Chapter 18

17. BJ Makmeokgun

The room was filled with a sweet fragrance. After bringing in about ten boxes of strawberries, even with the boxes closed, the sweet scent seeped out.

"Wow, it smells so sweet."

"Bro, what is this?"

"Yeonwoo, these are super strawberries. They're incredibly sweet. Let's eat them together."

Taeju and Yeonwoo entered the kitchen together. They had been inseparable lately as they prepared to start a new channel. Taeju handed Yeonwoo the strawberries after washing them.

"Half of them will go to the office."

"Ah, if you bring these, everyone will really love them."

"Really, bro. They're so delicious."

Meanwhile, Yeonwoo, who seemed to have fallen in love with the taste of the strawberries, nodded vigorously in agreement. Seeing the two enjoying the strawberries, Taeju recalled his idea to invite BJ Makmeokgun once. There were plenty of strawberries, and it might help the two who were about to start their Mituber career.

"Hello, this is Taeju. Do you remember me?"

- Yes, yes, I remember. How could I forget that face?

"Hehe. Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to come over to my place if you're free. I have some really delicious fruits."

- Oh, really? You're inviting me? I'm free anytime. Even today. Should I come now?

"Hehe, yes, come over. I'll give you the address."

- But, um?

"Yes?"

- Is Taesan there too?

"Ahahaha, yes, he's here."

He was still cheerful. Taeju didn't realize he could laugh so much, but talking to this BJ always made him laugh. Taeju told the two, who were puzzled, that the person he had just talked to was BJ Makmeokgun and that he would be coming over soon.

They were surprised and started cleaning the house, shouting. The room looked clean to Taeju, but it seemed different to them. To avoid the sudden cleaning and mopping, Taeju and Taesan hid in the room.

*

BJ Makmeokgun arrived with the staff member he had seen at the restaurant. They were the same age and had been working together since they started their BJ career. Hearing this, Taeju and Yeonwoo's expressions brightened, and Taeju felt proud of his invitation.

"Here, I invited you today because of these fruits."

"Wow! What is this? These strawberries are as big as watermelons."

"No, they're not that big. They're a bit bigger than apples."

"Yeah, there are such watermelons. Don't be silly."

Taeju didn't know about BJ Makmeokgun's obsession with food. His eyes were only on the fruits he had never seen before, which looked incredibly delicious. His polite demeanor before the fruits were served disappeared as his eyes widened.

Despite the scolding, only laughter came out. There was nothing to be offended by BJ Makmeokgun's tone, as it sounded like a child throwing a tantrum. It seemed he couldn't help it because he couldn't eat the delicious fruits in front of him.

"Did you finish filming? Can I eat now?"

"Eat, eat. Your eyes are really wide."

It wasn't originally planned, so they decided not to film. However, they agreed to take photos because it was the first time seeing such fruits. The staff member was quite picky, so it took some time to adjust the composition and lighting. Thanks to this, Taeju could see how many times BJ Makmeokgun swallowed and sniffed.

"Mmm, wow. This isn't a strawberry."

"Oh my, oh my, oh my God! So, so delicious."

"Wow, wow, wow. Is this an orange? Really?"

"Hehehe."

BJ Makmeokgun seemed to be naturally loud. The strange sounds he made at the restaurant were probably just his instinct.

"Is it a bit noisy?"

"Hehe, it's fine. It's fun."

"He's always been like this when he eats."

"Really?"

"When we go to restaurants together, it's really embarrassing. People look at us like we're crazy, and the owner gives us the eye to leave. It's hard to eat a meal in peace."

"Is that how it started?"

"No, at first, I just wanted to eat in peace, so I imitated it. But at home, I was always given the eye, so I ended up doing it until now."

"Ahahaha."

BJ Makmeokgun's friend also seemed to be quite a character. They were good friends for a reason. Taeju and Yeonwoo were amazed by Makmeokgun's reactions, their mouths wide open.

"Really, it's so delicious. I've never tasted such delicious fruits in my life."

