In mid-August, Kim Donghu was getting ready to watch Ryu Jaerin’s debut performance.
At Daehan Arts High School, affectionately shortened to Daejong High, the atmosphere in the theater club [Sparking] was as tense as a monkey on a pogo stick.
“Hey, are you really gonna do it like this? Is this right?”
“Can’t help it. I don’t like it either, but it’s how it is.”
“That doesn’t mean you can just say you won’t do it, right?”
“I’m not saying I won’t; I’m saying we should do a different script.”
A different script.
The moment that word was uttered, the table flipped over in a flash.
That word seemed as shameful as a bad haircut.
Kicking the table, fury erupted.
“Hey, you little brat, are you seriously calling me out? You think my acting sucks?”
“No, I just think our styles don’t match. I only want to work with actors I want to act with.”
“So that means I’m not good enough?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, but you can’t handle my script.”
“This is unbelievable!”
Thud.
The senior, much bigger than his peers, grabbed the junior by the collar and lifted him up.
The junior hung limply like a drowned rat.
His feet not touching the ground, he struggled to breathe, face going red, but still continued.
“We agreed to write two scripts from the beginning, didn’t we?”
“Wake up, senior; you simply can’t handle my script.”
The junior’s words only fueled the senior’s rage further, leading to a complete toss of the junior to the ground.
BAM!
“Hey, do you know who I am? You think this is a joke? You’re messing with a graduate project that’s about to get funded—cut that funding!”
“I’m really sorry, senior. But still, no way. Sure, I might be squatting in a tiny room writing scripts while scraping together scholarship money and a part-time job but—”
With some misplaced artistic pride intact, the senior wouldn’t act in the junior’s script.
An endless, repeating tale on a never-ending loop.
In the junior’s eyes, the fierce determination to end this cycle today was evident.
“Hey! You can’t say that to a senior! Apologize!”
“I’m just being honest, and I even got beat for it. Why should I apologize? There’s a saying that it’s worse to have a meddling sister-in-law than an enemy.”
Though his social skills were about as good as a rock’s, he wasn’t wrong.
Could it be that he was just spitting out truths, or was he merely a glutton for punishment?
Regardless, his talent was undeniably real.
The surrounding club members chose not to interfere in this showdown of wills.
Reading the room, the junior got up, brushing the dust off his backside and glancing around.
Look at all these suck-ups, clinging to their golden spoons.
Instead of nurturing their talents, they chose the easy path like a bunch of dolts.
He couldn’t possibly hand over his masterpiece to such fools.
‘You all can’t act this!’
The junior, no, Bong Jinwoo’s philosophy and conviction were steadfast.
“Senior, just grab a mediocre script and deliver some average acting while collecting polite applause as you exit.”
“I think your talent is just that, senior.”
Bong Jinwoo grabbed the senior by the collar again.
But Jinwoo’s expression didn’t change at all.
“Hey, you broke loser! I’ll give you money, so write the script!”
“What’s your problem? Make me a great role that I can actually play.”
“A pretty girl joined as a member, should I try to shoot a romance with her? How about it?”
Revenge for the years of verbal abuse, a little collar grabbing is nothing.
When they used to call him a broke loser, an orphan, where did that all go?
How could he be this aggressive when he’s the one being bullied?
‘How petty can you be?’
Bong Jinwoo smirked and lightly raised his knee.
Originally, that distance wouldn’t have been reachable.
But with the collar grab, it was a possible technique.
Squelch.
He felt the softest part of a man’s body touch the tip of his knee.
Gotta be careful not to make any serious injuries, so it barely made contact.
But that was enough.
“Khhuuugh…!”
A man hit there was destined to fall.
Tap-tap.
Tidying up his clothes, Jinwoo picked up the script behind the senior.
“Hey, hey… Who are you going to trust that to?”
The senior desperately asked about the script, holding his groin,
Jinwoo tilted his head.
“Well, rumor has it… Kim Donghu is enrolling next year, so I thought I might give it to him.”
“Is he really gonna follow a script from a broke loser like you?!”
The reality of that insult gripped the hand holding the script tightly.
“…If my script is good, it might be possible.”
I believe in my script.
Saying that, Jinwoo looked at the play he created.
[The Story of Stars and Moons]
A heart-wrenching romance story born from a screenwriter who feels emotions lightly when a boy and girl meet.
++++++
The long-awaited music broadcast debut day of Ryu Jaerin.
“I’ve never seen a music broadcast before.”
I arrived at the broadcasting station, feeling curious.
I wanted to go into the waiting room and cheer her on, but…
Since Jaerin wasn’t a solo artist, that wasn’t possible.
“It’d be too much pressure.”
Plus, there were a lot of eyes around, so I had to be careful with my actions.
“What rumors might come out.”
So I got completely ready for disguise.
Mask, sunglasses, hat, coat.
No part of my body was exposed.
Of course, if I was so blatantly disguised, it might seem suspicious.
But since everyone was there to see idols, no one really cared about me.
