Chapter 46
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Defiance and Resolve
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“What?!”
Woo-sik, who loved his food, even set down his spoon and yelled.
Thanks to him, all the nearby students turned to stare at us.
“Keep it down. You trying to advertise to the whole neighborhood?”
“No, I mean… so you’re auditioning today?”
Woo-sik tapped his tray with his spoon, looking utterly incredulous.
This guy was drawing every bit of attention after I specifically told him not to spread it around.
After hearing I’d be competing against Moon Woo-hyuk for the male lead in Yoon Jong-hoon’s production, Woo-sik had skipped dessert and was putting on this whole show.
“Yeah. That’s what happened.”
“What if you don’t make it? What happens if you lose to Moon Woo-hyuk?”
I shrugged at Woo-sik, who seemed even more outraged than me as he pressed the issue.
“Well, I’d end up like a duck egg in the Nakdong River.”
“Oh, come on. If you don’t make it, just join our team! Who wouldn’t take Lee Do-hyun?”
Woo-sik said it playfully, his eyes sparkling.
It was sweet of him to offer himself as my safety net.
But that wasn’t an option.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not losing.”
I infused my voice with vocal technique, letting it resonate deep and heavy.
“The lead is mine. No question.”
Woo-sik’s eyes rolled back at my intensity.
“Uncle. That’s kinda scary… You’re auditioning with Moon Woo-hyuk, and now you’re picking up his temper?”
“Nah. This is Damious.”
I softened my expression with a smile at Lee Cheong-ha, who had been eating quietly beside us and now stared with wide eyes, just as spooked as Woo-sik.
Switching back to my normal voice, I explained.
It was the result of practicing alone right up until dinner time for the audition coming soon.
I’d refined my interpretation of Damious to a solid point, so I’d just been playing around in character.
“Yeah… guess you won’t be joining our team…”
“Do-hyun, you scared me for a second there.”
Woo-sik shook his head helplessly.
Stunned, Lee Cheong-ha gave a quiet little cheer.
I’d said it jokingly because of Woo-sik’s reaction, but I meant every word.
In a way, this was the first audition of my second life.
No way was I planning to lose.
The memory of losing to an idol in my last casting audition before regression was still fresh.
Now get pushed aside by a chaebol kid too?
Not happening.
My second life would be a different musical path.
For this first audition, I was determined to snag the role as Damious, no matter what.
***
Meanwhile, the musical department trio was taking a stroll along the walking path after an early dinner.
Song Ha-na asked Moon Woo-hyuk, who’d arrived at the cafeteria latest after practice.
“Audition prep all set?”
“What’s this, Song Ha-na? Worried about me?”
Moon Woo-hyuk, who’d been walking silently while mentally reviewing his script, shot back with a mischievous grin.
Shouldn’t have said anything.
“Worried? I’m already getting a headache thinking about you whining if you flop.”
“Who’s flopping?”
Moon Woo-hyuk had prepped hard the last few hours and looked plenty confident.
Above all, his passion was off the charts.
Had she ever seen him this fired up, even during their joint competitions?
Song Ha-na thought back quietly, but no.
“Woo-hyuk looks like he’s having fun?”
Kim Sun-woo smiled at Moon Woo-hyuk’s vibe.
Moon Woo-hyuk had always worked hard.
It was true these three were labeled geniuses for their talent.
But no one could dismiss how diligently he’d pushed himself.
Lately, though, watching Moon Woo-hyuk, it felt like something beyond his usual drive had emerged.
Something born from genuine rivalry with someone…
“Fun?”
“Yeah. First time seeing you this eager to beat someone.”
Moon Woo-hyuk had long excluded Kim Sun-woo from his rivals.
Even his father, Moon Kang-hyun, acknowledged Kim Sun-woo’s talent, so it had become subconscious.
But not Lee Do-hyun.
He’d honed his craft until his throat bled since childhood to reach this point.
No way he’d let some nobody from a regular middle school push him aside.
He had to win.
This time, purely on his own merits.
“Not trying to beat him—he’s just been so damn cocky…”
Right then, Moon Woo-hyuk’s phone rang.
Caller: [Dad]
Kim Sun-woo and Song Ha-na spotted the screen, clamped their mouths shut, and their faces stiffened.
No one knew better than them what his father meant to Moon Woo-hyuk.
Moon Woo-hyuk glanced at them slyly, stepped away, and answered.
“Yes, Dad.”
“Dinner time?”
“Yes. It’s dinner time.”
“So you can talk.”
Even though it was dinner time, there was no casual check-in like “Did you eat well?”
Moon Woo-hyuk couldn’t recall his father ever asking that.
You’d think it’d happen once, but to Moon Kang-hyun, dinner time just meant a window to call.
“…Yes.”
“Decided on your comprehensive evaluation team?”
Moon Kang-hyun already knew he hadn’t.
If he had, the roster would be up, and it would’ve reached his ears.
Moon Woo-hyuk knew his father was asking fully aware.
“There’s a team I want to join.”
So instead of “not yet,” he gave that answer.
Practically the same as saying he had.
And he wanted to add he was prepping for their audition to get in.
He knew he wouldn’t get warm encouragement.
But for some reason, today he felt like letting his father know.
“A team you want to join?”
Even over the line, Moon Kang-hyun’s displeasure seeped through.
Reading it, Moon Woo-hyuk shut his mouth tight.
