“Right now, the ticket booth is on the right side of the basement first-floor theater.”
The scattered fragments of my memory began to come together.
‘That’s right, the Blue Art Center was really small around this time.’
A few years later, thanks to the drama production and success of 〈Will the Wind Blow?〉, they were able to acquire the first floor as well.
‘Still, it’s fine. I can just pass it off as a misunderstanding—’
“And the performance you gave on the first day of class—that was the director’s cut of the lines. Not a single word was missing; it was exactly the same.”
…wasn’t.
Intube
@Movie Trailer: 2.1K subscribers
[Freshman Welcome Party GV] 30:27
10K views
“Yes. Actually, the director’s cut feels a bit more… I wonder if it might not resonate as well with everyone. Here, the female lead insists on skipping the lecture, saying, ‘If you don’t skip, you’re a traitor!’ The idea of betrayal only makes sense within a team—so it has to be among allies.”
“Ah—so the two of them were already on the same side? That means they were in sync from this point.”
“Yes. But at first, I thought we should emphasize the cute image a bit more, so we went with the line, ‘Hurry up. I’m going alone?’”
Later, the director’s cut went viral as a short-form video and became way more famous. With the cute background music and the challenge trend going around, I had completely forgotten about it.
That what I said back then hadn’t been the original line.
‘I’m screwed….’
Even from my perspective, there are more than a few things that don’t add up.
〈Freshman Welcome Party〉 is a movie that hasn’t been successful for very long. It has only been about two weeks at most since its release.
‘Which means it should still be a long way before the director’s cut is even released….’
Normally, a director’s cut for a hit movie wouldn’t be released until two or three months later. Yet here I am — reciting lines from the director’s cut, knowing the layout of an art center that won’t be expanded for years, and flawlessly quoting lines from a play that premiered today.
‘…Wait.’
But how does he know that?
Drrt… drrt…
“Ah, I got a call….”
Myeong Jeha picked up the phone he had left on the table, looking as if he regretted having to do so.
Myeong Jeha started getting ready to pack up his laptop.
Only then did I finally feel like I could breathe again.
‘That’s a relief. Just hurry up and go.’
I planned to open my status window the moment Myeong Jeha turned his back.
“I’ve got another appointment after this. I’ll get going first.”
That was the moment Myeong Jeha stood up and turned his back.
[Name: Myeong Jeha]
Level: Eternally Living and Breathing Star
Title: Acting Powerhouse Rising Star / Most Luxury Brand Ambassador / PRD 10-Year Muse / Triple Ten-Million Actor / Our Beloved Actor / Triple Broadcasting Grand Prize Winner / Gallup Brand Reputation No. 1 for 5 Consecutive Years…
Immersion: B
Analytical: S++
Communication: S
Quick Thinking: S+
Concentration: S
Recognition: B
Artistry: S
Stats I never could’ve imagined appeared before my eyes.
‘How on earth…?’
The Daesang of the Three Broadcasting Stations’ Drama Awards?
‘But he’s only in his first year since debut, isn’t he?’
Those are the kind of titles that could only belong to the Jaeha from ten years in the future…
Tiring-! Tiring-! Tiring-! Tiring-!
[Name: Myeong Jeha]
Level: Eternally Living and Breathing Star
Title: Acting ?? Rising / ? Luxury Brand Ambassador / PRD ? Years Muse / ?? Ten-Million Actor / ?? Beloved Actor / Triple Broadcasting Grand Prize Winner / ??? Reputation Ranking No.1 for 5 Consecutive Years…
The moment I thought that, a sharp, cracking sound split the air, and a jagged fracture ran across Myeong Jeha’s status window.
Bright red letters glitched across the screen, growing larger and larger as they flashed in error.
“Oh, right.”
And at the same time, Myeong Jeha turned his back and smiled at me. His long, curved eyes looked gentle.
“I’ll hear the lies you’ve prepared next time.”
As if he knew my answer was a lie.
Left all alone like that, I listlessly brushed my goosebumps-covered arms.
“…What the?”
What on earth are you, Myeong Jeha?
* * *
“Noona!”
“…”
I stayed up all night, and after countless assumptions, I arrived at an answer.
“What are you doing?”
“…”
Myeong Jeha is a regressor.
“I’m heading to school, so hang it up when the laundry’s done. And don’t just leave it! Make sure it dries properly.”
I gave a short nod, confirming my suspicion.
“You nodded your head. Don’t forget it, seriously.”
I’ve gone through countless scripts, screenplays, and even bestsellers.
So I was able to quickly come up with the one setting that could explain this bewildering situation.
‘Myeong Jeha’s existence is a kind of cliché.’
There’s no law saying that I’m the only Regressor in the world, right?
‘But there’s a problem….’
That is, the reason he went out of his way to hint that he’s a regressor.
“At least one thing’s certain—it’s not on the positive side.”
Thinking back to the moment I fell for Myeong Jeha’s casual probing sent goosebumps crawling over my body again.
‘Not only that, he didn’t prepare just one question either.’
I felt like a hamster trapped in a maze that Myeong Jeha had prepared.
In contrast, Myeong Jeha felt like a colossal transcendent being, driving me into dead ends every time I tried to turn and escape.
