“…Senior. I mean, it’s Jung Sungha-sunbae.”
He added the words in a low voice, as if admitting defeat.
“Sungha’s acting skills are undeniably top-tier. Now that the late actor Lee Jaejun has passed, he’s at the peak of his career. You could say he’s hit his second prime.”
Ki Taehun nodded.
Even when Lee Jaejun was alive, Jung Sungha’s acting was nothing short of elite.
Back then, they were rivals of equal caliber.
Still, both were considered top-tier actors in Korea, so comparisons felt meaningless.
“Alright, let’s start the analysis. Which scene did you think actress Park Gayun performed well in?”
“I… really liked the later scene where she pretended not to know Sujin and showed kindness. The sadness in her performance really stood out to me.”
“Hmm… That sounds like a general viewer’s opinion. Let’s take a more technical approach.”
“Y-Yes, of course. That makes sense. That was shallow of me.”
Gayun had given up on trying to change Taehun’s standards and just accepted his style.
She recited the kind of answer she thought he wanted.
But Taehun was relentless.
He kept asking deeper and deeper questions.
At first, he focused only on the movie itself.
But eventually, he asked what she thought defined Jung Sungha’s unique acting style.
Still, Gayun was no slouch—she was one of the more skilled actors.
Today, she was simply off her game thanks to Taehun’s erratic behavior.
She managed to give thoughtful answers to everything, and once he was satisfied, Taehun thought: ‘As expected, Sungha… You’ve grown again.’
He missed those days when they worked side-by-side, pushing each other to grow.
While he was watching the movie, he found himself admiring Sungha’s acting, but also reminiscing about the past.
A time they could never go back to.
“What did you think about the final scene, where Sujin doesn’t recognize Chaehyuk and cries as she delivers her lines?”
Just when Gayun thought the questioning had ended, Taehun launched another wave.
She pressed her lips together.
‘Is he seriously obsessed with acting?’
She’d been barely keeping up so far, but this was her limit.
“It was good. There was a lot to learn from it. But more than that, I think we should get going now. The cleaning staff’s already coming in.”
Even after the credits had rolled and the theater lights turned on, the two hadn’t budged from their seats.
Now, the cleaning staff were glancing at them.
Gayun, wearing a cap pulled low, spoke.
“Let’s head out.”
As Park Gayun tugged on Taehun’s arm and led him out of the theater—
***
Click!
From a distance, someone pressed the shutter button on their camera and smiled with satisfaction.
“Finally got a scoop. Park Gayun’s weekend movie date!”
The man taking multiple photos of the couple from behind was none other than entertainment reporter Yoon Yeonho from Didospatch.
“That’s Tiamax’s Ki Taehun, isn’t it?”
Yoon had been covering entertainment for a long time, but this was the first time he saw a celebrity in person and didn’t immediately recognize them.
He didn’t know the name, but it was obvious from a glance that the guy was a celebrity.
He’d received a tip from another reporter that the man looked like Ki Taehun, and was just about to look him up.
“He’s handsome… So why isn’t he popular?”
The confusion only lasted a moment.
Yoon searched Ki Taehun’s name and came across some idol performances and videos of him being criticized for bad acting.
Only then did he nod.
“Oh, he’s just awful at acting.”
‘Was he just trying to get into acting because of his looks?’
Yoon Yeonho began writing the article right away.
***
[Exclusive] Who Was Park Gayun’s Movie Date On Her Day Off? ♥
[Actress Park Gayun was spotted watching the film White in My Head at the theater over the weekend with none other than Tiamax’s ex-member and so-called “terrible actor idol,” Ki Taehun.]
[In the released photo, Park Gayun is wearing a blue cap, sunglasses, and a mask.]
[Seated next to her was Ki Taehun, dressed in a classic white short-sleeve shirt and black pants, staying close by her side.]
[Even after the movie ended, the two were seen deep in conversation, spending quality time together.]
