Preparation
Ha Moo-young stood up casually, brushing off his butt as if nothing had happened. Everyone was still too stunned by the gap between the convulsing patient from moments ago and the man now grinning ear to ear to even speak.
"119's fine, no need."
"Pardon?"
They watched in disbelief as he took the staffer's phone and hit the cancel button.
"No, really."
Kang Ok-kyeong tossed her hair back and let out a sigh of relief mixed with exasperation.
"Good lord—"
"Did I scare you?"
"You call that scaring someone?"
"If we had more time, I could've shown you in a better way, but sadly, we don't."
Ha Moo-young's innocent smile turned toward Park Team Leader. The man let out a disbelieving chuckle as he loosened his soaked tie.
He'd been had. Completely and utterly played!
'Ah, damn it.'
He'd known it was acting. He had, but that sliver of "what if" had hooked him anyway.
Park scratched his head awkwardly as he returned to his seat. He couldn't deny it—that "what if" was the raw power of Ha Moo-young's performance.
'A rookie's supposed to be that good? Infuriating.'
"Shall we continue?"
Ha Moo-young wiped the corners of his mouth meticulously with a wet wipe, signaling it was time to discuss the actual character now that he'd demonstrated his chops.
But the panel was utterly drained from the ordeal.
"Huh? More?"
Their body language screamed they wanted to wrap it up. Everyone except Kang Ok-kyeong had been utterly overwhelmed by his presence.
They waved him off, eager to move to the next candidate.
"Yes. I'm just getting started. I can show you more—whatever you want, whatever you need, I'm confident I can nail it—"
Ha Moo-young clasped his hands together pleadingly, his tone earnest yet light.
"Please, give me a shot."
"Hahaha. Persistent, aren't you."
There was something endearing about it. A fresh charm unique to a 21-year-old.
Kang Ok-kyeong exchanged soft glances with her colleagues.
'What do you think? This is the guy I brought.'
'Yeah, okay. Good eye.'
She lifted her chin confidently, while her colleagues clutched their still-racing hearts.
Acting skills: pass, no question. Guts and wit: pass. Looks: obviously a pass.
"Alright, Mr. Ha Moo-young. We'll end the audition here for today and get back to you."
"Pardon? I still have more to show."
"We'll see the rest later."
His desperation was a pass too. The words subtly implied he'd advanced to the second round.
Ha Moo-young barely suppressed his beaming smile and bowed deeply.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Whoa, hold on, Moo-young."
He bowed in every direction like a malfunctioning robot. Park Team Leader called him back.
Was he about to pull some stunt? Under everyone's watchful eyes, Park held up his own tie.
"What about this?"
Your spit was all over it.
Ha Moo-young scratched his head sheepishly and apologized.
"Sorry about that. I'll compensate you. It just... drooled a lot. Heh."
"Forget it."
Park brusquely untied it and dangled it in front of Ha Moo-young.
"Just sign it."
"Sign? My signature?"
Whoa. Holy crap.
Everyone gaped at Park's unexpected move.
Smart guy. What did a tie even cost? No way he'd actually get compensated.
'Jackpot. If Ha Moo-young gets cast...?'
And if the project blew up and Ha Moo-young skyrocketed to fame? This moment would become a hilarious anecdote in his career.
"Pen...?"
"Here, a Sharpie."
And that tie would be the symbol of the story. A priceless treasure for Ha Moo-young's fans.
Who knew? A ten-odd-thousand-won tie might fetch six figures someday.
Scribble—
Ha Moo-young signed it with utmost care and held it up.
"Want me to tie it back on?"
"Nah."
If you want, I could make it a cute ribbon. I don't know how to tie it properly, though.
As if reading his mind, the team leader snatched the tie from his hand.
"Alright then, I'm really heading out. See you next time. Thanks so much today."
Another bow! He even threw in a clumsy wink at Kang Ok-kyeong Team Leader—'Catch you later, Team Leader!'
Kang Ok-kyeong and her staff burst into uncontrollable laughter, wiping away tears.
Thud!
The door shut, and she shook her head.
"What a character."
"Right? So refreshing."
"But why'd you get his autograph, Team Leader Park?"
"He's annoying! Gonna sell it for a new tie! Why?!"
Whatever else, the kid had growth potential in spades. Better to snag some crumbs from someone you couldn't beat outright.
Twenty years in the trenches had taught him that.
"So, we're advancing Ha Moo-young to round two, right?"
The other team members fell silent at Kang Ok-kyeong's question.
But silence meant yes. They'd already promised him the second round—couldn't back out now.
"Send in the next one."
"Yes. One moment."
Park tried to change the subject, prodding his staff. Kang Ok-kyeong smiled faintly, seeing right through him.
So transparent. Crystal clear.
'No choice now but to push the actor she scouted even harder!'
They burned with fervor, anticipating the fierce battle for round two.
Except Kang Ok-kyeong Team Leader and her crew, who leisurely sipped their coffee.
Clink.
"How'd it go? Good?"
"Yeah. Great vibe. Pretty sure I made round two."
"Attaboy!"
Go Kyung-min, prepping to leave, turned and shouted.
Of course it was Moo-young. His face had lit up on the way out!
He floored the accelerator spiritedly, peeling away from the building.
Vroom!
"Where to? Home?"
With Streets' Sunlight wrapped, he finally had some free time.
Ha Moo-young checked his phone and shook his head.
"Nah. Sanggu-dong, please."
"Sanggu-dong? Why there?"
"Enbin called me over."
"Ah, the concert thing? Want me to wait and pick you up?"
"No, head home, hyung. I'll have Enbin drop me off or something."
"Got it."
