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After making a decision, my actions were swift.

Moon Chang-sik and I got up from our seats and popped into the convenience store before heading back to where I had been sitting.

However…

“Huh, they’re not here?”

I naturally assumed Park Kang-seok and Han Se-ryeong would be in their spots, but they were nowhere to be found.

They had definitely been near my area earlier.

“I think they might have gone somewhere?”

As Moon Chang-sik, who was following me with salted popcorn and Zero Cola, spoke from behind, I looked around, but they were not in sight.

“Uh… where could they have gone?”

“Maybe they moved because there are too many eyes around?”

“Oh, is that it?”

Maybe I should have arrived a bit earlier?

I ended up being late just because I was picking popcorn at the convenience store.

“This is late.”

Moon Chang-sik seemed to have the same thought and said that as he sat down on a nearby chair.

And then…

*Bang!*

He lightly ripped open the popcorn bag.

“Shall I just eat this?”

“Well, it’s a bit awkward to go looking for them, right?”

Saying that, he started munching on the salted popcorn, and I gave up, sitting next to him.

“Mind if I have some?”

“Here you go.”

I reached into the popcorn bag that Moon Chang-sik offered and grabbed a handful.

Crunch.

As I stuffed my mouth full, I tasted the bland, salty flavor.

“Is it good?”

I nodded vaguely to his question.

I felt like I should buy popcorn for the image, but to be honest, I’m not a big fan.

Crunch, crunch.

I just eat it for the texture, really.

“You don’t like popcorn much, do you?”

I nodded in response this time.

With my mouth full of popcorn, it was hard to answer verbally.

“Actually, I really like popcorn.”

He said that, pulling out a handful very slowly to maintain his pace.

I felt a bit silly munching away on my own.

Huh? Isn’t this how popcorn should be enjoyed?

But liking popcorn? That was a bit unexpected.

He seemed to maintain his figure and not snack on much.

And look at the popcorn he’s eating.

Usually, people choose sweet caramel popcorn, but he opted for the less popular salted kind.

Curious about why he likes it, I quickly chewed the popcorn and washed it down with cola.

“Why are you eating so fast?”

“I have a question. Why do you like popcorn?”

I thought there probably was a reason for someone like Moon Chang-sik to enjoy such a snack…

“Well, actually… my family used to go to the movie theater a lot.”

There was a real reason.

Moon Chang-sik’s family?

I hadn’t heard much about them, so I tuned in closely.

“Back then?”

“Yeah, now it’s… a bit bleak, but when I was a kid, we went to the movie theater every weekend.”

“So, that’s when you started liking popcorn?”

I reached my hand out, and without missing a beat, Moon Chang-sik handed me the popcorn bag.

I had come to learn about Park Kang-seok and Han Se-ryeong’s story, but unexpectedly ended up hearing about someone else’s past while munching on popcorn.

Still, it was more interesting to hear about the past of a great actor like Moon Chang-sik.

“Right, but since we went to the cinema so often, seeing the actors made me want to appear on screen too.”

“Oh… so you became a child actor?”

“Yeah, I begged my parents to let me start, and I had quite a talent.”

He must have been overflowing with talent.

Moon Chang-sik had already made a name for himself as a child actor.

“But one day…”

“One day…?”

Now that the juicy part of the story was about to start, I listened intently to Moon Chang-sik.

“It was just a normal day, filming and heading home.”

“Something must have happened.”

“Yeah, on the way home, my mother suddenly…”

I had no idea how we’d gone from popcorn to this point, but it felt a bit refreshing to hear Moon Chang-sik, who usually kept to himself, sharing his past.

So, I waited with bated breath for him to continue…

“What are you two doing here?”

A voice interrupted from behind.

“Ah.”

The conversation came to a sudden halt.

As I turned to see who it was, it was Park Kang-seok, the one we had been searching for.

Such timing…

“Manager Park went for a moment to keep Kim Soo-hyun company.”

“Oh, I’m sorry… I left my seat for a bit.”

Judging by Moon Chang-sik’s reaction, he didn’t seem inclined to continue his story.

Reluctantly, I shifted my attention back to Park Kang-seok.

“Where have you been?”

“…I’m sorry. I was just having a brief chat with Se-ryeong.”

“Hmm, did it go well?”

I noticed that Han Se-ryeong wasn’t around anymore.

Did she handle things elsewhere?

“Yes, it went well.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Well, it’s great that it went well, but… it would have been nice if he had come a little later.

That was the highlight moment.

What a bummer!

I thought, returning the popcorn to Moon Chang-sik.

“Are you not going to eat?”

“Please, go ahead.”

I felt deflated.

Just a moment ago, the conversation had been captivating.

