Chapter 88

The contract was handled with care.

Thanks to the diligent care of giving him plenty of water and nutrients, Hyun seemed to have regained much of his energy. However, it was still too early to leave him alone, so I decided to leave him at home while I took care of my schedule.

"Oh, how cute."

"Hyun is going to be raised by me."

"You named him Hyun, huh?"

"...Yes."

My parents immediately recognized where the name 'Hyun' came from. They knew how much Hyun-oh had influenced my life and that he must have left a special memory with them as well.

"I have a tight schedule for the next four days, so I think it would be best if you could take care of Hyun during that time. As I mentioned on the phone, please make sure he eats well. He usually eats well on his own and is very well-behaved, so he shouldn't require much attention."

As I tried to hand Hyun over to Dad, Hyun dug his claws into my sleeve and clung on.

Meow!

"Hyun, I'm busy and you have to stay here with Dad for three days. Don't be scared; he'll take good care of you."

Hyun, who had been gentle and attached to me at the dorm, seemed to sense that I was about to leave and started acting up.

Dad, who is usually very popular with animals, was taken aback by this situation.

Dad, who had never seen this before, looked flustered. He had prepared a lot of things for the cat, like water and food bowls, a scratcher, a hide-and-seek house, and a cat tower, and I hope he's not disappointed.

"I'll continue to live with you. I've made that decision. I'm just asking Dad to take care of Hyun for a while because he needs to eat well. I'm not abandoning you, I promise."

As if he finally understood me, Hyun retracted his claws and landed lightly on the floor. He then wrapped his tail around my leg, circled once, and stood in front of Dad, tail straight up.

"Amazing. It's like he really understands what you say."

"He's a genius."

"Seo-hoon, you're really taken with Hyun, aren't you? Dad will take good care of him. If you want to check on him, you can video call."

That's a good idea. I was worried about leaving Hyun, who relies on me so much.

"Hyun, I'm leaving now. I'll come back as soon as I can, so have fun."

I stroked him from head to tail, and Dad looked at me with a warm smile.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was thinking that if I had a younger brother, he might be like this, and that you'll probably come by often to drop off Hyun."

Now that I think about it, since I started living at the dorm as a debut member, the number of times I've visited home can be counted on one hand. After my debut, even that has decreased, and I might have only come once.

If my parents hadn't occasionally come to the dorm to see me, it would have been hard to see them at all.

"Don't feel bad. We know you're busy and can't come home even if you want to."

"Still..."

"It's okay because we can see you on TV and NewTube."

They're keeping up with everything. My appearance on screen still feels awkward, but this might be a good thing.

"You said you have a schedule right away. You should go."

"Please take good care of him, Dad. Have fun, Hyun!"

With a tight schedule, I quickly said my goodbyes and left the house. Seeing Hyun peeking out from the door as if to see me off, my heart wavered, but I tried to stay composed.

Since he still needs care, I couldn't leave him alone at the dorm. I had talked to Dad for so long that I almost exceeded the maximum call time, but it should be fine.

Our smart master will understand the butler's heart better than anyone. I have a feeling I'll be restless and calling frequently, but that's for later.

* * *

The drama "First Love Doesn't Exist," starring actor Naohyuk, has started airing. It was heavily promoted that the theme song for the male lead, sung by actor Naohyuk, would be released on the first episode.

As the composer, my presence wasn't prominently highlighted, despite the promotion using Naohyuk's name.

"Yeon, when will your song be released?"

While on my way to a commercial shoot, Cheol-woong suddenly asked.

"In a week."

"Once the other OSTs are released, there might be three songs composed by you on the music charts!"

In addition to Theora's title track, could two more OSTs enter the charts?

If the drama is a hit, it's not impossible. The power of a popular drama is stronger than you think, and it often benefits the OSTs. Well-made OSTs have a longer lifespan than popular songs by famous artists.

"The first episode had a good atmosphere, didn't it? The story was smooth, and there were no acting flaws, so it was easy to get into. It had the highest ratings among the three major networks."

How did he have time to watch the drama? Did Seohoon reduce his sleep to monitor it?

His determination to not give up acting was evident. Usually, focusing on one thing is already challenging, but Seohoon seemed to have overcome obstacles with his monstrous stamina.

"Since the start is good, it's worth looking forward to."

Seohoon's evaluation of the drama was reliable. The veteran writer would likely maintain the tension until the end. We'll have to wait and see.

"The cottages need to recognize the songs you worked on, Yeon!"

"Of course they will. You're popular with those kinds of people."

What does 'those kinds of people' imply? I hesitated to ask, thinking O-ran wouldn't say anything positive.

"Those kinds of people?"

Ji-on asked for me, leaving me no choice but to hear the answer.

"Playful and persistent people? You need to be prepared, Yeon. There will be many people waiting to tease you."

"..."

I can't deny that the name 'cottages' or 'thatched huts' for the fandom is a bit concerning.

"This is what they mean by putting your foot in it."

"Exactly. Jethon."

O-ran and Ji-on high-fived. Is this the time for a high-five?

While I was worried, they were grinning.

