Chapter Text
Till slowly took a sip of his third… maybe fourth?? Coffee of the day. The waiting room was chilly, overly air-conditioned like most filming locations, and the artificial lights buzzed faintly overhead. He was supposed to be meeting the other cast members of Alien Stage, and he was pretty excited - Hyuna was also one of the main actors in this project.
Till had met Hyuna about two years ago, before his fame had skyrocketed and before his agency had started pressuring him into working on several major films at a time. Back then, with more time to himself, he and Hyuna had gotten surprisingly close thanks to her extroverted personality. They were working on the same film, and even though their characters didn’t have many interactions, they’d clicked during the first dinner the cast had together. After that, their friendship was history. They’d even appeared in a couple of other films together. Unfortunately, their acting specialties were quite different.
Till usually got cast in angsty roles or ones where he turned out to be the secret villain. He was so well-known for this that fans had started to complain whenever he appeared in murder mystery films, since they already knew he’d be the culprit. After that incident, his agency finally let him branch out and show more range.
Hyuna, on the other hand, almost always got cast as the “badass female lead” or some type of rebellious character. That trend continued into her role in Alien Stage, though she didn’t seem to mind. In her own words: “I basically get paid to be MYSELF - is there really anything better??”
Till couldn’t quite relate, but at least his role in this show was a little different, though he had to admit it was still pretty angsty.
Lost in thought, he didn’t notice his agent step into the room.
“Hurry up - the director’s calling the cast together. After that, you’ll all be meeting with the makeup and costume departments so they can get your measurements. Lucky for you, the director requested to have you the whole day, so you won’t need to film anything else for the drama or do anything for your other two projects,” his agent said, flipping through their tablet.
“Alright,” Till replied, internally cringing at the reminder of his packed schedule. He was exhausted just hearing it.
He followed his agent down the hall, past a maze of equipment, makeup chairs, and production staff. They reached a set of double doors where the director had gathered the cast. His earlier nerves returned.
On every project, Till found that the cast made or broke the experience. He might actually cry if he ended up working with one of those high-maintenance types who though the world revolved around them.
His agent opened the door but didn’t step in with him.
“The director requested that only the cast be present,” his agent explained, giving him a pat on the shoulder before walking away.
Till just shrugged and walked in.
The room had a clean, minimalist look - white walls, sleek chairs, a single long table in the center with bottles of water and printed scripts. As he entered, three very excited and nervous sets of eyes immediately turned to him.
They looked… kind of familiar?
He racked his brain, trying to figure out where he’d seen them before. Then it clicked - he remembered watching one of Hyunwoo’s dance practices. Hyunwoo, Hyuna’s brother, was in a four-person idol group, and Till recognized that two of the faces were Luka and….Ivan? It was hard to remember the names when he’d only seen them once or twice. The girl with pink hair, though, he didn’t recognize at all.
Scanning the room, his eyes landed on an actress he’d worked with before named Sua. Feeling a bit shy but not wanting to show it, he offered her a confident smile. Then he spotted Hyuna standing off to the side, casually sipping from a water bottle. He moved to sit beside her.
The director cleared his throat. “Now that you’re all here! I’d like everyone to introduce themselves and maybe share a fun fact. You’ll be spending a lot of time together from now on, so it’s important to get familiar with one another.”
In classic Hyuna fashion, she raised her hand first. “I’m pretty sure everyone here already knows me, but I’m Hyuna! I’d give you a fun fact, but… Till, you’re my bestie. Hyunwoo, you’re my twin, so nothing new there. Ivan and Luka, you’re both in Hyunwoo’s idol group, so we’ve met. Sua, you’re Ivan’s sister, AND we just worked together. Mizi, actually, I don’t know much about you except that you’re with the same agency as Hyunwoo, so I guess my fun fact is: I want to get to know you the most!”
Mizi blushed as Hyuna winked at her.
Ah, so that’s why she was so excited, Till thought, mentally shaking his head. Of course, Hyuna had practically assembled the cast herself.
Sitting next to her and being the oldest one there, he figured he should go next.
“Hello, I’m Till, and my fun fact is... I can sleep anywhere, anytime, if given the chance.”
It was a throwaway answer, but introductions didn’t really matter that much. Besides, his mind was always split between work and sleep.
“I’m gonna say the same thing as Hyuna,” Hyunwoo said sheepishly. “Pretty familiar with everyone already - sorry, no fun fact.”
“I’m Ivan, and my fun fact is…I can start a fire with a rock,” Ivan said proudly.
