NUTMEG 10

Minje couldn’t sleep the night before Sparkle debuted either. He was anxious, nervous, and so worried. Can I do well? Can I avoid messing up the choreography? Will I be a burden to the members? All sorts of negative thoughts chased each other in an endless loop, refusing to let him fall asleep.

Last night, Minje didn’t get a wink of sleep either.

It wasn’t because of worries or negative thoughts. He was eager to try out what he had practiced, and the excitement of appearing in a movie he had seen dozens of times kept bubbling up in his chest.

Since he already knew the movie, he felt as secure as someone about to take a test with all the answers. The fact that Director Im had constantly praised Minje’s acting tone throughout the script readings also had a positive effect. It was the thrill of feeling like something good was about to happen. Minje learned for the first time yesterday that a person can be too excited to sleep.

That was why he had stayed on the set all day, doing nothing but watching.

He felt like his feet were floating off the ground, and he just couldn’t bear to sit at home alone.

However, he hadn’t expected a crisis like this on the very first day.

“Minje, I heard you let Wonoh stay over at your place for a night.”

“Yes…”

“Looks like Choi Wonoh got some inspiration that day. He said he wanted to try living in a house like that during the filming period and immediately sent me pictures. When I said I wanted to find a place, he didn’t even pretend to listen.”

“No bad-mouthing.”

“Ah. Is that so…” Minje was mechanically giving an obligatory response when Wonoh, who had gone upstairs, came back down. Director Im, who was sitting on the living room sofa taking out his laptop, scripts, and reference materials, chuckled.

“Hey, what are you talking about~? Why would we bad-mouth Mr. Wonoh? Anyway, Minje, you can use it comfortably too. It’s close to the set, so come often to watch and learn from the senior actors, and when there’s location filming, you can ride in the crew’s car.”

“…”

“Come to think of it, Choi Wonoh seems more serious about this movie than I am.”

The look on Kihwan’s face as he said this was one of extreme pride. It seemed to be a done deal that Minje would be part of the shared house, as Director Im and Choi Wonoh were carrying on their conversation without hesitation, including Minje in their plans.

Minje lacked a reason to refuse. It took a full two hours from his studio apartment to Paju, where the set was, and on days with early morning shoots or late-night filming, it was difficult to use public transportation.

It’s easy to think that actors with agencies are usually assigned a manager to help with their commute and an internal staff member to manage their schedule, but the contract One Entertainment had offered Minje was an agency contract, not a management one. This meant the company only acted as an agency, serving as an intermediary to negotiate better terms for projects that came his way and taking a commission.

It was a concept that was a little unfamiliar to Minje, but he was told that it was common for new actors who didn’t have much work to sign contracts like this. After trying it, he found that moving around on his own like this was much more comfortable and better than having a manager follow him around all day.

However, the long commute was a problem. One Entertainment had told him to let them know if he ever had a schedule that was difficult to handle alone, but he didn’t like the idea of making someone go through trouble just for him. Besides, although it was old, this place was much more spacious and pleasant than his semi-basement room. He had also arranged to work his part-time job, which he had been doing to make it to filming, only until yesterday, so there was no reason to go back to that distant house every single day.

And as Director Im said, if he could watch and study all the scenes, even the ones he wasn’t in, it would be a huge help to a rookie actor like him.

Everything was perfect. Except for the fact that he was an omega.

Even during his idol days when living in a shared dorm was the norm, Minje had lived alone because he was an omega. But he couldn’t tell the two alphas, who knew him as a beta, that he was an omega now.

Minje believed that all the good fortune in his current life had come because he wasn’t an omega. He really liked the people who treated him normally, thinking he was a beta. He never wanted to go back to being an omega. If possible, he wanted to live like this forever.

There were three people and three rooms. Director Im said he would mostly use his room as a workspace, and Wonoh also said he would often be away from his room due to other schedules. This was a much better situation than that night when the two of them slept under one blanket in a tiny studio apartment. Besides, it was literally a shared house.

Minje tried to think positively as he looked around the living room. Director Im was already tapping away on his laptop with the assistant director, acting as if it were his own home.

Minje slowly unpacked his things in the room across from Director Im’s. The house, which had apparently been used as an Airbnb, was old but clean in every corner, and best of all, he was told that someone would come to clean every day, just like a hotel. Indeed, everything was perfect, except for the fact that he was an omega.

Minje flopped face down onto the single bed. Now that he had made up his mind, he felt that it really wasn’t a big deal. Nothing had happened so far, so it would be fine. Tomorrow was finally his first shoot, and it was the first sequence he had imagined countless times. His heart began to pound a little again.

Just then, it got a little noisy outside his door. Hearing a vaguely familiar voice, Minje shot up and went out to the living room. As he had expected from the voice, Ms. Lee Yeonja was sitting in the living room, having finished filming and removed her makeup. Minje bowed his head deeply.

“You worked hard, ma’am.”

“Oh my, is that the room Mr. Minje is using? How lovely.”

“Yes, sunbae-nim. Brings back old memories, doesn’t it?”

Director Im had sidled up next to the actress and was pouring soju into a paper cup. In no time, the small living room was packed with Ms. Yeonja, the camera director, and the lighting director. It seemed everyone was secretly disappointed that the first day of filming had ended without a get-together, as the laptops and documents on the living room table had been cleared away to a far corner, and in their place were green soju bottles and a large platter of sashimi.

With the small drinking party suddenly set up, Minje quickly went and sat down next to them. Wonoh, who was coming down after unpacking on the second floor, seemed to widen his eyes slightly at the sight of the full living room, then politely greeted the directors and the senior actress.

