The wrap-up party for the drama proceeded without any major issues, wrapping up quietly.
Even Jo Yoo-shin, who had appeared to have many grievances with me, didn’t start any quarrels, seemingly sticking to the idea of not associating with me.
It was somewhat disappointing.
My mood was gloomy. It was a chance to legally relieve some stress, and it went unused.
But the expression and gaze of his were far from good; he seemed like someone who would eventually cause trouble.
If only he’d sneak-attack me from behind with a brick or a knife or something.
“Ah~~~”
“Hey, this isn’t something to be disappointed about.”
“That’s… true. But it is a bit regrettable.”
The final episode of ‘Yoon Seo-eun’ saw a slight increase in ratings, finishing at 24.2%. Both Director Yoo and Writer Min lamented not hitting 25%.
“Well, that’s all for now~ Time to drink, drink!!”
But that didn’t last long. With the drama having been the top-performing show of the year, the celebration became boisterous and joyful.
The writers and directors, as if with the mindset to live just for the day, began blowing their horns, moving on to second and third rounds of drinking.
Most of the production staff followed their PD to the second location.
Naturally, the two idol lead actors quietly disappeared after the first round.
Our main character Jo Yoo-shin also left early.
As for me, I briefly considered whether I should stay or not, but the shock of the news I’d received earlier left me feeling rather deflated.
So, when the other actors left, I went with them.
I wanted to continue nurturing a good relationship with Director Yoo and Writer Min, but today wasn’t the day, so I quietly stepped aside.
“Wow, it’s really over. It’s quite relieving yet bitter-sweet.”
That marked the end of my schedule for my first drama, ‘Genius Copywriter Yoon Seo-eun.’ It’ll likely remain in my memory as a piece where I gained a lot, but nothing was ever perfect.
“Of all the things to happen in life, this is just unbelievable.”
On the way home after the wrap-up party, I pulled out a message sent by the daughter of that ditzy mother and sighed in despair.
There was no way I could believe this news.
Truth be told, sometimes life throws you events you could never have imagined.
For example, one day, you might suddenly become a 7-year-old and get kidnapped to the Martial Forest.
Or, after being trapped there for 50 years, you return to find your world has rewound by 5 years.
Of course, there’s nothing that could be more shocking than being abruptly sent to the Martial Forest, but the debut of our family’s spacey one as an idol was quite the surprising event.
I had only assumed her future was set as attending a beauty school and then suddenly creating a wedding registry while pregnant.
Suddenly, an idol debut? This was a level-six sense kind of twist.
“Could it be… That this girl was truly unable to focus on her training life due to poor circumstances?”
This was something I couldn’t know for sure.
I’ve never seen the girl practice, nor have I ever been interested in her training.
I’ve not even heard a snippet of her singing.
That’s just how it goes between close, yet casual friends.
Quitting her part-time job created an environment for her to focus solely on practice.
With the recent improvements in our household atmosphere, she hasn’t let her mind wander as much.
Through our diet system, her weight management has become smoother, and…
“…there have been more changes than I thought. Mentally, she’s incomparable.”
Just judging by these external changes leading to her debut, she might be better than I thought.
My initial perception of her complaints as excuses might’ve been wrong.
“But still, seriously, is that an idol? Especially from a big-name agency? Who’s taking responsibility for the future of K-pop? The times are getting weird.”
At the time, I had no idea.
I didn’t realize that it was too early for me to lament the fall of K-pop when I should’ve been paying attention to something far bigger.
Our security team, who shares facilities with our company, is incredibly energetic.
You can often spot them working out at the swimming pool or gym during their off-hours.
But even these guards avoided the gym at certain times, especially the early morning hours.
I take advantage of this quiet time to exercise regularly.
My morning workout routine combines the basics of Flexibility Exercise with simple aerobic and strength-training exercises.
Even though I’ve already undergone a complete transformation, I continue with the Flexibility Exercise because it’s the most effective method for weight control.
Our chef’s cooking is so delicious that resisting overeating is nearly impossible.
Even with my drastically increased basal metabolic rate from the transformation, calories cannot be underestimated.
Besides, refusing delicious food would be absurd.
Still, as an entertainer, I need to consistently manage my body and weight, which is why I make time for separate workouts.
Even if it’s not early morning, the gym would technically be available.
But it’s just awkward.
Flexibility Exercise looks complicated, resembling some sort of advanced body coordination work when observed from the outside.
Most of our guards are foreigners, so surely some of them would develop pointless curiosity.
A surprising number of foreigners do express interest in Eastern mysticism.
In any case, it’s much more efficient to quietly practice when no one is around rather than deal with potential nuisances.
