RCSSS Chapter 21

 

༺ Requesting Cloud Support from a Shooting Star – 21 ༻

 

  “Is it okay to leave my hair like this?”

 

―Yes, it’s red now, right?

 

  “The roots have grown a bit.”

 

―It looks even better. It goes well with the character.

 

  “Huh? Ah, yes. Understood.”

 

―See you tomorrow then.

 

  After finishing the call with the writer, Hee-wook put down his mobile phone and stood in front of the mirror. He swiftly brushed his hair aside. The brightly dyed red hair had slightly grown roots, which were black inside.

 

  “Why do the grown roots suit me better?”

 

  Hee-wook tilted his head, puzzled, and brushed his hair a few more times.

 

  Upon reflecting, he realized that among the Two Planet fans, many had colored their hair in flashy colors. He had often seen fans with quite long grown roots.

 

  Could it be that not dyeing the roots was a trend among the fans? Lost in an absurd thought, Hee-wook turned his body. He reopened the script he had been reading earlier.

 

  Above the lines marked with a highlighter were thin pen-written notes, a few rows of thoughts that he diligently wrote down, realizing them while practicing with the other actors during the full script reading.

 

  [More excited than angry.]

 

  [A little more calmly here.]

 

  He took a deep breath and read the lines.

 

  “That’s not what’s important. I’m grateful just for existing.”

 

  Was it too calm? Frustration led Hee-wook to frown as he stared at the line, feeling that it wasn’t coming out as he intended. Then his eyes were drawn to the following line from the other character.

 

  Jung Hyuk Ha! What on earth is he talking about?

 

  Could the voice of the Demon King have that sort of feel? It was a voice so deep and resonant that it could fall into a cartoon-like imagination. He wondered if an actor’s vocal cords were built differently from a singer’s. Even when delivering a short line, it felt different.

 

  Leaning back, he lifted his chin, gazing at the ceiling, then closed his eyes.

 

  “…I shouldn’t be intimidated.”

 

  No matter how much Cheon Kyung Seo had an appearance and recognition that could overwhelm people, he was young, and within the drama, he was Hee-wook’s friend. Cowering in front of him was something that should never happen, but it was not as easy as saying it. Hee-wook recalled the script reading day, furrowing his brows deeply.

 

  To begin with, Hee-wook had a very shy personality.

 

  Reading the script with the actors. A situation he was experiencing for the first time, with people he was meeting for the first time. It was natural to feel uncomfortable.

 

  Eun-sung was also an introverted person, but perhaps because he had attended main supporting actor script readings and had seen some of these people at least once, he greeted the actors cheerfully as soon as he entered.

 

  Moreover, one was an old acquaintance, he found out from Eun-sung’s words.

 

  “You’ve seen each other before, right?”

 

  “Ah, have we?”

 

  The actor Dong-hoon, who was playing a fellow idol group member with Eun-sung, widened his eyes. Hee-wook glanced at him, noticing his thick eyebrows and strong jawline, and then turned to look at Eun-sung.

 

  “In the broadcast station elevator. You were wearing a blue uniform and were with the members then.”

 

  At Eun-sung’s explanation, Hee-wook looked at Dong-hoon again. He hadn’t recognized him at all as one of the six members of the idol group at that time.

 

  “Oh? Was that so? Now that you mention it, it does seem vaguely familiar!”

 

  Dong-hoon tilted his head and then laughed heartily. From his ambiguous expression, it was clear that he probably didn’t remember. Eun-sung continued to talk, unfazed, laughing.

 

  Hee-wook just took a few steps back and watched Eun-sung blend into the crowd of people.

 

  Had Hee-wook had a role as significant as Eun-sung’s, he would have tried to make conversation somehow, as they would frequently see each other. But his part was a minor role with not many lines. Even if he introduced himself as playing the role of “Hee-wook,” he expected to receive a puzzled look as if to say, “Was there such a role?” So, he chose to stay quietly in Eun-sung’s shadow.

 

  The noise of people chattering was split by a thud, the sound of a book closing. Although it was a minor noise, it wasn’t missed due to the large presence it held in comparison to the sound.

 

  Hee-wook turned his head towards the source of the sound. His eyes widened when he spotted Kyung Seo.

 

  ‘When did he get there? Why didn’t I see him?’

 

  He hadn’t noticed Kyung Seo sitting quietly at all. As soon as he had entered, the loud voice of an actor had distracted him from looking around. Before the surprised Hee-wook could say anything, Kyung Seo’s face was contorted in annoyance as he opened his mouth.

 

  “Aren’t you going to sit down?”

 

  Kyung Seo asked in a gloomy voice, stretching out his long arm. Diagonally across, far from the main male character’s seat beside the director, he could see his own name written in three characters.

 

  The deep voice, seemingly drilling down into the ground, made him feel as if all the blood in his body had dried up.

 

  ‘Why is he speaking so menacingly?’

 

  Sweat pooled in his palms. Clenching his fists, Hee-wook peeled himself away from the wall he had been leaning against.

 

  “Ah, I’m sorry!”

