03

    Step Three

    :: Beginning the Filming Part I ::

    Dong Hyunin sat at his dining table, looking at the three pieces of cake he had just arranged on a plate. Earlier, he had received a call from his secretary team informing him that there were urgent documents that needed his signature at the office. He had put the sweets away in his room before heading to the office.

    Clearing the work took almost four hours, and by the time he returned to his room, it was already 9 PM. He had forgotten about dinner, vaguely remembering his head secretary asking if he wanted any food before the end of the workday. At that time, he was too busy to care and declined.

    Now, feeling hungry, he recalled the three pieces of cake in the fridge. As he stared at them, his thoughts drifted to the person who had given him the sweets.

    "Weird guy."

    He knew that the applicant must have recognized him. Even though he wore dark sunglasses, they didn't conceal his face. If the applicant had done his homework, he would have known that Dong Hyunin was the president of SKM Ent., the very company he had auditioned for in the Star Fight program. He probably received the acceptance letter today.

    If it had been someone else meeting him, they probably would have flattered him and introduced themselves more formally. Or maybe... could these three pieces of cake be a bribe for the company president?

    Ding-dong.

    The sound of the doorbell snapped him out of his reverie. He glanced at the door, deliberating for a moment before deciding to put the plate of sweets back in the fridge.

    He didn’t know who was at the door, but he wasn’t going to share those three pieces of cake. When he checked the intercom, he sighed and rubbed his temples before walking to let the troublesome visitor in.

    Click.

    "What is it?" he asked coldly, addressing the late-night visitor.

    "Brother, oh brother..." Im Kureum threw himself into his cousin's arms as soon as the door opened. With a height difference of almost ten centimeters, Kureum's face fit perfectly into Hyunin’s shoulder.

    "Heartbroken again?" Hyunin raised an eyebrow, trying to push his younger cousin away, but the latter clung to him like an octopus. No matter how much he tried to pry him off, it was futile, so he stepped back and closed the door.

    "Don't say that, brother," Kureum sobbed, though it was obvious he was faking.

    "Who's the latest heartbreak? Does Uncle know?" By "Uncle," he meant Im Heewoo, the main producer of the Star Fight program.

    "Ah, my heartbreak is minor. But do you know the real reason I got dumped? It’s because Dad told my girlfriend that I’m about to get engaged!" At this point, Kureum, who had been faking tears, started to feel like crying for real.

    "Well, that's good. You'll have a stable family and stop drifting around. Besides, wasn't that girlfriend of yours just for show anyway?" They were both benefiting from the relationship, without genuine feelings from the start.

    "Brother," Im Kureum's voice wavered as he pouted. "You know I like men. How can I get engaged to a woman?" It would be a disaster! What if he got struck by lightning for breaking tradition?

    "I’ve already told you to tell your dad directly," Hyunin replied. His uncle didn’t know, which was why he kept trying to arrange a fiancée for Kureum. He just thought his son was a playboy constantly changing partners, not realizing it was all a facade. All the women seen or mentioned in the news were hired.

    "Tell Dad and get smacked on the head? I’m his only son, and I’m only 20 years old," Kureum protested. He hadn’t even started to pursue his dreams.

    "I’m an only son too," Dong Hyunin retorted with a deadpan expression.

    "But you're not gay."

    "And who said I wasn’t?" He had never said that.

    "Huh? Wait a minute..." His younger cousin, about to continue his rant, froze, looking up at the taller man with wide eyes. "Are you serious?" He hoped Hyunin wasn’t just trying to make him feel better.

    "Do you think I'd joke about this?" Hyunin pushed his younger cousin away forcefully and led him to the living room.

    "Wow, you really shocked me," Im Kureum chose a single sofa not far from Hyunin. He looked his cousin up and down multiple times, still seeing the same cool Dong Hyunin, but now with an added aura of familiarity.

    Who would have guessed...

    "So... did Aunt and Uncle know?" Though they were no longer around, Kureum was curious about their reaction to having a gay son. Would it be like the dramas he feared?

    "They knew," Hyunin nodded.

    "Did they say anything to you?"

    "Not really. Since I grew up abroad, they weren't too surprised when I told them." Actually….his mother had fainted from the shock, but no one scolded him. They just advised him to choose his partners wisely and not settle down with someone frivolous.

    "That’s great... Maybe I should tell Dad too," Contemplating the risk of getting a few bruises in exchange for avoiding an arranged marriage.

