Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Unexpected Reunion
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"What's your name?"
"H-Hakdong Elementary School, fourth grade, class two, seat seven, Kim Sion!"
Sion answered in a voice tight with nerves.
Seonwoo held back a laugh and finally managed to speak.
"No need to be so tense. Relax."
"Y-Yes, sir..."
"Did you come here alone?"
"No, I came with my mom, but..."
It seemed like she couldn't follow him all the way here.
Seonwoo gave Sion a quick once-over. Even at his young age, the kid had a defined nose bridge and sharp eyes that promised a bright future—he was strikingly handsome already.
But those chubby cheeks full of baby fat were adorably plump too.
How long had it been since he'd chatted with a kid this young?
And now he had to compete against this child for survival... He just wanted to buy him some ice cream instead.
That was when the door burst open, and a man in a suit strode in.
"Whoa, looks like everyone's already here! Hello! I'm Bang Hyungbin! Wow, you're incredibly handsome!"
His volume was off the charts from the moment he entered. And starting right off with compliments on looks, no less.
It already felt chaotic.
"Oh, n-no... Thank you. I'm Kim Seonwoo. Nice to meet you."
"H-Hello! Hakdong Elementary School, fourth grade, class two, seat seven, Kim Sion!"
"Aww, a little kid too! Nice to meet you!"
"I-I'm not little..."
He was a character overflowing with energy in every way.
Office worker, maybe? The vibe he gave off was definitely that. Seonwoo extended his hand for a shake as he looked at Hyungbin.
"Nice to meet you."
"Sure thing. But seriously, bro, you're super handsome. Were you acting professionally out in the real world before this?"
"Yes. I did some work with a troupe."
"Cool!"
"No, not really..."
A brief free-talk session.
How long had they been chatting like that? Hyungbin's face fell.
"Man, but it's a shame. Only two of us can make it through in the end, right?"
"...Yeah."
"It'd be great if we could all survive somehow... But one's not showing up. Are we just going with three?"
"Doubt it..."
It was right at that moment in their conversation.
The doorknob clicked. All three heads whipped around in unison, and then a red-haired man appeared.
Snow-white skin, eyes slitted like a snake's...
Seonwoo's expression soured the instant he saw him.
And the feeling was mutual.
"Kim Seonwoo?"
"...Fancy meeting you here."
He'd ended up running into someone from the Cheongsong Troupe after all.
At least it was a relief in a way. The person who'd entered was someone Seonwoo hadn't even considered.
"What are you doing here?"
His aggressive tone, unchanged even in front of the cameras.
His usual punchable face.
It was Seo Jinwook.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Whoa, you're from the same troupe? What a connection!"
Hyungbin clapped excitedly upon hearing that Jinwook was from Cheongsong like Seonwoo.
But then, without anyone saying a word, he tilted his head and put on a serious face.
"Wait, no—now it'll look like troupe mates fighting. Isn't that bad?"
Unlike Hyungbin's worries, Seonwoo wasn't too upset about running into Jinwook.
The troupe members he didn't want to clash with were everyone except Jinwook.
Though he did want to avoid him for other reasons.
Getting tangled up with him was stressful in every way.
The silver lining was that Jinwook wasn't spouting any nonsense.
Hyungbin sensed the awkward tension between Seonwoo and Jinwook. He cleared his throat to lighten the mood.
"Ahem. So, what do we do now? They said something about competing among ourselves, right?"
"Well..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ << We'll guide you from the organizers' side. >> That was when Sung Junil's voice emanated from the speaker installed in the dorm room's ceiling. It sounded excited, like he was enjoying the situation somewhere.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ << As of now, all participants have found their rooms. To become the owner of that room, you must now compete. >> << Open the closet and check the script inside. >> "I'll do it!"
Sion jumped up and fetched the script.
It was a thick, hefty script. As Seonwoo skimmed it, his eyes lit up.
'A four-person play?'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ << As you'll see, the script contains plays for four actors. Pick the one that appeals to you most and perform it. >> "Feels more like teamwork than competition."
"Yeah."
"I-I'll do my best!"
Sion clenched his fist and shouted.
Watching Sion, Seonwoo couldn't help but think the show was ruthless.
You had to collaborate to prepare the acting, but the outcome meant two of them would be eliminated?
Entertaining and stimulating for viewers, sure—but a bit too harsh.
Right as that thought crossed his mind,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ << You might be thinking something like that right now. >> << 'We worked so hard together, but if it ends with us eliminating each other, it'll feel unfair.' >> << For those thinking that, we've prepared something special. >> << The Golden Ticket. >> Sung Junil continued the broadcast as if he'd been waiting.
Yeah, something like this had to exist.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ << Only two teams performing on stage this round will receive a Golden Ticket. The team with the Golden Ticket survives in full. >> << Now you know what to do, right? >> << The performance starts at 10 p.m. tonight. >> << Good luck. >> A clean wrap-up.
Seonwoo looked around at everyone.
"...Looks like we have a goal now."
