Chapter 36
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Unexpected Audition Stars
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「Jimin was born and raised on Sinan. Some might think of salt fields when they hear Sinan, but the island where Jimin grew up was one of the smaller ones among countless isles. The entire village had fewer than twenty people combined, and TV was their only window to the world.
Living on an island has its perks—one of them being plenty of time to think. Or, put another way, not much else to do.
That might be why a guitar his father had bought to show off during school days ended up forgotten in storage and caught the eye of young Jimin.
To get to school, he had to ride a boat for over two hours every day. Jimin played his guitar on the deck. On days with pouring rain or fierce winds when the boats couldn't sail, he'd sing at home instead.
-This participant's background is truly unique! A boy from a remote island village! What song will he bring to the stage?
With his battered guitar, shaggy hair, outdated clothes, and nothing particularly standout about him, viewers watching the preliminaries had no high expectations.
But then.
-Huph!
As the guitar intro flowed and Jimin's voice hit the first note, everyone fell silent.」
"Haah—!"
Ye-jin gasped for breath. How deeply immersed had she been to disrupt even her basic breathing?
"This... is insane......"
Ye-jin had never been obsessed with idols. While her friends flailed in fandoms for male groups, she chose martial arts novels, preferring books over TV.
Yet here she was, falling for an idol from a novel.
"What is this......?"
There was no solemn depth or epic heroism like in wuxia. If anything, it felt a bit plain. No revenge plot, no flowing tales of justice and chivalry.
But it didn't matter. She wanted to see more of Jimin.
She was dying to know how this island boy would survive in the audition show.
When Jimin strummed his guitar in his school uniform on the boat, the scene played so vividly in her mind it felt like watching a movie.
"Only one chapter left already?"
The first draft of The Strongest Idol she'd received today. She'd already devoured four chapters and was diving into the fifth.
「There were 320 participants in the preliminaries alone—already the cream of the crop, whittled down to those with at least some talent.
-Looks like another standout in this group.
The 'island boy' performance had left such a strong impression that viewers tuned in with a mix of excitement and doubt. No one else could top it, they thought.
But then.
-Whoa...! I'd believe he's a pro!
Jin-seong's performance was like a god of dance descending.
Every move synced with heartbeats, his towering presence commanding eyes that couldn't look away.
-Where has this gem been hiding?
It lasted just over three minutes, but outshone the previous eighty and instilled certainty that the remaining 240 couldn't match it.
Could human movement be this beautiful?
-Out of 320 preliminary entrants, only 101 advance to the finals! And today, we'll announce those lucky ones!
The scene shifted, flashing a hallway before cutting to the waiting room.
From his intense dance? Freshly arrived Jin-seong was drenched in sweat. It looked so real, almost staged.
He scanned the spacious waiting room and headed to one spot.
"......"
Jimin, crouched in the corner, looked up. Jin-seong bent slightly at the waist.
"Why are you alone?"
"......It's comfortable."
"You should start by learning to smile."
"Pardon?"
Jin-seong's hand reached for Jimin's forehead, brushing aside the hair covering half his face.
"There. Much better, right?"
As the neglected, stray-dog-like face emerged, viewers gasped in surprise.」
Meeeow.
Ye-jin slipped out of her room toward the pantry.
If Jimin was the shy island boy, Jin-seong embodied vibrant, healthy charm.
She could guess how their chemistry would evolve, yet curiosity burned.
Didn't they say the devil you know is scarier?
"......"
"......"
There, at the pantry entrance, Jin-seong stood with an apron on.
"......What's up? Why?"
Jin-seong flinched under Ye-jin's blank stare.
"......Slurp."
Ye-jin snapped out of her trance. Immersed in the novel, she'd briefly lost touch with reality facing the real protagonist.
"Want some food?"
"......Yeah."
"Eat on time, no matter how busy. Ruins your stomach."
Jin-seong moved to the rice cooker. Watching his broad back, Ye-jin mused.
'He might actually pull it off......'
If even she, living with him daily, felt this way, then a fictionalized, polished version would sync perfectly with the novel's Jin-seong.
'Of course the author planned the character that far ahead.'
Text relies on the reader's imagination.
Even the world's hottest flower boy couldn't escape subjective tastes. Yet this Jin-seong matched the novel's image terrifyingly well.
