The long-awaited first day of shooting for High Dream had arrived. Everyone gathered around a pig’s head to hold a traditional good-luck ritual.

Unexpectedly, a few prominent figures made an appearance, including Kim Gil-san, the CEO of ST Entertainment, and Lee Sang-hak, the CEO of Full Lady Entertainment.

It wasn’t entirely unusual for them to be there. After all, High Dream was a joint production between ST Entertainment, Full Lady, and KBC. However, what raised eyebrows was the fact that the CEOs themselves had come. Was it simply to partake in the ritual? Or did they have another motive, like monitoring the first day of filming? Of course, there was a bit of that, but the real reason was something else entirely.

Kim Gil-san, with his weasel-like face, recalled a past conversation.

–"CEO Kim, could I ask you for a small favor?"
–"Of course, please go ahead."
–"You remember that kid I mentioned before? Dong-hoo?"
–"Oh? You mean the one from Doctor Kyaaruk!?"
–"Yes, that's him. He’s working on a project with me now, and it turns out he doesn’t have an agency yet."

–"I’m not just saying this because my daughter’s a fan—he’s genuinely handsome and talented."

He remembered Kim Yu-ryun’s words echoing in his ears.

'He really is handsome.'

And his height wasn’t bad either.

'But he’s almost too handsome.'

He couldn’t help but glance repeatedly at Kim Dong-hoo. It was as if the kid got more handsome each time he looked, making everyone else around him look like squid in comparison. Honestly, it was disheartening how good-looking the boy was.

And then—

‘Huh? What’s this?’

He locked eyes with Lee Sang-hak, the CEO of Full Lady Entertainment.

‘Why is an idol agency eyeing an actor?’

Lee Sang-hak smirked at Kim Gil-san, as if to say, "This is absurd." His bullfrog-like face twitched as he remembered his own conversation.

–"CEO Lee, I need a favor."
–"Oh boy, what now?"
–"Haha, it’s nothing too difficult... We just had a script reading, and that kid, Kim Dong-hoo—turns out he’s still unsigned."
–"What?"
–"I don’t usually do this, but I’ll be blunt. Kim Dong-hoo is a rookie with no agency yet. And I’m telling you, this is the lowest his stock is going to be. We have to sign him."

–"If possible, I’d like him to work on a few projects with me. His acting? He’s a monster."

'Acting to match his looks?'

Lee Sang-hak stared at Kim Dong-hoo, shaking his head in disbelief. How could someone with a face like that not only look the part but also act well?

'Jang Geon-ho isn’t the type to exaggerate, but still.'

Just how good was this kid for Jang Geon-ho to be so enthusiastic?

"We’ll finish with one last bow to the pig’s head."

"Here’s to the success of High Dream!"

Despite the growing curiosity of the two CEOs, the ritual concluded smoothly.

"And we’ll move straight into the first scene. The first shot is…"

Typically, drama scenes aren’t filmed in chronological order.

In some cases, the final scene is shot first, depending on the circumstances and the director’s judgment.

‘Since everyone’s here, why not stir things up a bit?’

Director Ji Jang-min glanced at Kim Dong-hoo. About four months had passed since the first script reading.

Had he improved? Or had the script reading been his peak?

Wanting to satisfy his curiosity, he made a decision.

"Let’s shoot Scene 65—High Dream members’ first confrontation with Lee Jae’s group."

Let’s have them clash head-on.

+++++

High Dream was a story about youth at Eunha Arts High School. As the title suggested, it revolved around the High Dream club members.

A tale of underdogs—students with flaws who struggled to bloom late but still managed to come together to create an incredible synergy. These misfits formed the High Dream club, and they aimed to win the biggest event of the year—the Mirinae Competition. The news of their participation spread throughout the school.

Some supported them, while others despised them. Leading that hatred was the prodigy born from contempt: Lee Jae.

The first encounter between the underdog High Dream and the top-dog Lee Jae.

It all began with the High Dream members erasing graffiti from the door of their club room.

"Not again..."

High Dream's female lead, Yoo Hye-ri, sighed as she wiped off the graffiti.

"Why are we the shame of Eunha High? Just because our grades are a little lower?" "Yeah, we didn’t even do anything wrong."

The response came from High Dream's male lead, Song Cheol-soo.

As the two of them scrubbed away at the graffiti, the second male lead, Jin-hyuk, appeared with a mop.

"Move aside. You won’t get it off like that. You need to use this and scrub it all at once."

Yoo Hye-ri, Song Cheol-soo, and Jin-hyuk continued cleaning the graffiti together.

"What the hell? They did it again?" "Wasn’t it probably that guy Lee Jae’s doing?"

Soon after, the supporting female lead, Yoon Eun-jung, and the supporting male lead, Jace, joined in. Five young people—the members of High Dream.

Although they were supposed to be close in the story by this point, being the first shoot, their chemistry still felt a bit awkward. It was understandable, as it wasn’t easy to bond immediately from the first meeting.

While they were cleaning—

"Agh! If this keeps happening, maybe I should just drop out!"

Yoon Eun-jung vented her frustration.

"Yeah, if that’s how you’re going to live, why not just drop out?"

Her words were met with a response from none other than Lee Jae.

