“There’s no job more genuine than acting. No amount of trickery will allow you to hide your skills. So you have to keep putting in an effort. I’m sure you’ve heard this many times before, but that’s the only way you can grow as an actor. What’s unfortunate is that actors who put in just as much effort don’t get their fair share of opportunities. It is a heartbreaking thing that good actors suffer from hardships in life.”
Park Hamin always thought of these words whenever she felt chaotic. She also thought about the face of the man who said those words to her whenever she reminded herself of those words; the face of Kang Giwoo who said each and every word with emphasis without looking away from her. She started off as an idol but failed without being able to have a proper debut, and so ‘Soul Entertainment’ was no different from her savior. They helped her lessen her guilty conscience and supported her so that she could proceed as an actress. She also got to meet Giwoo. Right now, she was even feeling glad that she had not become successful as an idol.
“Stay here before the shoot begins,” said a staff member while opening the door to the waiting room.
There were three people aside from her in the waiting room. One woman and two men. Hamin looked at the man sitting opposite her in detail. That man was Han Maru.
“This feels awkward,” said a man sitting by the door.
They introduced themselves briefly when they first gathered in the waiting room, but she had forgotten his name. She only remembered that his surname was Yoo. The woman sitting next to the mirror was surnamed Choi. She had heard that both of them had received attention for the film or dramas that they did. She and Han Maru were the same.
“That’s true. I never knew there would come a day when I would get to appear in an entertainment show. I really didn’t expect much.”
It was Miss Choi who had spoken. She had come wearing a one-piece dress with a deep v-neck. Hamin recalled the black blouse that her stylist showed her. She thought that maybe that would’ve been better since her collarbone would be shown if she undid the top button. She felt like she was losing in terms of outfit. Although actors spoke through skill and not body figures, today, it was not a drama but an entertainment show. She saw Mr. Yoo’s gaze land on Miss Choi’s cleavage before moving away. From his sly smile, it seemed that he wasn’t a man that she should associate herself with. Miss Choi was a problem as well. She could do her top button, but she did not, so she was practically asking for attention.
However, there was a man who was much worse than Mr. Yoo who peeked at other people’s breasts. Hamin looked at Han Maru.
-Maru was a good friend. We’ve been in the acting world together since we were young. But it looks like he doesn’t think of me as a friend. I really wasn’t going to tell this to anyone, but the fact that Maru received attention in Doctors is because I talked about him with the writer of Doctors. I told her to have a close look at Han Maru because he’s really good. There is nothing better than a friend doing well, so I even went so far while risking being seen as rude, and yet….
Giwoo stopped talking there, apologizing while saying that he shouldn’t have said anything. That was the first time Hamin had seen Giwoo smile so bitterly. She could instantly tell how much Giwoo cherished Maru as a friend.
She locked eyes with Maru. Hamin was inwardly startled, but she didn’t show it and looked away. He looked just like the type to disappoint the kind and generous Giwoo. Even his eyes were far from ordinary. Giwoo must’ve been hurt since he was a man who had such malicious-looking eyes. Giwoo didn’t say the specifics, but she could deduce everything through his speech and expression. Giwoo was betrayed by the man sitting in front of her. How hurt must he have been when he was backstabbed by a person he trusted? The fact that he hurriedly walked away after telling her all that might have been to hide his tears. Thinking about how Giwoo would be silently suffering, she began fuming inside. In order for good people, for people who put in the effort to receive good treatment, men like him must fix their attitude first.
“Do you have something to say to me?” Maru called out to her.
“No.”
She shook like a fool. When she thought that he was a man with a pitch-black nature, her lips trembled subconsciously. She inwardly counted numbers to calm herself down. She couldn’t step down here. She had two objectives for coming to this talk show today. One was to express her charm as Park Hamin that she wasn’t able to fully express in ‘Doctor’s Office’, and the other was to deal a blow to Maru, who was surely one of the most evil men in the world. She would take revenge for Giwoo fairly and squarely through her skills in this talk show. If Giwoo found out that she was having such thoughts, he would tell her to stop and that she must not do such a thing, but she wasn’t as kind as Giwoo. Giwoo was the type to accept a man even if he was struck a blow, but for her, she had to pay back her debts.
“It’s quite awkward here after all. You’re all nervous, aren’t you?”
Jay entered as he opened the door. Hamin smiled and greeted him. Whenever she was having a hard time because she failed to debut as an idol, she could smile again when watching the programs with Jay in them. He was an athlete, but he quit due to an accident and returned to the TV as an entertainer and became hugely successful. Looking at his life allowed her to gain some energy.
“Have you talked to each other? It’ll be really hard to speak if you go into the studio in a stiff atmosphere.”
He was a proficient TV personality indeed. When Jay talked to Miss Choi and Mr. Yoo, the silent waiting room became lively in an instant.
“I’ve observed you a lot when I watched Doctor’s Office, Miss Park Hamin. Your acting is one thing, but you also have a great smile. Looking at you makes me feel energetic.”
“Really? I’ve never heard anyone say that to me before.”
