“I haven’t said it yet.”
“Ha.”
An absurd laugh escaped from Gi Siyoung’s mouth. It seemed like he was humoring him one by one saying he’d match his mood, but listening to it, it strangely grated on him. He felt this was a completely different character from all the bastards until now who’d fawned over him with all kinds of affection from their first meeting to please him. As his nerves were grated by a guy who wasn’t special at all, Siyoung’s mood became extremely sensitive.
“Ah, my name is Im Seungun.”
Seungun realized belatedly that he should say his name and stated his real name. What mediated Siyoung, who was about to add a word, was Myeongwoo’s booming voice that suddenly popped out from behind.
“Guys! Over here, here!”
Myeongwoo was waving his hand holding a coffee tray.
Deu-reu-reuk, tak.
Deu-reu-reuk, tak.
Deu-reu-reuk, tak.
Deu-reu-reuk, tak.
Im Seungun couldn’t quite focus on driving. The same went for Myeongwoo in the passenger seat. He’d definitely said there was nothing to worry about since the partition was always kept up.
However, right now Gi Siyoung was infinitely repeating raising and lowering the partition between the driver’s seat and back seat. The noise of lowering it halfway then raising it again, lowering it all the way then raising it halfway and lowering it again wasn’t just a little irritating.
“I didn’t know today’s schedule would get tangled like this either. But I definitely got permission from you and proceeded several months ago, right? Huh? I clearly made a point of telling you not to say something different later! I even recorded it so I wouldn’t forget—!”
“What are you talking about?”
Myeongwoo, who’d been sitting uneasily rambling while watching Gi Siyoung’s state, asked “Huh?” Siyoung still hadn’t stopped his hand controlling the partition, and his gaze was stuck on the driver’s seat.
“Hahaha, so that wasn’t the reason you’re in a low pressure. I see.”
“…….”
“But anyway, you two took some time up there, did you chat or something?”
“Did you perhaps wait long? I’m sorry we came down late.”
“No! You don’t have to apologize at all!”
Myeongwoo waved his hands.
“I brought up something unnecessary. I just wondered if you had some conversation, haha. Seungun-ah, today is your first day as an official manager, so there must be a lot to worry about and you must be nervous, but if you do it, you’ll adapt to everything.”
“Yes.”
“Actually there are a lot of rumors about celebrities, and there’s the saying ‘no smoke without fire,’ but there are also many people who aren’t like that. It’ll be hard to open your hearts to each other from the start, but don’t be too trapped in preconceptions.”
“Yes.”
“Our Siyoung is a bit sensitive and prickly, and sometimes his personality might feel shitty but…”
“What?”
“The situation makes it that way. Is the person bad? Don’t you all have times when you’re sensitive and prickly in life? You can’t always smile brightly in front of people and act only kindly. A shitty personality is actually subjective too.”
“Hyung.”
Gi Siyoung gripped Myeongwoo’s shoulder tightly.
“You already said shitty personality twice. Stop emphasizing it.”
“Huh? Ah, did I do that? That can’t be, haha. I must have misspoken suddenly.”
Gi Siyoung clicked his tongue with a displeased face and put his back against the seat again.
Soon the vehicle that had been running fast on the road slowed down. When they turned the corner, it was a parking lot. However, there was no space to park. Seungun wandered around looking for a vacancy. The vehicle was too bulky to fit between already parked cars, too cramped. Gi Siyoung, who’d been resting his chin and looking outside, glanced at the front seats that couldn’t do this or that and muttered.
“How can it take this long just to park? Shouldn’t the HR team’s eye for people be developed?”
“Ahem, Seungun-ah. This won’t do. Stay here. I’ll call the staff and secure some space.”
Myeongwoo unfastened his seatbelt.
Seungun scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
“Thank you. I guess just because it’s big doesn’t mean it’s unconditionally good. It’s ridiculously big. It’s more inconvenient to carry around than I thought and seems useless in everyday life.”
“Huh? Is it that much, our car? It’s not even the huge van we use when going to award ceremonies…”
Gi Siyoung, who’d been silently listening to their conversation, lowered his sunglasses.
“What does that mean?”
“Pardon?”
Seungun, who had both hands on the wheel, turned around with wide eyes.
“What did you just say?”
“I’m talking about Siyoung-ssi’s. This car, it’s Siyoung-ssi’s.”
It was the right sound to make for someone to hear. Siyoung was grated again.
“Listen. Are you trying to pick a fight with me right now—”
Just as he was grabbing the passenger seat headrest and about to thrust his upper body toward the driver’s seat, a shadow flickered outside. Tok, tok, tok. It even knocked on the window. From the inside, a person’s face could be seen well, but not from the outside. The unknown figure tried to look inside the car by putting their hands together.
