Chapter 12: The Unseen Potential

#12

“Jaejeong is really… they’re really so…”

The page featuring Jaejeong’s solo photo held Dohoon’s gaze for twice as long. He lost all track of time, captivated by every detail, from his eyes, nose, and lips to each individual eyelash.

Through his newfound fan activities, Dohoon discovered he talked to himself far more than he realized. He’d ramble on, watching new videos or looking at photos, completely unaware of his own murmurs.

As Dohoon turned the pages one by one, he flinched upon discovering a small card tucked inside like a bookmark. Instinctively, he recognized it as a ‘photo card.’

Unfortunately, the card was flipped over, and though a signature and message were written on the back, Dohoon hadn’t yet memorized all the members’ autographs.

‘Who could it be? Who is it? Will it be Jaejeong right away? No, everyone said it’s a relief as long as there aren’t duplicates. Surely all thirty cards aren’t just one member’s photo.’

Lost in a myriad of thoughts, Dohoon slowly flipped the card over.

“Oh.”

Due to the significant photo editing, Dohoon couldn’t recognize the member immediately, letting out a belated gasp. It was a photo card of Hyunjun, the leader.

Though he was the oldest in the group, his soft, round features made him appear to be in his early twenties. Dohoon found it hard to believe that Hyunjun was actually his peer.

“So this is how you’re supposed to take a selfie…”

Dohoon suddenly recalled his own disastrous selfies on social media and nodded, a look of profound realization on his face. He carefully placed the photo card aside.

His face brightened considerably, as the photos in the photobook were stunning, and thankfully, the photo cards kept revealing new pictures without any duplicates. For now, his overriding emotion was pure wonder.

After excitedly opening several CDs, Dohoon gradually began to feel a sense of bewilderment and unease.

“But why hasn’t Jaejeong appeared yet?”

Among the photo cards spread across the table, there wasn’t a single one of Jaejeong. Still, he had only opened ten cards so far; it was entirely possible all the remaining ones would be Jaejeong.

Dohoon deliberately suppressed his disappointment and bravely tore off the plastic wrapping.

“Jaejeong, Jaejeong, Jaejeong…”

Muttering Jaejeong’s name like a charm, he eagerly opened the photobook to roughly the middle, where another card was tucked.

“Ah… Yubin.”

Dohoon picked up Yubin’s photo card with a visibly disappointed expression, forcing a smile onto his lips.

“Wow, it’s the same photo that came out earlier.”

It was even a duplicate. Despite his unenthusiastic tone and face, Dohoon forced a smile as he stacked the photo cards.

After that, he diligently peeled off plastic after plastic until his thumbs and forefingers ached, yet not a single Jaejeong photo card emerged from the fifteen ‘A’ version albums. It was utterly exasperating.

Now, his hope rested with the ‘B’ version. Dohoon, refusing to be disheartened, once again unwrapped an album. As if the heavens themselves were aiding him, Jaejeong’s photo card appeared first when he opened the very first ‘B’ version album.

Dohoon, unable to even shout, picked up Jaejeong’s photo card with trembling hands.

“Wow…”

Only admiration escaped him. Jaejeong, without stage makeup and looking understated, wore a faint smile. It was the first time he’d ever found a man to be ‘innocent’ in appearance.

Placing the moving first photo card of Jaejeong at the very top of the table, Dohoon felt a good omen and excitedly peeled off another plastic wrapper. Of course, his luck ended there.

After opening both ‘A’ and ‘B’ versions, the only Jaejeong photos he had were two duplicates from the ‘B’ version. The bitter taste of defeat, having only one of the four types, gnawed at Dohoon’s nerves.

‘Should I buy a few more?’ At this point, stubbornness began to set in. Dohoon ultimately purchased twenty additional albums, desperately hoping this would be his final order.

“Oh, right. The radio.”

Today, there was a radio schedule starting at 8 PM. Of course, it wasn’t Dohoon’s schedule, but Face A’s. Dohoon, who had already installed the radio app, busily tidied up the haphazard pile of plastic wrappers.

All he had done all day was spend the morning cooped up at the gym, then the entire afternoon devoted to his Face A fan activities. Yet, this ‘fangirling’ consumed surprisingly a lot of time.

With his favorite idol group’s comeback, he felt as if he needed two bodies to keep up, as if he were promoting alongside them. Tomorrow, he had a meeting with a drama production company, and with various tasks, the entire day would surely pass.

Then he’d have to spend a long time catching up on all the ‘teasers’ he’d missed throughout the day, ensuring he wouldn’t get any sleep until the early hours. ‘Do others also juggle their real lives and fan activities this busily?’ He only truly realized how much diligence being someone’s fan required after experiencing it firsthand.

