Chapter Text
Kim Sunoo had imagined many ways his acting career could turn around.
A breakthrough role.
A drama that suddenly became popular.
Maybe even a performance that made people pause and ask, Who is that actor?
He had never imagined a reality show.
Yet there he was, sitting across from his manager with a contract resting between them like a quiet ultimatum.
The office was small.
Too small for two people who were trying very hard not to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth sitting on the desk.
Sunoo had been inside this office countless times before. The same grey walls, the same slightly crooked calendar pinned near the door, the same stack of scripts that usually belonged to actors more successful than he was.
Nothing ever changed here.
Except the conversations.
His manager tapped the paper lightly.
“You should do it.”
Sunoo stared at the contract.
The title printed at the top looked strangely bright.
ROOMMATES
A new celebrity reality show.
The word reality alone made him uneasy.
“You said that about my last project too,” Sunoo said quietly.
His manager rubbed the back of his neck.
“That drama getting cancelled wasn’t exactly my fault.”
Sunoo lifted his gaze.
The memory still lingered somewhere uncomfortable in his chest.
Filming halfway finished.
The crew suddenly dismissed.
A polite announcement about “production difficulties.”
And then silence.
Sunoo had spent weeks wondering if anyone would call him again.
He looked down at the contract once more.
Reality show.
Cameras.
Living with strangers.
He wasn’t sure which part bothered him more.
“I’m an actor,” Sunoo said slowly.
His manager leaned back in his chair.
“You’re an actor who people need to start recognizing.”
Sunoo didn’t answer.
Because he knew what his manager meant.
Three small roles.
One cancelled drama.
And a growing fear that the industry had already moved on without him.
The manager pushed the contract a little closer.
“This show will give you exposure,” he said. “People will see your personality.”
Sunoo frowned slightly.
“That sounds risky.”
His manager laughed.
“Only if you say something stupid.”
Sunoo sighed quietly and leaned forward to read the description again.
Celebrities living together.
Daily missions.
Interviews.
A house filled with cameras.
He could already imagine the awkwardness.
“What’s the pairing thing?” Sunoo asked, pointing at the line he’d noticed earlier.
His manager glanced at the page.
“Oh. Everyone gets paired with someone.”
Sunoo blinked.
“Paired?”
“Roommates.”
Sunoo slowly lifted his head.
“With who?”
His manager shrugged.
“No idea.”
Sunoo stared at him.
“You’re serious?”
“They kept the pairings secret.”
“From the actors too?”
“From everyone.”
Sunoo leaned back in his chair.
That somehow made the situation worse.
Living with a stranger for a month was already intimidating.
Living with someone unknown while being filmed constantly felt like walking into a trap.
“What if we don’t get along?” Sunoo asked.
His manager didn’t even hesitate.
“Then the ratings will be great.”
Sunoo dropped his head onto the desk with a quiet groan.
“This show is going to ruin me.”
His manager smiled.
“Or save you.”
Sunoo stared at the contract again.
The pen rested beside it.
A simple choice.
Continue waiting for roles that might never come.
Or accept something completely different and hope it didn’t destroy his career.
His fingers slowly wrapped around the pen.
Sometimes survival meant saying yes to things you never planned.
Sunoo didn’t expect the internet to find out so quickly.
It started with one post.
Then another.
Then dozens.
By midnight, the casting rumors for Roommates were circulating across several entertainment forums.
Sunoo lay on his bed with his phone hovering above his face, the soft light illuminating the quiet darkness of his apartment.
His name had appeared on a leaked list of participants.
He stared at it for a long moment.
Seeing his name written beside other actors felt strangely unreal.
His thumb moved slowly as he opened the comment section.
A mistake.
@dramaupdates:
wait kim sunoo confirmed for roommate show??
@varietytalk:
isn’t he that rookie actor from the cancelled drama
Sunoo winced.
He continued scrolling.
@actorwatch:
the concept is celebrities living together right
@kdramagossip:
yeah they get paired with someone
Sunoo frowned slightly.
He hadn’t realized the pairing detail had already spread online.
