Chapter 2
Chapter 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Two in the morning.
Right now, I'm sitting at my desk, rereading the same novel over and over.
Taking notes on the important parts and checking them off, just like studying for an exam.
Honestly, I still couldn't believe it. Just a few days ago, I was solving college entrance exam workbooks, and now here I was, studying a novel's setting and plot.
I'd read it so thoroughly that I could recite every character's lines in every scene with my eyes closed.
'I can change it.'
No, I had to change it.
If I wanted to survive somehow.
The world inside the novel was one where the author predetermined good and evil, fate and all.
That's why Do Won-woo could never have a future of success from the start.
No matter how hard he worked, it was just a device to make his fall as the villain plausible.
But I had no intention of quietly playing my role as a tool and exiting stage left.
From now on, it was up to me.
'So, it changes depending on my choices. I can alter the story's progression and even the ending.'
I still questioned why I had to become an idol, but since I'd become Do Won-woo, I had to accept it.
'The document screening is already passed, and the ranking evaluation is coming up soon...'
I reread the novel's ranking evaluation episode.
At this point, public opinion on Do Won-woo wasn't bad.
Idols were all about looks, as the joke went—appearance carried huge weight in the industry.
'In the first ranking evaluation, Do Won-woo sings Jetwon's <No Signal>.'
It was a fictional song the author made for the novel, so I'd never heard it, but it clearly didn't suit Do Won-woo.
After the evaluation, he gets harshly criticized by the judges.
Then the protagonist sings a song that fits him perfectly, creating a stark contrast.
'Wow, Trainee Lee Hae-won, how did you pick a song that suits you so well?'
'Great song choice. It shows off your strengths perfectly. Very wise.'
'He knows his charms and has an objective view of his skills, so I see high growth potential.'
In that scene, there's a description of Do Won-woo's expression twisting briefly.
Probably the author's intent to show a villain consumed by inferiority.
'But isn't that natural?'
Right after your performance gets trashed, the next trainee gets rave reviews—anyone would struggle to keep a straight face. Of course, I would've hidden it somehow.
'Anyway, for the ranking evaluation, I have to change the song no matter what. Something that plays to Do Won-woo's strengths.'
I opened a streaming app, and songs from the original world popped up. Synced with reality, it wasn't much different.
The changes were things like novel idols topping charts or survival shows from the story gaining real popularity.
'Let's give it a listen.'
To find a song for the audition, I played one at random.
Unfamiliar intro. Definitely not my style. Same with the next.
'I don't know any of these.'
My knowledge of idol songs was basically zero.
High school was all study, no idols. I could've watched if I wanted, but I never cared.
'Fine. If I don't know, I'll learn.'
With a study mindset, I watched famous idol performances.
Seeing idol stages after so long was a shock.
They roll, jump, slide across the floor, covering the whole stage. If I tried, I'd look like a dancing octopus.
"Can I even do this with my stats?"
I muttered to myself.
Stats?
'I can see those too?'
Come to think of it, the novel only mentioned his low stats vaguely—I'd never seen exact numbers.
"Show me."
I stared blankly at the stat window.
True to the original, Do Won-woo's stats were utterly abysmal.
'Wow, grades like this exist.'
My first time seeing an F made my head spin.
An F on my report card? Unthinkable.
'His trainee experience got Dance to C-, at least. But even with that handsome face, Charm is only B+? There were comments saying his skills dulled his looks...'
Thoughts swirled.
People harshly criticizing how he could aim for idol with these skills—I'd felt they were too harsh, but now I got it. I was pissed too.
"Hoo..."
'Still, positive spin: Charm is high-grade, Dance isn't rock-bottom...'
The problem was singing.
In the original, Dance was passable, but Vocal got tone-deaf flak.
The author described Do Won-woo's singing as tragically talentless: Dance improves with effort despite lacking gift, but singing has hard talent limits.
And Do Won-woo was severely limited. Years of effort, no growth.
'Is this really okay? With this setup, no hope.'
That thought crossed my mind when—
All tension drained from my body at the system message.
'Phew.'
Thank goodness. I feared that curse of stagnation would persist.
Now that I possessed Do Won-woo's body, such settings were irrelevant.
'Higher freedom means no need for me as the villain.'
The author needed a rival seething with jealousy, so cursed Do Won-woo with unyielding mediocrity.
Absurd, even now. Even talentless folks improve with that effort.
The novel didn't detail it, but a passing line—"stayed in the practice room longer than Lee Hae-won"—spoke volumes.
'Do Won-woo really worked hard. He just had to stay mediocre to prop up the protagonist as the villain.'
Blaming the author's stat lock for his ruined life felt a bit pitiful.
Non-protagonist characters can't change their fate, no matter what. Villains like Do Won-woo are doomed to fall.
'The novel world is cruel.'
Anyway, whatever the original story, I could change it.
For Do Won-woo's successful debut, nail the first step.
His current stats were pathetic for a third-year trainee.
But with the forced settings gone, I could grind improvements before the audition.
Fated to pass anyway, but crucial to avoid the "tone-deaf" label.
'Plenty of time before the audition. Time to practice.'
Who could've imagined?
Me, prepping for an idol audition after college exam hell.
'How do you study so well?'
Classmates always asked when I aced tests.
No academies or tutors—how? Answer was always the same.
'Just replay lectures multiple times and sit at the desk long enough, scores go up. Can't you guys do that?'
They seemed weird for not getting it.
Effort's all it takes—why whine instead of grinding like me?
But now, I understood them better than anyone.
'How do you even sing like that?'
The vocal trainer in the video effortlessly hit high notes, winking, "You can do it too!"
'How, exactly?'
Singing wasn't studying. Relistening lectures boosted grades; vocal lessons didn't, no matter how hard.
Obvious—theory sticks, but singing isn't brain-only.
'Still, no giving up.'
Some might say my study smarts are useless here.
Half-right, half-wrong.
I had it: the grit to persist until it works.
Only those who've achieved know it.
'Sleeping four hours, all-nighters were routine.'
Like studying, pour that into singing.
Vocal academy? Ideal, but not feasible.
No problem. I self-studied to top scores before.
'One month to audition—focus on Vocal stat first.'
My plan: Among vocal skills, hammer vocalization.
Master that, and people think you can produce sound.
After that, I holed up practicing vocalization like mad.
So intense, my throat tasted blood later.
'Will this even improve anything?'
Daunting, but effort was all I had.
Time passed, and results showed.
I let out a short breath.
'F to D-. Not dramatic, but different from the original—meaningful progress.'