LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 67:
At the same time, in a modest but well-arranged set at the mini studio of JJ Entertainment, Han Yooil's online fan meeting was in full swing.
The PR team assistant in charge of planning the fan meeting watched Yooil with a serious expression.
The reaction is better than expected.'
Although Yooil had been to film festivals and recently gained popularity, he was still considered a bit early to be called a top star'.
Yet, the continuously increasing audience was nearing ten thousand.
The most impressive aspect was Yooil's hosting skills.
He's got a good sense and there's no awkwardness.'
Actors who focus solely on acting often neglect such aspects.
Usually, there's a host for offline fan meetings.
Fan meetings hosted by actors alone often tend to drag or become dull.
Moreover, Yooil hadn't even experienced something like a fan meeting before. And considering the recent unfavorable events, he wouldn't be in the best condition.
But the assistant had not been expecting this.
This is quite commendable.'
The assistant smiled contentedly at Yooil's smooth hosting.
But at the same time, there was a hint of regret.
It would have been more fun if some more mischievous questions had come up that kind of regret.
Torn between professional spirit and concern for the actor, the assistant's face lit up at Yooil's next words.
"The next question is Can you show us some impromptu acting?'"
Oh.'
There it was.
The mischievous question!
The assistant's eyes sparkled as they watched Yooil. However, Yooil's response was unexpected.
"This sounds fun."
?'
Yooil closed his eyes briefly, took a light breath, and then opened his eyes again.
And then, he began to speak.
"Father."
(tl/n: He said Abamama, a call for a King father by his son/daughter in Joseon dialect)
!'
It was a sigh-like call, coming from deep within.
His voice it's completely changed?'
Not just the voice.
Everything was different from Han Yooil's usual expressions and acting tones.
"Do you wish for your son to live forever in your shadow, Father?"
Resentment and deeply suppressed sorrow became the language that leaked out.
"If that is your wish, then so be it. I shall live like a rat scurrying around the marketplace."
The assistant, unknowingly, had their mouth wide open, staring at Yooil.
Although not an expert in acting, they had heard in passing that historical dramas are challenging.
Breathing. The breathing in historical dramas is entirely different from that in modern dramas.
That's the difference that divides awkwardness from naturalness.
And Han Yooil was nailing that breathing.
"Even for a moment, or even for a short while, could you not look at me wholly?"
A young man dressed in plain 21st-century clothes transformed into the protagonist of a Joseon dynasty tragedy in an instant.
The assistant slowly absorbed this transformation.
"What am I to Father?"
Tears began to well up in Han Yooil's eyes.
His voice trembling, he continued,
"Who am I"
!
Suddenly, the chats that seemed to have frozen for a moment started to surge crazily.
What's this?
?
Wow
What work is this from?!?!
Does anyone know?
Just watched with my mouth open
Yooil watched the rapidly rising chat window and smiled faintly.
At that moment, Han Yooil clarified to the audience, "Ah, everyone. This line isn't from any existing script. I just made it up on the spot"
"!"
The PR team staff, along with the audience commenting, were shocked.
It was unbelievable.
They had seen a narrative in that brief line!
They had perceived a heart-wrenching story!
Wow
This can't be real
Seriously?!?
The comments were a whirlpool of confusion.
After a moment of slight chaos passed, Yooil quickly moved on to drawing hieroglyph-like things on a cake with a chocolate pen and eating it.
"The next segment is the Speed Quiz! Ah, I see many of you have been looking forward to this. Let's not delay and get right to it."
Yooil, smiling at the camera, started making a phone call.
Wow! Are we starting now?
"Yes."
I was waiting with the members while watching, hyung!
"You're watching this with the members?"
The fact that Yooil's smile almost faltered at that moment was unknown to anyone.
"Yes, thankfully Kim Harang has agreed to help us with the Speed Quiz today."
Oh my
OMG
Awww
The assistant looked proudly at the explosive chat reactions.
Fans of Black Sea, Harang's group, had also joined in.
Heard our boy is appearing here
Harang are you solving quizzes here too? Your quiz instinct never fades
Singing in High School combo
The 1-Minute Speed Quiz' proceeded with Yooil reading the questions and Harang answering after a brief description.
"My favorite food is"
Doenjang jjigae! Jjajangmyeon!
[Doenjang jjigae]
As Yooil flipped the sketchbook, cheers could be heard from the other end of the phone.
Yooil and Harang started solving the quizzes at a breath-taking pace.
"Ah, it's an animal with a hard shell on its back"
Turtle!
"When eating at a Chinese restaurant"
Pickled vegetables!
"Instead of glasses"
Sunglasses!
"For taking notes"
Post-it!
Harang had rapidly answered 9 out of the 10 questions prepared by the PR team. Soon, they were on the last page.
Upon seeing the last question, Yooil was puzzled.
"Huh. You won't know this one."
Quick, quick!
Yooil hesitantly asked the question.
"My birthday is?"
April 2nd!
"How do you know that?"
Yooil's genuinely surprised expression marked the end of the Speed Quiz.
"Ah It's all done."
