Off the Story, the variety show I appeared on after In My Office aired.

Up until last season, it was centered on content where the cast engaged in specific activities while chatting. However, it recently underwent a major overhaul and transitioned into a simple talk show. Since it really was just sitting down and talking, I figured it wouldn’t be difficult and decided to appear.

What kind of person is Woo Yoonjae, the actor appearing with me?

To be honest... he was someone I never imagined would agree to a joint appearance. Because he was extremely shy. Like, pathologically so!

Some might say he was similar to Park Juu, but the two were strictly different. Park Juu wasn’t shy around people; he was wary of unfamiliar change.

In fact, even back when I had just entered as a trainee, Park Juu communicated with me pretty well. Setting aside the fact that my face apparently intimidated him...

Unless he had to greet many people at once or perform on a completely unfamiliar stage, simply greeting someone new didn’t affect Park Juu that much.

Woo Yoonjae, on the other hand, wouldn’t even make eye contact with me unless the cameras were rolling. Especially at the beginning, we couldn’t even exchange greetings when arriving or leaving work. He would stay in his car until right before filming started, and once it ended, he’d vanish as if he were never there.

At first I thought he might be uncomfortable with me, but that wasn’t it. You can tell immediately when someone dislikes you. But Woo Yoonjae was...

"You... worked hard."

"Ah, yes!"

...Simply very shy. The first time he greeted me was around episode five, and he said it while looking at the ground.

Feeling that approaching him actively would only make him more uncomfortable, I only greeted him from a proper distance from then on. I didn’t even attempt small talk.

"He would talk to me a little about the script, so we really only ever discussed acting."

Naturally, his variety show appearances could be counted on one hand. In videos from his rookie days ten years ago, he looked like a baby rabbit trembling on a windy balcony.

That Woo Yoonjae, appearing with me? It was surprising. I could tell he cared about me from the cabbage juice he had sent before, but I didn’t expect him to make such a big decision.

While wondering what kind of behind-the-scenes stories I should tell if the topic came up, a car pulled into the parking lot. Woo Yoonjae stepped out of the driver’s seat.

"Hello, sunbaenim."

I lowered my decibel level by about half compared to my usual energetic greeting. He hesitated for a moment before giving a deep, polite bow.

As we waited for the signal to enter the building, he was the first to strike up a conversation.

"...You’ve lost a lot of weight."

"I’m managing myself because we’re preparing for a comeback. Is it noticeable?"

"Yes."

"Really? I was worried, so that’s a relief."

I wrapped up the topic to allow him to end the conversation and rest if needed. But he didn’t stop the story there.

"You should take care of your health while working..."

A warm bit of consideration returned.

The MC was a really good person, too. I had a feeling it would be an enjoyable shoot.

Once we got the signal that we could enter, Woo Yoonjae and I headed down the stairs to the basement. Opening the closed iron door revealed a sophisticated bar.

"Let’s welcome today’s guests, Woo Yoonjae and Kim Iwol!"

The MC gave a bright, energetic introduction. We entered to the applause of the production staff.

"But if the location is a bar..."

Do I... have to drink? Alcohol is the enemy of gastric ulcers.

Cold sweat ran down my back. I was smiling on the outside, but crying on the inside.

"First of all, as the host who invited these guests, I must offer you something to drink."

The MC reached under the bar and pulled out a tall bottle. A familiar label immediately caught my eye.

"Huh?"

"Mr. Iwol, you know this drink, right?"

Why was the wine I distributed on the Exclusive Report set here?

"It’s not a hard wine to find, but of all the drinks out there, how..."

Surprised, I looked to my side and saw Woo Yoonjae smiling.

"I heard this is the drink Mr. Iwol gave to the cast and crew of Exclusive Report. It’s a non-alcoholic drink, right?"

"That’s right. I didn’t expect to see it here again."

"Our background is a bar, but we aren’t a show that promotes drinking. This is non-alcoholic! Let me emphasize that once more."

The MC pointed his palm at the "non-alcohol" part of the label for emphasis.

"Actually, we asked Mr. Yoonjae in advance. We asked what kind of drink he’d like to have while chatting, and he mentioned this wine."

"It’s delicious."

"Oh? Have you already tried it, Mr. Yoonjae?"

"Yes. While watching our drama..."

Apparently, while Chief Ko and Cheon Yoonsung were having their wine party in the drama, Woo Yoonjae was also enjoying the wine at home. That was a very atmospheric way to monitor a show. I just watched it in bed with my earphones in.

"Speaking of Exclusive Report, it’s the talk of the town these days. Did you two expect this level of popularity?"

"I didn’t expect... this much."

"The script was so good that I was certain it would get attention, but I didn’t expect it to show this much buzz starting from Episode 1."

"Eh? Mr. Iwol, you really didn’t expect it?"

"I’m serious!"

