Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Beep beep beep—, beep beep—, beep beep beep—, good morning—!
At five in the morning.
The alarm sound woke Nam Siwoo from sleep.
“……”
With his eyes still closed, he instinctively turned off the alarm and hesitated for a moment.
Should I sleep five more minutes?
After a brief moment of thought, he shook his head and forced his tired body up.
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he headed to the shower to fully wake himself up.
“Ugh, now I finally feel alive.”
After a cold shower jolted him awake, Nam Siwoo came out to the living room and sat in front of the mirror.
Then he widened his eyes and shut them repeatedly, puffing his cheeks and releasing air, continuing a series of rather ridiculous expressions.
Click—
At that moment.
The door opened, and a young man stepped out. Still half-asleep, rubbing his eyes, he flinched when he saw Nam Siwoo.
“That startled me……”
At his voice, Nam Siwoo stopped what he was doing and looked at him.
“You’re up early?”
The man was Yoo Taeho, the same age as Nam Siwoo and a member of the same group.
As a successful idol group in their fifth year, most members had moved out, but Yoo Taeho, like Nam Siwoo, still lived in the company-provided dorm.
“It’s not that I woke up early, I just went to the bathroom and got startled awake.”
“Ah, sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? More importantly, why are you making those weird faces this early in the morning?”
“I’m not making weird faces. I’m loosening my facial muscles to create diverse expressions.”
It had already been a week since he started taking lessons from Baek Seungchan, and he practiced whenever he had time.
“Did that guy who’s giving you lessons tell you to do that?”
Yoo Taeho already knew that Nam Siwoo had been taking private lessons from Baek Seungchan.
“Yeah, it’s homework.”
“But is that guy really trustworthy? No matter how I look at it, he seems like a scammer.”
Yoo Taeho spoke with clear disapproval.
He had heard bits and pieces from the manager.
That Baek Seungchan had only recently started acting, and that Nam Siwoo was paying quite a large amount for lessons.
“He looks like a scammer no matter how I see it.”
“Yoo Taeho, don’t say things like that when you’ve never even seen him.”
At that moment, Nam Siwoo’s expression turned cold.
“Sorry, I misspoke.”
Seeing that expression, Yoo Taeho immediately corrected himself.
Normally gentle, Nam Siwoo was frightening when he got angry.
And that expression was right before he got angry.
“Taeho, I know what you’re worried about, but I’m not an idiot.”
Understanding Yoo Taeho’s concern, Nam Siwoo relaxed his expression.
“And you too……”
“And what? Why’d you stop mid-sentence?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nam Siwoo, do you know what the worst kind of person in the world is?”
Yoo Taeho slowly approached him.
“What is it?”
“Someone who starts to say something and then stops! Say it already. What were you going to say?”
Yoo Taeho suddenly grabbed him and started tickling him relentlessly.
Nam Siwoo struggled to escape, but it wasn’t easy to break free from Yoo Taeho’s grip, known as a workout addict with incredible strength.
In the end, unable to endure it, Nam Siwoo spoke.
“It was really nothing, I was just going to tell you to do well on your recording too.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I don’t think so……”
“I said it’s true.”
“Alright, fine. I’m going back to sleep. Do well at filming today.”
Still looking unconvinced, Yoo Taeho let him go, went to the bathroom, and returned to his room.
“He’s seriously all strength and no brains……”
Left alone in the living room, Nam Siwoo stretched and sighed in relief.
What he had really wanted to say to Yoo Taeho was something else.
If you saw how much my acting has improved, you’d cling to Seungchan hyung too.
Yoo Taeho, despite his muscular appearance, was the group’s main vocalist with a deeply emotional voice.
But in that sense, he was similar to Nam Siwoo.
His dream wasn’t to be a singer, but an actor.
However, liking something and being good at it were different.
Yoo Taeho had far less talent than Nam Siwoo and had already given up on acting.
That’s why he had been the first person Nam Siwoo thought of when he started taking lessons from Baek Seungchan.
