“With that in mind, Suhyeon, give Mom a kiss.”
Having said what she needed to, Jiyeon leaned in and tapped her cheek with her fingertips.
It was a sudden and unreasonable request, but Suhyeon gladly pressed his lips to her cheek.
While some might have been embarrassed, Suhyeon was the kind of person who could be shameless when being affectionate.
“Suhyeon, give Dad a kiss too.”
As if driven by a competitive spirit, Hochan also leaned in toward Suhyeon with his cheek.
Though it was more difficult than doing it for Jiyeon, Suhyeon closed his eyes tightly and planted a kiss.
If it happened often, it might be a different story, but filled with love and emotion right now, stamping a kiss on his cheek wasn’t hard at all.
This is something you can only do when you’re young. I even tried bromance to stay trendy.
As he thought back to the actions he took with his group members during his idol days to gain popularity, this was really nothing.
“Suhyeon, were you startled by the noise outside?”
“No, well, maybe a little. If you saw it first, Dad, don’t you think it wouldn’t have been like that?”
“I rushed out of the room thinking something had happened and stubbed my toe. Doesn’t noona care about her husband’s pain? The love is gone, it’s gone.”
“I told you not to call me ‘noona.’ And didn’t I blow on it earlier when you said it hurt? Why do you leave that part out?”
Suhyeon quietly looked away from his parents, who couldn’t stop bickering.
The way they acted had a big influence on Suhyeon’s ability to distinguish between the past and the present.
They constantly fought and made up, but there was never any coldness between them.
It was a bit cringeworthy and made him want to look away, but it was a good way to keep a grip on reality.
It’s just a bit shocking to learn that my bickering divorced parents were cockroaches…
For his mental health, Suhyeon focused on the screen.
As he set aside his worries, the positive aspects that he hadn’t noticed before came into view.
Thanks to the trending searches, Praise is getting quite a spotlight. If this keeps up, next week should be something to look forward to.
Since the interview was released a week late, Section TV had put a lot of effort into editing it.
Although they didn’t directly mention the title, some drama scenes were broadcast, and some footage from the set was shown.
Even though the title wasn’t directly mentioned, the title and channel appeared faintly in the footage, which meant NBC had made quite a concession.
They even showed the movie theater pledge, so they really gave a lot.
Suhyeon scrolled down a bit more.
There were quite a few reactions from people who realized late that the leads of Praise were Suhyeon and Seohan, and they were making a fuss about it.
Some were surprised to find out it was a drama instead of a movie.
Even if people say 1% on cable equals 10% on a major network, 1% is still 1%…
As Sangil said, Praise might have contributed to the spread of cable.
However, it was more like the last-place team scoring 20 points, still far from the average.
I’m not dismissing it as insignificant, it’s just that reality is harsh.
The fortunate thing was that the spotlight from a major network had drawn in some middle-aged viewers who usually had no interest in cable dramas.
Late-night entertainment info shows were surprisingly popular among housewives.
Despite all the drama promotions, Mom didn’t budge, but she was swayed by one info show interview. This is a bit…
Though it was exaggerated, it was encouraging that housewives were becoming interested in Praise.
Even with the rising trend of younger viewers, the main audience for dramas was still housewives in their 40s and 50s.
TV was still the mainstream media over the internet, and housewives were an audience that couldn’t be ignored.
“Suhyeon, it’s time to sleep now. Mom and Dad will be quiet.”
“But… I want to watch a bit more.”
“It won’t run away if you watch it tomorrow. You need to sleep early to grow tall.”
With growth held hostage, Suhyeon quietly took his hands off the keyboard.
One of the things he wanted to achieve was surpassing the 180 cm mark that he hadn’t reached in the past.
“But haawuum…”
Even though he tried to say something out of lingering attachment, Suhyeon ended up yawning widely.
As his adorable mouth opened wide, laughter naturally filled the room.
“Your eyes are full of sleepiness. Come on, let’s snuggle with Dad.”
Hochan pulled Suhyeon into his arms.
Perhaps because his worries had lessened.
Suhyeon didn’t resist the drowsiness that was overtaking him and leaned into Hochan’s embrace.
The firm hands holding him felt reassuring.
* * *
“Your face is unusually radiant today.”
Heading to the set, Suhyeon looked at the window at Sangil’s sudden comment.
His face, faintly reflected in the glass, did seem brighter than usual, just as Sangil had said.
It was probably because the worries that had been gnawing at a corner of his heart had disappeared.
With his cuter appearance standing out more, Suhyeon stroked his cheek.
“Is it noticeable?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe, something good happened.”
Suhyeon pressed down on his grinning lips.
His cheeks, still plump with baby fat, looked endearing today as well.
“Really…?”
“Yes. But why do you look so exhausted, hyung?”
Suhyeon, basking in his own happiness, blinked when he noticed Sangil’s darkened eyes in the mirror.
Not just his eyes but his skin looked rough, like someone who hadn’t slept for days.
“…I didn’t sleep well last night.”
Suhyeon looked at him with a more curious expression.
Now that he realized it, even Sangil’s voice sounded dry and weary.
“Why? Did you get contacted from all over because I was on a major network?”