[According to her agency, Park Gayun is currently playing the lead female role in KBC’s upcoming drama Butter Campus.]
[Meanwhile, the boy group Tiamax disbanded earlier this year, and Ki Taehun has been facing backlash from his infamous acting scandals without recovering his reputation.]
Yoon Yeonho scrolled through the finished article, satisfied.
Before long, it climbed the trending entertainment news charts.
‘Sweet, the traffic’s rolling in.’
He’d been trailing Park Gayun for almost two months.
Just when he was about to give up, this golden scoop dropped into his lap.
***
KBC Broadcasting Station
Writer Go Eunjeong shut her laptop and rubbed her face with both hands.
Out of nowhere, a scandal had broken out involving two of her drama’s cast members.
She had felt something off at the afterparty following the first script reading, but she never expected a scandal to erupt this soon.
“PD Choi, what do we do about our drama? Have you seen the article?”
“Huh? What article? Is it a good one?”
Go Eunjeong let out a sigh.
“Pull yourself together. It’s not good news—it’s hot gossip. A full-on scandal. I’ll send you the link. Read it.”
“Let’s see… Park Gayun and our actor Ki? Should I be congratulating someone, then?”
“That’s not the point! The drama hasn’t even aired yet and the comment section is already a war zone. This isn’t the kind of publicity I wanted. Now when people search ‘Butter Campus,’ all that comes up are dating rumors.”
“What kind of comments are people leaving?”
[Netizen Comments]:
ㄴ [Ki Taehun only got the sub-lead thanks to Park Gayun’s influence?]
ㄴ [He has zero acting skills and no shame. He should quit.]
ㄴ [Is he still trying to act? Seriously?]
ㄴ [Honestly, the broadcasting station is worse for giving him a role lol.]
ㄴ [LMAO KBC’s lost their minds. Where is my license fee going?]
ㄴ [Quiz time: Who’s the real villain here?]
ㄴ [Park Gayun pushing Ki Taehun]
ㄴ [Ki Taehun shamelessly accepting the lead role]
ㄴ [Lee Chaehyuk who’s just sleeping through it all]
ㄴ [DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH OUR CHAEHYUK]
ㄴ [Guess Go Eunjeong’s writing days are numbered now]
ㄴ [Clearly lost her touch]
ㄴ [Gayun please, I beg you, stop this ㅠㅠ]
ㄴ [But seriously, are you guys still going to watch this drama?]
ㄴ [Why would anyone watch this mess?]
ㄴ [Why not ask nicely instead of being a jerk?]
ㄴ [Is that really Ki Taehun in the photo?]
ㄴ [Even my dog could act better than Ki Taehun. Like this if you agree.]
ㄴ [Time to bury this show lol]
ㄴ [Putting him as the lead is the worst misstep lmao]
ㄴ [Like this if you think it’ll get canceled early]
***
The comments came flooding in without mercy.
“What should we do, PD-nim?”
Go Eunjeong looked genuinely troubled.
But unlike her, Director Choi had a smile on his face.
“What do you mean ‘what do we do’? This is great. It’s a blessing in disguise!”
“What? But there are already so many mocking comments!”
“Exactly. That’s a good thing. People like us in broadcasting survive on public attention.”
“There might be some noise due to the scandal for a while, but usually we’d have to blast a megaphone to get this kind of attention. With this much buzz, the premiere will be no problem.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I’m telling you—it’ll work. As long as we get good viewership for the first episode, there’s no reason for the project, direction, or cast to fail.”
PD Choi gave a thumbs-up to the rest of the production staff.
Only Go Eunjeong remained skeptical.
In Choi’s eyes, a rare spark appeared.
That day, Go Eunjeong recalled a man obsessed with ratings.
***
As always, Ki Taehun was mumbling through his lines. At this point, he had internalized even the stage directions, never letting a single facial expression go to waste.