"Hey, it's late. You've already shown all your embarrassing sides."

"Uh, sorry. I lose control when I see delicious things."

"Hehe, it's fine. Seeing you enjoy it makes me feel good about inviting you."

After finishing the fruit platter, he seemed to regain his composure. Taeju had thought he didn't eat much during the previous filming, but it was a misunderstanding. The strawberries were so big that he could only eat two at a time, but he managed to eat eight and several plates of other fruits before looking full.

The four, who were interested in filming, soon started a lively conversation. They talked about filming techniques and editing tips for a while, then suddenly got up and went to the room. Taeju followed, curious about what was happening, and found them opening an editing program and continuing their conversation. Taeju felt a sense of satisfaction, having achieved his original goal.

*

As they entered the garden, Hee greeted them. Hee was thankfully unharmed.

"Taeju, I'm sorry. I couldn't find the intruder."

"It's okay, it's okay."

The crops in the field were indeed fewer than usual. Footprints that hadn't been seen yesterday were also visible near the field.

"Sniff, sniff."

"Taesan?"

Taesan started sniffing the footprints like a dog.

"Taeju, Taesan is asking if he can follow this scent."

"Really? Taesan can track scents?"

"Taeju, Taesan can even hunt now."

Taesan had awakened the 'hunting instinct' as one of the conditions for his first growth during the slime incident, but Taeju didn't expect him to be able to track scents.

"Should we ask him to try? Taesan, can you track it?"

"Taesan, please."

"Meow."

Taeju took the magic rope from Hee and followed Taesan, though he didn't really expect much. It was hard to believe that a two-month-old tiger cub could track scents properly.

"Here?"

"Yes, Taesan says it's here."

Taeju looked at the place Taesan indicated with a puzzled expression. It was a pile of leaves, branches, and plant stems used as fertilizer. Taesan circled around the pile of strawberry stems.

'Did he just follow the scent of strawberries?'

"Meow."

Taesan let out a long meow, indicating this was the spot. Despite his doubts, Taeju couldn't ignore Taesan's effort and started digging through the pile of strawberry stems.

Shh!

"Ah!"

A black four-legged creature suddenly jumped out from the pile of strawberry stems. Taeju was startled and fell on his butt.

"Taeju, the rope."

"Ugh, here."

"Meow."

Unable to move properly due to a bad fall, Taeju handed the magic rope to Hee. Hee, along with Taesan, started chasing the black four-legged creature.

'Embarrassing.'

Taeju limped to the store to buy a recovery potion. As he struggled with self-pity, Taesan and Hee returned, the black four-legged creature tied up with the magic rope. They looked proud as they returned to Taeju.

"Thank you."

Hee cast a recovery spell on him. Although he had already taken a recovery potion, he didn't refuse Hee's kindness.

"An otter?"

"Yes, a giant otter."

'Isn't this supposed to be a floating island? How did an otter appear?'

"R-Really? It's huge."

The giant otter was as big as the crow visitor he had seen before, about the size of a human torso. Taeju was at a loss. What was he supposed to do with this otter?

"Hee, what should we do?"

"Huh? What should we do with the otter?"

"Yes."

"Hee, wait a moment."

Hee approached the otter and talked to it for a while. Hee, who could communicate with Taesan, seemed to understand the otter as well. Hee shook her wings and sprinkled sparkling powder on the otter.

"Taeju, it's a sad story."

"Huh?"

"Dandan's home was washed away by a flood."

"Really? What should we do? Should he live in the garden?"

As Taeju sought Hee's opinion, Hee said,

"He can be hired as a worker. Hee, should he work in our garden?"

"Yes, Hee will ask."

"Dandan."

"Yes, I'll tell him. Taeju, he says yes."

Taeju agreed to hire the worker. The giant otter, Dandan, joined the garden as a worker. Taeju didn't know what kind of work an otter could do, but he felt sorry for Dandan, who had no home.

"Taeju."

