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The moment Hyeon-su dropped a stone onto the Go board.

“Wow, that’s too much.”

“Su-hyun, even so, it’s the military….”

Cheers of jeers arose from the surrounding crowd.

“Huh?”

No, no. Did it really look that way?

I looked at Hyeon-su in front of me. His eyes were filled with an unprecedented panic.

Just moments ago, Hyeon-su had been calmly playing Othello, but now he was completely off the rails.

“…Okay, I’ll take this loss.”

I hadn’t intended for that to happen, but it seems I accidentally struck a hit to his heart.

“…No.”

Now Hyeon-su was trying hard to act nonchalant, but the black stone lay fallen on the floor.

Yeah… Hyeon-su must be the most troubled one here.

It must be a different level of distress, having been cast in a role opposite to the one he wanted.

“Um… I’ll come for a visit.”

That’s about all I could say to Hyeon-su, who was facing the military.

…I should at least make a visit.

Can I still bring pizza or chicken like they do in old TV shows or cartoons?

I’ve never been on a visit, so I’m not really sure.

“We’d appreciate a visit….”

“Uh, yeah. We decided to make regular visits too.”

“It’d be nice if Su-hyun could come along, um.”

Anyway, Othello came to an end after that.

Well, the atmosphere was about to shift into party preparations anyway.

“Oh, by the way, who else is coming besides me?”

I glanced at the band members adding other tables around the central one and felt a surge of curiosity.

Since it’s a party, there would be some other guests, right?

At my question, A-young next to me opened her hand and began counting off.

“Um, for now, it’s you, Su-hyun… Hyun-jun’s coming, along with Kang Woo-hyeon the composer….”

But the names sounded familiar.

They were all people I knew?

Looks like this party might actually be somewhat comfortable….

“And the MC we got close to from that variety show is also coming, the group we competed against in the music broadcast too, and some people from that concert in Japan we got close to when our schedules overlapped….”

“Huh? So many people are coming?”

Wait, isn’t that… quite a few?

Glancing at the tables being prepared, it did seem like there would be a lot of people.

“Um, yeah? There are many busy folks, so we kept it simple.”

“This is simple?”

“Isn’t it less than the year-end party?”

“Oh.”

Now that I think about it, a ton of people actually showed up at the year-end party.

…Looks like I underestimated Hyeon-su’s connections.

“Still, today’s party is meant to be light-hearted; we’ll be ordering food for delivery.”

“Oh, okay….”

Even just the lineup doesn’t sound light at all, but I nodded anyway.

More importantly… I should probably sneak out around dinner time.

Coming early seems like a lucky move.

Had I come for dinner, it would have been awkward to leave.

After some time spent in preparation, a soft knock echoed.

Someone was knocking on the workshop door.

“Ah, yes~.”

And once again, A-young went to open the door.

Is someone else coming?

I quietly approached, trying to see who it was.

“I’m here.”

“Long time no see~ come in.”

The guy entering and greeting A-young was someone I recognized as well.

“Wow, it’s been a while… oh? Fancy meeting you here.”

It was none other than Lee Hyun-jun.

The youngest member of the idol group led by Kang Yun-sung, whom I had seen earlier.

“Nice to see you.”

Wow, it had been a true while.

Others had at least come to concerts, but I hadn’t reached out to Hyun-jun since asking him for tickets felt awkward.

“I knew you’d come but didn’t expect you this early.”

“Well, I had a pretty light schedule today.”

After greeting me, Hyun-jun entered the room.

“Ah, you guys were already getting things ready.”

“Oh, Hyun-jun is here?”

He shared friendly greetings with the band members, and it felt like he had gotten close with them while I was away.

Weren’t we a bit distant before?

He must have been regularly stopping by as Hyeon-su’s friend.

“I’ll help out.”

Watching Hyun-jun immediately getting to work, I rolled up my sleeves as well.

“Ah, Su-hyun, you should just sit down.”

“Huh?”

“This is a bit heavy.”

“No….”

I was going to say I could manage, but then I noticed the band members’ arms as they moved the table.

Hmm.

So, that’s why A-young was just standing there?

“…Then I’ll take advantage of your kindness.”

Since it could be troublesome if something went wrong because I tried to help out, I reluctantly sank back into the comfy sofa.

Not long after, the preparations wrapped up.

Looks like all that leisurely Othello moved swiftly for a reason.

“Is it just a matter of ordering for delivery now?”

“That’s what I’m pondering~ what should we order?”

“Just go for something usual.”

We then gathered around the table and debated on what to order for delivery.

With quite a few people coming, there seemed to be a range of options.

“Su-hyun, do you have anything you want?”

“Oh, me? I’m fine with any delivery food.”

