Chapter 51 : I’m a Living Actor (51)

“Was I the only one who wanted to go? You wanted to go too, didn’t you!”

“Who said that? But I didn’t just skip over that part and only talk about cheering, did I?”

I looked at the two of them quietly and then glanced at the list of questions. The first page had common questions listed.

Q. How did you feel when you were first cast in the drama?

Q. Is there a moment during filming that stands out the most?

Q. Was there a moment during filming that was particularly difficult?

They were all typical, ordinary questions. I was about to turn the page when my eyes caught one more question that pulled my attention.

Q. Were there moments during filming when you felt grateful to each other or received help?

“Ha, seriously, Seo Sangwoo is so childish, I can’t hang out with him.”

“Oh, who asked you to hang out with me? Honestly, I have more fun hanging out with hyung anyway.”

I silently watched the two same-age guys busy bickering.

Maybe they felt my gaze because their eyes shifted slyly toward me.

“Uh… we were too loud, right?”

“Hahaha…”

Their faces, showing awkward and shy emotions, looked so innocent.

Seo Sangwoo was just starting his working life, so that was natural, but Lee Choi, who had been a child actor since young, wasn’t much different.

Still, both were adults now, so when the press conference began, they’d don the appropriate mask of professionalism and do well. But…

‘Yoo Chaemin is hated by the public far more than these two realize.’

Living as Yoo Chaemin, learning about him meant facing countless criticisms and insults.

Honestly, it was a bit surprising. Criticism for poor acting was understandable, but there was something much bigger lurking behind it all.

Harsh insults targeting Yoo Chaemin’s personality—or rather, his very existence.

The moment I looked into it, I found it filled with shocking stories that made me question if they were even true.

Just a little searching and it was easier than expected to find.

I wondered if Yoo Chaemin had caused some major scandal in the past, but no matter how much I searched, nothing came up.

There were no reports on the social pages, and aside from quickly debunked rumors, there wasn’t even the common dating rumor.

For reasons I didn’t know, Yoo Chaemin was hated so intensely that it was hard to understand.

Either way, public perception of Yoo Chaemin hadn’t improved in the slightest. When the drama teaser was released, some said things seemed a bit different this time, but those were only a tiny minority.

Even those were often followed by accusations of viral marketing or claims that Yoo Chaemin’s fans were still stubbornly alive.

It wasn’t just his bad acting—rumors about Yoo Chaemin’s bad personality were also fueling the backlash.

If those two got quoted saying they received help from me, either acting-wise or otherwise, it would stir up some noise online.

‘This drama might bring a slight change in perception. So…’

Before that, it was better not to give them any reason to build prejudice or controversy.

“By the way, have you thought about how you’ll answer this question?”

I pointed at the question. Lee Choi and Seo Sangwoo glanced over the list briefly and answered right away.

“We have to talk about hyung, of course.”

“We have to talk about oppa.”

Just as I suspected. I gave an awkward smile and cautiously spoke.

“Can I ask a favor?”

They looked at me expectantly, as if ready to say anything.

“If you get asked this question, could you please not talk about me?”

“What do you mean…”

Seo Sangwoo was about to answer immediately but stopped himself.

Lee Choi also looked upset and glanced at both me and Seo Sangwoo before slowly nodding.

Today’s press conference was held at a hotel located in Yeongdeungpo District.

A fair number of reporters and audience members gathered in the hall. After a photo session, the press conference officially began.

“Hello! I’m Lee Yurim, the MC for today’s press conference!”

The MC, dressed stylishly in a suit reminiscent of a school uniform, called out.

I had met her before as an MC at other events, and she still showcased excellent hosting skills.

“This drama is based on a webtoon, which was already extremely popular, right? I heard that the drama perfectly captures the original’s charm while adding its own unique appeal. What do the actors think is the charm of ?”

This was a question all three were scheduled to answer.

After all three grabbed their microphones and exchanged glances, Lee Yurim gave me a gesture to go first.

At that moment, the atmosphere inside the hall strangely dropped.

Even the usual background noises disappeared, and I could feel most eyes turning to me.

A cold silence. Not intentional, but it clearly showed how the public perceived ‘Yoo Chaemin’ as an actor.

‘…It’s like this, huh.’

Despite how surprising the level of hatred toward Yoo Chaemin was, handling these looks wasn’t that hard.

I lifted my head slightly, which had been lowered. At that moment, Seo Sangwoo lightly tapped my shoulder. When I glanced at him, he gave a small smile.

Then he subtly gestured toward Lee Choi. Looking briefly, I saw her silently mouthing ‘Fighting.’