And he was doing all of this without a script.
By now, he could perform any scene, any role, any line—flawlessly and from memory.
He was at the stage where a nudge would have him reciting lines without hesitation.
Most actors would wrap up practice once they reached this level.
He could start filming right now and have no issues whatsoever.
But Taehun wasn’t satisfied.
‘If I dig deeper into the emotions, I can deliver an even more perfect performance.’
His mind was completely immersed in Butter Campus.
The voices and performances of the actors he practiced with during the script reading kept replaying in his head.
What finally stopped his long practice session was—
[You should think about your condition too…]
“Ever since I chose that stamina trait, I don’t get tired anymore.”
[But you must be hungry.]
He looked out the window and saw that the sun had already set.
“What? It’s this late already?”
Like a switch had flipped, hunger suddenly kicked in.
He hadn’t even realized how hungry he was while reciting lines nonstop.
Taehun set a pot of water on the stove and turned on his phone to check the time.
[63 missed calls]
[217 unread messages]
“Hah. Did someone leak my info or what? At this point, should I just change my number?”
Unaware of the scandal erupting outside, Taehun was suspecting Gayun instead.
***
The long-awaited first day of shooting for Butter Campus.
Filming began at Gyeongguk University, a campus famous among students for its beautiful scenery.
Ducks drifted leisurely across the campus lake, and a gentle spring breeze rippled the surface with warm air.
A banner asking for understanding regarding the shoot was put up at the university entrance.
The crew moved busily, determined to ensure a smooth start.
“Are we managing the filming location properly?”
“Yes, we got the school’s approval, and since it’s the weekend, things should go smoothly.”
“Give me the script.”
“Yes, here it is!”
Amid the hustle and bustle of the set, an unexpected figure appeared.
It was Ki Taehun.
“Huh? Taehun? You don’t have a shoot today, right? What brings you here?”
PD Choi was pleased but puzzled.
Taehun’s character, Kyungjun, didn’t even appear until episode 3 of Butter Campus.
Of course, filming wasn’t always done in episode order.
Shooting chronologically has the benefit of helping actors build up emotions gradually, but it’s not cost-efficient.
Taking that into account, PD Choi had insisted that only the first shoot follow the story order.
Since Butter Campus begins from the perspective of the protagonist Yeonhee, played by Park Gayun, the male lead Sigyung also appears later.
Naturally, Kyungjun—Taehun’s character and the second male lead—appears even later.
So it was odd for Ki Taehun to show up when he wasn’t scheduled to shoot.
They had become a bit more comfortable with each other after a team dinner, so Choi had started speaking casually.
Taehun didn’t mind.
“Director Choi, good to see you. I was wondering—if it’s okay, can I just watch from the side without getting in the way?”
“Of course. You can watch all you want, but… I am curious—why?”
Taehun scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“Well, it’s like… I’m on the same ship as the great captain here, so I wanted to be part of our maiden voyage, you know?”
Choi knew he was exaggerating for effect, but he couldn’t help but smile.
If someone without talent had said that, it might’ve come off as flattery—or even annoying.
But this guy was different.
To Choi, it felt more like Taehun was evaluating the leadership of the person he’d be entrusting himself to.
And from the director’s point of view, Taehun’s presence wasn’t a disturbance—it was motivation.
Even if it did add a bit of pressure.
At the script reading, it was Taehun’s performance that had triggered a chain reaction, igniting the fire in all the other actors.
“This is gonna make me feel pressured to do even better today.”
“That means you’re just going to do what you always do, right?”
Taehun joked, and PD Choi laughed heartily.
“Taehun, you’re like an old martial arts master reborn. It’s like there’s a 20-year veteran actor living inside your body.”
It was meant as a joke, but…
“Well then, I’ll just quietly watch from over there, Captain!”
‘Was he a mind-reader or something?’ Feeling slightly guilty, Taehun snapped a salute and quickly stepped away.