The MC, who had gone to see the fortune teller with me, teased. If I could predict things like that, I’d be running around as a drama investor by now.

After chatting about the drama for a while, the topic returned to the wine.

"Is there a reason you chose red wine as a gift?"

"The biggest reason was that it’s a drink Cheon Yoonsung frequently has. I chose a non-alcoholic one because there might be people who can’t drink."

"The recipients must have really liked it."

"They posted so many proof shots. I also got messages saying they enjoyed it. It was a small gesture compared to what I received on set. Yoonjae sunbaenim even sent me a separate gift after filming ended."

"Really? What did Mr. Yoonjae send you?"

"On the day the final episode featuring Cheon Yoonsung and Chief Ko aired, he sent cabbage juice..."

"Cabbage juice?"

"Six boxes, no less."

"You sent six boxes of cabbage juice?"

The MC looked at Woo Yoonjae with a shocked expression. Yoonjae’s ears turned beet red.

"There’s... a story behind that..."

"Yes, yes, please tell us. I’m so curious about the reason."

"It’s a bit long... Is it okay if I tell the whole thing?"

"Oh, of course."

Woo Yoonjae began to speak while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Actually, Mr. Iwol is really kind. He takes such good care of people on set. I’m... very shy, so I don’t have many actor friends, but Mr. Iwol always looked out for me from a consistent distance. That’s when I thought, ‘He’s being considerate of me. He’s a warm person.’"

"Ms. Ha Seomyeong said something similar. That he’s the busiest and the most talkative person on set."

"That’s true. But with me, he always kept just the right distance. At first, I thought he felt uncomfortable because I, as the senior, wasn’t taking good care of him, and I felt bad about that. But later I realized he was waiting for me in a way that wouldn’t burden me. I was both grateful and embarrassed..."

"And that led to the cabbage juice?"

"I felt I absolutely had to return the favor when I received the wine. I racked my brain trying to figure out what young people like these days..."

"You racked your brain?"

"There’s... a generation gap between us!"

I wondered if the gap was that big, but purely by age, it was a sixteen-year difference. Unintentionally, I’d given my senior a massive headache. If he’d known my inner ego was in its 30s, he wouldn’t ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) have worried about that. What a shame.

"I went home thinking about what to send and opened the shopping bag, and besides the wine there was also a cheese gift set inside."

"A cheese platter?"

"Yes. A size fit for a home party... So I thought, ‘Did he give me this to eat together with someone?’ Then I looked at SNS and saw that the paired snacks in every proof shot were different."

"Wait, was it customized to individual tastes?"

"It was written on the sunbaenim’s profile. I overheard other people’s tastes here and there while passing by."

"After seeing that... I was so conflicted."

"‘He put this much thought into it, so I couldn’t just give anything!’ I understand that feeling."

Woo Yoonjae nodded vigorously at the MC’s agreement. I had no idea he had noticed those details.

"I debated for a long time what on earth to give, and then I heard your stomach wasn’t doing well recently, so..."

"Ah, so ‘I must give him cabbage juice.’"

"Yes, because health is the most important thing."

"And apparently you harvested the cabbages yourself?"

"You did it yourself?"

"My family farms, so I harvested them and... watched the juicing process. To make sure they didn’t dilute it with water."

I couldn’t even find the words to respond to such a heartfelt gift. It was affection I had never imagined.

"That’s incredible dedication. How many cabbages do you need to harvest to make six boxes of juice?"

"A lot... but I wanted to give enough for the members too, so I matched the number of people."

"Ah, to match the Spark members?"

"It’d be cold-hearted to only give it to one person."

Spark would have happily shared even a single box of cabbage juice. That was the kind of atmosphere we had. But the fact that he intentionally prepared them for everyone was something I could only feel grateful for.

"Yoonjae sunbaenim was also really worried about my health earlier when we met upstairs. He said I’d lost weight."

"It’s true, you lost weight, Mr. Iwol."

"Even when snacks are brought into the waiting room, Mr. Iwol doesn’t eat any of them. After emotionally draining acting scenes, people usually feel their blood sugar drop and eat something... Watching him from the side, his willpower is really strong."

Woo Yoonjae spoke while lightly patting my thigh with his palm.

"For me, just acting alone is already difficult."

"......"

"In contrast, Mr. Iwol is multi-talented. He’s good at acting, people around him praise his idol work a lot, and he’s a good person too."

I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to hide somewhere. But Woo Yoonjae pushed on with what he wanted to say.

"Because he is this kind of person, I think that’s why Ko Sugyeol was so devoted to the Young Master... That’s what I’ve been thinking, from the day of the script reading until now."

If this had been an idol’s self-produced content, that line would probably be marked as "most replayed moment." It was the kind of quote viewers would remember.

At the very least, I think I’ll remember the Chief’s praise for a very long time.