Episode 4
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“You’re not Seung-beom.”
I denied it at first, but the answer came immediately.
Could it be that she noticed because Seung-beom’s behavior was too different? I thought of the strange reactions from Seung-beom’s family, but I knew that alone wasn’t enough to figure it out.
‘Except for this woman, Seung-beom’s family didn’t realize that I wasn’t Seung-beom.’
Suppressing my curious mind, I asked again, “Was there something strange?”
“No? You seemed fine, like an ordinary high school student. You’re good at acting. But your expression is a bit indifferent, though.”
The woman with her chin resting on her hand said as if it were inconsequential. As I openly furrowed my brow, the woman chuckled.
“It’s hilarious how my nephew puts on that delinquent expression. Why, did anyone else notice besides me?”
“…The family atmosphere felt strange when I laughed.”
As I said that, a different emotion flickered across the woman’s face.
She looked sad.
“They probably didn’t notice. Those people couldn’t possibly notice Seung-beom’s change.”
“…”
“It’s okay to keep going like this. No one else will know about Seung-beom’s changes. Maybe I wouldn’t have noticed either.”
“Wouldn’t have noticed?”
As if expecting an explanation, I sat back and played with the handle of the mug. Then she spoke again.
“I decided not to be sad even if the day comes when Seungbeom suddenly disappears.”
“You talk as if you’ve foreseen Seung-beom’s disappearance.”
Something was off.
It was unlikely that an unfunny resurrection like this could be easily understood by an ordinary person.
“Do you know something?”
“Haha, I can’t tell you! Try thinking hard about it.”
“…”
“Ahahaha!”
As I looked at her with eyes full of disillusionment, she grabbed her stomach and laughed like a mad person. She seemed to be laughing, but a strange chill ran through me.
This woman seemed to really know something.
‘But it seemed like she had no intention of telling me.’
“But if I don’t tell you anything, it’s too cruel. I’ll give you a little information about that family. You must have felt it if you lived in that house, right? That house isn’t normal. That child always wanted to run away.”
“Run away?”
The woman nodded her head.
“I’m Seung-beom’s biological aunt. the sister of his biological mother. The woman in that house is the person Seung-beom’s father remarried.”
I thought of Seung-beom’s mother as I rested my chin on my hand.
‘So that’s it.’
It wasn’t common for a mother who was busy picking up her younger son from the academy to neglect her eldest in high school.
“Seung-beom doesn’t smile. He hardly expresses any emotions, not just laughter. In that house, Seung-beom is just a decoration for a harmonious family. He’s too nice to reject anything.”
‘In order to appear as a harmonious family, Seung-beom is kept around to be monitored, but his existence isn’t acknowledged.’
Not allowed to express prohibited emotions and behaviors. Asking how my outing was and saying they were worried were actually warnings about me breaking the rules.
“What a crazy family…”
It was an honest sentiment. The woman, upon hearing my words, burst into laughter again before taking a sip of her coffee.
“So, what kind of person are you, who doesn’t listen to anything like my nephew does?”
“I cannot disclose that.”
I was grateful for the revelation of Seung-beom’s unfortunate family situation, but there was no reason to spill my story. When I cut her off decisively, the woman seemed to have expected it and threw the next question.
“Age?”
“I prefer wine over milk.”
‘Even though I don’t drink.’
I answered while lightly touching the milk in front of me with my fingertips.
It meant I was an adult who had aged enough.
“I think I might be relieved. I have no intention of imposing restrictions on you or gossiping about you.”
‘That’s fortunate.’
“…”
“That child has always been suffering, and the situation couldn’t get any better. Things not going as planned for those people is what I hope for. So, rampage as you please. But.”
The woman, who had been smiling the whole time, stood up with all the laughter drained from her face. Then she grabbed me by the collar.
“Don’t mess with my nephew’s body recklessly. Please live your life diligently so that he can achieve the happiness he couldn’t.”
“…I will.”
