The KBN Broadcasting Station awards hall was located underground.
A massive stage, and a massive hall.
Seats for the actors were set up in front of the stage, and on each table, the name of a work was written.
Works that had nominees in the awards ceremony.
Among them, Baeknyeoncho was listed as well.
The second row from the front.
There was someone heading there.
Click.
The sound of dress shoes echoed softly.
Each time his step moved forward by one, the surrounding gazes shifted and latched onto him.
[‘The One With a Thousand Faces’ smiles, saying you walk fairly well.]
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ nods, saying you’re really enjoying the attention.]
The gods of acting’s messages covered his field of view.
Stop.
Han Seongtae came to a halt in front of the Baeknyeoncho table.
With the actors around them looking on, Han Seongtae looked at the actors sitting in front of him.
Kim Mucheol, Park Yeeun, Cheon Yeji…….
The actors who had taken major roles in Baeknyeoncho.
“You came early.”
Han Seongtae spoke to them with a gentle smile.
At Han Seongtae’s voice, the actors’ gazes turned to him.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Kim Mucheol stood up with a welcoming smile.
“It’s been a while. Sit over here.”
Park Yeeun smiled and offered the seat beside her.
“Wow, Seongtae, you look amazing today.”
Cheon Yeji’s eyes widened as she looked at Han Seongtae.
Watching them, Han Seongtae let out a small laugh.
As he sat next to Park Yeeun, she tilted her head slightly.
“Those shoes suit you. They go well with the suit too.”
“Yeeun, you picked them.”
As Han Seongtae answered her, he caught a faint scent.
A familiar scent.
“The smell was nice.”
At her words, Han Seongtae’s smile deepened.
“It’s nice. The smell.”
At Han Seongtae’s words, she gave a subtle smile and nodded.
Crossing his legs as he sat, Han Seongtae’s foot bobbed pleasantly.
“Seongtae, do you have anything you’re nominated for?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Honestly, at your level, you deserve at least one award.”
At Kim Mucheol’s words, Han Seongtae smiled and shrugged.
An award.
“Let’s wait and see.”
As soon as Han Seongtae finished answering, someone went up onto the stage.
The nation’s MC, Yoo Jaehyeok.
As Han Seongtae smiled at the sight of him, Yoo Jaehyeok’s gaze turned toward Han Seongtae.
Having spotted Han Seongtae, Yoo Jaehyeok smiled with his eyes.
—”Ah-ah, before the awards ceremony begins, we’ll do a quick mic test. Yes, it sounds like you can hear me well.”
Yoo Jaehyeok’s hosting was smooth.
His witty comments and humor-filled lines made the atmosphere of the hall much softer.
Just watching him, it naturally made you admire him.
—”Alright, then shall we meet our nominees? First, we’ll reveal the nominees for the Rookie Award.”
With Yoo Jaehyeok’s words, a screen lowered behind him.
On the screen, the large words “Rookie Award” appeared, along with the nominees’ names.
Various works.
And accordingly, the names of various rookie actors.
And among them, Han Seongtae’s name was there too.
“Oh. Seongtae, your name’s there too. Congrats.”
“Seongtae, are you seriously going to win Rookie of the Year?”
The actors teased Han Seongtae playfully.
At their words, Han Seongtae let out a laugh.
Just being nominated made him feel strange.
‘It might be hard to win, but this is enough too.’
There were so many strong candidates for Best New Actor.
Han Seongtae didn’t expect he could break through them and take the award.
And yet, why was it…
That a strange sense of expectation rose up.
—”I don’t really like dragging things out. Watching too many commercials is boring, right?”
Hahaha.
—”So we’ll reveal the winner of the Rookie Award right away.”
At Yoo Jaehyeok’s words, the actors laughed and nodded.
Whirrr.
Han Seongtae could hear the camera moving above him.
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ falls silent.]
[‘The One With a Thousand Faces’ waits quietly.]
Even the gods went quiet.
And then Yoo Jaehyeok broke the heavy silence and opened his mouth.
—”Congratulations. Best New Actor goes to Han Seongtae!”
Yoo Jaehyeok’s voice filled the awards hall.
Not someone else’s name, but Han Seongtae’s name filling the hall.
And the person called was wearing a blank expression, unable to come to his senses.
—”Han Seongtae, please come up now.”
The camera lit up Han Seongtae’s face.
Still staring blankly, Han Seongtae barely managed to come to his senses at Yoo Jaehyeok’s voice and the camera right in front of him.
He let out a hollow laugh and gripped the paper in his hand tightly.
An acceptance speech he’d prepared in advance, just in case he won.
He never thought he’d actually get to use it.
—”Actor Han Seongtae? Congratulations. You need to come receive your award.”
Thump.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going up?”
“Congratulations.”
“Congratulations, Seongtae.”
At Yoo Jaehyeok calling Han Seongtae’s name again, the colleagues beside him pushed his shoulder.
Han Seongtae stood up, wobbling slightly.
Step.
Step.
The stage he climbed up by stairs.
Strangely, the sound of his dress shoes was so clear.
—”Actor Han Seongtae showed exceptional presence as Ji Yeonwoo in Baeknyeoncho, with both dignified gravity and a humorous side.”
A narration introducing Han Seongtae played.
“Congratulations.”
Receiving the trophy, Han Seongtae walked toward the microphone set up at the center of the stage.
From stepping onto the stage to receiving the award.
Han Seongtae had been in a daze, as if all of it were a dream.
‘I… really won an award.’
Only after standing at the center of the stage could Han Seongtae accept reality.
—”Then, we’ll hear Actor Han Seongtae’s acceptance speech.”
“…”
—”Actor Han Seongtae, you can speak comfortably.”
