The day we were supposed to have the pre-shooting meeting for the variety show with Min Jiheon, I ran into a familiar face in the conference room. “Oh wow! Hoyun, seeing you —it’s seriously so good to see you!” It was none other than PD Choi, the same producer from “Overimmersive Captain” that I’d filmed with Joo Woosung and Yoo Jia. I’d heard he switched programs, but I didn’t expect him to end up in charge of a fixed variety show . He smiled brightly when he saw me. “Hard to catch a glimpse of you these days, huh? Even when we first met, your popularity was rising, but now? You’re shooting through the stratosphere.” “Oh please, it’s all thanks to you, PD-nim. ‘Overimmersive Captain’ was what really got me started in variety shows.” “Still as charming as ever, I see!” He laughed heartily with his innocent-looking face, cracking the same silly jokes about how he had a good feeling I’d blow up. Meanwhile, the writers standing beside us rolled their eyes silently, lips sealed. “Min Jiheon said his flight’s delayed, so he’ll be a bit late today. But that’s fine—we can get started ourselves. Alright then, I’ll explain the show: ‘Please Take Care of Me.’” Since debut, Min Jiheon’s been on a nonstop upward climb. His company rarely lets him do variety shows to protect his image, aside from occasional interviews or pictorials. ‘Please Take Care of Me’ featured about three teams per episode, each composed of two celebrities, where one would become the temporary manager and take care of the other. ‘A hybrid variety show, huh.’ They’d thrown in [N O V E L I G H T] every trendy element imaginable. “You have to follow the trends, but there needs to be something special too, right? Seo Hoyun, you’ll be assigned as Min Jiheon’s manager.” The glint in PD Choi’s eye was unmistakable. “I honestly wanted to push Min Jiheon solo for this one. It’s basically his first real variety appearance. But having a junior from the same agency backing him? That’d be boring, don’t you think?” “He’s a box office actor, a phenomenon, a Hallyu star—any label fits.” I thought he was trying to pressure me, but then PD Choi suddenly stuck up a thumbs-up. “So the conclusion is: you and him, jackpot! Make it fun!!” “I really enjoyed watching your crazy Seo Hoyun act on The Dawn’s solo variety. I don’t know what it is—your face is funny enough, but that shameless attitude and sharp timing? You’ve got some seriously refined comedic sense. You’re the best!!” My face is funny just to look at... is that an insult? I was suddenly reminded of the time during our first music video shoot when I was forced to pick a narcissistic line from the system options and said I was handsome, which led Director Jung to compliment my comedic timing. “PD-nim. I won’t let you down.” “Nice! Love that confidence!” Outwardly, I smiled, but my brain was spinning. ‘Did the CEO just tack me onto Jiheon’s show as a package deal?’ I tapped my fingers on the table, staring at the proposal with Min Jiheon’s name printed in bold. ‘What’s he planning?’ The CEO said the management team requested it out of fear I’d get edited out completely, but that was bullshit. Even if they posted 30 minutes of silent footage with just Jiheon’s face, people would eat it up. “Then I’ll see you on shoot day!” “Yes, we’re counting on you~!” In the end, the meeting wrapped without even a glimpse of Min Jiheon. As I waited for our manager, who’d gone to meet with a broadcasting official, I sipped a SolO drink from the vending machine. Latest content published on novelꞁire.net That’s when I spotted the writer and assistant director who had joined us for the meeting. I thought about saying hi again, but they were too caught up in their conversation to notice me. “——It’s just a package deal, isn’t it.” My ears perked up at the interesting choice of words. “The agency’s rep said Jiheon wouldn’t show unless Hoyun came along. Can you believe that?” “Why not? Maybe they really are close.” “Nah, I get the feeling they’re not close at all.” Damn, sharp instincts. I turned slightly and kept sipping my drink, pretending not to listen as their voices grew clearer. “Hoyun’s not bad—there are talks he might land a regular show soon. But still, packaging him with Jiheon? That’s a bit much.” “They’re just... not on the same level.” ‘Wow. Straight-up shit-talking me, huh.’ “How long is Seo Hoyun even going to stay relevant? It’s always a flash in the pan with these types.” Not that they were wrong, exactly. Leaning back casually, I downed the rest of the drink in one go. “Who knows how long he can ride the wave? He’s already had a few controversies since debut. Sure, he’s managed to avoid real fallout so far, but one real scandal and he’ll crash hard. Everyone knows it. They just smile while they can use him.” “Poor Min Jiheon, honestly. Having to drag that kind of junior onto a variety show too.” I crushed the empty can and tossed it into the trash. The loud clatter turned all their heads my way. Their flinching was almost satisfying. I smiled sweetly. “Ah, haha... Hoyun, you’re still here?” “Yeah, just waiting.” Still, there was no reason to pick a fight with the staff. Better to butter them up a little and extract more info later. “A~h, come on, writer-nim.” A familiar voice came from behind me. An arm slung over my shoulder as Min Jiheon appeared with that usual shiny grin of his. Even after all this time, that face of his still gleamed annoyingly bright. “Yeah~ I’m a bit late, huh?” He tacked on a “sorry” with zero remorse in his tone. “But you guys were having an interesting chat, huh?” Jiheon lightly patted my shoulder and continued with a casual tone. “Oh right. I heard a sponsor pushed their nephew into the show—different situation, huh?” The assistant director grabbed at Jiheon’s arm in a panic. What the hell is this guy doing? I narrowed my eyes, silently watching how this would play out. “Huh~? That was supposed to be a secret? I mean, the actor nephew literally ran up to me on set asking for an autograph and spilled everything, so I figured it was no big deal?” “Wh-what are you talking about!” “Ahh, my bad. Guess I missed the memo that everything he said on set was top secret~!” His ability to act clueless while hitting hard was top-tier. Classic actor behavior—projecting loud and clear so secrets were no longer secrets. The assistant director and writer looked pale as they glanced at me, scrambling to clean up the mess. “Mr. Min Jiheon! Shh! Please!” “Oopsie, I’ll keep the nephew thing a secret! Don’t worry~ I won’t say a word about how he got in!” Jiheon even threw in a wink as he said it at full volume, forcing the assistant director to hold back what looked like a torrent of curses before ushering the writers away. “Looking forward to the show~!” He waved until they were out of sight, then looked at me and gave a soft smile. His pale eyes, sunflower-bright, shimmered. And the bastard used the opening to drop the honorifics. As someone born in the Land of Courteous Etiquette, I refrained from cussing out the younger guy and instead asked politely while walking away. “What brings you here?” “Thought I’d join the meeting, even if I’m late~. And, y’know, see the junior I’m being packaged with.” Why the hell did he cover for me back there? Jiheon trailed behind me as we walked. Along the way, he smiled and greeted everyone who passed by. ‘He doesn’t seem like someone who lacks friends.’ No, even if he didn’t have friends, who’d actually say no to Min Jiheon? I took a long detour to the vending machine tucked away in the far corner of the building. Last I checked, this area didn’t have CCTV. I fed money into the machine again and pressed the SolO button. “You drink that stuff?” I ignored Jiheon’s comment and chugged the drink down. Honestly, I just wanted to chain-smoke, slam back a SolO, and pass out in a sauna. But smoking—like the other two—was probably too “uncle-like” and would get me flamed by Noeul fans. I’d probably have to hold out until I quit being an idol. Smacking my lips in regret, I saw Jiheon inserting coins into the machine too. “Same as you, Sunbae-nim.” “People really suck. If they can’t say it to your face, they shouldn’t say it at all.” That line sounded familiar. As I gave him a lazy glance, Jiheon pressed the button for the “100% fresh orange juice”—but nothing came out. “Ugh, why’s it doing this?” “Did you tell them you wouldn’t appear unless I did?” “Doubt whoever passed that along made it sound that romantic.” As Jiheon fumbled with the bill slot, I suddenly felt my nose sting. Damn it, another nosebleed. Silently cursing, I pulled out a handkerchief I now carried for exactly this reason. Jiheon turned away from the machine and gave me a once-over. He rolled his eyes a little and turned his back to me, fiddling with the buttons again. “Haha. You’re good at variety. Thought it’d be fun to team up.” “Wouldn’t it be nice if we looked close? Should we pick a nickname for ourselves?” He started brainstorming couple-style names, like ‘Hohuhohu’ or ones that reminded people of “Bring Me the Camera.” I removed the handkerchief from my nose. Thankfully, the bleeding had stopped. “Why won’t this thing work?” These vending machines were always a mess. It reminded me of the time Kim Heeyoung got so fed up, she kicked one in frustration. That cheered me up a bit. I curved my lips into a smooth arc. He turned toward me with his head slightly tilted and grinned. “I don’t care what your angle is—” I kicked the vending machine hard, right next to Jiheon. Multiple drinks tumbled down from the machine. I reached underneath, grabbed one, and shoved it into Jiheon’s hand. “Stop pulling stupid stunts.” Sure, I was being kind in my own way... but over-the-top gestures were the only way this guy ever calmed down. “Enjoy the orange juice.” I patted the back of Jiheon’s hand a few times, then turned and walked off without hesitation. Behind me, I heard him mumble, “This is apple juice though...” ‘Still don’t know why he’s clinging to me...’ I was starting to figure out how to handle Min Jiheon.