NOVEL WEB Chapter 15
The public audition for Hyde Dream, contrary to journalists’ predictions that it would take about two weeks, wrapped up in just one week, leaving everyone curious.
This doesn’t usually happen at all.
“It’s like a catfish just popped up out of nowhere,”
Like a random catfish that gobbles up all the minnows.
The audition turned into a play where the winner was already decided.
“But we didn’t see anything, did we?”
If someone of that caliber had come forward, it would have hit the journalists’ radar like a ton of bricks.
But it’s actually understandable.
The number of audition applicants shoved in by various agencies was into the two-thousands.
So, journalists weren’t really expecting much from the earlier numbers and were just lounging around.
“Wow… that guy is really handsome.”
Except for one person, that is.
At the online media company, Daily Happy,
just getting off the ground,
they needed to move faster than anyone else because of their size.
The rookie reporter was gaping at Kim Donghu.
Having been around various celebrity interview sites with his seniors, his eyes were now soaring high.
He was catching a glimpse of a new world right before him.
Just when he was about to dash over and say something, maybe even hand him a business card,
the boy quickly scooted away with his friends.
“That guy’s definitely gonna get in.”
The reporter immediately called his senior.
“Hey, I think I smell an exclusive scoop.”
“What are you saying, are you crazy? Stop talking nonsense.”
“…”
+++++
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sandbag lets out rough sounds.
Yet, the sandbag doesn’t shake much, hinting at the power behind the blows.
“Donghu, you’ve definitely improved. You should really go into fighting! UFC! You know? Stun gun! You can become like that guy!”
The gym owner, Baek Sang-ha, marveled at his skills.
“Whether it’s striking or grappling, hmm? How about we line up a match right away? Maybe start swallowing up the nearby gyms?”
Baek Sang-ha, who had watched Kim Donghu since elementary school, was convinced.
“That kid is destined for the champion belt.”
He even envisioned it briefly.
Kim Donghu, grinning while holding multiple championship belts!
He wanted to turn that fantasy into reality like, yesterday.
However, the world doesn’t always follow your plans.
“Coach, I don’t think I can come for a while.”
Boom!
Baek Sang-ha froze as if struck by lightning.
“Why, why can’t you come? Is it because I taught you CQC?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Donghu, you said that learning various fighting styles is beneficial, right? I just shared some experience… though it was tough…”
“Ah, I was just sharing my experience… it was tough, but still…”
“No, Master, Master? Can you just listen to me-”
“Is it because I taught you taekwondo? Donghu, even if the moves are big, to have a finishing move, you need to learn this kick…”
“Master! That’s not it! I passed the audition!”
At those words, Baek Sang-ha froze.
Audition? What audition?
‘Come to think of it, didn’t they say something about a drama audition?’
Did they really do it?
‘I thought they said that just to motivate me…’
To see if they were truly ready to push me above UFC.
I thought that’s what they meant, but it turned out to be real-.
“So, I might not be able to come for a while. I’m sorry.”
Boom!
That day.
Height 193cm, weight 130kg,
If it weren’t for injuries, he could have challenged UFC heavyweight,
He wanted to make sure Kim Donghu entered the fighting world,
With an appearance resembling a shark that could make any kid cry just looking at him,
“…No way.”
Baek Sang-ha’s world crumbled.
+++++
Right after Character Director Shin Youngsook sent a pass message to Kim Donghu.
Lee Minha, as soon as the casting confirmation came, immediately continued writing.
To be precise, it could be said she poured it out.
She completely redid all existing scripts as if possessed.
‘It’s not just about the hardships and adversities of the main and supporting characters, but we also have to show some musicality.’
Various kinds of music.
While pop music is important, it didn’t make sense that only those kids were in an art high school.
‘This is going to be an incredibly new character.’
At fourteen, with a height and build that made anything else a non-issue.
A slightly youthful voice? What does it matter if they’re singing rock like that.
The core was that he was incredibly handsome and could act well.
Tatadatadak!
The time taken to create a character solely for Kim Donghu, that only he could portray, was 10 days.
Checking the script took 4 days.
After a total of 14 days, Lee Minha rushed to KBC Broadcasting Station.
“The final script is out, let’s go with this.”
Finally, the final manuscript was born.
“Shall we do the script reading?”
The moment Lee Minha had been waiting for was approaching.
+++++
On the day the script reading date was announced.
> So, what happened? Did you fail?
< Oh, I didn’t get the audition result text.
When Kim Sujin asked, I intentionally lied.
There was no special reason; I just wanted to tease a bit.
'We’ll meet at the script reading anyway.'
I thought this little prank would be fine.
With that thought, I quickly checked the script that flew in by mail.
