Even within Daepaseong, Manager Kim Deukpal, who had an impressive career, had been living a spectacular daily life ever since he met Min Jiheon—an actor whose innocent smile and stunning looks could make anyone fall for him at first sight.
It was great that he had the chance to build a solid career as Min Jiheon's manager after joining Daepaseong.
A Hallyu star!
A ten-million-ticket actor!
An acting genius!
Any phrase used to describe Min Jiheon never sounded out of place.
There had been a time when Kim worried that with such a cold expression when not smiling and such a seemingly clueless nature, Jiheon might get scammed somewhere.
But after spending years with him, he realized he was gravely mistaken.
"Hahaha."
He always smiled foolishly, so people didn't know, but Jiheon was extremely stubborn and headstrong.
He was always serious about acting and kind to the staff, but otherwise, he was indifferent, emotionally walled off, did things his own way, and would even go MIA from time to time.
"Hyung, walnut cookies~."
"Jiheon, please! Can't you at least tell me before you go somewhere? Or at the very least, take me with you?"
"Should I~?"
That beaming smile and a question instead of a straight answer always meant he had no intention of listening.
And he truly had never once behaved properly.
He'd disappear on the way to shoots, causing them to search for him dozens of times.
Draining everyone's energy, only to be found in front of the van holding bags of snacks in both hands. Seeing him smile like an angel and say, "Hyung, want some too?" made grabbing his neck in frustration a daily routine.
The previous manager in charge of Min Jiheon—Daepaseong's management team leader—only stepped down after developing high blood pressure from previously being hypotensive.
So within the team, being in charge of Min Jiheon had a notorious reputation for being hardcore.
And now, that burden had been passed on to him.
'But now Hoyun is going to manage our Jiheon?'
On top of that, it was Min Jiheon himself who had asked the CEO if he could appear on a variety show—with Seo Hoyun, no less.
It was such an earth-shattering revelation he wondered if the sun had risen from the west.
Knowing full well the hardships that awaited Seo Hoyun, he headed to the shoot, thinking about how to get through the program without ruining Min Jiheon's image.
'Still, I should be the one driving, right?'
Since TV shows often cared about appearances, as long as he didn't overstep, he figured driving would be fine with the production crew.
After parking, he twirled the car key and walked toward Jiheon's house.
"Jiheon, today we—"
"Oh, hyung. Hey."
But Min Jiheon, who opened the door, looked unusually tense today.
'Hmm?'
"L-let's go."
A camcorder followed right behind him.
Apparently, they had already finished filming Min Jiheon's spacious apartment with a beautiful Han River view, and even his fluffily white dog.
'Why is he nervous?'
He had a smile on his lips, but having worked with him for so long, the manager immediately recognized it as a forced one. Even his fingertips were trembling slightly.
Wondering if it was okay to proceed with the schedule, he headed to the parking lot, and just then, a black van came to a precise stop in front of Jiheon.
"…??"
Zzzzzt.
The window rolled down slowly, and Seo Hoyun appeared in the driver's seat, wearing a black hoodie. He wasn't wearing any makeup, yet his celebrity aura was overwhelming.
Seo Hoyun motioned toward Min Jiheon with his chin.
"Hop in."
"…??"
What's this? Did The Dawn's manager give him a heads-up?
He hadn't even handed over the van key yet, but Hoyun just showed up driving. Surprised for a moment, he still found it impressive, thinking it was a great shot right from the start.
He expected Min Jiheon to grin and hop in the van right away, but instead, Jiheon looked at him, then at the van, then at the camera, and then again at the van before letting out a deep sigh. Then, he slowly climbed in.
"Good morning."
Seo Hoyun glanced at him through the rearview mirror and greeted him. Jiheon blinked a few times before mumbling softly,
"Ah, ah, hello… Hoyun-ssi."
"Hmm?"
Hoyun tilted his head slightly and let out a small laugh.
"Didn't you usually just call me Hoyun?"
"..."
It was strange seeing the normally smooth-talking Jiheon look so timid, but regardless, the manager huddled in the very back seat, making sure he wasn't caught on camera, just in case something unexpected happened.
'A van drives differently than a regular car, after all.'
But contrary to expectations, Seo Hoyun shifted gears smoothly and casually backed up with ease.
"…??"
Then he immediately navigated through the maze of double-parked cars in the early morning and exited the parking lot without a hitch.
"Sunbae-nim, can I play some music?"
"…Sure!"
The moment Jiheon gave permission, Hoyun connected his phone via Bluetooth and played a song.
A smooth and comfortable ride.
And he even navigated without waiting for GPS prompts.
Normally, Jiheon would be rambling on about craving something or asking to stop by somewhere to buy snacks, but today, with Hoyun as the manager, he fastened his seatbelt and quietly stared out the window.
'Our Jiheon can actually be calm?'
