Rookie but One-in-a-Million Actor

Chapter 18

It’s here!

At the same time that the web drama was being uploaded to Seoul City’s MTube channel, Mooyoung was climbing the dormitory stairs with tired steps. It had been nearly two weeks since the semester started, and only now was he finally able to return to his dorm.

“I’ve been really busy, haven’t I?”

A week spent filming, and another week spent by Enbin’s side. At this rate, Mooyoung wondered if he might lose his scholarship. If that happened, would he have to take a leave of absence?

Click.

The door handle to room 501 turned weakly, just like Mooyoung’s exhausted shoulders. But the noise coming from inside was anything but quiet.

“No, it’s N30!”

“I’m running out of supplies. Wanna grab some food?”

“Are you nuts? The force field is closing in! Ahh! I got hit!”

“Help! Help! Headshot!”

Three guys were engrossed in their games, sitting at their desks with laptops. They didn’t even notice Mooyoung come in, so focused were they on their screens.

Mooyoung debated whether to say hello but was distracted by the pile of junk on his desk.

‘What’s all this?’

There were textbooks, papers, and various items cluttering the surface. Mooyoung tilted his head in confusion as he inspected his desk.

‘Ah, the dorm must have given these out. Nice.’

It looked like basic toiletries and other essentials the dorm had provided. His roommates must have picked them up for him, and in the process, used his desk as temporary storage.

“Hello?”

His greeting was drowned out by the loud sounds blasting from their headsets. Judging by their intense expressions, they were deep into the final moments of their game, looking as serious as soldiers going into battle.

“If we lose, delete your account.”

“Of course.”

“Kill them all!”

Realizing it wasn’t the best time to disturb them, Mooyoung sat in his chair and idly kicked his feet. Then his eyes caught the stack of papers on his desk.

[Dohran Theater Club: Original Play – Human Home Shopping]

Dohran? Isn’t that the theater club I saw on orientation day? Curious, Mooyoung flipped through the papers as he waited for his roommates to finish their game.

‘It’s still close to a synopsis, but why is it so thick?’

[A middle-aged woman, a recluse who hasn’t left her house in ten years. Her family disappeared long ago. Her only joy is home shopping. With a mere flick of her finger, she can have anything delivered to her doorstep. Boxes pile up in her house, many still unopened, until one day, she stumbles upon a strange channel – where people are for sale?]

The “products” on this home shopping channel are four people: two young and two old, male and female. The rest of the script was vague, but a spoiler was scribbled at the end.

[It turns out these people are the protagonist’s childhood self, her son, her husband, and her future self. Through this surreal home shopping program, she revisits their lives and reflects on the meaning of family and her own hollow existence.]

‘Where do they plan to submit this?’

The objectives and themes of the play were clearly written, though it was still a work in progress. But one thing was clear to Mooyoung…

‘It’s interesting.’

The concept was fascinating.

The unique premise, combined with strong writing, painted a vivid picture of the play’s tone and direction. The plot itself was perfect for a theater production, seamlessly moving between past and present.

“Wooooo! Chicken! Chicken dinner!”

“First place, baby!”

“I got 11 kills! I’m insane. You gotta admit, I carried the team!”

The room erupted in cheers as if someone had scored a goal in the World Cup. Startled, Mooyoung accidentally dropped the stack of papers.

Whoosh—

The papers fluttered to the floor. Only then did the roommates notice him, their faces flushed with excitement.

“Huh? Who’s this?”

“Whoa, you scared me!”

Mooyoung smiled and began picking up the papers. Pointing to the desk, he introduced himself.

“Hi, I’m Ha Mooyoung.”

“Ha Mooyoung? Ohhh! Our new roommate, finally!”

“I thought you dropped out! When did you get here?”

“I got here earlier, but you were all really into your game.”

Choi Hwan and Park Moonseong extended their hands to greet him, while Bong-gun squinted at Mooyoung, trying to place where he’d seen him before. There was a nagging sense of familiarity.

“Wait a minute, weren’t you at the Dohran booth during orientation?”

“Ah!”

As Mooyoung spoke, the memory hit Bong-gun like a lightning bolt. It was that clean-cut freshman he’d noticed at orientation! Bong-gun stood up in surprise.

“Wow! We meet again!”

“What’s going on? You two know each other?”

“I saw him at orientation.”

It was a funny coincidence. Bong-gun had thought Mooyoung was memorable back then, and now they were dorm mates. Mooyoung smiled awkwardly, feeling the same.

“Sorry for looking at this. It was on my desk.”

“Oh? It’s fine.”

“Sorry for taking over your space. We’ve been short on storage, so we borrowed your desk. Oh, and those supplies were from the student council.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

The three roommates quickly cleared Mooyoung’s desk, freeing it up for him. As Bong-gun spun his chair around, he glanced at the synopsis in Mooyoung’s hands and asked casually,

“Did you read all of that?”

Bong-gun had been struggling with the role of the young male character—the protagonist’s son—in his play. He couldn’t quite grasp the character. But now, here was Mooyoung, who somehow seemed like a perfect fit for the part. It felt like fate.

“Yeah, I did. Seems like you’re having trouble with it?”

“No, no. I’m just curious. What did you think?”

“About the play?”

“Yeah, just your personal opinion.”

