NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35
The day of the sixth episode of “Hydream” was scheduled.
17-year-old Ji Eun-bi, a passionate viewer of “Hydream,” found her seat in front of the TV, ready for the live broadcast.
“Go, my oppas!”
Ji Eun-bi was getting more and more absorbed in “Hydream,” showing even more fervent support.
But there was more to her enthusiasm than just being a fan.
“Why do the viewer ratings seem to be similar to other shows?”
Unlike its initial momentum,
“Hydream” was showing a surprisingly quiet growth trend.
With a steep rise to 12% in the first episode and 14% in the second, predictions were that it would reach even higher peaks over time.
However,
In episodes 3 and 4, “Hydream” didn’t rise as much as expected.
Technically, staying at 14% was a decent defense, but
she couldn’t shake off her disappointment.
“‘Hydream, a smooth start since the first episode? Not quite as expected…’
‘Thought it would push ahead, but the dream of conquering Mon-Tue dramas is still far off.’
‘Was the momentary spike in ratings just a miracle? Let’s analyze “Hydream”!'”
On top of that, trashy articles were gnawing away too.
“Hah, this is hilarious.”
Ji Eun-bi frowned at the garbage articles.
How could they write such things!
“What? Brief miracle?”
To be fair, there was some truth to that statement.
Because.
“My Donghu oppa wasn’t in it!”
For reference, Ji Eun-bi knew Kim Donghu was fifteen.
But so what? If he’s handsome and tall, he naturally qualifies as oppa.
Kim Donghu—more specifically, Lee Jae-yi—had made his last appearance at the end of episode 2 and had been missing since.
He had made a grand entrance and then poof!
Not even a shadow was seen during episode 5 just yesterday.
According to articles, Lee Jae-yi had a smaller role due to limited script lines.
But.
“Using that face without capitalizing on it is a crime, isn’t it?”
I won’t hold back this time!
I’m blowing up the viewer bulletin board!
While Ji Eun-bi was venting her frustrations in front of the TV.
“Hydream” was steadily progressing its storyline.
Now, the members of “Hydream” were finally coming together, getting ready for their year-end stage performance.
♪♩♪♩♬♩♪
The cheerful humming of the “Hydream” members, singing about youth, made her want to dance along.
Maybe this isn’t so bad? After all, oppa Donghu has less screen time, so should I just bear with it?
Just as that thought passed through her mind…
Suddenly.
The practice sounds of the “Hydream” members cut off, and the screen changed.
“Huh?”
An eerily quiet practice room appeared, with a boy slicking his hair back as he entered and opened the keyboard cover.
No lines.
Nothing.
Without a word, I sit at the piano and strike the keys.
A twist forms on my expressionless face, and an unknown emotion spills out beyond the TV.
“I’m… scared.”
Lee Jae-yi’s disgust begins to spread into the world for the first time.
All the stories you’ve seen so far are fake; it’ll compensate for how long you’ve been deceived by the whispers of the inferior.
Moonlight Sonata, Movement 1.
A flower, nourished by disgust, reveals its form.
+++++
At the time when the 6th episode of “Hide & Dream” was showing on TV, Kim Donghu was in a quiet alley, not often visited by people, for a film shoot.
“We’ll do a bit more setting and then start shooting right away. Donghu, you can take it easy.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Rustling.
Lee Seong-deok hurriedly continued the final setup while admiring Kim Donghu’s appearance.
“Ah, will there ever be another chance to film with actor Donghu in my fate?”
Director Lee Seong-deok felt regret as the filming of “Hero” wrapped up quickly.
“With such a good actor, there are no NGs, and the speed of filming skyrockets.”
In the past, coordinating schedules and re-shooting for any NG could drag a project that should take a week over a month.
“To think we’re already wrapping up in just four days.”
Of course, it could have been finished in three days originally. However, changes in the wild dog shooting section took an extra day.
It was supposed to be the child actor stabbing the wild dog doll, but due to brutality issues, that was immediately discarded.
While it was true that actor Kim Donghu would perform the stabbing scene, adjustments were made so it wouldn’t be prominently displayed on screen. Instead, child actors would be positioned around, making it look like the stab was from their perspective.
With that lost day, today marked the fourth day.
All the staff on set, including Lee Seong-deok, had become fans of Kim Donghu.
“Alright, let’s do our best today!”
The hero, ultimately revealed as the true culprit behind the death of the loan shark, had the police searching the country for him, quickly pinpointing his location.
A young boy with a distinct look carrying a bamboo sword; there was no hiding that.
Eventually, the hero found himself cornered.
The seemingly endless escape met its conclusion in a dead end.
This is the hero’s final story.
“Ready, action!!!”
As Lee Seong-deok’s cue rang out, Kim Donghu immediately called for the hero.
“Huff… huff…”
Ragged breaths and a body gasping for air.
After running for so long, the body, exhausted to its limit, refused to move any longer.
“Stop running, you’ve come this far! If you get caught now, you might receive a sentence reduction!”
