Chapter 7
Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Hello, I'm Lee Hae-won!"
Lee Hae-won, who had taken the stage, greeted everyone with a bright smile.
True to his nickname of Happy Virus, just his appearance alone radiated positive vibes.
"What a cute kid."
"Thank you for the kind words!"
Lee Hae-won let out a hearty laugh, and the tense atmosphere instantly lightened up.
That wrinkle-free charm was what drew fans in droves in the story. Not just the masters and production staff adoring him, of course.
"I heard you brought a guitar."
"Yes, that's right."
"Then shall we hear you play?"
No sooner had the words left than a staff member climbed onto the stage with a guitar.
Lee Hae-won naturally slung it over his shoulder and stepped up to the standing mic.
"Whoa, he looks so cute."
Reactions erupted from the trainee seats as Lee Hae-won's face appeared on the screen.
There was a reason he was called a squirrel-face and won hearts left and right. That adorable visage completely transformed the moment he sang.
The song he was playing now was Han I-young's My Dear, released in the 1990s.
An old track, but as a masterpiece, it had been covered on countless music shows and remained relevant across eras.
— My dear,
why are you so silent?
As Lee Hae-won's androgynous tone flowed out, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
'I'd only gauged the vibe from the novel's descriptions, but so that's what his voice sounds like.'
I could see why the reactions were so good. That tone was rare in itself.
'Definitely not something you hear every day.'
— With all my heart,
even if I say I love you,
if it's a fate we can't touch,
isn't that too sad?
As described in the novel, Lee Hae-won's guitar skills were top-notch.
Even someone clueless about guitars could tell it was masterful, with such depth in his playing.
— My dear,
just once,
can't you look at me?
'The protagonist is the protagonist, after all.'
This performance etched his skills into the viewers' minds.
Right after the first grade evaluation reveal, comments calling him more polished artist than trainee had topped the best replies.
"That's it."
Finishing his performance, Lee Hae-won flashed a wide smile.
"Wow, you play guitar really well."
As soon as it ended, Shin Su-yeol grabbed the mic first, like he'd been waiting.
"Where did you learn guitar, by any chance?"
"I taught myself at home."
"What? Self-taught? This level?"
Shin Su-yeol stuck out his tongue in disbelief.
"Self-taught to this degree? You're a genius."
"Thank you."
At Shin Su-yeol's enthusiastic response, Lee Hae-won gave a shy smile.
"Not just the playing, but your singing was great too. It's a song that's covered so often it could feel cliché. But your unique tone made it feel fresh, like hearing it for the first time."
Praise poured in, just like in the novel.
"Now, shall we see your prepared performance?"
After that brief demo, expectations for the main stage had skyrocketed.
For reference, the novel's plot went something like this.
In his main performance, Lee Hae-won sings well but shows clumsy dance skills, earning comments that he needs to work harder.
Despite the critiques, he humbly acknowledges his shortcomings, vows to grow, shows a healthy mindset, and wins over many.
That's how it would've gone in the original.
'Why?'
Not long after the stage began, Lee Hae-won's singing stopped.
Murmurs of confusion rose from the flustered trainee seats.
"Did he forget the lyrics?"
A red system window popped up before me, thrown by the diverging plot.
'...What?'
What the hell was that?
I was confused, but my mind raced to analyze the situation.
'So, by changing fates, his misfortune shifted to the protagonist?'
Lee Hae-won had forgotten his lyrics and stood there blankly, his mentality shattered.
'Please say something. Keep dancing or improvise on the spot.'
But he remained frozen, as if time had stopped.
The masters' initial sympathy slowly turned to regret.
'This is bad. He'll flop.'
If this continued, his original flower path would turn to thorns in no time.
Frankly, in this scenario, sticking by the protagonist offered no real gains. I could just watch like it was someone else's problem...
'Activate system window.'
I immediately opened the system.
'This is episode 5 point, grade evaluation. The protagonist sings Clear Weather Alert...'.
Having reread the novel countless times, I had the lyrics memorized.
Someone might ask how I memorized such a massive novel's details.
Well, it might sound arrogant, but it wasn't that hard for me.
'Never imagined my past life's study brain would come in handy like this...'
I hurriedly activated the Telepathy function.
Telepathy
[Select target: Lee Hae-won]
[Choose: Transmit or Insight]
[Transmit selected]
[Enter content to transmit to Lee Hae-won from Do Won-woo]
I closed my eyes and recited the full lyrics from memory in my head.
If it transmitted successfully, he could recall the forgotten lyrics and continue the stage.
Of course, no guarantees from me.
Success rate was only 25%.
If it failed, it was just the protagonist's fate to bear.
Ah, it worked.
I was worried it wouldn't, but it beat the 25% odds.
