Creak—
"Oh? Moo-young's here."
"Seriously, we hardly ever see your face anymore, Ha Moo-young."
Dripping wet hair and a towel around his neck, Moo-young smiled as his dorm mates greeted him. No surprise — he left before sunrise every day and only came back after sunset.
"Hey, long time no see."
"Kid, you're practically a semi-celebrity now. You that busy?"
"You are still going to class, right?"
Park Moon-sung and Choi Hwan dropped their bags and gave him concerned looks.
He was attending — technically.
"Grades, though… I'm not so sure. I study when I can, but…"
It wasn't even a major he was passionate about, and he didn't have time to hole up in the library like everyone else. Studying between shoots was better than nothing, but not by much.
"Just keep it from tanking. You're not gonna use your degree anyway. As long as you graduate on time, you're fine."
"Exactly. If it were me, I'd take a leave of absence. You're already working — why bother being stuck here?"
Moo-young just smiled.
The dorm, guys. The dorm.
Where else could he find such cheap housing in Seoul if he wasn't enrolled? Sure, BigWin Entertainment had an office now, but still…
"I'm just worried I won't get a room next semester."
The dorm's selection criteria were half based on distance and half on GPA. Distance? Full marks — he technically had no home. The grades were the risky part.
"Come on, you're working. Can't you rent a place? You're shooting with Director Jin Kyung-moon, right? That must pay decently."
"It's not as much as you'd think."
Still, he'd managed to pay off over half his student loans in one go. It felt like he could finally breathe again.
He'd only done two ads so far, but if those kept coming in, it was only a matter of time before he went from red to black.
"Idiot. The real money's in dramas. Re-runs, online streams — every broadcast pays. Moo-young, you should go for TV dramas instead of films."
"I'd love to if I get the chance."
He said that with a grin, then pulled out the Dr. Martel skincare package.
He dabbed his bouncy, pudding-like cheeks while checking the toner.
"What's that?"
"A sponsorship. I'm supposed to try it and post a review on social media."
"Wow, look at you, Mr. Influencer."
Moo-young chuckled, popping the cap open.
Pop!
A cool, crisp scent wafted out — pine, maybe? He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Whatever it was, it smelled clean and natural.
"You're gonna eat it at this rate."
"It's all-natural. Smells amazing."
"Let me try some."
"Sure! Wash your face first."
He poured some toner into his palm — clear liquid with something shimmering inside.
"Huh?"
Swirling it between his fingers, Moo-young frowned. There was glittery dust floating in it — not mica, but… pollen?
"Hyung, can you see this?"
"What? Your hand?"
"No, look. Inside, it's sparkling."
"…It's transparent, man."
"What the—?!"
A toner with flower pollen in it! Excited, Moo-young jumped to his feet.
Choi Hwan just shook his head and grabbed a towel.
Meanwhile, Moo-young squeezed a generous amount of the product onto both palms.
"Guys! Come try this!"
Splash!
He slapped it onto his cheeks energetically — pat pat pat! — until his skin turned pink from the friction.
You could feel his determination not to waste a single drop. Then, looking into the mirror, he smiled with satisfaction.
"Mm. Perfect. This stuff's great—!"
Vroooom—
A few days later.
Moo-young sat in a shaking car, reading over his script. Go Kyung-min glanced at him — surprisingly calm despite the bumpy ride.
"No carsickness?"
They were driving faster than usual, and the old car rattled constantly. Not that they had a choice.
"I'm fine. We need to get there fast anyway."
"Sorry about this. I only got the call last minute."
"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault. How's Hyo-jung doing? Any updates?"
"Not really. Haven't heard much yet."
He'd been relaxing in the dorm when the emergency call came.
A sudden production gap after the day's shoot went belly-up.
"They said she was hospitalized, so we'll know soon."
"For a skin issue?"
"You'd be shocked how much money entertainers spend on skin care. Hospitalization's the least extreme response."
Post-treatment sessions costing millions of won weren't uncommon. Some even swore by superstitious remedies.
It came with the job — a face shown to the public had to stay perfect.
"Apparently, she'd been itching like crazy for days."
Hyo-jung's face had reportedly broken out completely.
What she thought were a few pimples turned into full-blown inflammation overnight. Each morning, it worsened until she canceled all her schedules.
Rumor had it, her face was a disaster — makeup couldn't even cover it.
"We're here."
Without the lead actress, the shoot had obviously collapsed.
The outsourced lighting and sound teams were already on-site — nothing to film, but still on the clock.
Sorry, can you come right now? If this scene gets scrapped, we're done. I'm really sorry.
The assistant director had been desperately calling everyone to fill the gap — and one of those calls landed on Moo-young.
"I'll park. Go get your makeup done first."
"Okay!"
Moo-young hopped out of the car and dashed toward the set.
Bored staff milled around in groups, smoking or chatting idly.
"Hi! I'm here!"
"Oh! Moo-young's here!"
"AD-nim! Moo-young's here!"
At that cue, the assistant director rushed out, grabbed Moo-young's hand, and shook it fervently.
"You got here so fast! Thank you, seriously."
"My manager broke every speed limit, I think. So, what's today's setup? Since Hyo-jung sunbae's out…"
They hurried into the dressing room to check the day's plan.