At Yoo Jaehyeok’s words, Han Seongtae took a deep breath.
Because of his nerves, the hand holding the trophy trembled, fluttering.
He had hoped, but he had not imagined it.
A situation he could only hope for had become reality.
That fact turned his mind completely white.
He couldn’t remember the acceptance speech he’d written before at all.
“First…”
Han Seongtae slowly opened his mouth.
He could feel people’s eyes.
Several cameras were filming Han Seongtae, and only Han Seongtae.
“I want to give this honor to the Baeknyeoncho family who made it possible for me to be standing here.”
Han Seongtae continued slowly.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I would receive this award. There are many actors who act better than me. So when I ended up receiving this award, it felt like a dream, and I was just blank.”
Han Seongtae’s voice trembled as he put his acceptance speech into words.
It was an award he hadn’t received in either his past life or his present life, and because of that, it felt like his heart might burst.
[‘The One With a Thousand Faces’ places a hand on your trembling shoulder.]
[‘The One Who Made Laughter from Tragedy’ pats your shoulder, saying he can understand your heart.]
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ presses down on your back, telling you to straighten your shoulders with confidence.]
The trembling calmed.
His rough breathing settled down.
“I worked hard. I tried because I wanted to act even better. I may be lacking in many ways to receive this award, but from now on, I will become someone who isn’t lacking.”
Han Seongtae delivered his words evenly.
“Director Hwanggyeol, the Mucheol hyung I respect, Actress Park Yeeun, Actress Cheon Yeji. And my precious friend who always stands firmly by my side, Minseok.”
Hoo.
He paused for a moment and let out a breath.
“My manager who always takes care of me, Dusik hyung.”
Han Seongtae put the names of the people precious to him into his speech.
If they hadn’t been there, could he have come this far.
He couldn’t have.
Han Seongtae turned his head and looked into empty space.
Blue messages glittered in the air.
The beings he could call the most important in his life.
“Lastly, I return the honor of this award to my seniors and fellow actors who became the source of my acting and the driving force that allowed me to grow, and I offer my thanks. Thank you so much.”
His acceptance speech ended.
[‘The Actor of Eternal Youth’ looks at you and smiles with satisfaction.]
[‘The One Who Lives and Dies by Speed’ says he’s counting on you from here on out.]
Amid the gods’ congratulations, Han Seongtae came down from the stage.
Yoo Jaehyeok continued hosting.
When he returned to his seat, his colleagues offered congratulatory words.
Han Seongtae responded to them and let out a deep breath.
The tension loosened.
And strength went into the hand holding the trophy.
He would display this award somewhere he could see it the moment he woke up.
—”Alright, then let’s meet the Best Couple Award.”
Now that he’d even received an award, should he rest a bit.
Just as Han Seongtae sat smiling comfortably, it happened.
—”We didn’t expect these people to win, but wow. Congratulations. Best Couple Award goes to Kim Mucheol…”
He could see Cheon Yeji starting to stand up.
—”…Han Seongtae!”
Huh?
—”The two of you, please come up to the stage.”
She froze mid-motion.
And Han Seongtae’s expression went blank too.
A Baeknyeoncho members’ get-together, gathered for the first time in half a year.
“Seongtae, you need to take a drink.”
Sitting among everyone, Kim Mucheol held out a bottle toward Han Seongtae.
“Ah, right. You said you don’t drink, didn’t you?”
Then, as if he remembered that Han Seongtae didn’t drink in the past, he tried to pull back the bottle he’d offered, looking apologetic.
“No, hyung. Give it to me.”
“You’re okay with drinking?”
“Yes. If I don’t drink on a day like today, then when would I ever drink?”
At Han Seongtae speaking with a smile, a smile also formed at Kim Mucheol’s mouth.
At Han Seongtae’s words, Kim Mucheol beamed, and filled the glass Han Seongtae was holding.
“Alright, let’s all cheers together.”
“Yes.”
“Sounds good.”
Kim Mucheol held out his glass, and the others held out their glasses too.
Han Seongtae clinked glasses with them and, in the cheerful atmosphere, tipped his drink back.
“When I first saw you, you were just a kid. And now you’ve grown up like this, even winning awards. This hyung is so happy I could cry.”
“Hyung… when I first met you, I was already an adult.”
“That just means I took care of you that much.”
Kim Mucheol spoke slyly and draped an arm over Han Seongtae’s shoulder.
Han Seongtae let out a small laugh at the sight, then turned his head at a gaze he suddenly felt.
“Congratulations.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Cheon Yeji, sitting next to Park Yeeun, was visible.
Her gaze moved from Han Seongtae to the trophies beside him.
Best New Actor and Best Couple…
Cheon Yeji’s gaze at the Best Couple trophy was subtle.
Originally, the one receiving that award wouldn’t have been Han Seongtae, but Cheon Yeji.
But there had been a twist so big it shocked even him.
Cheon Yeji didn’t feel upset that she hadn’t received the award.
It was absurd, but because it was that much more interesting, she laughed it off.
“How does it feel, winning an award?”
“It’s nice. It also feels like I don’t really deserve it, like it’s more than I’m worthy of.”
“It’s not more than you’re worthy of. Look how hard you worked. At your level, you absolutely deserve an award.”
At her words, Han Seongtae smiled.
“We all worked hard.”
Han Seongtae said it as if murmuring, and upon hearing him, Cheon Yeji’s smile deepened.
“What are you two talking about so much?”
“The awards. I said thank you for congratulating me.”
“Exactly! It’s something to celebrate!”
Kim Mucheol lifted his glass, his face flushed with drink.
“Starting tomorrow, it’ll be chaos. Reporters will swarm like crazy.”
If it were before, he would have denied it, but now he couldn’t.
And just as everyone predicted, it became chaos.
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