So, Moon Chang-sik took the popcorn and moved back.

Not that he had to prepare for filming, after all.

I still had plenty of time before the next shoot, so I returned to the van for some peace.

Since it was just a place I was borrowing for a few days, there wasn’t a designated waiting room for actors, but it was nice to have the car.

“Oh right.”

Before comfortably lying down on the expanded seat connected with chairs, I remembered to take a few selfies while my makeup was still intact.

I had been asked if I wouldn’t consider activating my Instagram, so I thought I might as well post one by one since I had them made.

Once I post the pictures, they’ll circulate in the community, but since I had already announced I was filming, it should be fine.

The background is just the inside of the car, so there wouldn’t be much to guess.

After posting the photos moderately, I laid back on the seat.

Then I pulled out the eye mask that Moon Chang-sik had given me a while ago.

I hadn’t had much use for it at home, so I brought it along for moments like this.

Wearing the eye mask, I lay down and rested.

Then, when I opened my eyes again, it was already a chillier time outside.

As I felt the temperature drop in the air, I headed to the filming location at the right time.

“Yawn.”

To be honest, the vehicle seat isn’t all that comfortable for snoozing, and I still felt a bit of fatigue when I got up.

Yawning, I made my way to the filming site where I saw people getting the shooting set up.

Hmm…

While I took a short break, it looked like everyone here had been working hard.

I thought about how the staff, like me, probably hadn’t had the chance to rest, and they were doing a great job while I fixed my makeup and changed into my filming attire.

Thanks to the weather cooling down, I didn’t feel too hot with luxurious outfits draped over me like before.

After changing clothes and getting into full actress mode while waiting on set…

“Here, take this.”

Out of nowhere, Park Kang-seok approached me and handed me a hot bar.

“What’s with the hot bar?”

“You didn’t eat since you were napping.”

“Oh.”

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t eaten at all.

Whether it’s the efficient use of my body or because I had that popcorn earlier, aside from breakfast, I hadn’t eaten properly and had forgotten I was hungry during filming.

“This is a chicken breast hot bar, and the calories are low.”

“Oh… you have quite the sense.”

Given that he used to manage idols, he seems really mindful about the calorie count, and I gratefully accepted the hot bar.

With a decent amount of food in my stomach, I prepared for the scene I had been looking forward to.

It was a time attack scene we needed to shoot before sunset.

Well, we could technically film it during the day and add CGI, but if we’re doing it, it’s best to match the timing.

Gathering my focus not to mess up, as I entered the filming site, I caught sight of Han Se-ryeong ahead.

“Hmm.”

The noticeable difference from before was that she looked significantly downcast.

…Didn’t she say it went well?

She didn’t seem fine at all.

Of course, being a pro, she threw herself into the acting when shooting started, as if nothing had happened, even managing to make fewer mistakes than before, wrapping up the shoot earlier than expected.

However, afterward, she returned in a gloomy state, and while I was concerned, it wasn’t the time for me to worry about that.

I diverted my gaze from Han Se-ryeong and peeked at the script I had gathered earlier.

After smoothly completing the recent shoot, we were gradually nearing the end of the first act.

Next week, we’re likely moving into the more intense midsection of the show, where Serah will begin to take charge, which brought a slight worry.

The relaxed shoots like this would soon be a thing of the past.

Now, it would involve running around, walking, and tripping.

Thinking of the challenges ahead made me sigh involuntarily.

“Alright, it’s done!”

Anyway, with a mixture of thoughts, that day’s filming came to a close.

Looking up at the sky, it was gradually getting dark.

Normally, this would invoke feelings of dread about when I’d be going home…

“Okay, let’s head out.”

This time, thankfully, I didn’t think like that.

I could just relax in the van on the way home.

Once home, still with some energy left, I turned on the broadcast.

The viewers would enjoy this, and since I felt less fatigued than before, I thought I’d made the right move by returning to the agency after the day.

**

Time passed smoothly after that.

Han Se-ryeong returned to her usual self after a few days, and I shot a few more scenes before taking a short break before the midsection.

During that time, while I filled the vacant broadcast time, I worked hard to recover the public sentiment when…

Ding.

I received a message.

(Jeong-hoon) – (File)

(Jeong-hoon) – Miro, please listen to this just once.

From none other than Jeong-hoon, the youngest of the Miro family.

“What’s this…?”

It had been ages since I had received a personal message from Jeong-hoon, which made me a bit curious, but I still smiled as I clicked the file.

If Jeong-hoon was sending me a file, it could only be a song, and sure enough, the click led to a song file that lasted just over two minutes.

Two minutes? It seemed a bit short, but I went ahead and played the song.

And soon…

“…What is this?”

I became even more puzzled.

 

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