"Yuna and Hee-jun are waiting in the car for you. You'll be filling in."
"Ah, I see. Did you finish the two-shots already?"
"Mostly. Might add pickup shots later, but today's mainly crowd scenes. Now hurry — makeup, then straight to set!"
Swish—
It was originally a scene for Hyo-jung, Yuna, and Hee-jun — but now Moo-young was pinch-hitting.
The assistant director reviewed which shots could still be filmed and began calling the crew back into position.
"Huh? Where's the youngest noona?"
Moo-young pushed his bangs back with a headband and greeted the makeup staff.
The youngest team member—who usually did his makeup—was nowhere to be seen.
The staffer just shrugged, as if to say, Don't even ask.
"She went to the hospital with the team leader. With Hyo-jung."
"The hospital? Why?"
"Ugh, don't even get me started. Apparently, Hyo-jung's skin broke out because of us. They switched her toner on set, and that's when it all started, or so they say. Her manager's been screaming at our team leader—so they went to sort it out."
"…They switched her toner? But that's the same stuff we all use, isn't it?"
"Exactly! That's what I said."
Whether they worked at a beauty shop or were dispatched on-site, the products they used were identical.
Unless an actor brought their own, everyone's makeup came from the same kit.
"So I used the same thing too?"
"Of course. Everyone who got makeup here did."
"Then why is it only happening to Hyo-jung sunbae?"
"No clue. They said it looks like an allergic reaction, but the hospital's still running tests. Anyway, our team leader and the youngest are having a rough morning…"
Muttering complaints, she rummaged through the bottles until she found the familiar one.
Moo-young recognized it instantly.
"Oh? This one?"
"You know it? Doctor Martel."
"I've been using this the whole time? I didn't even notice much of a scent."
"There are two lines. You're using this one?"
"Yeah. I really like it. Feels fresh and light. Chup-chup-chup! I even put it on this morning."
He chatted brightly as she patted the product onto his face. The moist liquid seeped smoothly into his flawless skin.
"It only came out recently, but in our line of work it's already a must-have."
"Ah, really?"
"Pricey, but great. Their social media marketing is aggressive. Looks like a new brand, but I think there's something behind it."
"Something behind it?"
She leaned in and whispered, glancing around.
"Can't say for sure, but I heard it from our team leader—through someone who knows someone. Apparently, it came from this shop in Cheongdam called J-L. The head stylist there has a regular client — a really famous chaebol's wife. She was the one who recommended Doctor Martel in the first place."
It sounded like a juicy bit of industry gossip.
Moo-young squinted one eye, gesturing for her to go on.
"Don't you think it's weird? That someone with access to every luxury brand under the sun would bother with some no-name label?"
The implication was clear — something hidden was going on.
Then suddenly, Moo-young clapped his hands as if he'd solved it.
"Oh! Maybe she's just into value-for-money stuff!"
"…Forget it. Why do I even talk to you."
"Or maybe she's an early adopter? That's cool! Having money and niche taste — perfect combo."
"Alright, Ha Moo-young, hush now. Say 'ahh' for your lip tint."
The staffer finished his makeup with a sigh and dusted off her hands.
"Anyway, who knows how this'll end. The youngest said if anyone wants to switch products, just say so. But for celebrities… their bodies are their assets, you know?"
She looked uneasy — clearly worried about a lawsuit.
Depending on the investigation, the blame could fall on the junior staffer… or even directly on Doctor Martel.
Either way, once that happened, today's
"Noona, don't worry too much."
Catching her expression, Moo-young tried to reassure her. But that was all he could offer — he didn't know the details.
She smiled faintly and began packing up her tools.
"Makeup for Moo-young is done!"
"Got it! Hold on, we're still setting up the scene. Moo-young, standby for now!"
"Okay!"
He answered cheerfully, but soon found himself idle. Picking up his script, he hesitated, then reached for his phone instead.
Tap tap tap.
"Not hungry?"
Go Kyung-min appeared with snacks and drinks in hand. Moo-young shook his head, still staring at his phone.
"I'm good. I can't eat right now — I've got lip tint on."
"What are you doing, then?"
"Writing a review for Doctor Martel. Think this sounds okay?"
He showed his screen — the DM window to the brand's PR manager was filled with text.
[The scent's super refreshing! Not sticky at all, and it feels really nice when applying… (snip) It worked great for me — felt really gentle and natural since it's made with botanical ingredients. But one of my colleagues didn't react well to it. Their skin broke out pretty bad. Guess it depends on the person.]
"How's that? If they like it, I'll post it on my feed. The product's good — I want to keep things positive."
Kyung-min skimmed it with a frown.
"Hmm… probably not a good idea."
"Why not? It's honest! I didn't even say anything bad."
"The part about your colleague — delete that. Just take it out and…"
Tap tap tap.
Kyung-min started hitting backspace with his thumb when—
"Moo-young! Standby!"
"Ah! Yes!"
Startled, Moo-young jerked — and his thumb slipped.
Instead of hitting backspace, he hit Enter.
Beep.
"…Huh?"
"What?"
Kyung-min froze and handed the phone back slowly.
"…You just sent it."
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE-https://payhip.com/Beastnovels