[1st: Daryeong] [2nd: Daryeong Personality] [3rd: Daryeong Exit]
Big Win must have released the black box footage. It wasn't just Daryeong's voice—Ha Moo-young's was included too, so they'd confirmed it was legally airtight before taking action.
"What's up?"
Im Jun-ho mumbled sleepily.
"I told you I'd get revenge for Bora."
"...Revenge? My head's killing me from the hangover."
"Daryeong's off the drama."
"What? For real?"
Jun-ho bolted upright and checked the article with him. Her lies had been exposed, and the backlash was brutal. With boycott calls against the broadcaster—not just the drama—M Network had delayed the broadcast and decided to recast the female lead.
📰 Breaking NewsDaryeong Exits Drama Amidst Massive Backlash
Broadcast delayed; female lead recast confirmed."Whoa. Epic."
"Crazy stuff went down while we were sleeping."
"What about you? You're good, right?"
"Yeah. Me, I'm..."
He checked his SNS DMs—thousands of comments.
Weirdly, his followers had grown even more. Probably new people clicking from the articles.
— GoodLooksGoodVibesGood looks and good personality—total acknowledgment.— MooYoungFan4LifeMoo-young's too sweet... Grandma here's melting...— JusticeWarrior88Sue that reporter. I'm pissed just watching.— OppaFightingOppa! We got your back! Fighting! Aja aja!The fans were even angrier, going wild. Moo-young chuckled and hugged his phone. Jun-ho, watching from the side, muttered,
"But if they delay the broadcast, won't it overlap with your drama?"
"Huh? Really?"
"Worst case, a month's delay. Then they'd air together mid-run. Man, which one do I watch?"
"Both, obviously. You got time."
"Joking? I'm swamped AF."
Cafe Please, with Bora, and You Are a Star, I Am a Star, with Moo-young, were bound to overlap awkwardly. He didn't know the time slots, but anyway!
"Hee-hee!"
Moo-young stretched happily, grinning. Waking up to everything resolved felt amazing—like a bad dream.
Bzzz— Bzzz—
"Hyung!"
Moo-young answered his manager's call cheerfully.
📞 Go Kyung-min"Glad you sound good."
"You must've had it rough. All because of me."
📞 Go Kyung-min"Nah, no biggie. Maeil Daily's issuing a formal apology—statement coming soon. Sue or settle, we'll see. Heard Daryeong's out?"
"Yeah!"
📞 Go Kyung-min"And you passed the first audition round?"
"Yeah!"
First round, my ass—it was basically confirmed after the camera test. Just sign the contract after nailing it.
📞 Go Kyung-min"Silver lining. We paid our dues—good things ahead."
"Yeah, hyung. Thanks."
📞 Go Kyung-min"Prep well. Talk soon."
Moo-young stomped his feet in excitement. Jun-ho took the kicks good-naturedly, clutching his churning stomach.
"What's a camera test? Like modeling shots?"
"Nope! Read lines and act briefly on camera."
* * *
Far plainer than at the audition. Neat hair clashed oddly well with his earrings.
The meeting room held familiar faces.
"Hello. Ha Moo-young here."
"Earliest by far? Sit."
"You clean up nice too."
PD Lee Yu-jin, writer Kim Eun-song, production execs. A camera in the middle, one end staged like a set.
"Busy lately?"
They meant the Gangnam Station mess.
The exec's question got a smile. "Nah. I'm chilling right now."
Just a blip in life. As some movie line went: make it a problem, and it becomes one. He'd ignore it.
"Who's coming today?"
"You didn't hear?"
As Moo-young tilted his head, the door opened—Ro Min strode in boldly, manager in tow.
"Hey!"
"Ro Min!"
"Hahaha! Surprise! Nailed it!"
Ro Min flashed a V-sign. His manager—the one from the Enbin stalking scandal—nodded at Moo-young and left.
"Why no heads-up? Scared me."
"Knew you'd be swamped, hyung."
He winked and sat. Like sneaking a retry and acing it—now official schedule.
"So Ro Min's role..."
"Mermaid Prince, Jeong-min."
Legendary vocalist from another club, lost his voice in an accident, switched to bass. Paired with a quiet girl—cool couple vibes.
"Ro Min-ssi, your cute face gave us pause, but that audition acting was fresh. We'll trust it."
"Thanks. I'll kill it."
"Acting aspirant, first gig?"
He nodded at the PD. Zero Team clout helped, sure—but in this game, that's skill.
Moo-young fist-pumped with a grin. "Good luck."
