Chapter Text
Hyuna gets Till’s text while she’s at the grocery store. “He’s here” says everything she needs to know. It’s past fall, and Luka-the-character still hasn’t separated from Luka-the-actor. She isn’t sure who else knows – Mizi, probably. Ivan, almost definitely, though he should have said something by now. Still, they’ve worked hard on keeping it as quiet as possible.
Luka has a new period drama to shoot - something about him not having “iPhone face” - not to mention the press tour for Season 1’s final episode. Character bleed to this scale is more urban legend than something people know how to deal with concretely. It can kill a career if word gets out, even one as established as Luka’s. Other than being unprofessional, it’s a liability; management has never taken well to liabilities.
From the forums Hyuna’s been surfing, young actors are most prone to it, though there’s no symptom cluster or checklist that can say for sure. It’s never discussed officially in drama schools, not at Hanlim or SOPA.
There were rumors flying around on the Alien Stage set, but aren’t there always? Isn’t an obvious joke about character bleed just a compliment on acting ability in the end? Mostly, the gossip fell on Mizi, especially after the Round 5 debacle that had sent Luka home with a black eye and split lip, which helped the internet simply not notice that Luka was just Luka sometimes, and for concerningly long stretches of time.
Hyuna’s been through the wringer trying to keep the man in check. Luka talks very little about the world he came from, but Hyuna isn’t an idiot - the universe of Alien Stage is very different from what the actors had filmed. However, Luka himself is as the viewers will see him: smart, terrifyingly so, having picked up on the modern world like he’d been born to it.
As Hyuna gets out of her Uber, she notices Luka immediately, standing outside Till’s door. It’s the same body, but it’s not hard to tell which Luka is fronting. When still, they both look the same. It’s when they’re in motion that you can tell. Their Luka is languid. Like a hibernating animal. This Luka is more often a puppet with his strings cut, a doll left abandoned on the shelf. Yet she knows better than to think that his vacant stare means that he isn’t plotting something.
Luka makes a show of noticing Hyuna’s presence, though she knows he’s been watching from the moment the Uber pulled up. “Hello, Hyuna.” He’s made his disdain for her clear, that he finds her an infinitely poor substitute for ‘his’ Hyuna. “Till-sunbae isn’t answering his door, but where else could he possibly be?”
This Luka seems to enjoy dressing up too, where Luka had never attempted, being beautiful enough to pull off a Marilyn Monroe-style potato sack either way. He’s bundled up for the cold morning that it is, with a chunky scarf tied into a massive bow around his neck and matching gloves and leg warmers.
“...Just move over. I’ll call him.” Even the sound of his voice has her hackles raised; no amount of schooling could keep her lips from pursing as she reaches for her phone. “Sunbae, I’m here. It’s windy out and I’m stuck with Luka. Save me.”
Not even pixelation can hide Till’s darkened eyebags, his hair mussed as he balefully stares down the front camera. “You’ve told him to go away?”
“That won’t work on me,” Luka coos, practically shoving Hyuna as he ducks into view of the camera. Even now, he itches for the spotlight. “I’ve missed yo-” Till drops the call, and up close Hyuna can almost see Luka’s jaw tick.
As the dormitory’s door buzzes open, Luka dances inside. Hyuna barely catches it as he presses the close button. They don’t talk to each other on the ride up. Hyuna has to force herself to relax, counting sheep as the floors go all the way to the penthouse. Even if Luka was physically weak in his old body, riddled with disease from all the gene editing, he’s in a perfectly healthy body now - and years of training has successfully deadened his fear receptors. The “Hyuna” Hyuna had played was larger than life, the face of a rebellion - things that she is not.
As far as they can guess, character bleed comes from feeling a role too deeply for too long. Alien Stage had been Luka’s first proper foray into acting, though his previous time as an idol had probably helped the transition. She’d gone to look for him during the Season 1 afterparty and found him hyperventilating behind one of the elaborate sets.