"Oh, right. Hyung, about action school."
"Action school? Why?"
"They said the project's got a lot of action scenes, so I should prep in advance when I can. Didn't Tae-seok hyung go there?"
Seeing how far he'd gone, Go Kyung-min could tell the audition had gone great.
He met Ha Moo-young's eyes in the rearview mirror.
"He did. Wanna get started?"
"Round two probably involves some physical stuff."
"They say that?"
"Nah, just a hunch. Intuition."
Second round after filtering from the first? Bound to be brutally competitive.
With all the physical talk, they'd likely test camera work and action chops too.
Kang Ok-kyeong Team Leader would fill in the details later.
"Yeah, your hunches are spot on."
Everything falling into place so smoothly, Go Kyung-min hummed a tune as the car sped toward the S Network building.
* * *
"Hey, unemployed."
Unfamiliar with the place, Ha Moo-young hesitated as he entered the lobby, where Enbin was waiting.
Ha Moo-young waved happily and fired back.
"Hey, semi-unemployed!"
"Why so late?"
"Late? It ended early."
"How'd the audition go?"
"Don't make me say it twice."
"Oho, brimming with confidence?"
Enbin grinned and led him underground. Massive practice rooms lined up in a bizarre layout. No wonder people joked about keeping kids locked in basements.
Screech.
"Ha Moo-young's here."
"Hi."
"Nice to meet you. Hello."
Dancers were already practicing inside. As the pair entered, everyone flopped to the floor like they'd been waiting for a break. Soaked in sweat—they'd clearly been at it for hours.
"Oh, right. Here—have these while you practice."
Ha Moo-young rummaged in his bag and pulled out drinks. Frosty chilled bottles.
They lit up and grabbed one each.
"Whoa, thanks."
"You didn't have to bring any—we've got plenty here."
"Still, showing up empty-handed felt weird."
Ha Moo-young smiled brightly and set his bag in the corner.
Fan meeting-slash-concert, so coordinating his appearance was tricky. No singing—he'd flat-out refused—but a simple dance might work...
Enbin had finally relented.
"What song?"
"Third album title track. You've heard it."
"But can Ha Moo-young dance?"
"Hyung, you miss his fan meeting? His singing bombed, but the dancing was decent."
Ha Moo-young wanted to retort, but it was facts—he stayed quiet and just poured Enbin a drink.
Shut your mouth with this.
"Practice first, then food. Our cafeteria slaps."
"Sure."
"Alright, hyung! Play the track. One more time!"
Enbin gulped his drink and sprang up. A familiar song filled the air, and they snapped into formation like clockwork.
Whoa, insane.
Tops were on another level. Their bodies bent impossibly flexible. Flashy b-boy spins in the middle too.
"One, two, three! Hyung! It's three here!"
"Ah, right. Sorry."
"Again. One, two, three!"
Ha Moo-young watched from the corner. As the song neared its end, sweat-drenched Enbin beckoned him.
"Moo-young, enter from the left."
"Got it."
"Time it to the beat—a bit fast. Tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap! Like that. Turn together, face front—the camera'll catch our full faces."
"Mm-hmm. Understood."
The dance was easier than expected. Just tricky syncing the beat.
Ha Moo-young nailed it after three or four runs, getting the feel.
Then, his phone in the corner lit up.
Ding.
Hmm. As expected.
Ha Moo-young nodded vigorously, like he'd known all along. Audition vibes didn't lie.
Thought he'd get a breather after Streets' Sunlight? No such luck!
Action school starting tomorrow, then.
"What is it?"
Enbin wiped his sweat with a towel and peered over.
Ha Moo-young showed him the text.
"Round two needs action prep."
"Action? You ever done it?"
"Nope."
Enbin's face screamed, What do I even do with this guy?
A dancer sipping a drink nearby chuckled.
"Just spin in the air or something, right?"
"Discus throw? Nah, kicks like this."
"Like this?"
The dancer launched into the air, spun once, and extended his leg fluidly.
B-boy backgrounds meant killer physiques.
"You're stiff."
"Oh yeah? You try."
"Back in my day, three spins easy."
"Sure, liar."
Even on break, they kept moving—spinning sideways, backward, aerial kicks. Chaos.
Ha Moo-young's eyes sparkled as he jumped up.
"Me too!"
"...?"
"Teach me that!"
"This? How long you been practicing?"
"Two weeks."
"No way."
If it couldn't be done, he'd make it happen. Ha Moo-young pleaded with more fire than during dance practice.
Plain action had no edge. He wanted that.
"Please! Make it possible!"
"Uh, Enbin?"
"Can't stop him when his eyes glaze over like that."
The dancer glanced at Enbin for backup, but he was powerless too.
He'd be here often for concert prep anyway—might as well.
Screech.
"Hyung?"
The door opened, and a familiar guy entered: Oon Ta, from Ha Moo-young's thug extra role in Cafe Please.
They recognized each other and greeted lightly.
"Oh? Moo-young hyung's here."
"What's up?"
"Manager wants you for a sec."
"Ah, got it. But why you calling Moo-young 'hyung'? You're the same age."
Enbin said that and left the room.
Hyung?
Oon Ta blinked between Enbin's back and Ha Moo-young.
Enbin said he and Ha Moo-young were friends, right? So shouldn't he call him hyung too?
"Haha..."
Ha Moo-young laughed awkwardly and waved.
"Hey. Oon Ta."
"What are you?"
"Well—we're same age. Enbin and I are, uh, friends. You know."
Pedigree breaker, basically.
Oon Ta stared blankly, and an even more absurd line followed.
"But your birthday's earlier, Oon Ta."