LIGHTNOVELSTORY Episode 39 - Wooz
“Wasn’t it difficult to make a reservation at this time?”
“It’s their break time, but luckily I was able to book a table nearby.”
After guiding the group, Min-soo returned to pick up Yeon-woo and they headed to the restaurant.
Squeak.
Yeon-woo and Min-soo slid the door open and entered.
“Yeon-woo!”
Friends, who had been chatting about college with his parents, stood up as they saw Yeon-woo enter.
“Thanks for coming all this way.”
Yeon-woo greeted his friends with a warm hug.
Since he had already greeted his family in the waiting room, he offered a handshake to Hong Yuri, who was beside him.
“Long time no see, Yuri.”
“Yeon-woo! I’ve been active in the fan club too.”
Hong Yuri is actually one of the managers of Wooz’s fan club, a fact Yeon-woo is aware of.
“Thank you so much. After we finish eating, could you please take some video messages and photos for the fan club since you’re here?”
“Really? That’s great!”
Yeon-woo does read posts in the fan club but has never written or engaged directly, so he thought about how happy the fans would be and Hong Yuri was elated.
Additionally, Yeon-woo doesn’t have a personal SNS account, making fans desperate for any pictures they can get.
That’s why during his school days, Seong-sik’s account, featuring Yeon-woo, amassed a following comparable to famous influencers.
Soon, a series of courses were served, and everyone had a pleasant meal. After, a spot was set up for Yuri to take pictures of Yeon-woo.
Holding up a name tag from a flower wreath sent by the fan club to the premiere, Yeon-woo took several pictures and shot a video message.
“Thank you to all the Wooz fans who always show me love. I can’t provide specific details yet, but I’ll be starring in another movie soon, so please…”
Yeon-woo’s words flowed naturally.
“What a son, to speak so well.”
“Ahaha.”
His friends awkwardly laughed as they witnessed the affection from Ryu Cheol-yung for his son.
Sensing that the moment was right, Hong Yuri, who had received an important task from the fan club admin, asked a question.
“Do you have plans to start a personal SNS account for the fans?”
Caught off guard, Yeon-woo scratched the back of his head.
“Ah, the agency did bring it up once, but I’m not familiar with it… but I’ll learn and try it soon. Haha.”
“Yes!”
Today, Hong Yuri achieved both her personal and fan club objectives. After saying goodbye to his friends, Yeon-woo returned to the studio apartment with his family.
As soon as they entered, his mother sighed while opening the refrigerator.
“I knew it would be like this. So-hyeon, take out the bag.”
His younger sister took out a thermal bag filled with homemade side dishes from the trunk.
His mother and sister started filling the fridge with the side dishes.
“You’ll get sick if you eat like this.”
His sister, who has grown enough to scold him, warned.
“Ha-ha, I understand, So-hyeon. Thank you, mom. I’ll eat well.”
After spending some time together until the evening, his family left for Daejeon. The video and photos for the fan club, which were expected to be uploaded immediately, were finally uploaded at 9 p.m.
It seems Junsoo and Yuri had an enjoyable date.
Lying on his bed, Yeon-woo read the comments in the fan club.
Went to the VIP premiere of ‘Spring Lovers’ today. Photos and video included. [Author: YuriToki]
Hong Yuri, who became a manager from being an initial member, had come out as Yeon-woo’s high school senior and explained everything from her presence at the premiere to a detailed review.
Surprisingly good at writing, she also attached photos taken at the event.
“So, this is what happened before the entrance.”
Yeon-woo read the story about Hong Yuri unexpectedly making a physical gag in front of her parents and smiled.
Below that, there were photos and videos of Yeon-woo taken at a restaurant. It had only been about 30 minutes since it was posted, but there were already over 200 comments.
[SmallButHappy(thghkr**): Wow, did YuriToki save a country in her past life?]
[Lee Eun-chae(tkfkdd**): Everyone, did you see the video? Our Yeon-woo is on social media! I hereby honor YuriToki, who has achieved this monumental feat.]
[Water Purifier Man(rnfnfn**): Agreed.]
[King Joon-soo(rlawns**): Agreed. Bow your head!]
[No.1 in Silver Town(silverto**): Seriously, he’s not from this world. That suit fit is insane.]
[Kim Kick(rlazlrzl**): Son Jin-yuk and Han So-hyeon are also adorable. Our team really gets along.]
[Baby Dinosaur Dooly(jejulove**): Yoo Hae-sik is so funny. LOL.]
[Prepared One(iamready**): YuriToki, you met my in-laws too.]
[YuriToki(glassrabbit6*): Huh? Who?]
[SmallButHappy (thghkr**): ????]
