On the day Episode 6 of High Dream was set to air.

Ji Eun-bi, a 17-year-old dedicated fan of High Dream, took her seat in front of the TV once again to make sure she wouldn’t miss the broadcast.

"Our oppas, fighting!"

Ji Eun-bi was getting more and more immersed in High Dream, and with that, her support became even more passionate. But there was more to her enthusiasm than just being a fan.

"Why does the viewership rate seem to level out with other shows?"

Despite its initial momentum, High Dream was showing a slower-than-expected growth.

The ratings had climbed sharply with Episode 1 reaching 12% and Episode 2 at 14%, leading to predictions that the show would continue to rise even further over time.

However, Episodes 3 and 4 didn’t see the viewership grow as much as expected. While maintaining a steady 14% could still be seen as a success, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

『High Dream off to a smooth start, but was it underwhelming after the first episode?』 『High Dream, expected to dominate Monday-Tuesday dramas, falls short of conquering the ratings』 『Was the spike in Episode 2 a mere miracle? Let’s analyze High Dream!』

To make matters worse, articles started to criticize the show.

“Hah, what a joke.”

Ji Eun-bi furrowed her brow as she read the trashy articles.

How could they write such things?

"What? A miracle?"

Technically speaking, they weren’t entirely wrong. Because—

"Oppa Dong-hoo didn’t appear!"

For the record, Ji Eun-bi knew that Kim Dong-hoo was only fifteen. But so what? If someone is tall and handsome, they’re an oppa by default.

Kim Dong-hoo, or more accurately, Lee Jae, hadn’t made an appearance since the end of Episode 2. He had made such a grand entrance, as if something big was coming, but by Episode 5, he was nowhere to be seen.

According to the articles, Lee Jae wasn’t a main character, so his screen time was always going to be limited.

But—

"Isn’t it a crime to waste a face like that?"

I can’t stand this anymore! I’m going to blow up the viewers’ message board!

While Ji Eun-bi fumed in front of the TV, High Dream was quietly progressing on screen.

At this point in the story, the High Dream members were starting to come together, preparing for the year-end stage performance at Mirinae.

♪♩♪♩♬♩♪

The hum of the High Dream members’ rehearsal songs lifted the mood. It wasn’t so bad, was it? Maybe she should just accept that Dong-hoo oppa would have limited screen time. Just as that thought crossed her mind—

Suddenly.

The singing from the High Dream members stopped as the scene abruptly changed.

“Huh?”

A silent, empty practice room. A boy with his hair neatly slicked back walked in and opened the piano lid.

There were no lines.

Without a word, he sat down at the piano and pressed the keys.

The expressionless face twisted, and an unknown emotion radiated from the TV.

‘Scary.’

For the first time, Lee Jae’s hatred began to spill into the world.

He was telling the audience that everything they had seen so far was a lie, that they had been deceived all along by the whispers of the inferior. And now he would pay them back for it.

Moonlight Sonata, First Movement.

The flower fed by hatred began to bloom.

+++++

While Episode 6 of High Dream aired on TV, Kim Dong-hoo was in a quiet alley, preparing to shoot a scene for a film.

“We’re almost done setting up. You can relax for now, Dong-hoo.” “Thank you.”

As he settled down, Director Lee Seong-deok couldn’t help but admire Kim Dong-hoo’s presence while hurriedly finishing the setup.

‘Wow, will I ever get another chance to shoot a movie with Dong-hoo?’

Lee Seong-deok, the director of the film Hero, felt a twinge of sadness that the shoot was almost over.

‘With such a talented actor, we didn’t even have many takes, and the filming went incredibly fast.’

In the past, he would have struggled to align schedules and redo scenes after NGs. What would have normally taken a week had dragged on for over a month.

‘And yet, we’re already wrapping up after only four days.’

If everything had gone as planned, they might have finished in just three days. However, they had to make changes during the filming of the wild dog scene, which added an extra day.

Originally, the child actor was supposed to stab the wild dog puppet, but due to concerns about the violence, they scrapped that plan.

Now, Kim Dong-hoo would handle the stabbing scene, but they decided to keep it off-camera as much as possible, setting it up from the child actor’s perspective instead.

And so, on the fourth day, they were ready for the final shoot. Everyone on set, including Director Lee, had become a fan of Kim Dong-hoo.

“Let’s have another great day today!”

The Hero, now revealed as the true culprit behind the loan shark’s death, was being hunted by the police. They quickly narrowed down his location.

A boy wielding a bamboo sword was too unusual to hide.

The Hero was cornered, and his escape that seemed eternal finally came to an end in a dead-end alley.

This was the last chapter of the Hero’s story.

“Ready, action!”

At Director Lee’s cue, Kim Dong-hoo immediately transformed into the Hero.

“Huff... huff...”

His heavy breathing, his exhausted body.

After running for so long, his body, pushed to its limits, refused to move anymore.

“You should stop running now, you’ve come far enough. If you surrender, you might still get a reduced sentence!”

The officer’s brief line made the situation clear.