[Hydream]
Written by Lee Minha
It was simply written on the first page, and an immense excitement flooded my body.
There was an overwhelming excitement that engulfed my whole body.
Just a few days ago, I was an ordinary person, and now I’m receiving a script and preparing for a reading.
“But acting in reality feels like a whole different story.”
No matter how many perks I had, memorizing the script was a totally different ball game.
Until now, all my performances had been short gigs anyway.
“From now on, I’m really becoming an actor.”
To do that, I needed to memorize the script.
This was the nerve-wracking moment.
Ding!
I heard a notification sound from my phone.
The sender was [Sims – The Real Life], my perk.
– [To facilitate smooth script memorization, the ‘Immersion’ feature has been added to the script.]
– [The feature activates when you hold the desired script and say ‘Immersion.’]
So, they updated the feature, huh?
“What’s there to hesitate about?”
I had to try it right away.
Holding the script tightly, I said, “Immersion.”
In that moment, my world changed.
+++++
In the end, my mom broke the jar.
“I can’t live in this kind of household!”
Usually, my grandma, who knew how much a soy sauce jar cost and how many billions the contents were worth, was left speechless.
After 20 years of marriage, my mom was exhausted to the bone.
My patriarchal dad was a fool who believed that if he just handed over the money, the family would run itself.
And my grandma was a porcupine, deluded into thinking her son was the one losing out.
A fool and a porcupine.
In between them, my mom was slowly crumbling and pierced through.
The button for her escape was that very jar.
She opened the jar to check if the maggots were boiling.
After my dad asked why she was so devotedly tending to it, my mom exploded.
“Who do you think I took care of it for?” her desperate cry echoed through the whole neighborhood.
After that, various shouts were exchanged.
And the conclusion came from my mom’s mouth.
“The daughter-in-law of a noble? Don’t talk nonsense! I’ve never been treated like a daughter-in-law, always treated worse than that damn jar! Why should I keep living like this?!”
Clang!
After that, a few more jars broke.
It was unclear who broke them, as multiple jars smashed.
And something inside me shattered along with them.
Crack.
It felt broken.
“J, let’s go.”
J, Lee Jae-yi.
That’s my name.
I think I had a different name originally.
I lost it while leaving the house with my mom.
“From now on, this will be our home.”
The day I stepped into the unknown villa’s basement.
My mom looked down at me with a tired smile.
She was exhausted thinking about leaving the past behind and facing the future.
Maybe my mom lost something in that house too.
“Oh.”
At that moment, I thought for the first time that I needed to protect my mom.
I felt I had to become famous and earn a lot of money.
The choice I made to achieve this was music.
To become a legend, I chose music.
If I become a brilliant idol, I could earn ridiculous amounts of money.
At the same time, something inside me began to awaken.
An emotion I couldn’t even name.
That feeling whispered to me when other parents brought their friends over after school.
To not be with those people.
To not get caught up in their different waters.
From that moment on, the feeling inside me decided to call itself disgust.
Disgust was always stuck to my side.
Even when I received an award at school without attending a music academy, it was the only one beside me.
“Talentless losers.”
Why are those incompetent fools always smiling like it’s the best thing ever?
Do they really think they’re happy just because their parents smile when they get a participation trophy?
“What’s so great about not winning a prize?”
I couldn’t understand.
It was disgusting.
Clink!
Sometimes, I hear something breaking while at home.
“Mom.”
I didn’t even have the energy to be surprised anymore.
As long as no one got hurt, that’s what mattered.
Cleaning up the broken pieces had become familiar.
“Where could I become famous for music?”
I hoped to start earning money as soon as high school.
In the middle of those thoughts, I came across the news about Eungahay High School.
If I enrolled as a special student, I’d get paid, attend school, and become famous.
With just a few school awards under my belt, I could enroll as a special student more easily than anyone.
That was when I first encountered rock music.
Though its popularity was somewhat lacking, I didn’t choose it as my main focus.
But the way it blasted out felt like it was unbinding the knots inside me.
“I’ll drop this too eventually.”
While I had that thought, I ran into the most nauseating bunch.
The group that talks about dreams and hopes, cheering together as inferior beings.
Hide Dream?
How can those crawling at the bottom of the school rank dream so high?
“They shouldn’t even be at this school.”
I wanted to get rid of them.
And I wanted to prove it.
That in the end, only talent determines everything.
I felt that crushing them would be the only way to feel relieved.
Clink.
Again, I heard something break.
“It’s fine.”
I didn’t pay attention.
Cleaning up broken pieces was something I was used to.
++++++
Whaaaaaaaack!
As the scene of broken pieces being cleaned up unfolded, I returned to reality again.
“What, what just happened?”
…What on earth just transpired?