GalaxyTL
'What am I even looking at?'
Director Ji Jang-min didn’t even notice that his eyes were bloodshot. This moment was too precious to waste time blinking.
His whole body was screaming for him to let go of the camera, to look directly and savor what he was witnessing.
But his professional pride as a cinematographer kept him gripping the camera tightly. He had lived for moments like these, and to capture the perfect shot, he kept his gaze fixed through the lens.
Kim Dong-hoo—no, Lee Jae—was losing it. Pouring out his emotions through the piano, he suddenly locked eyes with the camera.
“Look at me. Only me. If you dare look at anything inferior, I’ll kill you. Face my hatred head-on.”
Even without any knowledge of the piano,
‘I feel it.’
Kim Dong-hoo, or rather, Lee Jae, was conveying something. And it hit even harder for those witnessing it live, not just through the camera.
“Wow, just watching him play gave me chills.”
Producer Kim Young-mo found himself in the illusion that he was at a concert. The immersion was perfect. If Lee Jae were real, wouldn’t he behave exactly like this?
Even though it was just a simple practice, he never did anything half-heartedly. Constantly proving his genius, facing his hatred day after day.
You could feel the brilliance and loneliness of a genius. And the performance was building to its climax.
The grand piano differs from an ordinary piano in the use of its pedals. The sostenuto pedal, in the middle, is responsible for the subtle handling of sound.
The way the sound was being delivered, altered by the hatred only Lee Jae could express, was on another level.
The difference in subtlety. Writer Lee Min-ha, who understood this detail, was on the verge of fainting.
‘Ah... Ah...’
To be honest, it wasn't the first time one of her characters had been brought to life through an actor’s performance. As a popular writer, this had happened to her quite often.
But never like this.
This wasn’t acting. Lee Jae had truly appeared, playing the piano right before them.
No matter how much applause he received in front of countless spectators, he couldn’t get it from the ones he most wanted it from.
He was despised instead.
A flower that grew from hatred.
Lee Jae had torn through the script and appeared for real.
‘I have to do my next project with actor Kim Dong-hoo, no matter what. I’ll make him the lead, no matter what it takes. Kim Dong-hoo, I have to...’
A catharsis swept through her body, indescribable in words. Her body, overcome with excitement, alternated between tension and release.
The performance was slowly coming to an end. The hands of Lee Jae, who had poured all his hatred into the piano, began to move more quietly.
The sound gradually decreased, becoming monotonous.
Thud.
The final note wasn’t
struck by his fingers but by his tears.
Though he knew that this hatred was abnormal, he couldn’t stop it—the sorrow of it all. The frustration of never once being asked if he was okay.
How much must have happened for Lee Jae to shed tears?
The single drop of blood-like tear, squeezed out as if from his very soul, was both his scream and his bloodshed.
“Ah… Ah…”
What am I seeing right now?
Lee Min-ha’s tension slowly dissolved.
“W-writer?!”
Kim Young-mo, who was standing nearby, looked at her in shock.
“Yes, yes…”
Why is he calling me now, right when I’m still lingering in the afterglow?
Lee Min-ha, with a slightly annoyed look, turned toward him, but what he said next caught her completely off guard.
“Your… Your nose! It’s bleeding!”
“Huh? What?!”
A nosebleed?
Wait, why am I feeling dizzy?
Thud.
Lee Min-ha suddenly lost her balance and collapsed into her chair.
“Writer!?!?”
A brief commotion.
Meanwhile, Principal Edward Park, who was watching from the back, didn’t seem to care about someone fainting.
No, to be exact, he couldn’t care.
‘I can see it.’
Edward Park was certain—this young actor’s future wasn’t in acting.
The performance itself might not have been the highest technical level, but the intensity of the emotion embedded in it was unreal.
Just a bit of refinement, a few adjustments, and with time, as his piano skills improved...
‘I can see the future of a maestro.’
This kid shouldn’t be acting. He’s destined to play the piano.
Edward Park made up his mind, with absolute certainty.
Scholarships, special admissions—whatever it took, he was determined to secure this boy’s future.
+++++
After the performance.
The aura of ‘Lee Jae’ slowly dissipated. There was no emotional aftershock.
But it was exhausting.
‘Playing the piano is this tough, huh?’
His 14-year-old body, still not fully matured, had poured out everything he had. No matter how much physical training he had done, piano playing seemed to require something entirely different.
‘Let’s just rest a bit.’
Taking a deep breath, he gently closed the piano lid to tidy up.
And at that moment—
“CUT!!!”
The director’s passionate shout rang out, followed by—
Clap clap clap clap clap.
A burst of applause. It was a clear sign that everyone was satisfied with Lee Jae’s performance.
‘I feel proud.’
Just as he was about to stand up with a pleased expression, someone approached him hurriedly.
“If you gave a performance like that, take your time to slowly cool down your emotions. Otherwise, you’ll wear yourself out.”
