Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 32

The Divine Top Star 032. The Power of a Single Photo (2)(32/401)

032. The Power of a Single Photo (2)

2021.12.02.

Writer Min’s prediction was spot on. The self-proclaimed and other-proclaimed mother hens of Kwon Seong-hyeon decided on the easiest method of ‘tribute’ to see Yeon-woo, whom Kwon Seong-hyeon himself mentioned as ‘close.’ It was the most reliable way to legally observe the atmosphere of the set and meet the actor in person. However, it inevitably involved money—quite a bit of money, to be used only once.

“Let me know if you need another coffee truck. I’ll pay next time.”

But for these mother hens, that amount wasn’t important. The amount spent on support or the extra money to print banners for the coffee truck was nothing. The only important thing was one thing!

“I hope he’s not some weirdo trying to leech off our Seong-hyeon?”

“We need to check first to make sure he doesn’t do weird media play like that jerk, Deok-bae or whatever his name was.”

This harsh world. Protecting their actor, who was like a pure, untouched sanctuary. That was their purpose.

“I went inside to let them know, so he should be out soon, right?”

“Oh, I’m so nervous to see our actor’s face after so long.”

“Hey, get a grip. We’re not here to play around. We need to keep our wits about us and check him out first.”

Dressed in luxurious clothes and with neatly styled hair, these three women, if seen elsewhere, would seem like successful career women. They were none other than the administrators of the fan page.

“We must first find out what kind of person that rookie is.”

“Oh, but President, isn’t he kind of cute? He’s tall and looks good in clothes. He’d look great in this season’s designs. Besides, Seong-hyeon approached him first, so I don’t think he’s a bad person.”

“That’s true. He does look cute. I was just thinking that the pool of actors in that age range is so lacking these days, but he seems *gwaenchaneun* [decent/okay]. The kids who come to my shop these days are so hard to revive. If I don’t do their makeup like that, I can’t put them on TV, really…….”

“No. Guys. Get a grip, will you?”

The Vice President 1, who runs a famous makeup shop in Cheongdam [a wealthy district in Seoul]. And Vice President 2, a fashion designer who receives love calls from overseas and receives hot attention every year at Milan and New York Fashion Weeks. The president gave them a stern warning. For reference, the president didn’t really have a job. If you had to say… maybe a building owner’s daughter? She owned several magnificent buildings in prime, golden locations.

“President, you should get a grip. You’re the one who’s completely lost it and putting your real life on the back burner to focus on your *deokjil* [fangirling/fanboying].”

“But I think I could live like that if I could just rent out my buildings and get paid regularly.”

“Right? They say a building owner is above the creator.”

As Vice Presidents 1 and 2 whispered, the president shouted.

“What’s wrong with me *deokjil*-ing to enrich my life!”

“Who said anything? Oh, President. The staff is starting to come out. Get a grip.”

Although they bickered, they were close friends who had known each other for over 10 years. ‘Who is the jerk who seduced our innocent Seong-hyeon?’ The president’s eyes flashed as she heard the vice presidents’ dissuasion. The director and staff began to come down one by one.

“Wow. It’s magnificent again this time. Thanks to Seong-hyeon, we’re going to eat well.”

The president smiled and replied to the director’s words.

“We are more grateful to the director for calling Seong-hyeon. Thanks to you, we got to see Seong-hyeon’s face after a long time. He’s been holed up for months, so we didn’t know what was going on.”

“Is that how it is? Hehe! I was relieved that Seong-hyeon came to our work. Anyway, thank you for the coffee. I’ll enjoy it.”

“You’re welcome. You can have as much as you want…….”

“I’ll be sure to tell Seong-hyeon to come down.”

“As expected, Director. You have a sense.”

“I think Yeon-woo will be down soon anyway, so wait a little longer.”

The three women’s eyes sparkled.

“Yeon-woo? Is that his name?”

“The director doesn’t just pick anyone. So he must be a pretty good actor?”

A question thrown in casually.

“Yeon-woo? He’s a very nice person. He’s also capable. He seems indifferent, but he’s actually very considerate. This is off the record, but I’m telling you because I know you three aren’t the type to spread rumors.”

“Oh, of course. Our lips are sealed. Has there ever been a story that leaked out?” Vice President 2’s skillful agreement made Director Heo clear his throat.

“No, there hasn’t. That’s why I’m telling you. Ahem. Some time ago, there was a slight accident during filming, and Min Ye-rin fell into the water…….”

“Min Ye-rin fell into the water? Oh my. That could have been a disaster.”

“It almost was. It was a mountain filming and it was dawn, and all the lights went out.”

The director’s serious expression made the three women’s expressions serious as well.

“But in the meantime, Min Ye-rin fell into the water. It was supposed to be a scene where she came out right away, but strangely, she couldn’t get out of the water.”

“So?”

“Yeon-woo jumped in in that situation.”

Slurp, slurp. Director Heo took a sip of coffee after finishing his words, as if to say that he had earned his coffee value by telling them this much. ‘There’s nothing more to say!’ Even so, Director Heo was a person who had thick bones in this industry. His skill in throwing appropriate bait at the right timing was unusual. The three swallowed their disappointment and took a step back.

“Did he become an actor by getting points for jumping into the water? I don’t think so.”

“There are a lot of staff anyway, so it won’t be difficult to get information.”

“Is he the type to suck up well? There’s no way that picky Director Heo would only praise him like that, right?”

However, all they got from the staff after that was praise for Yeon-woo.

“He’s a very loyal person. There’s that *toeichuldoen* [kicked out/expelled] idol, you know. That guy was unilaterally picking fights, but he kept his mouth shut because he was worried about ruining the atmosphere of the set and harming Kwon Seong-hyeon…….”

