Rookie but One-in-a-Million Actor - Chapter 68: Equivalent Exchange
After the stalking incident, Enbin had moved to a new dorm. He'd swapped the wide-open Han River view, where he'd been vulnerable to drone attacks, for something with solid, impenetrable walls.
"This the place?"
"Yeah. Center Forest."
On the outskirts of the upscale neighborhood in Samcheong-dong, where heavyweights from politics and business lived, stood a small villa complex. Small in name only—prices here rivaled penthouses.
"IDs, please."
"Do you have an appointment?"
Security was tight right from the entrance. The guards checked Go Kyung-min and Moo-young's IDs, scanning something on their tablets. Living among celebrities meant they didn't skimp on precautions.
"You're cleared. Thank you."
"Have a good one."
It was a long walk from the main gate to the villas. Moo-young gaped at the lavish landscaping, his jaw dropping as he took it all in. His own officetel was already top-notch, so he figured nothing could surprise him anymore.
"This has gotta be the most expensive real estate in the country, right?"
"That pricey? Damn, Enbin must be raking it in."
"Agencies usually cover this stuff. Full deposit."
"Ah, gotcha. Still, not bad at all. Hyung, let's make bank and move here too. Deal?"
Go Kyung-min burst out laughing at Moo-young's innocent words. Sure, why not? When you're a top star in Korea, places like this are standard. Hell, you could snag a mansion in America someday.
"Oh? There's Enbin."
"I'll pick you up tomorrow then."
"Thanks!"
Go Kyung-min exchanged a quick nod with Enbin and turned the car around. Moo-young waved, swinging his backpack lightly.
Vroom—
"Enbin-hyung!"
"What's with the bag?"
"PJs, toiletries, sleep socks..."
"I've got tons of that stuff here. You could've come empty-handed."
"Nah, still."
He was planning to crash here full-on. Top idols like Enbin were insanely busy, so rare free time like this had to be seized.
Enbin grabbed his bag and led the way.
"You look great, by the way."
"That obvious? Life's way better since moving here. No sasaengs, and my schedule wrapped up recently."
"The music show win? That was quick."
"Yeah, just the broadcasts. Other stuff's still pending. Told the company off once, and now they bend over backward. Blessing in disguise—that stalker actually made things easier."
Maybe showing them he was willing to quit did the trick. New top-tier dorm, schedules dialed back to avoid burnout. Sometimes you just had to instill a little discipline.
"The other members?"
"Just Ro Min and Se-won hyung. He's holed up working, so you won't see him."
The place was huge, naturally. As Moo-young stepped into the foyer, a guy with faded pink hair bounded over with a bright smile.
"Hey! You must be Moo-young hyung. Heard a ton about you."
"Oh, hi. Ro Min, right?"
"Drop the formalities. Come on in!"
Friendly and sweet. The "golden maknae" nickname fit—handsome as hell too. They gathered around the living room table for quick intros.
"Academy your hyung recommended is great. But after I moved here, the director had a hard time visiting. I'm on a break now."
He'd lived separately during his hiatus but moved back in once promotions restarted. Secret acting lessons from the company meant no choice.
"Hook me up with the director's contact?"
"Sure. It's on me for not keeping up. Haha."
Moo-young sipped his drink and cut straight to it. Enbin had probably tipped them off, but manners mattered.
"Thing is, I've got a drama audition coming up. PD said my image is perfect, but I can't sing."
"Sing? Like, OST performance clause?"
"Musician role."
"Ah. That's rough. OST has to be solid. But these days, tech fixes most things."
Moo-young just smiled. If basic autotune worked, he wouldn't be here.
Enbin nudged Ro Min. "But this guy's a beast at acting. Zero audition fails so far."
"For real?"
"Haven't done tons yet. Don't hype it, Bin."
"What? It's true. Hanbam Pochah, Director Jin Kyung-mun's film—you snagged it over Yi Hi-jun. Drama bit part? Nailed it."
Ding. Their intel was sharper than expected. Hadn't mentioned that much?
Moo-young blinked in surprise, and Enbin just nodded smugly, like I got sources.
"Anyway, 100% success rate. Help him out, Ro Min. Our maknae's a secret actor wannabe."
"Oh, really?"
Ro Min smiled shyly, like it embarrassed him. Damn, he was pretty. Fans would melt.
"Swap tips then. I'll eavesdrop from the middle."
Enbin playfully bridged them. Filling each other's gaps—that was the point of today.
Ro Min crunched an apple and suggested first. "Hyung, wanna sing something?"
"Sure?"
Check the level to tailor advice. Short-term fix meant tricks over fundamentals.
"Okay. Bit embarrassing, but Hang On it is. Ahem."