 

  He gave a slight bow and hurried to his seat. He found it funny and slightly uncomfortable that he had been scared by the reprimand of someone nine years his junior.

 

  ‘He’s quite grumpy…’

 

  He clicked his tongue inwardly and hurriedly pulled out the script from his bag.

 

  However, in the suddenly quiet atmosphere, as he was flipping through the script, his nervousness eased, and he felt calm. Having suffered among the noisy strangers, he even felt as though he had been rescued from a quagmire.

 

  Hee-wook looked over the short lines he had read and marked several times, then stealthily lifted his eyes to look at Kyung Seo.

 

  His eyes were drawn to the three-dimensional features revealed by the slicked-back hair, and he hadn’t noticed earlier, but now he saw that Kyung Seo was dressed in unusually flashy clothing. The leather jacket gave off an expensive shine, and the pendant of the necklace was quite large.

 

  ‘Anyone can see he’s the lead.’

 

  Kyung Seo, with a furrowed smooth forehead, fixed his eyes on the script, looking like a stubborn artist.

 

  ‘Was he annoyed because I disturbed him while he was concentrating?’

 

  Stealing glances at his handsome face even when scowling, Hee-wook’s eyes moved to Kyung Seo’s hand tightly gripping the pen. The dark-skinned back of his hand with protruding blue veins felt threatening. No matter where he looked, Kyung Seo seemed angry.

 

  ‘We haven’t even started yet, so a little small talk wouldn’t hurt. He’s so short-tempered.’

 

  Hee-wook was muttering to himself when Kyung Seo suddenly lifted his head. For an instant, their eyes met. Startled, Hee-wook inadvertently turned his head quickly. His heart pounded as if he had been caught talking behind someone’s back.

 

  Finally, the official full script reading began, and Hee-wook, in his nervousness, flipped through the script waiting for his turn. Since the scene featured only him and Kyung Seo, their voices were the only ones filling the room at that moment.

 

  “That’s not what’s important. I’m thankful just for being alive.”

 

  Although he felt he had done much better practicing alone, performing in front of people was not as easy. He couldn’t even control the volume of his voice, and being focused on the lines, he didn’t even attempt to act with his facial expressions.

 

  The other actors were different. They naturally handled their lines and expressions.

 

  After finishing his last line, he bit his lip in self-reproach. Once Kyung Seo spoke his line, the scene would be over.

 

  But what followed was silence. Wondering if a line had been deleted, Hee-wook blinked in confusion until Kyung Seo belatedly opened his mouth.

 

  “What are you talking about?”

 

  In Kyung Seo’s line, laced with an indifferent sigh, Hee-wook briefly glanced at him. He still looked irritated. Hee-wook could see other actors peering at Kyung Seo’s terrifying expression with frightened eyes.

 

  ‘Is it because my acting is so bad?’

 

  Hee-wook made a firm note next to the script: Practice more thoroughly.

 

  ＊＊＊

 

  Reflecting on it again, Hee-wook found it amusing that he had been completely overwhelmed by a twenty-year-old boy, returning utterly frightened. Though he managed a hollow laugh, something scary was still scary, regardless of age.

 

  Hee-wook found Kyung Seo uncomfortable. His dazzling appearance combined with a personality and manner of speaking that lacked charm made people feel intimidated, yet his undeniable acting talent and experience were impossible to ignore. Hee-wook wanted to avoid him as much as possible, but given that his role was to play Kyung Seo’s friend’s character, it was an impossible task.

 

  Above all, Kyung Seo seemed to dislike him. Whether it was picking fights with him since the day of Eun-sung’s audition, singling him out from a crowd and threateningly telling him to sit down, or scowling more than necessary when Hee-wook was speaking his lines, every recollection was sufficient evidence to support the truth that “Cheon Kyung Seo dislikes Sung Hee-wook.”

 

  “It doesn’t matter since I don’t like him either…”

 

  Unknowingly, Hee-wook pressed down hard on the furrows between his deepening brows with his fingers and muttered to himself. Then, he sighed deeply and collapsed onto his bed. Just then, he sensed someone entering his room.

 

  “Hey, Sung Hee-wook.”

 

  At the abrupt call, Hee-wook slightly lifted his head to look at his feet. A short-haired girl with a round face grinned at him.

 

  “Let’s eat.”

 

  Hee-wook got up from the bed and walked towards her, lightly tapping her forehead with the back of his hand.

 

  “Where did ‘big brother’ go?”

 

  In response to his gruff question, Hee-min, Hee-wook’s younger sister, stuck out her tongue instead of answering.

 

  “Your current project is the drama with Cheon Kyung Seo, right?”

 

  Hee-min asked, popping a piece of chicken into her mouth. Hee-wook, who was about to take a sip of zero-calorie cola, stopped and stared at her.

 

  Come to think of it, the magazine lying around the house had been hers. All the other issues were promptly thrown into the recycling bin after reading, but the one with Kyung Seo on the cover had been suspiciously left behind.

 

  “Do you like him lately?”

 

  “He’s handsome, isn’t he!”

 

  Hee-min shrugged her shoulders and exclaimed naturally.

 

  “He was handsome, indeed.”

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