“Oh my, there’s a room on the second floor too?”

“Yes. It’s the house Wonoh found for us. It has a bit of our set’s vibe, doesn’t it? This kid is more serious about this than I am.”

“I was thinking I might be able to immerse myself a little more.”

Wonoh sat next to Ms. Yeonja and respectfully accepted a drink. The actress, who had taken a liking to Wonoh during the reading, smiled so broadly that her lovely face crinkled, and listened to Wonoh’s story with a pleased expression. Whether it was because it brought back old memories or because she was touched by Wonoh’s words about getting a house to better immerse himself in his role, Ms. Yeonja’s eyes sparkled like a young girl’s as she spoke.

“This is so nice. When I was young, we filmed many movies while living together like this. Mr. Wonoh, would it be okay if I stayed here too?”

“If you’re okay with it, ma’am, it would be an honor.”

Minje’s head snapped up in surprise at almost the exact same time Director Im let out a dumb sound, “Huh?”

“But there are only three rooms.”

“Oh dear, then it’s fine, I was just saying.”

“I! I’ll just commute from my home then! Ma’am, please use my room!”

Minje shouted, raising one hand almost reflexively. He had a strangely ominous feeling.

“Hey, if Minje leaves, our sunbae-nim will feel bad, so that won’t do. I’ll mostly be using the living room as my workspace, so Minje can share with me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ma’am, please feel free to use the room on the second floor. I’ll share a room with Minje hyung.”

“Huh?”

“Director Im is always pulling all-nighters and talking on the phone until dawn. How are you supposed to sleep in there, hyung?”

“…”

“Share with me.”

Minje’s pupils trembled helplessly like a lantern in a fierce wind.

“Yes, that should work.”

“I’m sorry, my juniors. Grandma just saw you youngsters having fun and wanted to join in.”

“Not at all, ma’am. Please run lines with me here at the house instead.”

“Wow, look at this kid. A moment ago he was telling me not to even dream of working 24/7, and now he’s grabbing onto our sunbae-nim!”

“…”

In an instant, the situation was settled. If he insisted on leaving the shared house now, it would put the actress in an awkward position, so Minje couldn’t say anything more.

He was screwed.

On just the first day of filming, a massive trial had befallen Cheon Minje.

[Exclusive] Choi Wonoh, lead in Im Kihwan’s new film… Will he conquer the film industry after the music scene?

[Korea Entertainment.com Reporter Huh Eunji] Choi Wonoh (22), leader of the group ‘Uncontrol’, has landed his first leading role in a film. According to entertainment industry sources on the 10th, Choi Wonoh will be making his film debut as the protagonist in Director Im Kihwan’s new movie, ‘Round and Round Youth’ (screenplay and direction by Im Kihwan).

‘Round and Round Youth’ is a work that captures the precarious family love and growth of youths. It is known to be about eighteen-year-olds with no money and no future aspirations, who find hope in their harsh reality with friendship as their driving force.

Choi Wonoh, the son of film director Choi Cheowon and actress Baek Hwao, debuted in the music industry at the age of 20 as the main dancer and rapper of the idol group ‘Uncontrol’. Rumor has it that the film industry has been sending him love calls nonstop to secure him, the son of the film industry’s godfather and godmother. Director Im Kihwan, who won the award for best short film at the Busan International Film Festival for his previous work ‘Sunlight’, was the lucky one to seize the opportunity. Having appeared like a comet and opened a new era in the music industry with ‘Uncontrol’, Choi Wonoh’s first film appearance is drawing high expectations not only from industry insiders but also from fans.

In addition to Choi Wonoh, Lee Yeonja (67) and Cheon Minje (23) have also been cast in ‘Round and Round Youth’. The release date is yet to be determined.

Reporter Huh Eunji ej_huh@hankookstar.com

[Collapse Comments]

Wow, we get to see actor Choi Wonoh now? The director–actor combo is insane…

┕ This is huge. That director won a major award with a film he made in his 20s. A genius director choosing Choi Wonoh—wow.

┕ I thought he’d never act again 😭😭😭 He avoids talking about his child actor days 😭😭 I’m so excited to see Wonoh’s face on the big screen 😭😭

┕ That’s not true. Wonoh never said he hated his child actor days?

┕ Why are you being so touchy? It is true that Choi Wonoh never really answered questions about his child actor period.

┕ Stop spreading misinformation. What do you mean “never”?

┕ Can you all please stop fighting in the article comments;

I love you, Choi Wonoh 😭😭 Let’s make this movie a huge hit too.

I’m a fan who’s watched all of Lee Yeonja’s works since her 20s. Wishing you great success with your new movie~

But it’s only been two years and he’s already doing solo activities…? Hmm…

┕ What’s there to “hmm” about? Wonoh has always been an actor.

┕ Is a child actor really an actor?

┕ Then what is he, if not? You’re being confidently ignorant.

┕ No, what I mean is the other members don’t show any signs of solo work, but he seems to be the only one.

┕ So what? Do they all need to hold hands and debut solo together? If you don’t know what you’re talking about, just stay quiet.

I seriously love Lee Yeonja’s acting… Playing the grandson of a legendary actress, wow. Male lead, wow. This is the level of an idol doing acting just two years after debut, wow.

┕ This is so accurate 222333444

┕ I’m so happy to be a Choi Wonoh fan 😭😭 Thank you for being Choi Wonoh 😭😭

┕ Congrats on your movie debut 😭😭

A nobody director and a nobody rookie, but the fangirls are losing their minds lololololol

┕ Get lost.

┕ ※Don’t feed the troll※

I love you, Choi Wonoh 😭😭 Let’s walk the road to ten million admissions!

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