Ch.94Make absolutely, absolutely sure to cast Kim Donghu!

“Congratulations on <Story of the Moon and the Stars> reaching 100,000!”

“…Huh.”

After a long absence, I returned to school.

The first thing I saw was a somewhat oddly familiar banner.

‘Daejong High is no different after all.’

No, perhaps Daejong High was actually the originator in this regard.

Considering the number of banners displayed during the entrance ceremony, that was certainly the case.

But the fact that this one was prominently hung at the school gate meant it was quite significant.

‘I guess not just anyone can reach 100,000 theater attendees.’

Despite recording an impressive number of viewers, the media impact was less than expected.

Perhaps because it wasn’t a medium like drama or film.

In absolute terms, only 100,000 people had seen it.

While the theater industry was experiencing an unexpected boom,

it wasn’t something that had made an extraordinary impact on the general public.

‘Still, they say donations to orphanages nationwide have increased, and there’s more support from the government and corporations.’

In terms of what Senior Bong Jinwoo called “children’s hope,” it was a great success.

>Donghu, are you coming to school today?

<Yes

>Got it~ Let’s have lunch together later

<Sounds good

Just as I was exchanging messages with Yerim and heading toward the classroom.

“Donghu, do you have a moment to talk? If you’re busy, we can talk another time, so please answer freely.”

Chairman Edward Park appeared with his newly styled curly perm.

“Oh, um… sure.”

“Great, then let’s go straight to my office.”

Though I thought it was sudden, it wasn’t a problem.

I had been planning to thank him properly anyway.

‘He allowed me to miss school for five months due to external activities without any issues.’

Of course, that’s why I came to Daejong High in the first place.

But making accommodations so I wouldn’t have to worry at all was another matter entirely.

Anyway, once we arrived at the chairman’s office.

As soon as I sat down, the chairman got straight to the point.

“Are you interested in piano competitions?”

“Pardon?”

“As you know, the reason I recommended you for admission was because of your talent for piano.”

I couldn’t not know.

He had so explicitly sent me piano-related videos and papers.

‘But I came here for the theater and film department.’

Since the kid I saw in High Dream had become the national prince.

Naturally, I had drifted away from piano.

“But you’re pursuing acting now. I was wondering if perhaps… you had some unfulfilled desire.”

As he spoke, there was a faint trace of regret in the chairman’s eyes.

Eyes that had chosen reality over dreams at some past crossroads.

And a determination to prevent his student from walking the same path.

“What you’re good at versus what you love—people often struggle with this. But I, Edward Park, can assure you. When you’re young, you should do what you love.”

That determination was conveyed directly to me.

‘Does he think I want to play piano but am doing acting because of the trend?’

He didn’t seem certain.

It seemed like he was asking if there was such a possibility.

‘He’s really such a kind person.’

I understood why the chairman still had a tight grip on Daejong High’s admissions.

It was because he had a philosophy of treating each individual with care.

‘Come to think of it, the gym owner said something similar.’

A few days ago.

Director Paek Sangha presented various possibilities to me, talking about the Olympics and such.

He explained how far I could go with boxing and what benefits there would be.

But his final advice to me was simple.

-Do what you want to do, Donghu. That’s what’s most important.

-…You’ve told me too many things for that.

-It’s an adult’s job to show you the paths. I’m teaching you to show you various possibilities.

Of course, the wall full of newspaper articles about my achievements was a bit overwhelming.

But including that, I felt really lucky in this life.

‘Thanks to my smooth sailing.’

That’s enough idle thoughts.

I immediately smiled and answered the chairman.

“I like acting, so I want to continue with it.”

“I see. Alright. Then we’ll end this conversation here.”

After giving that answer, I was about to get up in a good mood when.

“Ah, by the way, have you set a goal?”

“A goal?”

“Yes, if you’ve decided on a career path, you should also have a lofty goal.”

After thinking briefly, I answered.

“To be the most famous actor in the world.”

It was childish, but he told me to have a lofty goal.

And there were two responses to that statement.

One was, of course:

“Excellent.”

From the chairman,

and the other was—

-[Acknowledged.]