“Ah! You startled me.”
Gi Siyoung pulled his body back hard.
“This is actor Gi Siyoung’s vehicle, right? We’ve made a separate parking area, so just follow me!”
It was a staff member.
Come On, Play On
Flags engraved with the program name were stuck everywhere like decorations. As it was currently the variety show with the best viewership ratings in Korea, the set was excellent. Though it took a closed structure to block external influx, the roof was open so it was like a huge soccer stadium.
In the middle of the set was a large swimming pool specially installed today. Next to the pool stairs, large swan tubes, infant arm floaties, and even life jackets were stacked in layers. Gi Siyoung looked around the set prepared to welcome the approaching summer with a stuffy face.
<Come On, Play On> saw a surge in popularity among overseas fans starting with exports. Thanks to that, even actors who declined variety show appearances tended not to refuse casting requests for this program.
Moreover, they could appear without taking on such a big burden. This was because the host was famous as someone who didn’t urge excessive variety content from cast members and created a comfortable setting for actors unfamiliar with variety shows.
“Now, the weather today is absolutely fantastic and suffocating. It’s summer, summer. Greenish green and verdant—”
“Wow— the pool is amazing, this. Did they spend some production costs today?”
“No, talking about money as soon as you see it, this oppa. Stop being so money-conscious! You materialist!”
“But what day is today really? They told us to dress in resort wear, so I thought we were going on a foreign trip through rock-paper-scissors or something. Saipan! Thailand! Hawaii!”
The opening had already gone over twenty minutes. Even though they were chattering among themselves, this huge set was noisy. The panelists’ outfits were as diverse as a rainbow. Gi Siyoung, who would soon be introduced as the protagonist of that opening, had also changed into different clothes.
“Everyone gather here. Quickly. Today we have a guest who’ll be with us specially. We can’t show such a lack of unity from the first impression. Oh, really.”
“Who? Who?”
“Look at Rina’s eyes sparkling. Hey, do you think we’ll set you up with a handsome guest in a love line just because you do that?”
“Who asked to be set up? What can I do about viewers shipping us? They say I’m a chemistry fairy with anyone.”
“Rina seems to selectively pick viewer reactions to look at. You should reduce that habit. I’m saying this as a senior in life.”
“Oh my, how will our guest who just arrived come in if we chatter like this? Everyone stop talking—! Please—!”
“Okay, okay!”
“Yes, hyung. Please proceed.”
“Now! I’ll introduce our special guest who’ll heat us up as hotly as this hot summer. This is the hardest we’ve worked to invite someone in our show’s history. They’re the representative icon of actors in their 20s in our country! Please come out, actor Gi Siyoung!”
“Hello.”
Gi Siyoung, who’d been standing in the shade, lightly walked out into the sunny spot where sunlight poured down. As he entered in front of numerous cameras, applause and cheers followed. When he stood in the center, the panelists buzzed while forming a circle as if observing Gi Siyoung.
“Wow, even a man can see he’s really sexy. Acknowledged. Really acknowledged.”
“Ah, I didn’t even go to the salon today. You should’ve at least told me Siyoung was coming!”
“Wow, are you two acquainted? Did you know each other originally?”
“No, actually I’m seeing them for the first time today.”
Gi Siyoung was very natural at obtaining and accepting such reactions. Perhaps he was born receiving people’s applause in the first place. At the panelists’ banter, Gi Siyoung smiled, revealing his white, even teeth.
“Everyone calm down and return to your places.”
“Siyoung appearing on our show, Siyoung appearing!”
“Haha, thank you.”
“Why did you decide to appear?”
“Why else, he came to keep a promise he made with me.”
“What promise?”
“Siyoung, explain this instead of me.”
The host shrugged and passed the explanation over.
“I saw you at an award ceremony last year, and sunbae-nim said shouldn’t I appear once, so I said it would be an honor if you’d invite me, and you invited me right away like this.”
“Actually I invited him a long time ago, but our Siyoung’s schedule is so, so busy.”
“Got hooked, got hooked. That’s why you shouldn’t carelessly make promises with this guy. He really latches on.”
“Ah… I should’ve known that beforehand…”
When Gi Siyoung let out a regretful groan, laughter burst out around him. When Gi Siyoung covered his smiling mouth with his fist but couldn’t hold back and burst into hearty laughter at the surrounding panelists’ fawning, all the cameras captured his face in one shots.
Just as everyone on the ground stops walking and sends their gaze there when a huge airplane flies across the blue sky, all those gathered at the site were directed toward Gi Siyoung. His lips that drew a half-moon every time he laughed, his eye-smile that folded cutely, melted everyone’s hearts softly.
