Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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‘Won Ji-an has a system, huh.’
Learning this unexpected piece of information left me lost in thought for a moment.
If Won Ji-an was a system holder, then I had to completely revise my view of him. He wasn’t just some ordinary extra—he was a capable individual with a system, just like me.
Thinking even broader, there was a chance he could be a possessor from another world, like myself.
Hidden Truths of Won Ji-an
📍 Objectives:
• Visit Won Ji-an's House (0/1)
• Uncover Won Ji-an's Real Name (0/1)
🎁 Reward: 100G, 1 Lottery Ticket
A chime rang out right then.
It was the sound signaling a quest's arrival.
I quietly scanned the quest window.
‘Uncover his real name?’
That implied he had an original name beyond the one he was using now...
‘Which makes the possessor-from-another-world hypothesis even more likely.’
Either way, judging by the quest order, I’d probably need to visit his house first.
On the surface, ‘visit house’ and ‘uncover real name’ seemed unrelated, but it felt like a hint that clues to his true identity were at his place.
‘...Hold on. To visit his house, we’d need to be pretty close friends first.’
The thought of forcing another friendship made my head throb honestly.
Still, based on what I’d pieced together so far, he was definitely no ordinary guy.
‘What’s this guy’s real deal, anyway?’
I kept my eyes on Won Ji-an as he returned to the trainee seats, lost in those thoughts.
I’d been too distracted earlier to notice, but text was floating above his head. Ever since getting System Identification, I could see what titles others were wearing.
‘Overflowing Confidence.’
What kind of title was that?
It was the first time I’d seen it.
‘Probably some buff that boosts confidence.’
If that was the effect and he was still only this confident, I couldn’t imagine how introverted he must be normally.
When Won Ji-an’s eyes met mine, I gave a brief nod and looked away.
‘No idea what his deal is, but I’ll need to keep an eye on him for now.’
The D-grade center selection proceeded just as expected.
Trainees who were better than the lowest rank but still middling in skill. Among them, Hyeon Si-woo stood out the most.
His skills had regressed due to the accident, but coming from a major agency gave his performance a certain presence on stage.
‘His movements have real sharpness to them, for sure.’
After Hyeon Si-woo mimed firing a gun with his hand, he blew on his fingertip like clearing smoke.
“Whoa, what’s with that facial acting?”
“Si-woo hyung’s expressions are on point.”
As Hyeon Si-woo bowed after his performance, he subtly massaged his knee.
He’d finished rehab, but some pain lingered, it seemed.
“Great job, hyung!”
The D-grade trainees, noticing this, gave him resounding applause.
‘With this vibe, Hyeon Si-woo’s got a high shot at center.’
Sure enough, once voting wrapped up, Hyeon Si-woo was named D-grade center.
“Trainee Hyeon Si-woo, you’ve become the D-grade center. How do you feel right now?”
Hyeon Si-woo took the mic on stage and shared his thoughts.
“Uh... first off, thank you.”
Hyeon Si-woo cracked a small smile.
It was the first genuine smile on his usually gloomy face.
It was just D-grade, and his screen time in the signal song video would be maybe 30 seconds, but he still looked thrilled to be center.
“I’ve only shown lackluster results since coming here, so getting my first good outcome makes me happier than ever. As D-grade center, I’ll prove we can shine just as bright.”
Hyeon Si-woo descended the stage amid applause, a faint smile lingering.
“Now, let’s move on to the C-grade center selection.”
C-grade at last.
In the tense atmosphere, Lee Hae-won beside me spoke softly.
“Hope everyone does well.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Even though we were in different grades now, we’d trained together in the same class before, so I couldn’t help worrying.
‘Going by the original plot, Jeong Hee-min’s the most likely for C-grade center.’
Jeong Hee-min debuts in the final top 5. He gets misunderstood early on due to his looks but skyrockets later by proving his skills.
He had the talent for a higher grade, but ended up C due to initial attitude misunderstandings.
In the first grade eval, the masters critique him, and he hesitates thoughtfully—but it looks like he’s glaring silently.
That gets him labeled as having a bad attitude, landing an F-grade.
‘He gets re-eval’d to C later, but even during the backlash, most agreed his skills didn’t warrant an F.’
Jeong Hee-min’s sharp eyes often make him seem angry, leading to frequent misunderstandings.
He gets flak early on but surges in popularity after helping the protagonist in a crisis, clearing up the misconceptions.
‘As an underrated trainee from the start, he’s bound to be the top in his grade.’
Barring surprises, Jeong Hee-min would take center.
But for some reason, I hoped for a twist.
“Trainee Kang In-hyeok, please come up.”
Called up, Kang In-hyeok rose like he’d been waiting.
As he stood, nearby trainees flinched and stared. His face was intimidating no matter how you sliced it.
‘...Honestly, if anyone deserves the misunderstandings, it’s him, not Jeong Hee-min.’
Jeong Hee-min seemed aloof but had a cute side; Kang In-hyeok could kill with a look alone.
“Hello. I’m C-grade trainee Kang In-hyeok. I’ll do my best.”
Kang In-hyeok bowed on stage.
“Trainee Kang In-hyeok, please briefly describe your prepared performance.”
