Cheating way through to Stardom chapter 11-If Only I Knew Then What I Know Now

Realizing that time is money is always a hard lesson.

‘Why did it take me so long to understand that?’

If only I knew then what I know now, things would have been different.

I was out of breath, wiping sweat off my face.

I gulped down water, but I felt like I was dying.

I sat on a bench at the bus stop.

Sweat dripped from my forehead.

The cold air felt nice.

It was still winter. I rested my chin in my hands and looked up at the sky.

The clear blue sky was vast and empty.

“Getting in shape is tough.”

Why can’t this be done with a cheat?

I took out my smartphone.

Familiar words appeared on the screen as it lit up.

[cheat mode 0/3]

I sighed.

Leaning back against the bus route map, I tilted the phone’s screen and then straightened it again.

“What’s your standard?”

That was the problem.

The treasure I gained from my regression could do many things.

It could fix my physical abilities and change situations.

It was practically omnipotent.

‘The problem is, I don’t know how to use it.’

On the day I was accepted into the agency, I activated the cheat.

[Cha Dowon Singing Ability]

[Current grade: D. Would you like to change it?]

I entered the name of the best singer in the country.

[Changing to Lee Jinhyuk level]

[This is not possible with your current physical condition.]

As expected.

[Changing to A Grade]

[This is not possible with your current physical condition.]

[Changing to B Grade]

[This is not possible with your current physical condition.]

At this point, I was curious.

‘What’s my current physical condition?’

Does it mean I’m not trained enough?

Still, I used everything I could.

[Changing to C grade]

[Changed to C grade. Your body will be altered accordingly.]

Okay, I’m familiar with this part now.

[Side effect: You will cough up blood for one year.]

Damn it, what’s this now?

My throat felt like it was burning.

I twisted on my bed, struggling to breathe, and then I coughed involuntarily.

‘I thought I was going to die.’

Instinctively, I covered my mouth.

Feeling something wet, I looked at my hand.

The sight was horrifying.

‘I can’t believe I’m actually coughing up blood.’

It was better than those few minutes of intense pain during the audition.

But a whole year of this?

‘At least it doesn’t hurt.’

The taste of blood was unpleasant, but that was it.

However, the real issue was…

“How do I hide this?”

No matter how lenient my sister is, if she saw me coughing up blood, she’d rush me to the emergency room.

‘It’d be a problem at the agency too.’

They wouldn’t kick me out for having a bronchial issue, but it would be a hassle if they told me to get better and come back.

‘I’ll have to run away if I start coughing.’

I sighed deeply as I looked at my smartphone.

Damn, this is such a nuisance.

“Well, anyway…”

I was genuinely curious.

So, I did an experiment.

‘What’s the difference between D A Gradend C grade?’

I deliberately recorded myself singing and used the cheat.

The result was somewhat surprising.

‘It’s not a dramatic change.’

C grade sounded better, but it wasn’t an enormous improvement. The vocal range had just changed slightly.

‘C grade is just a slightly better than average person.’

The conclusion was simple.

‘Only the body changes.’

Skills and other things had to be learned on my own.

“Damn it.”

They don’t give anything for free, do they?

‘Half grateful for having it, half annoyed at the stinginess.’

I looked up at the sky again.

My breath was visible in the cold air.

As I took a deep breath, I suddenly coughed.

Cough-

I quickly covered my mouth.

But I couldn’t stop the blood.

As I coughed frantically and looked at my hand, it was, of course, covered in blood.

“Damn it.”

There must be blood on my mouth too.

Is there anything to wipe it with?

‘Do I have to carry tissues all the time?’

I’m going to become ridiculously neat and polite.

Just as I was about to shake off my hand, a luxurious handkerchief touched my cheek out of nowhere.

Who is this kind person?

I quickly took it and wiped my mouth.

Then I turned around and spoke.

“Thank you, uh…”

I bit my lip.

Standing before me was someone I didn’t expect.

A deep voice resonated in my ear.

“Long time no see, Dowon.”

‘Why are you here?’

I blinked.

My nemesis, wearing sunglasses, was smiling awkwardly.

‘What the…’

I clenched my fist and then released it.

‘Why are you here with me?’

Damn.

How unlucky.

‘So, Kang Minjae.’

Before my regression, he constantly held me back.

Now, he’s a judge for the company’s audition.

In other words, a big shot in the company.

The steam that had risen in my head instantly cooled down. I tilted my head, pretending to know nothing.

“Who are you?”

At my question, Kang Minjae let out a short groan and then took off his sunglasses.

“Uh, so…”

It seemed he found it difficult to introduce himself.

Oh, really?

Is it hard to say that the older brother you were close to when you were young suddenly became an audition judge?

Hmm?

‘You can explain the situation, but it’s hard to explain the reason?’

Do you have some secret, Kang Minjae?

Whatever.

I continued with my act.

“Huh?”

I pretended to recognize his face.

“Don’t you remember me?”

“Oh! Minjae hyung?”

I smiled with all my heart and soul.

It was so disgusting that I clenched my teeth, but now I was a middle school kid meeting a friendly older brother after a long time.

“And I must not know that this guy is a judge.”

It wasn’t a big performance, but it had to be very subtle.

“Hyung! Nice to see you!”

“Luckily, you recognize me.”

“How could I forget you, hyung?”

Right.

How could I forget you?

“I thought you wouldn’t remember because it was so long ago.”

“That’s right. You moved, didn’t you? After that, we moved too. But, hyung!”

I stepped back and looked him up and down.

I didn’t know much about clothes, but I could tell.

His outfit looked expensive.

‘Did Kang Minjae live well?’

Wasn’t the place we met at a rental apartment?

‘Not everyone living in rental apartments has a hard time, but we were struggling back then.’

Did this guy win the lottery suddenly?

I pushed aside my thoughts and said something a middle school kid might say.

“You look really cool now.”

“Huh?”

He seemed flustered by the direct compliment and turned his head a bit.

“Damn it!”

Why are you embarrassed?

“Wow, hyung! You look like a celebrity! You’re so cool! I might walk past you without recognizing you!”

Why do I get goosebumps from what I said?

Kang Minjae, can’t we just pass each other like strangers?

“Oh, Dowon. You’ve grown up a lot.”

“Me? I’m still a bit short…”

I was still in the 160s, right?

I originally grew to 185, so I still had a lot of growing to do.

“I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Funny.

You recognized me very well during the audition.

But I tilted my head, pretending to know nothing.

“Oh, so. Um. I almost didn’t recognize you. I thought you were someone with the same name.”

Of course you did.

‘The kid who innocently followed you suddenly burned with ambition.’

Do you know that you created half of that ambition?