“For now, I just need to do well myself.”
He already knew how skilled Baek Seungchan was.
Of course, being good at something didn’t always mean being good at teaching it.
But Baek Seungchan excelled at teaching as well.
Which meant if he didn’t improve, it would entirely be his own fault.
Nam Siwoo had no intention of disgracing his teacher.
And he also wanted to see Yoo Taeho’s shocked face when he noticed how much he had improved.
To do that, there was no choice but to work hard.
Nam Siwoo looked back at the mirror and resumed his facial muscle training until the manager arrived.
Early in the morning, filming for The Real Legend was in full swing at an abandoned school in Pyeongtaek.
Inside a classroom, Nam Siwoo and the actor playing a bully were performing a tense action scene.
“I’m sorry, Siwoo… I was wrong……”
“……You should’ve just not done it in the first place.”
Nam Siwoo’s role was to confront and subdue the bully who had tormented him, after learning how to fight from Kang Hyuk, played by Baek Seungchan.
“Cut! Good, let’s prepare for the next scene.”
Director Park Taeho called out with satisfaction and replayed the footage.
“Oh ho, look at this?”
He muttered, watching the screen with interest.
Nam Siwoo’s expressions and eyes in the video caught his attention.
His face clearly conveyed the character’s anger, anguish, and resolve.
“He’s gotten quite good at expressing emotions now.”
Since Baek Seungchan joined the shoot, Nam Siwoo’s acting had noticeably improved, but honestly, the director had never considered him a talented actor.
His character interpretation had been somewhat simple, and his emotional expression had felt shallow.
But in just a week, his acting had begun to show depth.
“Is this even possible?”
Director Park Taeho let out a small laugh and shook his head.
In his 30 years in the industry, he had never seen an actor change this much in such a short time.
Acting was a field where innate talent often mattered more than effort.
Small adjustments like tone could be trained, but a fundamental shift in emotional expression like this was rare.
Now, while still somewhat rough, Nam Siwoo’s acting had begun to carry the essence of professional actors, especially A-list performers.
That kind of emotional depth was something even years of training couldn’t easily achieve.
Actors who achieved such growth often had the potential to become top-tier.
And Director Park Taeho had a good idea who was behind this transformation.
His gaze shifted to Baek Seungchan, who was giving feedback to Nam Siwoo.
“So he’s got talent for teaching too?”
Being a great actor didn’t automatically make someone a great teacher.
The two required completely different skills and approaches.
That was why many acting professors weren’t necessarily outstanding actors.
But Baek Seungchan possessed both.
Nam Siwoo was proof of that.
Of course, the director didn’t think the change was entirely due to Baek Seungchan.
Nam Siwoo had some talent, and he knew he had been putting in effort behind the scenes.
This was the result of synergy.
A skilled teacher and a hardworking student who had talent but hadn’t realized it.
“But seriously, where did that monster come from?”
Director Park Taeho shook his head as he looked at Baek Seungchan.
It wouldn’t be long before the world knew his name.
Near Pyeongtaek Station, in front of an imported beef restaurant, a large crowd had gathered.
They were the actors and staff of The Real Legend, assembled for a wrap party after filming ended.
“Director, everyone’s here. Would you like to say a few words before we start?”
At the assistant director’s words, Park Taeho stood up.
“First, let’s all fill our glasses. You don’t have to drink alcohol—just pour whatever you want.”
At his words, everyone filled their glasses with drinks.
“Alright, everyone worked hard on filming. Today’s wrap party is on me, so eat and enjoy freely.”
“Wow! Thank you!”
“You’re the best, director!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the gathering began.
As drinks went around and people relaxed, the atmosphere became lively.
“Isn’t our web drama going to be a hit?”
“Yeah, it was so fun to watch. It felt more like a short film than a web drama.”
“Exactly. I didn’t expect much at first, but it might really blow up.”
“What if it gets picked up as a full series? That happens sometimes, right?”
Most conversations revolved around the project.
And naturally, that led to talk about the actors.
