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Chapter 28 ….
“You know our broadcast concept, right? Just relax, really—be comfortable and honest. That’s the whole point. The great thing about pre-recording is, even if you make a mistake, we can edit it all out. Heh-heh….”
It was Kang Byung-jung, the PD of Star Behind, speaking. He had a big build and a warm, approachable impression.
I recalled what Team Leader Jo Min-su had said before I came here.
— You know this too, but variety show PDs aren’t people you can really trust. For them, as long as it’s entertaining, that’s all that matters. Don’t interfere—just focus on spotlighting Im Yu-joo and Lee Joo-ah.
— No, wait. Why am I nagging? You’ll know what to do on your own.
I sharpened my senses and focused on my sense of smell.
‘Nothing particularly strange….’
Actually, there was a musty smell—but it turned out to just be Byung-jung’s sweat. Maybe because of his large frame, his body odor was stronger than usual. But once he began speaking, the scent of onions spread through the air—a fragrance like a spring field just before blooming.
“Please take good care of us.”
Like when I had gone on Music Tomato, I bowed politely to everyone I met. But unlike back then, the reaction was different.
“Oh my, why are you greeting us so politely? We should be the ones asking Manager Yoo Hyun-jae for his favor.”
The same words were returned to me. Well, it made sense. Back then, I had to bow and say, ‘Thank you for including our kids. Please take good care of them.’ But now, it was them bowing, ‘Please, we beg you, bring those stars here.’
In the entertainment industry, power dynamics aren’t really determined by contracts, but by fame. If you walk into a studio with two top stars like Im Yu-joo and Lee Joo-ah, it’s like walking with the Azure Dragon and White Tiger at your side.
That should feel reassuring, right? In normal circumstances, yes….
But right now, I didn’t feel reassured at all. It felt like the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger were glaring at each other.
— Yu-joo, you’re considering the possibility that Hyun-jae’s choice of movie might flop, aren’t you?
At Lee Joo-ah’s words, Im Yu-joo had only managed to reply, “No! That’s not it…” She had wanted to say more, but before she could, we had already arrived at the set.
Make-up, wardrobe, greetings to the MCs… before I knew it, filming had started.
Star Behind—a program hosted by four MCs, famous for their blunt and mischievous questions. I was tense as the opening ment began.
And then, the very first question was thrown at me. Main MC and comedian Yoo Si-woo asked:
“Alright, time for some promotion. Manager Yoo Hyun-jae, I heard you played a big role in JM pushing Chalk and Spear. What do you think makes this movie appealing?”
It was a pre-arranged question. I delivered the answer I had prepared—together with Onion.
“This movie doesn’t just stop at punishing villains—it defeats the very concept of evil itself. It takes the frustration you feel at the beginning, scrapes it out, molds it into a lump, and sets it on fire. By the end, you’ll feel like your chest has been blown wide open.”
“So you’re saying this is like a constipation-relief kind of movie? Like a really long-lasting constipation suddenly solved in an instant?”
“Even more refreshing than that. It clears away far more than I expected…”
MC Kim Geun-ho groaned, “Stop, stop! Ew, gross.” MC Jang Soo-yeon jabbed Yoo Si-woo in the ribs, saying, “Manager, don’t indulge him like that. It’ll spoil him.” Laughter spread throughout the studio.
‘A good start.’
“Next question—Im Yu-joo, you took on the role of Ohn-yu, a vengeful ghost. Last time you came here to promote Teacher, Our Teacher, didn’t you say you wanted to keep taking on those kinds of roles? Because they suited you? Was that a line your agency fed you?”
“No, I really thought that at the time. But now, my thoughts have changed a bit.”
Yu-joo shook her head.
“Why’s that? Did you find similarities between yourself and Ohn-yu when reading the script?”
“No. There are similarities, but there are more differences. Actors don’t always play characters that match their personalities, right? I think I was whining too much before.”
“Ohh, so you’re saying this project is a chance to become a true professional actor? Seems like you’ve grown attached to it. Maybe Manager Yoo had an influence?”