He glides across the hallway like a particularly self-important swan, forcing Hyuna to pick up the pace - if she doesn’t, Luka will insistently ring the doorbell until he gets what he wants. Even after she knocks, she has to swat Luka’s hand away from the doorbell.
The door swings open. Till looks even more exhausted than he usually does, wearing mismatched, baggy loungewear and noise-canceling headphones. “How long has he been around?” He directs the question to Hyuna, who shrugs - Ivan would probably be the one keeping contact with Luka, but they don’t even know how much he knows; lately, he only occasionally drops by set to make goo-goo eyes at Till and for the flashback scenes in Round 7.
Luka takes his shoes off, strolling in past Till as though he owns the place.
Till’s frown deepens as he closes the door behind Hyuna. “How long are you staying, Luka?”
“Why worry about that now, sunbae?” the princely singer coos.
“I’m worried.” Till grumbles. “I worry a lot.”
“Our Luka said that this Luka stuck around for a week last time,” Hyuna volunteers as she puts her bag on the couch.
Meanwhile, Luka is poking through Till’s pantry. With a rustle, he returns triumphant with an extra large pack of honey butter chips. “It’s not like I did this on purpose,” he says through an obnoxiously loud crunch.
Till lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Why do you keep coming back?”
“To your house, or to this plane of existence? I assure you, I don’t have a choice in the latter.”
“The first one.”
“I like you.” With a shrug, Luka reaches for another chip. “And I like this life. Anyway, the other Luka is fine. But you really shouldn’t worry so much about him. We talk all the time. I give him tips.”
“Tips on what?” asks Hyuna, wary but curious despite herself. “...And how do you ‘talk’?”
Luka gives Hyuna a brief, almost imperceptible stink-eye. His facial features barely move, but contempt rolls off him in waves. “You’d know, if you tried a little harder to get my Hyuna to come here too.”
That makes her bristle. “She isn’t yours –”
He opens his mouth to retort, but Till stuffs another chip inside it. “Enough.” Their senior always becomes visibly more agitated in Luka’s presence, even more frazzled than he already is. His mouth is set in a near-permanent frown; Luka seems to have grown some sort of fixation onto him for unknowable reasons. Hyuna doesn’t envy him.
[TRANS] 240921 GQ Korea Magazine Interview with LUKA
1994-liner born in winter, on a cold, sharp day.
It’s been almost three years since you debuted as a duo with Ivan, correct?
Yes. Our third anniversary is coming up soon. Though we haven’t been active lately, I’m grateful for all our fans’ unwavering support. Hopefully, we’ll soon have good news to share about our next activities.
I heard that you recently wrapped up filming for the first season of ALNST. Is it quite different from your normal activities as an idol?
I do my best not to make comparisons, but I’ve met a lot of interesting other pet-hu– ahem… people through ALNST. I’ve been able to test the limits of my own abilities quite well – there’s no stunt doubles who could possibly match me, so I had to learn how to sing live and act at the same time.
That’s quite the confident thing to say.
Isn’t confidence in the job description of an idol?
How do you feel about the fan response to your first role?
Actually, I saw the fancasting of me on ALSNT on SNS quite often, so I was considering auditioning. Then my management let me know that the producers already had me in mind - it was quite an honor.
What has changed the most about you during filming ALNST?
That’s an interesting question.
Then please answer it.
(laugh) It’s most likely my stamina? I got tired faster before, but I think my body has grown used to all the late-night shooting schedules.
You look like you’re in good condition today. Does being interviewed come naturally to you?
I don’t necessarily feel anything in particular. Activities like these are a part of my job. Other than doing my best, which I owe to all of my supporters, there’s no reason to be nervous or antsy.
Are there times you feel scared?
Yes. Never when facing the camera, though. When I’m on stage, or on set, or modeling, I never feel fear. I even learned how to smile with my eyes open in front of many cameras with the flash on.
Is it because a camera is not a human being?
You could say that. I’m still not used to facing other humans.