‘The way he looked down at me… it was really terrifying.’
Getting involved with someone that dangerous was way too risky.
I thought I’d better stay out of Myeong Jeha’s sight for the time being.
‘Networks or whatever—he looks just as dangerous as Do Gyeoul.’
It was at that very moment, while I was firmly making that resolve.
Tiring—!
「You on the Mission Screen.」
Keyword: First Video
It’s time to show off your acting! Present the video featuring your face to 100,000 people.
Success Conditions
[Must have at least 1,000 shares.]
Reward
[Recognition] Increase
[Artistry] Increase
[Lucky Points 500p] Acquired
…Another mission appeared.
“I haven’t even finished the last mission yet.”
Why do they give them so often? And suddenly, it’s way tougher too.
“100,000 views… 1,000 shares?”
I swallowed a sigh and put my hand on my head.
What should I do?
But no matter how much I thought about it, there was only one right answer.
“What can I do?”
Of course I have to do it.
* * *
Click, click, click.
I quickly scanned the current InTube market. My laptop screen was filled with various InTubers.
“Since 1-million-follower InTubers are still rare, it looks like I have a decent chance.”
When there are countless influencers, the number of comments is inevitably limited—but right now, it’s different.
“Judging by this, getting a hundred comments on a video with around 50,000 views is easy.”
The answer key flashed in my mind.
“…There’s only one answer: a web drama.”
Web drama.
It’s a content drama distributed through new media like InTube.
‘A few years ago, when AceBook was at its peak, short skits like this were all the rage.’
[Village Video] Female friend & male friend act out each other’s ideal type scenario ㅋㅋ
[JC Diamond Content Lab] New Semester Relatable Skit
At first, they only staged situations lasting 1 minute, 3 minutes, or at most 5 minutes, but the scale gradually grew larger.
“Later on, it even got to the point where they offered early releases through a membership system.”
It was a solid market—they did light advertising, collaborated through Intube, and even built private storylines by gathering subscribers through memberships.
“And companies started getting fully involved in production, and there were quite a few famous works too.”
Sometimes, overseas fans would get involved too. You could say it was a kind of snack culture—perfect for trying out lightly at least once on the path from idol to actor.
“…Huh, but…”
But there was one thing I overlooked.
“…So this is… before it really blew up…?”
The current web drama market was a barren land.
* * *
It was an era when the term “influencer” was still unfamiliar.
-It’s me, Sen-nim!
“What’s that? On the billboard… is that a celebrity?”
“No, I think it’s an InTuber?”
It was the period when beauty bloggers were gradually becoming InTubers, and AceBook was transitioning to YouStar.
New MCN (*companies managing internet broadcasters or influencers) firms, gathering influencers in droves, were popping up everywhere.
[Sandbox / Recruiting Passionate Creators]
[Millions Different / We Help You Grow According to the Right Concept]
Companies partnered with influencers on rapidly growing platforms, steadily racking up views.
Of course, among them, there were MCNs specifically for “aspiring actors.”
[LudaSseol TV: Story of Giving a Friend a Lesson for Acting Weak Only in Front of Guys]
[Ttotto Fiction: My Boyfriend Cheated on Me, and the Other Person Was My Older Sister?]
…The problem was that, to rack up views, they mostly focused on sensational stories.
The most famous were the “Friend Lesson Series,” targeting teens with plenty of free time, and the “Ttotto Fiction Series,” which adapted the worries and counseling episodes of people in their twenties.
[HOT / That Scene You’ve Probably Seen on InTube Lately ㅋㅋㅋ.jpg]
Documenting the story of my friend cheating with my boyfriend, or slapping them
(Web drama capture.jpg)
If you’re sure you’ve seen it, you haven’t. If you think you haven’t seen it, you actually have.
Anonymous 1: Ah, so funny ㅋㅋㅋㅋ It even moved over to YouStar and keeps showing up ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Anonymous2: Seriously my guilty pleasure… I end up watching it even though I know the whole story.
˪Anonymous9: Yeah, they literally copy-pasted the whole content ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Anonymous3: But why do they make stuff like this? Not trying to start anything, just curious.
˪Anonymous5: Because it’s popular? The comment engagement is insane too—they easily break a thousand comments.
The current image of web dramas was nothing short of “killing time” or a “guilty pleasure.”
“No, seriously, this is going way too far!”
This is the new office building of JC ENM, an agency located in Cheongdam-dong.
“Auntie! One more Soju here!”
-It was near a nearby grilled meat restaurant. The woman chewing on meat sizzling on the grill sighed in exasperation.
“On top of that, huh? Giving something so difficult to someone who’s new at acting. It’s like they’re just daring me to fail.”
“It’s a web drama, right? How much acting can you really do there? They said the runtime’s short.”
It was Team Leader Seong, an employee at JC ENM.
“I had a bad feeling from the moment I was assigned to the newly formed ‘web content’ team—not a movie, not a drama, and definitely not a musical or play!!!”
It was obvious that they were going to run the business just for show, to impress those above.
Sure enough, a problem arose right from the very first page.
“This is… even if you do well, it’s mockery; if you fail, it’s the bottom…”
“What about the male lead? That’s the most important part, isn’t it?”
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