If I was doing this on the street, all eyes would definitely be on me.
If I were doing this, I’d definitely have everyone’s eyes on me.
But everyone was only focused on the idol they loved, staring at the stage.
There was no way they had any energy left to pay attention to me.
‘I should probably stay in a spot that doesn’t stand out too much.’
Especially with my height growing day by day.
I settled in the back and checked my phone.
> Are you here?
<(photo) oo
> We’re the rookie group, and we’re up first, so you’ll see us soon.
> I’ll do my best!
< Good luck!
> Yup!!!
At that moment, a text came in.
And not long after.
“Hello, viewers!”
“Wow! It’s already Thursday; I’ve been soooooo looking forward to this!”
With the MCs’ greetings, the live music broadcast began.
To think it was live and not recorded from the very first stage!
You’d have to be pretty confident in your skills to choose that option.
“Alright, this week! It’s time for exciting music—hey! A new face girl group has appeared, right?”
“Oh, do you smell flowers coming from somewhere~?”
“Fresh charm! Spreading fragrance! The flower of charm pulling in the~~ people! BloomBell! Please come out!”
With the witty introduction from the MCs, BloomBell appeared on screen.
‘Jaerin is the center, huh.’
Despite being the youngest, Ryu Jaerin held the center position.
Seeing her like this on screen made it clear why she was the center.
‘She’s different.’
Even someone who doesn’t know the future would believe she’s going to be huge just by looking at Ryu Jaerin, who had a uniquely bright and gorgeous beauty.
“One, two, three, as bright as a flower! Hello, we are BloomBell!”
And the light group introduction followed.
You can definitely feel that a lot of investment went into this group.
After the intro, BloomBell left the stage to prepare.
During that time, the MCs filled the gap with light chatter.
After a moment passed.
‘Oh, the lights are going out.’
In an instant, the stage lights went out and then back on.
Ta-da!
The five brides sitting demurely appeared on stage.
The title song was [Your Bride].
You could tell right away what kind of concept BloomBell was pushing with this song.
Each member showcased different charms in varied dress outfits.
Among them, Ryu Jaerin was wearing a hanbok to display a graceful charm.
‘Wow, it looks similar to what Su-Jin wore.’
As I admired the detailed stage costume fit for a queen, the music started, and the song began.
But.
‘Huh?’
Just before it started.
I felt like Jaerin was looking directly at me.
What is this? Must be a mistake, right?
It would be ridiculous to think she could find me among all this crowd.
I brushed it off, thinking it was just my imagination.
++++++
– I want to be yours, your bride.
– Can you see the future we’ll have together?
Can you see the future?
-Let’s plan our wedding together.
Sweet melodic sounds flow out from the TV.
Under normal circumstances, I would have changed the channel without a second thought.
“Hmm?”
Kim Sujin sat on the sofa, gripping the remote tightly with a strange feeling.
“That girl, isn’t she?”
I couldn’t care less about the group name or the song. Right in the center, a girl with a graceful smile caught my eye.
Was it Ryu Jaerin?
“She’s the one modeling in school uniforms with Kim Donghu.”
My legs instinctively crossed.
For some reason, my brows knitted together.
‘Everyone else is in Western dresses, and she’s over here rocking a Hanbok style like she’s getting married alone.’
I really couldn’t understand why, but it felt oddly unpleasant.
Moreover,
‘Every time she looks at the camera, her gaze drifts off to the side.’
Who is she looking at?
Of course, it could just be my imagination.
Newcomers naturally struggle with looking at the camera.
In fact, there were members in the same group with similarly wandering gazes.
But,
But.
Ryu Jaerin’s drifting gaze felt different.
‘Could it be that Kim Donghu is right in front of the stage?’
No way.
I was about to dismiss it as a wild fantasy when the camera, which was focusing on the stage, briefly panned over to the audience.
“Kim Donghu! Are you insane?”
Kim Sujin shot up from her seat.
No matter how thoroughly he disguised himself, it didn’t matter.
You can’t hide an aura, no matter what kind of disguise you have.
Especially with the vibe of the guy she liked, it was way too easy to recognize.
While matching their performance,
It was a disguise only Kim Sujin could see, peppered with emotions deeper than anyone else’s.
“…So, what you’re telling me is that you’re shooting a romance with me, calling Kim Donghu over in that getup as your personal bride~?”
Crack.
I tightened my grip on the remote.
Just as anger surged up within me.
Ryu Jaerin grabbed the mic and began to sing, fixing her gaze onto the camera.
For some reason, I felt a challenge lurking in that gaze.
“…What a cheeky girl, sticking by Kim Donghu?”
We’re practically family already, had Christmas dinner together and all.
And she dares to overstep after modeling in a school uniform a few times? Doesn’t she know her place?
My anger rose to the top of my head and then suddenly dropped like a lie.
“Haha, this is amusing.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Keep going.”
Struggle all you want; I’ll show you who’s real.
I needed to make it clear how arrogant and pathetic that struggle was.
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