Chapter 1: Lead Actors

Lights, Camera, Action! 

The blaring sound of an alarm woke Chaeyoung from his deep sleep. He groaned and lazily tapped it, looking at the clock with one eye.    

“7:00 A.M.” blinked on the screen, a sense of dread looming over him as his precious sleep was interrupted.  He sighed, covered his head with the pillow and lying on his stomach.   

Suddenly, a figure busted open his door, as if waiting for the alarm to buzz. “YAH! Wake up!” his manager yelled, as he opened the curtains, letting sunlight beam into Chaeyoung’s messy room. The latter whined and sat down while rubbing his eyes. "Jeong..."

His manager, in all honesty, should be used to this by now. “When did you sleep yesterday?” Jeongyeon inquired, a frown displayed on his face. “Like... three...?” Chaeyoung replied, with a rough, raspy morning voice. 

Jeongyeon shook his head and sighed. “I told you to sleep early! You have to take care of your skin!” he scolded. “Alright, alright, I will...” Chaeyoung replied, rubbing his forehead. “What do we have today?”

Jeongyeon just smiled widely. “It’s D-DAY!” he cheered, waving his trusty tablet. “You will finally meet the mysterious actress you’re working with!” Chaeyoung ruffled his hair and smiled. “I know I've been in so many productions, but I’m so excited for this one!” He beamed and crossed his arms, looking excitedly at Jeongyeon.

“The story is so romantic and fluffy, I just finished reading the script! But damn, Chae!” Jeongyeon chuckled and sat in front of him on the bed. He looked at the actor and jested, while whispering (well, as quiet as whispering will get out of him), “You’ll have a bed scene!” 

Chaeyoung touched his nape and blushed, looking down at his burgundy sheets. “Yeah, I hope the actress is pretty! The company said they won’t change her...” 

“Dude, just imagine if it’s someone like Kim TaeHee... or Park ShinHye!” Jeongyeon babbled, looking up at the heavens with sparkly eyes, daydreaming about the beauties he mentioned.

Chaeyoung snapped his fingers in front of his face. “Hey, I’m the one acting here! And, I’m nervous as hell!” he sputtered, snapping his daydreaming manager out of his daze. He stood, briskly pacing to the bathroom, Jeongyeon's laughter echoing out of his room. 

He took a shower and wore a white long sleeve shirt, along with black pants and black sneakers. With contacts in, hair neatly combed, and a spritz of cologne, he looked at himself in the mirror, proudly reviewing his reflection. 

Jeongyeon whistled and jokingly checked him out, top to bottom, with a grin on his face. “You look handsome!” 

“Thank you, hyung!” Chaeyoung beamed, patting his shoulder. Jeongyeon had been a friend since the first day he signed up at the company, when Chaeyoung was just 21 years old. He started from a small role in a drama with Kim WooBin, which slowly started to garner him bigger roles, up until the present. Now, he is one of the most famous actors in South Korea. 

The two headed out the front door, Jeongyeon pulling out the keys to the casual black van from the company, and the two were quickly off. “Heol! My fancam has two million views on Youtube?” The actor marveled, reading an article on Melon about his new achievement. A one-minute video of him in his fansign event got two million views, and more than ten thousand comments. 

He smiled and looked out the window, calling his mother. “Omma! Good morning!”

“My handsome son! How are you? Are you eating well?” He chuckled, beaming at his loving mother. “I am fine! I will get busy from now on. Also, you got my gift, right?” 

“Nae, my sweet boy, thank you so much! Take care of yourself and wear warm clothes, winter is near! I love you!” “I will, mom!” He chuckled. “I will, I have to go now, I have a meeting. Love you!” he hung up, dimples happily displayed.

He hopped out of the van as it made a stop, strolling into the double doors of his company building (luckily, fans weren’t there yet), heading to the meeting room. Jeongyeon shortly followed him, answering phone calls while checking his tablet periodically.

“The boss wants to meet you alone, Chae. I’ll be at the café downstairs, see you in a bit.” He noted, with an encouraging smile and a parting wave. 

Chaeyoung smiled and politely knocked before opening the door, greeting his boss and a couple other board members. He greeted everyone with bows and smiles, sitting near the middle of the table’s right side, patting a rhythm into the table’s wood. His boss, Park Jinyoung, immediately grinned at him. “Chaeyoung, our beloved money-maker!” He joked, playing on the fact that the young actor did bring in tons of profit to the company every year. The young man blushed, humbly shaking his head as the group all chuckled. 

“Are you ready to meet the lead actress?” Jinyoung added, as he took a seat next to him. “Sure! I can’t believe that tomorrow we will start filming, Mr. Park!” Chaeyoung chattered, smiling brightly.

“'Endless Love’, a story about young and passionate love! Wow!” Jinyoung chorused, animatedly looking into the distance, making Chaeyoung laugh.

A soft knocking was heard in the room, causing everyone seated to stop their comfortable conversation. Jinyoung shot up, his giddy grin exciting everyone else, and opened the door. Chaeyoung smiled and glanced at the door behind him, making a move to stand up.

Once his eyes caught