Chapter Text
Taehyun first found out about his co-star through a local news outlet and not from his manager or agency.
His manager-slash-longtime-best-friend, Beomgyu, reasoned out that he was going to tell Taehyun eventually but simply lacked the time to do so. He said it with a cheeky grin that Taehyun didn't trust in the slightest, shortly after the younger man called to demand an explanation over an Osen article he had just read. According to an SBS insider, the new drama they were going to begin filming featured none other than South Korea's First Love, Choi Soobin, as the leading actor alongside the young and promising rising star, Kang Taehyun.
"An agency representative has stated that both parties are excited to work together as filming will commence this month," Taehyun read from his laptop screen as he held his phone in one hand, Beomgyu's grinning face still in sight. He sighed heavily as he rubbed at his temples with a free hand, "Our first script reading is next week. You really didn't think of telling me I was going to be acting with the Choi Soobin? I know it was going to be a big project, but this is too much—"
"You can totally handle it, Taehyun-ah!" Beomgyu interrupted, giving a thumbs up and going on to say that they wouldn't have asked Taehyun to be onboard if they didn't think he was capable of working alongside top stars.
With narrowed eyes, Taehyun asked, "You're purposely ignoring my point here, aren't you?"
"Purposely ignoring what?"
"How you didn't tell me the actor I was working with was Choi Soobin," Taehyun said slowly, enunciating his point with each stressed word, feeling his sanity diminish as the sparkle in Beomgyu's eyes merely brightened. Was there a clause in their contract he could take advantage of that stated Beomgyu wasn't allowed to keep secrets from him? It was about time he moved to a new company anyway, make a name for himself, far far away from people who would betray him like—
Beomgyu scoffed, "Tyun, you're overreacting. I was going to surprise you with the news, but Osen beat me to it, I swear!"
"Besides, shouldn't you be thanking me for bagging this opportunity of a lifetime for you?" The older man continued a beat later when he received no immediate response, mainly because Taehyun was in shock that someone could have such audacity. Beomgyu ignored the obvious, "Not only do you get to show your acting skills with this new role—which is pretty perfect for you, by the way, you're welcome—but you'll also be working with the man you've been hopelessly crushing on for the last five years. No, seven years? Ten?"
"And make a fool of myself in front of him, hyung?" Taehyun groaned, making no effort to even deny what was said.
There were many reasons why Choi Soobin gained the nickname South Korea's First Love and frankly, Taehyun agreed with all of them. Not only was Soobin a gifted actor that happened to be ridiculously tall, with unfairly godly proportions and a face that could put all of the world's hottest men to shame, but he was also known both in and out of the industry as someone with a genuinely golden personality. He was kind to staff and co-actors alike, regardless of whether a camera was rolling or not. How did someone like him even exist?
In more ways than one, Taehyun looked up to Choi Soobin as an actor. It would be a lie to say he wasn't at least a little bit excited and honoured at the chance to be working alongside an actor like Soobin, including multiple others in the show's cast that Taehyun would be meeting for the first time as well. Even the director was reputable with many previous dramas that did well with the public. It could be his big break that helped his path to stardom, given how competitive the acting scene was getting day by day.
All things considered, Beomgyu did do a good job pitching Taehyun for the role.
"Look, it's not the end of the world," Beomgyu continued to cheer him up, exclaiming that sooner or later, Taehyun was bound to cross paths with Soobin anyway since they were both actors. It was just the kind of circle where everybody knew one another somehow. At least now he had a valid reason to befriend the guy, right?
Right.
That was why Kang Taehyun chose the seat farthest from where Soobin was already seated when they held their first script reading.
Not that it mattered because they were paired together for a lot of the scenes which meant sooner or later, Taehyun had to cross the room with the straightest expression he could manage, toward the directing team and stop right in front of Choi Soobin's already smiling face. After giving a full bow, Taehyun unconsciously found himself standing up straighter as he held a hand out and hope it wasn't clammy with sweat.
"My name is Kang Taehyun," he delivered smoothly, "I'm excited to be working with you on this project, I look forward to learning from you, sunbaenim."
"I'm older than you, right? Please just call me hyung," Soobin said as he gripped Taehyun's offered hand, reaching up with his other hand to pat the shorter man's shoulder good-naturedly. With a grin, he continued, "I'm equally excited to be working with you, Taehyun-ssi. Devil by the Window was such a good show, it's hard not to look forward to seeing how you act in person. Let's both learn from each other, yeah?"
Taehyun blinked — his mind was still processing how Soobin held on a beat longer than he expected, but soon malfunctioned completely at the rest of the statement. Sure, he knew the show he starred on became the talk of the town, but he didn't think it was good enough to be a part of Soobin's watch list. Thankfully, he was good at thinking on his feet and recovered quickly enough that he didn't look weird.
"Just Taehyun is fine," he managed to reply without stuttering, "Let's get along well, hyung, I look forward to learning from you."
