The Audition for the Lead Idol Role

In the car on the way back after filming wrapped, the manager remained silent.

Of course, I didn’t say anything either.

One careless word would only invite misunderstandings and tangle the situation even further, and that much was obvious.

Besides, it had only been a short ten-minute drive, and from the moment I got into the car I’d been busy sorting through the thoughts crowding my head.

From now on, I needed to be far more careful about the things I said out loud.

First, I had to calmly figure out Han Seo-jun’s situation and the people around him.

Then I’d decide where I was going from there.

That was the right answer.

“Haa...”

Just after I let out a short breath and turned my gaze out the window, the car was already pulling into the officetel parking lot.

He parked in a corner, then turned his head toward me and finally spoke.

“What was that about?”

His voice was cool.

“...What do you mean?”

“You didn’t need to hide it even from me.”

He narrowed his brows and stared straight at me.

“...I’m not sure what you’re talking about....”

I trailed off, wearing the face of someone who truly didn’t know.

But the meaning behind his words was obvious enough, wasn’t it?

Still, the smartest thing I could do right now was keep my mouth shut as much as possible.

“Is this because you were rebelling? Because your parents have been treating you like the odd one out?”

“......!”

The unexpected words slipped casually out of the manager’s mouth.

“Ah, no. If you’d truly been grinding your teeth, you should’ve been showing that kind of acting from long ago.”

He turned his eyes away and muttered to himself, tilting his head.

As expected, Hwang Dong-jun, who had worked as Han Seo-jun’s manager for so long, knew him inside and out.

“Right. Your father’s the president of a conglomerate, and he’s always been strongly against your acting career... so I guess you might think he pulled strings with the director or something. But even so, he’s your son. Would he really do that?”

For a moment, his gaze flickered.

It was as if even he couldn’t completely rule out the possibility.

Wow.

What, was this a situation worth giving up on right from the start?

On the surface, Han Seo-jun was the youngest son of a chaebol family, someone whose life should have been free of wants.

Even if his acting was lacking, people would assume he’d coast through life like a spoiled immortal, living in comfort until the end of his days.

But just how badly had he been treated by his parents for the manager to say something like that?

Looks like this guy’s life was tangled up in misery too.

Wasn’t the trend these days for even top-tier parents to support their children if they wanted to succeed in entertainment?

I’d heard that the children of company names everyone knew would get all kinds of support.

“Your mother’s birthday is next week. When you go back to the main house, don’t start any weird talk and stir up trouble again. On a good day, when everybody’s gathered there with the relatives, of all places.”

“......!”

Suddenly, family gatherings came crashing in from nowhere.

It was already confusing enough having ended up inside someone else’s body, and now I had to shoulder an entirely different family history too?

“Still... today’s acting was really good.”

His tone softened all at once, and he looked at me intently.

“But Han Seo-jun! I’m really hurt. I’ve been your manager for two years, you know that? I even gave up the position I had under Manager Go Sang-won to come here. When the director and the head of the division wanted to drop you, I stopped them to the very end. I kept saying you were the kind who blossoms late, that we should just watch a little longer.”

Not bothering to hide how disappointed and hurt he felt, Hwang Dong-jun kept going.

“And yet why were you hiding your acting from me too, only to show it now? When I said I might not be able to go on with you anymore, was that when you decided you didn’t need to hold back? Did you really dislike me that much?”

“N-no, hyung.”

“Then what?”

As though determined to hear my answer no matter what, he shut off the engine.

Leaning back lazily in the driver’s seat with his arms crossed, he stared at me with narrowed eyes.

“...I-I thought hyung was really disappointed in me, so I was trying my hardest just now. If even you won’t take me on, how am I supposed to survive on my own from here? So I figured I had to show you something, and I was desperately trying to....”

I let my sentence drift off and bit lightly at my lower lip.

I lowered my head a little and got to work on my expression.

A calculated look of frustration meant to trigger pity and the instinct to protect.

Despair and discouragement soaked into my stiff, ashen face, while the corners of my lips trembled just slightly.

“...Phew......!!”

After studying my expression, he let out a long sigh and gave a small nod, as if he couldn’t help it.

“Fine. But why are you making a face like you’ve lost the whole world, unlike yourself?”

Good. It worked.

At least for now, I needed to keep Hwang Dong-jun, the person who knew Han Seo-jun best, by my side.

That would help me figure out this guy’s life properly.

“Wow, but seriously, when you were acting just now, I honestly thought you’d been possessed. That vibe you gave off—the thug, the cold-blooded bastard, all that stuff that wasn’t even in the original script—how did you make it feel so real? The moment you shifted the texture of your acting exactly the way the director asked, everybody’s jaws dropped. It was insane.”

Hwang Dong-jun’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction, and the corners of his mouth lifted.

Now his expression had softened considerably.

“And that truck crash scene too... had you trained in action or martial arts before you became an actor?”

“Ah, yes. I learned a little at an academy.”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

When I was preparing to debut as an idol, I even went to ballet classes and buried myself in practice rooms far longer than anyone else to learn choreography.

I had no choice.

Compared to the other members, I lacked visuals, so I needed to steal fans’ attention with dance if nothing else.

