"Brother already has a car."
"What? Which car?"
Jiyeon answered with a triumphant smile.
"A Ferrari."
"What?!"
Their eldest aunt was so shocked that her voice cracked.
Their mother looked uneasy, while their father watched with amusement, clearly enjoying the situation.
Yoomyeong simply grinned.
Ever since he was young, he had often been on the receiving end of his aunt's backhanded compliments. She always insisted that her opinions were absolute and that her child had to be the best. He had no intention of playing humble now.
"My boss gave it to me. He said it was a bonus for doing well."
"A Ferrari as a bonus? Isn't that person a scammer? Make sure you check it properly. It could just be a company car on loan. These days, even damaged or illegally modified cars can be made to look brand new."
His uncle nodded in agreement beside her.
"The title was transferred to me. It's only been driven two thousand kilometers."
"Wow, that's incredible. Two thousand kilometers? That's basically a brand-new car. Can I get a ride, hyung?"
"Me too! Me too!"
While their aunt sat speechless, his cousins quickly gathered around him in excitement.
Yoomyeong promised them a ride sometime with a smile.
His eldest aunt, her pride wounded, threw out one final jab.
"Well, it's good that you're doing well. But you know, celebrities end up with nothing once the work stops coming in. What are you doing these days? Don't be picky. Just take whatever jobs you can get."
"Oh? Hyung just finished filming a movie with Director Son Chi-wook. He's the supporting lead alongside Yoon Hansung."
"It's coming out this winter. Auntie, you should go see it in theaters!"
Jiyeon's counterattack landed a clean knockout.
That Chuseok, their eldest aunt was quieter than Yoomyeong had ever seen her at any family gathering.
A large banner hung inside an exhibition hall at COEX.
One hundred carefully selected fans bounced on their toes while clutching gifts and items they hoped to have signed.
Eight months had passed since his drama ended, and aside from a few interviews, actor Shin Yoomyeong had maintained a relatively low profile, much to his fans' disappointment.
However, Bohyung and Yoomyeong's powerful performance in had left such a strong impression that not a single person selected for today's event was absent.
A fan club that truly supports a talented actor.
The members of GodNamed took pride in their club, driven in part by So-jin's ambition to turn it into a legendary fan club.
Most members were women in their twenties and thirties, largely because Yoomyeong was best known for playing Yoon Bohyung. However, there were also teenage girls, older female fans, and a handful of male fans.
Among them, two women who had become friends through the fan club chat room were whispering together.
"LoveBohyung, are you really going to do that?"
"Of course! I almost passed out when I saw the announcement saying we'd get to see Bohyung up close."
"I want to do it too, but I'm afraid my heart might literally burst."
"DrunkBohyung, you have to do it today, even if you collapse from blood loss afterward."
The noisy corridor suddenly fell silent as a figure appeared, only for the silence to be replaced by loud cheers moments later.
After being styled by his stylist for the first time in a while, Yoomyeong stood before the hundred fans looking flawless.
"Hello. I'm Jung So-jin, president of . Please calm down and take your seats. The actor will be seated in the center."
Dressed in a sharp black suit with her hair pulled tightly back, So-jin looked completely different from the woman Yoomyeong had met privately.
Her confident instructions quickly brought order to the event.
"Now, we'll begin the first official event of : a fan signing event with actor Shin Yoomyeong."
Clap clap clap clap.
"We'll start with a greeting from the actor and a few official questions before moving on to the signing."
When So-jin turned toward him, Yoomyeong picked up the microphone and smiled shyly.
"Hello. I'm actor Shin Yoomyeong."
"Hello!"
"Wowww!"
"Yes! Hello!"
His greeting was met with a flood of enthusiastic responses.
"Thank you for supporting me, a rookie actor who still has much room to improve, and for taking the time to come here today. I've never really been the center of attention before, so all of this still feels quite surreal. Haha."
The fans were puzzled by Yoomyeong's words.
To them, Shin Yoomyeong was a born star, someone destined to be loved by everyone.
It felt natural to assume he had always been the center of attention, yet his words sounded completely sincere.
"The reason I'm here today is because, first, I'm grateful to and curious about the people who support me, and second..."
?
"...because I don't want to forget a single fan—or even a single audience member—who has ever felt disappointment or gratitude because of me."
Though the message was somewhat cryptic, his low, resonant voice effortlessly captured the hearts of those listening.
"I'm truly grateful. I may never be able to become close friends with every one of you, but I promise to repay your support through my work as an actor."
Yoomyeong bowed his head deeply.
Flash.
Flash.
Flash.
Camera flashes erupted as fans shouted his name and the names of his characters.
Some fans were already tearing up after nothing more than his brief greeting.
The sight etched itself vividly into Yoomyeong's memory.
So much attention.
So much affection.
What he had not received in fifteen years was now being poured over him many times over.
Even if popularity was ultimately a mirage,
it was still a mirage that had appeared in the desert of his fifteen-year career, an oasis born from the last three years.
Yoomyeong gave the people around him a genuinely grateful smile.
That sincere smile alone was enough to make countless hearts skip a beat.
So-jin was impressed.
That smile was more effective than any bait she could have planned.
Her normally stern and demanding demeanor melted like sunshine the moment she stood before Yoomyeong.
"Ah, hello!"