I couldn’t refuse her, so I roughly matched her tone. Only then did the relieved woman reply with a small “Thank you” and hide her face that seemed like she might burst into tears.
As I breathed a sigh of relief with my collar crumpled from being grabbed, I remembered something I had forgotten.
“Oh, could you help me with something?”
“What do you need help with?”
What else could it be? I need to charge her for grabbing my collar.
If there’s one thing I’d expect from a makeup artist, it’s that.
***
A few days had passed since meeting Seung-beom’s aunt. I had been extremely busy ever since, with hardly a moment to spare.
Mostly, I spent my time socializing peacefully with the trainee babies from the same company.
– There are some kids among our trainee friends who seem to have trouble accepting Seung-beom joining. I’ve tried to soothe them as much as possible. Um… It’s not easy for them to understand.
I wondered if it was necessary for these kids of this age to establish a hierarchy. My memories of being a teenager were quite distant.
But, to my surprise, when I joined the practice room, some trainees who boasted about being from a major agency started picking a fight. I tolerated it a few times, but when I couldn’t take it anymore, I gave them a solid punch.
After that, things were peaceful.
‘Come to think of it, it feels like it was the same when I was a trainee in my past life.’
It was déjà vu.
– Did you hit me? Thanks for punching first, you jerk!
But back then, I really did brawl, whereas this time, I resolved it through conversation, so it seemed like it was resolved okay. I’m a trendy guy who knows how to go with the flow of the times.
‘Looked like a bunch of lunatics though.’
I noticed that some kids, who greeted me every time we crossed paths even though I didn’t ask them to, were giving me strange looks.
Anyway, for various reasons, my body just couldn’t relax. I wrapped up everything and ended up dozing off in exhaustion.
“Okay, everyone, put down what you’re holding. The exam is over. Great job, everyone.”
If I had to specify a location, it would be the desks in the college entrance exam hall.
As the dismissal order rang out and people began to collect their answer sheets, I pushed myself up from where I had been lying down. Of course, my answer sheet was blank, and I had been asleep since the first period. The exam supervisor gave me a stern look.
‘What? As long as I didn’t snore.’
Looking around, I saw our brilliant test-takers tidying up their desks.
‘You guys are awesome. Thumbs up.’
“…Hey, aren’t you leaving? You said you have a part-time job.”
“Leave me behind. I can find another part-time job, but you can’t see a hottie like him twice. There are times when women can’t back down. And that time is now.”
“What are you talking about?”
The front of the classroom was noisy. Students were gathered around Seung-beom’s face.
I sincerely wondered how rumors spread so quickly in a test center filled with unfamiliar faces.
I retrieved my phone and immediately called Lee Yuri as I began to run.
– Ah, Seung-beom. Are you done? Then just come down to the main entrance now.
“Yes. You said it was a team that set up the camera with a white padded jacket, right?”
– That’s right. She said using a reflector would be too contrived, so she wore white padded jackets. She’ll probably talk to you first since I showed her a picture of you beforehand, so don’t worry.
“Got it.”
When the exam ended, test-takers poured out of the exam hall. I needed to leave before them. Bursting out of the corridor like an arrow, I emerged from the main entrance and looked around.
‘Where are they?’
As expected, it was full of reporters. It couldn’t be helped since the broadcasting station was nearby.
‘White padded jacket, white padded jacket…’
I found her.
“Wow.”
It was pointless to say I found her. Among the reporters all clad in dark coats, she was shining brightly in her white jackets, and she had apparently been watching me intently and signaling vigorously with her eyebrow.
Of course, I was easy to spot among the kimbap-like test-takers.
‘Here I go. Stop raising your eyebrows like that.’
Ignoring her burdensome enthusiasm, I casually walked towards her. Just at the right time, the reporter who was standing at the front, holds my arm tightly, turned out to be a woman who strangely resembled Lee Yuri.
“Hello! I’m RBS Broadcasting Station reporter Lee Yoo-seon. Can I interview you?”
