Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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"Vocal Beginner...?"
My voice was starting to crack a bit, and now it was giving me titles like this.
I marveled at it for a moment before deciding to check the system window's explanation.
Ah, so equipping a title gives specific buffs.
Growth speed and recovery speed increases? Practice had been killing me lately, so this was perfect timing.
'Of course I'm equipping it.'
The moment I thought that and hit the button, a light flashed before my eyes.
Feeling something strange, I rushed to the bathroom and saw myself in the mirror. Floating above my head in small text was "Vocal Beginner."
"This is only visible to me, right?"
It felt just like becoming a game character.
Well, as long as I got the buffs, I didn't care. Right now, the most important thing was maxing out my vocal stats.
After equipping the title, the effects started kicking in for real.
Practice definitely felt smoother than before. Growth speed was faster, and recovery time had noticeably shortened.
I used to strain my vocal cords after long sessions or taste blood in my throat, but lately, it had improved a lot.
I was still far from hearing "you sing so well," but hey, seeing my stats go up was something. In the original story, Do Won-woo wouldn't have improved no matter how hard he tried.
'For now, keep up steady vocal practice and check the other areas too. Dance and expressions are important.'
"Five, six, seven, eight."
With each thud of my steps, the sound echoed through the floor.
Honestly, I still couldn't believe it. Me, dancing in front of the mirror with various expressions.
It felt so foreign that the guy who'd only sat at a desk studying was now moving like a maniac.
The silver lining was that Do Won-woo's body had solid basics, so dancing wasn't too hard.
I'd memorized the choreography in minutes and locked it in my head.
At this rate, enough practice should give me a shot.
"Hoo..."
I plopped into a chair, exhaling roughly as sweat dripped down my forehead.
Had I ever moved my body this passionately in my whole life? Maybe just during PE evaluations.
'An idol, of all things, when it wasn't in my fate.'
But I had to do it.
I didn't want my second life to end in failure like the first.
And I was the only one who could fulfill Do Won-woo's dream.
Early morning.
I crossed out today's date on the calendar with a red pen.
'Finally, today.'
With the ranking evaluation right around the corner, there was one last thing to do.
Practice? Obviously. But this was something else.
Today was the day Lee Hae-won came up to Seoul from his hometown in the story. So, I was heading out to meet him.
Someone might say, just meet him at the shoot, right?
'They say that because they don't know.'
Everyone's heard about the importance of connections.
Words like school ties, regional ties, blood ties didn't come from nowhere.
Honestly, I'm more about earning it through skill than networking, but this time, I had to think differently.
'I need to get close to the protagonist.'
That was the reason for meeting him earlier than in the original timeline.
For the record, I don't hate networking out of stubborn pride or anything.
I'm just terrible at it. In simple terms, I'm hopeless at making friends.
'Including middle and high school, I set a legendary record of zero friends throughout my school days.'
Of course, I wanted to try making friends at first.
But listening to my classmates' chatter made my body recoil. How could I get close to idiots like that? was all I thought.
So I chose to be an outsider. Honestly, it was more comfortable.
'But not now.'
Unlike solo studying, idols need teamwork, I'd heard.
So befriending the protagonist could only help. Do Won-woo's downfall basically started when his relationship with the protagonist soured.
'In the original plot, the protagonist comes to Seoul, loses his wallet, has no bus fare, and ends up busking.'
It wasn't a major scene. Just a way to show off the protagonist's genius voice drawing crowds.
'No readers care about showing off his talent right now anyway, so I can change it however.'
My plan was simple.
Pretend it's a chance encounter, help the protagonist in his pinch, and get friendly.
It felt like I was some con artist or gang member, but survival didn't allow for pickiness.
You do what it takes to live.
"Here already...?"
It was around 11:30 when I got off the bus at Seoul Station.
The novel said Lee Hae-won arrived at noon, so a bit more waiting and I'd see him.
How long had I waited? Finally, the protagonist appeared amid the crowd.
'...Anyone could tell it's Lee Hae-won.'
He looked exactly like the illustration.
A gentle impression overall, with slightly upturned eyes giving off a feisty, cheerful vibe.
"My wallet..."
Right now, the shock of losing it had his eyes drooping a bit.
"Guess I lost it. What do I do...?"
The next part was predictable.
The protagonist starts asking passersby for fare money.
"Um, excuse me. I lost my wallet and don't have bus fare..."
But everyone ignores him; no one lends a hand.
Eventually, he pulls out his guitar from his bag and busks.
That's how it would've gone originally.
"Want me to lend you some?"
Lee Hae-won turned to me.
"Huh...? Really?"
"Yeah. Here. Take it."
I pulled a bill from my pocket and handed it over. Life returned to his eyes.
"Wow, thank you so much. I'll never forget this kindness, even in death."
Lee Hae-won hammed it up naturally. His personality really was great.
But I wasn't planning to part here. I'd come this far; I needed to maximize the return on my time.
"Where you headed, by any chance?"
