Chapter 37: First Broadcast

“Yeah. Thank you.”

After hearing Hyun Wooyoung’s reply, Shim Eunchan took his hand and placed the used makeup cotton pad into his palm. Gently closing his fingers around it, he smiled.

“You can throw the trash away for me, Wooyoung.”

The moment he finished speaking, Jung Minyu emerged from the bathroom after finishing his shower. Thinking the timing was perfect, Shim Eunchan quickly swapped places with him and entered the bathroom. He hurriedly undressed and turned on the warm water.

It felt as though the fatigue of the entire day was being washed away.

* * *

Friday evening.

All the members were gathered together in front of the television in the living room.

Today was finally the premiere of Moon Blossoms Beneath the Summer Night Sky, the drama Shim Eunchan had appeared in.

Eunchan’s filming had wrapped up early due to scheduling, but the rest of the cast was still shooting. He had woken up early that morning and gone to practice in the rehearsal room, yet he kept zoning out every so often.

Around lunchtime, he opened Cosmos, the fan communication app.

Messages wishing success for the drama’s ratings flooded his screen. As he scrolled through them, Eunchan took a deep breath.

[Did all our FamFams have a good lunch? Today is the first broadcast of the drama Moon Blossoms Beneath the Summer Night Sky that I filmed. Hoo—ha. Hoo—ha. I’m nervous. FamFams, let’s watch the live broadcast together!]

As soon as he sent the message, fans replied that they would.

Hearts, smiling emojis, and endless words of encouragement filled the screen.

Of course, there were occasional mocking comments mixed in, but those were easy enough to ignore.

Before the broadcast began, Eunchan sat absentmindedly watching the commercials. He snapped back to reality when someone called his name.

“Eunchan turned into a frog again.”

“Huh? A frog?”

Blinking, Eunchan pointed at himself with his index finger. In response to Ryu Seo-oh’s comment, Seo-oh casually nodded.

“Yeah. You’re puffing up your cheeks again. Like this.”

As if imitating him, Seo-oh filled both cheeks with air.

Eunchan immediately remembered something Kim Hyuin had said before.

“Is that a habit? Puffing up your cheeks and chewing on your lips?”

Apparently he’d done it unconsciously again.

Seeing Eunchan rubbing the back of his neck, Seo-oh adjusted his posture.

“You must really be nervous. Sorry for teasing you.”

“Huh? No, no, no. I am nervous, but I was just thinking about something else. There’s no reason for you to apologize.”

“Hmm.”

Seo-oh studied Eunchan’s face carefully.

Unlike Moon Sebyeol, who was the same age as him, Ryu Seo-oh was the type who rarely showed his thoughts on his face.

“Alright then.”

He nodded.

“Gasp. It’s starting.”

“It is! Junseo, hurry up! It’s starting!”

At Moon Sebyeol and Jung Minyu’s excited voices, everyone turned to the screen. The title displayed in the upper-right corner disappeared.

Do Junseo came running in from the entrance with rustling plastic bags, having just picked up the late-night food they had ordered.

As they unpacked the bossam, its savory aroma quickly spread throughout the living room.

Eunchan rubbed his fingers together.

It felt as though all the blood had drained from his fingertips. His hands were cold, yet sweaty at the same time.

Come on, SS-rank mentality trait. Do your job.

His trait might have been Soft Steel, but wasn’t an SS-rank trait supposed to be more useful than this?

Biting his lip, Eunchan stared at the screen.

This was the first time he was seeing the edited version.

Even the group chat with the drama cast had been full of nervous messages beforehand, but the moment the broadcast began, it went completely silent.

The drama opened with a bright, cheerful atmosphere, showing the happy days shared by Woo Hayeon and her older brother, Woo Hagil.

Perhaps the color grading had been enhanced during editing, because everything felt far warmer and more vibrant than Eunchan remembered from filming.

The scene of Woo Hagil’s death and Woo Hayeon’s vow to find the culprit unfolded at a brisk pace.

Then—

Three years later.

The scene transitioned to Woo Hayeon disguised as a man and infiltrating a hwarang academy.

The camera alternated between the determined Woo Hayeon entering through the gates and Seo Gilyoung and Yeonun spotting her.

[Who’s that? Is he new?]

[Yeah. Looks like it.]

Yeonun nodded as he answered Seo Gilyoung’s question.

Eunchan had worried his lines might sound awkward.

Fortunately, they sounded much more natural than he’d feared.

“…Holy crap.”

“Wow.”

“…Wow.”

