I Spent a Night with a Top Star Actress Chapter 39 - Good morning.

Following the cue sheet, the first shoot took place at Twenty’s dorm.

Instead of PD Park, who was away for a studio shoot, assistant director PD Jo ran the set.

While Twenty went into their first variety show shoot like that, I…

…was waiting in the main room for my interview shoot.

‘A show built around the chemistry between a celebrity and their manager, so the interview shoot’s essential, they said?’

Thanks to that, an ENG camera was right in front of my face.

I tried to manage my expression, but the tension pouring through me wouldn’t let me.

I fidgeted with my pants pocket and muttered.

“I’m losing it here.”

… Damn it.

Why was something like this making me this nervous?

Right as a sudden craving for nicotine hit me, an assistant writer who looked to be in her early twenties showed up.

“Hello, Chief.”

Barely hiding the shake in my voice from the tension, I answered.

“Yes, hello, Writer-nim.”

“We’ll go straight to filming the interview, if that’s alright?”

I nodded.

Right.

It was a shoot I had to do anyway, so better to get it over with fast.

At my answer, the assistant writer standing next to the camera fired off a question, out of nowhere.

“First question! Who does the manager think is the prettiest member of Twenty!”

… What?

Was this some kind of variety show hazing?

‘That’s a pretty spicy question to open with.’

My expression soured.

“Um, Writer-nim?”

“Yes?”

“Can I pass on this one? Ranking the members’ looks is… a bit much for a manager to answer.”

The assistant writer smiled like a devil.

“You can pass, but if you keep dodging, you won’t like where it ends up later.”

“…”

It wasn’t meant as a provocation, but to my ears, the assistant writer’s words sounded exactly like one.

Right then, the tension that had been eating at me until a moment ago vanished like it had never been there.

At the same time, my prickly streak kicked in.

‘Oh, is that how it is?’

Sounded like her plan was to fish out a headline through some spicy question…

But I wasn’t the type to hand out material.

I was the type to fish it out of other people.

The corner of my mouth, stiff from tension a moment ago, rose without my meaning it to.

“The maknae, Seol Chae-i, is the best visually, I’d say.”

“Oh? Is that your personal taste talking, Chief?”

“No. She’s the center visual.”

“…”

“Seol Chae-i’s visuals are the textbook idol type, so looking purely at looks, I’d say she’s the best.”

At my measured answer, the assistant writer’s lips pushed out, looking deflated.

“Next question, Chief.”

Plenty of spicy questions kept coming after that too.

What’s it like living as a girl group’s manager.

Have you ever had impure thoughts.

Isn’t it hard managing a rookie idol group.

They’re the first girl group at Baekhak to get real attention, did you expect them to succeed like this.

But Baekhak hadn’t become an entertainment giant for nothing.

There were textbook answers already prepared for exactly these kinds of questions.

Thanks to that, I kept answering smoothly without a hitch, and it clearly wasn’t sitting well with the assistant writer, whose lips pushed out even further than before.

Right as I was casually enjoying that expression, the assistant writer’s lips, which had been sticking out like a duck’s, snapped back in.

“Last question! Which member of Twenty does the manager care about most!”

“!”

Ugh…

This question wasn’t so much spicy as it was a recipe for trouble.

However I answered, I could already picture Twenty giving me endless grief over it.

So I was about to call my saved-up pass, but the assistant writer clasped her hands together and started begging.

“Chief, please…!”

“?”

“If the interview ends like this, the footage’ll be way too boring. Could you just close your eyes and answer this one, just this once? If I go back like this, Writer Kim’s going to kill me!”

“…”

The assistant writer’s pleading shook me a little.

‘… True, I’ve been answering way too by-the-book.’

For a variety interview, no spice at all wouldn’t make for good footage either.

My mouth started moving slowly.

“… Not that I care most about her, but Ga-eul-ssi’s unusually attached to me.”

The assistant writer, who’d been on the verge of tears, lit up.

“You mean Twenty’s leader, right?”

“Yes.”

“So because she’s the leader and follows you closely, that counts as caring about her, is that it?”

Guess she still had some conscience, dressing it up like that this time.

I nodded, and the assistant writer let out a heavy sigh.

“… Thanks for your hard work, Chief.”

“You too, Writer-nim.”

“That’s the toughest interview I’ve ever done.”

The assistant writer grumbled.

“The whole point of this interview segment is capturing the manager’s flustered face when he gets hit with an awkward question… aren’t you just a little too good at managing your expression, Chief?”

Hearing that explanation, I felt a little bad.

Well, you shouldn’t have provoked me, Writer-nim.

Meanwhile, Twenty looked like they’d wrapped their dorm shoot well too, their faces bright.

Watching that scene, I nodded.

“Not bad at all.”

Variety show filming, supposedly a graveyard for celebrities.

Turned out to be more manageable than I’d expected.

---

After the interview and the dorm shoot wrapped, we moved to the training center in Sangam.