“Uh… yes, of course!”
Feigning a bit of surprise, I quickly recovered and smiled brightly in response.
And today, I had a full set of makeup and hair style.
***
Even right after taking the college entrance exam, I had no reason to skip practice since I had been sleeping the whole time anyway. Some of the trainees around my age seemed to have taken the day off, but if I had such a weak mentality from the start, I wouldn’t have stepped foot in this company.
“Alright, shall we begin? Ah…”
First, I assessed my vocal range.
Having a decent vocal range was somewhat necessary. Although I earnestly prayed for Seung-beom to be talented in singing since I wasn’t a main vocalist in my past life, unfortunately, reality was not so kind.
“Haaaa…”
I managed to reach up to a Bb in the second octave forcibly, but it didn’t sound great, and my throat felt stiff.
After numerous rehearsals, my vocal condition worsened, and I couldn’t produce the same notes during practice due to tension in my body. Realistically, the stable note I could hit was the F# in the second octave, and anything from there was difficult.
‘At this level, It’s impossible to take high-pitched ad-libs. Being a main vocalist is tough.’
“…As expected, the gods are fair.”
It seemed like they were implying not to expect an outstanding vocal performance after giving me such a striking face. However, apart from not being able to be the main vocalist, I was not at the level where I couldn’t handle most vocal parts.
‘As for dancing, well, I just do it.’
Honestly, I wasn’t worried about dancing.
I’ve been a main dancer for years, so wouldn’t it make sense if I could dance properly? If not, I’ll keep practicing until I drop dead. I haven’t fully adapted to the length of my limbs, muscle strength, and flexibility of this body yet, but by the time of my debut, I’ll have everything adjusted.
– Don’t mess with my nephew’s body recklessly.
Although the threat from the woman who claimed to be my aunt passed like an echo, what could I do? I never believed in verbal contracts anyway.
‘I hope I live more carefully in the future.’
As I was loosening my throat and preparing for the real practice, someone barged in and opened the door with a bang. It was a trainee assigned to the same dormitory.
“Hyung! Hyung! Amazing news!”
“Do Yuda. You should knock before entering.”
The rumors about me had already spread throughout the company, so most trainees didn’t approach me. However, this guy kept coming to me continuously.
“Hehe, sorry. But I had to tell you quickly.”
He had a face that resembled Border Collie, so he would quickly laugh even if he got scolded.
“Lee Yuri noona told me. We’ve been selected for a new survival program.”
“Oh, really.”
“I think the company has already decided internally. Was the entrance evaluation shocking?”
What to decide? Paddling frantically when the water comes in.
“Why?”
“Usually, dorm assignments are done by seniority, but they put you and me together. I’m a veteran, but I was surprised to be assigned with a newcomer like you.”
‘Lee Yuri must have intervened casually.’
“Do you have any complaints?”
“No? I like you, hyung.”
He could have had complaints about the opportunity going to someone who had just arrived, but he seemed content with being selected as a contestant. Do Yuda had such high standards for our company that he wouldn’t let go of a program like this even if he died, and he searched through related articles to find out what was going on.
“What’s this?”
– I was worried about the weather being a bit cold today, but it was warm inside the exam hall.
The sound of my voice flowed from Do Yuda’s phone after he fiddled with it for a while.
‘Is it starting now?’
– I feel relieved for now. Thank you all for your hard work.
Relieved my foot. I hadn’t even opened the textbook. I opened the exam paper and slept after looking at the first page. The only big thing was feeling guilty about Han Seung-beom’s test life.
“Wow! Your face is all over social media, hyung. You’re on the news!”
Doyuda showed me his tablet. Various SNS pages were open, filled with news videos and screenshots of my face.
“Did you know, hyung?”
I just gave a sly smile and turned away.
This wasn’t even a big deal.
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.
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After all, being a top celebrity meant attracting attention wherever you went.
“What are you talking about? Of course, I knew.”
Even lies had to be told well.
I smiled slyly.
