After the first music broadcast of the group to which Jae-rin belongs, BloomBell,
I stuck around until the very end to watch the announcement of the 1st place winner.
I had two reasons for this.
One was that Jae-rin would come out one more time during the final ranking announcement.
The other was to prepare in case my identity was revealed later on.
‘It’d be awkward if someone said I just came to see one stage.’
So after watching all the performances,
I casually left the broadcasting station while chatting with Jae-rin on KakaoTalk.
> How was it?
< You looked so pretty! It really suited you; I think you’ll do great.
> Better than Kim Su-jin?
But why was Su-jin brought up here?
‘Now that I think about it, I feel like I’ve been asked something similar before.’
While pondering the reason for that, I realized it might just be the rivalry of those reaching the top.
‘Is it fate that they know they’ll meet at the peak?’
I remember Ye-rim asking something similar about Su-jin and Jae-rin in the past.
Definitely, when it comes to this, fate seems quite real.
‘Especially Jae-rin, who became an instant hit right after her first broadcast.’
With her dazzling looks and overwhelming talent,
her presence unmatched by anyone,
all of this combined,
BloomBell achieved the incredible milestone of ranking 1st in a music broadcast just 7 days after debuting.
Considering the fierce competition and limited marketing tools, it was a phenomenal feat.
It would be an understatement to call it a new syndrome.
Anyway, after successfully watching Jae-rin’s performance,
time flew by, and soon it was December.
At the MNC Year-End Awards, she effortlessly won the Rookie of the Year award.
“To become someone deserving of this award, I will continue to work hard and not get arrogant. Thank you.”
It seemed she still hadn’t quite shaken off the limits of being a child actor.
Her roles and screen time hadn’t crossed into leading territory either.
Having a huge presence was a different story altogether.
Moreover, since [Eclipse] was a project shot earlier this year,
the talk about me began to diminish gradually.
It was an inevitable part of the acting profession.
If you’re not shooting new projects, you’ll inevitably be overshadowed by the following ones.
It was only natural to be forgotten by people.
Thus, 2013 arrived in the blink of an eye.
‘This year, I need to go to Europe.’
It was a trip I should’ve taken last year, but,
thanks to some really, really, special circumstances, I couldn’t go.
“Waaahhhh!”
I, Kim Dong-hu, 16 years old,
suddenly gained a younger sister with a 16-year age gap.
But that’s a story for another time.
So February 2013 arrived.
February 2013.
The middle school graduation ceremony was approaching, filled with many memories and a lot of work.
‘So this is where my daily life is wrapping up.’
Unconsciously, I turned my gaze towards the podium.
It was the spot where graduation speeches were being given.
Normally, as the student council president, it would have been right for me to give the speech, but…
No matter how I thought about it, I firmly refused.
‘No way, how could I give a speech when I didn’t even participate in school life properly?’
It would be different if I had plenty of memories with the other kids. Camp retreats, school trips, and all that jazz…
But having no shared memories, it just didn’t make sense for me to give a speech.
So I intended to either skip it entirely or steer the principal to take the lead in giving the speech.
– “I-I’ll do it.”
Breaking everyone’s expectations, Kang Sik stepped forward.
Since I was the student council president, Kang Sik naturally became a member of the student council too.
There was no reason he couldn’t do it.
Shuffling toward the podium.
If there’s no reason it can’t be done, then it can be done.
Thus, Kang Sik was heading towards the podium where the graduation speech was to take place.
“Ah, hello. I’m Kang Sik, and I will be giving the graduation speech.”
His eyes were trembling, and his voice was still shaky.
However, no one laughed at him.
At that moment when Kang Sik would be the one to decorate our final farewell, everyone was watching.
“I, um, I didn’t have many friends because I’m not good with words.”
And thus, Kang Sik’s graduation speech began.
+++++
I’m nervous.
I’m regretting it.
Why did I agree to give this graduation speech?
Is this really the right thing for me to do?
I debated this countless times.
Yet the desire to say something outweighed everything else because…
I had something I wanted to say.
To the friends who helped change me.
And to this school.
Kang Sik steadied his anxious heart and opened his mouth.
“I, um, once disliked this side of myself. It was because I thought I had a personality that didn’t fit in with my friends.”
With every word he spoke, sweat formed.
Cold sweat was streaming down, making me dizzy.
But…
“However, I now like who I am. Because I met friends who appreciate me just the way I am.”
Despite his feelings, he gradually stuttered less.
“I believe your school life was like this too. Sometimes it was tough and tiring, but looking back, I think there were so many good memories.”
I believe those moments have settled in your memories.
Every time Kang Sik continued speaking, his mom, Park Ok-soon, found it increasingly difficult to hold back her tears.