Face A was scheduled to appear in the second segment, but to avoid missing it, Dohoon turned on the radio app from the first segment. The second segment began just as he finished his late dinner and washed the dishes.

Wiping the water from his hands, Dohoon rushed to the dining table. It was a ‘visible radio’ broadcast, so he absolutely had to watch the video as well.

Perhaps because radio was less demanding than TV broadcasts, all the members seemed relaxed. It was frustrating trying to discern faces on the small screen, but listening to the behind-the-scenes stories of preparing this album was quite enjoyable.

The third segment featured a corner where they read fan stories. Most of the members playfully changed their voices as they read the submissions. This continued even for parts that required serious acting.

Dohoon, who had been watching the screen without much thought, instinctively straightened his back when Jaejeong’s acting began. He knew Jaejeong had a good voice, but when he deliberately adopted an acting tone, it sounded distinctly different. ‘Had he taken separate vocal lessons for acting?’

It wasn’t just that his voice was good. Though the dialogue revolved around a rather heavy topic of a lovers’ quarrel, Jaejeong delivered his lines naturally, without any exaggeration. Frankly, Dohoon was a little surprised.

He had no knowledge of singing or dancing, so he was usually just busy admiring, but watching acting was different. He felt as if he had discovered some untapped potential in Jaejeong.

The visible radio’s video quality wasn’t excellent, but when Jaejeong delivered his lines, the camera zoomed in, allowing Dohoon to observe his expressions. Whether it was because it was visible radio or because he was concentrating, Jaejeong wasn’t just performing with his voice.

Watching him use serious expressions, Dohoon let out a short exclamation of admiration. “Quite good.”

On the other hand, he wondered why Jaejeong hadn’t tried acting yet. Among Face A members, only Sejin was actively pursuing an acting career. With many members possessing great visuals and physiques, Dohoon speculated that perhaps the company hadn’t provided them with suitable opportunities.

Dohoon found this slightly displeasing, and secretly, quite unfair. No, very unfair.

****

The first meeting with the production team took place after Dohoon’s casting news was released. There had been several prior meetings with the production company, but this was the first time he met the writer and director together.

Shim Juhyun, the writer, who had arrived earlier and was waiting, rose from her seat with a slightly flushed face. This was the first encounter with the lead actor of her debut work. The writer’s nervousness was palpable.

In contrast, Dohoon, accustomed to such gatherings, entered with an even brighter smile to help ease Ms. Shim’s tension.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Han Dohoon.”

“Yes, hello. I’m Shim Juhyun.”

Dohoon didn’t entirely dislike the slightly awkward and stiff atmosphere. Starting something new often brought with it this very feeling.

Just then, breaking the brief silence, Dohoon’s manager, Myeongun, entered the conference room, holding a large bouquet of flowers in his hand. Dohoon took the bouquet from Myeongun and immediately presented it to Ms. Shim.

“Ah, this. It’s nothing much, just a small gift for you, writer-nim. Congratulations on your debut.”

Ms. Shim’s eyes widened at Dohoon’s unexpected floral gift. She had never imagined she would receive flowers when coming to meet him.

“Wow… I haven’t received a bouquet since my graduation. Goodness. Can I brag to my friends that I received flowers from Han Dohoon?”

“Of course. We can even take a photo together later.”

At Dohoon’s playful reply, Juhyun finally seemed to relax, letting out a light laugh. The scent of flowers filled the small conference room.

The meeting began in the relaxed atmosphere created by Dohoon’s surprise gift. Hearing about the work directly from the writer offered a depth of understanding that differed from receiving information through other staff members.

It greatly enhanced his comprehension of the project and significantly helped him grasp the character. It was genuinely difficult to fully understand the script by reading it alone.

After a long discussion about the project, the conversation flowed into personal anecdotes. Director Im Taehan was quite a chatterbox, so the conversation never ceased. By then, all traces of tension had vanished from Juhyun’s face.

Observing Juhyun’s expression, Dohoon was the first to speak. “I heard you were Assistant Writer to Writer Sung Mieun. I’ve also worked with Writer Sung before.”

“That’s right. You worked on ‘Afternoon Light,’ didn’t you? I joined her team after that, so you probably wouldn’t have known me.”

“Everyone who came from Writer Sung’s assistant writer team has done well. Can we expect the same from you?”

As Dohoon playfully expressed his anticipation, the writer blushed, looking a little embarrassed. Although this was her first work, Juhyun was a veteran with nearly ten years of experience as an assistant writer.

Her solid fundamentals were evident just from reading the script. She also had a prior friendship with the director and had already thoroughly discussed the project’s direction, including the ending.