What's with their chemistry?
Did you guys practice speed quizzes all day?
I can't even keep up, it went by so fast
This is meme material
Birthdays are a common question, so I made sure to remember!
After a short exchange, Harang ended the call.
"Then please give a lot of love to both me and Black Sea!"
While being engrossed in the speed quiz, the assistant was brought back to reality by a junior employee's nudge.
"Assistant, look at the number of viewers right now!"
Prompted by the whisper of the junior employee, the assistant turned their head and gasped in shock.
34,000!'
When did it reach that number?
Is it because of Black Sea?'
But that didn't seem quite right as there were no drop-offs in viewership.
If people came because of Kim Harang, they would normally leave right after the speed quiz. However, the number of viewers remained steady.
"It's nice to see everyone's support. How did I ask Harang for help? He wanted to do it, so I gladly accepted."
"How much do I bench press? That's a secret."
Watching Han Yooil, the assistant slowly nodded.
It's because of Yooil.'
They had heard it was his first time doing a live broadcast like this. He seemed a bit flustered by the rapidly climbing chat at first, but now he seemed to have adapted well, freely interacting with the audience.
I didn't know he had a talent for this too.'
Holding the audience's attention continuously was also a realm of talent.
.
.
.
"Ah, the moment you've all been waiting for has arrived."
Finally.'
It was time for the last chapter of the fan meeting, Fan Club Name'.
"Now it's time to decide on the fan club name You all had such great ideas that it was really hard to narrow down the choices."
Speaking honestly, Yooil then shared the names the manager Jang Jaeyi and the PR team had painstakingly shortlisted.
Yooil, hiding his embarrassment, lifted the cards with as much composure as he could.
The names on the back of the cards were written in a Gothic font.
"The first one is Yooiltopia'."
"The second is The Only Yooil'."
"And the last one is YooilMooyi'."
Unexpectedly, as soon as YooilMooyi' was revealed, the live comments started exploding.
This feels right, this is it
If we go with the last one, is the nickname for fans Mooyi'????
Mooyi
Did the actor choose this himself?
Cute
"There's a live poll happening on the OTube page right now, so if you could take a moment to vote and come back, that would be great."
Yooil continued the conversation while watching the rapidly increasing comments.
Any questions he missed, Brion showed once again.
- The question Have you decided on your next project?' has appeared a total of 13 times.
"My next project hasn't been finalized yet. But I hope to bring you good news soon."
He answered the sensitive questions about his next project as instructed by director Won Heesu.
This is fun.'
He had been nervous before starting, but once it got going, it was enjoyable. He lost track of time.
At the same time, a small thought took root deep in Yooil's heart.
It would be even better to meet in person.'
Then, the PR team staff lifted a sketchbook.
[Please check the voting results!]
"Ah, it seems it's time to check the results now."
Yooil picked up the tablet on the table.
"The name of the fan club is"
Han Yooil elongated his words like an MC announcing the final winner in a singer variety show.
Drumroll
Why am I so nervous about this?
And as Han Yooil revealed the tablet, the reactions were polarized.
Eek!
"YooilMooyi."
Thus, on the evening of Han Yooil's first fan meeting, the official name of his fan club was decided.
* * *
"Great work everyone!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Actor Han!"
The fan meeting that started at 7 PM ended at 9 PM.
Han Yooil's fan meeting began with around five thousand viewers but concluded with more than seven times that number, making it the most watched live event ever hosted by JJ Entertainment. As soon as the fan meeting ended, the PR team assistant couldn't help but ask a question that had been on their mind.
"What was that, Yooil? The thing you did during the Q&A? That historical drama! Was that impromptu acting really unrehearsed?"
Yooil responded with an ambiguous smile.
"Well, I did practice a bit of impromptu acting."
He had practiced a few times with keywords thrown by Brion. He had started practicing because impromptu acting' was among the expected questions.
Initially, he hadn't planned to practice long, but the more he did it, the more he felt it helped clear his complicated thoughts, so the practice ended up being longer than anticipated.
"So that was really a made-up line?"
The assistant shook their head in disbelief.
"No way, it was so good I thought it was from an actual script. Youre good at writing lines too, Yooil."
"Not really."
Such compliments were always embarrassing to hear.
After the successful online fan meeting, Yooil returned to Park Younghyun's house.
He immediately called Jin Hayoung. Jin Hayoung expressed her disappointment that the name she voted for wasn't selected.
But the name is cute. Good job, Yooil.
Hearing his aunt's ever-cheerful voice, Yooil felt a sense of relief and fell asleep more comfortably.
* * *
The next day.
Yooil woke up early and headed to the airport with Min Woojin.
At the airport, Yooil met Gu Chanik and Hwang Yiwon. Both had a word for Yooil after seeing his face.
"You look particularly tired today."
"Do you need water?"
"I'm fine."
After that, he slept throughout the flight and didn't remember much.
We've arrived.'
Han Yooil disembarked from the plane and gradually became more alert as he felt the unfamiliar air brush against his nose.
And thus, the busy schedule of the Berlin Film Festival began for him.