More comments appeared.
@castingrumors:
rookies usually get paired with senior actors
@dramaaddict:
imagine him getting paired with someone really intimidating 😭
@sunshinefans:
give him someone nice pls he’s gonna panic
Sunoo huffed a quiet laugh.
They weren’t wrong.
Another comment caught his attention.
@varietywatch:
producers definitely gonna create chaos with the pairings
@industrytea:
i bet the roommates are gonna hate each other
Sunoo locked his phone.
That thought lingered longer than he expected.
He placed the phone beside him and stared up at the ceiling.
Whoever his roommate was, they would be strangers.
Strangers forced to share a house.
Strangers forced to interact constantly while cameras watched.
Sunoo suddenly felt the faintest spark of anxiety twist in his stomach.
The filming day arrived before he had time to overthink it.
Sunoo sat quietly in the back seat of the van as the city passed outside the window in soft, blurry motion.
Morning sunlight reflected off buildings.
People rushed across crosswalks with coffee in their hands.
Everyone looked busy.
Everyone looked normal.
Sunoo wondered what it felt like to have a normal job.
His manager glanced at him.
“You’re quiet.”
“I’m thinking.”
“That’s dangerous.”
Sunoo smiled faintly.
A moment passed.
Then he asked the question he’d been wondering about since yesterday.
“You really don’t know who my roommate is?”
His manager shook his head.
“Nope.”
Sunoo sighed.
“Great.”
The filming location was larger than he expected.
The house stood bright and modern, surrounded by staff members carrying cameras and equipment.
Lights had already been set up outside.
Multiple vehicles were parked along the street.
Sunoo stepped out of the van carefully.
The air felt cool against his skin.
Or maybe the nervousness had finally caught up with him.
A staff member approached him quickly.
“Sunoo-ssi! Welcome!”
Sunoo bowed politely.
“Hello.”
“We’ll begin your introduction filming soon. The other cast members are arriving as well.”
Sunoo nodded and followed them inside.
The living room looked almost too perfect.
Soft couches arranged neatly.
Decorations placed carefully for the cameras.
Bright lighting that made everything appear warm and inviting.
It didn’t feel like a real home.
It felt like a set pretending to be one.
Sunoo sat where they told him to wait.
His hands rested quietly on his knees.
Staff members moved around adjusting cameras and checking microphones.
Someone whispered instructions near the monitors.
The atmosphere buzzed with quiet anticipation.
Soon his roommate would arrive.
Someone he would live with for the next month.
Someone the audience would watch him interact with every day.
The front door opened again.
Footsteps echoed across the floor.
Sunoo turned slightly toward the sound.
Then he heard one of the staff members whisper softly behind the cameras.
“Oh.”
Another voice responded.
“They’re here.”
Sunoo felt his stomach twist.
The show had officially begun.
And whoever walked through that door would change the next month of his life.
Sunoo had never been good at waiting.
Waiting meant thinking.
And thinking meant imagining every possible outcome until his chest felt tight with nerves.
He sat quietly on the couch, hands resting together while staff members moved around the living room adjusting cameras and checking microphones. The room buzzed with quiet activity, but Sunoo felt strangely removed from it all.
Like everything was happening around him rather than with him.
The house itself looked carefully arranged.
Bright lighting.
Soft furniture.
Decorations placed just neatly enough that they would look warm on camera.
It didn’t feel like a real home.
It felt like a set pretending to be one.
Sunoo shifted slightly on the couch.
Soon his roommate would arrive.
Someone he would live with for a month.
Someone he would share a kitchen with.
Someone he would have to tolerate while cameras captured every awkward interaction between them.
The door opened.
Footsteps echoed softly across the floor.
Sunoo looked up.
A tall figure stepped inside.
The atmosphere in the room shifted almost immediately.
Sunoo noticed it before he even fully processed who had walked in.
The staff members near the monitors straightened.
One of the producers leaned closer to the screen.
Someone whispered something under their breath.
Then recognition settled quietly into Sunoo’s mind.
Park Jongseong.
