Chapter 97: Becoming the Older Brother of a Top Star

As expected.

Yuna's charisma always exceeds my expectations.

Despite her poor rap skills, she captivated their eyes and ears with her unique aura.

'But even so, there's no way they'd give her a pass, right?'

Worried about Yuna, I secretly observed the situation from behind and checked the reactions of the people here.

"Wow, she's so cute."

"What? Why does this sound so good?"

"Can you play it one more time?"

Sure enough, everyone was full of praise.

They must have heard countless raps, so they would have quickly assessed Yuna's rap skills.

Yet, her bewitching charm made them want to keep listening.

Is this what magic is?

However,

"Ms. Jung Yuna..."

I saw Lett reaching into his pocket to take out the pass chain.

'What? Is he really going to give her the pass necklace?'

No, even if he does, giving a pass here would...

"Ah! I'm sorry."

Then, Yuna suddenly bowed politely to Lett and said,

"I came here today because I really wanted to participate in this preliminary stage. It's like a bucket list item for me. Anyway, I didn't come here to pass. Of course, you wouldn't have given me the pass necklace."

Yuna smiled and greeted the other participants in the preliminary stage.

"Thank you all for listening to my poor rap today. I'll step back here."

She also didn't hold back with her words of encouragement.

"Everyone who participated in today's preliminaries, please do your best to make it to the finals. If you do, I'll definitely feature in the song you sing at the finals!"

"······!?"

The preliminaries venue buzzed with excitement.

"Wait, Jung Yuna is going to feature?"

"Wow, so we can perform on stage with Jung Yuna?"

"We just need to make it to the finals, right?"

"I'm definitely going to make it. Definitely!"

The participants, who had been intimidated in front of the judges, suddenly began to radiate enthusiasm.

The judges would have a tough time today.

* * *

"Brother~!"

Yuna ran up to me with a relieved look on her face.

"Hehe, did you wait long?"

"No, you did well?"

"Yup! It was really fun. I'm glad I came."

Then, Yuna confessed,

"Actually, I really wanted to come here. It was one of my bucket list items."

"Bucket list?"

"Don't you know? There are things you want to do before you die, right?"

"I know that. But you're already making a bucket list?"

"Of course~ Even if we live to be 100, time flies by. So it's better to achieve them as soon as possible. Do you have a bucket list, brother?"

Bucket list—

Hmm. I haven't really thought about it.

If I had to think of something, maybe...

"Golf?"

"Huh? Golf?"

"I was just curious. People love playing it, and Dad really likes golf too."

From my experience as an entertainer's manager, I realized that almost no entertainers don't play golf.

I usually do rough sports like boxing, judo, and soccer, so I couldn't understand why people love a sport where you just stand still and hit a ball with a club.

Even though they're not pros, I was curious why entertainers, who have busy schedules, would dedicate their lives to it and go to the driving range every day.

I once decided to learn it someday, but I never got around to it.

"That's interesting... I didn't expect that."

"Right? Well, I'll probably get a chance to learn someday. But what's on your bucket list?"

"Hmm~ Volunteering at a hospital, participating in the preliminaries here, and singing overseas~"

Yuna listed her items.

Listening to her, these were things we had already done.

"Besides these, there are still more. I'm trying to achieve them gradually."

Yuna, who had been smiling, suddenly frowned and rubbed her stomach.

"I'm hungry..."

Of course, I was wondering why she hadn't mentioned that.

I grabbed her drooping arm.

"Let's go. I know a good place nearby."

"Huh? What do they serve?"

"Rice cakes."

"!?"

Yuna's eyes, which had lost their sparkle, suddenly lit up.

* * *

"Brother, good luck~! Do your best?"

"Thanks."

"Take this. Eat it if you get hungry."

I took the pizza bread, which was Yuna's favorite brand.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Got it. Thanks."

I took it and entered the filming site.

"Hello."

"Ah, come in quickly."

"Our star has arrived. Haha."

The atmosphere on the set, which I had always seen during my manager days, was stiff.

The seniority system was firmly established, and there was a sense of discipline, which made it uncomfortable. But here, it was different.

It felt much softer.

"It's all thanks to Mr. Yoon Sung."

"······What?"

"Although the atmosphere could have been heavy, it feels much more relaxed thanks to Mr. Yoon Sung. Haha."

The PD was giving all the credit to me, though I didn't know why.

"Today, Mr. Yoon Sung's scenes aren't long. It's more like a cameo appearance."

"Ah, I see."

"You'll be done filming quickly."

Today's scenes were really short.

