Young Alpha

“Of course! Everyone here knows that. Except for the kids who go to the practice room like you.”

Ji-an smacked Woo-young, whose behavior was nothing short of rogue, then smiled softly at him. Seung-joon asked curiously.

“…Did you like working in the past?”

Ji-an paused for a moment because he thought it was a strange question. He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling as if pondering an answer. He gently closed his eyes and opened his lips after choosing the words.

Taking a deep breath, he gently dropped his chin and smiled, reminiscing about the glory of the past. He had no idea how long it had been for Ji-an to make such an excited face.

“I felt like I was dreaming every day after my debut.”

Obviously, that was not the case. Ji-an was never happy because of work when he was dating Seung-joon.

He was always calm and confident in comparison to his peers, so he never showed weakness, but he was extremely nervous at times. He became enraged when he told Seung-joon that the entertainment industry is a bloody battlefield. It was Seung-joon’s responsibility to always appease Ji-an with sympathetic words.

Of course, Seung-joon couldn’t really sympathize with Ji-an’s complaints. He may appear to be an idol at first glance, but being an entertainer was a job that had to rely on popularity after being evaluated by the general public. Seung-joon didn’t take the job of earning the favor of others very seriously.

So, after about a half-year of dating Ji-an, Seung-joon wanted him to become his wife and let him escape from work. Now, he thought that the reason Ji-an decided to come back was simply because of money. Seung-joon only assumed Ji-an was tired of living with him to the point where he was willing to return to his old job.

‘Do you really want to do this again?’

Seung-joon scratched the side of his head with a puzzled expression. He was in a bad mood the entire time he watched Ji-an chattering with a lively attitude, pretending to know everything.

Someone called Ji-an from behind while he was speaking in this way. It was Kim Myeong-tae, who handed Seung-joon a business card at a cafe a while ago. Manager Kim made a sad face toward Seung-joon after greeting Ji-an with such warmth.

“No, this friend was so cold to me earlier, and he belonged to our company?”

“Woo Young, did you do that? You have to look good to Manager Kim. You’re not in a position to do that.”

“Model? Actor?”

“Ugh. No one knows that. He has a lot of secrets.”

“He is attractive.”

The two adults’ conversation with the person in front of them was completely one-sided. Seung-joon averted his sulky gaze as if he wasn’t interested in the conversations between parents and teachers.

Looking at it, it seems that Manager Kim worked as an exclusive manager when Ji-an was at his best. Ji-an’s attitude was different from when he dealt with other managers. He seemed to be well-known in the industry. This is most likely the person Oh Seok-hyun, the company’s CEO has hired with Seung-joon’s capital.

Seung-joon glanced at Manager Kim Myeong-tae, feeling the anxiety that came over again. The ominous foreboding was never wrong. Manager Kim hesitated for a moment, and then said to Ji-an.

“Ji-an. Do you have any schedule right now? PD Seo was filming a drama written by Hong and contacted me to see if there were any minor actors available. I apologize for suggesting it, but it’s a difficult situation because there’s a sudden puncture here as well.”

It was unexpected that things sometimes happened in the field in this way. Naturally, he assumed that an actor would only work on a project after going through a formal contract process with his agency. Seung-joon shifted his gaze to Ji-an’s round head.

Seung-joon was a little surprised when Ji-an’s auricles turned bright red. In comparison to Seung-joon’s knowledge, his cheerful voice, which had felt a little more aggressive, returned to a low and calm tone. Ji-an’s response echoed loudly through the corridor.

“Yes. Of course, I do.”

It was a clear and blunt pronunciation that felt the shape of the word firmly, just like the first time Seung-joon met Ji-an.

***

Kim Myeong-tae became Ji-an’s first manager after he became an actor. Manager Kim was the reason Ji-an moved to his agency after quitting his idol activities at the time.

Ji-an’s decision to extend the contract was advantageous in many ways because the existing agency had better sales power for actors than the idol business. Nonetheless, the transfer to a new agency was made because they agreed to recruit Manager Kim Myeong-tae as the exclusive manager.