Jay.
Of course he knew that face.
Even people outside the acting industry knew that face.
Jay had been everywhere for years—dramas that dominated trending lists, award shows where his name was always called, magazine covers that seemed to appear every season.
Sunoo still remembered watching one of his performances during a college lecture. The professor had paused the scene halfway through just to talk about him.
Presence.
That was the word the professor used.
Some actors perform. Others control the entire frame just by existing inside it.
Jay had been that example.
Which made the rumors about him feel strange.
Because alongside the awards and successful projects, there were always whispers.
Quiet stories passed around filming sets.
Assistants gossiping between takes.
Articles that appeared online for a few hours before quietly disappearing.
Difficult on set.
Too blunt with directors.
An argument with a co-star.
Another actor refusing a project once they learned he was involved.
No one ever explained the full story.
Just fragments.
Enough to create a reputation that lingered around his name like a shadow.
Sunoo had never known what to believe.
Only that people talked about him carefully.
And now—
Sunoo was apparently living with him.
Jay stopped a few steps away.
Up close, he looked exactly like he did on screen.
Tall.
Composed.
The kind of presence that filled a room without effort.
His gaze landed on Sunoo.
Sharp.
Assessing.
Sunoo stood and bowed politely.
“Hello.”
Jay returned the bow.
But he didn’t answer.
He simply looked at Sunoo for a moment, eyes briefly scanning him in a way that felt almost clinical.
Like someone quietly evaluating something.
Sunoo straightened slowly.
The silence stretched longer than it should have.
Behind the cameras, someone cleared their throat.
A staff member spoke quickly.
“Sunoo-ssi, please introduce yourself.”
Sunoo turned slightly toward the cameras.
“My name is Kim Sunoo,” he said. “I’m an actor.”
He hesitated before glancing back at Jay.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Jay finally spoke.
“Park Jongseong.”
His tone was calm.
Flat.
“I’m also an actor.”
The introduction ended there.
Sunoo blinked slightly.
That was… it?
No greeting.
No polite comment.
Not even the standard nice to meet you that people usually said out of habit.
Jay simply stood there, one hand slipping into his pocket as he glanced briefly around the room.
Sunoo felt something small and irritated spark quietly in his chest.
So that was the attitude people talked about.
A producer spoke from behind the cameras.
“How do you both feel about being roommates?”
Sunoo inhaled softly.
He smiled politely toward the cameras.
“I’m a little nervous,” he admitted. “But I’m looking forward to it.”
Jay hummed faintly.
Then he glanced at Sunoo again.
His gaze lingered for a second longer than before.
“You’re new,” Jay said.
Sunoo blinked.
The words weren’t exactly rude.
But the tone made them feel like a conclusion.
Not a question.
Sunoo tilted his head slightly.
“Yes.”
Jay nodded once.
“I figured.”
Sunoo stared at him.
Something about the way he said it felt unnecessarily dismissive.
Like Sunoo had just confirmed an assumption.
Jay continued casually.
“I don’t usually do shows like this.”
Sunoo resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow.
Then why were you here?
The thought remained firmly inside his head.
Instead, he smiled sweetly.
“Well,” Sunoo said lightly, “it must be a new experience for both of us then.”
Jay’s gaze flickered slightly.
Not quite surprise.
But something close.
Sunoo noticed.
And suddenly the irritation inside him felt a little more satisfying.
Jay looked at him again.
This time longer.
Like he was reconsidering something.
Then he said calmly,
“Try not to get in my way.”
The words were quiet.
But clear.
Sunoo blinked once.
Behind the cameras, someone coughed.
Sunoo smiled.
A bright, polite smile.
The kind that looked completely harmless on camera.
“I’ll try,” he said gently.
Then he added,
“You too.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The tension between them sat quietly in the air.
Behind the monitors, one of the producers leaned closer to the screen.
Another staff member whispered something excitedly.
Sunoo didn’t hear the words.
But he had a feeling he knew what they were thinking.
The show had barely begun.
And already—
The roommates clearly didn’t like each other.