I expected Yu-joo to deny it. But instead, she glanced at Lee Joo-ah and said:
“Of course. Everyone knows, right? Our manager has the Midas touch. If he says something will blow up, it does.”
“Really, to that extent? Then what if it doesn’t? Wouldn’t that cause conflict with your manager?”
“If it doesn’t, that’s my fault—for failing to bring the role to life.”
“So if it succeeds, it’s thanks to him; if it fails, it’s your fault? Doesn’t that sound like cult logic? Hyun-jae, this is suspicious….”
Yoo Si-woo joked in his usual playful tone. But Yu-joo kept stealing glances at Joo-ah.
— Yu-joo, you’re considering the possibility that Hyun-jae’s choice might flop, aren’t you?
It was as if she were refuting that statement here and now.
‘If she said it was her own choice, she’d get even more credit when the movie succeeds.’
Why were both Yu-joo and Joo-ah trying so hard to hype me up? I’m just a manager—what’s the point of raising my profile?
Once the discussion about the movie was wrapping up, Kim Geun-ho turned to me again.
“Alright, that’s enough about the film. Now let’s talk about something the audience really wants to know—Manager Yoo.”
“Eh? So the movie wasn’t what you were curious about?”
“No, that too! Hahaha. But you’re really good at speaking, you know?”
I had only been briefed about movie-related questions. This caught me off guard.
“Unintentionally or not, your love life has drawn national attention, hasn’t it? After all, that breakup story got revealed on the radio.”
“Ah… well, yes.”
“People are curious if your heart has healed since then. Have you perhaps started seeing someone new?”
“No. The wounds have healed, but I haven’t started dating.”
“Is that because you want to but can’t, or because you’re just not interested?”
“The latter. I just enjoy working.”
“Already? That’s dangerous….”
The MCs teased me about whether my ‘romance cells’ were still alive. Despite being a “tell-all” program, they avoided truly hurtful questions. We even did a love psychology quiz. Then Yoo Si-woo asked me:
“So, Manager—who was your first love?”
“My neighbor noona back in high school.”
“You haven’t forgotten that fluttering feeling, have you?”
“Haha… honestly, I barely remember.”
“Forgetting your first love? Hm… but to date, you need to remember that heart-thumping excitement.”
Since my answer was dull, Yoo Si-woo redirected his question—to Joo-ah. Everyone tensed up.
“Lee Joo-ah, you don’t really give off the vibe of someone who talks about this kind of stuff, but… when was your first love?”
“Of course. You’ve got me all wrong—please ask freely.”
“Haha, it’s just because you rarely appear on variety shows. You should show up more often.”
The PD and staff all focused on Joo-ah. She had rarely revealed anything personal. Back in her LaDoRéMi days, she was known to the public as irritable and temperamental.
I thought she’d decline to answer. But she answered easily. How entertaining would it be to hear about a top star’s first love?
Yoo Si-woo asked:
“So, when was your first love?”
Joo-ah replied:
“My neighbor dongsaeng in high school.”
For one second, silence hung in the air.
Hadn’t I just said something similar?
“Huh? Doesn’t that sound strangely connected?”
Yoo Si-woo looked between us.
“It does.”
Joo-ah answered nonchalantly.
[ Top Star Lee Joo-ah Confesses First Love on Star Behind! ]
[ Lee Joo-ah’s First Love: A Younger Boy—Her Tearful High School Story ]
[ “Feels Like My Heart’s Still the Same,” Lee Joo-ah Reminisces About First Love ]
At JM Entertainment’s PR office, Team Leader Song Geon-woo of PR Team 1 scrolled through social media reactions and thought:
‘This is legendary.’
Normally, Star Behind had ratings in the 5% range. But the episode with Yu-joo and Joo-ah reached 7.1%.
He had expected some buzz—after all, not only were both top stars appearing, but Yoo Hyun-jae, who was already trending for various reasons, was also on the show.
‘But they really went for the first-love angle?’
YouTube Shorts was exploding. Searching Joo-ah instantly brought up her first-love story.
