Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 125
“Oh my gosh. Huh. So cute.”
“Bambi! It’s okay!!”
It was not okay at all.
No matter how hard I bit the inside of my cheek to snap out of it, my flushed face showed no sign of cooling down.
Even though I knew it was rude, I turned around.
“I’m really sorry, just a moment. I apologize.”
“We’re fine! Take your time!!”
Their warm encouragement only made my face hotter. Enough already….
Jin-bae hyung, who had come up on stage, handed me a cold bottle of water.
I turned my head and drank. As the cold liquid went down, I finally felt more grounded.
“Where was I, oh, yes. Thank you all for taking the time to be here. Thanks to you, it looks like I’ll have an unforgettable birthday.”
I tried my best to speak each word calmly and carefully.
Because these words were something I wanted to say with my own will and sincere gratitude.
“I’m here to directly―”
“Yeon-jae! Byeon! Byeon!”
“Ah, yes. Bi…Yeon.”
What do I do? I kept stuttering like a fool.
It felt like the other actor was constantly improvising without any prior discussion.
I heard people laughing.
The repeated mistakes were embarrassing and awkward, but it didn’t feel like an NG during filming.
“Meeting Byeon today is already an excessive birthday gift for me. Really… thank you.”
I barely managed to finish one sentence. Yet there was applause and cheers.
‘Is this really not a dream?’
I felt like I was in a place too grand to be real.
Maybe it was because it felt so awkward or maybe it was a strange sense of guilt, but my stomach churned.
The more that happened, the brighter I smiled. Get a grip.
“The truth is, I only thought about wanting to see you all, but I was at a loss about what to do when we met. Thankfully, the staff helped me out.”
First, we’d have a time where I directly answered the questions fans had written before entering.
Then I’d reenact lines from scenes fans liked, share some behind-the-scenes stories from filming.
And lastly―.
“I plan to show you a dance I learned while shooting the LOOK advertisement.”
I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to dance at a meeting where people came to see an actor, but more actors than I expected sang or danced at fan meetings.
The moment I finished speaking, the screams erupted, so it didn’t seem like a bad plan after all.
“First, we’ll have a Q&A session. Inside this box are the notes you wrote before entering. Due to time constraints, I’ll only read some here, but I’ll answer the rest in a post.”
Just as I had practiced, the words flowed smoothly.
Thank goodness. Yeah, it’s time to relax now.
I smiled leisurely as I pulled out the first note.
“Here’s the first question. Bambi, do you know why a week has six days? Because I waited for you until my ‘neck’ hurt….”
As I read it casually, my speech slowed down.
Holding the note, I froze, and more groans were heard.
Somehow, I relaxed my stiff face and smiled.
“Uh, yes. Well, that, uh…. It’s not good if your neck hurts. Then you’d die, I mean.”
What’s wrong with me?
I quickly shut my babbling mouth. I needed to recover.
“I, uh, yeah…. I’ll try a bit harder. Thanks for the question.”
It was hopeless. I closed my eyes for a moment. Was that recovery?
‘What are you going to try? Fixing a fan’s neck?’
A twitch pulled at the corner of my mouth.
With trembling hands, I took out the second note.
Luckily, the subsequent questions were about filming or acting.
“Eighth question. ‘Do you have a favorite moment while acting?’ Hmm…. Actually, I enjoy it all, so it’s hard to pick just one.”
But if I had to choose.
“Being here right now. If I didn’t act, I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t get to see you all.”
It was frustrating that the emotions I felt weren’t fully conveyed in my words.
I worried that it might sound too light.
I closed my mouth for a moment, then slowly lifted my head and spoke.
“I’ve heard that people like me for various reasons.”
I still didn’t quite understand what those reasons were.
Whether it was my appearance, my acting, or the characters I portrayed, I couldn’t say for sure.
“For whatever reason, thank you for spending a part of your day on me. I’ll do my best to make sure the time you spend liking me isn’t wasted.”
As soon as I finished speaking, fans shouted from all directions. Cute. Love you. Thank you.
“You’re enough just as you are, Yeon-jae!!”
No, I’m not enough.
Maintaining my smile, I quietly looked around at the people.
It didn’t matter anymore whether I deserved this or not. Because.
‘I want to keep having it.’
The emotions flooding me now were much stronger than when Sung Lee-jun was confirmed for Han Seung-min’s role.
I didn’t want to lose these gazes, and I was desperate to do whatever it took to keep them.
‘If I’m not worthy, I’ll make myself worthy.’
If I didn’t deserve these gazes now, I’d just have to become someone who did.
If no amount of effort could make me that person….
‘Then I’ll just fake it.’
After all, living by imitating others was how I survived.
* * *
YeonjaeDay @yeonjae_day
January 15th. Our Bambi’s precious 15th birthday.
Seeing him say thank you so many times for liking him brought tears to my eyes.
Yeon-jae. You deserve to be loved. We’ll love you even more.
#Flying_with_Biyeon_our_Bambi
#Happy_15th_birthday_our_Yeonjae_flower
Jamil @psychomilk
Compilation of today’s Yeon-jae’s guilty remarks
―I really like you too.
―Honestly, it still feels like I’m dreaming.
―It’s okay if you like others too. I just have to do better. << ???
―We have to part ways now… I don’t want to let you go. << Absolutely shocking
SundungBambi @sundubu_bambi
Is Yeon-jae crazy or whatㅋㅋㅋㅋ At first he was blushing and stuttering, then suddenly he woke up and started spouting guilty linesㅠㅠ I went there with a grandmotherly heart wanting to feed my baby three bowls of rice, but as soon as I got home, I searched for the location of Cheongju Women’s Prison… It felt like I was committing a crime…
[Title: Our Bambi ended up trending]
What did he say at the fan meeting for the trending topics to be like this?