“He’s a very neat and tidy person, right? He doesn’t make any unnecessary strange demands……. The director and writer are so protective of him that he could become arrogant, but he’s not…….”

“Yeon-woo? Oh my. Don’t even mention it. I think a real rookie will come out of our drama this time.”

“He’s the kind of person who seems to clear your head just by being near him…….”

Somehow, they were all good things.

“That’s weird……? How can only good things come out like this?”

“What do you mean by clearing your head? Is he phytoncide or something?”

“Could it be that he’s from a wealthy family and bribed them?” Vice President 2 raised a conspiracy theory. The president snorted as if it didn’t make sense.

“If that was going to work, it would have worked already. Don’t you know that Seong-hyeon doesn’t care about that at all, even if it works for other people?”

“Ah……. I guess so.”

Kwon Seong-hyeon, whose family relationships were completely mysterious. However, if you look at the clothes, watches, and shoes he wears, they are all luxury goods. Among luxury goods, if you look at limited editions that are hard to buy even if you have money, you can see the angle. Although he is mysterious, fans strongly support Kwon Seong-hyeon’s *geumsujeo* [born with a silver spoon] theory.

“Ah, I’m really curious about what kind of person he is.”

“Why isn’t he coming down?”

It seemed like quite a few staff members had passed by, but Kwon Seong-hyeon and that person of interest still hadn’t shown their faces. It was when they were lamenting like that.

“Gasp. I think he’s coming!” Vice President 1 exclaimed in a low voice. As the three held their breath, they heard the sound of voices chatting as they came down the stairs.

“I told you, it’s not just coffee. There are other things too. There’s also Yeon-woo’s favorite mint chocolate frappuccino.”

“But Kwon Seong-hyeon’s fans are buying it, so isn’t it a bit much for a complete stranger to eat it?”

“They sent it to encourage all the filming crew. Of course, Yeon-woo can have some too. Besides, I think they’re waiting for Yeon-woo to come down, right?”

“……Surely not.”

That surely was right.

“President. I think our Seong-hyeon has been caught up in something?”

“No……. Let’s wait and see. Because even if you get caught, you have to do what you have to do.”

The president said quite solemnly and gave strength to her eyes. ‘If he’s a jerk who harms our Seong-hyeon’s future, no matter who he is……!’ But her thoughts couldn’t continue any further.

“……?”

No. Who is that *sangkkeumi* [fresh/refreshing person] standing over there? A thunderbolt struck the president’s head.

***

A youthful face that looks like it’s in its early to mid-twenties, but you can feel a strange chicness in his expression and attitude. A slight air of annoyance *mudeonanda* [is evident/shows] all over his body. ‘No……. How can he be so indifferent in front of Seong-hyeon?’ That surprise was second. What shocked the president the most was something else. ‘His face…… is showing……!’ You might say what a funny sound, but this was a really important part. ‘I thought it was unusual when I saw it on *inbyeol* [Instagram].’ What do you know. The real thing is even better. You can feel a heavy presence that you can’t feel in the picture, and the person stands out more. The president knew this kind of person very well. ‘Seong-hyeon was like this……?!’ At the time of his first debut. Kwon Seong-hyeon, who cultivated hundreds of thousands of fans with just a scene of staring at the other person with red, bloodshot eyes. He wasn’t the main character, but the aftermath of that one cut of the scene that was caught for a moment was enormous. At that time, the president felt the feeling of falling into something for the first time. And now.

‘Oh, no. I came here to evaluate, but I can’t *ipdeok* [become a fan]……!’ The president hurriedly turned to the side. It was to ask Vice Presidents 1 and 2 for fire support. But…….

“I heard you like mint chocolate? That’s good. They’re good at mint chocolate here. Try it.”

“I guess that’s the person you’re working with this time. You looked close in the picture, but you really look close.”

The other two had already fallen for him a long time ago. ‘……Oh well.’ The president gave up thinking, because the new face was too powerful to resist the attraction she felt after a long time. Besides…….

‘I can’t fall behind any further in this place!’ Until now, they were two comrades who had eaten and lived together, but basically, they were also like hyenas on Kilimanjaro who were thirsty for new faces! The president closed her eyes tightly and thought. And when she opened her eyes again.

“Hello? I’m the president of Seong-hyeon’s fan club…….”

With a bright smile, she had already pushed past the two and stepped forward.

***

“No, how can his face be so clear?”

“Is it because he’s young? Did he say he was in his early twenties?”

“That’s right, President. He said he was twenty-three.”

“Twenty-three. It’s a completely good time?” The president muttered, recalling the *moseup* [image/figure] that came to mind clearly when she closed her eyes.

“I heard that he was cast directly from the general public, but he didn’t have that feeling at all, did he?” Vice President 1, who runs a famous makeup shop in Cheongdam and has the most contact with celebrities, said.

“His skin is clear and he doesn’t have a single pore……. His skin is more radiant than kids who get regular care. Is it *tago nan* [naturally born with it]?”

“Did you notice that, *eonni* [older sister/term of endearment]? I was so confused that I don’t remember very well…….”

“Me too. I only noticed it because my job is like this. Judging from the looks of it, it seems like Seong-hyeon forced him into this world, so he doesn’t seem to have received any care, and it seems like he was just *tago nan*.”

They recalled Yeon-woo, who seemed to be unilaterally annoying Kwon Seong-hyeon. Have you ever seen a celebrity who takes care of someone with all their heart? The management team could say with confidence. There wasn’t until now, but not now!

-It’s a relief. They’re good at mint chocolate. Yeon-woo, you should have some too.

The management team saw Kwon Seong-hyeon smiling sincerely and speaking gently for the first time.