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Fortunately, I was able to catch a ride in Nam Han-kyung’s car.

“Phew… I really thought I was going to be left behind.”

“…I did consider it.”

“Wait, really?”

“Half of it was a joke.”

…But it sounds like half of it was serious.

Well, I made it in the end.

Honestly, Nam Han-kyung’s car looked pretty good.

Moon Chang-sik’s car is nice too; it seems like celebrities earn quite a bit.

“Nice car.”

“Is it?”

“Wow, the ride is smooth.”

Is a smooth ride just about the driving skills?

Anyway, the car glided along comfortably.

“Haha, I’ve been driving this car for a long time. We’re one body.”

“Oh, really?”

Did he buy it before he became an actor?

It looks super expensive…

“Can I ask what you did before becoming an actor?”

“Oh, me? I worked at a company.”

“Ooo….”

A company? That seems a bit out of character, but I get the feeling he managed quite well in social life.

“I studied pretty well. That company is called Gaseong.”

And when he mentioned the company name, I was utterly shocked.

Gaseong Group—one of those top five big companies in South Korea.

“Wow, really?”

“Is that so surprising? I don’t have the image of being bad at studying.”

No, my surprise wasn’t based on his image.

It was just that…

“My dad works there.”

Because it’s the same company where Manager Kim works.

What a weird coincidence.

“Uh, really?”

Nam Han-kyung also looked surprised by my words.

Of course, Gaseong is one of the renowned big companies and has many branches, but still, what a remarkable coincidence!

“Yes, he’s the manager.”

“Wow, that’s something! What’s your father’s name?”

“Kim Soo-hak.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Have you heard of him?”

“No, I guess we must be in different departments.”

“What a pity…”

If only Manager Kim and I knew each other, that would have been even more amazing, but sadly, I guess that wasn’t the case.

“By the way, being in a big company is impressive.”

How easy is it to work at a big company?

Even those itching to join the notorious place get blocked.

“Well… I was lucky. My parents supported me a lot when I was studying.”

But Nam Han-kyung brushed it off lightly.

Maybe he really thinks it’s no big deal.

Is that what it means to be privileged?

But how did he end up becoming an actor after working at such a big company?

I was curious about that but didn’t want to push too much.

“By the way, can I ask a question this time?”

“Oh yes, what would you like to ask?”

“What did Soo-hyun do before acting? Were you a university student?”

“Um.”

“What’s wrong? Why are you flustered?”

What did I do…

So many things!

I went to university, I drew, I sang, and above all, I did broadcasting.

“Well, you see… I actually had another main job apart from being an actor.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, I only took this role as a favor.”

At that point, Kang Han-kyung looked at me with surprise through the side mirror.

“What do you do? I can’t even guess.”

Hmm, he really doesn’t know? He could find it just by searching online.

But then again, Nam Han-kyung wouldn’t have any reason to look it up.

Considering Kim Soo-hyun, my name probably isn’t that prominent either.

“Um, well.”

What should I say?

Isn’t it a bit too much to say I’m the best VTuber in Korea outright?

Or should I say I’m a singer? I’ve released songs.

Hmm, uh.

But calling myself a singer might not fit, as I haven’t released that many songs.

“I’ll keep it a secret.”

In the end, I dodged the question nonchalantly.

“What’s this? I shared mine.”

Nam Han-kyung lightly expressed his dissatisfaction, but…

If he’s curious, he can always look it up later.

“We’ve arrived.”

Anyway, we finally reached the barbecue restaurant we agreed on for the gathering.

It already looked good from the outside… Did they book the whole place today?

Thinking it must have cost quite a bit, I walked inside, where several people had already gathered.

Hmm… where to sit?

Just as I was about to find a corner.

“There are the two villains! Sit here!”

The writer in the center called out when he spotted Nam Han-kyung and me.

“Okay!”

Since it was the writer’s request, both Nam Han-kyung and I hurried over to sit beside him.

“You’re not unhappy sitting next to me, are you?”

“Oh no, not at all.”

There’s no way I’d be unhappy.

He’s the highest-ranked person here, after all.

“How about you, Han-kyung? No complaints?”

“Yes, it’s excellent.”

Honestly, if I were by myself, I would’ve felt awkward, but now that Nam Han-kyung was called over too, it was fine.

“Oh, by the way, Soo-hyun, I saw you during the script reading. You interpreted it really well.”

As we sat down and set our utensils, the writer complimented me.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, it was exactly the feeling I had in mind.”

Honestly, I was worried, but thankfully the writer liked it.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Of course. Here, have a drink.”

Since it was a gathering, there were drinks neatly arranged on each table, and the writer generously poured soju into my glass.

Isn’t that cup overflowing?

Seeing him pour without hesitation, it seemed unlikely I’d walk back unscathed today.

“Do you drink well?”

“Um… I can finish a bottle.”

“Oh… do you drink often?”

“No, not really. I’m actually drinking for the first time in a while today.”

It’s genuinely been a long time since I had alcohol.

