Two days after the audition, Han Yooil was watching a movie in his room. Ever since he started the play “From the Ground,” he had quit his part-time job. However, his schedule had been non-stop with back-to-back plays, dubbing sessions, and auditions.

Han Yooil was intently focused on the monitor. The movie he was watching was “Jinhee,” a legendary film from 1970. It was the last work of Director Kim Soobong, known as the Hitchcock of Korea. Han Yooil had already seen the movie more than five times. “Jinhee” was not only well-directed but also showcased the shining twenties of Ha Sunwook, one of Korea’s greatest veteran actors.

“Whenever you make that face… I feel like… I’m being bleached,” said Ha Sunwook, her radiant eyes fixed on her co-actor. A cold, settled gaze, but a flicker of fire lurked within, brushing across the screen.

“Wow.” Even through the low-resolution screen, Ha Sunwook’s intense energy was palpable. Han Yooil felt the shock he always felt at that scene, over and over again.

“I want… to act like that.” It was a desire he hadn’t acknowledged so clearly before.

【Achieved 5% of Stage 2 Goal.】

“…What?”

【…】

At that moment of unexpected silence from Brion, Yooil’s phone rang.

[Manager Min Woojin]

Seeing the name on the screen, Yooil immediately pressed the call button.

“Yes, hyung.”

– Yooil!!

The voice was cheerful.

“Good morning, hyung.”

– Right! Ah, but that’s not the issue. Yooil, you…

“Yes?”

– You are Seon Gihyeon!

“!”

The audition had just been two days ago.

‘…Do results usually come out this fast?’

【Congratulations, Mr. Yooil.】

While casually listening to Brion’s dry greeting, Yooil began to pay attention to what Min Woojin was saying. According to Min Woojin, the main character of “Sing in High School,” Lee Taewoo, was expected to be played by Ji Eunho of Black Sea. The character Lee Taewoo, to be portrayed by Ji Eunho, was a student who loved singing and dancing, had nothing to do with studying, and was labeled a troublemaker at school.

He was initially a rival to the class president, Seon Gihyeon, but gradually, they developed a friendship.

【You should continue with the training you’ve been doing and memorize your lines before shooting starts.】

The training was hard but certainly effective. Han Yooil slowly nodded at Brion’s words. It had been almost nine months since Han Yooil started training with Brion.

‘Has it been that long already…?’

Yooil, reminiscing over the past few months with a distant look in his eyes, suddenly frowned.

“…But, you know.”

【Yes, Mr. Yooil.】

“You don’t threaten me these days, do you?”

From the very beginning, when he first mentioned his ‘true calling,’ Brion had been threatening to ‘blow up his brain’ if he did anything wrong during training.

‘It was like a daily threat to explode my brain.’

Upon reflection, Yooil realized that there hadn’t been similar threats recently.

Yooil’s comment was met with silence from Brion. After a brief pause, Brion continued.

【…That is because, Mr. Han Yooil, you have already achieved the first stage goal.】

‘…First stage goal?’

【AI Nano Dictionary, Brion V.15, not only comprehensively assesses the user’s aptitude and talent but also strategically analyzes the user’s goals and motivations. It finds the best approach for motivation tailored to the set goals.】

Brion quickly followed up.

【Setting goals involves various intricate and complex factors. To put it simply… in your case, Mr. Yooil, the ‘desire to achieve your dream as an actor’ and ‘creating an environment where you can act for at least the next six months’ were your first stage goals. And Brion chose the most effective method to help you achieve your initial goals. In that process, unfortunately, some falsehoods were…】

“Wait a minute.”

It felt like a punch to the gut. Yooil, feeling a headache coming on, said,

“So you’re saying… all those threats were just lies for motivation?”

【Yes, that’s correct. You understand quickly.】

…What kind of nonsense is this?

He felt as if all strength had drained from his body.

A mix of betrayal, relief, disillusionment, and anger came over him all at once.

‘Then… all of that was…’

It wasn’t the case now, but until a few months ago, he had practiced and auditioned to survive. Yooil had genuinely felt fear every time he heard Brion’s threats.

As the situation dawned on him, foul language flowed spontaneously from Yooil.

“All this… was a trick to deceive me?”

Yooil’s trembling voice was met with Brion’s emotionless tone.

【I apologize, Mr. Yooil.】

‘Damn it.’

He felt like he could understand how people who had been pranked by a vicious hidden camera felt.

【It was a necessary choice at the time.】

‘Shut up.’

【…You know it as well, Mr. Yooil.】

The fact that he couldn’t completely deny those words made him even angrier.

* * *

While Han Yooil was feeling betrayed by Brion, a new post appeared on the community forum.

– Our kids are going to be in a drama (+article)

[『[Exclusive] Black Sea’s Ji Eunho and Kim Harang to Star in Web Drama ‘Sing in High School’

Black Sea’s Ji Eunho and Kim Harang are confirmed to star in the musical web drama ‘Sing in High School’ produced by Studio JM. ‘Sing in High School’ is a story about high school students discovering friendship and dreams, with Ji Eunho and Kim Harang portraying Lee Taewoo and Yoon Bin respectively, promising a powerful performance.』

This is going to be huge]

┗ Ji Eunho and Kim Harang? Sounds fun already;;

┗ Wow, I looked it up and Hyena and Hyobin are in it too… Definitely a feast for the eyes

┗ Wasn’t interested but the writer and director make me look forward to it

┗ I don’t know, but is Ji Eunho a good actor?