Even at the time, because the actors under Manager Kim’s management had a career lifespan of more than ten years, it was difficult for the company to hire Ji-an exclusively. Ji-an made unreasonable demands because Kim Myeong-tae’s personal connections had a reputation for being a gold mine.

Ji-an believed that joining the network would help him advance in his career. He also had a gut feeling that he should form a strong bond with Kim Myeong-tae. Ji-an’s judgment was right at the time.

The drama <For the Lost Boy>, in which Manager Kim cast Ji-an in a minor role, has been a hot topic since the production stage. It was thanks to writer Hong and PD Seo, both of whom had stronger star qualities than the lead actor, Son Hee-min, and who had a special connection with Kim Myeong-tae.

But Ji-an was uninterested in the topic. There were no fees or contracts to sign. Ji-an just wanted to be on the scene. He desperately needed the sense of ‘this is my place,’ that comes with having a role, no matter how small. There was no reason to reject Manager Kim’s proposal.

The drama’s filming location was not far from SJ Entertainment. He’d be there in 6 minutes if he took a taxi. The car door opened again as soon as Ji-an hailed a taxi and stated his destination. Woo-young crammed his large frame into the taxi and sat next to Ji-an. Ji-an, who was stunned, said firmly.

“I don’t have time to play with you right now.”

“I want to follow you and take a look.”

Woo-young firmly folded his arms and demonstrated his determination to never get out of the taxi. Woo-young kept sulking next to Ji-an. Ji-an didn’t know what to say, but he told the taxi driver that he didn’t have time and drive quickly.

***

Ji-an knew PD Seo well despite never meeting him in person. PD Seo was known for his critical and demanding eye for acting. Even some middle-aged actors considered it to be an honor on the same level as receiving the award at the end of the year awards ceremony to catch the attention of PD Seo. Ji-an wanted to make a good impression, so he was respectful and polite to PD Seo.

Ji-an has been working as an actor for just over two years. Although the results were excellent, it was only the beginning. To a person like PD Seo, Ji-an seemed to see the light for a while, but he would have been one of many actors like dust. So Ji-an was thrilled to find out that PD Seo remembered him.

“Manager Kim Myeong-tae contacted me ahead of time. On Ji-an-ssi, I thought two years ago that I would like to work with you at least once, but opportunities like this come along.”

Even though it was a polite thing to say, Ji-an felt good, and the lobe of his ear felt warm.

Furthermore, the character suggested by PD Seo was more distinct than Ji-an had anticipated. It was more of a supporting role rather than a minor one.

<For a Lost Boy> is a love story set in the entertainment industry between a great actor and an idol star, and the character ‘Kevin,’ played by Ji-an, was a member of the same idol group as the male lead. ‘Kevin,’ a Korean native, was in charge of the role of vitamin, which brought laughter to the play with his lively personality.

PD Seo explained that the total length of ‘Kevin’ is less than 15 minutes, but he appears in five episodes. Then he asked about Ji-an’s plans to appear. A minor role, on the other hand, a time-consuming shooting schedule. Considering Ji-an’s past fame, asking for his understanding was a thoughtful gesture. Ji-an agreed to all of the demands at once.

‘I can appear on the scene at least five times.’

Ji-an couldn’t ask for anything more.

Ji-an changed into the clothes provided by the staff and received simple makeup. From now on, it was a time of endless waiting. To avoid the hot sun, he sat in the shade of a tree near the filming location and muttered three lines of lines constantly. He heard a refreshing voice as he closed his eyes and drew ‘Kevin’ movements in his head.

“Why aren’t you filming?”

After all, he had completely forgotten about him.

Woo-young sat beside Ji-an with his legs crossed and his knees wrapped around him. He appeared bored, frowning to the point of having a dimple on his right cheek.

Not knowing that it is an actor’s daily routine to wait five hours for his turn to film a scene that is only three minutes long, Woo-young, as expected, was an unemployed young man with only the name tag of a trainee.

Ji-an looked at Woo-young, who was grumbling and burying his chin in the hand that held the script. It wouldn’t be boring to be by his side, but Woo-young’s time is also important, so so it would be better to use it usefully for himself. Ji-an had never had a leisurely rest around Woo-young’s age.

“I don’t know how long I will have to wait before taking the take. Go back after looking around.”