Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 113
“Teacher! The dance this time was really well choreographed!”
At the shout of the trainee who barged in, dancer Sadie sighed.
“Ha. Don’t you know how to knock? You punk.”
“Sorry. I was in a hurry. I want to perform this dance for the evaluation, could you give me some private lessons?”
“At your level, even if I teach you properly, you wouldn’t be able to do it.”
“That’s too harsh.”
“Instead of crying, go practice more. Get out now.”
Sadie, looking annoyed, chased the trainee out.
Ever since the Look commercial video came out, she had been overwhelmed by kids following her around every chance they got.
‘Certainly, this choreography turned out exceptionally well.’
Maybe because it was a foreign major company, the budget they offered was on a different level.
Art inherently becomes more beautiful when accompanied by capital.
As she created the choreography leisurely with a well-padded wallet, the quality of the choreography ended up higher than initially expected.
And then she remembered that the level needed to be adjusted to match the commercial model.
‘It’s not often you get such well-made choreography…’
Honestly, it was a shame, but she couldn’t complain.
Especially after seeing Lee Yeon-jae.
The moment Sadie saw the boy entering her practice room, she thought, ‘Let’s just match everything to him.’
It was a judgment she made coolly as someone who had poured all her passion into dance her whole life.
When you work in this industry long enough, you develop an eye for talent. Lee Yeon-jae was a gem.
Even his movements while doing warm-up exercises caught her eye.
‘What talent. I’m jealous.’
Seeing him briefly on TV, she had thought he was just a good-looking child actor.
Seeing him in person, his looks that didn’t fully come across on screen were the least of it; his aura was different.
He had a presence that drew attention even when he was just standing still.
‘There’s no way a kid like that can dance well. So, I’ll definitely have to exclude the final part of the choreography.’
Swallowing her regret, Sadie started the test.
And as time passed, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, her fists clenched more tightly.
‘What on earth is that kid…?!’
She was getting goosebumps. There was no other way to describe it.
Every time she instructed him, he followed along with a face that said it was too easy, so halfway through, she raised the difficulty even more out of irritation.
Yet, even as he sweat profusely, he managed to do it.
Despite dancing for an extended period, long enough that normal trainees would have begged for mercy, he didn’t complain once.
Watching him bite his lip hard to maintain focus, Sadie laughed.
It had been a long time since she felt this kind of satisfaction.
‘He’s the real deal.’
That thought wasn’t wrong. The commercial was a hit.
Sadie replayed the commercial video she had seen numerous times.
The boy’s eyes, dancing dynamically on the screen, shone brightly under the blue sky.
Eyes bright and blue, running towards a dream.
The fierce determination she had seen in her practice room was nowhere to be found.
“I haven’t danced with ‘that Lee Yeon-jae’ either. What a shame.”
She wanted to dance with the bright Lee Yeon-jae from the commercial, not the indifferent Lee Yeon-jae.
In that sense, she was envious of the friend. What was his name again? Joo Ji-hyuk?
He was definitely a trainee from our agency.
“Hmm~.”
Sadie looked into the air, hesitating for a moment.
Then she jumped up. What’s the point in thinking about it? Just ask.
* * *
“Dance challenge?”
―Yeah. Today, while I was practicing, Teacher Sadie called me. I was so surprised, but she asked me to shoot a video with her. I thought I was dreaming.
Noh Bi-hyuk’s voice over the phone was still high-pitched.
He didn’t seem to have calmed down.
“That’s great. But what’s a dance challenge?”
―It’s a short video where you follow the highlight of the choreography. All idols do it. Even regular people upload their versions. What do you even do with your phone?
“I talk to you on it. So, is doing the challenge a good thing?”
―Teacher Sadie’s personal channel has a lot of subscribers. It’s a good way to get noticed before debut.
“I see. Show it to me when it’s up.”
―Sure! Oh, by the way… this is just a side note.
Noh Bi-hyuk hesitated.
“What is it?”
―The teacher subtly asked if you were available. I tried to brush it off, but after we shot the video, she mentioned it again. She said it would be great if the three of us could shoot a challenge video together when you’re free.
Ah, so that was her goal.
―I kind of mumbled that I wasn’t sure about your schedule, so don’t worry about it.
The awkward voice returned as if he couldn’t stand the brief silence.
Considering he brought it up, it was clear how much pressure the choreographer had applied.
“It won’t take long to shoot one, right? I’ll make time this week. Should I contact the teacher?”
―No, I’ll tell her. Uh… sorry. Because of me.
I laughed lightly at his awkward apology.
“If you’re sorry, come over to my place for dinner tonight.”
―Dinner?
“Manager Jin-bae ordered potatoes this time. There’s a whole box in the kitchen.”
―…Okay.
After a long pause, Noh Bi-hyuk answered.
Hearing the despair in his voice, I couldn’t bring myself to say it wasn’t a whole box.
That evening, I quickly caught Noh Bi-hyuk, who tried to escape upon seeing the dinner table filled with potato dishes like potato stew, potato pancakes, and potato gratin.
And I whispered in his ear, “You only have to eat it once today…”
Faced with my desperation, Noh Bi-hyuk had no choice but to sit back down.