The advice came from veteran actor Jang Gun-ho, who played Principal Wang Ho. He gently patted Dong-hoo on the back, soothing him.
“I just witnessed something truly rare.”
“Dong-hoo, I felt it back then too, but really…”
Senior actress Kim Yoo-ryeon, who had also approached, placed a bottle of water on the piano. It was probably meant to help him compose himself after such an intense performance.
But—
‘I’m actually totally fine.’
In truth, Dong-hoo felt perfectly okay. But in a situation like this, he couldn’t just say that out loud without coming across as insensitive.
So, he nodded slowly and put on an exhausted expression.
“...Thank you for your consideration.”
“You don’t have to answer.”
“That’s right, Dong-hoo. Right now, just focus on yourself.”
The warm care from industry veterans.
While he appreciated it, at the same time—
‘It’s so overwhelming I feel like I’m going to die.’
It was exhausting.
+++++
“What kind of talent just appeared out of nowhere?”
ST Entertainment CEO Kim Gil-san clicked his tongue as he watched the filming.
Only fourteen years old.
So much time ahead to keep growing.
Yet he’s already showing this level of performance.
‘Everyone’s completely deflated.’
He glanced over at the other High Dream cast members playing main and supporting roles.
‘There are going to be a lot of NGs today.’
The defeated expressions on their faces. Kim Gil-san knew exactly what it looked like when idols went on stage with faces like that.
After all, he’d been in the entertainment business long enough to predict the obvious outcome.
“To be honest, I’m a little mad at the writer.”
His peer, CEO Lee Sang-hak from Full Ready, sighed next to him. As someone who had raised many actors in his career, he knew all too well how the atmosphere on set was going to change from here on out.
“Judging by the script, our kids are supposed to surpass that one in the end…”
But is that even possible? Is that kind of scenario even remotely realistic?
At first, they thought he was just an exceptionally talented kid.
But now that they’d seen it, what was inside was beyond belief.
Sigh.
A long exhale, almost like cigarette smoke, left his mouth.
But disappointment was one thing, and business was another.
Rustle.
Rustle.
“What are you doing?”
“What about you, hyung?”
“Me? I’m pulling out my business card. And later, go introduce yourself. I’ll be introducing you to actor Kim Dong-hoo, our new recruit for ST Entertainment. After the shoot, I’ll make the introductions.”
As CEO Kim Gil-san, with his weasel-like expression, made this declaration, the toad-like CEO Lee Sang-hak’s cheeks twitched with anger.
“You’ve really gotten good at acting, huh? Even your jokes have gotten worse. Kim Dong-hoo is going with Full Ready.”
“Who says?”
“Who says otherwise, hyung?”
While the two CEOs argued off to the side, trying not to interfere with the shoot, elsewhere, an entirely different group of people were losing their minds.
“Who is that kid? Who is he?”
“Don’t push! If you push me again, I’ll smash all the cameras!”
“Get out of the way! I’m here to film him!”
“Bullshit! You came here for Jin Soo-hyuk! Do you think we don’t know? Now get lost!”
These were the reporters, who had gathered to capture the open set. They had hoped for good footage for the making-of film, but with the appearance of this unexpected megastar, they were going crazy.
And as they fought, the filming resumed swiftly.
With Lee Jae’s solo practice done, the next scene was the band practice for High Dream. Though the music was nice enough, no one reacted to it.
It had already been swallowed whole.
Lee Jae’s hatred-filled performance lingered in their ears, whispering all throughout the shoot:
Talent can never be caught through effort.
I will kill all that is inferior.
+++++
After all the filming had finished.
“That was exhausting.”
I slumped into the taxi, my body worn out from all the rejections.
Everyone was so insistent on giving me a ride home, and turning down all the offers had drained me.
‘I really do need to find an agency.’
I couldn’t keep going to sets all alone like this. I needed an agency to take care of these things.
Honestly, I wanted to entrust it to Min-hyuk, who had earned a professional kart license.
‘Didn’t he say he was seriously preparing for pro karting?’
His words about refining his driving skills still rang in my ears.
Anyway, it was time to finally find a stable place to settle.
Vrrrr… Vrrrr…
My phone buzzed.
“Dad?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine as always.”
To summarize, my dad had learned that one of our new tenants had been very appreciative and had set up a dinner to show his gratitude. It turned out that my dad had only just discovered that I always sent congratulatory wreaths whenever new tenants moved in.
Dad, showering me with compliments for coming up with such a thoughtful gesture, said he thought it’d be best if I attended the dinner.
“Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll go.”
“Haha, who raised me?”
Dad seemed to be in such a good mood, he started talking endlessly.
‘By the way, what was the name of the new tenant? Choi… Seok-ho?’
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, my eyes widened.
Although the building was under my name, my dad handled most of the management, so I hadn’t really been paying much attention.
‘I really should’ve kept a closer eye on things.’
The agency that Sims - The Real Life was sending me to…
Was located in my own building.