NOVEL NEXT Chapter 76
Shin Ye-rim liked Kim Donghu.
As is often the case with the heart of a teenage girl.
If he’s good-looking, athletic, and a good student, it’s only natural to develop a crush.
But the decisive moment that made Shin Ye-rim like Kim Donghu was something else.
One day, out of the blue.
The delinquent Min-hyuk, who used to act out, started studying for the future,
And that day, the sight of Kang Sik, who had a dark expression, smiling caught her eye.
It made her think that all of this was possible because Kim Donghu was by her side.
“If I’m with you, everyone is happy.”
That was a conclusion that suddenly popped into her mind like a dandelion in the wind.
Like a century’s discovery bursting forth from a moment of inspiration.
She found herself feeling safe next to Kim Donghu.
In her first year of middle school, just to avoid being bullied,
She briefly hung out with delinquents as an excuse.
“What have I done?”
Even if they were just friends on the surface,
She felt ashamed of trying to find stability in that situation.
Shin Ye-rim felt at ease when she was with Kim Donghu.
Putting aside looks, his very demeanor seemed to melt away people’s anxiety.
But on the other hand, she felt uneasy.
“Am I falling for someone too famous?”
Kim Donghu was a celebrity.
Not just any celebrity, but one with the title of ‘National Prince,’
With a dazzling career that could make anyone tired just by saying it.
Right now, they could talk closely because they went to the same school,
But once they graduated middle school, it would be hard even to see his face.
“At that point, we’d barely exchange a few KakaoTalk messages.”
She didn’t want that future.
She couldn’t bear to lose the nest she finally found due to external circumstances.
So she chose to become a model.
For some reason, she felt like she could do it well,
As if her brilliant talent would eventually pop out like a sharp object from her pocket.
Shin Ye-rim wanted to become a model naturally once again.
Moreover.
“I believe you’ll make an amazing model.”
“Huh?”
“No, I mean, since you wanted to be a model before. I think you’d do awesome.”
“How awesome do you think I’d be? Awesome enough to be by your side?”
“Um, exactly?”
The encouragement from the boy she liked ignited her desire to become a model.
But the problem was, she didn’t know how to become one.
Should she go to an academy? Or should she just audition?
What should she start preparing?
Finding the jigsaw puzzle piece she wanted in the sea of overwhelming information was quite difficult.
She felt lost.
And just at the moment when it felt too daunting to suddenly reach out to her parents for help.
“Hey, do you want to try modeling for our agency?”
Kim Donghu extended his hand without hesitation.
He extended his hand without hesitation.
At that moment, Shin Ye-rim thought, ‘What the heck is this guy?’
Is it okay to like someone this much?
How can someone be so pure?
Curiosity struck her.
There were countless moments he could have become arrogant, over and over again, yet…
How are you still so innocent like it’s the first time?
‘Did you not get hurt while climbing higher than anyone else?’
Or…
‘Do you manage to keep your innocence even after getting hurt a lot?’
As her thoughts reached that point, there was only one word that filled Shin Ye-rim’s mind.
‘I want him.’
I want him so badly.
I wish my first love could start and end with Kim Donghu.
She felt a strong desire and impulse.
So, she brainstormed a way to entice him.
After school in July.
She called Kim Donghu to an empty classroom.
++++++
As Shin Ye-rim waited for Kim Donghu, she felt a strange sensation.
‘He actually comes when I call.’
It’s surreal that the actor known as the Nation’s Prince would come to an empty classroom just because of a few texts.
[Can we meet after school?]
>Why?
[Ah... I wanted to ask about modeling, and I want to talk about it in person.]
>Got it.
Of course, the real reason was that she had many worries about modeling.
Since there was some truth to it, her conscience felt a bit lighter at that moment.
Click.
Kim Donghu entered.
“Is it about agency issues? Or is it about your parents?”
Kim Donghu, unaware of Shin Ye-rim’s feelings, seriously discussed the future.
‘From what I know, it shouldn’t be that their parents are against it.’
He recalled that her parents were actually happier than anyone else when she became a model, a distant memory that lingered.
‘But then again, it’s not easy to secure a future at this age.’
While it wasn’t hard to understand, he was ready to listen seriously when Shin Ye-rim steeled herself and dove straight into the topic.
“When you work as a model… don’t you face a lot of unfair situations?”
“Unfair situations?”
“Yeah, like in movies or dramas… that kind of stuff.”
As soon as he heard that, Kim Donghu instantly grasped the core issue.
“Our agency doesn’t have situations like that. I won’t even let things get to that point.”