“You’ll hear it a lot in the future. If you’d allow me to boast a little, you know that there are many actors who’ve gained momentum after appearing in Chatterbox, right? That might be you, Miss Park Hamin. Of course, the same goes for the rest of you as well.”
Mr. Yoo and Miss Choi waved their hands in dismissal, saying that it was too early for them. Hamin looked at Han Maru’s reaction. He was listening indifferently like he was listening to a lecture in college. People should react to other people if they try to liven up the mood, so she thought that he was a self-centered person to the bone from his lack of reaction. He might even be selfish.
“You are Mr. Han Maru, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I might be hated by Miss Hamin who’s competing with you on the same time slot, but honestly, I was deeply impressed by the latest episode of Doctors. I really don’t use the word ‘impressed’ a lot, but I couldn’t find a better word to describe this episode. I experienced those kinds of things when I was still an athlete. The lineup was decided on seniority, not skill. I thought about those days while watching the drama, and it made me angry, so I applauded at the end when you got a bit of revenge. The character you played was Bigfoot, right? I could feel your experience when you talked to the director’s daughter in Thursday’s episode. You’re so amazing despite being so young.”
“I was just lucky. The writer was good at writing. Also, if it’s about being amazing, you’re even more amazing. You received the greatest prizes at both RBS and YBS last year as a male host. Receiving two such prizes at the same time is more amazing than someone like me. Thanks to you, I’ve been enjoying Chatterbox as well.”
Jay took interest in Maru’s words.
“We haven’t started the show yet, so let’s be honest. Have you really watched Chatterbox that much? You can be honest while we’re still here.”
“I can’t say I’m an avid watcher, but I’ve seen a fair amount.”
“If you put it like that, I will have to check on you. May I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“Since you said you watched a fair amount, you must have seen last month’s episodes, right?”
“That I did. Starting from the first week, the themes were big eaters, big drinkers, sisters, and then peculiar hobbies, right?”
Maru said the order of the shows without even being asked to. Since Jay was just about to ask, he applauded instead.
“Well, it looks like there’s no need to check at all. Even I get the order of episodes mixed up at times, but if you can remember all that, you can be considered an avid watcher.”
“The episode where you came out wearing a bow tie and blew out a candle by blowing through your nose was so interesting that it made me look up the previous episodes and watch them as well.”
“That happened quite early on. I remember that candle incident. I remember burning a few of my nose hairs.”
“I thought that would be the case.”
The two of them got along as though they were long-time friends. The person who didn’t speak a word when he came to the waiting room moved his mouth like a machine when in front of the host. It was suspicious that he was actually an avid watcher of Chatterbox, and that pretentious-looking smile was even more suspicious. She only found it pitiful that Jay, an entertainer she liked, was being fooled by Maru’s tongue.
“Are there any other watchers of Chatterbox?”
Mr. Yoo and Miss Choi replied with dry smiles. Hamin also stayed quiet. He had seen other programs that Jay appeared in, but she had not watched Chatterbox. She had come across it while switching channels, but she found talk shows boring and soon lost interest.
“Looks like I should try harder. But since you’re here, please do watch the episode you are all in. If you have a people meter at home, then that’s all the more reason to watch it. Please raise our views a little.”
It wouldn’t be strange if the situation became awkward, but thanks to Jay’s fluent talking skills, the mood became lively again.
“You just have to do this during the show as well. Also, Mr. Maru, once we’re in the shoot, can I ask you the same question as well? That kind of memorization skill can be interesting from time to time.”
“Anytime you want.”
“Then I’ll ask you. Get some rest for now. We’ll begin soon.”
Jay left and closed the door. Mr. Yoo and Miss Choi took out their phones at the same time. Although she couldn’t see their screens, they seemed to be investigating Chatterbox. Hamin’s fingers itched, but she held back. Shows were supposed to be done honestly. Investigating lightly wouldn’t make them cool at all. Maru also took out his phone. Hamin stood up and checked his phone while pretending to look in the mirror. The texts that quickly scrolled up were all about Chatterbox. Looking at the text that looked like exam revision materials, she felt absurd and angry at the same time. It was a lie that he was an avid watcher after all. He was full of pretense.
“I believe that TV shows should be candid.”
She found him so spiteful that she ended up blurting what was on her mind. Miss Choi and Mr. Yoo all stared at her. Hamin curled up her toes. It must have looked very strange. She felt so embarrassed that she couldn’t look them in the face.
“I was just talking to myself. Sorry.”
She apologized before she got misunderstood. Mr. Yoo looked at her before shaking his head and going back to his phone. He must be thinking that she was a peculiar woman. Miss Choi definitely seemed to think that she was but an immature girl. She was a minor character in a drama, but she came here to be a main character, but it seemed that she had screwed up from the beginning. There was a need to reorganize herself. She would be able to receive acknowledgement as long as she did what she did properly without minding what kind of cheating other people did. Both her agency and Giwoo said that to her after all.
“You’re right, TV shows should be candid,” Maru said just as she was about to sit back down.
To her, that sounded like mockery. It also seemed like he was picking a fight with her. Hamin resolved that she would show her true value during the real deal. The stories she had prepared were interesting and fun without having to exaggerate or use petty tricks. It would be hard to receive attention by just reciting some info related to the show.