┗┗ Not bad

┗┗ Sometimes a bit awkward but generally decent

┗ Kim Harang can act too?!”

┗┗ The only acting he’s done is for Jacon, this must be his first real gig.

(tl/n: Jacon is self produce content from idol group)

┗┗ Let’s hope it’s not just a Korean textbook…

┗┗ Agreed…

┗┗ Definitely…

Kim Harang burst into a snicker as he read the community comments.

“Oh man, I really need to give it my all,” he said, a playful smirk spreading across his face.

“Why, why, why?” Jang Woosin, who was beside him, leaned in and read the comments alongside Harang.

“Wow, you really need to work hard on this!”

Jang Woosin laughed heartily and pressed down on Kim Harang’s head playfully.

“But hey, at least you’re acting. I can never be anything more than a variety show character, no matter how hard I try.”                                            

“That’s your charm, though. No one in our group does variety as well as you. Being born with a silver spoon of humor is also a kind of luck,” Harang said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“That’s true, but…” Jang Woosin looked at him with a complex expression.

“Why do I feel annoyed?”

Kim Harang chuckled softly. Jang Woosin, not one to overthink or worry, was the easiest to talk to among the Black Sea members. He was a remarkably transparent person.

Harang continued to look at his phone with an unfading smile. Then, with familiar movements, he tapped on one of the recent search terms and clicked on the latest post.

“Who is this person?”

Just when he thought Jang Woosin had gone to practice dancing, he popped up beside him again, peering over.

“The one cast alongside me.”

“Really? Hmm… He’s handsome.”

Jang Woosin briefly commented after seeing the poster for <From the Ground>.

Kim Harang kept his gaze fixed on the phone.

The sight of Han Yooil, clad in dust-covered clothes and looking anxiously at the camera, caught his eye.

The list of actors he would be working with hadn’t been released in the news yet, but the production company had secretly given him a tip. Among the ‘acting idols’ that agencies were grooming, one name stood out.

It was Han Yooil.

A few days ago, Kim Harang had casually searched for his name and was taken aback.

‘Oh, this person is…’

Harang had a knack for remembering faces, and the fellow actor he discovered was an unexpected figure.

The handsome convenience store part-timer performing at the rooftop cafe of Wolmyeongdae.

‘What are the odds?’

Realizing Han Yooil would be part of the cast brought everything into sharper focus.

And, admittedly, it was something he looked forward to.

What would it be like to actually perform alongside him, having only caught a glimpse of his acting on the rooftop?

‘I’m really curious.’

A playful smile played on Kim Harang’s face.

* * *

Yooil awoke early in the morning as usual and took a shower.

Ever since Han Yooil had lost his temper, Brion V.15 had remained silent. They hadn’t spoken for days now.

Sometimes, Yooil wondered if Brion had completely vanished.

【…】

But at times like these, Brion would subtly make its presence known.

‘I just don’t know.’

Yooil quickly dried his hair and left the house.

Min Woojin, who was yawning in the parking lot, was startled to see Yooil coming down and hurriedly opened the car door.

“Yooil! You’re up early!”

“Well, I timed it just right.”

Today was the reading session for <Sing in High School>.

Yooil entered the building, greeted by Min Woojin’s robust encouragement, and was met with surprised faces of the staff as he entered the meeting room.

“Oh, Mr. Actor, you’re incredibly early!”

“Since everyone’s running a bit late, please have some tea while you wait.”

By the time Han Yooil had finished his warm green tea, the door opened, and the leads of the drama began to trickle in.

“Hello~! I’m Byul!”

“I’m Hyena!”

Members of different idol groups, the youngest of their respective bands, came in together, and soon Ji Eunho and Kim Harang also arrived.

It was a scene reminiscent of a public broadcast music program.

‘Bright… It’s so bright.’

The production company staff surveyed the meeting room with a content smile.

Each one of them was a shining beauty, all currently popular idols. The staff imagined how ecstatic their middle school niece would be to see this scene.

‘I should get their autographs later.’

The staff member proudly scanned the faces of the leads.

‘But then again… It’s a bit unfortunate that this one isn’t an idol.’

Out of the five leads of <Sing in High School>, four were active idols, except for Yooil.

‘But does he get special management? I heard he recently joined JJ Entertainment.’

Yooil looked even whiter and more handsome than expected. He wasn’t frail, but rather tall and well-built.

As the staff member was scrutinizing Han Yooil, Director Kim Kyuoh entered.

With the director’s greeting, the actors began introducing themselves.

“Hello! I’m Hyena, playing the role of ‘Heena’!”

“I’m Byul, playing ‘Hyobin’! Please take good care of me~”

“I’m Kim Harang, playing ‘Harang’. I’ll work hard.”

“I’m Ji Eunho, playing ‘Taewoo’. Please take good care of me~”

Han Yooil also stood up and bowed.

“I’m Han Yooil, playing ‘Gihyeon’. Please take good care of me.”

Applause filled the meeting room briefly. And then, the actual reading began.

However.

“Just a moment. Did you properly capture the emotion in that line?”

What seemed like a smoothly flowing reading session started to take an unexpected turn.