An hour had passed in the blink of an eye. As the final few actors hurried down the red carpet to pose and enter the venue, the anticipation of the audience inside the hall grew louder.
A piece of orchestral music played softly through the speakers, serving as entertainnt for the waiting people.
After a few more minutes, the lights finally dimd.
A deafening silence fell over the room as spotlights converged onto the stage. The velvet curtains slowly drew back, revealing the full grandeur of the stage setup. The LED panels flickered to life, displaying a beautiful countdown wrapped in golden light.
5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
A fanfare of music echoed throughout the hall, and the two hosts, Wongjin and Daniel, reappeared on the stage. They had a quick outfit change.
Wongjin was now wearing a formal golden dress that hugged the curves of her body perfectly. On the other hand, Daniel wore a cream-colored suit, almost matching the color of Wongjin's dress.
Now inside the hall, they walked up to the center aisle, waving to everyone with smiles on their faces.
"Ladies and gentlen, actors and artists, welco to the 2025 January Drama Festival Preview Night!" Wongjin announced, her voice resonating through the hall, amplified by the perfectly tuned sound system.
"Tonight, we celebrate not just the incredible dramas you'll soon witness," Daniel continued, stepping forward, "but also the hardworking creators, cast, and crew behind them. Let's give a big round of applause to all twelve dramas that will light up our screens this season!"
A wave of applause and cheers followed from both the industry guests and the audience seated behind them. Light sticks flickered in synchronized colors, responding to the crowd's enthusiasm.
The LED panels began showcasing a beautifully edited video. It was a compilation of short and dramatic clips from each of the twelve upcoming dramas.
As each title appeared, the cara panned to the respective cast tables, where actors bowed or waved to the crowd.
Minjae's table was briefly shown when The Star's Secret clip played. Their clip showed Minjae's character performing on a stage—the high energy was everywhere—before it shifted to one of his calm yet intense scenes with Yura.
The people's eyes widened, and audible loud gasps and a round of cheers echoed around the hall.
Sitting across from Minjae were Yura, Jihoon, Seojin, Haejin, Sanghoon, Director Hwang, and Writer Na-Eun. They were all dressed in nice clothes, especially Yura, who was the main female lead of the drama.
Yura was adorned with silver pieces of jewelry that shone in contrast to her black dress. Just like Minjae, all of them gave a small nod toward the cara, their expressions a mixture of happiness and enthusiasm.
Another drama showed on the screen. It was entitled Golden Days, a youth drama that focuses on teenage friendship and romance. The clip of the drama showed the actors in college uniforms, roaming around a university as they shared jokes and laughter.
The people let out sounds of amusent as the cast was shown on the screen. Yet their sounds didn't reach the ears of everyone.
Then, when Chasing Dream ca on the screen, it was chaos all over. It was evident that most of the people who attended the event were Jihyun's fans.
The clip that was shown on the screen was of Jihyun delivering a dramatic line in the teaser, followed by a tearful shot of his character as he cried in a park. As the live caras focused on him, Jihyun leaned slightly into his seat, giving a modest smile and wave to it.
The people just scread louder as they saw Jihyun's angelic face.
More clips rolled out, showcasing different titles such as Glory of Days, Silver Spoon, My High School Love, and so on.
When the video ended, the lights brightened once again, and a round of applause echoed in the hall.
Wongjin looked over the crowd and smiled.
"Wasn't that amazing? I don't know about you, but I'm already dying to binge every single one."
"We're just getting started," Daniel added. "Tonight, we'll be introducing every drama's cast, hearing from directors and producers, and maybe, just maybe, we'll get a few surprises along the way."
Cheers erupted once more as fans speculated what the surprises were.
The next segnt began with the introduction of the rookie lineup, and the lesser-known actors from various small drama productions were called up on stage to briefly introduce themselves and their shows.
Each was given a mont under the spotlight, and though many were nervous, they were t with genuine support and applause from the crowd.
Minjae leaned back in his seat, silently watching everything unfold before his eyes.
