Chapter 21

20. Unexpected Variety Show

Taeju was on his way home from the supermarket. He was slowly walking, peeling and eating individually wrapped snacks one by one. To help Taesan get used to the smells along the way home, Taeju walked leisurely behind him. He was a bit worried about the ice in the bag melting, but since the weather was still cool, he thought it would be fine.

Wearing slippers and a zip-up jacket, Taeju had a supermarket bag in one hand and Taesan's leash in the other, looking like a typical neighborhood resident. It was only natural. During breaks from filming, Taeju was practically a jobless resident of the neighborhood. Moreover, jobless actors were all pretty much the same.

“Nom. Oh, it’s Hyung Dongseok. He must be filming.”

As he was being dragged along the path Taesan was taking, Taeju’s eyes caught a familiar figure. Baedongseok, an actor known for playing villains due to his appearance but recently busier with a more approachable image, was there. It was a chance to broaden his acting range, and he was busy making appearances everywhere.

There were people with cameras all around, indicating that he was in the middle of filming a variety show. Taeju tried to sneak past, not wanting to be noticed. The problem was that he had to pass these people to get home.

‘I need to get in before the ice melts.’

It seemed like they would be done filming soon, so Taeju waited, eating his snacks.

“Meow.”

‘Shh! Just a little longer.’

Taesan approached, perhaps sensing that Taeju had stopped. Taeju, holding Taesan, watched as Dongseok and the other cast members stopped on the road and chatted for a while.

“Hyung, let’s just eat ramen at the convenience store and do the interview.”

“No, we need to have a proper dinner. Ramen won’t do.”

“You’re right. People need to eat well.”

“Huh?”

Taeju, who had stepped aside, caught Dongseok’s eye. Taeju waved to reject Dongseok’s approach and bowed his head, trying to pass by.

“Taeju!”

‘Ah, why are you coming over? Just go away.’

“Haha, Hyung, it’s been a while.”

“Why are you just leaving?”

“Well, you seem to be filming.”

Dongseok tightly grabbed Taeju’s arm, giving a sense that he wouldn’t let go.

“Taeju, do you live around here?”

“Yeah, I live over there.”

Taeju pointed to a building with his free hand. The faces of the people with Dongseok brightened.

‘What’s going on?’

“Well, well, what a coincidence.”

“Sometimes you meet acquaintances while walking around, right?”

“Right. If your junior is a junior, then he’s our junior too, right?”

“Right. We’re all family, aren’t we?”

“Haha, right? Good luck with filming. I’ll be going now.”

Baedongseok was currently filming a program called “A Small Neighborhood Trip.” Within the budget earned from a game, they had to visit local attractions and solve missions, including having dinner.

The problem was the attraction they visited. Mangwon Market, known for its food, was where they ended up. The three of them, claiming they hadn’t eaten breakfast, spent their entire budget on snacks.

The program included interviews during dinner, but they had already used up the budget for the meal.

“Taeju, have you had dinner?”

Despite feeling a bit creeped out by Dongseok’s friendly approach, Taeju honestly said he was about to go in and eat. Dongseok’s excited reaction made Taeju a bit uneasy, but he didn’t think anything would happen during filming.

“Then, good luck with your filming. I’ll see you next time.”

Taeju greeted the people and started walking home. Feeling an odd premonition, he quickened his pace. However, the footsteps following him didn’t disappear.

“Why are you following me?”

“Hey, we’re just going the same way.”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t follow a stranger you just met, right?”

“Of course not. Go ahead.”

Taeju, realizing they were heading in the same direction as the filming crew, relaxed and entered the building. The cast members exchanged glances and quietly followed, but Taeju didn’t notice.

While soothing Taesan, who was whining to be let down, Taeju got into the elevator. It was only when Dongseok and the two MCs followed that he realized what was happening.

“Hyung?”

“What floor?”

“Uh, 5th floor. No, this isn’t right.”

While Taeju was confused, Dongseok and the MCs were already negotiating with the production team. They were discussing how much to pay per person for the free meal, which wouldn’t affect the budget.

“Am I supposed to treat you to dinner?”

“Yeah, I’m hungry. What’s on the menu?”

“It’s supposed to be hamburger steak.”

‘Oh no, why am I answering this?’

Taeju was on his way back from buying soda and ice for the hamburger steak, taking Taesan for a walk. He was caught by Baedongseok and his crew while taking his time.

“Hey, Hyung, people will criticize us if we visit a junior’s house. They’ll think we’re colluding.”

“It’s fine. It’s fine.”

“No, you’ll get criticized.”

Taeju tried to stop Dongseok, but he was insistent. Taeju didn’t know that the production team was planning to film and air the visit, and if it was difficult, they would make the mission fail.

Moreover, from the moment Taeju was caught, all the scenes, including his quick attempts to avoid them, were being filmed. Taeju, unfamiliar with variety shows, didn’t realize that almost every moment was being captured.

Taeju thought they would just film him eating dinner at home. He didn’t realize that his nervous expressions and the image of a good-looking, jobless resident were being captured, creating quite an entertaining scene.

*

When they reached the 5th floor, Taeju turned to block the people from entering, thinking it wasn’t a filming location.

“Haha, Hyung, the elevator to go down is over there.”

“Huh. This is just a minor obstacle.”

Dongseok easily brushed off Taeju’s weak resistance, lightly lifting him aside. He was strong and skilled, having performed all his own stunts without a stunt double. Taeju was moved aside while still in a daze.