No matter what anyone said, being handsome was best.

Even when I was the main vocalist, the time I got to stand at center was only a few seconds, just long enough to handle the difficult high notes.

Most of the time, I’d just stood at the edge of the stage like a shadow.

After a few years of being nothing but a high-note shuttle, I started wanting to be the actor who got the one-shot.

Singing had been fun, but I wanted to be the one leading the performance for a few minutes—no, for hours.

After the group disbanded and I shifted into acting, I’d trained in kendo, boxing, horseback riding, and even water skiing, just so I’d be ready for whatever role came my way.

Recording the performances of acclaimed actors from Korea and abroad, then comparing them with my own and dissecting every detail, had been the bare minimum.

“What a filthy bastard.”

A curse slipped out of Hwang Dong-jun’s mouth.

“Going this far, and now he’s shamelessly telling you to act out some role that wasn’t even in the script in front of everybody? Ha! Unbelievable.”

Still, there was no helping it.

I had to shake off the label of being a joke actor who only got laughs for his terrible acting as quickly as possible.

If I was wronged, I had to blow it wide open.

By proving I had acting skills no one could sneer at. Once I became a popular actor with a massive fanbase behind me, even the director would have to back down.

When I unfastened my seatbelt, he looked at me at once.

“When are you coming into the office?”

Right.

I had to go to the office too.

Just hearing that made my heart beat harder.

Which actors were in the same agency,

what my next project would be,

I was curious, and more than that, excited.

Checking the time on my phone screen with my fingertip, I saw it was 11:34.

“I’ll go by three.”

“Then I’ll pick you up at two-thirty. Ah, and....”

He twisted his upper body around and reached into the back seat.

In his hand was a small paper bag.

He held it out to me.

“It’s nothing big. I just prepared something because today was the last day of filming and you worked hard. Take it upstairs and open it.”

“......!”

Wasn’t it usually the actor who gave the manager a gift and said, “Thanks for your hard work,” after filming ended?

When I was an actor before, I’d always made sure to prepare a gift for my manager every time a project ended.

“Thank you. I prepared a gift too, but... I don’t know where I left it. I’ll look for it and give it to you later.”

“...Really?”

He asked again, looking too surprised to believe it.

“Of course.”

Judging by his face, it seemed he didn’t have any memory of being given gifts before.

Before he came to pick me up at two-thirty, I’d have to buy a small gift nearby and get it ready.

“Oh, by the way, what’s that?”

I’d noticed the document envelope lying beneath the paper bag, and it had caught my attention.

For some reason, I had a feeling it was a script.

“Ah, that?”

Hwang Dong-jun glanced back at the rear seat with a bored expression and shrugged.

“Is that maybe a drama script?”

“It is, but it’s got nothing to do with you. It’s a miniseries, and it’s an idol drama. They made an offer to Actress Jang Mi-ran to play the biological mother of the lead character. She’s going to read it and decide afterward.”

“An idol drama?”

When he saw the corners of my mouth lifting, he frowned a little.

“They’ve already locked in everyone except one of the five male idol roles. Two active idols, two guys who’ve already started acting on the side. Jino from Bestiz, and from Slayers... what was his name again? Anyway, all recognizable faces.”

Bestiz and Slayers.

Those were both fairly famous idols.

They’d been at the same concert just last night.

Of course, they stood onstage and soaked up the fans’ cheers with their whole bodies, while I hid in a cramped prefab studio behind the stage and lent them only my voice.

Back then, I’d felt nothing but envy toward them for having what I couldn’t get, but now it was different.

Now I was twenty-three, with a face that would never lose to anyone.

Since things had come to this, I might as well stand at center stage in a body like this at least once.

“Couldn’t I just skim through one or two pages?”

At my stubborn insistence, he shook his head.

“They said they only use people who can handle the basic choreography and vocals, even for the supporting roles. Didn’t you say you were bad at dance? That’s what you told me.”

Even so, he finally handed the envelope over.

My heart pounding, I took it.

On the cover of the script I pulled from the envelope, the title was printed clearly.

Possessed by a Trash Idol Friend.

“It was originally a web novel, and Netflix is planning it as a drama now. K-pop’s huge around the world these days, after all. Even that animated K-Pop Demon Slayers was a massive global hit. Director Kang So-hwi timed it brilliantly. She’s preparing a miniseries that captures an idol narrative, and it looks like this web novel caught her eye in the process. So they’ve confirmed it for twelve episodes.”

“Wow. Amazing.”

I flipped open the first page.

And just as expected, a blue holographic glow rose above the script.

The headline of a news article floated in the air.

“...Haa...!!”

A groan escaped me as I stared at the article title on the screen.

“What’s wrong?”

Hwang Dong-jun had been looking only at the script in my hands, but his eyes changed as he looked at me.

It was ridiculous, really, for me to gasp in admiration the moment I turned the first page.

But what could I do?

The article’s headline had already confirmed the project’s success.

“The first scene is just so bold. A protagonist living in a high-end residence in New York....”

“Oh, that’s all? I thought something was wrong.”

He chuckled and pulled out his phone.

