Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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‘Extraordinary Presence?’
Just from the title's name, I could roughly guess what kind of buff it offered.
It seemed like an effect that made one's presence stand out even more than usual...
And sure enough, despite the brutal twelve-second screen time, Won Ji-an managed to pull off a pretty impactful scene.
'I thought only Do Won-woo could make something like that work, but he really brought it to life.'
The other trainees were surprised too.
“Whoa, did Ji-an do that well?”
“No idea, but he's flying around like crazy today.”
I looked at Won Ji-an on stage.
'Does he know? That I have a system like his.'
I wondered if he knew, just like me, now that the System Identification skill was unlocked.
I had no idea when it unlocked for him, so he might have known even earlier.
Of course, I couldn't rule out the possibility that he had no clue at all.
“Alright, now we'll film the dance break!”
The moment I'd been waiting for: the dance break shoot.
This was the part where all five stages merged into one, featuring a group performance.
The A-ranks took center stage, B- and C-ranks flanked the sides, and the rest filled the back.
The trainees in the rear were practically invisible, but they gave it their all anyway. They might not show up in the official video, but individual fancams would be released later.
I was going all out too. The more screen time you grabbed early in the show, the better your chances for debut—it was just how the system worked.
To leave any mark at all, I had no choice but to give my absolute best every second. Even then, I'd heard plenty of top efforts got completely edited out.
“Good work, everyone!”
Shooting wrapped, and the exhausted trainees collapsed into their spots.
They'd powered through their individual grade parts plus the dance break—it was enough to wear anyone out.
“Ugh, I just wanna go home...”
Lee Hae-won muttered beside me.
“Me too...”
“Whoa, check that out.”
“What?”
“Hak-jin hyung seems fine.”
We were trading tired words when I followed Lee Hae-won's gaze.
While every other trainee slumped in exhaustion, Kwon Hak-jin alone stood tall and straight.
'He doesn't get tired?'
I knew he was supposed to have great stamina, but seeing it in person was impressive.
Just then, our eyes met, and Kwon Hak-jin waved with a smile.
'How does he have that energy?'
With all the repetitive filming, anyone should be drained—yet there he was, full of pep.
I admired him, but a twinge of pity crept in too.
'That's right... it's all an act, that stuff.'
Kwon Hak-jin was the character haunted by childhood trauma, obsessively maintaining a bright facade to avoid abandonment.
He'd get better later with the members' help, but that arc didn't resolve until midway through the novel.
'It's okay to say you're tired if you are.'
He looked pitiful, but there was nothing I could do right now.
Even knowing his backstory, until he opened up first, it wasn't my place to intervene.
“Good work.”
I called out, and Kwon Hak-jin squinted his eyes in a grateful smile.
Back at the dorms, the trainees gathered in the cafeteria for dinner.
I scanned the room for a seat after grabbing my tray. Normally, I'd plop down anywhere, but not today.
'Where's Won Ji-an?'
Balancing my tray, I searched for him. With no other chance to talk, now was it.
'Ah, there he is.'
I spotted Won Ji-an in a quiet corner, eating at a snail's pace.
I wasn't used to approaching strangers, but I steeled myself to act natural and headed over.
“Hey.”
“Huh...?”
Won Ji-an's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of me.
“Mind if I take the seat in front?”
“Uh, no, go ahead.”
“Cool, let's eat together then.”
Step one: joining him. Success.
Now to keep the conversation going.
“We're the same age, right?”
“Oh, yeah...”
“What? Then we can drop the formalities. Friends already?”
A chuckle escaped me.
It was hard to believe I was the one suggesting we be friends.
“Tired today, huh?”
“Yeah...”
“But doesn't it feel like a weight off? Finally done with this signal song mission.”
Won Ji-an nodded vigorously.
“Yeah... it does.”
The talk didn't flow easily.
His responses were just nods or agreements—nothing more.
It was clear we were both hopeless at making friends.
'Still, gotta push through somehow.'
To learn his real name, getting close was priority one.
'Can't ask here with cameras everywhere.'
Proper questions would have to wait until camp ended.
For now, small talk to build rapport was the plan...
'But what do I say next?'
This was turning into a one-man show.
To outsiders, it'd look like a solo act.
'Would it go better with Lee Hae-won or Kwon Hak-jin here?'
I was pondering my next line when Won Ji-an spoke up.
“I'm... boring, right?”
“Huh?”
“Sorry I suck at talking.”
He hung his head low.
