Ch.15Immersion

Contrary to reporters’ predictions that the High Dream public audition would take about two weeks, it ended in just one week, arousing curiosity.

Usually, there’s only one reason for this.

‘A catfish has appeared.’

When one unexpected catfish suddenly appears and devours all the minnows, the audition degrades into a play with a predetermined winner.

‘But we didn’t see anyone like that?’

If someone of that caliber had appeared, they should have registered on the reporters’ radar. Somehow, the reporters hadn’t detected even a trace of this catfish.

But this was actually understandable.

The number of applicants pushed in by various agencies started from the 2000s. Therefore, reporters hadn’t waited with high expectations for the earlier numbers.

“Wow… he’s really handsome.”

Except for just one person.

Daily Happy, an online media company.

As a newly growing company that needed to move faster than anyone else due to its small size, a rookie reporter there gaped at Kim Donghu.

Her standards, already elevated from following senior reporters to various entertainment coverage events, expanded as she looked at this young man who was just starting to grow.

The sensation of glimpsing a new world.

Just as she was about to rush over to speak to him and give him her business card, the boy quickly left with his friends.

‘He’s definitely going to make it.’

The reporter immediately called her senior.

“Hello senior, I think I’ve caught the scent of a scoop.”

-“What are you talking about? Are you crazy? Talking nonsense.”

“…”

+++++

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sandbag makes a rough sound.

The fact that it doesn’t swing much despite the impacts suggests considerable striking skill.

“Donghu, you’ve definitely improved. You should really go into fighting, UFC! You know? Stun Gun! I’m telling you, you could be like him!”

Paek Sangha, the head of Pilseung Gym, exclaimed in admiration.

“Whether it’s striking or ground game, huh? How about we set up a match right away? Start by taking down the nearby gyms?”

Having watched Kim Donghu since elementary school, Paek Sangha was certain.

‘That kid is definitely championship belt material.’

He could even vaguely see it.

Kim Donghu smiling after conquering multiple weight classes!

He wanted to make that fantasy a reality quickly.

But things don’t always go as planned.

“Coach, I don’t think I can come for a while.”

Boom!

Paek Sangha froze as if struck by lightning.

“Why, why can’t you come? Is it because I taught you CQC?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Donghu, I told you it’s better to learn various martial arts. I just taught you for experience… though it was intense…”

“No, Coach, Coach? Please listen to me-“

“Is, is it because I taught you Taekwondo? But Donghu, even if the movements are big, you need to learn kicks to have finishing moves…”

“Coach! That’s not it! I passed the audition!”

At those words, Paek Sangha fell silent.

Audition? What audition?

‘Come to think of it, didn’t he say he was going to a drama audition?’

He actually went?

‘I thought he was just saying that to provoke me…’

To test my sincerity.

To see if I was really determined to get him into the UFC.

I thought that’s why he said it, but it was real-.

“So I don’t think I can come for a while. I’m sorry.”

Boom!

That day.

Height 193cm, weight 130kg,

Who could have challenged for the UFC heavyweight division if not for an injury,

Who desperately wanted to introduce Kim Donghu to the fighting world,

Whose shark-like appearance made children cry just by looking at him,

“…This can’t be happening.”

Paek Sangha’s world collapsed.

+++++

Right after Character Director Team Leader Shin Youngsook sent Kim Donghu the acceptance message, Lee Minha immediately continued writing upon receiving confirmation of the casting.

More accurately, she poured it out.

She rewrote all the existing scripts as if possessed.

‘It shouldn’t just deal with the main and supporting characters’ hardships and adversities, it needs to show musicality too.’

Various music.

Popular music is important, but it wouldn’t make sense to have only those types of students at an arts high school.

‘He’ll be an incredibly new character.’

His height and build, impressive despite being only fourteen, wouldn’t be a problem.

His slightly youthful voice? What does that matter when he sings rock so well?

The key points were that he was extremely handsome and a good actor.

Tap tap tap tap tap!

It took 10 days to complete a character made specifically for Kim Donghu, one only he could play.

4 days to review the scenario.

After a total of 14 days, Lee Minha rushed to KBC Broadcasting Station.

“The final script is ready, let’s go with this.”

At last, the final manuscript was born.

“Let’s do a script reading.”

The moment Lee Minha had been waiting for was approaching.

+++++

The day I received notice of the script reading date.

>How did it go? Did you get rejected?

<Yeah, I didn’t get an acceptance message.

I deliberately lied to Kim Sujin’s question.

There was no special reason; I just wanted to play a light prank.

