Pheromone Off Chapter 26

—I’m sorry it turned out this way, Hajin.

What on earth did that mean.

—Still, it’s a much better opportunity for you. Honestly, as you know, our company doesn’t really have that much leverage… I don’t mean that we’ve abandoned you, though! It just felt like it would be a better thing for you. The conditions they offered from that side were just too good.

That made even less sense.

It meant the company had suddenly transferred him somewhere else, but he was only able to learn the proper details after arriving at the filming set.

“Hello. I am Seo Seungjae, and I will be working as Mr. Hajin’s manager from now on.”

There was a man who looked to be in his late twenties, and behind him were a few more people called stylists.

“I plan to manage Mr. Hajin’s schedule from now on. I considered picking you up from the front of your house, but I figured it would be right to have the time spent at the filming set, so I came ahead early. From now on, I will take total charge of all your transportation.”

The man who introduced himself as the manager acted with strict courtesy toward Hajin.

“…Suddenly a manager, what do you…”

“Ah, we came from here.”

The manager handed him a business card. On that card, the company logo was stamped in silver foil. It was a company logo that no one aspiring to be an actor or working in this industry could possibly fail to know. It was a top-tier agency among entertainment companies, holding the largest share of top stars whether they were actors or singers—a place commonly called NextOn, or NextOn for short. It was also the company Kwon Sabin currently belonged to, as well as a place that was an affiliate of the HK Group.

“Why from here…”

Hajin trailed off with a totally dumbfounded face.

“You haven’t heard? Your previous company said they would pass the word along.”

Only then could he understand the words the team leader from his company had been saying.

“I don’t know much beyond that either. Everything regarding the work Mr. Hajin has been doing was handed over to us by your previous company.”

He checked things off as he looked over a tablet PC. Hajin blinked his eyes slowly with a flustered countenance.

“I don’t really… have any work…”

“That might be the case right now, but it will be different from now on. For starters, you’ll be beginning filming soon, so let’s get you into makeup first.”

The manager signaled to the stylists toward the prepared vehicle. The stylists led Hajin inside the car. It had signs of use, but it was practically no different from a brand-new car, and inside, it was full of outfits and props that he had no idea where they had been prepared from.

“I’ll go ahead and greet the director and the assistant directors.”

Closing the door for him, the manager went off to do his job diligently. Hajin kept wearing a blank face. He was just an extra…. It felt strange that a person called a manager had appeared. Having a transportation vehicle appear too… and having stylists to look after his style… he thought it was a bit too much for him.

“Your skin is really great. Do you receive separate care?”

One of the stylists who was patting his face with a puff asked in admiration. Hajin shook his head with a foolish face.

“A-No….”

“Is it because you’re still young? Even so, how can a face be this moist?”

The touch of the teacher looking after his makeup was extremely skillful. Because he was an extra who had no reason to get a close-up, until then, he had only applied sun cream when filming.

“Ah… but I don’t really have to do makeup….”

“Pardon? Why?”

“Yes?”

“Who doesn’t do makeup when filming.”

“…Because it’s an extra role…. My face won’t really come out well either…”

“I doubt that?”

At the contradicting reply, Hajin asked back like a fool again, “Yes?” But the other person absorbed themselves in the work and admired once more.

“There isn’t even anything to cover. I’ll just fill in the eyebrows a little. Are those contact lenses in your eyes?”

“N-No.”

“You won’t even need to wear lenses. Your pupils are incredibly large.”

At the compliments flying at him in succession, Hajin could not hide his embarrassment. That lasted only a brief moment before another stylist who was checking the outfits hurriedly asked him.

“Your size is M, correct?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Shall I hold the clothes against you for a second?”

The stylist who held the top against his back narrowed her eyes as if assessing and evaluated.

“You’re thin, but you do have shoulders. You could wear about a 95. Do you prefer white or blue for the shirt?”

The wardrobe stylist asked as she rummaged through the back seat of the car. Swept along, Hajin pondered for a moment, then at the makeup teacher’s words telling him to open his lips slightly, he opened his lips, “Ah—,” like a well-behaved student. Hajin was flustered because this kind of situation was still unfamiliar.

“But you have a bit of a scar near your mouth. Did you get hurt?”

At the question asked while applying lip balm, Hajin blinked his eyes rapidly and answered small.

“Ah… it’s all healed, but….”

“Even if it looks all healed, once your face is captured, it all shows up on the camera. You have to be careful not to get scars.”