"Ugh......"
A sudden worry hit her.
"Not tasty?"
"No, it's good."
"Then why the crap face?"
Big trouble. The Strongest Idol needed a webtoon adaptation, but if the art couldn't keep up?
What's with the artwork?
Why'd you draw our oppa like this?!
Memento Mori dropped the ball!
Her face darkened at the imagined backlash.
The previous three works featured fictional characters, no pressure. But with real Jin-seong right there, a new burden weighed.
'Gotta start these character sheets with spot-on portraits.'
Jin-seong propped his chin, asking her.
"Fry an egg or something?"
"You ate it all."
"After a speck like an ant's fart. Wait, I'll whip something up."
As he started to rise, she grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't."
"......You're acting weird today. Fine, won't bother."
No, not that.
"......When you debut, never say stuff like that."
"Huh?"
"It's like......"
Ant's fart? Ye-jin shook her head, clearing the bowl.
Jin-seong tilted his head innocently, arms crossed, staring before asking.
"You really okay?"
He reached out, covering her forehead with his hand.
"......You have a fever?"
She didn't.
"Don't do that either!"
Ye-jin bolted from the pantry.
Her face burned!
All because of that novel. Without The Strongest Idol, she'd never blush at a guy like him, even in death.
Thud thud thud!
The hallway shook as someone rushed downstairs. I shrugged.
'Toilet clogged again?'
Seemed urgent.
Whew, back to focus.
Idol stories weren't mainstream yet. Back when I was locked up, around year six of the boom? That's when it exploded.
Sometimes actors starred, composers became singers, or managers raised idols.
To make a non-core genre hit, I dug into past memories.
Thinking of writing an idol story next. Author 15, any feedback? -11
What's the plot? -15
A female manager raising a girl group. -11
That's it? -15
Maybe give the protag a few skills. -11
"Two blind spots, as I said."
Hard to say for the future, but yuri won't sell right now. -15
Not yuri? -11
Readers might see it that way. -15
No choice but to prioritize readers. One point meant escaping hell.
Switch protag to male for pure male appeal, or raise boy group for female audience. Otherwise, tough. -15
That important? -11
In idol stories, that's everything. -15
So, the cheat key for both genders?
"Bit early, but to catch both rabbits, this is best."
Raise a boy group. For over a decade, idols had been boys' icons. Male readers get vicarious thrills.
"Draw clear lines, and you can make them fall for the protagonist."
Female readers must melt for the characters' charm. Same novel, different emotions by gender—nail that to satisfy both.
"Plus, we have real bodies, like starting with a hidden OP item."
Non-core genre meant more tweaks.
But it was fresh stimulation. Web novels thrive on vicarious satisfaction, empathy, and sharp direction.
"If only for me."
Create an idol.
"Just for me."
A half-baked heroine might pale against male camaraderie for immersed readers—fueling BL's future boom.
"Whew, call it here for today?"
Five chapters yesterday, five today. Night deepened; with the opener set, volume two could cruise to five finalists forming a team for debut prep.
'Send the draft to Ye-jin.'
Writing done, but as company president and vengeful returnee, duties remained.
"Let's see......"
I habitually checked web novel communities and cafes.
Like with 11, I might bump into known authors anywhere—time invested meant more chances.
Click, click.
Only mouse clicks echoed when my fingers twitched.
Hyungs, heard of Bitcoin?
What's that?
Edible?
Sounds like a scam.
Coin talk hitting web novel forums. Soon, 500k won flips to 50M, 100M to 10B, 10B to 1T.
Buy before 500k for 1000x gains, but now's not too late.
'Need more money.'
Three years to the surge. How I leverage assets now dictates future wealth gaps.
For what? Not sure yet. But with growing dependents, I want to feed and clothe my people well.
'One webtoon costs 300M. Hundred? 30B.'
I yearned to webtoon-ize every work from authors who trusted me.
Beyond my movies/dramas, webtoons boost adaptation odds.
'Platforms need content volume.'
Solo riches? No dilemma.
But knowing the future, why not spread the wealth?
Can't just hand out cash—create killer content, make everyone happy?
But......
'Money aside, where do I find that many webtoon artists?'