As the end of November approached, the acting industry buzzed with anticipation and excitement. The annual drama festival in South Korea that was set for January, was drawing near, and agencies were already scrambling to secure promotion for their supposed debuting actors.
These past few days, social media were flooded with the same announcements — new names of actors and announcement of future dramas that would stream at the drama festival.
It was a strategic move by different companies to push their trainees into the spotlight this early.
Truth to be told, the agencies were scared at the ongoing rave about Minjae. The man hasn’t formally debuted on the big screen, yet he has been gaining fans all over the country.
However, amidst the noise that the different agencies were making, Flex Entertainment remained completely silent about the matter.
Unlike other agencies that were aggressively promoting their rookies as extras in ongoing dramas or minor advertisements, there was not a single noise from Flex Entertainment.
There were no press releases, no speculative leaks, just pure silence. It was a huge contrast to their usual approach, and naturally, it only fueled curiosity among fans and industry insiders.
- "Why is Flex Entertainment so quiet? Are they even participating in the festival this year?"
- "Ikr. Despite the noise that their new trainee is having, there was no news about his debut."
- "I wonder what Flex Entertainment is doing rn."
- "If they won’t debut Minjae after having all that noise, I’d laugh my ass off."
- "Well, they’d be dumb if that happens."
- "replied to @Ijn_mkim. lololol"
Even the Entertainment agencies who were so sure that Minjae will get the debuting spot, became confused about the matter. Some of them tried to pay insiders to know what was happening, but they haven’t received any tip offs so far.
It was all because the CEO of Flex Entertainment was so secretive about it.
Despite the speculation, Director Lee and Chanhyuk remained unfazed.
Chanhyuk had always believed that in an industry where people fought to be the first to make noise, timing was everything.
Why fight in the same wave as everyone else, when they could create a bigger wave, one of his own?
Minjae, on the other hand, was aware of the growing curiosity but he didn’t let it distract him.
He had already spent almost two months in his new body, and in that span of time, he had adjusted well. He was able to sharpen his acting and improve his body’s presence.
After their second script reading, he spent his days reviewing his script. He also worked closely with Donghyun, and the man was anything but helpful to him.
Donghyun managed everything so easily that the only thing he needed to do was focus on the preparations and get ready once the actual filming started.
The days leading up to his first filming session were quite intense.
Minjae’s daily routine had become more strict. He’d wake up early, train, review, and repeat.
Each morning, he’d also start his day with a light workout, stretching and cardio to keep his body in shape.
After all, acting wasn’t just about emotions—it was also about body control, movement, and presence.
He had to look natural in front of the camera, and that required precise control over his posture, gestures, and expressions.
After breakfast, he locked himself in his practice room for hours, memorizing his script down to the last punctuation mark.
By now, the lines were deeply imprinted in his memory, but Minjae knew that acting wasn’t just about reciting words, it was about making those words come alive.
He practiced different tones, different expressions, testing which delivery felt the most natural.
He watched recordings of his rehearsals and analyzed every detail even if it was his mere breathing, the way he blinked, how he carried himself in each scene.
Donghyun occasionally stopped by to check on his progress, offering feedback when necessary.
"You’re getting better at showing subtle emotions," Donghyun noted one evening as he reviewed one of Minjae’s practice clips.
"Before, even though it was good, your expressions were too deliberate. Now, they feel more natural."
Minjae exhaled, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"That’s good hyung, I want the best for my debut drama."
Donghyun chuckled before shaking his head. He couldn’t deny the fact that he was starting to enjoy managing Minjae. At first, he thought it was only because he wanted revenge. However, as he saw the man’s passion, he started thinking of the opposite.
Maybe it was because Minjae reminds him of early Juwon, when he was just starting. He was also determined like this, and somehow, it put solace to his heart.
It was as if he was just managing a young Juwon, once again.
"Well, just remember that perfection doesn’t exist in acting, but confidence does. Just focus on becoming the character, Minjae. The rest will follow."
"I know hyung," Minjae nodded, taking the advice to heart.
The closer the filming day got, the more he felt the pressure building inside.
But he wasn’t nervous.
Instead, he was excited.
And…
The day soon arrived.
Minjae woke up before dawn, his heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and determination.
For the past few days, he has been busy with photoshoots and preparations for the drama. He was also tasked to memorize songs, being his character’s job.
And today, he’d finally get to do the real hard work. It was finally his first day on set.
It was finally the start of the filming for The Star’s Secret.
By 6:00 AM, he was already on the way to the filming location. Donghyun drove him in his car while dongwook was in another. The man volunteered to go with them as the representative of the department.
The early morning streets of Seoul were quiet, a stark contrast to the energy buzzing inside Minjae. He stared out the window, his mind running through his lines one last time.
"You’re going to do great," Donghyun reassured him. "Just do what you’ve been practicing."
"Yes, Hyung," Minjae inhaled deeply before nodding