"Yes?"

"Dandan is very good at fishing. He can catch the carp in the pond."

"Really? Wow, this is amazing."

It seemed like a great worker had joined the garden. Dandan, who loved fish more than fruits, was allowed to do whatever he wanted in the pond except for the golden carp's scales.

The surprise of the intruder was gone, replaced by the relief of being freed from fishing. Now he could finally make the long-awaited sparkling skin cream. Taeju couldn't stop laughing. As he laughed loudly, everyone around him also made happy sounds.

*

Taeju and the manager moved the strawberry boxes into the office. There were five boxes, each containing ten strawberries, and they were quite heavy. The office staff welcomed Taeju warmly, partly because Taesan always came with him. He was checking if Taesan was carrying the moving mat.

"Ugh, let's wash three boxes first?"

"There are 10 strawberries in each box, so there won't be any left."

"It might not be enough."

With the help of the staff, they washed the strawberries and shared them. Taeju was thinking about setting aside some for the CEO when he appeared, holding a strawberry in one hand and a mouse-shaped toy in the other. It seemed he was waiting for Taesan, and Taeju couldn't help but smile.

"Actor Lee Taeju."

Turning around at the sound of his name, Taeju saw the manager of senior actor Lee Seongjun.

"If you're free, would you like to meet Seongjun and Director Jeong Young?"

"Sure. I have classes in the afternoon today, so any time tomorrow is fine."

"Then, would tomorrow morning be okay? Your schedule is free then."

Taeju agreed, and the manager said he would contact him through Gyeonwoo and left. As he turned, he was holding several strawberries.

While chatting with the office staff, Team Leader Woo returned from an outing, wearing a coat, and called Taeju and Gyeonwoo.

"Good timing. Actor Lee Taeju, Gyeonwoo, please come to the meeting room."

Before following Team Leader Woo to the meeting room, Taeju checked on Taesan, who was playing with the CEO and the mouse-shaped toy.

'So, he finally fulfilled his wish.'

As soon as they sat down, Team Leader Woo handed Taeju a synopsis. It was a web drama, a short 10-episode series, each 25 minutes long.

"To be honest, I want you to focus on preparing for the movie, but this web drama is short and the character isn't bad. Take a look."

It was a web drama prepared by an idol agency. The story was about aspiring idols striving for debut, facing setbacks, and regaining hope to pursue their dreams.

"What is this?"

"Actually, the content is quite predictable. If you accept, you'll audition for the producer role."

"Isn't the content a bit... Who would watch this?"

"GTS's fans worldwide."

"Really?"

According to Team Leader Woo, the idol trainees in the web drama were members of GTS's successor group, and the web drama was produced to promote the group. The trainees would mainly cover GTS's songs in practice scenes to attract existing fans and potentially new fans.

"It's a great opportunity. You can promote yourself to GTS's global fans."

"Wow, that's impressive. But wouldn't it be better for a GTS member to take such a good role? Usually, wouldn't they give it to their own members?"

"No."

"Huh?"

"GTS has no members who can act. The same goes for their successor group. The company's policy is to focus on dance practice rather than acting practice."

"Wow, such companies exist?"

"That might be why GTS became a world-renowned boy group."

Taeju didn't like the content of the web drama, but it was a great opportunity, so he accepted it on the spot. Team Leader Woo looked satisfied, stood up, and said he would inform him of the audition schedule and to take care of his health before leaving.

"Doesn't the content seem a bit too much to you, Manager?"

"Yes, it does seem a bit like a youth manga and a bit corny."

"Still, it's definitely a great opportunity."

"Yes, the shooting period is only a few days, so it's quite good."

It was Taeju's first web drama. He had never done it in his previous life. Each episode was 25 minutes, half the length of a typical drama.

The producer role Taeju would audition for appeared in three episodes. He hadn't seen the script yet, but he assumed his screen time wouldn't be much. Still, it felt like he was starting his acting career in earnest, and he felt a small excitement.