“……”

Eunchan wasn’t even sure the person on screen was really him.

Even he had trouble believing it.

The television displayed an unbelievably fair and beautiful face.

His breathing stopped for a moment before he realized he’d been staring at the screen without taking a breath.

All the members were looking at him.

“It’s a little… weird on screen, right?”

Eunchan laughed awkwardly while rubbing his cheek.

What he really meant was: Doesn’t this look ridiculously flattering?

“Yeah. Hey, the camera doesn’t do you justice.”

“I think so too.”

“Seriously, Eunchan. You’re way more handsome in person. The camera failed.”

“Eunchan, you should’ve kept your hair long like that. It suits you.”

“…Hyungs? Junseo? Hello?”

A perfectly reasonable suspicion arose in his mind.

Are these people making fun of me right now?

“I agree too.”

Even Hyun Wooyoung joined in.

Eunchan stared at the member sitting beside him.

What’s gotten into him now?

“…You guys are teasing me, aren’t you?”

“Why would we tease our precious Eunchan?”

“Hyung.”

“Seriously, why would we joke about something like this? Do we look that mean? We’re telling the truth.”

After Moon Sebyeol said that, the other members all nodded.

With everyone reacting the same way, Eunchan started wondering if they might actually mean it.

“Let’s just keep watching. I want to know what happens next.”

Without taking his eyes off the screen, Seo-oh spoke.

The others silently agreed and turned their attention back to the drama.

The plot moved quickly, but the beautifully detailed cinematography made every scene look like a painting.

Compared to the drama Eunchan remembered from his previous life, the actors’ skin looked brighter and prettier, while the backgrounds resembled carefully crafted works of art.

As soon as his first appearance ended, Eunchan felt his tension slowly ease.

Even his cold fingers returned to a normal temperature.

When he checked Cosmos on his phone, an overwhelming number of messages had accumulated.

Everyone was apparently watching the drama in real time while sending comments.

Reading the encouragement from his fans made them feel incredibly precious.

Most of them didn’t know Shim Eunchan personally.

They only knew him through a screen.

Yet they continued sending him endless support.

And sending messages wasn’t even free.

The fact that someone cared enough to think about him like this filled him with gratitude and happiness.

It wasn’t just about money.

There was something deeper there.

Something money alone could never fill.

Warmth swelled within his chest.

Something soft.

Something comforting.

He wanted to meet his FamFams as soon as possible.

The drama was great, of course.

But more than that, he wanted to stand on stage as Shim Eunchan of B the 1 and meet them directly.

Was my choreography really perfect?

Weren’t there still parts that needed improvement?

What about my singing?

My rap?

Have they all truly reached a satisfactory level?

Could I make them even better?

Maybe if he practiced more, he would find the answer.

Suddenly, he felt restless.

He wanted morning to come immediately.

He was certain he could work even harder in the practice room tomorrow than he had today.

Sinking deeper into the sofa, Eunchan continued watching the television.

Seeing his face fill the screen was admittedly embarrassing.

There was definitely a difference between performing on stage and acting in a drama.

Still, thanks to his experience with photoshoots and concept photography, it wasn’t unbearable to watch.

His lines and movements also looked far more natural than he’d worried they would.

Everyone, including Eunchan, became increasingly absorbed in the drama, and the occasional conversations gradually faded away.

Then he felt someone’s gaze brushing against his cheek.

Turning toward Hyun Wooyoung, he found the younger man looking at his profile.

Not once.

Several times throughout the episode.

Eunchan wondered what was going on, but every time their eyes met, Wooyoung simply returned his gaze to the television without saying anything.

When it happened for the fourth time, Eunchan finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

“No. It’s just…”

Wooyoung shook his head casually.

“You looked pretty on screen, but it doesn’t really capture what you’re like in person.”

That answer left Eunchan wondering how exactly he was supposed to interpret it.

Did that mean he looked better in real life?

Or worse?

Considering Wooyoung’s tendency to say things that could easily be misunderstood, it was probably the former.

Still, part of him wondered if he should clarify.

“Yeah. They filmed it well.”

“They did.”

Wooyoung nodded.

“Even on screen, you’re pretty.”

That made it the second time.

Eunchan paused for a moment at those words but managed to brush them off.

Still…

Who calls a fellow male group member pretty like that?

Getting upset about it would be strange.

After all, telling someone not to call him pretty sounded ridiculous.

If he made a fuss, people would probably accuse him of overreacting.

But simply letting it slide felt odd too.

Shim Eunchan turned toward Hyun Wooyoung.