    Uh... he might end up in an even worse situation.

    "Uncle's busy with the Star Fight show right now. If you want to tell him, do it before the filming starts. Don’t tell him during the shoot. If problems arise, it could affect everything." This show involved a significant financial investment, and he didn’t want any risky factors delaying the production.

    "When does filming start, bro?" Kureum asked, suddenly showing a suspiciously keen interest in the upcoming production.

    "In two weeks," Hyunin replied, observing his cousin’s subtle change in demeanor. Seeing nothing more, he continued discussing the filming schedule.

    It wouldn’t be until the show had already filmed its third episode that President Dong would understand the reason behind his cousin’s behavior that day.

    "That's so soon... I don't have time to prepare myself!" Kureum exclaimed, jumping up in alarm. It was too close for comfort!

    "What do you need to prepare for? Half a month is more than enough time." There was plenty of time, even.

    "It's not something you can just blurt out, you know," Kureum argued. Coming out to family wasn’t easy! If he did it at the wrong time, there could be serious fallout. Besides, he had other important matters to attend to.

    "Then wait until after the show wraps up in about three months."

    "Brother, please, can you talk to him for me?" Kureum pleaded, blinking his eyes in a show of helplessness.

    "That’s... your issue to handle," He had no more advice to offer.

    "Brotherrrrr..."

    ...

    Jacan agreed to rent Choi Taeyong's apartment for a month since the show had contacted him, stating that he would need to join the first episode filming in two weeks. He had to prepare his own wardrobe, makeup, and hair as the show wouldn’t provide a stylist.

    Additionally, he needed to prepare a performance for the evaluation round in the show, with a two-minute limit per person, and there would be no group performances.

    The show also included rules for living in the apartment during filming, such as no weapons or sharp objects, no fighting, no drugs or cigarettes, and no bringing high-value items.

    [How’s the new place? Is it livable?] Han Shinsu worried about his younger brother so she called to check on him after he moved out to the condo, not even a full day yet.

    “I’m fine, sis. I decided to rent it because I knew I could live here. Don’t worry.”

    [So, did you run into President Dong again?] When she heard that it was the president of SKM Ent. who showed him the room instead of Choi Taeyong, she was deeply shocked.

    The same President Dong, whom all their business partners feared, was showing her brother around the apartment like a real estate agent—it was hard for her to believe.

    "How could there be such a coincidence?" Jacan shook his head, grabbing his wallet and key card, ready to explore the area around the condo to see what might be interesting.

    [You never know, I've heard people gossiping that President Dong is gay. Maybe he has a crush on you,] Han Shinsu teased.

    "That's just nonsense. Where did you hear that?" Jacan frowned, pressing the elevator button for the ground floor.

    [On set. They said he doesn't hide it,] she replied.

    "Really?" Jacan thought back to the president he had met the other day. Even though he was gay, he seemed oblivious to who else might be in the same community.

    "By the way... is it more open here nowadays?" If it were in the past, there would have been a ban already.

    [It's improved a bit, but some groups still hold onto their prejudices.]

    "That's a lot better than before," Jacan sighed. Seeing the elevator numbers approaching the ground floor, he added, "I'll hang up now, sis. I'm going out to get some dinner."

    [Okay. If anything comes up, call me. If you can't reach me, call my manager,] she advised.

    "Roger that, sis." Jacan hung up the phone and looked around, unsure of where to start exploring the area around his new place.

    "If I go by the superstition about twitching eyes, it should be... 'right bad, left good,'" he thought, turning to walk left.

    Plak!

    But after only a few steps, he collided with a wall of muscle.

    "Ouch, sorry!" Luckily, Jacan was someone who worked out; if he had been frail, he would have ended up on the ground for sure.

    "Oh, Mr. Dong?" What was he doing here?

    ...[So, did you run into President Dong again?]

    ..."How could there be such a coincidence?"

    There really was a coincidence! He had just talked to his sister, and now he ran into the president himself.

    ...

    "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" President Dong had noticed Jacan standing in front of the condo and had been contemplating whether to greet him or not.

    He thought about walking past, considering his position meant he shouldn't be seen mingling with contestants to avoid future accusations if Jacan made it to the final rounds. But who could have predicted that Jacan would turn so suddenly?