He couldn't help but look at the newbies with a proud look on his face. It was obvious that they were nervous, and yet, they held it in, even managing to show smiles on their faces.
So questions were asked by the hosts to learn more details about the dramas, and the new actors managed to answer each one of them.
However, besides Minjae, his fellow actors also looked visibly nervous.
Jihoon shifted slightly in his seat, adjusting the cuff of his blazer as he glanced at the stage.
"Hyung, they're all doing great," he murmured under his breath, though the slight tremble in his voice betrayed his own nerves.
Beside him, Yura let out a soft laugh, pressing her fingers gently against her lips.
"I know, right? But my heart's racing like crazy." She turned her head toward Minjae, who still appeared calm and composed in his seat. "Oppa, how are you so relaxed right now?"
Minjae gave them both a small smile, his eyes still focused on the stage.
"It just happens," he answered simply, knowing he couldn't say he had attended countless events like this when they knew it was his first ti attending one.
"Minjae hyung is really different," Jihoon sighed on the side as he glanced at Yura as if telling her to back his words.
Yura imdiately nodded. She jokingly nudged Minjae to the side.
"It must be because Minjae oppa knows he'd be successful, Jihoon. Go be like Oppa and learn a lot from him." Even if she backed Jihoon's words, Yura still managed to tease him.
Jihoon just made a face and continued talking for more.
On the other hand, on stage, the first set of rookie actors finished their introductions, followed by a warm wave of applause. The crowd had been surprisingly receptive, their cheers heartfelt and encouraging.
Yet despite the positive energy in the room, you would still notice that there were so favorites. It was especially noticeable when the cara flashed on Jihyun's face.
"It's not even our turn yet and I already feel like I need to chug that entire pitcher of water, hyung." After a few more rounds of people walking to the stage, Jihoon let out a deep sigh. He leaned forward, his fingers tapping lightly against the edge of the table.
"Don't," Minjae warned with a half-smile. "You'll regret it once we need to wait here for more."
Their table was briefly approached by event staff, placing small plates of finger food—mini sandwiches, rice cakes, macarons—and tall glasses of water and sparkling juice on the side. It added a montary distraction from their nerves and it also allowed them to fill their stomachs for the night.
Yura picked up a small fruit tart and stared at it like it might calm her down.
"Do I eat this now? I'm on a diet, but I'm really hungry." Yura gazed at the food as if she were analyzing every ingredient on it.
"Try one, Noona," Jihoon encouraged, grabbing a macaron. "I heard event foods like this are good since they ca from a hotel."
"Yeah, go eat." Minaje also nodded. "You'll faint on stage if you continued to be hungry."
"That's reassuring, you two..." Yura gave them a deadpanned look, but still, after a few seconds, she cautiously took a bite.
The LED panels on the stage returned to their countdown-style graphics as the hosts called out another grop. It was already the 8th group to be called so they were already expecting that they'd be called soon.
Then, with a dramatic sweep of golden graphics and a musical transition, the screen flared with the next drama title:
"The Star's Secret."
Everyone at the table stiffened slightly, eyes instinctively shifting toward the stage.
"Oh no. That's us," Jihoon whispered, straightening his suit jacket with both hands. "This is really happening."
A hush silence fell across the room as the cara swept toward their table.
Minjae stood first, adjusting the cuff of his suit with calm precision. The others followed his lead. Yura stood up, poised and elegant/ Jihoon, now looked determined despite the nerves. Seojin and Haejin, whispered encouragents to one another.. And Director Hwang and Writer Na-Eun, both stood proud, already used to it.
"And now, let's welco the cast of The Star's Secret to the stage!" Daniel's voice bood through the speakers, echoing with the rising cheers of the audience.
Yura inhaled deeply, her smile already returning as she turned toward the steps.
"Okay. It's finally ti, Oppa."
"You can do it," Minjae gave her a small smile.
As they moved toward the stage in a graceful line, lightsticks sparkled from the back of the hall.
Minjae walked with confidence, his gaze steady and his face unreadable. And behind him, the rest of the cast followed, their hearts pounding out loud inside their chest.
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