That sliver of hope vanished in an instant.
‘Useless kid.’
There’s a team he wants, but he hasn’t gotten in yet?
Some team rejecting Moon Kang-hyun’s son?
To Moon Kang-hyun, who’d never been turned down in the musical world, it was incomprehensible.
He wanted to chew him out, but he had a different purpose for calling, so he cut to the chase.
“Anyway, sounds like you’re not in yet. Fine.”
“Huh?”
“Turns out one of the kids directing your comprehensive evaluation is my junior’s nephew. Get into their team. My people will handle directing, acting, support—whatever you need.”
The moment he said it, Moon Woo-hyuk pulled the phone from his face.
“Haa.”
He let out a deep sigh.
He hadn’t expected a “good luck.”
But mentioning a team he wanted to join? Completely ignored.
Kim Sun-woo and Song Ha-na watched his grim expression in silence.
Moon Woo-hyuk brought the phone back to his ear.
“Why no answer?”
“I said there’s a team I want to join…”
Moon Woo-hyuk mustered his courage for one more word.
“I’m setting you up to win, and you’re saying no?”
Moon Kang-hyun cut him off without listening.
‘Win.’
Moon Woo-hyuk paused to think.
Could he really beat Song Ha-na and Do-hyun’s team in one his father rigged?
Would that even get him closer to victory?
What if he joined the “perfect” team Moon Kang-hyun designed and still didn’t win?
Wouldn’t that disappoint his father even more?
One misstep, and he might get written off for good.
Just thinking about it choked him.
No, no.
No matter how he sliced it, to win, he had to join Yoon Jong-hoon’s team.
Beat Lee Do-hyun and pair with Song Ha-na.
That was his shot.
“Dad.”
When Moon Woo-hyuk spoke, his voice dropped low.
The vibe was totally different from usual.
Not the timid, oppressed son who struggled to get a word out against his father.
“I can’t beat Lee Do-hyun your way.”
The shocking declaration from Moon Woo-hyuk.
Song Ha-na and Kim Sun-woo, who’d been watching quietly, gaped at the bombshell.
He’d never said anything like that to his father, not once since childhood.
Moon Woo-hyuk always took Dad’s word as gospel, admitted fault no matter what.
“What the hell did he just…!”
“Hold on. Let’s hear him out.”
As Song Ha-na stepped forward, Kim Sun-woo held her back.
Meanwhile, Moon Woo-hyuk’s call continued.
“What?”
“…I’ll beat Lee Do-hyun my way.”
Tension made his voice tremble slightly as he spoke.
But he got it all out.
“You defying me?”
Moon Kang-hyun’s voice came heavy and furious over the line.
“…Yes.”
Moon Woo-hyuk didn’t back down, even then.
No apology this time.
A brief silence passed—a short span that felt eternal.
“Birds don’t all survive breaking out of the egg. Remember, this is your last chance.”
“……!”
Moon Woo-hyuk’s eyes went wide in shock.
He’d braced for a tirade, but this unexpected line slipped out.
To the speechless Moon Woo-hyuk, Moon Kang-hyun added flatly.
“Once the shell’s broken, it doesn’t go back on. You know that.”
“Yes.”
Moon Woo-hyuk swallowed hard and replied shortly, face and tone resolute.
“Got it.”
Click.
The call ended like that. Moon Woo-hyuk stood frozen, phone in hand.
Some unknowable mix of warning and encouragement, then silence.
But something had definitely changed.
Up till now, he’d always obeyed his father without question. Never defied him.
There was the oppression, sure, but he’d leaned on Dad too.
This time, though, it was purely his choice.
A strange thrill crept up from his toes.
“What did I just say…?”
Moon Woo-hyuk turned to Song Ha-na and Kim Sun-woo with a dazed look.
Even though he’d said it, the reality hadn’t sunk in.
His sense of the world felt off.
One thing was clear: with the call over, a strange lightness filled one corner of his heart.
“What’d he say…?”
Song Ha-na asked cautiously.
“‘Once the shell’s broken, it doesn’t go back on’?”
“What?”
Song Ha-na freaked at Moon Woo-hyuk’s casual recounting.
Face paling, she rushed to him.
“Hey. What’re you doing? You’re in deep shit now!”
She knew exactly what that meant better than anyone, so her reaction was explosive.
On the other hand,
“Looks good on you.”
To Kim Sun-woo, Moon Woo-hyuk’s back seemed lighter than ever.
He flashed a genuine smile, fully supporting this new side of Moon Woo-hyuk.
“Hey, Kim Sun-woo! ‘Looks good’? Moon Woo-hyuk! Call your dad back right now!”
Song Ha-na flailed, glancing between them.
But Moon Woo-hyuk showed zero intention of it.
Song Ha-na stared him down, incredulous.
She was at a loss for words.
“Seemed that way to you too?”
Because Moon Woo-hyuk wore a smile she’d never seen before.
***
Meanwhile, Moon Kang-hyun, having ended the call with his son, sank deep into his study chair.
“Kid’s finally learned to talk back properly.”
He’d feigned anger, but he wasn’t mad at all.
If anything, he realized he’d been waiting for this proactive spark in his son.
“Must be that guy’s influence.”
Moon Kang-hyun immediately pictured one student from the same school as his son.
The face rising fast as a dark horse in the musical department’s first-years lately.
“Lee Do-hyun, was it? Could make a fine pacesetter.”