Chapter 115: Otaku Bastard

The name of the work I would be a part of was [Love Rides the Waves].

I thought it sounded more like a title of an otaku movie or an anime than a Korean drama, but after I quickly scanned other web drama titles, it didn’t feel that way anymore.

Maybe the otaku culture was currently trending or something. Well, whatever it was, I walked while fully focusing on the map app on my phone until I reached my destination.

“Taemin-ssi!”

Seeing this person’s silhouette still gave me an awkward feeling, but I needed to get used to him.

By the way, this person was the manager in charge of me.

“Ah, hello.”

I bowed my head to greet him, but…

“Are we… Going to film here…?”

I couldn’t see any cameras that sort of thing around…

For a moment, I felt embarrassed. Maybe my expectation was too high, after all? They probably didn’t need a fancy-looking set for the filming…?

“Of course not! We need to get your makeup done first! Please follow me!”

After that, the manager took me into a fairly decent building and we got on the elevator together.

When the elevator doors’ opened, a foreign smell entered my nose.

It smelled similar to the scent you’d smell at a department store’s first floor.

“Welcome~”

We entered through an automatic door and a woman who looked like a salon owner came over to talk with the manager. After that, she pulled me to sit on a chair.

“Nice to meet you, um…?”

“Ah. I’m Han Taemin.”

“Alright, Taemin-ssi! I heard this is your first time coming to our shop~?”

“Yes…”

Don’t talk to me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t talk to me.

I’ve never got a chance to tell this but, all salon staff were my arch-nemesis!

Having to face one while being in such a glamorous place was eating away at my mental strength.

“You know, many other celebrities from YM often come here too~”

“I see.”

“But Taemin-ssi, your skin is really beautiful! Even male idols struggle a lot to take care of their skin, you know?”

Seriously, why were you saying so many things I didn’t ask for?!

Could I just plug in my earphone while playing a Luka clip or something instead…?

At school, I could easily run away when people tried to talk to me like this, but this wasn’t school but a workplace.

This was a place for business.

Powder and cream…

Pencils and lipstick…

Things I had never put on my face in my life were now covering my skin.

“Wow… Taemin-ssi. You look even more radiant now!”

After a while, the makeup session finally came to an end. I looked at my face in the mirror and…

If I had to compare it to something… I guess it felt like a mythical item that had been heavily enhanced…?

“Um… Thank you…”

“Alright, we’re done for now. I need to call the manager over to discuss some things and then we can finish it up!”

“Okay…”

For now, I was left to my own devices, so I slowly turned my face and right.

Huh, was it okay for a man’s lips to be this red?

This was still my face and all, but I just couldn’t get used to it.

Not long after, I heard footsteps. When the manager saw me, he nodded vigorously.

“As expected of the golden-hand head stylist. It really brings color to Taemin-ssi’s face!”

“Oh no, no~ It’s been a long time since I’ve worked on such a promising rookie with such a great face~”

“We have high expectations for Taemin-ssi too.”

The two of them suddenly exchanged their compliments about me right in front of my face.

Ugh, could I hide somewhere…?

“Alright, let’s go to the filming location.”

The manager took me into his personal car. I sat in the passenger seat with an uneasy face as I fastened my seatbelt.

“So, how are you feeling, Taemin-ssi?”

“Me…? I’m…fine…I guess…”

“Good, good. You aren’t nervous or anything, right?”

“A little, yes…”

I didn’t know how much the makeup cost, but I felt an obligation to at least make it worth the money.

“Ah~ Don’t worry. As we discussed before, there’s a big chance that you’d only need to walk by quickly today!”

Please let that be the case.

I wasn’t confident if I could fulfill any unexpected requirements properly.

Anyway, the filming location wasn’t far, it only took around ten minutes to get there by car.

After the manager parked the car, we entered an alley. There, I saw a bunch of equipment that everyone could recognize at a glance as filming gear.

“That’s it! Cut!”

When a man—presumably the director—called a cut, the actors and staff began to move around.

“Director!”

After calling him out, the manager pulled me into the crowd.

Before long, we arrived in front of the director.

He was wearing a padded jacket, and his expression looked rather stern, just like a stereotypical director.

Even the pupils beyond his square glasses gave off a stubborn impression. He was definitely a strict person.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Director Jo Gyu-hyuk.”

“I’m Han Taemin! Please take care of me!”