The detective’s single-line dialogue highlights the gravity of the situation.
There’s a dead end behind, a detective in front, and police quickly closing in around.
There’s literally nowhere left to run.
But.
“Hey, do you know why I was carrying a bamboo sword around?”
A hero never gives up.
Did the hero not know that carrying a sword makes you a target?
No, he did know.
Yet, he carried it anyway.
Because a hero never lets go of his weapon.
Swish.
As soon as the hero drew his sword, the detectives hurriedly pulled out their guns.
The loan shark was killed by that sword.
The cause of death was a pneumothorax and internal bleeding from fractured ribs.
Not just simply swinging it, but with the grace of a skilled swordsman trained in kendo.
The detectives could no longer treat the hero standing in front of them like a little kid.
“Isn’t it funny? They say if you shoot, detectives take the blame, which is why there’s that saying.”
Guns aren’t for shooting; they’re for throwing.
“Look at me though, I’m different.”
A weak society that can’t even shoot a single bullet when a child commits a crime.
He hurriedly put away the gun and tried to pull out his baton, but even that attempt was futile.
A bamboo sword and a baton.
The difference in power was as clear as the difference in their lengths.
Tatata!
The hero charged at the detective.
If the path is blocked, go in the opposite direction.
After all, there’s only one person here preventing the hero from moving forward.
He just needs to break through before backup arrives.
I am a hero who punishes evil.
I will never crumble here.
Crash!
The tip of the hero’s bamboo sword jabbed directly into the detective’s solar plexus.
He couldn’t even scream and slumped against the wall, unconscious.
The camera captured the fallen detective before refocusing on the hero.
‘…This is it.’
In a typical story, the hero would be captured here.
But Kim Donghu’s performance changed the ending.
The hero gradually disappeared into a dark alley.
A place where he could break through the encirclement.
He vanished into a gray border where the black-and-white world couldn’t reach.
“Kuaaaaah!”
With that scene, the hero’s final shoot came to an end.
++++++
“Huh, that was tougher than expected.”
After the hero’s shoot wrapped up, I thanked everyone and immediately hopped into the van.
Ideally, I should’ve participated in the final dinner and such.
But being 15 gave me the power to skip out on those kinds of gatherings.
“My schedule’s tight, and I need some downtime by myself.”
If I hadn’t been exercising consistently, I would have probably already been worn out.
Recognizing the importance of exercise, I suddenly thought of Baek Sang-ha.
“Please come and work out with me; you’re talent for the UFC,”
Suddenly, I missed that shout.
“I should go visit him sometime.”
Just as I was thinking that,
“Donghu, you had a tough day today.”
Seok-ho slipped into the driver’s seat.
“By the way, it seems like Veritas is slowly recruiting people.”
“It seems like you’re slowly getting picked.”
As soon as I got picked, Veritas Management started pushing for growth.
To relieve the frustration of not being able to grow until now, they began hiring various talents.
Stylists, road managers, bodyguards, and so on.
Recently, Seok-ho’s mouth was constantly smiling.
“Seok-ho, if you’ve hired a road manager, don’t you not have to drive anymore?”
“Well, that’s true, but I feel more at ease when I’m the one behind the wheel.”
Seok-ho replied and drove straight towards my house.
“Oh, by the way, I heard they’re talking about additional filming for Hydream?”
“Additional filming?”
“Yeah, I got contacted about it. It’s pretty much confirmed, and they want to coordinate schedules.”
“So it’s not just adding to existing footage, but adding new content?”
“Yup, as you know, your piano performance was amazing—the Moonlight Sonata!”
But the real deal comes after that; if they see it, the viewers are going to faint, literally faint.
I awkwardly laughed at Seok-ho’s words.
‘Looks like I’m really popular.’
One of the secrets to an entertainer’s longevity is not reading articles related to themselves.
I was actively practicing that.
The moment you get swept up in public opinion or see even a single nasty comment, your mental state can crumble,
So it’s best not to care from the start.
“Our Dong-ho has a fan cafe now, hee hee, only good things are left from here on out.”
Seok-ho seemed genuinely happy about my success, with a smile that never left his face.
But a fan cafe?
‘That’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?’
But I’m curious, so I’ll have to check it out later.
“Oh, and by the way, underneath the left window, I placed the updated script for Endless Wire.”
“Is that the action addition version?”
“Yeah, they said if it seems too intense, let them know. It might be a bit much for middle schoolers, and I agreed with that.”
Making a good movie is great, but not getting injured is the most important thing.
Dong-ho, don’t try to push it. If it seems too hard, just say so right away.
I chuckled at Seok-ho’s warm concern, and I immediately pulled out the script.
‘I said I’d compete with Han Tae-geon sunbaenim.’
I was dying to know how they incorporated that into the script.
‘Empathy.’
The first thing that appears in the empathetic world is…
“AAAAAAAH!”
“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!”
“Cease fire! Cease fire!”
It was a world drenched in blood.