I quickly slipped out of the gym, avoiding the icy glares of the two women.
There were two people who looked incredibly dissatisfied, but they didn’t stop me.
It seemed like they also needed some time to sort out their thoughts.
“Hey, you crazy guy.”
“…Hyun-ho Senior? What brings you here at this hour?”
“Really now, why would I come to the gym? I came to work out. I don’t have any schedule today.”
“Ah, working out. Well, this is the only reason to come here, isn’t it?”
I met Nam Hyun-ho in front of the elevator.
It was difficult to see him these days since he was so busy, but it seemed his schedule was lighter today.
The past month was a critical period for rowing hard.
It was when the drama’s popularity was just beginning to skyrocket.
But then, Heavenly Yuah’s mother was suddenly hospitalized, and the atmosphere in the company became unsettled. Neither Nana, Heavenly Yuah, nor Moon Suyeon had the energy to think about other schedules.
In the midst of all this, Nam Hyun-ho’s team kept functioning normally.
Since most of his team were outsiders and with Nam Hyun-ho having brought in his entire company, they managed to handle their responsibilities even when Flame was shaken.
Nam Hyun-ho was the only one who managed to take full advantage of the “hot-deal” period.
Nevertheless, despite all these circumstances, Nam Hyun-ho didn’t seem to harbor any complaints.
Because the first move the company made after everything returned to normal was to get rid of Daily New.
“Hey, you still deliver when it counts. That’s impressive. I didn’t particularly like Daily New and Kim Byung-soo either.”
I heard that during Nam Hyun-ho’s rookie days, Kim Byung-soo had tried to criticize him.
Kim Byung-soo is truly a man with a lot of karma.
The funny thing is, if this guy had known that Nam Hyun-ho was actually Namgoong Hyun-ho, would he have dared to criticize him?
It seems the problem started with Nam Hyun-ho hiding his real name.
Thinking about it this way, perhaps Kim Byung-soo should thank us.
Getting reprimanded by Flame would hurt a lot less than being scolded by the Changcheon Group.
From the looks of it, Nam Hyun-ho was gritting his teeth, and it was only a matter of time before he exploded.
By retiring him cleanly, we unintentionally showed him mercy.
“You and that scandal with your younger sister was pretty funny too. I saw that music video, and I couldn’t believe how that was possible. I have a younger sister too, and just thinking about it made me want to die. You really are crazy.”
“…That wasn’t the case.”
“Sure it wasn’t. Rarely do you find an older brother who has a good relationship with his younger sister, so don’t be too ashamed.”
In the middle of this, I found out he was genuinely happy about the scandal between our youngest sibling and me.
He said he could relate since he also had a younger sister.
Though I didn’t feel like explaining everything, I didn’t bring up the story of Cheonma-ah. It annoyed me to see him enjoying it too much from the side.
Even though he claimed to relate, seeing him mock my suffering made me realize his character wasn’t much better.
But since the company understood the situation and resolved it well, I just smiled and moved on.
“Despite everything, it seems you’re here quite often, Senior.”
“Our company gym is a legend in itself.”
Another reason Nam Hyun-ho doesn’t have any complaints about the company is because of our gym.
Nam Hyun-ho loves moving his body and has gym memberships in many places, but once he discovered the gym inside our company, he was instantly hooked.
He stopped going to the others and began coming to the company gym whenever he had time.
When I once asked him if it wasn’t more convenient to work out outside the company, his attitude remained firm.
“Huh? No way. The company gym is the best.”
“Why?”
“No matter which gym you go to, you won’t have more than ten trainers paying attention to you alone.”
“Ah…”
Most people who use our company gym are guards.
These people are experts in exercise.
When a new face showed up, they all gathered around me.
Of course, the only outsiders who really use our company gym are usually me, Heavenly Yuah, and Moon Suyeon.
Heavenly Yuah, of course, is my superior, so it feels awkward, and Moon Suyeon is a woman, so it’s a bit tricky.
Certainly, some guards were subtly interested in the unmatched beauty Moon Suyeon, but none of them were able to break through her impenetrable defense.
I heard they all failed.
Although it’s not widely known, idols and singers often mingle among themselves, but Moon Suyeon remained completely unfazed despite countless advances.
Anyway, guards find it a bit difficult to interact casually.
The female guards get along really well with Moon Suyeon, but the male guards, having revealed their ill intentions once, find it tricky to approach her again.
So, that leaves me and Nam Hyun-ho.
In my case, because of the sparring incident right after I joined the company, I gained a reputation among the guards as a “crazy guy.”
Nam Hyun-ho, being a relatively normal person (though I’d never admit it), became their focus.
Nam Hyun-ho seems to really enjoy the macho vibe of the guards, and they get along quite well.
When he comes, more than ten trainers treat him like their only focus.
“Well, if it’s good, that’s good. Let’s get to the workout…”
“Wait, that’s right. Hey, you crazy guy! Let me talk to you for a moment.”
