Chapter 30: Lines That Don’t Need to Be Drawn

“Being thanked makes it feel like I’m doing something I didn’t have to do.”
“When you say that, it feels like you’re drawing a line.”
“I’m not doing this for you.”
“We’re one team.”
“For the hyungs, this is a comeback stage after a member change.”
“For me, it’s my debut stage.”
“Of course I should work hard.”

It was close to the impression Sim Eunchan had gotten of Hyun Wooyoung when they first met.
He could have just nodded along and made things easy, but instead he calmly and clearly stated his own thoughts.

Drawing a line.

That description fit perfectly.

Working hard was a given.
This wasn’t anyone else’s stage.
It was Hyun Wooyoung’s stage.

Sim Eunchan honestly acknowledged the part he hadn’t considered and shrugged once.

“That’s true too.”
“Then should I take back the thank-you?”

“…Wow.”

When Sim Eunchan said it jokingly, Hyun Wooyoung looked momentarily at a loss for words.

“If you’re going to be that shocked, then just accept it.”
“My gratitude.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah.”
“So that’s what it was.”
“Hey.”
“If you wanted to hear ‘thank you’ more, you should’ve just said so.”

“What?”
“No—why does this conversation keep going that way?”

At Sim Eunchan’s playful teasing, Hyun Wooyoung blinked rapidly.
He looked like he was about to argue back, then let out a short laugh and stopped.

Sim Eunchan didn’t say it out loud, but he genuinely admired Hyun Wooyoung.

No matter what he was thinking inside, he could have simply lowered his head and agreed, and that would have been the end of it.
Actually voicing your thoughts like this wasn’t easy.
You might hurt the other person’s feelings or be misunderstood.

Either someone who didn’t think about the outcome, or someone who could accept it no matter what happened.
From everything Sim Eunchan had seen so far, Hyun Wooyoung was definitely not the former.

Sim Eunchan glanced sideways at him.

After roughly finishing up, the two of them left the dorm together.

When they arrived at the practice room, the members who were already training greeted them.

Without a moment to rest, Sim Eunchan immediately took his place in formation and started practicing the choreography to the music.

“Eunchan, your arm angle!”

Moon Se-byeol usually joked around, but when it came to practice, he was merciless.
The moment Sim Eunchan thought oh no, the correction flew straight at him, and he bit his lip tightly.

Maybe because he hadn’t had much proper practice time lately, he kept making mistakes in the finer details.

Even if you practice a thousand times backstage, you can only show about half of that skill on stage.

If they wanted to aim for the grand prize at the year-end awards—an almost unreal goal—it wouldn’t be enough to practice half-heartedly.
After running the choreography five times in a row, just like a real live performance, his breath grew ragged.

He dropped to the floor, forcing himself to control his panting.

They had officially entered full comeback preparation.

Filming was nearing its final stretch.

At least for Sim Eunchan, whose character died midway through the story.

The weather was still cold, making outdoor filming especially grueling.
Still, since they were already outside, they had to shoot every possible scene.
After finishing all the daytime shots and night fell, Sim Eunchan redid his makeup.

It was for the final scene of Yeonun, the character he played.

Other lead actors who had been filming on different sets also moved over for this shoot.

“Eunchan.”

While special-effects makeup was being applied to his face, Park Yoonwoo approached and greeted him.

Since he couldn’t speak, Sim Eunchan returned the greeting with his eyes.
When the makeup was finally finished, people commented one after another.

“Oof, that must hurt.”

“It looks totally real.”

He hadn’t noticed while getting his makeup done, but the audience had grown to three or four people, including Oh Eunseo and Kim Jaeyeon.

“Were you all waiting for me?”

“Of course.”

As they chatted comfortably, having grown closer over time, Park Yoonwoo spoke up.

“They say photos are what last.”
“Let’s take one, Eunchan.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Me too.”

The main cast huddled together, posing toward the phone camera.

“Wait, you’re taking pictures?”
“…Whoa.”
“Eunchan, what’s that on your face?”
“Is that makeup?”

Kim Hyuin arrived late, laughing as he walked over, then froze when he saw Sim Eunchan’s face.
Even while returning Sim Eunchan’s greeting, his eyes never left him.

“They did an amazing job.”
“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Hurt?”
“It’s just makeup, hyung.”

“Can I touch it?”

“If you’re gentle, it should be fine.”

As Sim Eunchan blinked in response, Kim Hyuin barely let his index finger brush against his cheek.

