Become a Star
chapter-88

“Nevertheless, didn’t it help to improve your image?”

“My image wasn’t exactly bad before, right?” After hearing Kang Goo-Ra use the word ‘improve,’ Woo-Jin laughed and made a rebuttal. Meanwhile, Berry Rose agreed with Woo-Jin and nodded enthusiastically.

“It’s underhanded to make use of the elderly to boost one’s image. I’m not that kind, but I wouldn’t stoop so low to do such a thing.” Woo-Jin dismissed the rumors that had been circulating about the encounter being scripted. Nobody knew how accurate the lie detector was, but at the very least, it didn’t get triggered. Kang Hee-Joo quietly listened to what Woo-Jin said and raised her hand.

“I was going to ask you in private later on, but after listening to this conversation, I want to ask it right now. If I’m not allowed to, please edit it out later.” Kang Hee-Joo asked Woo-Jin, while looking at the production director, seeking approval from him.

“It’s embarrassing to talk about it here but I’ve been making small donations to a foundation for youth victims of violence. The head of the foundation told me that a person named ‘Chae Woo-Jin’ is on the list of donors, so I wanted to ask if he’s the said donor. They said it’s been a little over three years…”

The people managing the foundation didn’t remember or pay attention to all the names that were stamped periodically on the donation bankbook. However, there was a particular name which they happened to remember, and they chanced upon the same name elsewhere. Thus, they couldn’t help but be curious. The management team wondered if their donor was the same person as the well-known actor. Since Kang Hee-Joo had been donating to their foundation for a long time and had done volunteer work with them, they decided to ask her to find out if Woo-Jin was indeed their donor.

If the person that donated to their cause a few years ago had become a celebrity, the foundation wanted to support them too. Most of the time, they didn’t know who their donors were. If they managed to find out, they would try their best to express their gratitude one way or another. Thus, Kang Hee-Joo wanted to quietly ask Woo-Jin about it in private, but after hearing the story about the Slipper Young Man, she wanted to ask him openly in front of everyone. In truth, Kang Hee-Joo brought it up because she thought it would be good to let everyone know about Woo-Jin’s good deed.

“Oh…”

Woo-Jin was caught off guard by the sudden question and didn’t know how to react. He was suddenly reminded of the reason why he had decided to donate to a youth foundation for victims of violence. Back then, his mind and body had been in a mess. Rather than wanting to help someone else, Woo-Jin had sought comfort from the fact that there were other people in this world who were struggling just like him. It had been a consolation to him that he was not the only one struggling in the world and that he was still better off than them.

“So they were right huh.” Kang Hee-Joo nodded with a satisfied look on her face after hearing Woo-Jin’s response. She couldn’t hide her joy from finding out that she had a comrade who shared the same intentions as her.

“I… I don’t know if there are other people who shared the same name as me, but I had only donated a very small amount. Back then, I saved the money I had earned from private tutoring bit by bit and donated them. I didn’t earn much back then; even now, I still don’t earn a lot. It’s not exactly worth mentioning…”

Woo-Jin’s first donation was an act of impulse. After donating some of his savings, he had completely forgotten about it. Woo-Jin had only remembered it after updating his bankbook at a later date. However, he felt bad for pretending that it never happened, especially after donating once for his own selfish reasons.

When Woo-Jin was having a hard time, he tried to find comfort anywhere he could. But when the difficult times were over, Woo-Jin brazenly went back to his daily life and casually forgot about it. Hence, Woo-Jin felt obligated to continue donating a certain amount of money to the foundation up until now. Just like how he escaped from hell, he felt that it wouldn’t be a waste if his donations could bring hope to someone else.

However, tutoring was Woo-Jin’s only way to make money back then since he was a student. After shooting the two movies, the compensation that he had received from both movies made up his entire income. After joining DS, the only jobs he received were his one-episode appearance on Huntsman, as well as the drama, City of Shadows. The production company of the drama hadn’t compensated him yet, so the only income Woo-Jin earned after joining DS came from Huntsman.

That said, Woo-Jin had yet to receive the money because the agency only paid him once every three months. Naturally, DS gave him a monthly allowance, but Woo-Jin didn’t feel comfortable using it. Hence, Woo-Jin’s donations were not that significant yet. Woo-Jin’s fellow celebrities understood what he was trying to say.

In any case, it had only been less than six months since Chae Woo-Jin made his debut. As he had never done a commercial before, he couldn’t afford to donate the same amount of money as other celebrities. Right now, Woo-Jin could only afford to donate small amounts, but he felt like he was showing off by revealing his ‘good deed’ openly in a place like this. Thus, he looked ashamed.

“It’s okay. I also started off by donating insignificant amounts that I was too embarrassed to reveal. The important thing is that you’re actively showing an interest towards a good cause like that.” Woo-Jin felt as though he had been stabbed by Kang Hee-Joo’s words, and he felt even more embarrassed than ever.

“But you must have been in your early twenties three years ago. What made you think about doing something like this? When I was at that age, I didn’t think about donating even though I did some volunteering.” As soon as Woo-Jin was about to answer Woon Jong-Shin’s question, Kang Hee-Joo placed his hand on the lie detector. Flustered and in a state of shock, Woo-Jin had taken his hand off of it and this time, his action hadn’t gone unnoticed. It seemed like Kang Hee-Joo wanted Woo-Jin to showcase his sincerity, but Woo-Jin was not able to appreciate her kindness.

“It was a difficult period for me. One day, as I was walking down the streets, I saw a poster of the foundation and it made me think about how there were people younger than me who had experienced even more suffering. No, it all started out of sympathy in the first place. But compared to them, I was in a slightly better position.” Woo-Jin calmly added that he continued donating later on out of habit.