“I’m Luka, and it’s an honor to be working with you all. My fun fact is that I can do the splits.” He beamed at everyone.
“Hi everyone!! I’m Mizi, and um… my fun fact is… I’m a huge fan of yours, Till!”
Till couldn’t hide the blush creeping onto his face. It wasn’t unusual for his coworkers to be fans, but this was the first time someone had said it so openly.
“I appreciate it, let me know if you need any pointers,” he said, still a bit flustered.
“I’m Sua, and my fun fact is that I performed on Broadway as a kid.”
With that, the introductions wrapped up, and Till was relieved that the group seemed to move on from Mizi’s comment.
Or at least, he thought they had.
“You know, I’m also a really big fan of yours, Till!” Ivan added as they walked toward the costume department.
“Me too! I bet I’m a bigger fan than this guy,” Luka chimed in, glaring at Ivan over Till’s shoulder.
Till wanted the ground to swallow him whole. Being known as popular was one thing. Dealing with it in real time was another.
Thankfully, Hyuna seemed to notice his discomfort and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
“Till’s got quite the fan club, huh?” she teased.
He sighed. He should’ve known - she’s always jumping at any chance to embarrass him.
“I appreciate the praise, but trust me, I’m not that great. I get overhyped because I’m in a lot of films, so don’t feel intimidated asking me for any help,” he said, nudging Hyuna away.
Luka and Ivan looked surprised, but before they could speak, Hyuna cut in.
“Don’t even try, dumbassess. I’ve been trying to explain to Till for years that his acting is in a league of its own. He just won’t admit it.”
Thankfully, the conversation shifted to other topics, like why on earth Ivan thought it was necessary to learn how to start a fire with a rock.
By the time they finished with the costume and makeup departments, Till was exhausted. The crew members had measured them, discussed early concept notes, and handed them preliminary scripts.
As they were packing up, Till’s agent reappeared.
“I’ll pick you up at 5 a.m. tomorrow. You’ll be focusing on filming the drama and recording vocals for the horror game over the next few days. Alien Stage filming starts after that.”
Till nodded wearily. Even hearing his schedule made him want to collapse.
He turned to say goodbye to the rest of the cast, then headed home, silently praying that he’d at least get six hours of sleep.
—
*7 days later*
The “couple of days” his agent had mentioned turned out to be a full week of filming, interviews, photoshoots, and plot meetings for the drama he was working on. And, of course, during the few precious hours in between, Till had been busy tearing his throat apart in the recording booth to get the perfect audio for the horror game.
It was weeks like this that reminded him why he hated working so much - and why he was always exhausted.
Surprisingly, he still found himself looking forward to Alien Stage, even though it technically added to his already packed schedule. At least, with the anime he was voice acting for, he had finished all his character’s lines for season one. Since his character didn’t appear much until season two, he had a decent amount of breathing room before returning to that project. The other actors had just begun recording for season one anyway. Traditionally, voice acting was done in episode order, but the producer had made an exception for him because they really wanted him in the project, and they knew he was juggling multiple films so they gave him some leeway.
Similarly, he had already filmed most of his scenes for the drama, so he wouldn’t have to shuttle between sets as often anymore. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean he was free from the wave of promo events he knew his agency would throw his way.
Still, Alien Stage felt different. He had clicked shockingly well with the cast members, which was rare. Usually, his relationships with co-stars stayed within the realm of “polite coworkers.” But this time? Maybe it was just because Hyuna knew everyone, but he had some hope that he’d finally expand his small circle of friends after how well their first introductions had gone.
“How much sleep did you get last night?” the makeup stylist asked, frowning as she examined his face under the harsh vanity lights.
Till sat motionless in the chair, eyelids heavy. “About four hours. Sorry about the eyebags,” he muttered.
Makeup artists probably hated him. He always looked like a walking corpse, and it was their job to fix that.
“Don’t apologize. Just try to take better care of your health,” she said, her tone kind but firm. “As a rep of the team, I want you actors to have fun with this film. Don’t think that just because your character is malnourished, you have to be! That’s what makeup’s for.”
Till gave her a grateful nod before heading to set.
He’d been rushed here this morning and hadn’t had a chance to greet the other actors. His tight schedule had also kept him from seeing how Round 1 had gone, which left him feeling a little guilty. He wanted to see how his juniors were doing.
Shaking off the lingering fatigue, he cleared his mind and focused on the stage as the music cued.
It took him five full takes to get the perfect performance - way more than he usually neede which left him feeling a little embarrassed.