Not missing the moment, I poked at the air with my fingertip.

Once again, the holographic article spread across my field of vision.

It wasn’t just that article.

Another line appeared at the very bottom of the holographic screen.

And what was this supposed to be?

When I touched the blinking Y with my fingertip,

a new line appeared beneath it.

“......!”

In that instant, a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chill ran down my spine, but my heart was hammering like crazy.

This wasn’t just an opportunity.

It was clearly a privilege meant only for me.

I have to seize this.

My pounding heart beat faster and faster.

Hadn’t they said one of the male idol member spots was still open?

That role had to be mine.

Who could possibly fit better than me?

What, did I lack visuals now?

Or was I bad at singing?

I was confident I wouldn’t lose to any current idol when it came to choreography.

And if they wanted acting too, just give me the chance.

I’d devour it whole.

If I didn’t go for this, I’d be an idiot.

“I’d like to audition here.”

Holding out the script as I spoke, I saw his expression twist strangely.

“I already told you there isn’t a role here you can take. What, are you going to play some extra walking down the street?”

“No. The remaining lead idol member spot. I want to audition for that.”

“...What?”

He stared at me with round eyes.

As if warning me not to joke around.

A laugh slipped out before I even realized it.

Because he’d never make that expression in front of me again.

Sigma Entertainment.

With a thoroughly dissatisfied look on his face, Shin Yeon-ho was sprawled across the sofa.

“Hah, shit!”

Twisting his face into a mess, he spat out the profanity in an irritated tone.

Do Hyun-woo had been gone for five days already.

All because he’d been yelled at by him and the company president, the bastard had vanished without leaving so much as a trace.

Right after the concert, the company’s PR team had thrown out a plausible excuse to the press, saying he was suffering from “poor condition.”

They spun the story that, despite the doctor’s adamant objections that live performance was absolutely impossible, he had still gone onstage in order not to disappoint the fans.

So he had no choice but to lip-sync, they said, and instead poured his passion into the choreography to carry the stage.

If he’d had his way, he’d have dragged Do Hyun-woo in front of him and forced him to his knees, but for now he needed to calm the situation somehow.

After all, to get into the idol drama Netflix had chosen this time, they still needed Do Hyun-woo’s vocals.

They’d already agreed that, because of the prolonged “poor condition,” he wouldn’t participate in the audition himself.

All that remained was to record the song the director’s side had requested and pass. Then Shin Yeon-ho could secure the “center of the lead idol group” position in this miniseries.

And yet at this crucial moment, the idiot had disappeared as if he’d been wiped from the earth.

Even after using police connections to search for him, Do Hyun-woo’s whereabouts were still completely unknown.

Bang!

The door opened, and the team leader and the huge manager came in.

At their entrance, a flicker of hope crossed Shin Yeon-ho’s face as he rose.

But what they brought with them was far from good news.

With a thoroughly crumpled expression, the team leader sat down on the sofa, and the manager flung his heavy body down beside him with a grim face.

“Ah—damn it!!”

From inside the jacket pocket, the manager pulled out a cigarette case.

But it was empty.

“Tch!”

He crumpled the case in his fist and hurled it aside.

“So what happened?”

At Shin Yeon-ho’s words, the team leader pressed a hand to his forehead.

The manager worried his lower lip, chewing on it over and over.

Then he turned to the team leader.

“No, does that even make sense? A person just disappearing all at once? How is that even possible?”

“Hah... damn it.”

The team leader covered his face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and said nothing.

Growing impatient, Shin Yeon-ho pressed again.

“No, what happened?”

The manager stepped in for the team leader.

“Just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in case, today we went through every CCTV camera installed around the stadium. We confirmed he was caught on camera at the intersection in front of Mapo District Office. But then he walked away toward the back instead of crossing the street.”

“So?”

“But he doesn’t appear on the CCTV installed right next to it. It’s honestly baffling.”

“Didn’t he go into another building in between?”

At Shin Yeon-ho’s question, the manager let out a short laugh.

“Man, where do you think that was? It was just a parking lot. Since it was late at night, there wasn’t even a single parked car.”

“Then you’re saying he just vanished without a trace? Like a ghost?”

With a look of utter disbelief, Shin Yeon-ho turned to the team leader, who only nodded blankly.

“Then what am I supposed to do? I have to find that bastard before I can get into the project Director Kang So-hwi is making.”

“Wait a little. Wherever he’s hiding, he’s going to need money, so he’ll crawl back out soon enough. Where else would that loser go?”

“If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve told him about the project beforehand and hyped him up a little, made him think he’d get a fat payout. Then he wouldn’t have even thought of running.”

At that, the team leader gave a low groan.

“We should’ve given them a quick answer sooner and said we’d be going with the recorded track instead of live. We dragged it out, and now we’re in this mess.”

The manager nodded along.

“Exactly. And now the recording has to be finished and sent by the day after tomorrow at the latest... without Hyun-woo, it’s useless. The vocals are different.”

“Is there even anyone who can sing as well as him?”

At that, Shin Yeon-ho clenched his teeth.

“That bastard... the moment he shows up, I’ll just...”

His eyes flashed, and he balled both fists tightly.