Jihoon, who was always the bold one, smirked.
"Co on, Director. We know you have sothing to say. Don't act all cold now. It's our last day together!" He shouted out loud.
The cast and crew laughed, and even Director Hwang let out a small chuckle before shaking his head. He finally stood up, adjusting his sleeves as he faced the room.
"Fine," he started, clearing his throat.
"Since you all won't stop staring at , I'll say a few words."
A hush fell over the room as everyone waited in anticipation.
"To be honest, when this project started, I wasn't sure how it would turn out," he admitted.
"There were too many factors in this drama like new faces, tight schedules, but everything surprisingly went well" He paused, his sharp gaze scanning the room before his lips curved into the smallest of smiles.
"Looking at you all now, I realize how foolish I am to doubt that."
A warm silence filled the room as Director Hwang continued. It was their first ti to hear such words from him.
"This cast, this crew… you all exceeded my expectations. You gave this drama your hearts, your ti, and your talent. And that's sothing I will always respect."
Minjae, Yura, and the others listened intently, realizing how rare it was for Director Hwang to speak so openly.
"So," he exhaled, lifting his glass. "No matter how The Star's Secret performs, rember these words. We created sothing worth rembering and that alone is a success."
A round of cheers erupted once more, everyone clinking their glasses together.
"Now, eat," Director Hwang grumbled, sitting back down. "I didn't rent out this whole restaurant for all of you to just get sentintal."
Laughter filled the air as the mood beca livelier once again.
As the night went on, the atmosphere grew even livelier.
So of the staff had moved to a smaller area where a karaoke machine was set up, and before long, Jihoon had taken over the microphone. He was belting out a dramatic ballad even if his voice was destroying everyone's eardrums.
As Jihoon dramatically hit a high note, one that made several people wince and burst into laughter, Minjae quietly slipped away from the main group, making his way toward the balcony attached to the restaurant.
The cool night air greeted him as he leaned against the railing. He gazed at the city lights that was stretching beyond the horizon. Despite the laughter and excitent inside, a quiet sense of finality settled in his chest.
It was finally over.
After a few seconds, soft sounds of footsteps approached him. Without even looking, Minjae already knew who it was.
Yura stepped beside him, following his stance as she leaned on the railing.
"I was looking for you earlier cause Jihoon was too busy hyping the crew." she chuckled as a small smile played on her lips.
"Yeah. I was already full so I wanted to step out for awhile." Minjae chuckled lightly.
Yura also chuckled while her gaze went back to the restaurant behind them. Through the glass, they could see Jihoon dramatically holding the microphone with both hands and everyone laughing, completely imrsed in his performance.
"Hard to believe it's over, huh?" she murmured after a mont of silence.
"Yeah," Minjae uttered. "It Feels surreal."
They stood in silence for a mont, letting the distant sounds of the city mix with the muffled laughter from inside.
"I'm really going to miss this," Yura said softly, her fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on the railing. "The set, the people… even the exhausting shoots. It's my first ti experiencing everything"
Minjae turned his head slightly, studying her expression. Yura looked sad.
"You'll get used to it," he uttered
Yura exhaled through her nose. She can't help but feel a little dramatic. Maybe because this was her first drama ever so she was really into it. It was also her first ti working with others for so long and getting close to them.
"It's weird. We spent so much ti playing these characters, getting so invested in their story, and now… it's done."
"Yeah. We can't do anything since that's our work. Now, we have to go back to being us." Minjae nodded.
Minjae could understand what Yura was feeling since he also went through that exact sa phase. It was really hard at first since you'll treat everyone like family after working with them for almost everyday.
"Are you excited for what's next?" Yura tilted her head to the side, glancing up at him.
Minjae thought about it for a second.
The promotions for The Star's Secret would start soon, and on top of that, he still had the Lux&Co. campaign to prepare for. His schedule was already filling up with interviews, magazine shoots, and etings.
But despite the busyness ahead, he felt a spark of excitent.
"I am," he said honestly. "I don't know what'll happen after this, but I want to keep moving forward."
" too." Yura smiled at that. Her only dream was really to set a foot in the industry. It has been her lifelong dream to beco an actress.
A comfortable silence settled between them before Yura nudged him lightly with her elbow.
"You better not forget about when you beco an A-list actor, Oppa."
"You're acting like you're not going to be one too." Minjae scoffed playfully.
Yura grinned, her eyes twinkling under the soft glow of the balcony lights.
"Well, we'll see." She could only imagine it in her mind.
Minjae turned to fully face her, offering his hand.
"Let's both do well," he said, sincerity in his voice.
Yura looked at him before taking his hand with a firm shake.
"Let's do well," she echoed with a nod.
A mont later, the restaurant's balcony door burst wide open, and Jihoon stepped outside to the balcony dramatically.
"There you two are!" he gasped. "I've been looking everywhere!"
Minjae raised an eyebrow.
"We've been standing here for just five minutes."
"Exactly! That's five minutes too long!" Jihoon huffed before grinning. "Co on, let's take a group picture before everyone gets too drunk to pose properly."
Yura laughed before turning back to Minjae with a knowing look.
"Shall we?"
"Yeah, let's go." Minjae sighed but smiled nonetheless.
As they walked back inside, the weight of the drama's ending still lingered, but it was no longer bittersweet.
Instead, it felt like the beginning of sothing even greater.
For all of them.
=====
A/N: This marks the ending of Volu 1! Thank you for all your support.
Also, I would like to give thanks to Robin_Lindberg, Arluna_Cantayani, ssiah_Gardner for having the top 3 spots in the golden ticket ranking, and LesNoLesMiserables for dropping a gift.
Thank you for reading!
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