‘Yeon-jae’s crazy’, ‘Bambi’s eyes’, ‘Guilty person’…ㅠㅠ
Are they taunting those who couldn’t go? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
―Sobㅠㅠ Bambi, I want to see you tooㅠㅠ There are 60,000 people in the fan club, how is it possible they only picked 200?
└Seriously, it’s like a drop in the ocean
└Next time let’s go to Jamsil Stadium for our Bambi…ㅠ
―OP, I feel bad for you… But Yeon-jae’s dance video will be uploaded on the agency’s channel soon! Let’s wait a bit!
* * *
Today, I woke up an hour earlier than usual.
After finishing practice and taking a shower, the sun was just beginning to rise.
Once I had completed the ‘preparations’ I had planned last night, I stood in front of Jin-bae hyung’s door.
“Hyung, are you awake?”
I didn’t knock in case he was still sleeping, but the door opened right away.
“Actor?”
“Did you have a good dream?”
“Why are you up so early, did you have a nightmare?”
Does he think I’m a kid? I sighed as I saw his face full of worry.
“No. I had something to do, so I got up a little early.”
“What do you have to do?”
“Just wash up and come out. I’ll show you.”
Jin-bae hyung, looking puzzled, went into the bathroom and came out with a wet face in no time.
It seemed he just splashed some water on his face. Seriously, he doesn’t listen.
“Is something going on?”
“No, nothing like that.”
I answered nonchalantly and went to the kitchen.
Jin-bae hyung, who was following me, stopped in his tracks when he saw the dining table.
“This….”
“Your favorite, grilled short ribs and beef radish soup.”
“…Did you make this?”
“I wish I could say I did, but it’s instant.”
Originally, I planned to buy the raw ingredients and cook them myself, but after looking up recipes, I decided to give up.
‘You should have at least cooked once before.’
Before I met Mist, I sometimes helped with cooking at the orphanage.
But after an accident where I nearly cut off my finger, I was banned from the kitchen.
And since then, Jin-bae hyung has done all the cooking, so I never had the chance.
“Why all of a sudden, is it my birthday? But it’s not. It’s still far off.”
“Yesterday was my birthday, remember?”
“…?”
His face, still half asleep, was full of confusion.
I forced the dazed hyung to sit down.
“I originally wanted to do this yesterday, but unfortunately, I couldn’t.”
Yesterday was too hectic with the fan meeting to prepare anything at home.
Clicking my tongue in disappointment, Jin-bae hyung asked slowly.
“Thank you, actor. But why did you suddenly prepare breakfast?”
As he woke up, his eyes were becoming clearer.
Looking into his ever-kind eyes, I spoke.
“Just because.”
“…….”
I had learned that on my birthday, you should thank your parents for bringing you into the world.
But my school teacher didn’t explain what to do if there was no one to thank.
Still, I vaguely thought about it.
If I ever had someone like that, I’d make sure to tell them, not forget.
“I just wanted to do it for you once.”
But it’s another thing if the other person feels burdened.
Worried that he might feel awkward or embarrassed, I tried to make it sound as casual as possible.
Fortunately, Jin-bae hyung smiled brightly.
“It’s your birthday, but I got the present. Thank you!”
“Enjoy. Eat slowly.”
Jin-bae hyung ate well. Really, he ate well.
I had cooked more than expected because I couldn’t gauge the quantity, but he finished it all.
“Thank you for the meal, actor!”
“I’ll do the dishes, so take it easy.”
“No way, I’ll do it.”
“Just let it go, hyung.”
After finishing the dishes until they were spotless, I felt refreshed.
There was no schedule today. Maybe I could take Jin-bae hyung on a drive.
The plan I was forming in my head was shattered by Jin-bae hyung’s words.
“Actor. Team Leader Woo asked if you’re available today. What should I say?”
“……Tell him I’ll go.”
I answered reluctantly. It’s work, after all.
Even though I hadn’t promised anything, I felt deflated.
When I got to the company, Team Leader Woo was waiting.
More precisely, Team Leader Woo and a mountain of paperwork.
“What’s all this?”
“What do you think it is…. It’s work….”
“……Did you get any sleep?”
Dark circles hung under Team Leader Woo’s eyes.
He usually had a cold, robot-like demeanor, but now I could see he got tired too.
“I’m going crazy with all the work coming in because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“Ads, photoshoots, ambassador offers, etc. Proposals for you keep pouring in, and just sorting through them took all day yesterday.”
He handed me a neatly organized list, saying it was the preliminary selection and I just needed to review it.
The list was filled with familiar names of big companies.
“You’ll only shoot one of these ads.”
“I don’t mind, but isn’t it better to do more?”
“In the short term, yes. In the long term, it’s a bad move. If you do too many at once, the number will decrease later, and you’ll get labeled as ‘seasonal’.”
I see. There’s so much to consider.
“Check if there’s anything you want to do. I’ll refer to it when reporting.”
“Sure, I’ll do that.”
“Oh, and there was a script submitted in your name. Do you know Jang Joon-seok? Is he someone you’re familiar with?”
The familiar name made me frown.
The last time I saw Director Jang Joon-seok, he was wearing a thin coat on Christmas Eve.
It’s only been three weeks, and he’s already written a new script?
‘Is he that confident, or….’
With a reluctant feeling, I read the script that Director Jang had sent.
It didn’t take ten minutes before I shut it irritably.
When Jin-bae hyung asked what I thought, I tried to soften my words, but realizing it was just us, I said it plainly.
“It’s terrible.”