“I aimed for something as enjoyable as possible for everyone.”
His eyes burned with sheer determination to snag center.
That intensity made his already fierce gaze blaze even hotter.
“Got it. Looking forward to your performance, trainee Kang In-hyeok.”
Kang In-hyeok nodded firmly on stage, as if to say watch this.
― ♩♪♫~
As the music kicked in, Kang In-hyeok snapped his fingers in time.
He’d poured everything into climbing grades last re-eval but only held steady—this time, he’d gritted his teeth for real.
‘All that effort’s paying off; he’s killing it.’
Kang In-hyeok nailed a clean turn, swept his hair back, and grinned.
Smiling definitely softened his scary vibe a bit.
“That’s good.”
“Yeah, totally.”
Positive reactions buzzed from the C-grade seats.
I felt the same. Among everything so far, his had the most varied moves.
He flawlessly swept the floor with a bent knee and hit his ending pose with a smirk.
‘Kang In-hyeok’s grinding hard too, not wanting to stay a background extra.’
Jeong Hee-min was the frontrunner, but Kang In-hyeok was no slouch.
Jeong Hee-min eyed him warily, sensing a real threat.
“Thank you.”
Kang In-hyeok returned amid cheers.
Next up, ironically, Jeong Hee-min.
“Hello. I’m C-grade trainee Jeong Hee-min. Nice to meet you.”
It was easy to see why he got misunderstood early—his upturned eyes made his face look like a grumpy cartoon cat.
“Trainee Jeong Hee-min, please explain your prepared performance.”
Jeong Hee-min took the mic, staring blankly ahead.
He was pondering, but to others, it looked like glaring.
“I prepared an umbrella performance.”
“Oh, an umbrella?”
True to the novel, a yellow umbrella sat beside Jeong Hee-min.
“The music evoked rainy weather scenery, so I thought an umbrella routine could be fun.”
True to his idea-bank rep, he’d choreographed around the umbrella.
“An umbrella? That’s fresh. Can’t wait to see it.”
― ♩♪♫~
Music started, and Jeong Hee-min unleashed his umbrella performance.
The bloomed umbrella traced beautiful arcs, spinning gracefully.
‘Same song, but it feels totally different.’
Jeong Hee-min hid behind the umbrella then revealed himself on cue.
“Whoa, pretty.”
“That’s solid too.”
The trainees loved the umbrella act.
For his ending, Jeong Hee-min waved with the umbrella like a cane.
‘I get why he snagged center in the original.’
It was elegant and visually lingering.
But totally different vibe from Kang In-hyeok’s—pure dance-wise, In-hyeok synced better with the sound.
‘Not about who’s better; their styles hit different tastes.’
“Time to vote.”
Trainees slipped name papers into the box.
Just results left. Candidates: Kang In-hyeok and Jeong Hee-min.
“Who’ll get it?”
“I’m voting In-hyeok.”
“But Hee-min was good too.”
Even other grades watched eagerly.
For some reason, I quietly rooted for Kang In-hyeok.
Not close, but training together built some camaraderie.
“C-grade center is...”
I tensed up without realizing.
Would it follow the original plot? Or had fate shifted?
In the hush, the host glanced at the result slip and smiled.
“Trainee Kang In-hyeok!”
The tension melted away.
‘It changed.’
Kang In-hyeok had stolen Jeong Hee-min’s destined center spot.
“Congrats, In-hyeok!”
“You nailed it. Great work.”
As cheers erupted, Kang In-hyeok stood and bowed thanks.
‘Why am I so pumped? It’s not even my win.’
Seemed minor, but it was huge.
A novel extra, through pure effort without special powers, overtook a lead and rewrote his fate.
“Congrats.”
Clapping beside me, I caught Kang In-hyeok’s smile in reply.
‘Tough break for Jeong Hee-min, though.’
This was his shot to surge past misunderstandings and underrating—only to lose to an extra.
“......”
“......”
Amid the celebrations, Jeong Hee-min stood with arms crossed, head down. He looked a bit lonely.
Recently promoted to C, no close friends yet. Only same-grade Hyeon Si-woo offered comfort.
‘Can’t be helped if it stings. Fixed fates are gone now.’
The novel’s freedom ramped up—fates unpredictable.
Leads, extras? Roles didn’t matter anymore.
“Trainee Kang In-hyeok, your thoughts?”
Kang In-hyeok grabbed the mic, beaming brighter than ever.
His face screamed relief, all past grudges blown away.
“Thanks to all my C-grade trainees who voted. As your face, I’ll make you proud! Thank you!”
His booming voice drew even louder applause.
Beside him, Jeong Hee-min clapped lightly with a bitter look.
“Alright, now for B-grade center selection.”
It’s finally here.
“Ughhh, I’m shaking.”
Lee Hae-won buried his face in my shoulder, fussing.
“You prepped hard. What’s to worry?”
“What if I mess up?”
“Nah, you won’t screw up anymore.”
I glanced toward Han I-jae after saying that.
Do Won-woo’s misfortune arc had shifted to him, so who knew what’d happen next.
‘But right now, I’ve got my own worries.’
B-grade selection had just kicked off.