While the manager was getting emotional seeing Jiheon behave so nicely for once, music started to play.
> I guess my world goes around you
Like the moon orbits the Earth
"…Hoyun-ah, isn't this your song?"
"Yes, it's a fan song. Why? Want to change it?"
"No?! No, I just asked because it sounded like the beautiful melody of an angel. Hahaha."
'What's wrong with this guy?'
The manager momentarily doubted his own ears.
Min Jiheon, who usually never misses a chance to tease, was earnestly complimenting someone and nodding enthusiastically.
> I've actually never thought of it badly
"Always feel like I'm being dra-dragged away~."
"Wow, you even know the lyrics, sunbae-nim."
"I've honestly really hated it before too~."
"You got the lyrics wrong."
Apparently, Jiheon had studied the lyrics in advance and was mumbling through them awkwardly. As the manager bobbed his head along to the beat with half-lidded eyes, he thought,
'I don't know what's going on, but at this rate, the filming might actually go smoothly.'
Even if the manager's job was hard.
It was still just the beginning of the day. And today's schedule was a photoshoot.
One of the things Min Jiheon found the least interesting among his many responsibilities.
"Min Jiheon-ssi is amazing today!"
But ten minutes into the shoot.
Jiheon, who had been sitting on a chair holding a bouquet of flowers and staring blankly, flinched at the sound of Seo Hoyun sighing and furrowing his brow ever so slightly. Then he suddenly began earnestly posing and acting out expressions.
"Wow!! Perfect! Gorgeous~! Oh my gosh! Beautiful!"
Behind the excited photographer shouting compliments, Seo Hoyun stood by with a water bottle, and Jiheon, almost rolling on the floor, poured his passion into each pose.
"Hold the flowers behind your back and turn your chin this way! Oh~, that's great! Oh wow, you're so enthusiastic! What is it, Min Jiheon-ssi, is today some kind of special day?! If you always worked like this, I'd have no complaints!"
Since meeting Min Jiheon, this was the first time he'd ever seen him take a photoshoot this seriously.
While Jiheon dove into acting like he'd sold his soul, he usually found everything else boring and was a total headache.
'What's really going on?'
The manager closely observed Jiheon as he earnestly monitored the photos just taken and listened to the photographer's feedback.
Just then, the magazine staff announced a short break before changing outfits and continuing the shoot. Lunchboxes arrived, delivered by the magazine team.
"Whoa! Food, food, food~!"
Jiheon responded with excitement, as usual.
But Seo Hoyun stepped in front of him with a wide smile.
"Sunbae-nim, where are you going?"
"Huh? They said lunch is here."
"How about taking a selfie first?"
"...Hmm?"
Min Jiheon's eyes widened to the size of soup bowls, but Seo Hoyun continued firmly.
"I noticed you don't take many photos or upload much to SNS. Your fans will be disappointed."
No! Jiheon doesn't like taking pictures, and if you bother him while he's hungry, you'll look like a psycho!
The camera for "Please Take Care of Me" was rolling smoothly, so the manager couldn't shout it out, but inside, he was already bracing himself for the coming storm.
"Wait, Hoyun. What about food?"
"Who eats in the middle of a photoshoot? That's for the staff."
"I'll have no energy if I don't eat..."
"You'll bloat. Eat after the shoot. Come on, now."
Despite looking utterly shocked, Min Jiheon closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again and obediently turned on his camera app.
After that—
"Why do you keep blinking?"
"I'm too hungry, I don't have the strength..."
"Open your eyes wide."
An intense idol-style selfie lesson followed.
Min Jiheon, who usually only used his phone for communication, awkwardly followed Seo Hoyun's instructions and struck various poses. Out of several hundred photos, only one barely passed, and Jiheon slumped in exhaustion.
Seo Hoyun checked the result and quietly muttered,
"Guy's just relying on his face and vibe."
The manager agreed completely.
Hoyun asked him to upload the photo and then went over to speak with PD Choi for a moment.
Soon, the two burst into laughter, and Seo Hoyun returned to him.
"Manager-nim, I think it'd be good to film some YouTube behind-the-scenes with Min Jiheon sunbae. Could you prepare two cameras? You and I can split the filming."
"Eh? Is that okay? It'll include some of the variety show shoot content, though."
"I already talked with PD Choi. He thought it was perfect as a teaser before broadcast and really liked the idea."
When the manager looked toward PD Choi, the PD—who was filming them—gave a big thumbs-up.
So they decided to go ahead with it, and while the manager called the planning team, Min Jiheon's photoshoot resumed.
Around a dark green wall adorned with colorful autumn flowers, Jiheon sat in the center—like a painting come to life.
"Wow, Min Jiheon-ssi~, that sensitive aura is totally awesome!"
