NOVEL WEB Chapter 17
“Kwaaak!”
The script in Kim Donghu’s hand crumples.
It’s crumpled up to show his disdain.
Kim Donghu, or rather Lee Jae-yi, slowly looks around.
Hanging proudly like a boast of the Galaxy High School, countless competition certificates.
Every single one of them belongs to the realm of talent.
There was no room for the filth that climbed up from the bottom.
“If you leave it to me, I will take care of Hydra Dream responsibly.”
The principal glanced at Lee Jae-yi with an intrigued expression at that firm statement.
“And how do you plan to finish it?”
“If we step on it awkwardly, it will crawl back up. We need to show them reality at the Mirinae competition.”
Mirinae.
The stage that serves as the core story of Hydra Dream,
It was the venue for Galaxy High’s year-end evaluation.
A space where talent is tested and a platform to become a star.
Not just within the school,
but external stakeholders come to evaluate the students’ abilities.
Hydra Dream was aiming to win out there.
Those filthy maggots that crawled up from the most disgraceful depths—.
Lee Jae-yi continued, chewing on his disgust.
“Please place me at the very front of the Hydra Dream competition order, and me at the very end.”
No matter how good you are, the first order is often forgotten.
The last order is bound to leave the most intense impression.
Normally, the order would be drawn, but that wasn’t important right now.
“I only trust you.”
The principal was cunning.
He knew why he called Lee Jae-yi and why he could only do this.
The principal, King Ho, fully intended to exploit that.
“I will surely repay your trust.”
The last line marking the end of Scene 55.
After confirming that, the director unconsciously shouted,
“Cut!!!”
+++++
“…”
After the director’s unexpected “cut” sign,
Producer Kim Youngmo suggested a 30-minute break to rest.
However, no one left their seats.
They were too busy digesting the shock of what they had just witnessed.
“Aaah…”
Especially writer Lee Minha, who had written the script, felt her head pounding from excessive dopamine.
Not only had she witnessed the character come to life,
but the scene she had imagined was being reenacted before her eyes. How could she not be overjoyed?
She was on the verge of dizziness from overwhelming happiness.
“Donghu, you really grew incredibly well.”
Seeing Kim Donghu after a long time, Kim Yu-ryun also applauded him in her heart.
He was only fourteen.
It was his first drama and his first experience reading a script.
And in that moment, he captured everyone completely.
Experiencing again the shock she had felt while watching “Kya Ruk Doctor!” was a refreshing feeling.
And Producer Kim Youngmo felt the same way.
Yongmo PD felt the same way.
“Kim Donghu, Kim Donghu, Kim Donghu!”
At this point, he wanted to jump up and hug him right then and there.
Usually, the first script reading had a light atmosphere.
After all, it focused more on chemistry than acting.
But with one ripple created by Kim Donghu, the mood during the script reading became heavy.
Everyone was scrambling not to be overshadowed by a rookie—an inexperienced kid without a single debut work or agency.
They kept stealing glances.
Where the heck did that kid pop out from?
While everyone was dumbstruck, staring at their scripts,
“Was it Kim Donghu…?”
The principal, no, Jang Geonho finally spoke up.
“Yes, senior. I’m Kim Donghu.”
“Alright, nice to meet you. It looks like we’ll have many chances to work together.”
In a flash, Kim Donghu jumped up and bowed to him.
He had already bowed to everyone before the reading, but
there’s nothing wrong with bowing often.
“Yes! I’ll learn a lot.”
“Haha, we’ll help each other out. But have you ever learned acting somewhere?”
Jang Geonho dove straight into the main topic.
But he secretly thought,
‘He probably hasn’t.’
That wasn’t something you could learn.
A realm of brilliant talent.
Everyone desires it, but some will never even dream of it in their lifetime,
a creature born to devour the camera.
From Jang Geonho’s perspective, Kim Donghu lived in that world.
“I haven’t learned separately, so I’m lacking in many ways. I’ll work harder in the future.”
“Haha, harder here?”
The fresh-faced boy’s clear responses were so cute that
Jang Geonho chuckled in disbelief.
“Can I speak comfortably to you?”
“Yes! It’s fine.”
“I heard you don’t have an agency?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Swoosh.
A business card slid onto Kim Donghu’s desk.
“!”
As soon as he mentioned not having an agency, there was the card.
The meaning behind that was crystal clear.
“Geonho-senpai, that puts me in a really awkward position, you know?”
Kim Yu-ryun smiled gently at that.
“Our Donghu, I’ve had my eye on him for a long time.”
Swoosh.
Yu-ryun’s business card landed on top of Jang Geonho’s.
A playful atmosphere.
Yet, the sincerity in Jang Geonho and Kim Yu-ryun’s gazes was evident to anyone who looked closely.
“Is it troublesome if I just take him away like this?”
“Haha, what are you talking about? I just gave him my card; we’ll have a lot to discuss for our projects.”
“Oh, really? My mistake.”
Phrasing it so elegantly made Jang Geonho gulp.
He knew they were close from the start, but to think they were targeting him outright.
Or, it was such an obvious thing, after all.
‘A talent like him shouldn’t be floating around without an agency, that just doesn’t make sense.’
Jang Geonho,
No, everyone present could see that Kim Donghu was a golden nugget floating by the riverbank.