"Hello. Thank you for coming. What's your name?"
"Oh, I'm Park Jinhee! My café nickname is Emperor Bohyung. I'm really, really rooting for you, Yoomyeong."
Jinhee stared in fascination as Yoomyeong smiled and signed her items.
She had passionately defended him online throughout the drama's broadcast.
Whenever someone claimed his looks were nothing but makeup or that styling was the only thing saving his ordinary face, she would launch into battle as if defending a member of her own family.
At moments like this, she wished she could drag those commenters here and force them to see him in person.
In only a few months, her actor had become so captivating that she could no longer take her eyes off him.
"Th-this is Australian honey. It's good for your throat when mixed with warm water. And these are glucosamine, chlorella, and spirulina supplements. Please don't overwork yourself, and always stay healthy."
Her love language consisted of health supplements and Yoomyeong.
Since late nights were a routine part of her life, she depended heavily on supplements.
She wasn't even sure whether they worked.
But simply taking them somehow gave her the strength to get through another day.
Especially now, with a new project approaching and twenty-four hours never seeming like enough time.
There had even been times when waking up felt so difficult that she wondered whether dying would let her sleep forever.
But after joining the fan club, she found herself getting out of bed five minutes faster every morning.
If Yoomyeong can work this hard, then I can too.
"Wow, thank you. I'll make good use of them."
"And also..."
?
"B-Bohyung's acting..."
She spoke so quietly that her voice was barely audible.
"Haha, okay. What would you like me to say?"
"Could you tell me I've worked hard, noona? I want ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) to listen to it before I go to sleep."
After making her request, she pulled out her digital camera.
Yoomyeong told her to close her eyes for a moment.
She obeyed, holding the camera ready.
Slowly counting to three, she opened her eyes.
"One, two, three..."
"Noona!"
"OMG!"
Bohyung was smiling right in front of her.
His eyes curved into crescents.
It felt as though he had stepped straight out of the drama and into reality.
She was dazzled.
Her heart pounded as though struck by an earthquake.
For a moment, she could hardly breathe.
"It's been hard, hasn't it? You worked really hard today too. I'm proud of you, noona."
He spoke gently, wearing a cute smile, tilting his head slightly while looking up at her from below.
"Good night~"
It really was Bohyung.
Even though he was only a character from a drama, he had been a source of tremendous comfort to her.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Warm encouragement from the person you admire most would move anyone.
I absolutely nailed it today.
Seeing her success, the fans waiting behind her began reconsidering what they wanted to request.
Then So-jin raised her voice.
"As mentioned earlier, all content gathered today is meant to be shared. You were chosen to represent the members who couldn't attend, so don't forget our principle of sharing content!"
That evening, on the GodNamed fan café:
[Fan Sign] Bohyung Video Cheer-Up — I'm on Your Side
[Fan Sign] Bohyung's Smiling Expressions
[Fan Sign] Like a Hierarchy Special
The forum was flooded with valuable content.
Among them, the most viewed post was:
Post 11505 — [Fan Sign] Bohyung Version of "Goodnight, Noona" / by Emperor Bohyung
Hello, everyone!
All of the honored warriors selected for today's fan sign will remember this.
The goodnight greeting from Bohyung.
It's been hours since I got home, and I still haven't managed to do anything.
That moment keeps replaying in my head.
You all know I'm addicted to supplements, but this video is more effective than any supplement I've ever taken.
It makes me feel like I can do anything!
Seeing our disciplined GodNamed members today was genuinely moving.
To my fellow members, here's a powerful supplement from me.
Everyone watch this and have a good night's sleep!
"Wow, so you were Emperor Bohyung. Thank you for kicking things off. I gratefully accept this precious content. Bless you."
"Look at all these goodies dropping. Those of us who missed the fan sign are just crying. Thank you to the admin for making everyone share their content. But when is the next one? T^T"
"Playing for the 13th time."
"Who would've thought we'd see a day like this? Rain has finally fallen on the drought-stricken land of GodNamed."
"I'm brand new here. Joined today. I heard there are hidden merits around these parts."
"This is lethal. It's called Goodnight, but isn't it actually an insomnia-inducing video?"
"Playing for the 19th time."
.
.
.
That day, visitor traffic on the GodNamed fan café reached an all-time high.
Inside the marketing department of Hyunseong Motors,
the marketing director was discussing Shin Yoomyeong with the team leader overseeing the launch of the new car, .
After all, the amount being requested for a rookie actor was unusually high.
The reason Director Min could not simply reject it was because this young team leader had consistently delivered outstanding results and had reached her position in record time through sheer ability.
"Director, the reason we targeted this actor wasn't because he was cost-effective. It's because he's a young male actor with excellent acting skills who hasn't been overexposed through advertisements. That's exactly what our new car, Crude—a project we're investing heavily in—needs."
"Hmm."
"Crude represents a departure from Hyunseong's traditional image of practical vehicles, and its development budget was unprecedented. Compared to that, a few hundred million won in endorsement fees is insignificant."
"That's true, but..."
"So, in my opinion..."
Team Leader Park proposed a new plan.
"We should offer more than the amount they requested."
She crossed out the figure on the contract proposal and wrote a larger number.
Director Min stared at her in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
Prepared to convince him, the woman smiled confidently.
It was Emperor Bohyung, Park Jinhee.
