Cheating way through to Stardom chapter 38- New parents

What on earth could this be?

‘If there’s a normal mode, is there a special mode too?’

No, is there even a help guide in the first place?

I kept pressing on the smartphone. Amusingly, there were no settings at all.

‘What on earth are you?’

I sighed and closed my eyes. Well, it was all the same anyway. I was going to use this as a cheat, after all.

‘I should insert the SIM card.’

I needed it to stay in touch with my sister anyway.

‘I guess I saved some money.’

I was going to use this forever.

To commemorate having a smartphone, I opened a video app. Luckily, the car had stopped, and I managed to pull a weak Wi-Fi signal from somewhere.

‘It’s not like I’m trying to watch a video.’

I wanted to read the comments below.

When I opened the app and searched for Yumi, the newest music video was the first thing that popped up. When I clicked it, the comments were scattered everywhere.

‘Huh?’

The most noticeable thing was the number. The views had increased significantly.

‘20,553,641? Twenty million?’

Isn’t that a lot?

“Manager, Yumi’s music video has twenty million views.”

“What! Really? That’s amazing!”

Of course, ten years later, surpassing twenty million views would be common. But for now, it was quite extraordinary.

I scrolled through the comments. There was a mix of English and Korean.

‘There are comments saying Yumi is pretty…….’

There were also quite a few about the boy.

“Did you just realize?”

The manager chuckled.

“You might get recognized by people now.”

“From just one music video?”

“Because it was a huge hit! The commercial we shot today is the same! When you keep getting attention, you should consider yourself lucky. The company will probably start to promote you more.”

“I’ll work hard on whatever comes my way.”

“The company welcomes someone with high recognition.”

Would my chances of joining the next group increase?

‘I hope so.’

I kept checking the comments. Further down, there were even some in Arabic.

‘I’m really grateful to my senior.’

I wondered if senior Yumi was sleeping well.

I smiled and closed my eyes. My heart was pounding, and I wanted to keep filming forever.

If I were to join the debut team, I would have to sign a contract. I called my aunt with the new SIM card in my smartphone. Fortunately, she wasn’t busy, and she came to the company that evening.

“Oh, my dear son!”

As soon as my aunt saw me, she hugged me and spun me around. It was a bit disconcerting when my legs lifted off the ground, but then again, my aunt’s hobby was mixed martial arts.

‘The women in our family have intense hobbies.’

I landed safely and smiled brightly.

“Welcome!”

“Let me see my son’s face. Oh no, you look so thin. Are you eating well?”

“I’m eating well. Hello, uncle.”

“Yes, how have you been?”

My uncle held a briefcase and shook my hand.

‘Why is he acting like this?’

Feeling puzzled, I looked at him, and he whispered softly.

“For now, I’m your dad.”

Um, uncle? My father is still alive. No, wait.

‘I don’t know if he’s alive or dead.’

We lost contact.

‘I think I understand why they’re doing this.’

Life as an orphan was tough.

I smirked.

At sixteen, other might not understand, but I did.

They were playing an awkward role for my sake.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Sure, Dowon.”

I led my aunt and uncle to the office.

“I thought it would be best for mom, I mean aunt, to review the contract.”

“I’ve been looking at it. Don’t worry if there’s any problem. I’ll tear it apart.”

“Honey, bones and flesh are supposed to be separated.”

Excuse me, aunt? Uncle?

“Shall we take a look?”

My aunt smiled and shook hands with the director. I smiled awkwardly.

‘Please go easy on them.’

I prayed in my heart as I looked at my aunt’s face.

“Let’s get to the point. Here is the contract.”

My aunt leisurely looked over it and said.

“It’s not bad. There’s no penalty fee. I like that it’s a preferential negotiation after the trainee period rather than a mandatory contract. The signing bonus is average. I thought it would be higher since it’s a big company.”

“This is the standard contract, Dowon’s aunt.”

“Oh dear. I’m Dowon’s mother now.”

The director looked at me in confusion.

“She’s his mother now.”

Don’t ask. It’s just how it is.

The director, even more suspicious, asked.

“Do you have any specific questions?”

“Regarding the settlement, there’s nothing about compensation if Dowon suffers a loss due to improper accounting?”

“Excuse me, mother?”

My aunt placed the pen down firmly and said.

“If there’s any funny business with accounting, there should be appropriate compensation!”

“Don’t you trust us?”

“How can you trust a company? People are inherently untrustworthy. That’s why I brought this. The supplementary contract.”

When did she prepare that? My uncle promptly handed her the contract from the briefcase.

Unlike our family, they were a well-matched couple.

“Read it thoroughly.”

I smiled awkwardly. Really……

‘My aunt is amazing.’

The director, though speechless, read the contract. He sighed deeply and said.

“Some agencies do mess with settlements. We don’t.”

“I know. I reviewed the publicly available audit reports.”

“I understand your concerns. A few years ago, many companies were still disorganized, though not us.”

The director looked at me. I gave a bright smile.

“Dowon is a talented trainee.”

Director Joo signed the contract and stamped the company seal in front of my aunt.

“This is my trust. Dowon’s mother and uncle, please trust me.”

Wow.

‘Director Joo is quite resolute.’

Honestly, I was a little surprised. There wasn’t really a need for this. Why, though?

