Byeoto was in his apartment, sitting in front of his small desk, with the monitor's light illuminating his face. He had his elbows resting on the table, his brow slightly furrowed, and his headphones on as he watched videos of idols from this world.
Boys dancing with passion, catchy songs, fans screaming their names, mountains of comments, sales, ads, contracts… and girls. Lots of girls.
But none of that impressed him.
Fame, attention… meh.
He didn't need validation from people he didn't even know. What really caught his eye was the money. The numbers. The revenue from performances, brand deals, sponsored clothes, streams.
Byeoto leaned back in his chair, interlacing his hands behind his neck as he stretched with a long sigh.
"All of this sounds decent… very decent, actually."
But his expression hardened a bit.
"Although there's a small problem… If I remember correctly, the agencies in this world are kind of corrupt."
His gaze grew more serious as he saw the name on the screen PTJ Entertainment.
"Especially this one. The agency where the most successful idols come from… and where James Lee ends up becoming the owner. That guy really is a problem."
He stared at the ceiling in silence for a few seconds.
"Well, whatever. These are just vague ideas. I haven't decided if I want to get into that agency hell."
He lowered his hands from his neck and tapped his fingers on the desk.
"Although… if I ever plan to become an idol, there are other agencies. And I have time. I'm not going to worry about it now."
Even so, a real doubt crossed his mind.
"Should I start looking into singing and dancing?"
Click.
He opened another video, then another. And just like that, Byeoto spent most of the night watching tutorials, choreographies, basic singing lessons, breathing exercises… and every so often he paused to mutter
"Is this seriously supposed to generate excitement? … Ridiculous… though useful for enthusiastic fans."
He finally went to bed late, leaving the computer in sleep mode.
.....
The next day he left his apartment while finishing a light breakfast, walking with his hands in his pockets and music blasting through his headphones. The weather was cool, the sky grayish. Nothing special.
But the feeling of routine was beginning to settle in him. Whether he liked it or not… he now had a "school life."
When he entered the classroom, several girls greeted him with a smile.
"Good morning, Byeoto. That hairstyle suits you."
He responded with a slight nod, giving a small, carefree smile.
"Ah, yeah. Hi."
He then sat in his seat and, while taking off his headphones, greeted Dowoon.
"Good morning."
Dowoon lifted his head from his notebook, surprised, pencil in hand.
"Ah. G-good morning…"
Byeoto raised an eyebrow. Studying this early?
Just as he was about to get more comfortable, something caught his attention in the back of the classroom.
A student was asleep, head resting on the desk, completely unaware of the world. Byeoto frowned. He hadn't seen him the day before.
He looked more closely and noticed he had black hair, and even while sitting he seemed quite tall, with a relaxed and carefree posture.
Byeoto watched him for a few seconds and thought.
"Could it be…?"
He narrowed his eyes, analyzing him from his seat.
"Maybe… this is Taehun Seong."
The atmosphere around the sleeping boy felt dense, dangerous, as if a single movement could wake him and cause a disaster.
Byeoto rested his chin on his hand, thoughtful.
"Well… looks like today will be interesting."
Class passed without incident. Taehun remained deeply asleep in his seat, completely oblivious to everything. The teacher didn't even bother waking him up. Everyone was too used to him to say anything.
When the bell rang, Byoto stood up and stretched.
"Let's go get a snack," he said as he packed his things.
"Y-yeah," Dowoon nodded with his usual shy smile.
In the hallway, Byoto stopped and turned to Dowoon.
"Wait for me, I'm going to the bathroom. Don't start eating without me."
Dowoon nodded again, obedient.
Byoto left, did what he needed to do, and when he came back, Dowoon was nowhere in sight. He frowned. Looked left and right. Only students chatting, walking, or checking their phones.
"This idiot doesn't wander off alone… unless someone dragged him away."
He approached a group of boys leaning against the lockers.
"Hey, did you guys see a short dude with brown hair? Nervous puppy face."
The boys exchanged glances and one answered.
"Uh… some guys dragged him away. I don't know who."
That was enough.
Byoto clicked his tongue and left the hallway without saying goodbye. He searched around the building, the bathrooms, the stairs, but found no trace of Dowoon.
