113 - I Unknowingly Rejected My Favorite

EP.113 #113. Family After receiving a call from the manager who wanted to finalize the contract in person, I found myself standing in front of the YM headquarters building—a place even Doa hadn't visited before. Located in the heart of the city, the building was set in the most urban area imaginable. Unlike the university neighborhood, where hoodies and sweatshirts were common, the streets here were bustling with people in business attire and sophisticated outfits. "Phew." Taking a short breath and pulling out my phone, I dialed the manager. "Hello?" "Oh, yes. Taemin, have you arrived?" "Yes, I'm right in front of the building now." As expected, the security seemed extremely tight since it was a hub where many celebrities and trainees came and went. Just as I was starting to feel uneasy from continued eye contact with the guard in front, a man dressed sharply waved at me. "Taemin?" "Oh, yes. Hello." "Right this way." As anticipated, it was impossible to enter the building without a security card. I got into the elevator after heading inside, and it hit me—this is what the entertainment world feels like. The half-transparent elevator was designed so the entire interior of the building was visible: the architecture, the people. Scenes typically seen only in dramas flashed before my eyes. Everything felt like a tower built with each piece paid for by money. "This way, please!" The manager looked older than me. Though he was smaller in stature, his kind demeanor and cheerful tone guided me inside. "Welcome." A familiar face in an unfamiliar space. I recognized him and bowed my head politely. "Hello." It was the team leader from the casting team who had come to my neighborhood previously. "Thank you for coming all this way." "Oh, it's no problem." As we entered the seminar room, we began to discuss the details of the contract. I mostly listened rather than spoke. "For about three months, we have this much planned." Being a large company, the PPT with their logo attached seemed overly elaborate for just one individual—me. "So... you're asking me to just make a brief appearance in a web drama?" It was an explanation I had heard briefly before. "Yes, exactly. You won't have much to do. Maybe a line or two, but there might be none." Repeating what the manager had said, I nodded with a slightly puzzled expression. "And after that, based on the response, interviews and such." "Yes, those might go up on our media portal or reach out to popular YouTubers if the response is good." The company seemed to recognize my hesitation about participating in these activities and tried to accommodate me as much as possible. Truthfully, none of their proposals demanded any 'skills' from me. It seemed like my face was all they needed. Knowing my face was being sold wasn't particularly comforting... ...Yet I couldn't pinpoint what was driving my sense of urgency. As I stared blankly at the contract, offering no response, the team leader reiterated the point I wanted to ask about the most. "The benefits for Luka were among the tricky additions to negotiate, and we hope you understand that." By signing this contract, there were definite additional benefits that Luka would receive. Especially these clauses. [Guarantee of original songs for a solo concert.] [Option to select an avatar designer for the solo concert.] Honestly, I didn't know why avatars were such a big deal, but the guarantee of original songs sounded like sweet temptation. It was for Doa, but also for me. An original song just for Doa—not for the whole Closer group. And it would be released at a solo concert! "Do other Closer members not get original songs?" I wondered if Doa would be the only one with an original song. "The company hopes to provide them for everyone, but due to scheduling with our composers, we can't guarantee 100%." In other words, it was like a game of chance. "Taemin, if you're a fan of Luka, this is indeed an exceptional offer." "For someone like me who doesn't know very much, what's your connection with Luka?" The manager asked curiously, and I replied vaguely. "Oh, she's a junior from university. And I personally really like the character of Luka..." "Oh, so you've known Luka even before she joined us." There were too many stories accumulated in our relationship to just brush it off, but there was no reason to bring that up here. "This is the optimal offer we can provide at this point." With a meaningful expression, the team leader stopped speaking. While compensation for activities would be paid, the company's stance was to not have high expectations. After all, I wasn't a well-known figure but a rookie, and the company was covering all financial costs for the projects. It could be seen as time investment mutually beneficial for both parties. "You can try it out for just 3 months, and then after seeing the response, decide whether to continue with us or terminate the contract." The team leader handed me a pen, and I... "…Please take care of me." With that, I became part of YM. * * * "Wow! So, oppa is now part of the company family too?" Doa's words made me chuckle. "No, what family, you little rascal." "If we're in the same company, we're family!" Despite never visiting the headquarters, she's already talking about being family. It was amusing, but seeing Doa so genuinely happy made me feel good. "When you appear in the web drama, I'll be the first to comment," Doa said, unlocking her phone while sitting on the bed. "What will you say?" "Something like 'The guy at X minutes X seconds is insanely handsome.'" "Don't," I said, waving my hands in mock horror, "or people will flock to confess to me." Doa shook her head playfully. "By then, they'll be fans, not confessors." "Misguided fan devotion can be the scariest, you know," I replied, thinking of the feelings I harbored for her. What started as a small cheer had grown beyond control. "But if you do this properly, that might be unavoidable, right?" I had no intentions of taking things seriously—just three months, doing exactly what they told me, nothing more. If I had thought the proposed activities were too demanding, I wouldn't have even considered it. "Come on, it'll be just three months of brief appearances here and there. What could really happen?" "Don't you know when people today start liking something, they dive in deep?" "If we're talking about fandom, I'm probably more knowledgeable than you." "Then you know how trivial the starting point can be." It was true. How many people in the world engage passionately with fandom out of destiny? It's typically by chance that people find something that strikes a chord with them, leading them to become engrossed. "But seriously, who would go fan-crazy over me? They have better things to do." I reassuringly patted Doa's head, ruffling her hair, and she leaned her face shyly against my chest. "…Why are you making me out to be someone with nothing to do? I'm really busy," she murmured, her voice soft but clear. Luka indeed. In the early days of our relationship, she wasn't like this, but now Doa’s playful antics were reaching the level of Luka's banter. While on broadcasts, it was a playful persona for skits—here and now... As I placed my hand on Doa's cheek, her unmistakable warmth indicated how she truly felt. "Are you my fan?" I asked, wanting to hear her say it. "Well, you're a fan of Luka too." "That's because it's Luka." "But since I'm Luka, how is you being my fan any different?" She really played by her own rules. There was a time she wanted me to only see Doa, not Luka. Now she seemed to switch between them as needed. "Then you can be my first fan." An achievement I never managed: being Luka's first fan. Truthfully, when I first saw Luka, she was relatively unknown, though not completely devoid of viewers. Her stream viewership was in the double digits back then. Now, with her audience in the tens of thousands, it’s grown exponentially. "Are there any perks for the first fan?" Doa asked, looking up at me from where she sat on my lap. Her snowy neck definitely seemed to be enticing me. "Aren’t family members not supposed to do this?" We shared a kiss so passionate that the word 'family' seemed laughable.