Chapter 35

Turns out it was Sunday.

Early in the morning, Yoon Hyun set off for SBS. Although Yoon Hyun had become one of the hottest actors in Korea thanks to "The Chaser," in terms of seniority, he had been in the industry for less than a year. Therefore, he always maintained a humble and cautious attitude.

After all, politeness never hurts.

Especially after meeting the female lead of this drama, he was even more glad he arrived early.

"Hello, Senior Han Hyo-ju, I'm Yoon Hyun. It's nice to meet you," Yoon Hyun bowed respectfully to the tall girl in front of him. After all, this girl had won many film awards before he debuted. Compared to her, he was still a complete newcomer.

"Hello, Yoon Hyun!" Han Hyo-ju smiled and returned the bow.

Yoon Hyun was a bit dazed by her smile.

"Yoon Hyun is also from 1987, right?" Han Hyo-ju didn't mind Yoon Hyun's slight daze.

"Yes, I was born in February 1987. Is Senior Han Hyo-ju also from 1987?" Yoon Hyun followed up.

"I was also born in February!" Han Hyo-ju nodded in surprise.

"I was born on February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day," Yoon Hyun said.

"I was born on the 22nd, so Yoon Hyun is a bit older than me," Han Hyo-ju said with a hint of regret.

"It's just a few days. Let's talk more casually!" Yoon Hyun finally breathed a sigh of relief. If this girl were older than him, it would have been quite uncomfortable for the shoot.

"Sure, Yoon Hyun, please take care of me," Han Hyo-ju bowed again.

"Senior Han Hyo-ju, please take care of me as well," Yoon Hyun returned the bow.

After a brief chat, director Lee Yong-sik and screenwriter Choi Ran entered the room where everyone was waiting.

The actors, who had been chatting in small groups, fell silent and took their seats, waiting for the director to start.

This gathering was mainly for the main staff and actors to introduce themselves, get to know each other, and communicate to foster a good atmosphere on set.

However, Yoon Hyun clearly felt an unfriendly gaze from the actor playing the second male lead, Park Shi-hoo.

Yoon Hyun was a bit surprised, as he couldn't think of any reason why he had offended this person. They had never interacted before.

Since he couldn't find a reason, Yoon Hyun decided not to think about it. After all, it was just a working relationship. As someone who had already shot one TV drama and one movie, Yoon Hyun only maintained a connection with Yoon Eun-hye and Kim Yun-seok. With others... once the production was over, they never contacted each other again.

The self-introductions took about an hour, after which the director distributed the shooting schedule to all the actors and staff.

"Quite a tight schedule!" Yoon Hyun muttered.

"Is there any difficulty, Yoon Hyun?" Han Hyo-ju, sitting next to Yoon Hyun, asked in a low voice.

"In April, I have to attend the Baeksang Arts Awards, so that period might be quite tight," Yoon Hyun thought for a moment and said.

"Me too. Let's talk to the director and see if we can move our scenes up a bit," Han Hyo-ju nodded and suggested.

Yoon Hyun suddenly felt he had found a partner with a compatible vibe.

"Director!" Han Hyo-ju raised her hand and said, "In April, I have to attend the Baeksang Arts Awards, so that week might be quite busy. Can we move the shooting schedule for that week up a bit or adjust it?"

Han Hyo-ju, though not the oldest, was definitely the biggest star in the cast. The director couldn't easily refuse her request.

"Director, due to my movie and TV drama commitments, I also have to attend the Baeksang Arts Awards. So, like Senior Han Hyo-ju, I might have scheduling issues around that time," Yoon Hyun echoed.

When both the lead actors raised the same issue, the director had no choice but to compromise.

Fortunately, the current drama "OnAir" had decent popularity, even if the ratings weren't sky-high. The upcoming "One Branch of Plum" wasn't in a rush to start.

In the end, the entire crew took a break during the week of the Baeksang Arts Awards.

Yoon Hyun smiled at Han Hyo-ju, who was smiling at him.

After a bit more chat, the meeting concluded, and the formal shooting would begin the next day.

"Yoon Hyun, can we exchange phone numbers?" Han Hyo-ju asked proactively.

Yoon Hyun was a bit surprised but smiled and said, "Sure, I'd be happy to."

After exchanging phone numbers with Han Hyo-ju, Yoon Hyun returned to his limousine.

"This time, you made a good choice. Senior Han Hyo-ju is much better than those other girls who haven't fully grown up yet," Kim Soo-yeon suddenly commented.

"About that... you misunderstood. This time, it's a genuine misunderstanding," Yoon Hyun looked speechless at his unpredictable agent.

"Anyway, the recording for 'Popular Song' isn't far off," Kim Soo-yeon didn't intend to discuss this with Yoon Hyun, "Do you want to eat something first and then come back, or wait here until the recording?"

"Let's wait here," Yoon Hyun thought for a moment and said, "Since I'm here, I should visit the seniors, so there won't be much time. Also, since there hasn't been a rehearsal, we might need to do one."

"Whatever you prefer," Kim Soo-yeon gestured for Yoon Hyun to get out of the car, "I'm going to eat."

Yoon Hyun, feeling a bit depressed, was forced out of his car and had no choice but to return to SBS, sitting in the café to daydream.

Since this wasn't the main SBS building, there weren't many staff around, and the café was quite empty.

"Yoon Hyun, what are you doing here?" Just as Yoon Hyun sat down, he heard someone greet him.

"Ah! It's Senior Kim Jong-kook!" Yoon Hyun turned around to see a person he had heard a lot about but never met.

"I've only heard about you, and this is the first time I'm meeting you!" Kim Jong-kook acted as if they had known each other for a long time, being very friendly.