    "No, I'm fine. Sorry again for being so clumsy," Jacan apologized, thinking, of all people to bump into, why did it have to be his potential future boss?

    "Alright. Excuse me," Dong Hyunin decided not to prolong the conversation, despite his heart fluttering each time they met.

    The president walked into the condo without looking back. Another secret about the stoic President Dong was that even though he was gay, his upbringing outside his homeland meant his type didn't typically include Asian men.

    He liked small, cute Western guys, which were rare in his social circles; they were either buff with muscles like boulders or extremely tall.

    When he saw Jacan's introduction video, it felt like Cupid's arrow had struck. Jacan was exactly his type.

    But pursuing him now was impossible because Jacan was a contestant in a competition where his company was the main sponsor. If word got out that he had a special liking for Jacan, people would definitely question the fairness of the results.

    Moreover, given Jacan's genuine talent, he was likely to make it to the later rounds, which would only amplify any potential backlash.

    Many artists had seen their careers ruined by rumors spread by people who had never even met them. He didn't want Jacan to be treated unfairly when he had done nothing wrong.

    Since the person he liked wanted to be an artist, he decided to wait patiently. When Jacan was ready for a relationship, he would make his move. His gaydar had never failed him—Jacan had to be gay.

    Jacan saw out of the corner of his eye that Dong Hyunin walked into the same condominium he had just left, meaning the man lived there too.

    Today, Dong Hyunin wasn't wearing sunglasses like the first time they met, and his handsome features struck Jacan even more.

    His sister had said Dong Hyunin was gay, but it was hard to tell just by looking at him.

    .          ..

    Jacan spent the two weeks before the first recording preparing his performance for the evaluation round. The first episode was crucial, often creating a love-at-first-sight moment between the artists and the fans.

    The most attention-grabbing debuts were those where the performer maximized their physical appearance. This kind of show never lacked handsome participants, but those with a special aura were extremely rare. Therefore, Jacan needed to find a way to bring out that special aura in his performance.

    And he couldn't practice too intensely without taking breaks. He needed time to rest and take care of himself. If he showed up to the first taping with a worn-out face, no matter how good his performance was, dark circles that required heavy concealer, a face covered in makeup, or even a pimple or two that sapped his confidence could lead to a low evaluation.

    Thud, thud, thud.

    "How was it, Sister Shinsu?" Jacan, looking up at his impromptu evaluator for feedback.

    "Do you want me to be honest or just comfort you?" Han Shinsu's face remained expressionless as she scrutinized her former duet partner's performance.

    "If it's really bad, just be honest," Jacan said, pursing his lips but maintaining eye contact with his beautiful older sister, ready to accept any criticism. Although he hadn't completely abandoned music over the past two years, he hadn't practiced as rigorously as he had when he was a full-time singer.

    It wouldn't be surprising if his skills had declined somewhat.

    "I won't comment on your singing technique or anything like that. I just want to ask one question... Are you putting too much pressure on yourself, Jay?"

    "I'm not... Actually, I might be too stressed," Jacan started to deny it, then stopped, clenching his fists and looking down at his slightly trembling hands. When had it started to be like this?

    "At least you realize it," Han Shinsu said, folding her arms and exhaling loudly through her nose. "Are you... afraid of the stage?"

    "I'm not afraid of the stage, just... afraid that no one will accept me," Jacan admitted, voicing his fears of not being accepted for his abilities, his appearance, or anything that defined him.

    "Oh, my dear," she stood up and pulled her younger brother, who was nearly her height, into a comforting hug. She regretted not opposing the decision to have him wear a mask on stage back then. She had been too focused on ensuring his debut, not realizing it would leave a wound that was hard to heal even now.

    "I need a bit more time. And you shouldn't blame yourself. I didn't oppose the decision back then because I also wanted to debut as soon as possible," Jacan reassured her. Neither of them was at fault, nor was the company president back then for being cautious about potential negative reactions.

    "Your singing skills are good, but your eyes still show worry, preventing you from fully revealing your true self. Actually, at this level, you should be in a high class already, but today’s kids are impressive. Don't underestimate them just because they haven't debuted yet," Han Shinsu warned. Some trainees had skills rivaling those of senior artists who had been in the industry for a long time.

    You can't just think you're more experienced than anyone else.

    "When do you have to be on set for your drama?" Jacan asked.

    "In two hours. Why?"

    "Then... could you watch me perform one more time?"

    ...

    ..

    .