It was just to introduce my character to the audience, a simple appearance.

So, I thought I could finish quickly and go home.

'Even though it's a short scene, I should do it well.'

Even if the scene was short, I planned to take it seriously.

For that, I needed the help of the other actors.

'They all have incredible auras.'

I had heard that actors have auras.

I was witnessing it in real time.

I could tell with my own eyes whether their acting was real or fake.

And they were real.

There were almost no newcomers, only veterans, so their auras were intense and overwhelming during filming.

'That's why the drama is doing well.'

Creating a story is important, but the actors' performances are also crucial.

They create the elements that make it a hit.

'So...'

Before filming, I slowly absorbed the auras of the actors scattered around.

I could feel their intense and full performances filling my body.

"Mr. Yoon Sung, we're ready to start filming."

"Okay."

I waited for the director's signal.

But then,

Boom!

Lightning struck, and it started raining.

* * *

"Oh, no."

The weather forecast said there was almost no chance of rain today.

Am I being fooled again?

Thunder and lightning struck from the sky, and it started raining.

"What do we do, director?"

"Should we cancel today's filming?"

"Hmm-"

The sudden rain caused the crew to hurriedly set up tents, and the actors took shelter inside.

"If we can't film today, the schedule will be messed up again."

PD Kim Ki-han frowned, trying to figure out what to do.

He consulted with the writers, waiting for the rain to ease, but it only got stronger.

"Damn. What can we do?"

We could either push through or reschedule.

We needed to choose one.

"According to the original script, it should be a sunny day, right?"

"Yes, but considering the schedule... maybe we should change the script and film as is."

"Let's ask the actors for their opinions first."

The actors had mixed opinions.

Some didn't mind filming indoors, while others, who had to film outdoors, were hesitant about getting drenched.

However,

"I actually think it's a good idea."

Jung Yoon-sung had a different opinion.

"Mr. Yoon-sung, you'll have to get completely wet. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes, I actually think a sunny day wouldn't fit. The protagonist in the story is an illegitimate child and is often ignored. I think the gloomy and sad mood can be better conveyed through the weather."

"Hmm. That does make sense."

PD Kim Ki-han turned to the writers.

They nodded, agreeing with Jung Yoon-sung's suggestion.

"Let's try it this way. We'll start with Mr. Yoon-sung's scenes. If it goes well, we'll film the others too. What do you think?"

Since Jung Yoon-sung volunteered to go first, no one objected.

After reaching a consensus, they started filming.

"Great. Let's start filming. Everyone, get ready... Action."

Following the director's call, several cameras moved simultaneously, and the lights turned on.

Jung Yoon-sung, who had been closing his eyes to capture the emotion, slowly started walking.

Plod, plod.

Jung Yoon-sung, drenched in rain, walked.

Originally, the script called for a sunny day with a bright face, catching the eye of the female lead.

"······"

But now, in the gloomy weather, he appeared with a face full of resentment, tears mixed with rain streaming down.

As he walked out, he met the eyes of the female lead.

"······"

Silence between them.

The sound of rain filled the air, making the silence less awkward.

The curious gaze of the female lead and the wistful look in Jung Yoon-sung's eyes created a perfect, mesmerizing scene.

"······Cut."

Director Kim Ki-han, who had been filming the two for much longer than planned, finally snapped out of his trance and called for a cut.

"Wow."

"What just happened?"

All the actors on set were in awe.

They couldn't see the recorded footage, but they could all feel it.

How dramatically well the scene had been filmed.

"We have to use this scene, director."

The writer nodded in agreement.

This scene had to be used.

'Is this what they mean when they say the heavens are helping?'

There's a theory that when a movie or drama is doing well, everything goes smoothly.

If it's not meant to be, it fails from the start. Conversely, if it's meant to be, things fall into place.

This situation is like that.

How could the rain fall at this exact moment to create such a scene?

'No, it's not just about the setting.'

If it were another actor, how would they have handled this scene?

When Jung Yoon-sung first appeared on screen, PD Kim Ki-han's heart sank for a different reason.

The drenched, sorrowful face moved the audience.

His looks were impressive, but his emotional acting was breathtaking.

'This is too good to waste.'

So, he got greedy.

If they could just push a bit more, just a little more, to bring out the potential in Jung Yoon-sung, how much more amazing and heart-stopping scenes could they create?

"Excuse me, Mr. Yoon-sung..."

He cautiously approached the drenched Jung Yoon-sung.

"Can we do one more take?"

The look in Jung Yoon-sung's eyes at that moment was something Director Kim Ki-han would never forget.