"Right?"
"Shall we start with the script?"
They read through it from top to bottom.
It would've been nice if everything fell into place smoothly after that, but it didn't. Deciding which scenario to perform was tough right off the bat.
Sion was the main issue.
No one would cast a obvious kid like Sion in a corporate role. Limiting choices to scripts with parts he could handle narrowed their options drastically.
Still, they found a decent one.
Seonwoo spoke up.
"How about Scenario 13?"
Number 13.
Three brothers and their nephew gather at their late father's house over inheritance issues. They struggle without the safe's password, trying combinations... and in the midst of fighting and reconciling, the second brother's young son plays the key role in cracking it.
The brothers' emotional arc was solid, and the kid's too. A pretty good scenario overall.
"I'm good with anything!"
"Sounds good to me!"
Sion and Hyungbin nodded right away.
Jinwook was left. Seonwoo turned to him. Instead of answering immediately, Jinwook silently read further down the script, nodding only after a pause.
"Let's go with this."
Why the hesitation if you're gonna agree anyway?
Assigning roles went smoothly enough, though.
The young son was obviously Sion; the cool-headed eldest, Hyungbin; the irritable second, Seonwoo; and the laid-back third, Jinwook.
'...This color, huh.'
Seonwoo faced the color orb floating before him and nodded.
A gray base dotted with dark purple spots. It didn't look healthy at a glance.
And it fit—the second brother screamed stressed-out, world-weary salaryman.
But he'd played similar characters a few times before.
While prepping for the finals, Seonwoo had practiced a wide range of roles. Burnt-out office drone? Of course he'd run that one.
Thanks to that,
"No, bro! Try a different number, I said!"
"...Whoa."
When they ran lines, Hyungbin forgot his own cues and just stared, mesmerized by Seonwoo's performance.
He'd figured a troupe alum would be good, but this? Beyond imagination.
It was pure, overwhelming presence.
"I'm suddenly embarrassed to even act now..."
"No, you're doing fine. Don't worry about it."
"But you're too good..."
Handsome face. Killer acting.
What kind of cheat character is this? Hyungbin suddenly felt small.
But the real problem wasn't Hyungbin.
"The p-password is, uh... Sorry. Let me try again."
Every run-through, Sion tensed up, forgetting lines or stumbling over words.
Honestly, Seonwoo got it.
How nerve-wracking must it be for this kid, thrown into a strange place surrounded by unknown adults?
"It's okay. Don't overthink—just read it like you're practicing. Wanna try?"
"Y-Yes, sir..."
Seonwoo had half-expected this from the moment he met Sion.
Kids had natural limits. He'd just coach him through it.
He had tips from his seniors on making characters feel real and effortless. He'd assist.
For Sion and Hyungbin both.
And after watching their acting for a while like that,
"Kim Seonwoo."
"...Me?"
"Come out for a sec."
Jinwook suddenly called him out.
What's this nonsense now? But he couldn't ignore it outright.
He followed Jinwook out of the room. Jinwook glanced around, found a camera-free spot, and turned with a scowl.
"What're you thinking?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Forgot? We're competing. You're not here to babysit."
"You seem to have forgotten, Senior. Top two teams means all survive."
"So you're gunning for everyone to survive?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Jinwook tilted his head like it made no sense.
"Think practically. Help 'em a little less, and it'll be easier. Those two? They'll crash and burn."
"..."
Seonwoo was momentarily speechless.
This guy hadn't changed a bit, even here.
"You satisfied doing acting like that, Senior?"
"Yeah."
Jinwook answered boldly.
"I'm good. Even if it makes me look sleazy or pathetic—as long as I get to act. You're still new, stomach full of pride maybe. Me? I'm starving."
"..."
Seonwoo went quiet again.
For a split second, he thought he understood that mindset.
If the hunger to act was that desperate, you could toss dignity and humanity aside. That kind of thing.
But Seonwoo didn't waver.
He didn't want to act that badly.
It wouldn't be vibrant.
It wouldn't be pretty.
"Too bad then. Guess I haven't starved enough, like you said. I don't wanna leave those guys hanging."
Realistically, Jinwook might be right.
Let Hyungbin and Sion self-destruct without help, and survival could be easy.
But he couldn't.
"Not sure about Hyungbin, but... Sion's just a kid."
"Lucky him. More time, more chances than us."
"...Let's end this talk."
No point communicating.
The more they talked, the clearer it became they were polar opposites.
Seonwoo started walking away, then glanced back at Jinwook.
"Watch."
"Watch what?"
"We'll get the Golden Ticket."
Seonwoo declared.
Maybe it was a promise to himself.
"We're all surviving."
With that, Seonwoo left.
Jinwook stared at his back in confusion, then let out a rough sigh, scratched his head irritably, and followed.
The empty lot they left behind was silent...
And Sung Junil, who had happened to overhear the whole exchange from around the corner, remained.
Sung Junil muttered with flushed cheeks.
"...Can't wait for the next episode?"