They seemed to have caught on to the atmosphere surrounding Yoo Chaemin. Well, it was hard not to notice at this point.

I gave a faint smile to both of them and spoke.

“First… I guess it’s about youth.”

My firm voice echoed through the room and reached my own ears.

Yoo Chaemin’s voice, which I thought I was quite used to, felt a little unfamiliar at that moment. Was this really a sound his vocal cords could make?

There was a strange murmur in the audience, but it naturally quieted down as the MC continued.

“This question can’t be missed either! Were there moments during filming when you felt grateful or received help from each other?”

It was a question that had to come up.

Fortunately, Lee Choi took the lead and named Seo Sangwoo. The atmosphere heated up briefly over a special episode between the two, who didn’t have much connection in the story.

Just as I thought we’d get past the question, Seo Sangwoo said, “But…” and started.

“Ah, yes. Sangwoo!”

“In fact, there’s no need to say who helped whom because the three of us helped each other throughout filming. We even did script studies together.”

Script study. There was no prior talk about whether to mention this or not.

‘We did do that.’

A memory from last summer, which I had briefly buried, suddenly came to mind.

“That’s right, Chaemin hyung? Oh, no, I’m sorry. That’s right, Chaemin-ssi?”

Damn, I think that was a deliberate slip.

Lee Yurim burst out laughing at Seo Sangwoo’s ‘Chaemin hyung.’

“You three must have really become close.”

“Haha. It’s just that calling him ‘hyung’ got stuck in my mouth… I should use the proper terms at these events. Sorry, this is my first press conference, so I’m a bit clumsy.”

Seo Sangwoo’s smooth response made the MC and audience laugh.

‘That guy…’

When I looked at Seo Sangwoo, he smiled innocently like a happy puppy.

It was exactly the kind of look that said, “We’re close, isn’t that something?”

‘Yeah. I never said that outright…’

This was one thing even I wasn’t sure about.

“So, you three actually did script studies together?”

The MC seemed interested and asked a follow-up.

“Yes. We met at our company, sometimes at cafes… or even in corners of the filming site.”

“Really? The filming atmosphere must have been very warm then. Right, director?”

The MC’s question naturally turned to Director Choi Younghwan.

He had been looking happily at the actors the whole time and took the microphone as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Of course. Chaemin-ssi, Sangwoo-ssi, Choi-ssi, the three of them worked closely without exception, and it was such a wonderful sight. When one person was having a hard time, the other two took care of them.”

Director Choi paused for a moment and looked at me.

“Especially Chaemin-ssi kept the team centered. He cared for everyone and always approached filming with sincerity.”

“That’s right. Chaemin-ssi was the first to arrive on set among the actors.”

Seo Sangwoo eagerly added. I almost poked his side but stopped myself.

‘Yeah… a diligent image probably won’t draw much criticism.’

There might be people who say it’s all an act, or that no matter how diligent he is, what good is it if he can’t act?

Even if most reacted like that, some might see it positively.

“……”

Still, it felt like carefully chosen praise considering Yoo Chaemin’s situation.

I watched Seo Sangwoo sincerely recount Yoo Chaemin’s diligence and glanced at Director Choi Younghwan.

When our eyes met, I bowed my head cautiously. He smiled lightly, as if to say there was no need to make a big deal out of it.

[Photo] Press Conference Highlights

[Lee Choi: “I learned a lot from Yoo Chaemin’s diligence”]

[Rookie Seo Sangwoo’s first-ever press conference… “Everything was such a fascinating experience”]

[Yoo Chaemin: “Last summer will be an unforgettable memory”]

[Director Choi Younghwan of : “The three leads were like the Three Musketeers; the filming atmosphere was great”]

After the press conference ended, related articles were published.

In fact, unless the actors are extremely popular or the drama highly anticipated, press conferences rarely draw much attention.

However, there was an exception—Yoo Chaemin, who was filming again despite being known for bad acting.

Some people who came to stir controversy by posting articles about Yoo Chaemin were quite taken aback.

The articles this time had a very different tone from previous press conferences of Yoo Chaemin’s works.

‘Too weak, huh?’

It was obvious they wouldn’t attract attention or gather many comments with this.

In the end, this press conference article received little attention and was mostly copy-pasted onto entertainment forums.

• What’s going on, are they finally managing Yoo Chaemin’s image?
• Watched a short clip, atmosphere looked good? Maybe they had fun filming.
• Seo Sangwoo? He’s a rookie but handsome. Seems like he’s a bit of a golden retriever type. Couldn’t hide that he liked Yoo Chaemin lol.
• Yep, obvious viral marketing, right?

Only a few trivial comments appeared.

But even inside them, signs of change were slowly sprouting.