“Talk? What’s it about?”
“You know, I received a decent script.”
“Script?”
“Yeah, it’s about time for you to enter a new project. I thought you might want it for reference.”
I was about to leave after telling him to focus on his workout, but Nam Hyun-ho stopped me.
He subtly hinted that I should join the project, saying he had received a decent script.
What’s with everyone wanting to do things with me today? Why the commotion?
“So, you’re saying you want me to do this project with you?”
“Yeah, it seems decent.”
“Why?”
“Hey, how many actors are there at your level? It’s natural to want to work with good actors, right?”
“This isn’t wrong, but if you’re going to pick someone, wouldn’t it be better to approach Yoo-a Senior instead of me? We’re in the same company now. At least you should consult her.”
“Ah, Senior Cheon? I know she’s great, but…”
I tried redirecting by suggesting Heavenly Yuah as a better acting partner than me, but Nam Hyun-ho’s response was lukewarm.
Then, he pointed out something unexpected.
“In any piece, if it’s a male-female top billing, romance is almost always involved.”
“That’s true. Though, not all projects are without romance…”
“Exactly. It would be weird for there to be no romance if it’s between me and Senior Cheon.”
“…”
“But if it’s me and Senior Cheon, well, it wouldn’t be a sharp angle.”
“What kind of angle?”
“You know, an exciting height difference.”
“Isn’t that…”
“It’s important. I don’t do romances with actresses taller than 163 cm. It doesn’t feel right.”
“You, your preference is… quite firm, huh?”
See this? This guy is seriously out there.
With Heavenly Yuah at 170 cm and Nam Hyun-ho at 178 cm, it’s no wonder the height difference isn’t exactly “romantic”.
If Heavenly Yuah wears heels, that’s basically game over.
Of course, I would be in the same boat if Heavenly Yuah wore heels—romance and height difference would be completely off.
If we’re talking this way, there aren’t many Korean actors who could pull off romance with Heavenly Yuah.
I agree that a romance subplot is almost inevitable if it’s a top male-female pairing, but refusing to partner with her on account of just that seems quintessentially Nam Hyun-ho.
“So, in the end, you’re opting for the chicken instead of the pheasant?”
“I can’t exactly argue with that. Wouldn’t it be an honor to be chosen over Senior Cheon? You’re acknowledging me at that level.”
“Hmm, well, what you’re saying isn’t wrong. The gap is enormous, and I understand what you mean. But what’s this project that you think is such a good script?”
“Ah, this one’s titled ‘Brothers’ under Director Lee Gyu-bo. He’s not yet well-known, but he’s decent. The script is also pretty good.”
As an actor myself, I was naturally curious about the script being praised.
So, I asked about it, but unexpectedly, an unfamiliar name popped up: Lee Gyu-bo.
This guy made some remarkable waves in Korean cinema—albeit not in the positive sense.
Thinking about it, this incident must have happened around that time.
A director known to be gay once cast multiple players from Itaewon’s gay bars as supporting actors for one of his films.
A director’s sexual orientation, in itself, shouldn’t have anything to do with their movies.
But this lunatic got caught secretly fooling around in the corners of the set.
It turned out he had ulterior motives in casting these men.
Because the situation was so absurd, it became a scandal.
After all, it’s not every day you see a director crossing the line so blatantly in the Korean film industry—it was a hilariously tasteless incident for the history books.
Now, this movie turned out to be not just bromance but teetering precariously close to queer romance.
For all these reasons, the event was legendary.
The scandal broke just as filming was wrapping up, but they pushed through and released the movie, replacing the director mid-project.
They had invested too much, and they thought switching the director might solve the problem.
But with the film’s already questionable content, it flopped big time.
The production crew and the actors were all heavily criticized.
It left a lasting impression on me, even after decades.
“This… it’s better to avoid this one, I think.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Uh… well…”
“What is it? Why stop talking now?”
“The director has some personal issues. Just know that.”
“Looks like there’s something there, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Thinking about it, this guy has no eye for projects.
Or maybe this is just bad luck.
Of course, it’s unrealistic to only land massive hits like Heavenly Yuah.
But it’s strange that Nam Hyun-ho consistently lands in incredible situations where the project flops but his acting shines.
Since his debut, except for the film Gold Rush Joseon, he hasn’t had any other major breakout roles.
Upon further reflection, it seems like he’s about to enter another oddball project, so I gave him a heads-up.
But honestly, it might be better to just leave the decision to the company’s judgment.
“Ah, was that why you came to this company so easily? You’re strange, but you’re not stupid.”
As my words seemed to carry weight, I watched Nam Hyun-ho hurriedly leave.
I couldn’t help but wish this guy would land in a proper project once in a while.
Despite being Namgoong, he isn’t a completely bad person.
After seeing Hyun-ho off, I went to find Team Leader Seo to look for something genuinely suitable for my own career.
