༺ Requesting Cloud Support from a Shooting Star – 12 ༻
Hee-wook uploaded the photo taken by Eun-seong on SNS and announced that he would do a live broadcast in the evening. Deeming it too much to start a broadcast inside the house with his family, Hee-wook booked a nearby practice room.
At 7:30 in the evening, Hee-wook arrived at the practice room, placed his mobile phone on a stand, and cleared his throat. He leaned against the white wall and organized his thoughts.
He worried about how many fans would come to see him, whether they would criticize him for his long absence, but he eventually hoped that as many people as possible would take interest, even if they had negative things to say.
“Hello, everyone. Hello?”
He practiced his greeting into the empty air. His face reflected in the mirror looked awkward.
As time went by, tension filled his body. He started the live broadcast precisely at 8 o’clock. Initially, the viewer count did not increase at all, which made his heart sink. However, after a little wait, the numbers increased.
“Hello. It’s been a really long time, hasn’t it? I apologize.”
Around a hundred people came in. Exclamations like ‘wow’, greetings like ‘hello!’ were continuously posted in the comments. His heart ached when he read the comments about his long absence. Only his upper body was captured on screen, so Hee-wook brought his hand down and surreptitiously wiped the sweat accumulated on his palm.
“I’ll make an effort to reach out to you more in the future.”
He was determined to hold onto some lifeline to prevent himself from being pushed out of the entertainment industry. He strained his eyes to hide his anxiety as he spoke.
“No matter how I manage to do it, please remember that my ultimate destination is always the stage.”
He was afraid of disappointing his fans if he reappeared doing activities unrelated to music. Even though he had no specific plan yet, he wanted to promise that he would continue singing and dancing. He resisted the urge to close his eyes tightly and moved his gaze to the comment window.
There were many unfamiliar IDs. Comments covered in foreign languages and emoticons were frequently posted. There was a question asking how he had been.
“If you’re asking how I’ve been recently, I’ve been working on songs by myself. You’re asking if I keep in touch with the members? Yes, of course I do.”
While answering the questions that appeared in the comment window, he suddenly stopped.
“I dyed my hair today. Red hair, I’m not sure if it still suits me.”
He smiled awkwardly. The comments saying it suits him came up slowly. The speed of the comments was definitely slower compared to when he was active as an idol. There were no familiar IDs in sight. It was a moment when he swallowed hard in anxiety.
[YK_woogie : I missed you!!ㅠㅠ]
A comment from a familiar ID caught Hee-wook’s eye. A fan named Yu-kyung, who had consistently updated him before and during his military service.
“Oh…”
The mere fact that a long-term fan had not left him made a warm cushion seem to inflate around his trembling heart. Hee-wook relaxed his shoulders and smiled brightly.
“Thank you to the fans who waited for me. I will do my best not to disappoint you. I love you.”
His voice was stronger than it had been at the beginning of the broadcast.
After a brief live broadcast, Hee-wook leaned the back of his head against the wall. He closed his eyes. His heart, which had become strong due to the attention of his fans, turned weak the moment his phone screen turned black.
There seemed to be a thick fog in front of him. He had no idea whether jumping into the dense darkness would lead him to a cliff or to a mysterious passage towards his ultimate goal.
Hee-wook, who took a break until the strength returned to his relaxed limbs, gathered his belongings and stood up. When he got home and lay in bed, he looked at his phone. There were DMs from fans.
[Heewoogielover : It’s like a dream getting your upload and live broadcast notificationsㅠ I love you, Sung Hee-wookㅠ I’ve been waiting!!!! Honey, be careful of Corona and take care of your health!! Fighting!!]
[woogieloversclub : Please show up more often]
[for.2planet_ : I sincerely pray that whichever path you choose becomes a path of flowers! Cheer up! Fight on!]
[jaimeelovesu : LONG TIME NO SEEEEEEEEEEE! WELCOMEBACK! FIGHTING!]
[YK_woogie : It’s been a long time! Hee-wook oppa. I watched your live broadcast. I’ve been curious about what you’ve been doing and where, and I missed and worried about you. Please keep your word that you’ll appear more often.ㅜㅜ I’ll keep waiting for the day you sing on stage again. I’m always cheering for you!! I miss youㅜㅜ]
Hee-wook carefully chewed over each message, and finally placed his phone on his cheek. The warmth from his fans’ hearts heated the screen. It felt like fuel.
“Fighting.”
Hee-wook murmured the three words that were in most of the messages and fell asleep.
After a long time, he was able to sleep deeply for a long time. Due to waking up late, Thursday passed in an instant. The morning of Friday, when he was to head to the final audition with Eun-sung, came unbelievably quickly.
＊＊＊
The final audition venue was Ktn’s 8th floor studio, which was the broadcaster of the drama ‘Dive into you’ and belonged to the same parent company as the production company ‘Whatple’.
Although he was nervous to drive after a long time, he managed to arrive at the broadcasting station building without a hitch. Arriving about an hour earlier than the audition time, the two first went to a cafe on the ground floor. Hee-wook, who had ordered a coffee, looked up at the tall building with newfound interest.
It was a place he often visited with the members of Two Planet. In the past, he used to come in a van driven by the manager. Because there was a Ktn music program broadcast every Wednesday, he visited regularly during his active period. Even if it wasn’t a music broadcast, there were many opportunities to visit for content shooting.
So, it was his first time visiting as an ordinary person.
“How did you get here?”
“I’m here for a drama audition.”