‘Aha.’

Is this the recognition the manager was talking about?

‘There are plenty of trainees, but it’s rare to find ones with recognition.’

Even so, this level of sincerity was impressive.

‘Director Joo has great courage.’

No wonder he’s leading the Korean Wave a few years later.

My aunt seemed pleased too, smiling contentedly.

“You’re very straightforward, Director.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

The contract proceeded smoothly from there.

After completing the debut team contract, my aunt patted my head and said,

“My son, you need to eat well. I’m busy with a big case.”

“Just having you here is already a big help.”

“I’m glad you’re doing well. I have to go now. Oh, dear, you had something to say to Dowon, right?”

“Oh! I almost forgot. Dowon, can you sign this?”

What, what is it?

My uncle took out a prepared file from his briefcase.

‘You shouldn’t sign things recklessly.’

I checked the paper and was a bit surprised.

“This is health insurance, right?”

“I’ll pay for it. Just sign it.”

I couldn’t make sense of it.

“I was thinking about what I could do for my only nephews, and found this. I don’t know much about the entertainment industry, so all I wish is for you to stay healthy. This is a good insurance. It covers cancer, brain, and heart diseases, and the payout for diagnosis is very generous!”

Uncle?

For a moment, my face felt flushed. I really didn’t expect this.

‘What should I do? I’m so grateful.’

I knew they were good people, even before I returned. But this was beyond my imagination.

“It might seem like nothing, but…”

“No! How can this be nothing! It’s money out of your pocket every month!”

“The terms are good right now. In four days, it becomes expensive. Ah, Sora already got hers!”

The premium was around 30,000 won, very affordable. This really was a good deal. There was no reason to hesitate. I signed immediately.

“Thank you, Dowon.”

“No, I wouldn’t have been able to choose such good insurance myself.”

I felt a lump in my throat.

‘I’m so grateful I could go crazy.’

I wasn’t their child, just a nephew. There was no reason for them to care. Just their legal support was more than enough, but why did they go this far?

“Uncle, I will definitely succeed.”

“No, it’s not that.”

Uncle shook his head.

“We only care about your health, Dowon.”

How could there be such good people?

“I have to go now. I’m swamped with work too. I’ll send the insurance policy to this company later.”

I bowed deeply.

“Yes, Uncle.”

A sigh escaped me. I waved until they were out of sight and then let my arm drop.

My arm fell limply to my side.

‘I need to succeed for them.’

A few years from now, my aunt would run for the National Assembly.

‘She failed.’

The finances of my once-wealthy aunt’s family became strained afterward.

I turned back with a bitter smile.

‘I will definitely help them then.’

By becoming a wealthy nephew.

I shook my head and walked on. To become a wealthy nephew, I had to practice hard today too.

‘Let’s quickly improve my dancing and vocal skills.’

Skill isn’t everything, but right now, it was the most needed. I hurried off. The sound of my footsteps echoed lightly in the hallway.

***

Director Joo walked briskly down the corridor with a tablet in hand. As she opened the heavy door, she spoke aloud.

“Knock, knock!”

Kang Minjae, wearing a headset, looked up. He smiled slightly and nodded.

“Do you have a moment, Minjae?”

“I never have time.”

Director Joo pulled up a chair and sat down. Kang Minjae shrugged his shoulders and spoke.

“What is it?”

“You heard about Vita, right?”

“Oh, the DUI. We’ll have to delay their comeback. Can’t even finish the song.”

“The problem is, Vita is the only male idol group in our company.”

Kang Minjae smiled.

“We’ll have another one soon, right?”

“We need to speed up the process.”

“How fast are we talking?”

Director Joo propped his chin on his hand and crossed his legs.

“Within six months at the latest.”

“Wow.”

Kang Minjae looked up at the ceiling and spoke.

“We haven’t even selected the members yet.”

“Pick from the debut team.”

“Easier said than done. Ah, I have plenty of songs ready.”

“I know. And Minjae.”

Director Joo pushed the tablet towards him.

“Take a look.”

Kang Minjae tapped the screen. Soon a video started playing. In the video, his familiar younger brother moved.

“That’s Dowon.”

“Watch till the end.”

The commercial was only 30 seconds long. But even in that short time, Cha Dowon acted perfectly.

“I’ve planned many things, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone this talented.”

“He acts really well.”

“Honestly, I thought Yumi’s music video was a gamble, but this is different.”

In the video, the boy held a child and looked around. The boy was pretty and fresh. Although he played a somewhat naive role, there were no flaws. He was just adorable.

“He’s a gem.”

The commercial hadn’t been released yet. Director Joo had checked it in an email and was surprised.

“This was originally Vita’s, right?”

“Yeah. But Vita couldn’t do it this well. No matter how talented, could he manage this? How is he good from the start?”

“I don’t know. He does have a lot of talent.”

Kang Minjae thought of Cha Dowon dancing. There was definitely something captivating about him.

“Our Dowon is amazing.”

Kang Minjae couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m not sure if because he is Dowon, but he is gaining a lot of attention as a trainee.”

“It’s good to have a lot of recognition. The more attention you get, the greater the chance of success.”

Kang Minjae stared intently at Cha Dowon in the paused screen.

“As always, you’re interesting, Dowon.”