The other person advised as she lightly covered the area around his mouth with concealer. It seemed the scar from being hit by Seong Suhyun had not completely disappeared yet. Hajin nodded his head meekly again. Because he had never received this kind of detailed care before, Hajin wore an embarrassed yet slightly shy expression. It was a burden, but it made him realize anew that the work of an actor required the hands of many people.

And, because he felt he knew who the person who looked after this kind of matter was, Hajin map-read his phone. He felt like… he ought to say thank you.

There was only one powerful person capable of handing down this kind of order in a single day. That fact felt ticklish somehow. A feeling as if the area around his solar plexus was becoming dense and warm. Whatever the intention, Hajin could only be grateful for the consideration he looked after. Although a doubt arose as to whether it was okay to accept this kind of consideration at face value, there was no time to think deeply right now. He had to move hurriedly at the manager’s word that they would enter filming straight away.

That was fascinating too. When arriving at a filming set, the very first thing to do was always waiting. First was waiting, second was waiting, and the third was also waiting. During that time, Hajin used to pass the time helping out with the staff’s work or cleaning up the dirtied set by himself. Or else, he filled the long waiting time by having light conversations with the part-timers who came out as extras or looking over the script again and again. That was why he used to memorize even the lines of other characters, even if they weren’t his portion.

“I heard, Mr. Hajin You changed companies?”

And it was also a first for a person who was an assistant director to strike up a conversation familiarly. He never dreamed that he, an assistant director, would know his name. Hajin slowly replied while still blinking his foolish eyes at the events occurring in succession.

“…Ye-es… Ah… I don’t really know the details well either…”

“The manager came to greet us earlier, you see? They said it’s NextOn? Wow, that’s great for you.”

“…I supp… ose…”

It was great, but… whether it was a matter he was allowed to be happy about… Hajin replied with a sheepish face and map-read the back of his neck.

Just because a manager did one round of greetings, for treatment to change this much…. Hajin could not comprehend it, but the events after that were even more shocking. The filming he was doing today was just two scenes. There were no lines, and he was an existence present as a background role. However, the assistant director approached and tapped the script as he continued his words.

“Ah, and lines have been added today, so check it.”

“Lines?”

“Yeah. Another extra dropped out, so it was decided that Mr. Hajin would do that role together, you see?”

He had heard nothing of the sort. As Hajin stared with a surprised face, the assistant director checked the script for him.

“So, Extra 1 here—Mr. Hajin will be going into the lines for this role now.”

“…Me? Suddenly?”

“Yes. There are only a few lines today anyway, so it won’t be difficult. Since there will be quite a few scenes where you enter the screen, familiarize yourself well in between.”

“No, suddenly…?”

At Hajin’s surprised face, the assistant director conversely had a curious face. As if the surprised Hajin was rather the strange one, he continued his words.

“Didn’t you say you changed companies?”

“Ah… why does that…”

“What do you mean why? Mr. Hajin, you don’t know?”

“…”

“One of the investors in this movie is that side, you know.”

At the fact he hadn’t known at all, Hajin let out a small lament. Ah…. There was no way he could have known.

“Why else would the manager do a round of greetings. It’s to ask them to look favorably upon Mr. Hajin”

“…”

“It’s good for us too if we look good to that company, you see. Changing that much of a portion under the director’s discretion is nothing. It’s not like we’re suddenly changing it to a supporting role or anything.”

As if this kind of thing were common, the assistant director tossed out the words in a casual tone and patted Hajin’s shoulder.

“Anyway, do well. I don’t know what kind of backing it is, but congratulations.”

Scanning Hajin briefly, the assistant director threw out a light piece of advice and moved away. The feeling of having his status elevated in an instant left him merely blank. Although he was the youngest of the Seongsan Group, he did not go around revealing that position on the outside. When one is treated with contempt inside the house, what use would it be for people to recognize him outside.

Besides, they had never given him that level of treatment either. There was no driver attached to him, nor did separate allowance come in. There was only a single card given to him to use when necessary, but by disposition, he could not use that card as he pleased either. He didn’t want to use it either. A single card tossed like alms. That single card was the only thing given from within that family. Because it felt like substituting parental affection, interest, and the abuse received from Seong Suhyun with that single piece, he didn’t even want to use it.

Therefore, he always used public transportation and did not use expensive things. Things that were truly necessary, he used money earned while secretly doing things like part-time jobs by himself. He did use it when it was truly necessary, but because of the heart that settled down heavily every time he used it, he tried not to use it if possible.