“Manager Jin-bae, I’m sorry to say this, but could you please check the quantity before ordering…?”
“I did check this time, but it was listed by kilograms, so I couldn’t gauge the amount.”
Manager Jin-bae laughed awkwardly.
I thanked Noh Bi-hyuk with my eyes for voicing what I wanted to say.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Yeah, thanks! Even though it’s all potatoes… it still looks delicious. Wow, it really is.”
“Thank you. Eat a lot.”
Noh Bi-hyuk wasn’t just saying it.
Every dish Manager Jin-bae made was always delicious, but today they tasted exceptionally good.
This guy’s cooking skills were really improving.
No matter how many times I told him it wasn’t necessary for a manager to cook for the actor, he never listened, so I had long given up.
“Hyung, this is really delicious.”
“Really? I’ll make it for you again tomorrow.”
“…Bi-hyuk, how about joining us tomorrow—”
“I start dormitory living tomorrow.”
I knew his dormitory stay had ended last week.
Even though I stared hard, Noh Bi-hyuk avoided my gaze throughout the meal.
In return for his company at dinner, I filmed the dance challenge video with the choreographer.
* * *
“Yeon-jae, the video you shot this time—wait, what’s up with your eyebrows?”
Singer Kang Se-hyun paused as he opened the waiting room door.
Feeling awkward at his reaction, I touched my eyebrows.
“Why? Do they look strange?”
“No. They suit you… so well it’s a bit strange.”
“What do you mean?”
Yesterday, Manager Jin-bae and I went to the salon.
I wanted to cut my hair short like Manager Jin-bae because my bangs were bothering me.
But since I still had upcoming camera appearances, we compromised by adding a scratch to my eyebrows.
“It’s not overdone and looks perfect. Your fans will love seeing you in today’s live video.”
I didn’t understand the connection between my eyebrows and the fans’ feelings but stayed quiet.
“So, what did you want to say?”
“Oh, right. I saw the challenge video you did with Teacher Sadie. Have you taken dance lessons before?”
Although he was surprised by the commercial video, he believed some of it was due to editing.
But he was really shocked by the unedited video taken on a phone.
“Is this really the first time you’ve danced?”
“Yes.”
“Wow… have you thought about becoming an idol?”
Seeing my face, Kang Se-hyun waved his hand.
“I’m not joking! You really have talent. Dancing is something that takes years of practice to improve. It’s such a waste to let this talent go. Didn’t Teacher Sadie say anything?”
She did talk a lot about it.
I barely managed to decline her offer to start together with her.
Initially, I thought it was just polite praise.
But hearing similar reactions repeatedly made me realize it wasn’t just empty words. But that was all.
“If I need it for acting, I’ll learn more, but I have no plans right now.”
“Really? That’s a shame.”
Seeing Kang Se-hyun’s genuinely regretful expression, I shrugged.
I knew it was arrogant to talk like this in front of someone desperate to improve their dancing skills…
But what can you do? The world is inherently unfair.
It’s a fact I couldn’t ignore as someone who woke up at 5 AM every day to shake off the misfortune factor.
“Do you know how much In-joon talks about you? He keeps saying our Bambi is good at everything, including dancing. Oh, you guys are meeting soon, right?”
“Yes. We’re having lunch together when he goes to the exhibition.”
“Can I join?”
I had been eagerly waiting for that invitation.
Nodding vigorously, Kang Se-hyun laughed heartily.
As time passed, more people entered the waiting room.
The actors from ‘Goodbye, My Summer’ had arrived.
Today, we were scheduled to do a live broadcast to commemorate the final episode.
“Long time no see, nuna.”
“Yeah. Have you been well?”
Han Se-young, who played Hanna, was also here.
We spent time chatting casually, her eyes frequently darting to my eyebrows.
“So, you’re doing a fan signing?”
“Yes. I’m a bit nervous. Have you done one before?”
“I’ve only done a few. But it’s no big deal. It’s just like greeting fans at a movie premiere.”
I’ve never done a movie premiere.
Her answer wasn’t very helpful, but I thanked her anyway.
“Ugh… today’s wait is long.”
“Yeah. It’s about time for the live broadcast.”
The waiting room was filled with actors who were tired of waiting.
When a staff member, sweating profusely, came looking for us, I thought it was finally over.
“I’m sorry. There’s a problem at the site. The broadcast will be delayed by 30 minutes. Please wait 30 more minutes. I’m very sorry.”
“No problem. Have some water.”
I always felt embarrassed receiving unnecessary apologies from staff.
Clearly, it wasn’t that person’s fault the broadcast was delayed.
Realizing how tough working life was, I stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“Just to the restroom.”
“Should I come with you, actor?”
“No, it’s right in front. You sit down.”
Forcing Manager Jin-bae back onto the sofa, I left the waiting room.
After visiting the restroom, I was returning to the waiting room when I heard something crash nearby.
“Damn it, do you know how much this costs? Hurry up and pick it up!”
“I’m sorry.”
I headed towards the noise. The floor was littered with glass shards.
“Hurry up and clean it before people come!”
The middle-aged man who yelled at the young woman in her early twenties disappeared.
Seeing her squatting down and crying, I reached out my hand.