Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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With the Keyword Group Battle wrapped up, every trainee was finally granted a vacation.
I'm going home at last. Just the thought of it made my chest feel a little lighter.
The other trainees didn't say it out loud, but their faces were noticeably brighter than usual.
Only after packing up my things was I able to get my phone back.
'Ha, my phone...'
It felt strangely unfamiliar in my hand, like I'd forgotten how I'd even survived without it all this time.
'Well, there was a way to sneak peeks at the internet without a phone.'
It was a secret method that spread quietly among the trainees—using the tablets handed out to each team in the practice rooms.
A few trainees would secretly check online reactions on them. I hadn't bothered, though.
That was the main reason. My first time appearing in media in front of an unpredictable audience—I didn't want to risk stumbling on hate comments and shattering my mentality.
I didn't doubt my own mental fortitude, but I wasn't about to overestimate it either. That was the honest truth.
'...I'll check the reactions later.'
On the way out after getting my phone back, I spotted Won Ji-an walking far ahead.
"Ji-an!"
Won Ji-an turned around at the sound of his name.
"Huh...? What?"
I hurried right up to him and held out my phone.
"Your number."
Won Ji-an blinked in confusion.
"...My number?"
"We're on vacation now. We should hang out sometime. Get to know each other better."
In truth, my curiosity about his true identity outweighed any desire to actually befriend him.
Oblivious to my intentions, Won Ji-an beamed happily, took my phone, and punched in his number.
'010... 542...'
I committed it to memory, just in case it somehow got deleted later.
"Hey, what're you two up to?"
"Number swap? Me too!"
Right on cue, other trainees who'd spotted us came rushing over.
Before I knew it, a crowd had swarmed, and I'd unintentionally collected numbers from a ton of them.
'Whoa...'
It was a first for me. My contacts list had never been filled with this many entries.
My phone had basically zero friends in it—never even cracked double digits.
'This is wild.'
That was when my eyes met Han I-jae's from across the way as he approached.
He was quietly watching the scene of trainees crowding around me.
'?'
Why's he staring like that?
I froze, unsure what expression to make, when Han I-jae walked up.
"Here's mine."
It was so casual that I nearly punched in my number on reflex.
He didn't look like the type to care about networking, yet here he was initiating. Unexpected.
"...Here."
"Okay."
Once Han I-jae showed up, the trainees swapping numbers with me shifted over to him instead.
He looked a bit flustered but entered each one diligently.
"Everyone's going nuts over contacts."
I turned at the voice behind me to find Lee Hae-won standing there, no idea when he'd arrived.
"We swapped ages ago, though."
Lee Hae-won slung an arm around my shoulder and let out a hearty laugh.
Even so, with vacation finally here, his face was brighter than usual.
It felt like the first time I'd seen him smile like this since our initial meeting.
"Everyone worked hard."
"Yeah. Let's head home."
And just like that, we left the dorms for our first break.
On the bus ride home, I had a surreal experience.
Stuck in the dorms, I had no sense of how much recognition I'd gained...
"You're Do Won-woo, right?"
"Whoa, it's Do Won-woo."
"Can we take a photo?"
Way more people recognized me than I'd expected.
It was the first time strangers on the street had approached me like this.
'Manage my expression. Expression management.'
My affinity was practically zero, but screwing up here could damage my reputation.
I'd never cared about celebrity scandals or industry drama, but binge-reading the novel multiple times had sharpened my instincts for this stuff.
"Hello! Sure, hello!"
I plastered on the brightest smile I could muster and greeted them warmly.
But deep down, only one thought ran through my mind.
'...I just wanna get home.'
I never imagined I'd miss that filthy, damp basement room.
Realizing it truly felt like home now was a strange moment.
A few people recognized me on the way home too.
I gave appropriate responses and finally made it back. As I got closer, a weird smell hit me.
'Someone tossed their cigarette butts again.'
I kicked one aside and unlocked the front door.
The room smelled musty from lack of airing out.
Hard to believe I'd actually missed this place, I thought, as I changed clothes and cracked open a window.