A dead-end wall behind him, an officer in front of him, and police closing in fast.

There was nowhere left to run.

But—

“Mister, do you know why I’ve been carrying around this bamboo sword?”

The Hero wasn’t giving up. Did he not know that carrying a sword made him easy to identify? No, he knew.

Yet he still carried it.

Because the Hero never let go of his weapon.

Shhk.

As soon as the Hero unsheathed his sword, the officers quickly drew their guns. The loan shark had been killed by that very sword.

The cause of death was a rib fracture leading to a pneumothorax and internal bleeding. It wasn’t just a reckless swing, but a precise strike, honed by Kendo training. The officers could no longer see the Hero as just a child.

“Isn’t it funny? They say it’s a cop’s responsibility when a gun is fired. That’s why there’s that saying.”

Guns aren’t for shooting, they’re for throwing.

“Now look at me. I’m different.”

Even if a child commits a crime, society, too weak to fire a single shot, would still hesitate.

The officers hurriedly holstered their guns and reached for their batons, but it was a pointless gesture.

A bamboo sword against a baton. The difference in force was as clear as their difference in length.

Tatatat.

The Hero charged at the officer. If the path was blocked, then he would break through.

Right now, only one officer stood in his way. If he could get through before backup arrived, that was all that mattered.

I am the Hero who punishes evil. I won’t fall here.

Thwack!

The tip of the Hero’s bamboo sword hit the officer squarely in the solar plexus. Without even a scream, the officer was slammed into the wall and collapsed, unconscious.

The camera lingered on the fallen officer before refocusing on the Hero.

‘...This is it.’

In the original story, the Hero would be captured here. But Kim Dong-hoo’s performance had changed the ending.

The Hero disappeared into the shadows of a dark alley.

Escaping through a gap in the police’s perimeter.

Fading into a gray boundary where the black-and-white world couldn’t reach.

“Kaaaah!”

With that final scream, the Hero’s last scene was over.

+++++

‘Phew, that was tougher than I thought.’

After the final scene of Hero was completed, I thanked everyone on set and climbed into the van.

Normally, it would’ve been polite to attend the wrap-up party, but being fifteen gave me the perfect excuse to skip it.

‘I’ve been so busy, I really need some time alone to rest.’

If I hadn’t been keeping up with my regular workouts, I would’ve been exhausted by now. Realizing how important exercise was, I suddenly thought of Director Baek Sang-ha.

Please, come back to the gym! You’re destined for the UFC! I kind of missed hearing him shout that.

‘I’ll have to visit him sometime soon.’

Just as I was thinking that—

“Dong-hoo, great work today.”

Seok-ho hyung got into the driver’s seat.

‘Now that I think of it, Veritas seems to be expanding their staff lately.’

As soon as I joined, Veritas Management kicked into high gear, aiming to overcome their previous limitations by hiring more talent.

Stylists, road managers, bodyguards—you name it. Seok-ho hyung hadn’t stopped smiling recently.

“Hyung, if you hired a road manager, shouldn’t you stop driving yourself?”

“Well, that’s true, but I still feel more at ease when I’m the one driving you.”

He replied with a smile and started driving me home.

“Oh, by the way, I heard they’re talking about additional shooting for High Dream?”

“Additional shooting?”

“Yeah, they called me. It’s practically confirmed, and they want to coordinate your schedule.”

“So they’re not just adding onto the existing scenes, they’re actually expanding my role?”

“Yep. You know, your piano performance was amazing. Moonlight Sonata!”

But that’s not even the real kicker—what comes next will leave the audience floored, I’m sure of it.

I smiled awkwardly at his words.

I smiled awkwardly at his words.

‘Seems like the show is really popular.’

One of the secrets to a long-lasting career as a celebrity is not paying too much attention to the news about yourself. I’ve been practicing this diligently. Getting swept up in public opinion or reading even a single negative comment could easily shake my mental state, so I simply don’t bother with it from the start.

“Our Dong-hoo even has his own fan club now! Hehe, only good things are ahead.”

Seok-ho hyung beamed with pride as if my success was his own, unable to hide his constant smile.

Wait, I have a fan club now?

‘That’s a little embarrassing.’

Still, I was curious, so I’d have to check it out later.

“Oh, by the way, I left the updated script for Endless Frontline under the left window. It’s got the revised action scenes.”

“The additional action scenes?”

“Yeah, they said if it feels too intense, let them know. They’re worried it might be a bit much for a middle schooler. I told them we’d keep an eye on it.”

Sure, making a great film is important, but staying safe is the top priority. Dong-hoo, don’t push yourself too hard. If something feels impossible, just say so right away.

With Seok-ho hyung’s gentle concern, I smiled softly and took out the script.

‘So I’ll be going toe-to-toe with Han Tae-gun sunbae.’

I wondered how that would translate onto the script. My curiosity couldn’t be contained.

Immersed.

The first thing I saw in that world—

“Graaah! Stop firing! Stop firing!”

“Cease fire! Cease fire!”

—was a world drenched in blood.