The rest of the staff clapped politely at their meeting, a few cameras flashed to record the moment, and then Taehyun was swept away by the rest of the meeting. He kept a level head and maintained composure at all times; he was an actor, after all. He could definitely act like he wasn't internally fanboying at Choi Soobin's every line and even the breaths in between. After all, he had to get used to it since it was his life for at least a few months.
When filming finally commenced, it wasn't like Taehyun had to keep himself in check every moment of the day.
For one, Choi Soobin had more scenes where he acted alone than with Taehyun, at least for the show's first few episodes. That meant that while he was acting, Taehyun busied himself with watching from afar, starry-eyed and mesmerized. He was rarely alone during those moments, anyway, as most of the staff enjoyed coming together just to watch Soobin shoot his scenes.
It happened on one such occasion — while watching Soobin act, Taehyun distantly heard what sounded like a kid's voice, followed by some crying.
On set, Soobin faltered a bit before delivering his next line, prompting the director to yell cut.
"I'm sorry," Soobin apologized immediately, bowing to the director who just waved him off before calling a staff member over, asking her to handle any distractions around the area.
They didn't shoot with the kid actors of the show—that happened separately since their schedules often didn't match, what with their shooting times happening late at night or early in the morning—so why would there be a kid on set at all? Curious and ultimately worried, Taehyun left the set while Soobin went over the script again, following the woman who just left. After all, he could watch Soobin act some other time, but he couldn't resist the worry that a kid was crying somewhere.
"Do you need help?" Taehyun asked as he fell into step with the staff member who looked surprised to see him next to her. He smiled and continued before she could wave him away, the look of hesitation on her face making way for relief instead even with the hint of worry there, "I'm pretty good with kids and I'm not needed on set for another hour or so." Taehyun took the chance to glance at her ID and smoothly added, "It's fine, Seoyun-ssi."
They stopped in front of the crew waiting room, which was obviously the source of the noise. Taehyun opened the door himself.
Inside, there were a number of people already—mostly other crew members from either makeup, wardrobe, or set teams—all trying their best to pacify the little girl seated in the middle. They all looked surprised to see one of the show's actors around, too. The woman from earlier rushed to the girl whom Taehyun assumed must be her daughter since the kid calmed down a notch upon the sight of her.
"Dabin-ah," Seoyun knelt down in front of the child, "What's wrong?"
"I— I want to—" Dabin hiccuped, "I want to watch, I want to go out and watch—!"
Before Seoyun could speak, Dabin turned her teary eyes towards Taehyun. Almost instantly, she stood up from her chair and rushed over, clinging to the hem of Taehyun's suit jacket, catching the actor and everybody else in the room by surprise. Before someone could rush to get her back, Taehyun raised a hand and assured everyone in the room that he was fine. Slowly, he knelt down until he was at eye level with the kid.
"Hi, Dabin. My name is Taehyun," he said gently, taking one of her small hands in his. The effect on her was immediate; the hiccuping slowed down as the last few droplets of tears rolled down her cheek. Dabin's lips were still quivering, but for some reason, she didn't seem at all bothered that she was face-to-face with a stranger. A beat later, her face lit up with a watery smile as her eyes lit up with recognition.
"I know you!" Dabin sniffled, sounding excited, "I've seen you on TV! We used to watch you every night, me and my daddy."
Before Taehyun could reply with his thanks—it was hard to keep his heart from swelling at such a cute declaration, after all—Dabin clutched onto his hand with both of hers and tried to pull them towards the general direction of the door with all the strength a kid her age could muster. She couldn't have been more than 5 years old, with the cutest wide eyes and soft-looking cheeks, and a look of absolute determination on her face as she set her sights on the closed door.
"If I go with you, I'm sure I can watch him—"
Seoyun rushed forward to block their path, directing her attention to Dabin with the same frantically worried look on her face, "Dabin-ah, you want Soobin-oppa to do well, right?"
Ah, so that's what this was about. Things fell into place in Taehyun's head as he assessed the situation. Dabin must have been a fan of Choi Soobin as well — no surprises there, really, the media wasn't kidding whenever they would say that everybody loved him. With that said, the little girl quieted down at Seoyun's question, and Taehyun couldn't help but feel the scene tug at his heartstrings; he could relate to wanting to watch Soobin.
"If you're worried about being scolded by the director, I can take her," Taehyun found himself saying before he could think it through. Yes, he was one of the main actors on the show, but he was also a rookie at best and it probably wasn't the smartest idea to throw around. After all, there was no real way he could control a kid with what little experience he had with them. But the look on Dabin's face was worth it as she clung to his jacket again, as well as the obvious relief on Seoyun's features as well.
Behind him, one of the other staff members piped up, "It's not a bad idea, we all know she'll keep complaining at this rate, and we sure hate seeing her cry."
With a sigh, Seoyun finally nodded, "All right, but let me check in with the set manager first."
Dabin continued clutching Taehyun's leg, letting go only to return the high-five that Taehyun offered her. She didn't appear that shy around new people, Taehyun was also quick to note. Maybe she was brought to sets often? After all, she was surrounded by so much of the staff without her parents around. She responded well to his questions, too. Choi Dabin was 5 years old, liked the colour pink, and really couldn't wait to head out and watch what was happening.
