44. I Want to Be Famous

"What? An attention seeker?"

Maeng Woo-shin asked back, utterly dumbfounded.

"Did you just call me an attention seeker?"

And before he could even hear an answer, he asked again.

"You little punk, you're calling your senior — someone leagues above you — an attention seeker?"

Having repeated himself three times in a row, Maeng Woo-shin stood there gaping, then grabbed the back of his neck. It wasn't as if rude juniors were rare in this industry, but no one had ever had the gall to ask, straight to his face, 'You're an attention seeker, right?'

"Wow... wow, seriously, this is... wow. I can't even punch you for this, and — wow."

Rembrary was hardly the most perceptive man alive, but even he couldn't miss his own slip of the tongue when the other party reacted like that.

'Is "attention seeker" not some kind of rank?'

Rembrary clicked his tongue inwardly, recalling the note Jungseo had written out with a little star next to it. Apparently the word Jungseo had penned with that perfectly composed face had been an insult all along. But saying 'I didn't know it was an insult' at this point wasn't likely to placate Maeng Woo-shin, who looked ready to explode. Still, just in case, he added it anyway.

"My apologies. I didn't realize it was an insult."

As expected. Maeng Woo-shin's expression only turned darker, as if to say, what kind of nonsense is this? But he didn't seem like the type to be ruled by his emotions for long; soon he was smiling an icy smile and asking,

"Hey, junior. You're hardly in any position to be calling anyone an attention seeker, are you? Who was it again who's been pulling every bizarre stunt imaginable to grab people's attention?"

"Who would that be?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"No?"

The word had clearly stung Maeng Woo-shin badly. Faced with his repeated attempts to pick a fight, Rembrary tried a calmer approach this time.

"I speak of the organization you have joined, senior. I did not bring it up as a threat."

"Um, excuse me, junior? I'm not part of any organization worth threatening someone over."

"I wish to join."

"!"

"I too wish to enter that fascinating organization. I wish to become a charlatan."

The word flabbergasted practically materialized on Maeng Woo-shin's face. It was the look of a man thinking, what on earth is wrong with this one? But when Rembrary kept gazing at him with utter sincerity, he burst out laughing and waved his hands.

"I don't know what nonsense you've been hearing from whom, but forget it. Just go."

The attitude said he had no interest in engaging further, but Rembrary, trusting Jungseo's investigation like a bedrock of faith, asked once more.

"I mean every word of it. I wish to join that organization, senior."

Maeng Woo-shin arched an eyebrow. Then, after furrowing his brow for a moment, he went, "Ahh," and nodded slowly.

"Now that I think of it, Jungseo's in the same group as you, isn't he. So you heard something from him?"

"No."

"'No,' he says. Yeah, that's exactly how it looks."

Rembrary answered "No" once again, just in case, while carefully studying Maeng Woo-shin's expression. But this time, Maeng Woo-shin didn't outright tell him to get lost. Instead, as if something had caught his consideration, he stroked his chin, crossed one leg over the other, and stared into empty air. He seemed to be weighing Rembrary's words a bit more seriously than before.

How long did that go on?

"Ahh, no. Not you. You don't qualify."

Saying this, Maeng Woo-shin shook his head and rose from the sofa.

"If you won't go, then I'll have to. Look around if you like, then see yourself out."

The nuance was clear: others might be allowed in, but not Rembrary. Catching that nuance, Rembrary trailed after him and asked,

"Why am I not permitted?"

He hadn't expected an answer, but Maeng Woo-shin, surprisingly, gave one readily.

"You're not at the required level."

"Level?"

"There's a cutoff line here too, you know."

A cutoff line?

Leaving those cryptic words behind, Maeng Woo-shin caught the elevator that had just arrived and rode it up and away. Instead of following him, Rembrary went back down to where Jong-woo had been earlier. Jong-woo was nowhere in sight by then; in his place was a text message.

Rembrary climbed up to the third floor, sat down on a bench in the corridor, and searched the words 'level' and 'cutoff line'. Before long, he grasped what Maeng Woo-shin had meant.

'So unless one has first found success as a celebrity, one cannot enter the organization he belongs to?'

Two hours later, Jong-woo emerged from one of the many rooms lining the corridor. He was mid-conversation with someone as he came out, but upon spotting Rembrary, he hastily wrapped things up and hurried over.

"I texted you. What are you doing hanging around here?"

"I did not wish to disturb you."

"If I thought I'd be disturbed, I'd have turned my phone off myself."

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

"By the way, Jong-woo. I have a question."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Does having a low level mean one is not famous as a celebrity?"

At Rembrary's question, Jong-woo flinched, then blinked his eyes wide.

"Who said that? Maeng Woo-shin told you your level's too low?"

"He said my level does not clear the cutoff line."

"Excuse me, what?"

Jong-woo glared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with sharp, narrowed eyes — but only fumed in place, careful to keep his voice down. That settled it: the organization Maeng Woo-shin belonged to really did require a certain measure of success as a celebrity before anyone could join.

To Jong-woo, who was cursing Maeng Woo-shin even while lowering his voice to a whisper in case anyone overheard, Rembrary said quietly:

"I want to be famous, Jong-woo."

What on earth did that insufferable bastard Maeng Woo-shin say to him...?

Jong-woo couldn't take his eyes off Rembrary the entire drive. Rembrary kept the exact contents of his conversation with Maeng Woo-shin a secret, but he'd clearly swallowed more than a few choice insults, because he wore a sullen expression the whole way. On top of that, the guy who had maintained a strict 'mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers' attitude ever since losing his memory had suddenly announced that he wanted to be famous.

In truth, Rembrary was simply staring into space with a blank face, thinking of nothing at all. But there is no expression in the world more open to interpretation than a blank one.