From Sims.

Why are you answering?

+++++

Humans are creatures of adaptation,

and habits, like calluses, don’t disappear even if you try to remove them.

These two cases were perfectly exemplified by Kim Sujin’s current state.

‘I think I used to hug him around this time.’

Current time: 3:25 PM.

In the past,

after lunch and rest, it would have been time to hug Kim Donghu before rehearsal.

But now that the play was completely over, all those times were gone.

‘Ugh, is it weird that I want to hug him?’

But what can I do when it’s true?

“Ugghhh….”

While Kim Sujin was lost in her own agony.

‘Wow, Kim Sujin can make expressions like that too.’

‘She must be feeling the aftereffects of the play.’

‘She really lives in a different world from us.’

All the students in Kim Sujin’s class were surprised.

That’s because Kim Sujin was originally someone with very clear boundaries.

Even if you wanted to get close to her, there was a clear line,

she wouldn’t allow anything beyond being classmates,

and apart from her usual bright smile, she rarely showed other expressions.

But there was one time when Kim Sujin’s expressions became diverse.

That was when she was doing something related to Kim Donghu.

However, the students didn’t know that far.

They were just amazed to see Kim Sujin’s rich expressions.

‘I’ll go home with him after school.’

Come to think of it, where does Kim Donghu live?

‘I don’t think he moved out from his original home.’

Could he be living alone?

Why didn’t I think to ask this during all the time we spent together?

Kim Sujin suddenly felt very regretful.

‘I was just grinning like an idiot because I enjoyed hugging him!’

I should ask him after all classes are over.

While Kim Sujin was thinking this.

“Hey, big news! Huge news! Today is Bloombell’s last music show appearance! And then they’re taking a break!”

Some very familiar yet irritating information entered Kim Sujin’s ears.

‘Bloombell.’

The most popular girl group these days.

A girl group famous for performances and skills that didn’t seem like those of rookies.

And it didn’t end there—all the group members had stunning looks.

Truly a parade of flower-like beauty, just like their group name.

And the one who shone the brightest among them was:

“So Ryu Jaerin will be coming back to school?”

The center and main vocalist, Ryu Jaerin.

Despite being the youngest, her sincere attitude without any shortcuts,

her bright and bold actions, and her difficult family background.

All these combined to make her a super rookie.

Naturally,

‘Why do I need to know this stuff?’

This was information Kim Sujin didn’t want to know.

Because she knew Ryu Jaerin’s dark intentions.

But she couldn’t not know.

Because Ryu Jaerin would chatter about herself to Kim Donghu,

and Kim Donghu would always tell her about it!

Of course, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

In fact, it was unavoidable.

When you spend 5 months together, how much can you really talk about?

As you discuss various trivial matters, you end up talking about acquaintances.

But the problem was that this acquaintance was her rival in love.

‘I was fine when he talked about Kangsik… and Minhyeok.’

There were only two she disliked.

Ryu Jaerin and Shin Yerim.

They blatantly showed their affection for Kim Donghu,

while skillfully hiding it from others.

‘Though I’m the same way.’

Anyway, the conclusion was “Kim Donghu is mine.”

No, did they really think they could build a deeper bond with him than she had?

‘Logically, I mean strictly logically!’

What is the standard of logic?

This required deep contemplation.

+++++

At the same time.

At a cable broadcasting station.

“Uriyayaya!! Reply 1997! 1994! The success of the series! It feels unbelievably thrilling!”

While making a gesture as if digging into his temples,

CP Joo Hanmyung clenched his fist to show his rising power.

“What is the legend of cable dramas? How far can we go?!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Responding to his passionately pounding palms was a whiteboard.

On it hung the faces of numerous actors,

and beneath them all were written their roles.

“With this cable power, I’m convinced that our tvW can surpass everything! Open a new era!”

Boom boom!

Among the many roles, one character had more than ten stars marked next to it.

CP Joo Hanmyung looked at that character with a determined face.

“You must, absolutely must cast Kim Donghu!”

The third series of Reply.

The key character of 1988 was none other than Kim Donghu with his perfect face.