"Are you also going to be on TV again? This show?" Dabin asked in return, her hand settled in Taehyun's as they waited for Seoyun's return.
He nodded, "That's right. Will you be watching me again, Dabin?"
"Yes! That means you're working with—"
Her train of thought was distracted by a squeal of delight when the door opened again, revealing a much more relaxed-looking Seoyun as she told them that Dabin was allowed at a respectable distance from the set. Seoyun also made sure to get Dabin to promise that she would be a good girl, keep her voice to a whisper, and listen to whatever Taehyun-oppa asked of her. Naturally, Dabin responded with enthusiastic nods as she attempted to pull Taehyun's arm to follow her out the door.
"Thanks for trusting me with your daughter, Seoyun-ssi," Taehyun remembered to tell her, suddenly realizing it must have been awkward for him to offer to take someone's child out of nowhere. Seoyun's eyes widened as she opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of a proper response. Around them, it felt like the rest of the staff in the room also fell silent. Did he say something wrong? Was Dabin not her daughter after all and he just made a fool out of himself?
"Oh, she's not—" Seoyun began to say, before closing her mouth again.
A beat later, she continued rather quickly, "I mean, she's not usually here, but it's been getting harder to find a babysitter nowadays."
Taehyun let out a sigh of relief he didn't even know he had been holding — the last thing he wanted to do on such a big job was get into any sort of misunderstanding, after all. Thankfully, the other staff members bid him well as Dabin finally succeeded in getting Taehyun's attention so they can head out. He knelt down and offered if she wanted to be carried over to the set, also for a better view of what was happening, and Dabin happily agreed. She was light enough to be balanced on one arm as Taehyun made his way back to the set, where Soobin was still acting.
"There he is!" Dabin whispered—loudly—into Taehyun's ear.
"Are you a fan of Choi Soobin, Dabin-ah?" Taehyun asked with a chuckle, despite already being aware of the answer.
The little girl practically began vibrating with excitement, "Of course! I'm his number one best fan ever ever EVER, nobody loves him more than I do."
With a bright smile on his face, Taehyun had to gently shush her as they neared where Soobin was in the process of recording his scene. He debated whether it was worth teasing the kid that he was a pretty big fan of Choi Soobin as well, but he didn't want to risk being heard by anybody else around them. Granted, it wouldn't have been that weird given Soobin's popularity, but he still wanted to maintain some sort of reputation as an actor of his own and not just as a fanboy.
On set, Soobin was busy acting with one of the supporting cast, but his eyes glanced over where Taehyun stood.
For a split second, Taehyun could have sworn Soobin's eyes lingered on them for a second too long, but he was quick to snap back into the scene and complete his lines without a hitch. Taehyun couldn't help but admire the professionalism and also feel slightly guilty that he brought a distraction on set, regardless of how cute and well-behaved the distraction was, still perched on his arm. To her credit though, Dabin did remain quiet and never once tried to run away from him. Older fans could learn a thing or two from her.
Unfortunately, that was a lost cause the moment the director yelled cut. She leapt from Taehyun's hold while he was distracted and quickly ran towards the set, with Taehyun hot on her heels, apologies ready on his lips. Dabin went straight for Soobin — who was already waiting, crouched down on the floor with open arms, a wide smile on his lips. Huh? Taehyun slowed down when he noticed how the director didn't look at all bothered either. Instead, he was preoccupied with checking the script for the next scene and calling in the actors required.
"Dabinnie," Soobin cooed as she came forward to hug her, "Did I do well?"
"You always do," Dabin said, muffled by his shoulder.
Cautiously, Taehyun walked over, his mind racing with questions as he came up with his own explanations. Wasn't Seoyun part of Soobin's managerial crew? That would explain why Dabin was familiar with them, and it appears, with Soobin. He didn't want to assume too much about what was happening, so he took it at face value. It was better than trying to pry into things he should have kept himself out of, after all. Dabin was a Choi Soobin fan, and Choi Soobin just happened to know her personally, adding more to his charm since he was great with kids as well. Taehyun's crush on him grew by a fraction.
"Taehyun-oppa took care of me!" Dabin was in the process of saying when Taehyun snapped out of his thoughts, unaware he'd been walking right towards them. She pointed at him and grinned, "Taehyun-oppa appears on TV, too, right?"
Soobin turned to Taehyun, staring at him even when he replied to her, "That's right. Thanks for taking care of Dabin, Taehyun-ah."
Why was Soobin thanking him for that? Taehyun was about to say that it wasn't a problem, but that was when their director's voice boomed across the hall, calling for Taehyun and a few other actors to do their scene next. Choi Soobin wasn't needed in the next few takes, which meant it would likely be the last of him that Taehyun would be seeing for the day since he had another thing scheduled after taping. Before he knew it, the sets were being changed and Soobin, along with Dabin, were being ushered off the set. Taehyun's makeup team came over to him and by the time he opened his eyes again, it was time to work.