'So that bastard completely looked down on him, huh.'

Jong-woo clicked his tongue inwardly as he turned the wheel, and finally offered another word of comfort.

"Yeon-woo."

"What is it?"

"This album's going to do well. Whatever that guy said, don't let it get to you."

"Ahh. It hardly bothers me at all."

"Seriously, don't let it. That guy's famous for running his mouth."

"Is he famous for anything else?"

"Huh?"

"Is he famous for anything besides trash talk?"

"Uh, well...?"

"I see..."

Rembrary nodded and went back to staring silently out the window.

The next morning.

Jong-woo arrived before Rembrary had even eaten, his face dark as he spoke.

"We checked the CCTV in front of the main gate, but whoever it was covered their face pretty cleverly, so apparently there's no identifying them."

"So the culprit cannot be caught?"

"It just might take some time, that's all. No fingerprints on the blade either."

Having said that, Jong-woo made a worried proposal.

"I've texted the other guys too. The real lunatics out there leave the dorm and go after each member individually. So today, stay at the dorm with me."

It wasn't an empty offer, either — Jong-woo had come lugging a huge bag along with him. When asked what was inside, he slid a baseball bat halfway out of the bag.

"Just in case."

Then he asked whether Rembrary had eaten yet.

"Not yet."

At Rembrary's answer, Jong-woo insisted they start with breakfast, dug the bat out of the way, and produced a triangle-shaped rice ball and an assortment of drinks from inside the bag.

"Where's the chicken breast?"

"On holidays you can take it easy a little."

Rembrary obediently ate the rice ball Jong-woo handed him and drank the beverage. But once he'd finished everything, he came out with something Jong-woo had never once considered.

"If it's no trouble, I should like to go to the practice room and practice. Is practicing on a holiday permitted?"

Rembrary's words nearly made Jong-woo drop the rice ball from his mouth.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Even after losing his memory, Yeon-woo hadn't been especially passionate — but even before losing it, he'd shown little interest in idol activities. After all, the original Woo Yeon-woo had been an aspiring actor. And now he wanted to voluntarily give up his day off to practice?

"Hey... what the hell did Maeng Woo-shin actually say to you yesterday?"

Jong-woo was certain Rembrary had absorbed something savagely brutal. Nothing short of a devastating shock could have produced this. Rather than tell the truth, Rembrary simply beamed a kindly, beneficent smile and let Jong-woo's misunderstanding stand. There was no need to explain that he was probing every god-related lead he could find, here and there, in search of a way back to his original world.

"Is it allowed or not?"

"Allowed? Of course it is. I mean — hell yes."

Riding Jong-woo's car to the agency, Rembrary headed straight for the practice room. But neither the Dance Teacher nor the vocal coach was anywhere to be seen. They each had their own schedules, and neither had imagined anyone would show up on a holiday.

Rembrary fumbled the speaker on exactly as the Dance Teacher had shown him before, and began practicing the choreography ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for their previous title track alone. But no matter how he watched himself in the mirror and moved his body, the thing only creaked and clattered.

'If it looks this bad even to my own eyes in the mirror, it must look far worse to others.'

Sighing inwardly, Rembrary danced on, take after take. How many times had he repeated the cycle when a light knock sounded at the door. He turned to find CEO Im standing by the window.

Wondering what this was about, he approached and opened the window, and CEO Im let his gaze drift slowly over the empty practice room before asking,

"So it's true. You want to be famous. That's what you told Jong-woo."

"It is."

CEO Im looked at Rembrary's sweat-drenched forehead and damp neck, then smiled with satisfaction. Sure, he'd described the kid with phrases like doesn't manage his image and a card we're throwing away — but all the while, Rembrary had been surviving on his own, keeping pace right behind them. No — to put it precisely, he was running ahead, leaving the rest of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the group behind him. And now, of all times, Rembrary himself was showing a willingness to work, unlike before. It was honestly endearing. Whatever else you could say about him, a useful card beat a discarded one.

CEO Im gave the order.

"Run that thing again, from the top. Properly this time."

'Why is he doing this?'

Though he found it strange, Rembrary repeated the dance while CEO Im watched him with unblinking intensity. Then, about halfway through the song—

As if he'd seen all he needed to, the CEO stepped inside the practice room and dialed the speaker volume way down.

"If you're prepping a new album, practicing for a competition, AND doing solo practice on top of that, there won't be enough hours in a day."

"?"

"So here's my thought. You said you'd practice on your days off, right? Then how about using some of that time to try an acting lesson?"

"Acting?"

Here was yet another thing he'd never considered. Rembrary raised an eyebrow.

CEO Im nodded.

"Acting."

"Acting, all of a sudden?"

The Dance Teacher had once brought up acting while rambling on about kiss scenes, but still — wasn't this rather out of nowhere? To Rembrary's question, CEO Im answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Great face, great voice, great diction. Sings well but can't dance. Honestly, if you can act even halfway decently, going the route of acting while singing OSTs wouldn't be a bad move at all."

The truth — which he hadn't yet told even Jong-woo — was that a famous drama screenwriter he was close with had once said she'd like to write Yeon-woo into a supporting role. The male lead of the new drama currently in preparation was a priest, and she needed someone for the role that accompanied him everywhere.

The screenwriter said she'd looked through every photoshoot Yeon-woo had ever done, and that she was deeply taken with that peculiar, reverent aura of his. But to CEO Im, Yeon-woo was a card whose only value was generating buzz — half-discarded, really — and he'd been debating whether this role shouldn't go to another member or a trainee instead.

And now the kid was suddenly showing real drive. So he asked:

"Thought you wanted to be famous."