"To my dorm."
"Oh, on your way to the dorm."
I sucked at making friends and had zero social charm, but I'd run dialogue simulations in my head a hundred times, so it flowed naturally.
"So, you here on a trip to Seoul?"
This question was the starter to snowball the conversation.
Given his personality, he wouldn't dodge after I helped him; he'd spill the truth easily.
"Not a trip, but... embarrassingly, I have a TV thing."
Just like that.
"Whoa, really? What show?"
"Well..."
Lee Hae-won whispered in my ear.
"Heard of it? Dream Stage, the survival show...?"
Good.
I'd prepped simulations for various responses, but no need now.
It was heading the right way, so time for the key line.
"Huh? I'm on that show too."
I'd known forever he was on the same program, but I widened my eyes like it was breaking news.
"What? Really?"
His eyes widened too. Unlike my fake shock, his was genuine.
"Yeah, I'm on it too. Wow, what are the odds?"
My acting was so bad it was like reading from a textbook, but luckily, the pure protagonist bought it.
Someone might call me vile for this, but oh well. Survival was on the line.
"Haha, is this for real?"
"Right? So crazy."
My acting was pitiful even to me, but it was working—that was what mattered.
Lee Hae-won stared at my face, fascinated by the coincidence.
"Wow, I come up to Seoul, lose my wallet, freaking out, and the guy who randomly helps is a fellow contestant. What kind of fate is this?"
I nodded with a smile.
It wasn't coincidence or fate; it was all planned. But so what?
From his side, it was great—no sore throat from busking, just a smooth ride.
Anyway, final step. I spat the line I'd practiced in the mirror endlessly.
"Since we met like this, it's fate. Haven't eaten yet? Wanna grab a meal? My treat."
His eyes widened again.
"Meal...?"
He reacted honestly to "meal," but looked guilty about freeloading after the fare.
"But after fare, now food too... feels too bad."
Grrrowl.
Right on cue, his stomach rumbled.
"......"
"......"
In the silence, embarrassed, he scratched his head with a grin.
"Hehe, if you're buying, I'll gratefully chow down."
Obviously.
I'd planned to cover fare and food from the start.
My wallet was tight too, but Lee Hae-won was worth investing in. Thinking of the original plot where he becomes my enemy and tanks everything.
"Alright, let's go eat."
We entered the restaurant, greeted by a packed interior.
"It's swarming in here."
"Yeah? Must be lunch rush."
We grabbed a vacant table by the window.
Starving, Lee Hae-won eyed the menu photos like he could devour them. Hard to believe he'd even consider refusing my offer.
"What'll you have?"
"Anything you order is fine by me. Haha."
Anything?
No, I couldn't just feed the protagonist "anything."
I had a premeditated menu. That's why I'd scouted this far-off spot.
"How about jjimchi guksu? With dumplings, sounds tasty."
Per his backstory, Lee Hae-won's favorites were jjimchi guksu and kimchi dumplings.
His parents ran a jjimchi guksu place, so he'd loved noodles since childhood.
Sure enough, he reacted like a ghost before I finished.
"Sounds good!"
Exactly as expected.
"You like jjimchi guksu?"
"Who doesn't? Best stuff ever."
The protagonist laughed heartily.
Meeting someone with matching tastes on first encounter seemed to delight him.
"Kinda wild, huh? We click this well right off the bat."
Had to be.
I'd memorized his setting bible all night—family, how he got into music, favorite colors, pet peeves.
Even MBTI and egogram types, all stored in my head.
The bible had details not even in the novel, which was great for me.
Play the settings right, and I'd breeze through from here.
"What music you into? I listen to Daybyte's <Clear Weather Alert> a lot."
His eyes widened again.
"No way? I'm singing that for the ranking eval."
With his info locked down, getting close was just a matter of time.
'Hits a bit hard on the realism, though.'
Thinking back, had I ever worked this hard to befriend someone?
I'd thought it'd never happen in my life...
"Wow, this food's amazing."
"Good, right?"
"Yeah, but my mom's jjimchi guksu is still the best. Haha."
Well, whatever. It was fine.
Watching the goofy protagonist across from me cleared my head.
"Have more."
"Hehe, thanks."
And just like that, Lee Hae-won and I became friends. Incredibly fast.
He really lived up to protagonist status. Whenever conversation lagged, he'd toss a new topic to keep it going.
Like he made everyone around him happy just by being there.
The guy sparkled.
'Seeing this, I kinda get why Do Won-woo hated him.'
If you're lost in deep darkness, even light just makes you resent your own shadows more.
Anyway, I'd severed the original grudge today, so those feelings meant nothing now.
"Great meal!"
Leaving the restaurant to part ways, we'd swapped numbers and said goodbyes.
"Heading out now?"
"Gotta."
"Bummer. Wanted to hang more!"
We'd reached casual banter level, waving as we split.
"See ya!"
"Yeah, at the shoot."
As I waved at his receding back and turned—