Dongseok confidently rang the doorbell. After a moment, Tae, who didn’t ask who it was, opened the door.

“What did you buy so much? Why did you ring the bell, huh?”

Surprised, Tae stepped back as Dongseok entered and explained the situation. Taeju, sighing at the situation, decided to just go along with it.

*

In the kitchen, Tae had prepared several hamburger steaks, intending to store the extras. The MCs who followed Dongseok counted and were happy to find that there was enough for everyone with some left over.

Seeing this, Taeju felt tired. He shook his head and sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

While preparing the meal, Taeju took out fruit to serve the guests. Since he had received a lot from the garden, his fridge had never run out of fruit. Tae even made jelly and sherbet from the excess.

By the time Taeju returned with a large tray of fruit, the living room was already set up with cameras. The two MCs and Dongseok were sitting on the sofa, filming. The conversation paused when Taeju placed the fruit tray on the table.

Taeju was surprised to see Taesan sitting between the MCs, participating in the filming. He was meowing in response to MC Hyungkyu’s lines.

“The homeowner has arrived. Can you introduce yourself?”

“Hello, viewers of ‘A Small Neighborhood Trip.’ I’m a new actor, Lee Taeju.”

The production team clapped lightly. Meanwhile, MC Hyodong gave up his seat to Taeju and headed to the kitchen, with one of the production team following with a camera.

“This guy knows about broadcasting. He doesn’t leave the center of the camera.”

MC Hyungkyu pointed to Taesan, who was sitting in the center of the sofa and meowing.

“Taesan is familiar with broadcasting. He’s a professional actor, even though he looks young.”

“Really? You’re making a young kitten work for a living?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Phew. It’s tough to make a living these days, isn’t it, Taesan?”

“Meow!”

Before Taeju could respond to the teasing MC Hyungkyu, the conversation shifted. The production team, unable to keep up with the pace of the variety show, captured both Taeju’s awkwardness and Taesan’s timely meows.

While Taeju was filming in the living room, Tae was quickly preparing the meal with MC Hyodong’s help. Tae, a big fan of comedians, was excitedly preparing the food.

“So, do you usually prepare the meals, Tae?”

“Yeah, my brother is completely useless in the kitchen.”

“Haha. You see? Being good-looking doesn’t mean you can cook.”

MC Hyodong, a 19-year veteran comedian, was surprised at how well he got along with Tae. It was unusual that Tae knew a program he had filmed ten years ago.

“I’m a fan of Park Kyungjin. I also like comedy shows.”

“Of course. People who like comedy are usually talented.”

“Haha.”

The kitchen was warm and friendly, unlike the living room where Taeju was being teased.

*

Despite the sudden variety show appearance, the dinner was surprisingly pleasant. The conversation topics were as varied as the number of people. However, they seemed to be considerate of the young homeowners and avoided controversial topics. They didn’t even ask why the brothers lived alone.

After dessert, including lemonade and apple pie, the three of them were filming the closing scene in the living room. Meanwhile, Tae, who had finished eating, was still in the kitchen, making something. Taeju, peeking in, saw him making sandwiches. The amount suggested he was preparing to treat the production team, who were filming late.

‘He’s really someone’s little brother.’

Taeju, watching Tae with a smile, prepared drinks for the production team. Tae’s lips curved into a smile when he saw his brother. One camera was capturing the two of them standing affectionately in the kitchen.

*

A sudden emergency meeting was held at the office due to Taeju’s unexpected variety show appearance. Baedongseok called Team Leader Woo to explain the situation. Team Leader Woo was shocked after hearing the detailed account.

Just a month after deciding to promote Taeju with a sophisticated and genius image, he appeared on a variety show, looking like a jobless resident and fumbling through the filming.

Team Leader Woo, who had already signed a contract with the “A Small Neighborhood Trip” production team, was still flabbergasted.

They had planned to build Taeju’s image as a wealthy young man, a genius producer, and other minor roles, but now it seemed they would have to start over.

“Have you heard? Actor Lee Taeju appeared on ‘A Small Neighborhood Trip’ with Actor Baedongseok. Out of the blue.”

“...”

Gyeonwoo turned his head slightly, feeling Team Leader Woo’s intense gaze. Although it wasn’t intentional, Taeju had caused them to redo their work.

“I don’t have anything to say since the contract is already signed. But we need to discuss how to handle things related to Actor Lee Taeju from now on.”

“When will the episode filmed yesterday air?”

“In two weeks.”

“Since I haven’t seen the footage, I don’t know what image will come out.”

“A jobless resident.”

Everyone in the meeting room fell silent. A new actor, who hadn’t even started his career properly, was about to appear on a variety show as a jobless resident.

“Should we push for a more approachable image?”

“He seemed a bit awkward.”

“Ugh. Why? With that face...”

Various suggestions were made, but no clear direction was set. They decided to wait and see how the editing would turn out before deciding on the promotion strategy and ended the meeting.

After the meeting, Team Leader Woo called Gyeonwoo to redo the audition list. There weren’t many filming opportunities before the busking shoot, but as a new actor, it would be good for Taeju to appear on set as much as possible over the next two months.

Gyeonwoo said he would discuss the audition list with Taeju and left the office. Behind him, Team Leader Woo was heard scolding Baedongseok’s manager harshly.

He had watched Baedongseok force Taeju to appear on the variety show. If he had contacted the company immediately when Taeju first appeared on camera, they could have responded better. Even if the actors forgot to contact the company, the manager should have. It was only natural that he was being reprimanded for neglecting his duties.