“Seungchan’s acting is seriously good.”
“Right? He’s going to get famous soon.”
“With that kind of skill, it’d be weird if he didn’t.”
“I should get his autograph before he blows up.”
As always, Baek Seungchan drew a lot of attention.
But now, interest in Nam Siwoo had also grown.
“But didn’t Siwoo’s acting completely change?”
“Yeah, it was amazing. Especially the last scene—I got chills watching it.”
“Agreed. You could feel the emotions just by watching.”
It was all praise.
Completely different from the whispers behind his back on the first day.
“……”
Hearing the compliments here and there, Nam Siwoo sipped his drink and smiled slightly.
Seeing that, Baek Seungchan felt satisfied.
As the mood warmed up, the assistant director stepped forward and grabbed the microphone near the karaoke machine.
“Ah, ah, mic test.”
The chatter quieted as people turned their attention to him.
“Now that the mood is heating up, let’s have a small event.”
The event was a singing contest.
That was why they had rented a place with a karaoke machine.
“First place gets 500,000 won, second place 300,000 won, third place 200,000 won. And the judge will be Director Park Taeho himself. If you want a good score, appealing to his taste might help. For reference, he likes rock music.”
At the mention of prize money, the atmosphere became even more excited.
“500,000 won?”
Even Baek Seungchan was intrigued by the amount.
“Before we start, we have a guest performer—Nam Siwoo!”
“Hyung, I’ll be back for a moment.”
As if already planned, Nam Siwoo immediately went forward.
“Hello, I’m your guest performer, Nam Siwoo.”
“Woo!”
Cheers erupted.
“Any song requests?”
“Star of the Night Sky!”
“Star of the Night Sky!”
The staff all shouted the same title.
Star of the Night Sky, a hit song from Nam Siwoo’s solo album that he wrote and composed himself, once topping the charts.
“That’s a relief. I was worried you’d request something I don’t know.”
Perhaps because it was his main profession, he spoke naturally without any nervousness.
“I’ll start right away.”
As the melody of guitar and piano flowed from the karaoke machine, Nam Siwoo began singing.
“I always looked at the stars in the night sky and thought, someday I want to become like them……”
As soon as the first verse rang out, a hint of surprise appeared in Baek Seungchan’s eyes.
The clear voice instantly captivated the ears and conveyed emotion.
The desperate sincerity of wanting to shine like the stars during his trainee days was fully embedded in the song.
As expected, a singer is a singer.
The staff inside the restaurant were completely absorbed, entranced by his voice.
Nam Siwoo clearly had greater talent as a singer than as an actor.
“I’ll become a star that shines forever……”
As soon as the song ended, there was a brief silence, followed by an explosion of applause and admiration.
“Wow! That was amazing!”
“Singers really are on another level!”
The staff clapped enthusiastically, praising his performance.
Baek Seungchan also smiled and applauded.
“Thank you.”
Nam Siwoo returned to his seat with a familiar smile, and the assistant director took the mic again.
“As expected, a popular singer is different. Now, let’s start our own league—our singing contest. Anyone who wants to participate, just raise your hand.”
“Here!”
A male staff member immediately raised his hand.
He was from the lighting team.
“Great, come forward and select your song.”
“Yes!”
And so, starting with him, many people began singing.
Perhaps because they worked in the entertainment industry, most were quite good.
“The sixth participant has finished. Anyone else?”
At that, Baek Seungchan raised his hand.
Nam Siwoo, sitting beside him, asked in surprise.
“Hyung, you’re going up?”
“Of course. The prize is 500,000 won—I can’t pass that up.”
The moment he heard about the prize money, he had already decided to participate.
“Seungchan! Great, come forward. Please select your song.”
The assistant director welcomed him enthusiastically, and attention focused on him.
Then, when people saw the song he selected, their eyes widened.
“He’s singing that?”
The song Baek Seungchan chose was “She’s Gone.”
A classic rock song, famous for being extremely difficult due to its high notes.