Besides, another reason I work out in the early morning is that it’s the most optimal time for Flexibility Exercise.
“…”
As I’m about to start my usual set of Flexibility Exercises, something strange catches my attention near the gym.
This should be the time when the gym is empty, so I wonder what’s going on.
Could one of the security guys have shown up for an early morning workout?
Right around the point when I sensed something was off, the locker room door opened, and someone entered the gym.
“…”
The intruder was none other than Heavenly Yuah, the Dark Ma.
She seems to have a similar taste in clothing to the Heavenly Demon, favoring an all-black ensemble of leggings. Even at first glance, her appearance exuded a certain dangerous allure.
The black leggings clinging tightly to her body didn’t leave much to the imagination, creating a chaotic mix of where to look—or rather, where not to look because of the overly exposed decolletage, hips, and waistline.
As absurd as it seems, I’m curious about where she procured such revealing clothing.
Recalling her behavior, her training practices at the New Religion were especially provocative.
She claimed sunlight enhanced her abilities, so she’d train nude under the moonlight.
Even when clothed, her choice of undergarments—or lack thereof—was unorthodox, to say the least.
“Even thinking about it now, I still want to hit her. Guarding the training room was a job. Spying on her naked body was punishable by death, and reaching transcendence made the practice efficiency pointless.”
No matter how you look at it, she’s an absurd character.
“Um… that’s not the main issue here. Why on earth is that woman… here?”
momentarily distracted by her shocking attire, I realized this wasn’t the right time for her to be at the company.
It’s 5:21 in the morning. Under normal circumstances, it’s odd for anyone to specifically drive to the company at this hour.
Even if the gym was particularly good, it would be bizarre to make such a journey unless you ate and slept here…
“…She’s been eating and sleeping here? Can’t be…”
Just as that absurd assumption formed in my mind, Heavenly Yuah noticed me and walked over while smiling warmly.
Good heavens. She’s dressed like that and still so composed.
Is this what the temperament of the Heavenly Ma is like?
Her unwavering confidence is difficult to comprehend, and I can’t help but exclaim inwardly.
“Hey, isn’t that Mr. White Siu?”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, Senior.”
“We’ve met before.”
“Yes, once at the filming site. Though you were in disguise.”
“Right. Are you here for a workout?”
“Yes, and you, Senior?”
“Yes, well, I’ll see you later once I’m done. Keep exercising.”
“Ah yes, Senior… Excuse me, are you heading that way?”
Heavenly Yuah casually greeted me before heading directly to the Pilates studio after our brief exchange.
That Pilates studio happens to be the best place in the entire gym to practice Flexibility Exercise.
Caught off guard by this territorial shift, I had to awkwardly retreat to the treadmill area; there was no way I could enter the Pilates studio with her in such an outfit.
“…So… She must be living here. There’s no other reason she’d be here at this hour, right?”
“Also, that one… Could she be practicing Flexibility Exercise?”
The shock continued as she was unmistakably practicing a version of Flexibility Exercise in the Pilates room, albeit slightly different from the one I knew.
Could there be something here— some kind of religious group similar to New Religion?
Or did she learn it randomly from someone?
“Ugh, this is why I tried to avoid Heavenly Yuah. Life is just….”
I don’t know whether the problem lies with my assumptions or her peculiarities, but my mind becomes muddled every time I encounter her.
Though she doesn’t have internal energy, there’s that lingering connection to New Religion, which unsettles me despite my attempts to dismiss it.
For me, New Religion is more than just a disliked or despised entity.
“Phew, I’m clueless now…”
At the end of the day, none of these are my problems to solve, so I continued on the treadmill.
Whether it’s New Religion, Heavenly Demon, or Flame, right now I just want to forget about it all.
*
When I met Heavenly Yuah at the gym the first time,
I thought her casual farewell was just that—an ordinary goodbye.
But it wasn’t.
“…Heavenly Yuah Ma’am?”
“We’ve greeted each other already, right? Starting today, I’ll be watching your acting, Siu.”
“…You are?”
“Yes. They mentioned you wanted an instructor familiar with broadcast acting.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Am I insufficient?”
“No, no way. I just assumed you’d be too busy.”
“Not at all. I’m not.”
“Ah, yes…”
It turned out that the acting teacher the company had assigned me was none other than Heavenly Yuah.
Come on, Flame guys.
Is this right?
Is it truly appropriate to assign such an experienced actor—someone who earns hundreds of millions for acting gigs or hundreds of millions per episode—to be the acting coach for a rookie?
Though I’ve mostly let slide many oddities in my life so far, this was one that sparked legitimate outrage.
This company… is really peculiar.