The day went on and by the time the last class ended, Byoto was irritated. When he walked out to the courtyard, he finally found him.
Dowoon was walking slowly with his head down… and a red slap mark on his left cheek.
Byoto raised an eyebrow.
"Where the hell were you? And who did that to you?"
Dowoon jumped, covering his cheek with his hand.
"No… n-nothing happened. Don't worry about it."
Byoto let out a long sigh, tired.
"This guy is really irritating…"
Dowoon began walking toward the exit as if nothing happened.
But Byeoto looked at him strangely and said in confusion
"Where are you going? Isn't someone picking you up?"
Dowoon looked down with a guilty smile.
"I can't lie to you… I was going to this place."
He pulled a crumpled flyer from his pocket and handed it to him.
Byoto took it.
It was a flyer from a taekwondo academy.
His mind lit up instantly.
"So he really was with Taehun… now their relationship starts. And if Taehun dragged him there… maybe I can take advantage of this too."
"Learning taekwondo directly from a legend… that's a stupidly good opportunity. And I don't even have my own style yet."
He gave the flyer back to Dowoon.
"Let's go."
Dowoon blinked, confused.
"W-what? You're coming too?"
"Of course. Why not? Sounds interesting."
Dowoon gave a small smile.
"Well… okay…"
And so, the two of them began walking together toward the dojang.
.....
The walk wasn't long, but when they arrived in front of the dojang, Dowoon swallowed hard upon seeing the huge banner with elegant black letters
"Hayan Taekwondo."
Byoto tilted his head.
"Well… here we are."
They went inside. The smell of wood, light sweat, and detergent blended in the air. The interior was spacious, with spotless mats.
In the center stood a tall man with broad shoulders and a gentle expression. His neatly folded white uniform made it clear he was a professional. Next to him, arms crossed and scowling, was Taehun.
Hansu Seong watched them approach with a slight smile.
"Taehun, I heard you were handing out flyers. You know recruitment isn't easy… but look, in the end it wasn't such a bad idea. We got two new ones."
Taehun clicked his tongue, irritated.
"What the hell…? I gave flyers to a ton of people today. Why the hell are you two the only ones who came? Especially you, brown hair."
He approached Dowoon sharply and reached out to grab him by the collar.
But a firm hand stopped his.
Byoto held his wrist calmly.
"Come on, there's no need to be violent, right?"
Taehun stared at him in disbelief… then pure anger.
"And who the hell are you? I bet you guys are just here to mess around and leave."
Byoto nudged Dowoon lightly, signaling him to speak.
Dowoon, nervous, raised the flyer with both hands as if it were holy.
"I-I came because you gave it to me… right? Look… it's the one you handed out. You told me to come. I-if I knew it would get you in trouble I wouldn't have come…"
Taehun stared at him, with strange emotions mixing annoyance and confusion.
Before he could say anything, a heel dropped onto his head like a hammer.
PAM.
Taehun bit his tongue from the blow.
"What do you think you're doing?" Hansu said without losing his smile. "You need to be gentle with your friends."
Taehun, tongue between his teeth, muttered something unintelligible.
Hansu continued
"Dowoon's parents called. They want him to exercise. Since they chose our academy, we need to treat him well. Besides, they'll come pick him up after school."
Taehun finally managed to speak through the pain.
"So he's an idiot who can't make decisions on his own?"
Dowoon, unbothered, nodded timidly.
"Well… I should be a good son after all."
Taehun frowned, incredulous.
"You're definitely out of your mind."
He then turned to Byoto.
"And who the hell are you?"
Byeoto shrugged.
"Your classmate. I'm new."
Taehun narrowed his eyes.
"And you a spoiled rich kid too?"
Byoto straightened his jacket.
"Nah. I came to learn taekwondo. You never know when a bastard like you will show up… and someone's gotta teach you manners, don't you think?"
Taehun stepped forward.
"You…"
But Hansu stepped in before he could explode.
"Alright, alright. Why don't you all put on your uniforms so we can start the class."
All three looked at him. Dowoon nervous, Taehun irritated, Byeoto with a slight smile.
Without further discussion, they obeyed, getting ready for the first training session.