–What did you just say?!

Yoon Eun-jung was supposed to confront Lee Jae after hearing his line. But—

‘What... what is this?’

She was so taken aback by Lee Jae’s presence that she instinctively stepped back.

An overwhelming hostility.

It was hard to believe this was their first day on set. The animosity Lee Jae exuded toward Yoon Eun-jung was palpable.

The lighthearted, slightly awkward atmosphere of the school hallway instantly shifted.

Hatred simmered, spreading like a dark swamp across the set. The loathing toward those who lived in the happiness that he could never possess—the happiness of a harmonious family.

This mixture of emotions was what shaped Lee Jae.

"Why bother climbing up from the bottom when you could just stay there and graduate quietly?"

Step, step.

With each step Lee Jae took, the set grew quieter. Among the fish still awkwardly finding their rhythm, a predator had appeared, disrupting the entire flow.

‘What... what kind of eyes are those?’

The aura emanating from Lee Jae was so intense that everyone shrank back, as if they had encountered their worst enemy.

"You shouldn’t even think about aiming higher."

He dominated.

A fresh rookie was crushing the actors nurtured by their agencies.

"I’ve warned you."

Seeing the terror in their faces, Lee Jae smirked bitterly. This was talent. A wall that the defective would never be able to scale.

Lee Jae delivered his chilling warning and turned his back on them. No one could follow the lines written in the script.

Lee Jae—no, Kim Dong-hoo—was relentlessly overpowering the scene.

Normally, the director would have called an NG, but his eyes were glued to the camera, capturing every second of it.

‘He’s a monster.’

A catfish wearing the mask of Lee Jae had come to wreck High Dream. The minnows stood no chance as waves of contempt crashed down on them.

The director couldn’t bring himself to call "cut." He wanted to see where this momentum would lead.

Whirr.

The camera slowly zoomed in on Lee Jae. Originally, this scene was meant to highlight High Dream's struggle, emphasizing their hardships.

But the appearance of the catfish changed everything.

This was the birth of a powerful villain.

The camera captured Lee Jae’s hatred-fueled genius.

‘Not yet, it’s not over yet.’

Step, step.

As Lee Jae exited, the director held his breath. It wasn’t over until Lee Jae—until Kim Dong-hoo—allowed it to be.

With his entire body, he demanded the camera’s attention.

There was something dark and unsettling in his expression. Lee Jae looked at the happiness he could never have and silently berated himself.

That’s unnecessary. It’s weakness.

His fragile expression wavered on the edge of breaking but then hardened.

Hoo...

A short sigh, sorting out his emotions.

And then—

"CUUUUUUUUUUT!!!"

The director yelled, overwhelmed with excitement as he gave the OK.

+++++

After the first day of shooting ended—

"Hah!"

Kim Gil-san from ST Entertainment let out a disbelieving laugh.

What had he just witnessed?

Frankly, he wanted to curse out the audition judges who had picked Kim Dong-hoo.

Idol actors being criticized for their acting? That was par for the course. After all, acting wasn’t their main focus!

But there was a way to avoid that criticism: everyone had to be on a similar level.

If everyone was equally average, no one would notice the acting issues.

However—

‘Where did they find this kid?!’

Kim Dong-hoo was a tyrant in the water.

A catfish had appeared, and the minnows were helpless.

There was no defeating him.

In that case—

‘We need to recruit him.’

If you can’t beat them, join them. Kim Gil-san made up his mind and immediately started moving toward Kim Dong-hoo, who was resting after the scene.

But then—

Bump!

Someone blocked his path.

"Isn’t it a bit shameless for an idol agency to be after an actor?"

It was Full Lady Entertainment’s CEO, Lee Sang-hak.

His frog-like face contorted with venomous irritation.

"Don’t cross the line, hyung. Actors should grow among actors."

It was a textbook response, but the boldness of his words left Kim Gil-san speechless.

"Hey, don’t we have actors? Are you saying Kim Yu-ryun is nothing?"

"Who’s denying that? I’m just saying your training system isn’t exactly up to par!"

"Traaaainiiiing?"

It was as if someone had pressed a button when he heard the word "training." Kim Gil-san massaged his temples and glared at Lee Sang-hak.

"How can you even mention training when your kids are getting eaten alive?"

"..."

Lee Sang-hak had no comeback. The harsh truth was too painful to deny.

+++++

After the shoot, Jang Geon-ho immediately approached Kim Dong-hoo.

Sprinting, almost.

He grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him.

"Haha, if you’re pushing yourself this hard already, how will you handle things later on?"

"Oh, thank you for your concern, senior!"

"No, no, that’s not why I gave it to you. Just sit down and take a break."

He motioned for Kim Dong-hoo to sit down after the younger actor tried to stand and bow. There was no harm in resting.

"You’ll run out of stamina if you keep going like this."

Jang Geon-ho’s concern was genuine, and Kim Dong-hoo replied with a smile.

"Thank you for worrying about me!"

"Sure, sure."

Jang Geon-ho nodded, satisfied.

It wasn’t uncommon for new actors to overexert themselves on their first day of shooting.

But then—

"I’ll try to hold back more next time!"

Jang Geon-ho froze.

Next time? So this wasn’t even him at full power?