Wow… Hwarin? That's Hwarin? This is insane.
Hwarin had suddenly appeared in the meeting room.
She was the leader of Elani, one of the top girl groups in the industry. Even Kang Woojin, who had never cared much about celebrities, knew who she was.
She was just that famous.
She's not quite as stunning as Hong Hyeyeon, but she's still really pretty.
Woojin stood there blankly, staring at Hwarin near the glass door with pure curiosity.
It felt like unexpectedly running into a celebrity in real life.
At that moment, the slightly chubby Netflix executive looked at Hwarin and spoke.
"Ms. Hwarin? Why are you in this meeting room? You were supposed to be guided to the room next door."
Ah, so she came into the wrong room?
Woojin quickly grasped the situation and looked back at Hwarin.
Oddly enough—
Hwarin was staring straight at him as well.
He felt a little flustered but reminded himself to stay composed.
So he greeted her calmly.
"Hello."
"..."
But Hwarin didn't respond.
She only furrowed her brow slightly.
Woojin felt a bit awkward.
Why isn't she answering? And that expression… what's her problem?
Meanwhile—
This is insane.
Hwarin had completely blanked out from Woojin's greeting.
His voice is insane! What was that? Is that his normal speaking voice? My ears almost melted!
It was already shocking enough that her favorite actor, Kang Woojin, was here at Netflix.
But his deep voice had shaken her entire being.
Which made sense.
The actor she had been obsessing over for weeks was standing right in front of her.
Her thoughts spiraled into chaos.
Why is Kang Woojin here? What do I do? I don't understand. What is happening right now?
Hwarin felt like running in circles.
If she could, she wanted to run up to him, shout that she was his fan, ask for a photo, say at least a few words—no, even just shake his hand.
She even wanted to confess that she had become his fan without realizing it.
That was how strong her feelings had become.
But—
"Hey, Hwarin."
Not only the chubby manager, but all the Netflix staff were watching her.
So she forced herself to suppress everything.
That was why—
"Ahem."
—Hwarin lightly cleared her throat and turned her gaze away.
I can't keep looking at him. My heart's going to explode.
Meanwhile, Woojin grew slightly irritated.
Fine, don't return the greeting—but did she have to avoid eye contact that hard?
Then the chubby executive asked,
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"…No, I'm fine."
Hwarin answered softly, almost like a whisper.
Then she glanced at Woojin again.
After that—
"Hello…"
"Ah, yes."
A short exchange.
Hwarin tried to steady her racing heart.
That's it? That's all? Should I say something else? Right—say something.
But there were too many eyes on her.
So she held herself back.
"I enjoyed that drama."
She held back too much.
Her tone came out flat.
Almost rude.
Naturally—
Woojin took it that way.
She's kind of rude.
So his reply turned colder.
"Thank you."
Hwarin's heart pounded even harder.
Watching him from afar and facing him like this—
They were completely different.
At that moment, Hwarin grabbed her manager's arm.
"…Oppa, let's go."
"Huh? Ah, okay."
She practically ran away.
If I stay any longer, I might jump at him. No, no—I need to calm down first.
And just like that, Hwarin abruptly left the meeting room.
The employee who had guided her in got scolded and hurried after her.
Woojin quietly asked Choi Sunggeon,
"That woman, Hwarin… isn't she a bit strange?"
Choi Sunggeon shrugged.
"Who knows? I'm not sure either. But I heard she's close with Hyeyeon, so she's probably not normal. I've never heard bad rumors about her, though. Just that she's not easy to approach. Why?"
"No, it's nothing."
Woojin let it go.
She's rude. Well, celebrities all have different personalities.
She was completely different from Hong Hyeyeon.
At that moment, the chubby director smiled apologetically.
"Woojin, sorry for calling you so suddenly. One of our staff made a mistake."
"It's fine."
Choi Sunggeon jumped in casually.
"Are you working with Hwarin too? Just asking for fun. Ignore me if you don't want to answer."
The director smiled.
"Honestly, we were surprised too. We didn't expect both Kang Woojin and Hwarin to show interest in this project."
"This project?"
"Yes. The short drama Boyfriend. Nothing's confirmed yet."
She turned to the woman beside her.
A slim woman wearing glasses.
Writer Choi Nana.
"It already felt like a dream when Woojin agreed. I never imagined Hwarin would reach out first too."
The director continued.
"We promoted the script widely across the industry. Honestly, it was more symbolic than anything."
Choi Sunggeon nodded.
"Sending scripts to top actors definitely creates buzz."
"Exactly. That was the goal."
She smiled lightly.
"Even without Hwarin, having Woojin alone is more than enough."
"Yes!"
Then she looked at Woojin.
"You're really doing this, right?"
Woojin answered simply.
"Yes. I'll take the male lead role in Boyfriend."
The director's smile widened.
Writer Choi Nana spoke carefully.
"May I ask why you chose this project?"
The kiss scene was fresh… but I can't say that.
Woojin answered calmly.
"I liked how concise the script was."
"Really?"
"And the overall atmosphere."
Choi Nana stared at him.
Atmosphere… just like Writer Park Eunmi said.
Then—
"By the way, Woojin, can you sing?"
Woojin blinked.
Why singing all of a sudden?
"Yes. I'm not bad."
"Good."
"Starting from Episode 2, the male lead reveals a hidden talent."
"Singing?"
"Yes."
Woojin thought.
I'm good at karaoke.
"I'm not tone-deaf."
"Then that's enough!"
Woojin extended his hand.
"Can I see Episode 2 onward?"
"Of course."
Meanwhile—
In the next meeting room.
Hwarin's heart was still racing.
Ah! I left too early! I should've asked for a handshake!
Her thoughts were filled with Kang Woojin.
His presence… it's heavy. Serious. His voice too.
Then—
"Why is Kang Woojin here?"
"He's the male lead."
"…Kang Woojin?"
"Yes."
At that moment—
Click.
The door opened.
"The male lead of Boyfriend will be Kang Woojin."
"!!!"
Hwarin froze.
What?
Then—
"If Hwarin joins, can we remove the kiss scene?"
"Oppa."
She pinched her manager.
"Shh. Be quiet."
Night.
Woojin's studio apartment.
He dropped onto the bed.
"Ah, long day."
Then—
"Let's check."
He entered the void space.
And saw—
[Boyfriend — B+ Grade]
"…What?"
It rose.
Then suddenly—
[Boyfriend — A Grade]
"…Get out. Now."
Woojin snapped out.
"Why is this the only one that jumped to A?"
At the same time—
Inside JML Entertainment.
The CEO and manager stared at Hwarin in shock.
"Say that again."
Hwarin answered calmly.
"I'll do it. The short drama Boyfriend."