Choi Hwan and Park Moonseong exchanged glances. Bong-gun hadn’t shared the content of the play with them, yet here he was asking for Mooyoung’s thoughts.

“I thought it was pretty interesting.”

“That’s it?”

“The concept seems really well-suited for a play. I also liked how the characters’ past and present secrets are revealed—it kept me intrigued. But…”

Mooyoung paused while folding his clothes.

The other characters had distinct personalities, yet the young man felt oddly flat, like an undefined blur. After some hesitation, Mooyoung decided to give his feedback, seeing the eager gleam in Bong-gun’s eyes.

“It seems like the son’s character isn’t fully fleshed out yet.”

“…You noticed?”

Mooyoung carefully presented his thoughts, unsure of Bong-gun’s reaction since they had just met.

“The home shopping concept feels lively and upbeat, but I noticed that the characters are quite heavy, perhaps to balance that tone. What if you leaned into the comedic aspect instead? Since the son’s character is still open, you could play with that contrast.”

He smiled broadly, his eyes narrowing in a friendly manner.

Bong-gun could instantly picture Mooyoung standing on stage, naively promoting himself within the absurd home shopping frame, oblivious to the reality of being sold.

“Are you a literature major? Bong-gun’s junior?”

“No, I’m in Global Culture Studies.”

“But you speak like you’ve got experience.”

“I do like reading a lot.”

Mooyoung laughed as he answered Choi Hwan, recalling similar comments from his audition. Maybe he had a knack for analyzing characters and stories after all.

“Come on, you haven’t eaten dinner yet, right?”

“No, I just got back.”

“Let’s go. There’s a great chicken place near the back gate. Today, we feast! We’ve been waiting forever for you to finally join us!”

“Yeah, what’s kept you so busy that you haven’t been around?”

“No, don’t tell us now! Save it for when we’re drinking.”

Park Moonseong, still riding the high from their gaming victory, danced around the room as he grabbed his jacket. Winning the game seemed to have put him in the best mood.

“Bong-gun, you’re coming too, right? It’s our rookie’s welcome party!”

“Nah, you guys go ahead without me.”

“Oh, come on!”

“I feel like writing.”

Bong-gun slipped on his headset again, this time blasting the opening theme of a home shopping channel, signaling his shift from gaming to writing mode.

“Uh… okay.”

“Don’t worry about him. He gets like this sometimes. If inspiration strikes, he’ll start writing, even if he’s in the middle of taking a shower. Let’s go.”

As Mooyoung blinked in confusion, Choi Hwan gently nudged him out of the room, laughing all the while.

Thunk!

The dorm door closed behind them, and Bong-gun focused on the flood of inspiration rushing through him. That night was special—not just because of the energy in the dorm, but because it marked the birth of his award-winning play Human Home Shopping, which would go on to become a major hit on Daehakro.

And it was also the night Mooyoung’s first video was uploaded.

***

“Drink up! Cheers to the rookie!”

“Wow, he can really hold his liquor!”

“So you were filming a web drama? No wonder you look so polished. Tall too. Are you planning to become an actor?”

More than anything, that night was the first time Mooyoung ever got truly drunk.

Blargh—

The next day, Mooyoung found himself clinging to a corner in the hallway outside his classroom, dry heaving.

Those guys are insane. How can they drink two nights in a row?

While he struggled to get to class, his seniors were still fast asleep, enjoying their last semester with barely any classes to attend. But still…

It was fun.

It was the first time Mooyoung understood why people said alcohol makes you feel good. The aftermath was brutal, but the experience itself had been something new and interesting.

Creak—

Mooyoung finally made it into the classroom, clutching his still-queasy stomach. But the atmosphere was off.

“Did you see this?”

“Yeah, that’s him, right?”

“Wow, is this the path he’s taking?”

“He acted really well. He didn’t get overshadowed by Enbin at all.”

The room was buzzing—not with noise, but with a kind of excited, hushed energy. Mooyoung noticed it, but ignored it. He didn’t have the energy to care.

“Ha Mooyoung!”

Suddenly, the class rep and a group of his friends called out to him, and within seconds, every pair of eyes in the room was on him.

“What’s up with you?”

“Huh? Do I still smell like alcohol?”

Despite his efforts to clean up, Mooyoung sniffed his sleeve, wondering what the class rep was talking about. But the rep, clearly excited, held up his phone and showed it to him.

“Real-time trending video on MTube! It’s you!”

The web drama uploaded to the Seoul City account.

The thumbnail was a massive close-up of both Enbin and Mooyoung.

Mooyoung hadn’t checked it at all since he’d been drinking for two days straight. He burst out laughing when he saw the thumbnail, but the class rep grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him.

“What the heck, man! What’s going on with you!”

“Wait, hang on, I’m going to—”

“Do you know it’s already at 700,000 views? And what’s Enbin like in real life? Tell us, hurry!”

The rep shook him so hard that Mooyoung had to cover his mouth in a panic.

“Ugh—!”

“Ha Mooyoung! Dude!”

Ignoring the crowd of curious classmates, Mooyoung dashed out of the classroom and ran straight to the bathroom. Why did he have to shake him like that? As he was hunched over, trying not to throw up, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

It was a call from the team leader at Square Films.