'Scratch that. I take it back.'
Still, it felt good to flop onto the floor after so long away.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd just lain there staring at the ceiling, doing nothing.
But no time to let my guard down.
'Gonna reread the novel later.'
A few days later, the premiere of Dream Stage arrived.
No TV at home, so I shelled out for an OTT app to watch. First time subscribing to stream a variety show.
'Couldn't miss it. Gotta see how they edit us...'
I wondered how it'd turn out. In the original story, Do Won-woo didn't get favorable editing.
Any practice mistakes or off-notes got replayed endlessly.
Of course, with cutaways to the other trainees' reactions.
'...Though as Do Won-woo's misfortune shifted to Lee Hae-won, he ended up with more mistakes shown.'
I wasn't worried about Hae-won. He'd proven himself in the next mission.
'Not like I'm in a position to worry about anyone.'
Messing with my phone mid-thought, a chat notification popped up.
It was from Lee Hae-won.
Unlike my constant worrying, Hae-won came off as sunny even in texts.
As we chatted back and forth, a rustling sound made me whip my head around.
It came from outside the window, but nothing was there.
'...What was that?'
A wave of unease hit me.
The worst part of basement living: shitty security. And every foul smell imaginable wafting in.
'People smoking or puking from drunken stupors right outside all the time.'
Couldn't close the window, though. No ventilation was worse.
Anyway, my goal was to debut and escape this hellhole ASAP—even if just one day sooner.
Rustle—
The sound came again. I turned and locked eyes with a black cat carrying a rat in its mouth.
'Just a cat, huh.'
Living in a basement, you see all kinds of weird shit. Catching a cat with a rat? New low.
The cat bolted once it saw me.
Premiere time at last.
I was all set to watch.
Right then, another text from Hae-won.
Showing off what looked like old-school fried chicken.
Not jealous at all. Absolutely not...
This guy's straight-up teasing me.
'Ah, it's starting.'
The endless ads ended, and the first episode kicked off.
The opening showed trainees on a massive stage.
Didn't notice on set, but with CG and epic BGM, it looked legit.
[Boys born into different fates. But their dreams are one and the same.]
The narration matched the novel's opening lines exactly.
[One group forged from a single dream. Dream Stage Season 2. Starting now.]
The broadcast began.
First up: trainees arriving at the dorms.
Agency kids piled out of black vans, but indie me just wheeled in my suitcase plainly.
'Can't be helped.'
Next, trainees entering the set by agency.
As they picked ranking seats one by one, memories of that day flooded back.
Du-dung.
"Indie" flashed on screen with dramatic sound effects.
And there I was—Do Won-woo's face, mine now.
[Whoa, jackpot.]
[He's insanely handsome.]
[Why's someone like that indie?]
The reactions I'd heard played out word-for-word.
Even I had to admit, on screen, I looked good. Their shock made sense.
'I see this face in the mirror every day, and I still can't get used to it.'
In the midst of it all, Hae-won spammed screenshots as my scene played.
'Can't rein this guy in.'
Next, me taking the last seat—100th place.
Trainees' puzzled faces cut in one by one.
[100th?]
[Huh? That low?]
[With that aura, he could sit in 1st...]
After their reactions, a slow close-up of me at 100th, taking deep breaths.
I didn't feel pitiful, but taken alone, the intro scene did look a bit sympathetic.
'...Was I really that gloomy when I first appeared?'
As I scrutinized my on-screen self, getting serious—
[Indie: Lee Hae-won]
His name hit the screen. The protagonist finally appeared.
'The real star's turn.'
Wonder what he was feeling. I checked our chat—surprisingly quiet.
Noisy when I was on, dead silent for his own entrance. Guy was full of surprises.
[Huh?]
There: Hae-won spotting me and pointing.
His interview followed.
[Hae-won: Won-woo?]
[Hae-won: Won-woo and I actually met once before this show.]
[Hae-won: How to put it... it was a fateful meeting, haha.]
Here it comes at last—this scene.