Knowing that he was the director while I was an unknown rookie, I bowed deeply, showing a gesture of respect that was completely out of character for me.

“Manager, you can go and get him dressed now. I think it’s best if we just start the shoot as quickly as possible and move on to the next thing.”

“Yes! Understood!”

Their conversation ended there.

After that, the manager hurriedly went to another staff member to grab my outfit before coming back to me again.

“Alright, Taemin-ssi! Please go in there, change into this and come back here!”

…A school uniform?

I never thought I’d wear one ever again in my life…

No, actually, if Doah suggested a date while wearing one of these, maybe I’d rent one.

Also, Doah in a school uniform, huh…?

Heh…hehehehe…

-Knock knock knock

“Taemin-ssi! Please hurry!”

“Ah, y-yes!”

Wait, this wasn’t the time for that!

I quickly put on the uniform and came out. Before I came back to where I was, a woman who looked like a stylist adjusted my appearance.

“We’re ready to film!”

Anyway, what I needed to do was so simple it was almost ridiculous.

I just needed to walk from the end of that alley to the streetlight with my hands in my pockets.

“Uh, what about my expression…? What should I…?”

I got the walking part, but what kind of face should I make?

“You know that nonchalant expression you usually have, Taemin-ssi? The slightly expressionless one? Just make that face, everything should be fine!”

“Ah… okay…”

“Just act like you’re passing by on the street naturally. Don’t feel too pressured.”

The manager then led me to the end of the alley by the hand. There, I saw other supporting actors, preparing to follow behind me.

Judging by their appearance, it seemed they were trying to portray the typical school delinquent group in youth dramas.

While I didn’t know much about acting, I was an expert at walking with an indifferent face. At the cue, I slowly walked forward.

“Cut!”

And it ended in less than ten seconds…

…Was that really it? It was over already…?

If it was just this, I could do this again ten more times, you know…?

For some reason, the director was wearing a complex expression.

Meanwhile the supporting actors and I were just standing there blankly, waiting for his next instruction.

“Taemin-ssi’s manager! Could you come here for a moment?”

When I heard that it was my manager that was called instead of me, my body instantly stiffened.

Fuck. If someone were to get scolded, I’d rather it be me…

No, wait… Did I even do anything to get scolded in the first place?

But still, just the thought of someone else getting scolded for my mistake already made me feel unsettled, so I waited for the manager with an apologetic face.

Not long after, the manager walked towards us with a very serious expression.

Seeing his face, I swallowed hard.

“Um… Taemin-ssi?”

“Yes?”

“Are you willing to say just a single line?”

…Huh? A line? They wanted me to say something…?

“Um… May I know what it is…?”

“The director is asking if you could say this one thing, just this one thing.”

If it was something difficult, there was no way I could do it.

Like, if I had to raise my voice, shout or do something excessive… I’d have to say that I couldn’t do it…

“Yes, yes.”

“Alright, the line is, [Otaku bastard, you should know your place.] That’s all.”

Okay, I could say that line just fine, but…

Why were you hitting me where it hurt…?

I knew that probably wasn’t their intention, and it was like a carelessly thrown stone that hit a frog.

And I was that frog in this case.

“Um, what kind of tone should I use for this line…?”

“The director said wants you to do it in the most disrespectful tone possible. He highly praised your face Taemin-ssi, he said that it would fit the scene perfectly.”

He then explained to me how good of an opportunity this was and his face seemed quite desperate.

“Let’s try to capture that feeling as much as possible, okay? If the director doesn’t like it, they’ll edit it out anyway.”

I still wasn’t sure about this, but it was just one line anyway…

It would feel weird if I were to refuse this, so I just accepted it. I kept muttering the line under my breath before going in.

Otaku bastard, you should know your place.

Otaku bastard, you should know your place.

Otaku bastard, you should know your place.

Hmm… I guess I could use a similar tone to the one Luka used when she was doing a roleplay. The one where she sounded so full of herself.

When the cue came, I walked forward just like before.

After reaching the streetlight, I turned my head slightly askew and looked at the camera with contempt.

“Otaku bastard, you should know your place.”

While I knew that the chances of you fellow otaku watching a web drama were extremely slim, please forgive me in advance, everyone…

After silently conveying my apologies that would never reach them, I stood still and watched the director’s reaction.

The director, who seemed to be replaying the scene…

“Wow… This is it.”

…Did that mean I did well?