Receiving the lyrics, Lee Hae-won snapped out of it and resumed the stage.
'Good.'
This barely turned the mood around.
"...Thank you!"
Finishing the stage, Lee Hae-won gripped the mic with both hands and bowed.
But the mistake had drained his earlier bright smile and energy.
"Hm..."
Silence hung over the masters' seats for a moment.
"Did you forget the lyrics?"
Shin Su-yeol's voice, which had gushed praise for the guitar, had turned sharp.
"Memorizing lyrics is basic for any singer."
I knew this critique was coming.
"I memorized them, but I got so nervous..."
"I get it. First time on a stage like this, your mind can go blank. And you recovered well after."
Normally, praise for song choice and advice to hone skills would've followed, but...
"But you're not the only trainee new to this stage. I consider mental control part of your skill."
The plot was unfolding completely differently from the original now.
"I'm sorry..."
On the screen, Lee Hae-won blinked with teary eyes. He looked on the verge of tears, heartbroken.
Anyone seeing that face couldn't hurl insults, no matter how harsh.
"Let's start the grade discussion."
In the end, the masters' cold critiques wrapped up quickly.
"He messed up, so low grade makes sense."
"But his singing was too good."
"That kid has potential if he learns dance."
Lee Hae-won's expression, watching the discussion, had lost its earlier ease, filled only with desperation.
After the masters' long deliberation, Lee Hae-won's grade was...
"Trainee Lee Hae-won. C-grade."
Despite the mistake, he received the same grade as in the original.
Hearing the result, Lee Hae-won sighed in relief and bowed deeply. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead from the tension.
"You did well, Hae-won."
He couldn't hear, but I mouthed encouragement while looking at him.
Lee Hae-won, noticing me, seemed to understand and gave a grateful nod with his eyes.
Looking back, competition had always been a familiar word to me.
I'd spent hours studying and solving problems in the same spot, striving endlessly to win.
The result of that grueling effort was binary: step on others to rise, or fall under someone's heel.
'I was sick yesterday and missed school. Can I see your notes?'
I don't remember the name, but some kid asked me that.
That kid was an outsider in the classroom, like me.
Not by choice, like mine, but cast out from the group.
'No.'
I didn't lend them.
Once you start, they'd swarm like dogs, demanding theirs too.
So I had no desire for baseless favors. In my experience, continued kindness becomes entitlement.
Most people I knew were like that. Instead of gratitude, they schemed how to exploit more.
Seeing that ugly side of humanity killed any urge to help others.
Besides, what position was I in to help anyone? My own nose was barely above water.
Yet somehow, I'd unconsciously helped Lee Hae-won.
I didn't know why. Maybe it lingered from our first meeting.
That pure acceptance of kindness, mistaking it for genuine without suspecting ulterior motives.
Maybe that's why I wanted to help. Or perhaps to assuage guilt.
'...Acting all hypocritical, not like me.'
Just then, Lee Hae-won returned to his seat and gave me an awkward smile.
"I totally bombed."
"It's fine. Do better next time."
Even as I said it, my insides were tangled.
Thinking his misfortune—originally mine—had shifted to him left me clueless on how to comfort.
Honestly, reading the novel, I'd found him annoying at times, but now he even seemed pitiful.
'What sin did this guy commit? Bearing someone else's fate.'
"But it's okay!"
The Lee Hae-won beside me smiled brightly.
"Like you said, Won-woo, I'll do better next time. Gotta fight on from here."
Did he know his fate had changed because of me?
Gazing at his harmless smile, I struggled with what expression to make.
'One thing's clear, though...'
No more protagonist or villain roles.
With the story off-rails, I could reshape any so-called fate with my own hands.
"Good work, everyone."
With all grade evaluations done, the shoot end announcement rang out.
The trainees headed to the dorms.
"Everyone, check the dorm assignment chart and head to your rooms!"
They crowded around the chart to find theirs.
'Originally, Do Won-woo goes to F dorm, but with C-grade, assignments changed completely.'
In the original, the leads sharing a room with Lee Hae-won were Han I-jae, Kwon Hak-jin, Na Jae-hyun.
The three in one room.
'Fate's changed, so Lee Hae-won isn't safe anymore. Do Won-woo's misfortune went to him.'
Logically, I knew no advantages in sticking with the protagonist now, but deep down, I hoped for the same room.
"We're roommates!"
Lee Hae-won shouted then.
"For real."
Our names on the chart shared the same room number.
'Han I-jae got bumped.'
Originally, he'd room with the protagonist instead of me, but fate shifted him elsewhere.
Han I-jae, meeting my eyes just then, turned away, grabbed his carry-on, and left.
'We'll keep crossing paths.'
For some reason, our eyes kept meeting since the evaluation.
'Don't mind it.'
Shaking it off, I headed to the room.