“I'm shy by nature, so I'm not used to chatting with people. You came over first, and I'm sorry...”
Was this sincere?
Won Ji-an apologizing over something so small felt off.
I was the one who'd approached with an agenda—whoever wanted something had to put in the work. If the other side didn't react as hoped, that was on me.
“No need to apologize.”
“R-really?”
I nodded.
“It's not shyness—more like you're just introverted...”
“Isn't that the same thing?”
“Nah, totally different.”
I corrected him.
“Anyway... whatever your personality, if I wanna be friends, it's on me to adjust, right?”
Won Ji-an's eyes went wide, like he'd never considered it that way.
“Why? Am I wrong?”
“Well... you're the first to ever say that to me.”
He murmured softly.
“I can't talk much and I'm no fun, so people who approach always get disappointed and leave... I just figured I needed to fix my personality.”
I studied him.
Didn't look like acting.
If it was, he'd be better off as an actor than an idol.
So this was his real self.
'Did he get possessed like me, forced into idol life?'
Suspicious.
Time to probe gently.
“But for someone shy, you were flying across that stage earlier.”
“Huh?”
He visibly panicked.
“What, superpowers or something?”
I tossed it out like a joke, and his face screamed guilty.
First person I'd met whose emotions showed so plainly.
“S-superpowers? Pfft, if I had those, I'd have used 'em ages ago.”
That's when I spotted the title equipped above Won Ji-an's head.
'You're using it right now.'
From his words, he still didn't know I could see his system. That meant his identification wasn't unlocked yet...
'Call it here for today.'
This intel alone was a solid win.
“Won-woo, you like mushrooms...?”
His random mushroom talk cracked me up.
'Trying to change the subject after I hit a nerve?'
He was scrambling to pivot.
I wasn't great at conversations, but better than him.
'Plenty of other topics—why mushrooms? Because of the ones in this doenjang jjigae?'
“Dunno, I eat anything...”
That's when Won Ji-an's eyes widened over my shoulder.
I'd sensed someone anyway and turned to see Hyeon Si-woo standing there.
'...Why's he here?'
We barely had any connection.
“Seat open?”
Hyeon Si-woo stood blankly with his tray, waiting.
“Yeah, sure, sit.”
He took the spot across from us.
'Tons of empty seats, but he picks here...'
Hyeon Si-woo trailed off.
“Just... felt like I haven't talked to the others much lately.”
I nodded, but it didn't quite add up.
'That's not his personality.'
Hyeon Si-woo was the outsider type, uninterested in friends. Hated going out, crowds—total homebody.
Preferred solo meals over group ones, yet here he was acting out of character?
Meant he had a goal...
'Is that it?'
To snag even one more cut on air, sticking with others beat sitting alone.
Made sense if he was pushing himself for screen time.
'If so, Hyeon Si-woo really wants to debut.'
But there was a snag.
All three of us here were introverts.
Sure enough, dinner passed with only the clink of chopsticks on trays.
“......”
“......”
Conversation was a drought.
Hyeon Si-woo, who'd tried starting something, suddenly clammed up and just shoveled food.
Wonder if we'd even bond like this. That was the vibe.
All trainees assembled in the gym for the next shoot.
“Huh? What's that?”
A banner hung on the gym wall: ‘Dream Stage Sports Day’.
I'd expected it. In the story, sports day followed the video shoot.
'Broadcast needs a breather episode anyway.'
This arc showed Lee Hae-won bonding with the leads. Highlighted the chemistry between sunny Lee Hae-won and gruff Han I-jae.
'Normally, Lee Hae-won, Han I-jae, and Hyeon Si-woo would team up.'
As I thought that, the MC climbed the platform.
Rocking colorful gym clothes to fit the theme.
“Hello, everyone. Missions have been tough and exhausting, right? So we've set up a fun sports day to refresh you.”
Amid the trainees' reactions, the MC continued.
“By the way, the winning team with the highest score gets a special prize.”
Far off, a staffer wheeled in a cart piled with pizza boxes.
“Pizza sets!”
Ah, product placement.
The novel had pizza as the prize, so no surprise.
Unlike my nonchalance, the trainees went wild.
Made sense—they'd been choking down bland tray slop forever; greasy food was a rare treat.
“Looks delicious.”
“Man, I want some so bad.”
The MC grinned at their hype, then checked his cue cards.
“Before the sports day, we need teams. We'll decide with a simple game.”
A tent pulled back, revealing ten chairs in a circle on the floor.
“The game is musical chairs.”