‘We’ll meet at the script reading anyway.’

This level of joke should be fine.

Thinking that, I immediately checked the script that had arrived by mail.

<High Dream>

Writer Lee Minha

Just seeing that on the first page filled me with tremendous excitement.

Until a few days ago, I was living as an ordinary person, and now I’m receiving scripts and preparing for readings.

‘But actually acting seems like it would be very different.’

No matter what special privileges I had, memorizing a script was a completely different domain.

All my acting experience so far had been short-term anyway.

‘From now on, I’m becoming a real actor.’

Script memorization for that purpose.

A tense moment.

Ding!

My phone notification sounded.

The sender was [Sims – Real Life], my special privilege.

-[Adding ‘Immersion’ function for effective script memorization.]

-[The function will activate when you hold the desired script and say ‘Immerse’.]

A new function has been updated?

‘No reason to hesitate.’

I should try it right away.

Holding the script.

“Immerse.”

At that moment, my world changed.

+++++

In the end, mom broke the jar.

“I can’t live in this kind of household anymore!”

Grandmother, who usually talked about how much each storage jar cost and how the soybean paste inside was worth millions, couldn’t say anything.

After 20 years of married life, mom was completely exhausted.

My patriarchal father was a fool who believed that providing money would automatically make the household run smoothly.

Grandmother was a hedgehog who mistakenly thought her son was getting the short end of the stick.

A fool and a hedgehog.

Between them, our mother slowly collapsed and was pierced through.

The jar was the escape button.

The jar she opened to check if maggots were breeding, as always.

When dad asked why she was taking such care of it, mom exploded.

Her cry of “Who do you think I’ve been taking care of it for?” echoed throughout the neighborhood.

Various shouting continued after that.

The conclusion came from mom’s mouth.

“A nobleman’s daughter-in-law? Don’t talk nonsense! I’ve never been treated as a daughter-in-law, being treated worse than those damn jars! Why should I live like this!”

Crash!

After that, several more jars broke.

So many jars broke that it wasn’t clear who broke them.

And that day, something inside me also seemed to break.

Crack.

“J, let’s go.”

J, Lee J.

That’s my name.

I think I had a different name before.

But I lost it when I left home with mom.

“This is our home from now on.”

The day we entered an unknown basement apartment.

Mom looked down at me with an exhausted smile.

Thinking about abandoning the past and having to bear the future had tired her out.

Maybe mom had also lost something in that house.

‘Ah.’

That’s when I first thought I needed to protect mom.

I felt I needed to become famous and earn a lot of money.

Music was what I chose for that.

If I became a brilliant idol, I could earn an unbelievable amount of money.

At the same time, something began to grow inside me.

An emotion I couldn’t even name.

That emotion whispered to me when school ended and other parents came to pick up their friends.

Don’t associate with those people.

Don’t get involved with them because we’re different.

From then on, the emotion inside me decided on the name: hatred.

Hatred was always by my side.

Even when I, who had never attended a single music academy, received a school music award,

it was the only thing that stayed with me.

‘Those without talent.’

Why do those incompetent people smile so much?

Are they really happy just because their parents smile and praise them even for participation awards?

‘What’s there to be proud of when you can’t even win prize money?’

I couldn’t understand.

It was disgusting.

Crash!

At home, the sound of something breaking is often heard.

“Mom.”

I no longer had the energy to be surprised.

As long as she wasn’t hurt, it was fine.

Cleaning up broken pieces had become familiar.

‘Where could I become famous through music?’

I wanted to start earning money from high school.

While thinking about this, I found news about Eunha Arts High School.

The story was that if you entered as a special scholarship student, you could receive money, attend school, and become famous.

With just a few school awards, I could easily enter as a special scholarship student.

That’s when I first encountered rock.

Although its popularity was somewhat lower, so I didn’t choose it as my main major.

The open vocalization seemed to untangle my frustrations.

‘I’ll do this for a while and then abandon it.’

While thinking that, I met those disgusting people.

A group talking about dreams and hopes, cheering each other on despite their inferiority.

High Dream?

How can those at the bottom of the school rankings dream high?

‘These kinds of people shouldn’t be at school.’

I wanted to get rid of them.

And I wanted to prove it.

That in the end, only talent determines everything.

I felt I would only be satisfied if I crushed them.

Crash.

Once again, the sound of something breaking was heard.

‘It’s okay.’

I didn’t pay attention.

I was used to cleaning up broken pieces.

++++++

Whoosh!

Along with the scene of broken pieces being cleaned up, I returned to reality.

“What, what just happened?”