— “When my parents divorced in high school, home was a mess. I hated being there, so I stayed late at the library. That’s where I always saw him. I don’t know if he knew I lived next door. Once, my stomach growled because I didn’t bring food, and he handed me a rice ball. He kept doing that—for about two months.”
— “Later I found out his family wasn’t well-off. Those two rice balls were his dinner. He gave me one of them. I felt so sorry and grateful, and ashamed for eating without knowing. So I stopped going to the library. Yes, I know that was wrong. I was just really timid back then.”
— “I later learned he’d moved to Seoul. When I went to find him, he already had a girlfriend. He had forgotten me. And so….”
? Wait, so she’s 29 now, and if it started when she was 19, she’s been carrying that love for 10 years? I thought Joo-ah was a cold diva, but she’s actually pure.
? No way it lasted 10 years. She must’ve dated others in between.
? Who forgets Lee Joo-ah, even with a girlfriend? If it were me, no chance….
? But think about it—he must’ve been confused too. The girl who ate his rice balls every day just vanished. Lol.
? Yoo Hyun-jae is 27, and his first love was his neighbor noona… what if that was Joo-ah? What if they were each other’s first love?
? Nah, PD must’ve scripted that. Only kids would believe otherwise.
? Anyway, when’s Chalk and Spear coming out? After that show, I think of it every time I’m on the toilet. Marketing genius.
“Hahaha.”
Geon-woo laughed—a mix of joy and exasperation.
Wasn’t this an incredible marketing effect? Right now, Joo-ah was #1 on social trends, “Joo-ah’s first love” was #2, and searches for Chalk and Spear had skyrocketed. A huge success!
The only downside was that their prewritten press releases had become useless.
If they put out an article like “Actress Lee Joo-ah Shows Off Hidden Variety Charm with Honest Talk on Star Behind”, it would get buried instantly. No outlet would bother writing it now.
Geon-woo called Management Team 3, speaking to his fellow recruit Jo Min-su.
“Damn it, you guys always make us toss out our press releases. Why did Joo-ah’s first love suddenly become the main story?”
[ It wasn’t in the script. Apparently, they were supposed to dig into Hyun-jae’s love life. ]
“Hyun-jae again? Everything gets bigger when he’s involved.”
[ Just accept it. If Hyun-jae’s there, don’t bother writing press releases in advance. ]
“Sigh….”
He realized Min-su was right. During the Ugly Syndrome concert, too—who could’ve predicted over 400,000 live viewers, followed by outreach from a UN organization?
Maybe they should base their PR strategy entirely around Hyun-jae.
“By the way—could it be?”
[ What? ]
“Do you know who Joo-ah’s first love is? Social media’s going crazy over her pure-hearted image. If she were to actually blush in front of her first love, wouldn’t the fandom explode?”
As long as it didn’t turn into a dating scandal, that kind of thing could actually help. People are always curious about how stars love.
[ No idea. How would we even find out? ]
“What if it’s Manager Hyun-jae? Remember how Joo-ah commented on his ex-girlfriend’s post on SNS, and it blew up? Even though she deleted it later. If it really was him, we could spin it as ‘a destined reunion’ and make it huge.”
[ Write a novel, why don’t you. Anyway, I’ll send you the shooting schedule for Chalk and Spear. Match the marketing timeline with it. ]
“Of course it was a joke. Got it.”
[ You really think this is time for jokes? ]
Geon-woo hung up. Min-su was right—JM was going through a whirlwind. There was no time for jokes.
I thought back to my first year of high school.
I remembered seeing my neighbor noona at the library. She was pretty, but cold. She shared her rice balls with me every day, but never said thank you. Still, since she kept eating them, I figured she didn’t hate it.
But one day, she happened to see my mom apologizing to me out front because she couldn’t afford to give me money for the school retreat. After that, she stopped coming to the library.
What would you think in my shoes? That she found out I was poor and lost all interest.
I thought she was cold and heartless. I desperately tried to forget her.
But… it wasn’t like that?
After dropping them off at the dorm following the shoot, Joo-ah called me. The moment I answered, she said:
[ Do you remember now? ]