It was a natural worry and anxiety that could arise at her young age.
Thus, Kim Donghu tried his best to alleviate Shin Ye-rim’s concerns.
“But I’ve heard that when you’re short on time, you sometimes have to change clothes in front of people and stuff.”
Shin Ye-rim delved deeper into that concern.
She burrowed into her worries.
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“There’s a partition, but really… it’s like that, you know? But I’m still getting used to it.”
“That can happen.”
“I want to get accustomed to it, from someone I’m comfortable with…”
“If that works, I think it’s a good method.”
Good method.
As soon as she heard that, Shin Ye-rim laughed heartily and flirted with her skirt.
“Then it’s true you’ll see me naked, right?”
“What? Uh? Why would I?”
Kim Donghu felt that the conversation had taken a strange turn, but it was already too late.
“I feel the most comfortable with you.”
“You have parents, you know?”
“In terms of future counseling, you’re the most reliable.”
“But still, why are you, a girl, suddenly saying something so ridiculous?”
The bewilderment was evident.
Seeing a versatile man floundering awkwardly made her heart race for some reason.
“Kim Donghu, so you really will see me naked, right?”
“What? Are you crazy?”
With that reaction, Ye-rim felt an urge to push it further.
“You said models need to have pretty bodies, and that you could show your nakedness…”
“Yeah, I said that.”
“If I’m going to show it to anyone, I want you to be the first.”
She could see Kim Donghu’s brows furrowing.
What kind of reaction would he show now? Would he flounder even more?
“I see, that’s why you brought me here.”
Kim Donghu relaxed his expression and casually locked the door of the empty classroom.
He strode forward.
The flustered Kim Donghu from earlier had disappeared, replaced by a confident expression as he slowly closed the distance between them.
What’s going on? Why the sudden change?
As the situation didn’t flow as she wished, Shin Ye-rim became flustered.
But no matter what, Kim Donghu pressed his body against hers.
Just a breath away, their noses nearly touching.
In that space, Kim Donghu opened his mouth leisurely.
“When the time comes, I’ll indulge in every bit of it.”
The sweet whispering tickled her ears.
“Hee, hee-ck!”
With a hiccup, Shin Ye-rim slumped down as her strength left her waist.
The overly suggestive words drove her mad.
Her body felt tingly.
She didn’t know why, but heat filled her head.
Maybe she caught a cold.
“R-really?”
In a dazed state, Shin Ye-rim looked up at Kim Donghu and asked.
“Yeah, so just make it happen.”
After brushing Ye-rim’s hair, Kim Donghu calmly left the room.
“Phew, I almost got caught up in that.”
He felt relieved that he had learned some acting skills.
Done.
I never realized how important expression management was.
“But you were worried about that, huh?”
Half of it seemed like a joke, but it wasn’t an entirely unrealistic concern.
Especially looking at all the various entertainment industry incidents from my past life, it was definitely something that could happen.
There was only one way to prevent this kind of thing.
“Climb to a higher place.”
We needed to rise high enough that no one could mess with our agency people.
+++++
In a dark studio where only the monitor light felt like salvation,
“…I-I’ve written it all!!!!”
Thud.
Writer Lee Minha stretched and let out her relieved feelings.
The script that was supposed to be released earlier this year was delayed for one reason only.
“Because I had to finish a script that actor Kim Donghu would be satisfied with.”
As soon as “Hydream” wrapped up, writer Lee Minha jumped straight into the writing of “Hydream 2.”
And her goal was to film the sequel before “Hydream” slipped from people’s minds.
“Our Donghu has become so successful.”
The actor, whom she had mentally confirmed as the lead, was on an insane upward trajectory.
A national prince guaranteed a basic rating of 30%.
Writing a script that such an actor would like took longer than expected.
“Plus, he announced it was his break.”
Sending a script to an actor on break was somewhat like sending work messages to a salaried employee on vacation.
So, she needed a strong reason to send it, one that justified her urgency.
And that’s how the current script came to be.
“This should grab Donghu’s interest and make him read it.”
“Hydream 2.”
It could showcase Lee Jae-yi’s genius while also highlighting brilliance,
And although it wasn’t a solo lead,
“It’ll shine brighter than anyone else.”
A story where Kim Donghu is the core lead had just been born.
Then suddenly, a worry crept in.
“Actor Kim Donghu must be super busy, I wonder if he’s okay for the piano performance?”
His skills must not have rusted, right?
This performance would be quite challenging.
It was a worry that struck her unexpectedly.