It was like a gold nugget floating by the riverside.
With the situation turning out like this, the positions of the newcomers from ST Entertainment and Full Ready became ambiguous.
They were distributed across various ages starting from at least sixteen,
And no one was paying attention to them.
Originally, the idea was that even if they were inexperienced, the seniors would slowly guide them, but with Meggie’s appearance, even the sketch of that picture couldn’t be drawn, and the whole thing got smudged.
There was nothing that could be said about that.
The only thing left was to pray for this moment to pass quickly.
“I need to prepare more.”
“Isn’t this really going to eat me alive?”
“Where on earth did someone like that come from?”
Amid various feelings of longing, jealousy, and admiration,
“Good job, everyone!”
The short and intense script reading came to an end.
+++++
The morning after the script reading finished.
While I was getting ready to go to school, my phone rang.
“Hello?”
– Hey Kim Donghu! You, you, you got in?!
With a voice filled with excitement and getting straight to the point, it was Kim Sujin.
“Yeah, I got in. Actually, I heard you got an offer too, so I was going to meet you there, but it didn’t work out.”
– Is that even something you say now? So are you really going to be an actor from now on? Like seriously?
“Right?”
– Then you have to do a romance with me later!
“Uh, what?”
Suddenly, what was that supposed to mean?
I burst out laughing at Kim Sujin’s audacity.
Isn’t that just too random?
Just as I was about to respond, Su-jin kept talking rapidly.
– Since I’m only fourteen, there shouldn’t be any direct romance scenes. So, that means there’s nothing for us to do at Hydream!
– So, let’s aim for bigger roles! When the romance comes later, I want to do it with you!
“Well, it’s not like we can just make that happen…”
– You have to do it with me!
Click.
Kim Sujin hung up right after that.
She seemed awfully shy about it.
I thought she was kind of cute.
‘By the way, I guess I need to ask for permission seriously now.’
If I was going to act, it would inevitably conflict with my studies.
Sure, exams could be whatever, but in the worst-case scenario, I might fail to meet attendance requirements.
This was a matter that required negotiation with the teachers.
In the worst case,
‘Getting recognition for extracurricular activities in 2010 is going to be tough.’
If things didn’t go smoothly with the teachers, it could even lead to red faces.
Besides, they were still enforcing strict hair regulations at this time, so I was really worried about all the potential clashes.
Then,
“Huh? Really? Then you have to do it, Donghu! Don’t worry about that stuff; just do what you want.”
My worries were brushed aside as my homeroom teacher actively supported me.
“But Donghu, while you’re busy, I think it would be good for you to have some school activities. Like… running for student council president or something?”
It was even to the extent of wanting to beef up my school resume.
Seeing my confused expression, the teacher explained the situation to me.
“After the police did a thorough investigation, our school was chosen as a model school, so the principal really adores you.”
“Well, our school was chosen as a model school, you know, so the principal really has a soft spot for you.”
In the year 2010 of the Romantic Era.
Shinbit Middle School became a model school because there were no delinquents, and it even made it into the newspaper.
Of course, it was just a couple of lines in the corner of the very last page.
But for the school, that was a warm embrace with open arms.
“Ah… I really appreciate the good words.”
“That’s our Donghu, right? Haha! So refreshing and straightforward.”
The homeroom teacher patted my back, emphasizing again that there was nothing to worry about.
“Before anything else, just shoot me a text to let me know when you can’t make it.”
“Teacher, I might need to dye my hair for the acting role…”
“Oh come on! Donghu! I told you everything’s fine, right? Just trust Teacher Jang Boseok! Just don’t complain if you get a plan card hanging in the school after the drama, okay?”
Huh?
What on earth are you talking about, teacher?
+++++
Time flew by quickly.
After summer vacation, it was already September.
It was the day of the first filming for “Hyde Dream.”
The staff exchanged light chit-chat, enjoying the relatively cool weather.
“Still, no matter how good the acting is, will it work out if the physicality is lacking?”
The subject of their chit-chat was about Kim Donghu.
At the age of fourteen, playing a high school student.
He was fine thanks to his maturity and aura, but there was a different problem.
“When it comes to height, at 170 cm, he really falls behind the other actors.”
It was all about height.
Compared to the minimum height of actors in the mid-170s, Kim Donghu was on the shorter side.
Moreover, his role was that of an antagonist opposing Hyde Dream.
If he was small-framed, it was clear that the character wouldn’t have the same punch.
“I’m worried, really worried.”
Most of the staff couldn’t attend the script reading, so it was only natural for them to be anxious.
And then.
“Hello. I’m Kim Donghu, playing the role of Lee Jae-yi this time.”
The star of the gossip made his entrance.
“Wow…”
Just as the rumors said, he was unbelievably handsome.
But there was something a bit odd.
Shouldn’t he be smaller?
Then something clicked in the staff’s minds.
Fourteen.
The age when you can grow taller in no time.
‘No way…’
Sometimes, no way holds true.
Kim Donghu had shot up during the break.
At 14 years old and 173 cm tall.
Proving that genetics can be different.
Kim Donghu made his presence known around him.
‘Ha, if this keeps up…’
The staff felt it.
‘Isn’t he going to steal the spotlight from the protagonist?’
They feared that the popularity of the villain could end up skyrocketing.