I used to have a craving for something particular, but these days, I tend to go out for meals with Park Kang-seok whenever we get a break from our schedules, so nothing really stands out that I want.

“Hmm… so shall we just order anything? Hyeon-su, you don’t have anything you want, right?”

“I don’t mind either.”

As A-young carefully chose a menu on the delivery app, everyone else comfortably chatted among themselves.

How did the last concert go—are you looking forward to the next one?

The last album received good reactions—are there similar elements in the next track, etc.

Conversations typical of band members flowed around.

Hyun-jun was joining in on the talks, but…

To be honest, as the head of Miro Family, I knew nothing substantial about music, so I mostly kept quiet.

Still, listening was engaging, and as I sipped my drink with my ears perked up, suddenly—

“Oh, speaking of which, I heard you went for an audition, Su-hyun?”

“Huh? You heard?”

“Yeah, Yun-seong mentioned it.”

Hyun-jun casually brought up the audition topic toward me.

Wow, that rumor spread fast.

Though, considering they’re all from the same idol group with a group chat, constantly talking, it makes sense.

“What? Su-hyun went for an audition today?”

Upon hearing about the audition, A-young, who had been focused on the delivery app, perked up her head.

“Oh, yeah. I just came back from it. I forgot to mention it.”

I had gotten so caught up in playing Othello the moment I arrived that I missed my timing to say it.

“What kind of audition was it?”

“Oh, I heard it’s for a role in an OTT drama.”

“Wow, did it go well?”

“Well, I ended up getting cast.”

“Oh… may I ask the genre?”

Genre?

I paused briefly at A-young’s question.

Hmm, the genre…

While I shouldn’t spill details about the role due to confidentiality, the genre should be okay, right?

Besides, it’s not like these folks will blab about it somewhere.

“It’s a survival game type.”

“Survival game? What’s that?”

“Huh?”

“Wait, you don’t know?”

A-young’s expression was of genuine confusion.

Seeing the pure influencer’s bewilderment made me facepalm internally.

Ah, so that’s a commoner perspective?

What’s common knowledge to me might be foreign to them.

“Um… it’s a game where you risk your life.”

“Oh! Sounds fun. Do they offer money as a prize?”

“Exactly.”

After giving a simple explanation, A-young immediately grasped the concept.

“How could you not know about survival games?”

“Did you know about them?”

“I mean, they often show up in comics.”

Seeing Kang-hyeok beside A-young tease her, it seemed at least the rest were in the loop.

Well, considering the band members were probably around the rental shop age, they must’ve watched some anime.

“From what I heard from Yun-seong, the drama’s production scale is pretty big.”

“Oh, right! I heard the budget is no joke.”

“They say Korean OTT dramas are really getting popular overseas; you might become a global star!”

I just chuckled lightly at Hyun-jun’s words.

“A global star? Don’t count on it.”

If it was that easy, anyone would be doing it.

Moreover, I’m not even the lead, just a supporting character with a bit more depth.

“Su-hyun, what’s not to like? You’re already famous in Korea.”

“Oh man, you’re really showering me with compliments all of a sudden.”

A-young’s comment was sweet, but getting praised in front of popular idol Hyun-jun and the Slim Gold band only made me feel shy.

“By the way, do you know who the main character is?”

“I don’t know….”

“Oh, I have something I heard.”

After that, we continued discussing the drama.

How long did we chat?

At one point, A-young, who had been looking at her phone, got up from her seat.

“Why are you getting up, noona?”

“They said almost everyone has arrived.”

Almost everyone? Oh, right, quite a few guests were indeed expected.

Looks like they’re finally here.

“Ah, are they coming together?”

“Yeah, they wrapped up shooting at the broadcasting station, so they’re on their way. I’ll go greet them.”

It felt like it was time to start preparing.

I started subtly glancing around and decided to get up as well.

Ahem, since we’ve shared enough conversations.

Maybe I should step aside?

Wouldn’t they find it uncomfortable with me around?

“Su-hyun, you should also come out. That’s really nice of you.”

“Huh?”

But in response to my thoughts, A-young flashed a bright smile and said.

“Look at everyone’s lazy butts; I’m always the one opening the door!”

“That’s only because you go out first….”

“Ugh! They’re all so slow; someone has to take the initiative.”

After scolding Hyeon-su like that, A-young linked arms with me.

“Alright then, should we leave the guys behind and head out to greet our seniors?”

“Ah, um….”

I had intended to escape…

But seeing A-young look so cheerful…

Hmm.

Well, it’s fine to step out for the greeting.

Thinking about it, it’d be far more natural to slip out midway through the party rather than before it starts.

“Um, yeah.”

With that, I stepped out of the workshop alongside A-young to greet the guests.

 

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