"Haha…"
His eyes were glinting strangely—probably because he was starving and on edge. It seemed like he just wanted to get this over with and eat.
Just like when he acted, Min Jiheon gradually became more immersed in the shoot.
The final cut was so good the photographer said it was one of the best shots he'd ever taken.
Behind the scene, Seo Hoyun's lips curved upward in satisfaction.
"Well done. Have some kimbap."
"...Just one roll?"
"I'll give you five later."
"Yesss."
...What the hell?
Watching Seo Hoyun hand Jiheon a single roll of kimbap as a reward and then calmly drive the van again, the manager was overwhelmed by a sense of defeat.
Even though Jiheon looked slightly pitiful, savoring that one roll of kimbap so earnestly, he still looked happy.
Driving, content creation, giving feedback on photoshoots… He's better at all of it than me. And Jiheon even listens to him.
The idol was more competent than the manager.
He trudged after them with a gloomy expression, trying to stay off camera, until they reached the door.
As Min Jiheon entered the code and opened the front door—tap tap tap—there came the sound of footsteps.
It was the sound of Min Jiheon's dog, Mallang, moving.
Having followed Jiheon on his frequent shelter volunteer work, the manager had known Mallang since the pup couldn't even open its eyes.
That's right! Mallang! You're my healing!
With practiced ease, the manager opened his arms, expecting the usual fluffy greeting—
"Aigoo."
—but the ball of white fur spun in a circle, hesitated for a second, then bolted straight into Seo Hoyun's arms.
"...??"
This was their first meeting, wasn't it?
As if Hoyun had smeared treats on himself, the dog wagged its tail like crazy and began licking his face enthusiastically.
Mallang, not you too!
How many kilograms of food had he fed this dog? How many walks had he taken it on?
"So cute. What's the name?"
"Mallang."
Min Jiheon replied, wearing a betrayed expression. He hadn't even gotten a glance from the dog.
"Hoyun-ah… do you, like… spray yourself with some dognip or something?"
His muttered comment about whether Hoyun was secretly using some peppermint-spray-like item from Sol○noon was completely ignored by everyone present.
Then came a short interview segment, with the Han River view from Jiheon's house as the backdrop.
Having somewhat regained his composure, Jiheon cleared his throat and responded to the question about what their relationship was like off-camera.
"Haha! Hoyun asked to work together voluntarily. I'm thankful that he likes me so much."
Min Jiheon smiled brightly, his cheeks tinged red.
"I think I might be his closest hyung?"
Then it was Seo Hoyun's turn.
When he was asked the same question about Min Jiheon, Seo Hoyun tilted his head.
"Min Jiheon sunbaenim?"
It was clearly pressure to emphasize a warm senior-junior relationship.
"His dog is really cute, though."
"...."
There was not a single word about Min Jiheon himself.
Seo Hoyun shamelessly shrugged and affectionately asked the dog, who was sitting on his lap, "Wanna come back to our dorm with me?"
Marlang's tail wagged more vigorously than ever.
---
"Wow, this little guy's super affectionate."
I picked up Min Jiheon's dog with both hands, who kept licking my hands, feet, nose, and lips at every chance, and stared at him.
A black nose, long white fur, perky big ears.
'Kind of therapeutic.'
And above all, it was very peaceful.
Maybe my polite warning had worked, because Min Jiheon was quieter than expected. Though his manager occasionally glanced at me with pitiful eyes—that, I ignored.
"Marlang, how old are you?"
I pressed his moist, glossy nose with my index finger, and Min Jiheon plopped down next to me.
"Hoyu-hoyu, Marlang is four years old."
"Marlang, must be tough living with Uncle Jiheon calling you Hoyu-hoyu all the time, huh?"
"Well, Hoyu-hoyu is going to be living with Jiheon for basically two weeks of filming anyway."
"It's gonna be rough for me too."
Just earlier, PD Choi had said they'd take a short break and led the staff outside in a group. Even Jiheon's manager went out saying he'd smoke a quick cigarette.
Not that it mattered much—cameras were set up everywhere, so we still had to be cautious.
Suddenly, I felt a tickling in my nose and wiped it with my hand—blood.
"Ah, damn."
I'd been getting nosebleeds almost daily lately.
With a sigh, I looked for tissues. Min Jiheon, holding Marlang in his arms, handed me a tissue box.
"Here."
He didn't even look the slightest bit surprised.
That calm demeanor made me look over at him while plugging my nose with a tissue.
Our eyes met.
At the same time, I saw his pupils constrict sharply—just for a second—and my body felt lighter, like breathing had suddenly gotten easier.
"You…"
Just as I furrowed my brows slightly and reached toward him, the door opened, and the sounds of Jiheon's manager and the crew coming back in rang out.
Still holding Marlang, Min Jiheon stood and looked down at me with a smile.
"Let's get along well from now on, okay?"