“Well, that too…”
At Suhyeon’s joking comment, Sangil nodded slightly instead of denying it.
Rather, he handed over the documents from the passenger seat to Suhyeon, saying he was going to mention it later.
“These are the proposals that came in by this morning. Five ads, two dramas, one movie… Please check them.”
“Uh, um. I was just joking.”
He opened the envelope handed over by his manager with a puzzled look.
The thick papers were neatly stapled together.
“Did you lose sleep sorting these out…?”
Looking at the perfect report, Suhyeon checked Sangil’s expression once again.
He often joked and acted cocky, but Suhyeon knew how to distinguish between work and play.
And he had a conscience.
Just like when he had a cold… Am I being too bossy?
Suhyeon scrutinized Sangil, who was focused on driving.
His heart ached, feeling like a tyrannical employer making him work even while cutting down his sleep time.
“Sorting is something I always do, so it wasn’t to the point of losing sleep. It’s just that you’re becoming so popular…”
Sangil rubbed his eyes as he stopped at a red light.
Drenched in fatigue, he gulped down an energy drink before opening his mouth.
“Are you interested in signing a management contract… with an agency?”
The unexpected question left Suhyeon deep in thought for a moment.
Management…
Entertainers who lacked recognition or needed systematic nurturing signed contracts with management to manage themselves as products.
It was better for both sides to get professional help due to lack of experience.
However, for child actors whose marketability was unstable, joining an agency was somewhat ambiguous.
“No! It’s hard to get help from an agency, and they’d just treat me like an idol trainee and exploit me. Why? Did someone offer management? Or do you want to start one together? Hyung, be careful. There are a lot of scams like that. Especially those claiming to raise child actors, most of them are scams.”
Suhyeon instinctively knew that the reason for Sangil’s darkened face was that he had been tormented by this issue all night.
Realizing he had nothing to feel guilty about, he quickly swung his short legs and revealed the harsh realities of the entertainment industry that he had experienced and knew.
He worried about Sangil, who, despite his eloquence, was naïve.
“Worrying about being exploited already, our actor is really…”
“Really cute, right?”
“Yes. Really special. Well, I’ll remember that management can be annoying.”
Sangil let out a sigh-like chuckle and stepped on the accelerator
The conversation between them ended, and only the small engine noise filled the car.
Anyway, management. Hmm…
Suyeon’s gaze stayed on the paper, rethinking the topic Sangil had brought up.
For child actors, the benefits of belonging to an agency were less than for adult entertainers.
The biggest reason for having management was casting, which didn’t apply to child actors.
Child actors have no focal point. Even if they are chosen, it’s through acting schools or casting directors.
There were many roles in movies and dramas, and it was impossible to select all those roles through open auditions.
Thus, when casting actors, broadcasters and production companies first circulated the information to theater companies and actor management agencies.
It meant, “Choose the product that fits the work from the products you have and send it.”
Simply put, it was an employment agency, but in the case of child actors, there were no agencies with enough child actors to play that role.
The story might change in about five years…
After the child actor boom and the emergence of agencies specializing in child actors, it might be different.
Currently, most child actors worked individually with their parents or family as their managers.
Each agency had at most two or three child actors, so production companies preferred acting schools or casting directors with more child actors rather than entertainment agencies.
If I join now, they’d just use the excuse of training and make me go around to different schools while slashing my share. They’ve never professionally trained child actors, so they’d overwork me like adults… In many ways, it’s a no.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t see the benefits of joining a management agency now.
Suhyeon became curious about what Sangil had heard to ask such a question.
Since he was someone who made decisions considering “Actor Kang Suhyeon,” there must have been something tempting, but he couldn’t guess.
“We’re here.”
“Already?”
Lost in thought, Suhyeon looked bewilderedly at the bundle of papers he hadn’t turned a single page of and the view outside the window.
He wasted precious time, lost in unproductive thoughts with no answers.
Seeing his surprised face, Sangil burst out laughing.
“Today, you only have a few scenes to shoot anyway. It should take about two hours. You can look at it after.”
“But I feel like I’ve lost a part of my life. My precious scraps of time…”
After muttering for a moment, Suhyeon quickly jumped out of the car.
The proposals that had come didn’t disappear just because he hadn’t checked them in advance.
He regretted not checking them earlier, but for now, the drama came first.
* * *
A drama with momentum was terrifying.
It signified recognition, success, as well as the atmosphere on set and the actors’ performances.
“Really, to finish in just two hours…”
“Thanks to Jiyoon and the others not messing up. I guess they’re getting used to it since it’s near the end.”
Suhyeon spoke nonchalantly while flipping through the stack of papers neatly placed on the car seat.
His attitude, that everything was fine as long as others did well, was quite arrogant, but Sangil nodded without complaint.
It was true, after all, to dismiss it as mere arrogance.
“It seems the broadcast had a bigger effect than expected. There’s a lot of talk among the staff.”
“I’m really looking forward to next week’s ratings.”
Listening to Sangil summarizing the on-site atmosphere, Suhyeon opened the last proposal.
‘This is more of an audition than a proposal. The director’s name is… Kim, Eulhong?’
Reading the simple title Shadow Road and the description below, Suhyeon stiffened when he confirmed the director’s name he had glossed over.
