* * *
The manager raised his hand as greeting and walked towards me.
I nodded slightly.
“You’re here?”
“Having breakfast? Is that enough? Just eat out like the others.”
I shook my head.
“I need to save money.”
We can’t sell the house, and my sister needs to graduate from medical school.
‘Selling that house now would be foolish.’
It’s on the first floor of an apartment in Pangyo. (Silicon Valley of Korea)
The value is bound to double if we hold on a little longer.
“Are you short on money?”
“There are circumstances. No one in my family is earning right now. But we’re not poor.”
“Didn’t your mother say she’s a criminal lawyer?”
Oh right, my aunt was my mom now.
“She only takes cases that don’t pay well.”
Sorry, aunt. I have to lie a bit.
“I see.”
The manager’s eyes suddenly softened, as if he was lost in thought.
“She must defend people without money.”
No, not exactly.
She does some human rights cases occasionally, but…
“She’s a wonderful mother.”
There was no need to correct him. I focused on swallowing my cereal.
“But, Dowon.”
“Yes.”
“Why is Seungjoon next to you?”
Damn. I sighed and turned my head.
The big Seungjoon quietly poured cereal into his bowl beside me.
“Milk, please.”
I glared at him and handed over the milk.
Seungjoon smiled cheerfully.
“Thanks.”
He looked so happy that I wanted to punch him.
Damn.
How did things end up like this?
“Seungjoon, you moved rooms?”
Seungjoon grinned slyly.
“Yes. I moved next to Ambitious, I mean, Dowon.”
“Ambitious?”
The manager looked me up and down.
“Did you get caught watching porn?” (야망 (yamang) = ambition 야동 (yadong) = pornography)
Damn.
“No. Dowon’s not Ambitious (Ya Dowon) because of porn (Yadong), but because he has a lot of ambition (Yamang).”
“Oh, like ‘Boys, be ambitious’?”
“Mr. K gave him that nickname. I thought his name was actually Ambitious (Ya Dowon).”
Oh, seriously!
Annoyed, I asked directly.
“Is there even a surname Ya?”
The manager and Seungjoon looked at each other.
“Manager, does it exist?”
“Not sure? Should we look it up? Let’s search.”
The two of them whispered while looking at their smartphones.
‘There’s no way it exists.’
I’d never heard of a surname Ya in my life.
“Oh, it exists!”
“There is, Dowon. There are people with the surname Ya in Korea.”
Damn. Didn’t know that.
‘They get along so well.’
They were like friendly brothers, perfectly in sync.
I silently ate my cereal, watching them laugh together.
The sight of Seungjoon happily chatting with the manager felt so unfamiliar.
‘Just a week ago, he was so gloomy and serious…’
He had completely transformed.
‘Well, kids are naturally like that.’
It was odd before. I’ll be lenient and just let it be.
“Oh, Dowon. Remember? You’re taking profile photos today. At 2 PM!”
“But I have vocal practice then.”
“Inform them and skip it. By the way, when does your vacation end, Dowon?”
“School starts next week. I’ve already taken care of the transfer process.”
The manager patted my shoulder.
“You’re doing great on your own! Very well done! Make sure to get along with the kids at your new school, alright? You look good, but your expression is the problem.”
“What do you mean by ‘expression’?”
“You always look down on people.”
Seungjoon said this while eating cereal.
“Oh, Manager. I think I know what kind of expression you mean. Like this, right?”
Lee Seungjoon lowered his eyes and mimicked my tone.
“Not my business.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
So loud.
“Do you think you know me that well?”
Do you realize it’s only been a week since we met?
The manager scratched his head and said, “When you live together, a week feels like a year, you know?”
Not really.
“Ha ha ha. Don’t glare at me, Dowon. Okay?”
I sighed and shook my head.
The manager checked the time and said, “I have to go. The company’s really busy these days.”
“Why is it busy?”
“Yumi is making a comeback soon. Everyone’s over there.”
I thought of Yumi, the nation’s top female singer.
She was perfect in every way—dancing, singing, and charisma.
‘Oh, her new song around this time did really well, didn’t it?’
I recalled the past.
‘Was the song called ‘Sacrifice’?’
Yumi was so famous that even the teaser was a big hit.
‘The MV was pretty good.’
Yumi played a haughty vampire who toyed with a sacrificial boy.
‘Wait a minute. Could it be?’
Suddenly, I had a great idea.
I urgently asked the manager, “Manager, don’t they usually use trainees from our agency in MVs?”
The manager’s eyes widened.
“Oh? Yeah, they usually use the debut team.”
“Only the debut team?”
The manager shook his head.
“It’s not strictly limited to them.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
Clenching my fist, I whispered, “So how do they select them?”
“They look at the profiles.”
Aha.
I found another treat.
A delicious, steaming bread.
I wondered what it would taste like when I bit into it.
I quickly recalled the past.
Yumi’s MV had massive views.
The seductive atmosphere and Yumi’s sexiness matched perfectly.
But there were many comments about the trainee’s stiff acting.
“I should do that.”
I felt like I could do it very well.
“Why do you ask, Dowon, my ambitious boy?”
“Just wondering. They definitely select by profile, right?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
I stretched my shoulders and loosened up.
“Manager, do you know what my specialty is?”
“Hmm, dancing?”
“No, right now it’s acting.”
Maybe because I was a former stage actor, I was top-tier without needing to change anything.
“It’s time to put it to use.”
I couldn’t stop smiling.
“I’m looking forward to the profile shoot.”
Seungjoon answered, “Profile shoots are simpler than you think. Just a few photos.”
I shook my head.
“Maybe for most people.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m hungry, and there’s something to eat.”
I grabbed my empty bowl and stood up.
“I need to run and devour it. It’s got a lot of meat to sink my teeth into, right? The profile shoot will be a great opportunity for me.”
I quickly washed the bowl and stretched again.
There was no time to waste.
I had to check my skin and face in the mirror.
Let’s prepare calmly.
If it goes well, millions of people worldwide will see my face.
“That’s thrilling.”
I was so happy I could die.
I fiddled with the cheat in my pocket.
What should I use for maximum effect?
I couldn’t stop smiling.
* * *
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