"Senior Kim Jong-kook, I really like your songs," Yoon Hyun didn't dare to be too presumptuous.

"No need to be so formal. I often hear about you from Jee-suk. When I was discharged and met with Jee-suk and the others, we even talked about inviting you, but I got too drunk and forgot, ha ha," Kim Jong-kook wasn't as shy as rumored, probably due to his military service.

"Senior, are you participating in today's 'Popular Song'?" Yoon Hyun, who hadn't been paying much attention to the music scene recently, wasn't sure if Kim Jong-kook had already returned to the limelight after his discharge.

"Not really, Jee-suk invited me to discuss a variety show," Kim Jong-kook said, a bit puzzled.

"Discuss a show here? Not at the main office?" Yoon Hyun was also surprised.

"That's why I'm curious. He hasn't arrived yet. But you, I haven't heard about you releasing a new song, so why are you here for 'Popular Song'?" Kim Jong-kook was also curious.

"A song I wrote earlier, there's a special stage, so I'm here to perform it," Yoon Hyun didn't elaborate.

Then they chatted about their military service, which gave them a lot of common ground.

Soon, Jee-suk appeared.

"Wow! You two are both here!" Jee-suk seemed very excited.

"Jee-suk, are you that happy?" Yoon Hyun was a bit speechless.

"Perfect, I have two things to say. Since you're here, I'll say them both at once," Jee-suk smiled.

Yoon Hyun suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Jong-kook, as we discussed the other night, what do you think about returning to variety shows first and then gradually returning to the music scene?" Jee-suk ignored Yoon Hyun's stiff expression and asked.

"I've thought about it, and it's not impossible. But I'm not sure what kind of situation would be suitable," Kim Jong-kook was cautious.

"Jee-suk, you need to be more specific," Yoon Hyun chimed in.

"Here's the deal. SBS is starting a new variety show this year, which I will host. It's a wild variety show, similar to '2 Days 1 Night' with Jang Hu-dong," Jee-suk thought for a moment and explained.

"2 Days 1 Night? Jee-suk, you've already made a lot of money, no need to work so hard," Yoon Hyun shuddered, knowing the reputation of '2 Days 1 Night' in the variety show world. Compared to that show's PD, Kim Tae-ho was like a kind angel...

"Just similar. It's about going to the countryside, staying in a farmhouse, doing some farm work, cooking, and playing games," Jee-suk quickly clarified, seeing Kim Jong-kook's expression.

Kim Jong-kook's expression immediately returned to normal.

"Sounds good. If I weren't busy with my drama, I'd be interested," Yoon Hyun thought, "It's like a TV version of a countryside experience."

"The show starts recording in June. Your drama won't be shooting then, right?" Jee-suk gave Yoon Hyun a subtle jab.

Yoon Hyun dryly laughed but didn't respond.

"I'll think about it. There's still time," Kim Jong-kook said, "I don't have much experience with variety shows, so..."

"Variety show skills can be developed!" Yoon Hyun chimed in again.

"Exactly! Yoon Hyun is right. Try a few variety shows," Jee-suk suddenly grinned.

Yoon Hyun, looking at Jee-suk's smiling face, felt a chill, not sure why...

"Like the variety show I'm hosting now, 'Infinite Challenge,' it's quite challenging," Jee-suk continued.

"Oh, I know. Isn't Yoon Hyun on that show?" Kim Jong-kook nodded.

Yoon Hyun felt his throat go dry. He subconsciously looked at Kim Jong-kook's muscular build and then at himself... they shouldn't be too different, right?

"Exactly. 'Infinite Challenge' is planning a special episode. How about you come as a special guest?" Jee-suk smiled warmly.

Yoon Hyun felt a chill.

"Guest? That could work. But... I don't really have much variety show experience," Kim Jong-kook was still unsure.

"Don't worry. Just focus on responding to the conversation," Jee-suk patted his chest.

Then Jee-suk gave Kim Jong-kook a mini-variety show lecture on the spot.

Yoon Hyun remained quiet.

Finally, Yoon Hyun couldn't hold back and asked, "Jee-suk, what special episode is this? I didn't get any notification."

"Notification? You're asking a known question," Jee-suk laughed.

Yoon Hyun shuddered, but his phone rang like a lifeline.

"Oppa, where are you?" It was Kim Tae-yeon.

"I'm already at the station. Where are you?" Yoon Hyun asked.

"We just arrived at the waiting room. Are you coming over?"

"Oh... sure!" Yoon Hyun immediately stood up, ready to escape.

"Yoon Hyun is going to record 'Popular Song'?" A hint of nostalgia flashed in Kim Jong-kook's eyes.

"Yes," Yoon Hyun nodded.

"Can I go with you to see it?" Kim Jong-kook asked.

"Um... I have to visit many seniors. If you come with me..." Yoon Hyun was a bit conflicted. If Kim Jong-kook came, he would have to meet all the seniors, and Yoon Hyun would be seen as riding on his seniority, which wouldn't look good...

"Oh, that's my mistake," Kim Jong-kook immediately understood, "I'll watch your performance on the stage. Good luck!"

"Thanks, Jong-kook!" Yoon Hyun bowed to thank Kim Jong-kook, then turned to Jee-suk, who was looking at him with a playful gaze. Although he wanted to stomp on the grasshopper that dug this hole for him, Yoon Hyun said, "Jee-suk, I'll go first. You and Jong-kook can chat."

"Sure, I'll just talk about the special episode with Jong-kook," Jee-suk said casually.

Yoon Hyun, who had already taken a step, almost tripped.

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