Thinking the house was empty, So-hyeon was startled by her brother’s voice.
“Ah…? You didn’t go to the academy, oppa?”
“Well, they said there was a gas inspection, so I waited and was about to leave.”
So-hyeon, scratching her head with a slightly awkward expression, turned to her friends and said,
“Hey, come in. This is my oppa.”
Hesitating at the sound coming from inside, So-hyeon’s friends entered, bowing their heads in greeting as they heard her voice.
“Hello. I’m So-hyeon’s friend, Yeji.”
“Ah, I see. Hello?”
Upon greeting and lifting his head, Yeji froze in place, her gaze fixed on So-hyeon’s brother.
“… Huh?”
As another friend entered behind her and Yeji suddenly stopped, the friend accidentally bumped into her.
“Ouch, what’s going on? Why did you suddenly stop?”
“Ugh, what…? Cha Woo-joo?”
Her initial whisper turned into a loud exclamation.
“What? Cha Woo-joo! He’s handsome.”
When the other friend entered as well and saw Yeon-woo’s face, she gasped in amazement.
“What, what is this?! So-hyeon, why is Cha Woo-joo in your living room?!”
Startled by Yeji’s almost-scream, So-hyeon scratched the back of her head once more, feeling awkward.
“I told you, I thought….. my brother was out.”
“Wait a moment, Ryu Yeon-woo, Ryu So-hyeon. Huh? Oppa?”
While trying to recall the name of the male actor currently gaining immense popularity for his role as Cha Woo-joo, Yeji’s face showed understanding as if she grasped the situation.
“Insane! Is this for real? Seriously?”
“What’s going on? Who is this guy?”
Her friend Se-hee, who came in after her, gently chided Yeji, knowing a bit herself.
Looking at them with a mischievous smile, Yeon-woo, who had been observing with an amused expression, spoke again.
“You mentioned your name Yeji, right? Thanks for being friends with Soo Hyun.”
With a smirk on his face, Yeon-woo addressed them, and at that moment, Yeji took a step back, seemingly gaining momentum before rushing towards Yeon-woo.
“Oppa! I’m a true fan! I’ve been watching ‘Summer Promise’ from the first episode! It’s amazing! Seriously, wow!”
“Uh, yeah? Thank you. Haha.”
Seeing the excited expression of the young female fan in the living room, Yeon-woo felt a bit flustered but thanked her for her support.
As Yeon-woo continued to talk, Yeji glanced at him, seeming unsure, and then spoke.
“Hey, Yoon Se-hee. I recommended ‘Summer Promise’ to you, but you still haven’t watched it? This guy right here is the lead character!”
“Um, not the main character, actually, just a supporting role.”
“Although the male lead is Jin-yuk…,” Yeon-woo mumbled and corrected as he noticed.
However, despite being in the presence of the fans who were seeing the cast of the drama they usually watched on screen, it seemed like they weren’t paying much attention to those details.
“So-hyeon-ah, how could you not tell me that Cha Woo-joo is in your living room?! I sent you so many screenshots.”
“Well, I missed the timing.”
So-hyeon winked playfully as she laughed.
In the end, amidst the commotion caused by So-hyeon’s friends, Yeon-woo performed a mini fan meeting in the living room, taking photos and signing autographs before finally asking So-hyeon to schedule the gas inspection and heading out to practice acting.
Arriving at the acting academy, Yeon-woo simply put on a mask and knocked on the door before entering the director’s office.
“Oh my, has our big star arrived?”
Playfully, Jeong Cheol-min bowed, acting like he was greeting a celebrity.
“Haha, what’s is this?”
“It seems your reputation has spread. These days, students who want counseling and parents all talk about you.”
With a loving gaze, Jeong Cheol-min looked at Yeon-woo, his mouth almost reaching his ears.
“It seems like you’re already famous. Even the students who come for counseling talk about you.”
Recalling the first time Yeon-woo and his father came for a consultation, Jeong Cheol-min smiled.
Honestly, just by looking at his appearance and seeing his acting skills improve, Jeong Cheol-min was certain that he would become famous. However, he hadn’t expected Yeon-woo to grow so rapidly and take on significant roles in dramas within such a short period.
“How did such a gem come to us?”
Feeling slightly overwhelmed by the adoring gazes, Yeon-woo quickly turned his attention away.
“Are there any troublesome students?”
“Students? Well, I haven’t been teaching many classes myself. The new students are mostly taught by Min Ram and Kim Saengi.”
At that moment, an employee knocked on the office door and entered. Seeing the employee’s less than cheerful expression, Yeon-woo wondered if something was wrong, but upon entering, the employee’s face lit up with joy at the sight of Yeon-woo.
“Director, Teacher Min… Oh my! Yeon-woo is here?”
“Hello. Haha.” Yeon-woo greeted the employee with a smile.
Curious about the employee’s happiness upon seeing Yeon-woo, Jeong Cheol-min asked, “What happened with Teacher Min?”
“Oh! Yes, it seems she got into a traffic accident on her way here.”
Both Cheol-min and Yeon-woo looked surprised. “An accident? Was it serious?”
“Well, not that serious. She’s not hurt, but her car is quite damaged, so it might take a while for her to handle it. But she has a basic level class to teach.”