"Whoa, go for it."
In front of the original singer? Ballsy. Enbin chuckled in disbelief.
But Moo-young had a secret weapon—
"Hang on↗. One more↘ chance↘ for you↘."
He'd picked it 'cause it was fresh—no other options. Heard it last night.
He sang dead seriously, full effort.
"But↘ why↗ do you↗..."
Super serious. Then—a plastic bottle thudded somewhere.
Thunk—
"Wh-what?"
A mashup of "what" and "who." Se-won, emerging from work for water, frozen in shock. Stuttering hard.
"Huh?"
Moo-young, eyes closed in passion, finally peeked. Ro Min and Enbin: shock, horror, uncontrollable laughter.
"Puhahaha! You're insane, Ha Moo-young!"
"No way. Someone actually sings it like this."
"You were dead serious, right? For real?"
Instant reversal. They'd seen tone-deaf trainees by the truckload, but this topped them all.
"No hope here."
Enbin wiped tears, diagnosing "hopeless." Thud thud thud!
Moo-young scratched his head sheepishly. "Shouldn't be that bad."
Desperate to nail that sparkle. While Enbin rolled laughing, Ro Min fiddled with his pen, pondering.
"Voice is solid, though?"
Actor breathing—no gasps. Just pitch disaster.
"And hyung, first time hearing this yesterday, right?"
"Huh? Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Was next to Bin hyung when you texted. Congrats on the win with a month-old song? Thought, really detached from the world."
No malice. Just media-blind.
"But lyrics down perfect."
"Memorized like lines."
"Hmm."
Tap tap tap. Ro Min drummed the table.
Wrong key for his range, maybe. Pick songs suiting his tone first.
"Favorite genre?"
"Trot? Love it."
"...Play any instruments?"
"Aced recorder once..."
Heh. Shrinking with every word. Moo-young rubbed his cheek awkwardly.
"Moo-young, try another role? World's not short on dramas."
"Nah."
"Stubborn gourd."
Enbin shrugged at Ro Min. Tricky—finding his song was hurdle one.
Amusing scene; Se-won plopped on the sofa instead of heading back.
"Teach him singing, what do you get, Ro Min?"
"Acting lessons. Hyung here's an audition killer."
"N-not that much."
"Perfect match. Fellow noobs."
"Noobs?"
Se-won nodded at Ro Min. "Show us."
"Uh, me—"
Rustle rustle. He dug out a short script from his bag—BV Academy logo stamped. Director's material.
"K Network miniseries. Auditioning for that."
"Offer came my way, didn't fit."
Enbin chimed in. Secret from company—no intel pipeline. Just scraps here.
"Lead's little bro. Booked meeting thanks to Enbin hyung, but promotions ate my time with director. Schedule freeing up, but it's this week."
Immature, playboy sibling. Practicing closest match from aired shows.
"Oh, this one's fun."
Textbook immature lead in Frapuccino—waffling between heroine and ex. Infamous trash, hated back then. Still dogshit now. But hunky cast and spicy plot crushed ratings.
"Show me."
"Y-yeah. Ahem."
Ro Min cleared his throat and dove in.
Wait, that's...
"Hey. Why you cryin'? I didn't↗ even cheat. Cheer↗ up! Boom-biddy-boom boom-biddy-bee!"
Familiar. Enbin's infamous ham acting demo. Worse, actually.
Enbin clamped his mouth, stifling laughs. Se-won snorted. "Insane. No wonder company hates it."
"Hyung! No work?"
"Miss this freak show? Gotta watch."
As they bantered, Moo-young took the script. That mystery "boom-biddy-boom boom-biddy-bee" was a serenade opener for pouty heroine.
"Moo-young, your turn."
Enbin near tears, grinning ear-to-ear. Annoyingly blissful.
"Alright. Hey. Why you cryin'? I didn't even cheat. Cheer up."
Straight at Enbin, no warmup. Smooth, natural delivery. Se-won, fresh off Moo-young's singing, gawked.
Everyone's got their thing, huh?
"Boom-biddy-boom boom-biddy-bee. Look at me, baby. Don't cry—smile for me!"
"...?"
"...!"
Wink like dodging aegyo! Perfect finish. Iconic OST—melody stuck tight.
But the guys' faces were weird.
"What? It's acting."
Too much? Adult dudes winking—not hilarious?
Moo-young sniffled, closing the script awkwardly. Enbin and Ro Min yelled together.
"Do it again!"
"Huh, what?"
"That song bit!"
"Song? Oh, right. Song...?"
Ding. Hit him—he'd sung the snippet flawlessly. Seamless.
And—
"You just sang super 'normally.' Notice?"