“Wow.”
“That feels strange.”

Click.

The camera shutter sound rang out.

Park Yoonwoo, holding up his phone, grinned.

“Yeonun and Gil-young really do get along.”

They did have a lot of two-shot scenes in the drama.

“But I’m really nervous today.”

“Yeah.”
“That person’s coming today.”
“How about you, hyung?”

“…Honestly, I took Cheongsimhwan earlier.”

Listening quietly to the chatter, Sim Eunchan nodded.
Now that he thought about it, the atmosphere on set was more tense than usual.

That was because Kim Moonho, a veteran actor known as a box-office guarantee with tens of millions of viewers, was appearing today as a special guest in the role of the king.

The director had only informed them that very morning.
No one on set remained calm after hearing that name.
Kim Moonho, and as a special appearance no less.

Some people double-checked the news, while Sim Eunchan alone remained composed.
It had happened in his previous life as well.

When Kim Moonho appeared, online communities had exploded.
Though his screen time was under five minutes, his charisma was overwhelming, and the buzz was instant.

Sim Eunchan also knew why he had decided to appear in a drama at all—something he rarely did.

It was because of his special connection with the director.

“You’re shooting a scene with that sunbae today, right?”
“You must be nervous.”
“Good luck.”

At their encouragement, Sim Eunchan smiled faintly.

Woo Hayeon, who was searching for the man responsible for her brother’s death, discovered a group attempting to seize power and tried to inform the king.
The powerful elites, learning of this, sent assassins to silence her.
Their plan was to kill the king and install the second-in-line heir.

Yeonun learned the truth first.
Instead of going to the woman he loved, Woo Hayeon, he chose his duty as a Hwarang until the very end, escorting the king and ultimately dying.

Because the scene involved martial arts, they had practiced the choreography beforehand.
Having trained as an idol, Sim Eunchan was used to physical movement and picked it up quickly.

As he reviewed movement paths and listened to final instructions from the action director, the chatter around them suddenly died down.
Turning his head naturally, he saw Kim Moonho.

Already in costume, Kim Moonho was busy greeting people and shaking hands.

Sim Eunchan approached him and bowed politely.

“Hello, sir.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“My name is Sim Eunchan.”

“Ah, we’re filming together today!”
“Nice to meet you.”
“‘Sir’ is too much.”
“Just ‘sunbae’ is more than enough.”

His greeting was warm and friendly.

“Shall we rest a bit before filming?”

“No need.”
“If I came to work, I should work.”
“Let’s go straight in.”

At his easygoing reply, the director smiled, and filming began immediately.

Before becoming an idol, Sim Eunchan had known Kim Moonho—not personally, but as an actor.
He had enjoyed some of the films Kim Moonho appeared in.

His acting range was immense.
A psychopathic killer.
An ordinary neighbor chasing the man who killed his daughter.
A pathetic, unemployed shut-in.
Every role felt real.

Filming a drama with someone like that felt surreal.
But it couldn’t stop at just feeling amazed.

He had to do well.

He had never approached acting lightly.
But acting opposite Kim Moonho was different.

Though he was new to acting, he couldn’t let that clumsiness show.
At the very least, he couldn’t be overwhelmed or outshone by Kim Moonho.

Viewers weren’t fools.
So he had to deliver.

Waiting in the dimly lit area, Sim Eunchan took a deep breath.

“Scene 52, first take!”

At the sound of the clapperboard snapping shut, a light tension spread through his entire body.

This was the beginning.

“Who are you?”
“Show yourselves.”

“There’s no face worth showing to someone about to die.”
“And nothing you need to know.”

One of the king’s attendants collapsed helplessly.
He wasn’t skilled with a sword, but he was a trusted aide the king cherished.
A loyal subject who had insisted on accompanying the king on his incognito journey.
A man who had stood before him until the end, telling him to flee.

Even with a bloodstained sword lying before him, the king did not retreat.

“Impudent.”
“How far do you intend to insult me?”

At the king’s quiet yet weighty voice, the assailants hesitated.

“…Ugh!”

“Ghk!”

Two of the attackers fell, and Seo Gil-young and Yeonun revealed themselves.

“Who goes there?”

“Your Majesty.”

They immediately knelt and showed proper respect.

“We are Hwarang.”
“Though insufficient, we will serve and protect Your Majesty.”

“There is no need for formalities in a situation like this.”
“Rise.”

At the king’s command, the two stood.