

Just as I was pondering that, Moon Chang-sik came back from washing his face.

“Soo-hyun, you’re awake now?”

“Yeah, this sleep mask feels great.”

The sofa was nice, but if I had to pinpoint the reason I slept so well, it’d probably be the sleep mask.

It was soft and fuzzy, just perfect for sleeping.

“I’m really sorry about that. You came all this way, and I just end up sleeping.”

“It’s fine. I slept too, so no worries. Want me to return the sleep mask?”

“Keep it; it’s okay.”

“I was just waiting for that answer.”

Since I really liked it, I quickly tucked the sleep mask into my pocket, making Moon Chang-sik look at me in disbelief.

“Seriously.”

“I, too, have an important job that requires sleep.”

As we chatted, I could feel Kang Ha-na’s gaze on us.

…Why’s she looking at us like that?

“Why’re you staring like that?”

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing.”

Anyway, after that, I did some light acting practice with Moon Chang-sik before heading home.

Once I got back, I took a short rest and prepared to turn on the broadcast.

Now that I think about it, since I napped a lot at the filming location, I might not be able to sleep tonight.

With slight worry about messing up my sleep schedule, I switched on the broadcast.

[Love for Juniors, Love for the Country]

“Hey everyone, how’s it going?”

– Hi hi

– What’s the title?

“Today is the day of the 3rd generation debut broadcast, right? Shall we watch it together?”

Today, I was planning to watch the debut broadcast live after all.

Yesterday’s highlights got me curious.

– ????

– Weren’t you saying you wouldn’t watch? LOL

[Thank you, 1,000 won from ㅇㅇ!]

If that’s the case, didn’t you also skip the debut broadcast yesterday? Do you discriminate against people?

“Ah, no, that’s not it. Just became a bit curious.”

For now, I’ll make an exception just for today, but from tomorrow, I’ll really stop watching.

And since I’ve already turned on the broadcast early, I might as well do something, right?

Thus, while making excuses, I settled onto the couch to watch my junior’s debut broadcast.

Glancing at the chatroom in the waiting area, it looked like all the other members were there too, with tons of fandom emojis from the Celestial Realm flooding the chat.

“This place is chaotic.”

– LOL

– Shall we go join? LOL

– Let’s get back in order.

“Hey now, don’t start chatting over there.”

If we joined, it would really turn into a mess, so I stopped it for now.

After all, the Miro fandom has a different vibe.

It’d be a bit awkward if we joined in and caused a commotion there.

“Today, everyone is staying calmly in my broadcast.”

I said that while waiting, and soon the time had come for my junior to appear on the screen.

[Hello…!]

But seeing her voice tremble made her a bit cute, which made me laugh.

“Looks like she’s nervous, huh?”

– Adorable LOL

– Yeah, she seems nervous LOL

– So fresh and innocent

“For sure.”

The first generation had their moments like that… or did I? I feel like I didn’t have a chance to be that freshman.

I had rolled through auditions and got to debut, so I didn’t really experience that.

While reminiscing about my first-generation days and watching the broadcast, she finished her intro and opened the floor for questions.

[Ask me anything and I’ll gladly answer!]

– Anything? Hmm…

– Can I really ask? LOL

“Hey now, everyone stay calm.”

It seemed they were losing their composure in my presence, prompting them to want to veer off the track.

“If anyone asks weird questions, it’s an instant global ban.”

– OMG LOL

– I apologize…

The Six is pretty strict about those things.

In a single room, any weird donations or chats could lead to a collective ban from the broadcast of the 18 members in the Celestial Realm, including these six debuting members.

[Next question… Huh? Politics?]

But my warning fell short as someone decided to send a strange question.

“Oh no.”

– LOL

– Should just ban him right away?

– Should I check the ID and give them a call?

“Call? Nope, the best move is just to ignore it….”

[Uh… Personally, seeing the current administration…]

“Ah.”

Tap, tap! Tap, tap!

Seeing her answer, I quickly pressed Alt+F4 and closed the window.

– ?? LOL

– LOL She answered that!

– Closing the broadcast in half a second 实力派 LOL

– What did she say? LOL

Tap, clink.

Right after closing, I opened my game of Romance of the Three Kingdoms that was displayed on my desktop.

I created a new game, customized it just right, and hit the start button.

“Let’s play a new game today!”

And while the game was loading, I changed the broadcast title as well.

[Miro’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Just Started)]

– Looks so fun! hehe

– ??? LOL

– That was a speedy game start LOL

– So you’re playing games the moment the broadcast begins today?

[Thank you, 1,000 won from ㅇㅇ!]

Are you not gonna watch the 3rd generation junior debut broadcast happening right now? LOL

“Oh, the 3rd generation juniors?”

This is crazy… How could they just answer like that?

They must’ve been so nervous about their debut that they just blurted it out.

“Curious as I am, I have my own content today, and the second generation might all be watching their debut broadcasts.”

– LOL

– This guy, LOL

– The cut-off is real, as always.

But after all, someone’s got to survive, right?

I definitely didn’t watch today’s broadcast.