Cheol-min nodded in understanding. “Still, it’s fortunate that she’s okay. Alright, I’ll go in her place.”
The employee left after closing the door, and after a brief moment of contemplation, Cheol-min turned to Yeon-woo. “How about you go in? Yeon-woo.”
“Huh? You want me to teach the class?”
Cheol-min urged, “Well, it’s a basic class. It’s just breathing exercises and vocal practice. As an active actor, who else can teach it if not you?”
“Do I really have the skill for that? I’m worried that I might confuse the students and cause trouble.”
“Trouble? Nonsense! They’ll be thrilled if you go in. Just keep up the teacher’s image.”
“Um, well, I’ve never taught before, but since it’s a basic class, I’ll give it a try.”
Upon hearing the explanation, Yeon-woo felt a mixture of curiosity and gratitude towards Cheol-min, who was so generous in offering this opportunity.
“Sure, of course you’ll do well. If you encounter any problems, just call for help.”
Yeon-woo sorted out what he had learned from Cheol-min and his experiences on set, then headed to the classroom.
As he opened the door and entered, all the students who were either stretching or chatting turned to look at him.
“Wow, it’s Yeon-woo!”
“Whoa, Cha Woo-joo!”
“No way, is this for real?”
About half of them froze on the spot, covering their mouths with their hands, while a few approached Yeon-woo. From the corner, there were even some who kept their earphones on, pretending not to be interested. As the students approached him, Yeon-woo greeted them and walked to the podium in front of the classroom.
“Nice to meet you all. I’m Ryu Yeon-woo, who recently debuted in ‘Summer Promise’. I’m here today as your substitute instructor.”
“Wow!”
Even the friend listening to music in the corner took off their earphones and focused on the class.
“Teacher Min is running a bit late today due to personal reasons, so I’m filling in for her. Can anyone tell me what we covered last time?”
“We were practicing dialogue breathing!”
A male student in the front raised his hand and answered.
“Thank you.” Yeon-woo smiled and replied.
Seeing Yeon-woo’s response, the male student whispered to his friend, “A celebrity should look like that.”
“Practicing breaking down the lines is crucial even when entering actual filming.”
Yeon-woo demonstrated his own experiences and showed how he practices during his usual sessions, putting in his best effort to teach.
“Oh, this is a great lecture. It feels like money well spent.”
Since most of those learning acting for the first time had registered at the academy after Ji Soo Hyun did, they spent three months practicing basics without even trying lines, which led to a waning interest.
“But lectures are lectures. Isn’t it interesting just to look at his face?”
Recently, Yu Jin registered at the same acting academy that Soo Hyun attends after hearing that Cha Woo-joo is a student there.
“Yu Jin, you’ve achieved your goal. You wanted to meet him, right? Cha Woo-joo.”
“My heart is racing like crazy right now.”
For the next two hours, Yeon-woo taught passionately. Teaching the basics allowed Yeon-woo to gain a clearer understanding of concepts that had been somewhat vague.
“Alright, let’s stop here for today.”
Upon Yeon-woo’s words, the students stood up and bid their farewells.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yes, thank you all for your hard work.”
As everyone waited, students like Yu Jin and Soo Hyun rushed to Yeon-woo.
“I’m really your fan! I enrolled in this academy just to see you!”
“Haha. Thank you.”
With a natural ease, Yeon-woo signed autographs and took photos amidst the crowd.
“Is it all finished?”
At that moment, Cheol-min entered the classroom. “Those friends don’t even look at me. They have hearts in their eyes for him.”
As Cheol-min entered and saw the students more focused on Yeon-woo than him, he smiled happily.
Time flew by, and the Lunar New Year holiday was approaching.
Yeon-woo and his family were preparing to head to their main house early in the morning.
Their grandmother’s house in Daejeon had been occupied for two days already.
Although Yeon-woo recalled most of his memories, he still used the excuse of lingering effects to explain why he couldn’t remember the faces of his relatives.
He then searched through the family album with his father and memorized the faces of his relatives. His habit of memorizing the faces of civilians in operational areas during his agent days made this task easy for him.
“Mom, do we really have to go this early?”
“We need to leave before the traffic gets bad. And besides, Grandmother’s shoulders aren’t in great shape, so we should go help.”
So-Hyeon complained with half-closed eyes. It was their first Lunar New Year after moving to Daejeon from Seoul last year.
On their way to Yulla, the rest stop they visited for a quick bathroom break, even though Yeon-woo was wearing a hat, fans recognized him and he was immediately surrounded.
“Wow, this is unbelievable. Yeon-woo is so popular. This is beyond my expectations.”
It was the first time his parents truly realized his popularity.
His father, Cheol-yung, acted as a manager, taking Yeon-woo with him in the car. They finally managed to leave after escaping the crowd.
“Oppa, we need to wear masks if we want to go out.”
“Hahaha. They probably recognized me from the number of students.”
Yeon-woo scratched his head.
“Oppa? Students are everywhere.”
So-Hyeon’s observation made Yeon-woo nod in agreement.
Finally, Yeon-woo’s family arrived at his grandfather’s apartment. After parking the car, they were warmly welcomed by his grandparents with open arms.