I hadn’t had a reason to drink lately.

“I heard nowadays, young people drink every day.”

“Haha….”

As I said that, I swallowed my drink.

Is it because it’s been a while? It wasn’t bad.

“Han-kyung, you too.”

The writer also offered a bottle to Nam Han-kyung.

Come on, follow my lead and drink a bit…

“Oh, I drove here.”

However, Nam Han-kyung politely refused with a smile.

I found that a bit funny and had to say something.

“Wow, are you the one who gets to opt-out?”

“Opt-out? I’m regretting missing the honor of drinking with the writer right now!”

“Oh, wait, Soo-hyun, do you want to opt-out too?”

That comment was a little too much, and I got hit with a counter.

“Haha… I’m totally fine! I’ll just monopolize the writer’s drinks alone.”

Nam Han-kyung is just… so irritating.

“Cheers! Oh, by the way, this is something that happened when we were planning this project…”

While drinking, the writer shared lots of stories with me.

Maybe he’s normally quite chatty; he told me behind-the-scenes tales from casting to things that happened while writing the script.

“So, when I saw Chang-sik, a character just popped into my mind.”

“Oh… I see.”

“Yes, and then I just wrote it in….”

Maybe it was because the writer spoke so well; it was quite enjoyable to listen to.

After all, this is a project I’m involved in, so it’s natural to be interested.

“I’m so glad you two are here. We were having trouble finding suitable casting for the villains.”

“Haha….”

He mixed in compliments while saying that.

Every time he did, both Nam Han-kyung and I awkwardly smiled and nodded at the writer.

Thinking about it, the two corporate villains in the story have gotten themselves trapped with the writer here.

While everyone else is sitting with their close actor friends, Nam Han-kyung and I are a bit solitary, so maybe this works out better.

Look at Moon Chang-sik; his area is already overrun with other actors.

Of course, some actors did come over to greet the writer, but then returned to drinking with their close friends.

However, seeing all these scenes made me wonder if the writer intentionally set up this gathering.

Could it be that he placed us here like a teacher seating a lonely student next to friends on a school trip bus?

That would be really sad.

Well, only the writer knows the truth.

I shook off such thoughts and tried to enjoy the barbecue.

Nam Han-kyung took the lead and started grilling the meat, and he was doing quite well.

I heard he was a cook in the military.

I was a bit skeptical if grilling beef had much to do with being a cook, but I nodded and ate heartily.

The meat was delicious, and the alcohol wasn’t too bitter, so I downed it.

By the time the gathering ended, I was feeling tipsy.

“Ugh…”

“…Are you okay?”

I slipped away from the actors shouting to go to the second round and took a break at a nearby convenience store.

“Wow, you’re really drunk.”

“I’m not….”

“Don’t say you’re not drunk.”

“Ugh…”

Thinking back, I felt a bit wronged.

Wasn’t it because Nam Han-kyung drove, that the writer’s attention was focused on me?

“Anyway, can I give you a ride home?”

“Oh yes, please do….”

Since it was late and there were many drunk people scrambling for taxis, accepting Nam Han-kyung’s offer made sense.

So, I got in the car…

Before I knew it, I found myself at the front of my house.

I remembered getting in the car, but I couldn’t recall how we got here.

How much did I drink…? Clutching my head, I stumbled inside.

“Haa…”

Everyone was asleep, and I staggered through the dark living room and into my room.

“Ugh.”

And as soon as I entered my room, I collapsed onto the bed.

What a day it had been.

From the script reading to the gathering, normally, someone would be expected to crash as soon as they got home, but…

But…

Bright-eyed.

Oddly enough, even though I was lying down, sleep wouldn’t come.

My head was spinning, and I was full of alcohol.

Well, since it had happened before, it wasn’t too shocking.

If you can’t sleep…

Just get up.

Following the pull of alcohol, my body naturally headed for the familiar place.

Slam.

I flung open the door to the soundproof booth and plopped down at my desk.

As I sat down, I naturally pressed the power button, and my expensive broadcast computer, which I had bought for a lot of money, booted up vigorously and lit up the screen.

Even though my head felt dull from the alcohol, I set up the broadcast without issues and hit ‘start.’

-???

-What is this?

-?

Since I had announced that I might go on air unexpectedly and had no broadcast until this late hour, it seemed that quite a few viewers had rushed in, surprised by the sudden broadcast.

“Hehe.”

Despite the abrupt start, I couldn’t help but smile seeing the flood of people.

-Why are you laughing? lol

-You definitely seem drunk.

-Did you drink again? f*cking social butterfly;;

Since I had done drinking broadcasts several times, the seasoned viewers quickly figured out my state.

But what’s this about being a social butterfly?

Today, I was totally the definition of a loner.

“Everyone’s making a mistake… I’m a complete loner… I can relate to all of you.”

-??

-Stop talking nonsense lol

-Is this person drunk?

-I don’t know what’s going on, but just go to sleep, okay? lol

“I had a drink…”

And so, I started a drinking broadcast after a long time.

 

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