Mom, Park Ok-soon struggled to hold back her tears.
Her son, who came home with drooped shoulders every day,
started talking about school with a smile.
Now he stood confidently at the graduation ceremony, speaking wonderfully.
‘…Kang Sik.’
Park Ok-soon looked at her son and then shifted her gaze to Kim Donghu.
With unshakeable determination, his friend gazed at her son.
Because of Donghu, Ye-rim, and Min-hyuk,
her son was able to stand there today.
“I don’t see this graduation as a farewell.”
Na Kang Sik recalled the moments spent with his friends.
It was truly, truly joyful and precious memories.
But now, it’s really a past that must remain in memories.
“It’s just a brief detour; the fact that we were together doesn’t change. So…”
So.
He should’ve continued speaking right away, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t flow.
“…There’s no need to be sad thinking of this as a farewell.”
His vision blurred.
Why does everything suddenly look so hazy?
He couldn’t tell.
“I hope we can celebrate our last moments with smiles…”
With those words, Kang Sik’s speech came to an end.
From that point on, Kang Sik felt like his soul had left him, and he barely remembered how the graduation ceremony went.
He seemed to hear loud applause, and felt like he heard he was amazing multiple times,
It felt like he was enveloped in warm arms, crying.
It seemed tough to hold back tears while taking pictures with his friends.
Still, he remembered the last moment.
– Donghu!
– Yes?
– I, you know… I’ll become an incredible developer just like you said! So! I’ll hire you as my model!
Before going home,
he clearly remembered saying that to Donghu.
What did Donghu say back then?
– When that time comes, I’ll count on you.
He was sure that was what he said.
Not a farewell,
but a preparation for when they would meet again.
“Son, are you okay not being able to see your friends anymore?”
“Yeah! We’ll meet again anyway, and I’ll be looking cooler by then, so it’s okay!”
“…My son has really grown up!”
Na Kang Sik graduated from middle school like that.
+++++
Daehan Arts High School.
Shortened to Daejong High.
Not only does it maintain the top spot for arts schools,
but with the greedy director, Edward Park’s crazy scouting talent,
it recruits and nurtures countless talents.
The only condition for entering Daejong High was one thing:
There must be talent.
As long as that condition was met, character didn’t matter.
After all, they could teach character in school.
“So all I had to do was let you know.”
But talent isn’t something you can just be told about.
Edward Park was obsessed with talent.
“And I suppose I can say that I’ve finally reaped the rewards of my obsession.”
The traces of the genius he sought, again and again.
Then, when he encountered Kim Donghu, Edward Park was astounded.
A perfect being with room for growth,
The owner of a devilish gift that tramples commoners, Kim Donghu.
It turned out that the protagonist had finally enrolled in Daejong High.
Not to mention, the idol on the rise,
Ryu Jaerin, the center of Bloom Bell, was also enrolled.
“I guess you could say it’s double the joy.”
Hehehe.
Edward Park hummed a tune as he busily moved to proceed with the entrance ceremony.
“Huh?”
But the figure of Kim Donghu, whom he had so desperately wanted to see, was nowhere in sight.
+++++
Around the time of the Daejong High entrance ceremony,
I couldn’t attend the ceremony.
Not because of a schedule.
Unexpected variables had arisen.
“Hello, I’m Bong Jinwoo.”
“Excuse me?”
“Bong Jinwoo, I’m a second-year at Daejong High and the head of the drama club called Sparking.”
He was about 165 cm tall.
The senior, just a little better-looking than me, looked down at me as he continued.
“Kim Donghu, there’s a play I want you to do.”
“What? Wait a minute, suddenly bringing me here, what’s going on…”
“I thought if I waited, I wouldn’t be able to say it properly, so I’m sorry. But it couldn’t be helped.”
I was desperate too.
As he said that, Senior Bong Jinwoo handed me a script.
“This isn’t a play being held at school; I want to perform this in Daehak-ro.”
Most of the preparations were already done; all I needed was a good actor.
With that said, Senior Bong Jinwoo tightly gripped his trembling arms.
‘What on earth is going on?’
I was flustered, but due to the actor’s instinct, I read the title of the script.
‘…The Story of the Stars and the Moon?’
I thought I’d heard that somewhere, but the thought was just a fleeting moment.
I immediately opened my eyes wide.
‘This is that one.’
The title of the work mentioned in [Sims – The Real Life] was right in front of me.
As the situation unfolded, my curiosity couldn’t be contained.
What kind of piece was it that Sims had so eagerly recommended?
Before checking the rating, I immediately.
‘Immersion.’
I dove into the script.
The first thing to greet me was.
‘…What is this?’
An expansive universe.
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