Once the cameras were set up in the practice room, Twenty started their usual vocal practice.

Having gotten the interview footage done, I regained my composure and stood with my arms crossed, taking in the whole picture.

PD Jo and the writers watching Twenty’s practice kept bursting into admiration.

“Whoa, how does a joint even bend like that? That’s crazy, seriously.”

“No, forget that, why are these kids so good at singing?”

“It’s not just the main vocal, all the members can actually sing.”

“PD Jo. The footage looks great, should we get a separate stage practice cut too?”

I quietly cut into the conversation.

“A live stage is possible right now, actually.”

“Huh? You can do a live stage right now, Chief?”

“Yes.”

“Then could we get about a minute focused on the highlight part?”

“I’ll go tell them.”

Forgetting we were even mid-shoot, I walked up to Twenty, who was still deep in vocal practice.

“Everyone. Gather up for a second.”

Twenty responded to my voice and stopped practicing to come over.

I deliberately lowered my voice and explained the situation.

“PD Jo wants to see a live stage.”

“!”

“It’s a real chance to show off our album on a variety show, can you all handle it?”

Nova blurted out, startled.

“Huh? We’re allowed to promote that blatantly?”

“Of course we are. The whole reason we’re on this show is to promote.”

Excitement burst up in the members’ eyes.

“Holy shit. Insane.”

“Unnie! We’re filming, watch the language!”

“We’ll definitely do it, Chief.”

“W, we can’t mess up, right?”

“It’s fine. Even if you mess up, the Chief will cover for us.”

“Tell them we can go right now, Chief!”

Smirking, I walked back over to PD Jo.

“They say they can do the stage right now, PD.”

“Huh? No prep needed, right now?”

“Yes. Once we set up the handheld mics, we can go straight into the stage.”

PD Jo said, looking a little surprised.

“Wow… they said Twenty’s nickname was ‘skill idols,’ and it’s actually true.”

“Sorry?”

“Any other idol group would never agree to do this live. Who’s willing to sing live with no recorded vocals to fall back on these days?”

I found myself nodding without meaning to.

Because what PD Jo said was true.

How many idols could pull off a stage with just a handheld mic and no vocal track behind them?

‘That’s exactly why Twenty is something else.’

Setting aside the pride swelling in me, I quickly went to grab the handheld mics.

And so, with nothing but the instrumental to lean on and no vocal track at all, Twenty’s live stage began.

Star Watch!’s PD Jo nodded, satisfied.

“They’re actually really good.”

“Even accounting for the song promo, this footage could hold up on its own.”

“Might be worth filming the whole song separately and editing it in, what do you think, PD Jo?”

The feeling was good.

Twenty had pulled off the stage without a single mistake, and their faces were bright; the Star Watch crew’s faces were bright too, having caught good footage.

My own expression brightened right along with them.

‘Guess all that’s left now is the fan meeting?’

The shoot that had started in the morning was slowly nearing its end.

Turning around, I saw Twenty, ahead of their first fan meeting, unable to hide their excitement.

“W, wait, we actually have fans?”

“No way… they’re probably hired guests.”

“Ga-eul-unnie! What do we do if we mess up in front of the fans?”

“It’s fine to mess up. The Chief will cover for us.”

With the excited members loaded up, we set off from the Sangam training center to the Hongdae art hall where the fan meeting would be held.

Normally Ye-ji-ssi would sit in the seat next to me, but today Rei had taken it.

Thanks to that, snacks came flying nonstop into my mouth.

“Chiifu! This snack has zero calories!”

That’s not a zero-calorie snack, Rei.

Still, the sugar hit brought my nicotine-starved brain roaring back to life.

I parked at Hongdae’s mini art hall, today’s last filming location, and got out first.

Twenty got out of the van with excited faces.

I was glancing around to make sure nothing had been left behind, and checking on all the members’ condition, when…

Ga-eul’s expression, as she passed by in front of me, caught my eye in a strange way.

I patted Ga-eul lightly on the shoulder.

“Ga-eul-ssi?”

“Yes, Chief?”

“Are you feeling okay?”

At my question, Ga-eul answered, looking a little startled.

“Uh… no? I’m fine.”

My eyes narrowed.

‘That’s not it.’

Her expression looked off somehow.

As proof, Ga-eul’s face was flushed red as a ripe persimmon.

I’d thought she looked a little red even before the shoot started, but when had it gotten this bad?

But with the camera nearby making me self-conscious, I held my tongue for now.

Instead, I kept my eyes fixed on Ga-eul and headed for the fan meeting venue.

But the stairs leading down to the underground stage had a rough enough slope.

Ga-eul’s steps going down them caught my eye.

Wobbling.

Unable to keep her balance, Ga-eul’s body swayed.

My eyes shot wide and I shouted.

“Ga-eul-ssi, watch out…!”

Ga-eul’s foot slipped before my shout even finished.

I barely managed to catch her arm as she started to fall forward.

Still holding on, I pulled her straight into my arms.

“!”