Just as in the parking lot. Before getting on the elevator, a security guard blocked them at the closed gate. When Eun-sung showed the message he had received, the guard looked at Hee-wook.
“Did the person next to you also come for the audition?”
“I am….”
Hee-wook moistened his lips. The skin on his lips was dry and peeling.
“As his manager….”
Eun-sung glanced at Hee-wook, who hesitated for a moment before responding. Meanwhile, the guard brought and handed over temporary passes. When Hee-wook and Eun-sung took them, the gate finally opened.
“Please come in.”
They passed through the gate and stood in front of the elevator. While pressing the up button and waiting, Eun-sung said nothing. Only after getting on the elevator that had arrived at the 1st floor and the doors closed did Eun-sung break the silence.
“It hasn’t changed at all since the last time I came here, has it?”
“Indeed.”
Hee-wook scratched the back of his neck. Eun-sung was staring straight ahead with a tense look in his eyes.
“Lee Eun-sung. Are you nervous?”
“I’m terrified.”
“Really? You don’t show it.”
“But I don’t have any expectations. Even if it’s the final audition, four people will come. There’s almost no chance for me, a total acting newbie.”
“Just relax and do it.”
The words that he would definitely be the one did not come out easily. He imagined the disappointment on his face if he got his hopes up for nothing. He wanted to give him strength as an older brother, but there were no words of encouragement that came to mind.
As Hee-wook was considering what to add, the elevator dinged and came to a stop. He looked up, wondering if they had already arrived at the 8th floor, and the doors opened. It was the 5th floor.
“Anyway, they’re picking the protagonist, so don’t take it too seriously. Make a big splash in the audition.”
“Protagonist? It’s my role too. Am I not the main character?”
“Hey, hey. The door’s open.”
Six men in splendid uniforms and black masks, laughing and chatting amongst themselves, looked at Hee-wook and Eun-sung. Their faces were covered, but just a glimpse of their outfits made them look like idols.
With so many idols these days, it was impossible to tell who they were at a glance. Hee-wook sneakily looked at Eun-sung, but he also seemed to have no idea. Just as the doors were about to close again, Eun-sung pressed the open button.
“Are you going up?”
“No, we’re going down. You go ahead!”
One of the men who looked rather energetic replied to Eun-sung’s question with a twinkle in his eyes. Eun-sung, nodding his head, reached for the close button. Hee-wook looked at the idols with curiosity.
The rehearsal name tag hung on the arm, the colorful in-ears casually slung over the shoulder without being plugged into the ears, even the excited look in their eyes. All the elements in front of him felt like fragments sharply penetrating his pupils.
Eun-sung pressed the close button, and the elevator doors quickly closed. Hee-wook blinked heavily as if he had just woken up from sleep. The elevator stopped at the 8th floor amidst the quiet.
***
“Do you think the audition they mentioned earlier is the one I’m going to?”
Walking down the rather deserted 8th floor corridor, Eun-sung broached the subject. Reminded of the idols they had encountered when the elevator stopped at the 5th floor, and the word ‘screen’ that came out of their mouths, Hee-wook swallowed dryly.
“It could have been about another audition. There are a lot of dramas.”
“Yeah. It could be something else, but I guess I was just jumpy.”
Eun-sung chuckled, shrugging one shoulder.
“Being a supporting role is not incorrect to be a screen. I want to be caught on camera, even if I’m just a decoration or backdrop.”
Trying to appear nonchalant, but Eun-sung’s tone was filled with desperation and tension. Hee-wook stared hard at the side of Eun-sung’s face. A mix of envy and worry for his younger brother, who was reaching out for opportunity, stirred within him. Eun-sung, perhaps noticing Hee-wook’s complex emotions, gave a short cough and changed the subject.
“There were rumors that the main actors are also coming today.”
Hee-wook thought of Cheon Kyung Seo’s distinct features he had seen in a magazine. Eun-sung laughed with a deflated sound.
“I was curious about Cheon Kyung Seo in person. Even if I get rejected today, at least I will see the actor’s face.”
Eun-sung, stretching and deliberately speaking brightly, seemed to be trying to shake off his nervousness. Hee-wook gave a pointless kick at the heel of Eun-sung’s shoes.
“Stop talking about getting rejected.”
“Yes, yes.”
Eun-sung grinned.
The place where Hee-wook and Eun-sung arrived was a small waiting room next to the studio. A staff member who had checked the acceptance text and the list told them to wait here until their names were called. Hee-wook took a quick look around the waiting room.
Three men who appeared to be in their early to mid-twenties were already there. They were sitting at a respectable distance from each other. There were no people who looked like staff members or managers. It seemed awkward for Hee-wook to join the group who were engrossed in practicing their scripts.
For the moment, Eun-sung, who had placed his bag on the table, stepped outside with Hee-wook. He looked at Hee-wook with a troubled expression.
“It seems difficult for us to be together, what should we do? If you get bored waiting, you can go first.”
“What about leaving you behind? The car.”
“If it takes too long, you can go first and I can take a taxi.”
Hee-wook let out a sigh and looked around. No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem like an environment where he could make contact with drama staff.
As his purpose of accompanying Eun-sung wasn’t solely to act as a guardian, he felt both helpless and disappointed. He wished he could at least mix up some conversation with the staff.
He glanced at the end of the corridor. There was a notice that the smoking area was downstairs and a lounge area at the end of the corridor. He thought that perhaps drama staff or entertainment industry figures might be in such a space.
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