"O-ran and Ji-on, that's mean!"

"You're not wrong."

"But still...!"

Even Baek agreed. Neither Cheol-woong nor Seohoon said O-ran was wrong. They seemed to expect the fans to be mischievous. It's a tough situation.

Well, there are probably only a few people who like me personally, so I should be able to overcome it somehow.

"If you torment Yeon, we'll get in trouble with the fans. Be careful."

"Even Seohoon...?"

Everyone seems to find it amusing to tease me. This trend isn't ideal.

When I decided to join Theora, I resolved to be the pillar and hidden contributor of the group. Why did I end up with such a trivial role...? I can't understand it.

"Who can stop this?"

"What did I do?"

Cheol-woong didn't explain and just gave a meaningful look. His eyes were almost closed, and he lifted one corner of his mouth. Is he saying I shouldn't ask for details?

"I can't believe how lucky we are that our baby is a member of Theora."

"Me too! Me too! I think so too."

"...I'll tell everyone."

I tried to sound strong, even though I had no one to back me up.

But did my bluff show? The other members, except me, burst out laughing. I even saw the manager's lips twitching in the rearview mirror.

Why is no one on my side...?

After a good laugh, Seohoon comforted me, saying, "Everyone just finds you cute."

Should I believe him or not?

* * *

The first commercial I shot after debuting with Theora was for a game. The commercial director said he saw Theora's content "Hey! Ta! Theora!" and decided to cast us.

The game is called "Smile Farm Village."

I still don't understand what point the director saw in us!

"Smile Farm Village" is a casual, healing mobile game. It's essentially a social network game where you meet other users and build a community.

You choose characters with various personalities, build houses, grow crops, and sometimes go on adventures.

It sounds complicated, but it's actually simple to play. It's a game for all ages, with cute animal characters and cheerful sound effects that capture your attention.

"...The commercial has a B-grade feel, so please bear with us. Just act naturally, Theora members."

The director explained the commercial storyboard in detail.

We've done music video shoots with CG backgrounds, so that part was fine. The problem was the lines (if you can call them that) in each scene.

"...Are these lines? Are we being scammed?"

Baek looked around, trying to find any clues. It didn't seem like a scam with the grand set and dozens of crew members.

But the storyboard was full of interjections like "Oh!" "Ugh!" and "Hee!"

"What are they trying to shoot with us...?"

The animal characters in the game can only make short interjections or sounds. Is that why we can't speak in sentences in the commercial?

The storyboard was filled with various animal sounds and interjections.

"I'll do as I'm told, but... the lines..."

Even O-ran, who always gives his best in paid work, hesitated. Did we not understand the concept properly?

"I'll ask the director."

As the leader, Cheol-woong went to ask the director for clarification.

We didn't quite get the feel of what they wanted. Everyone was focused on finding the most fitting way to act.

Each member had a different animal to play. I was assigned the cat character.

Thinking I must have a special connection with cats, I practiced meowing and interjections that weren't even words.

"Meow? Meow~? Meow↗ow↘. †r↑!"

I was practicing when Cheol-woong, who had gone to ask questions, came back and couldn't stop laughing.

"Ha, you're all too cute. Our members."

It might be more funny than cute, but seeing Cheol-woong laugh made me feel better.

Making someone laugh is a noble act. Giving someone a laugh is more challenging than you think. Not everyone can let go and make others laugh.

Hyun-oh said he could do it because he had no resistance to looking silly.

If it was a negative kind of laughter, it would be different, but this situation was just absurd and funny.

"Ha, my stomach hurts. The director said we're possessed by the animal characters in the game. So we're making the same sounds as the game characters. He said there might be narration added later."

So, we're going to have character CGs on our bodies and explore the game world! Finally, I understood the storyboard.

Next to me, O-ran was clearing his throat and practicing "Kyarlek!"

The rabbit character O-ran is playing must be a bit frivolous.

Even O-ran, who usually has a steel plate on his face, seemed to be struggling. It's not easy to produce sound effects that you wouldn't make in real life.

"Voice acting is this hard? I have so much respect for voice actors."

O-ran's tone was softer in the commercial shoot.

Usually, he might have said, "Voice acting is so hard. It'll probably end up B-grade unless you're a voice actor... Ha! But you have to do it to make money."

"It would have been better to hire professional voice actors for the shoot."

We had to believe the director when he said we resembled the game characters.

After finishing practice, we started the actual shoot. When we saw something the commercial director brought, we took a step back.

"...Didn't you say you were going to add CG?"

"Are we being scammed?"

Ji-on's question hit the mark, and our eyes turned to the manager.

"You shouldn't accept commercials without understanding the content, kids."

"......!"

"You need to be thorough when signing contracts. This time, the pay is generous and the conditions are good for a rookie."

I was surprised. Even if it was to teach us a lesson, he wouldn't let us sign a bad contract.

"However, if you can endure the embarrassment."

"Under those conditions, I'll do it."

O-ran, who doesn't know the meaning of embarrassment, gave a clear answer.

I, unlike Hong O-ran, know what embarrassment is!