The first take failed when the rope tied around his neck didn't move with him as he walked. He got choked after just a few steps.
The second take ended similarly. When he went to smash the prop guitar, the rope caught again. He had thrown his entire weight into the motion, and the jolt from the restraint made his already sore neck feel even worse.
On the third attempt, the director called “Cut!” halfway through because Till’s voice had become too raspy from the previous two chokings. They took a short break while he sipped some warm tea and tried to recover.
The fourth wasn’t his fault. Mizi had accidentally lifted her head mid-scene to watch his performance, clearly awestruck. He might’ve been annoyed, but the way she flinched after being scolded by the director made him feel too guilty to stay upset.
The fifth attempt, finally, was flawless.
Still, he felt compelled to apologize.
“Don’t apologize!” the director said, brushing it off. “Getting it done in five is actually really impressive. Mizi and Sua took almost thirty takes yesterday for Round 1. Besides, most of those weren’t even your fault.”
After going over a few notes with the director, Till noticed three familiar faces peeking at him from across the set. Ivan, Luka, and Mizi were clearly in the middle of a debate. Eventually, the trio walked over to him.
“Till, your acting was amazing!!” Mizi beamed.
“Yeah,” Ivan added. “Your voice is so beautiful. You could easily be an idol.”
“We were wondering,” Luka chimed in, “if you had any good tips for me and Mizi for round 5?”
All three stared up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
He sighed internally. They were impossible to say no to.
“Yeah, I can give you guys some tips. Was there any specific part you were struggling with?”
Mizi raised her hand quickly. “I wasn’t sure what ratio of violence to desperation I should go with,” she admitted sheepishly.
Till nodded, thoughtful. “Well, since your character’s supposed to be maintaining an innocent, naive front, I’d hold back on the violence until the very end. Luka’s character is meant to be provoking you the entire song, right? So maybe throw in a few swipes near the end that shows your patience is wearing thin.”
Mizi nodded along, though her expression said she wasn’t quite getting it.
Till considered for a second. “Why don’t I just show you?”
Mizi tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not great at explaining things verbally. But I can act out your part for the scene with Luka right now, if he’s okay with it. Unless you had something you wanted help with too?” he asked, turning to Luka.
“No, I’m good! I don’t mind doing a demonstration if it helps Mizi,” Luka said, practically glowing.
Behind Till’s back, Ivan glared at Luka, who smirked smugly in return.
“Alright,” Till said. “Let’s ask the director for some music. Mizi, pay close attention to my facial expressions and body language.”
He skimmed the script once more, then stepped onto the stage with Luka for a quick demonstration of Round 5.
As the scene began, Till slipped into character instantly, his face blank and expressionless until Luka entered his space. He shifted subtly, portraying his character’s discomfort, recoiling in small, quiet ways. The tension was palpable, even in the rehearsal.
It was good practice for him too since his own character would be in a similar situation during the final round.
Luka expertly manipulated Till’s limbs in a twisted choreography, and though Till felt awkward letting himself be manhandled, he did his best to match the energy. His movements were stiff because he’d never had much dancing experience, but he reminded himself this was Mizi’s part anyway. She’d likely handle it with far more grace. He made a mental note to mention that to her so she wouldn’t copy his stiffness.
His voice didn’t quite suit Mizi’s character, either, but he knew he was at least capturing the emotional conflict in the scene. For the climax, he pretended to choke Luka and fake-slapped him several times, before being “dragged” off by the guards.
The set went completely silent for a beat.
Then, applause.
Till’s face turned red. It was just a demonstration. No one needed to clap.
“Wow!!” Mizi gasped. “I think I get what you meant about not losing it until the end. I’m so impressed with how expressive your face got! Honestly, you looked scary. I thought you were actually attacking him for a second.”
“Thanks. I’m sure you’ll be able to bring the same energy to the scene,” Till said with a modest shrug. “And don’t be stiff like I was. I’m not used to dancing, so that part’s definitely not my strength.”
He didn’t want her to think she couldn’t handle the role - she had been cast for a reason. He was just trying to give a visual reference, not replace her instincts.
“Oh, and Luka - at the end, it might be cool if you added a smirk after Mizi hits you. Since your character is supposed to be manipulative, it might be a nice addition. Mention it to the director if you like the idea,” Till added.
Luka nodded, a faint blush coloring his face.
“Well, if that’s everything, I’ve got a recording session for another project. I’ll see you guys around.”
As Till walked off toward his agent who was already waving him down, he sighed internally.
Back to work…