People could kind of guess what Woo-Jin went through during his difficult period of time. According to Kang Hee-Joo, he had started donating to the foundation approximately 3 years ago. But this was a very delicate subject. Considering that Blue Fit made their debut less than 3 years ago, if Woo-Jin had been donating for more than 3 years, it meant that Woo-Jin started donating right before their debut. Back then, Woo-Jin must have been excited about realizing his dream. However, the fact that he sympathized with youth victims of violence, out of all people, spoke volumes about his past.

The only person who didn’t understand the meaning behind Woo-Jin’s words was A-Ra. She simply stared at him with her round eyes and failed to pick up on the clues, which was why she was smiling all by herself, oblivious to the heavy atmosphere within the studio.

“Please edit this segment out. I might have somehow revealed my dark past.” Woo-Jin felt flustered because he hadn’t expected himself to talk about this topic. Regardless of how much prior arrangements were discussed and made with the production team, nobody knew where the flow of the conversation would lead them to in a talk show filled with various people. It seemed that Woo-Jin now understood what it meant to feel tense at all times.

Woo-Jin had only intended to moderately attack Blue Fit by singing ‘Shining Star’. But he ended up unintentionally hinting about what the group members had done to him back then. Kang Hee-Joo could vaguely guess why Woo-Jin was feeling embarrassed. She said brightly to him with an innocent face, “You didn’t do anything bad. You should brag about your charitable acts to everyone. In my opinion, people should know about the good deeds that celebrities do, so that those people who never considered doing good deeds can think about it and start doing it too.”

The aftermath of violence was always disastrous for both children and adults alike. Even though Kang Hee-Joo was not an apostle of justice, she felt that it was important to increase awareness about this issue because of her character. The hosts stopped asking questions since Woo-Jin appeared to be uncomfortable with revealing more information. They could also roughly sense what Woo-Jin wanted to hide.

Kim Goo-Jin asked A-Ra a question while flipping through the cue cards to look for a different topic. “Isn’t it hard for you to juggle both school and work at the same time?”

“It’s hard, but I love what I am doing, so it’s fun.”

“You’re the happiest when you’re having fun. If you’re doing something you love for work, it’ll stop becoming fun.” Everyone laughed at Woon Jong-Shin’s complaint not because it was funny, but because they could relate to it. They were laughing in sadness.

“A-Ra also mentioned that she was a fan of Chae Woo-Jin, right?”

“Yes, which was why I asked him to give me his phone number before the recording started, but he rejected me,” A-Ra complained while pouting her lips. The hosts comforted her and asked Woo-Jin why he turned her down.

“Giving your phone number should not be a big deal. Wouldn’t it be nice to take care of her like a younger sister? For all you know, it might become a moving story within the entertainment industry.”

“I already have a younger sister though.”

“So?”

“She’s already too much for me to handle.” As soon as Woo-Jin shook his sullen face, people sympathized with him and they could no longer make a rebuttal.

“Since I’m an only child, can’t I get to know you more just like actual siblings?”

“As I’ve said, I also have an 18 year old sister. If I think about it, we don’t really call or keep in contact with each other. It’ll be better for you if you abandoned whatever fantasies you have about siblings.” The hosts nodded after hearing Woo-Jin’s firm response. In truth, it was annoying to have a minor following you around and calling you all the time.

“That’s right. Your idea of an ‘oppa’ only exists in fantasies. A-Ra, there’s nothing special about oppas”.

“The same holds true about having a younger sister. I have no fantasies or dreams about having a younger sister.”

“Woo-Jin, aren’t you being too harsh? What’s going to happen when your younger sister watches this episode?”

“I’ll have to make sure she goes to sleep before it goes on air,” Woo-Jin said in a serious manner. Kang Goo-Ra decided to bring up the lie detector once again.

“Woo-Jin, you’ve taken your hand off the lie detector for quite some time now. Please place it again on the lie detector and say it.” Woo-Jin didn’t place his hands on the lie detector immediately, but he eventually placed his hand on it once again and said to the camera.

“I love you, my little sister!”

Seeing that the red light didn’t come on and he didn’t get shocked by the lie detector, Woo-Jin clenched his fist tightly and celebrated his victory.

“See! He loves his younger sister a lot. A-Ra, you should give up on Chae Woo-Jin. Since it seems like having a biological younger sister is more than enough for him, why don’t I be your oppa instead?” Woon Jong-Shin playfully widened his eyes and tilted his head. However, A-Ra looked very disappointed and didn’t even glance in his direction.

“That’s not it, I just felt close to him because my last name is Chae too.”

“Oh? Your last name is Chae as well? So is your name Chae A-Ra?”

“No.”

As soon as they started talking about names, A-Ra’s face hardened and she wanted to change the topic.

“A-Ra is just her stage name. She has a different birth name.”

“Don’t say it!”

“Woo-Ra! Chae Woo-Ra!”

A-Ra’s real name was Woo-Ra. There was nothing wrong with her given name alone, but the problem was that her last name was ‘Chae’. Whenever Chae Woo-Ra said her name when she was still a child, people would make a pun out of her name and say, “What do you want to fill it up with?” [1]. Thus, she ended up developing a complex and used ‘A-Ra’ as her stage name instead of ‘Chae Woo-Ra’.

Knowing that A-Ra didn’t like her name, Da-Young deliberately revealed it to everyone. A-Ra looked like she was about to cry and expressed her displeasure, not many people noticed the conflict between the two girls. That was because right after hearing that ‘Chae Woo-Ra’ was A-Ra’s real name, the red light on the lie detector beneath Woo-Jin’s hand started to blink continuously.

1. 채우(다) means to fill something up or stuff something. ☜