"You too, hyung. Now two leaders. Haha."
Zero Team and Merrill Kellin—dual acts.
Next: Song A and Pyo Rai.
"Hello!"
"...Hello."
Song A: bouncy ponytail, vibrant. Pyo Rai: silent stare-down vibe. Polar opposites, besties?
"You two close IRL?"
"Oh, yeah. You know?"
"Pyo Rai-ssi trained long at Forest Entertainment."
Debuted elsewhere, but small world.
Moo-young alone clueless. Should've prepped...
"Do-ha, right? Ha Moo-young-ssi?"
Song A beamed.
"I'm Mi-ran."
"Ah! Lead actress. Then that's friend, Se-ri."
"Se-ri sounds too foreign, no?"
The writer chimed in—testing interpretation.
Pyo Rai pondered silently; Moo-young jumped in.
"I think it's fine. Jeong-min's the mermaid prince—fits a princess."
Spot-on. Writer inwardly applauded, smiling.
Song A and Pyo Rai gasped "Ah!"
Pyo Rai never overthought it—just quirky name.
"One more, right?"
"Yeah. Sub-male, keys—"
"Sorry I'm late."
Screech.
Whoa. Song A and Pyo Rai aside, him he knew. Seo Jeong-mun, recent audition show #1.
Moo-young's eyes sparkled, hands clasped. "Whoa! Fan!"
"Pardon? Oh, haha. Thanks."
Seo Jeong-mun sat awkwardly, scanned, then asked oddly,
"Aren't you the male lead?"
"Yeah?"
Yet screaming fanboy? Quirky guy.
All five gathered, staff beamed, set camera.
"Visual buffet, for real."
"Ears and eyes feasting. No reason not to watch."
Sparkling quintet—glowed sitting still.
Moo-young scanned, realized: "Huh? Just me actor?"
Rest idols. Seo Jeong-mun solo-ish, but idol hue.
"Help each other. Three acting newbies."
Whoa. Moo-young gaped. Looks over acting? All or nothing.
"Camera test first?"
"Leader first!"
"Leader? Me?"
Moo-young flubbed rising. Team snickered softly.
He grinned sheepishly, stepped up.
Handsome, but real actor?
No Do-ha charisma. Fluffy—sub role fit?
Song A and Pyo Rai whispered, watching.
"Script here. Bound to your scenes; back unfinished. Scenes 17 and 34."
Staff handed scripts—names and roles labeled neatly.
Moo-young unfolded happily.
"Ready?"
"Uh-hng~"
"Pfft!"
That shy mouth's "Uh-hng~" screamed chuuni. Drunk-on-charms Do-ha.
PD spat water, laughing.
"Ready, action."
"Me? Hate two things most in the world."
Moo-young eyed script intently.
Others looked up from papers.
"Issue?"
"Sorry. Redo."
"...? Go."
PD puzzled, signaled staff.
Recoding; others (sans Ro Min) sighed inwardly.
Shaky even reading?
Ugh. He'll manage.
They propped chins, bored-watching.
Beep—eyes snapped. Song A straightened, startled by aura.
"Me? Hate two things most in the world."
V-sign fingers, teeth gritted—Do-ha bit syllables, spitting ire.
"Dumb shit and airheads! Can't grasp perfect even if I spell it? Don't know my style?"
Script slammed down.
Finger jabbing invisible foe, Do-ha flowed.
"Eh?"
Off-book? But the script...
"Hit harder, set higher! No buzz! While you fools fool around, I practiced non-stop. Finger cramps? No issue! I said this before—5 days ago. 7,298 minutes. 437,880 seconds! Hear once, see once—commit!"
"Whoa."
Song A hand-to-mouth.
One glance, memorized? Pyo Rai, tracking fast, laughed in disbelief.
Word-perfect. Insane?
The flub was for this—rage needs free hands.
📞 Lee Yu-jin PD"Memorized that whole thing now?"
PD gawked—pre-memorized? Nah, she'd just handed them.
"Yeah!"
Scene end—sunny Moo-young back.
Cute follow-up: "Do-ha says commit after one hear-see. So I did."
Impossible. Possible?
They didn't know: zero self-NGs on Plague. All others' fault.
"Leader material."
"Ah, thanksies."
Never class prez, now leader! Moo-young scratched head, flipped page.
"Next is duo? Song A-ssi?"
"Y-yeah."
All dazed, snapped to. Zero-combat fluff? Max stats hidden.
Song A smoothed clothes, stood.
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