At the unexpected accident, the Twenty members walking ahead startled, and I could feel the camera director behind us jolt in surprise too.

Catching my breath, I slowly lowered my head.

Ga-eul, half caught in my arms, stared up at me with her mouth open.

“C, Chief?”

Seeing her up close, I could be sure of it.

The flush I’d noticed before the shoot had spread across her entire face.

The breath escaping her lips was hot enough to almost scald, prickling against my skin.

Pulling myself together from the shock, I asked.

“Ga-eul-ssi, are you feeling sick somewhere?”

Ga-eul by her real name.

And Ga-eul by her stage name too, couldn’t answer, and just lowered her head.

---

After wrapping the studio shoot and arriving at the editing room, PD Park yawned and said.

“PD Jo. Did the field shoot with Twenty go well?”

PD Jo, deep in the middle of editing, answered.

“Uh… well, there was a bit of an incident? Something like that.”

Worn out and exhausted, PD Park shouted, startled.

“W, what! An incident? What kind of incident?”

“So, one of the members came down with something.”

“Something…? A cold?”

“Not a cold, just seemed like she was rundown, guess she didn’t mention it was shoot day today.”

PD Park scratched their head, flustered.

“S, so what about the shoot?”

“Ugh, I was on edge the whole time too, but the shoot wrapped fine. She took some fever medicine and somehow got through the fan meeting.”

PD Park let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh man, so the member who got sick, she okay?”

“Said she was fine. But PD Park…”

“Hm?”

“Heh heh… we caught a shot!”

“A shot? What shot?”

“Take a look.”

PD Park tilted their head and focused on the monitor screen.

[“Watch out, Ga-eul-ssi!”]

Kwon Chan, catching Twenty member Ga-eul as she nearly fell forward, along with the urgent shout.

PD Jo burst into admiration.

“Wow! Isn’t this footage insane? People are going to react when this airs, don’t you think?”

“… PD Jo.”

“Yes?”

“You crazy bastard! Someone was about to fall, and you’re calling it a shot!”

PD Jo scratched their head, startled.

PD Park shook their head and muttered.

“Ugh, when are you going to develop some common sense?”

“… Sorry.”

“But.”

“?”

“This cut right here, it is a shot.”

PD Jo blinked stupidly.

Meanwhile, PD Park took over PD Jo’s seat and replayed the scene from a moment ago, muttering.

“Well, look at this.”

The corner of PD Park’s mouth twitched.

“This kid Ga-eul’s expression, that’s such a keeper.”

---

Baekhak’s CEO office.

CEO Baek Ji-won poured Opus One, said to be the flagship wine of Napa Valley in America, into Division Head Park Yu-hyeon’s glass, and said.

“That worried, Division Head Park?”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon’s lips moved.

“Honestly, yes.”

“About which part?”

“The Priest in Black, the fifteen-billion-won investment decision. It felt a little hasty, CEO.”

CEO Baek Ji-won smiled softly.

“The investment went too far, you think?”

“I think so.”

“Fair, it does feel like I decided somewhat impulsively.”

Nodding along easily, CEO Baek Ji-won swirled the wine glass.

“But Division Head Park. It’s showing results, isn’t it?”

“Sorry?”

“Twenty, under Chief Kwon’s charge, their double title tracks. They made it into the top five of the charts, didn’t they?”

“!”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon’s brow drew together slightly.

“Even so, CEO…”

“Queen of Joseon cleared 30% too.”

“…”

“Did either of us, you or me, even see this coming?”

CEO Baek Ji-won burst into giggles.

“Could be coincidence, but when a coincidence delivers results twice, you have to give credit where it’s due, don’t you think?”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon let out a heavy sigh.

“Even so, the investment decision was hasty.”

“That’s exactly what I like about you, Division Head Park.”

“…”

“Someone who says no when it’s no. I count myself lucky to have found someone like that in this business.”

CEO Baek Ji-won clinked her glass against Division Head Park Yu-hyeon’s.

“But Division Head Park. Even if this investment fails, I’m fine with it.”

“Sorry? What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. Even if the investment fails, it’s still a good deal for us.”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon’s eyes went wide.

Even if fifteen billion won failed, it would still be a good deal?

No matter how big Baekhak was, putting up a sum like fifteen billion won without any risk at all was hard to believe.

Just then CEO Baek Ji-won muttered, out of nowhere.

“That Hollywood offer that came in recently was five million dollars.”

“Sorry?”

“If the film had done well and she’d gotten various things out of it, that would’ve come out to at least fifteen billion won, don’t you think?”

“!”

Division Head Park Yu-hyeon’s pupils shook.

Watching that, CEO Baek Ji-won smiled faintly.

“Fifteen billion? That’s a lot of money. But if the film that money’s invested in fails, and it lets me get a leash on Ha-eun…”

CEO Baek Ji-won trailed off, and her eyes shone cold, at odds with the smile curling her lips.

“That seems like the better deal for Baekhak, don’t you think, Division Head Park?”