Yeon-woo spent most of her time, apart from when he was sleeping, in his agency’s practice room analyzing his character for “Master Plan” and practicing his acting.
However, today he surrendered to the touch of stylist Ye-eun, who had come to his studio apartment since dawn.
It was the day of Yeon-woo’s graduation ceremony. Fortunately, the dates of his younger sister So-hyeon’s middle school graduation and his own were different, so they could both attend.
At first, he planned to go down in a natural look, but Ye-eun, who had anticipated this, was doing his makeup.
“Yeon-woo, you’re going to a place where there might be reporters. Were you really planning to go without makeup? Well, you look good even without it.”
Ye-eun mumbled to herself.
“But still, you’ll be photographed and your graduation photos will be plastered all over the internet forever.”
“Ah, you have a point, sis.”
Ye-eun, who is not a makeup expert, applied lighter makeup than usual. To Yeon-woo, looking in the mirror, it actually appeared more natural and he liked it.
“Alright, let’s stop here. We can’t be late.”
“Thanks for coming so early, Ye-eun sis.”
Yeon-woo smiled warmly at Ye-eun, who had just finished her makeup, and Ye-eun’s face brightened up immediately.
“Alright, let’s go down. Min-soo is waiting.”
With Ye-eun, she went down to the parking lot and got into Min-soo’s car. On the way, they dropped off Ye-eun near her home and headed straight to the school in Daejeon.
Contrary to Yeon-woo’s expectations that no reporters would be interested in a local graduation ceremony, Ye-eun was right. As soon as Yeon-woo got out of the van in the school parking lot, two reporters approached him.
“Hello, Ryu Yeon-woo. Would it be alright to conduct a brief interview while walking to the school?”
“Ah, sure. I’m a bit pressed for time, so would it be okay to walk and talk?”
Upon hearing Yeon-woo’s words, the reporter hurriedly replied.
“Yes, of course. Thank you. We heard that you applied to the Economics department at Korea University for college entrance exams, is that true?”
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s my first choice, although I applied to other departments as well.”
“Will you be receiving any awards as a representative at today’s graduation ceremony?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t received any information from the school, so I don’t know yet. I wasn’t really able to focus on school life because I was busy with activities… haha.”
Yeon-woo responded to the reporter’s question with a cool smile. On his way to school, he answered a few more questions, and when they arrived near the main building, Min-soo ended the interview.
“Sorry, but we need to go in now,” Min-soo said.
“Ah, I see. Thank you very much for the interview, Mr. Ryu Yeon-woo.”
“Take care, everyone.”
Yeon-woo, excitedly heading toward the auditorium where the graduation ceremony would be held, greeted his waiting friends warmly.
Unexpectedly, he was chosen to give the student oath during the ceremony. He took pictures with his family, and then exaggerated a bit to say that he took pictures with nearly all the students.
He thoroughly enjoyed his graduation day, happily accommodating the numerous photo requests.
The awkwardness that had been on his face, due to the age gap he felt as Jeon Su-hwan, was nowhere to be found. He felt perfectly in tune with his new life as a 20-year-old, Ryu Yeon-woo, mingling with friends his own age.
The fans were shocked by the flood of pictures with Ryu Yeon-woo pouring into Stargram.
And the next day, Jinhwa Girls’ Middle School was turned upside down.
The fiery reactions from the female students made Yeon-woo wonder if his attendance had been a nuisance to the school.
Of course, the fact that he was So-hyeon’s older brother was publicly known within the school, and there had been expectations for his attendance.
His appearance had the impact of a nuclear bomb on the hearts of the girls just graduating from middle school.
“Let’s go home quickly,”
So-hyeon, who felt overwhelmed by the attention. She took a quick picture and returned home with her parents. But soon after, she changed her clothes and went out to hang out with friends.
Yeon-woo spent a day in Daejeon talking with his parents, then returned to Seoul the next day. While spending time practicing acting, his smartphone rang.
[Mom: How did it go, son? Your father says to wait for you call, but I’m so curious.]
Yeon-woo chuckled.
“Ah, it’s today.”
He had completely forgotten, but today was the day the regular admission results were announced. He was already 20 minutes past the announcement time.
He entered an empty conference room next to his practice room, opened an internet browser, and logged into the Korean University admissions website.
“My exam number is…”
Yeon-woo checked the memo on his smartphone and typed it in.
Upon hitting the confirmation button, he received his acceptance notice. He was accepted into both the arts and sciences faculties.
Yeon-woo felt strange as he would again be entering the economics department at Korea University, the same place he was admitted to more than 20 years ago in his previous life. Just then, the conference room door opened, and the PR team came in for a meeting.