Chapter 77: Because of You

“Kyaaa!”

In the late night, when not even the sound of footsteps could be heard, people who had been asleep rushed out in their pajamas at the sound of someone’s piercing scream.

“What the heck is that?”

“Blood… blood!”

“Is she dead?”

In the middle of the spacious living room, a woman in a light blue, flowing dress lay on the floor, her long straight hair splayed out, staring up at the ceiling. 

Beside her stood a boy.

“Ah…”

The boy, as if he had forgotten how to speak, stared blankly at the dead woman with his mouth agape, blood pooling red at his feet.

“Ji, Jiwon!”

Jiwon looked back and forth between the blood spreading to his feet and the woman’s cold, stiff body. 

Seeing this, Jiwon’s mother hurriedly called out to him.

“Mom…”

“No, no. It’s okay.”

Jiwon’s mother, with a shawl hastily thrown over her shoulders, rushed to embrace him and cover his eyes, but it was already too late.

“A person… died…”

“No! It’s nothing.”

“Because of me…”

“No! Park Jiwon! Look at Mom!”

Jiwon’s mother shook his shoulders, her eyes fierce as she spoke.

“I said it’s not true. Believe Mom.”

“Mom, that person told me…”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

She repeatedly stroked Jiwon’s head, trying to calm him down.

“What are you doing?! Hurry up and clean that woman up!”

“Yes, yes!”

“Get a sheet! And a mop!”

At the sharp voice of the lady of the house, the servants, who had been standing around watching, began to move frantically. 

Jiwon was carried in his mother’s arms to his room.

“It’s okay… Jiwon. It’s just like something you’d see in a movie or drama. It’s all fake.”

She kept saying it was all a lie, but Jiwon wasn’t young enough to be unable to distinguish between reality and fiction.

“She said it was because of me.”

“No, who said that? Absolutely not.”

“Because of me… because of me.”

“Park Jiwon! It’s not true.”

Jiwon’s mother wanted to tear that crazy woman to pieces. She should have kept that deranged woman far away from the start.

“Because I didn’t listen to her…”

“Believe Mom. It’s no big deal.”

She kept comforting Jiwon, who continued to blame himself until the sun rose. 

After finally getting him to fall asleep and laying him on the bed, she stepped out to inform her husband about the situation.

“Aaaah!”

“Jiwon!”

Jiwon’s scream echoed, and as his mother rushed back into the room, a chill ran through her veins. 

Written in red blood on the transparent glass window were the words:

“Because of you.”

The haphazardly scrawled letters sent shivers down the spine, and young Jiwon, seeing them, collapsed on the spot.

“Jiwon! Jiwon!”

And whenever Jiwon felt emotionally overwhelmed, he would endlessly relive this scene in his dreams. 

Most people lose memories after a strong shock, but for Jiwon, it only became more vivid.

“Ha… this is driving me crazy.”

Ever since receiving that message, he had been having this dream almost every night.

[Jiwon, Mom is waiting for you.]

The “Mom” in the message wasn’t his real mother but the nanny who had taken care of him as a child and tried to use him. 

No matter how many times he blocked the number, the same message came from a different number at the same time every day.

“That crazy woman.”

She was clearly dead back then, yet she’s still haunting me. 

It’s truly chilling. 

If he told his family about this, they might be able to catch the person sending the messages. 

But he didn’t want to be seen as a coward, trembling over the past, when he was already barely functioning as a person.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

Someone came to check if he was up. 

Answering, he opened a drawer, took out some pills, and swallowed them with the water on the table.

“Are you ready to head to Seoul today?”

He remembered the current order to come see them.

“Of course. What time should we leave?”

“Around 4 p.m. should be fine.”

Then he stepped outside, pretending nothing was wrong. 

Everyone in this house is watching my every move, so perfect acting is a must.

That’s why I miss the animal clinic, where I could act freely without being watched. 

That place felt like my real home.

***

“Since today’s an important day, I’ll make you look extra special.”

He arrived at the usual salon to get his hair and makeup done before the live broadcast.

“You always make me look great.”

“But it’s an important day, isn’t it? The makeup that looks good in a drama is different from what works on a broadcast camera.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course! This sister will make you look awards-show ready.”

It might be a bit much, he thought, but he couldn’t stop her, seeing how excited she was to doll him up.

“Make me look like Kangha.”

That was his only request. Like Kangha.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make you look like you jumped straight out of the webtoon.”

He entrusted his face to the makeup artist and closed his eyes.

“Hyunjae! Hyunjae!”

Not even a few minutes later, Hayoon burst in, urgently calling his name.

“You startled me.”

“Oh, sorry…”

Hayoon gave an awkward apology at his surprised reaction.

“No, it’s fine. I’ve never heard you raise your voice like that, Manager. What happened?”

“Well… the view count and heart count—you’re in first place!”

“Wow! Really?”

At the start, there had been a big gap, but it had gradually narrowed, and now, on the day of the live broadcast, he had finally taken the lead.

“Congratulations!”

The makeup artist beside him also offered her congratulations.

“Thank you.”

“Oh! I gave you a heart too.”

“Really?”

“I’m a big fan of that webtoon. You’re exactly like the Kangha I imagined, so I hit the heart button right away. And I’m not saying this just because I’m working with you—it’s genuine!”

Her fervent insistence that it was 100% sincere made him smile and thank her.

It took a while, but thank goodness.

There’s still one more hurdle to clear, but… well, that depends on how I do.

“As a webtoon fan, what can I do to perform better?”

“You? Hmm… honestly, you’re already doing great, but—oh! There’s one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Promotion. Promote yourself more! I saw Kim Minjun getting all his celebrity friends to post promotional stories and YouTube video captures with heart requests.”

Kim Minjun, who had been in first place, had received a lot of support from celebrity friends posting heart requests on their StarStar stories.

“I don’t really know many celebrities…”

The only celebrities he could say he was close to were Taewoon, Jeuk, Jibin, and Jaehoon.

“Just ask them. It’s a text-vote for the live broadcast, and idol fans have crazy voting power, you know?”

Is that so?

Until now, he had thought that if he worked hard, people would naturally recognize his efforts. 

But hearing this made him a little worried.

“Oh… no, I’m not good at that kind of thing.”

But he wasn’t the type to ask others to promote him by leveraging their popularity.

“Why not? You’ve got to do stuff like this.”

“I can’t…”

“Does that kind of thing really make a difference?”

Hayoon, who had been listening nearby, cautiously asked.

“Of course! Text voting is all about promotion. Didn’t you see that girl group survival show a while back?”

Hayoon shook his head, completely absorbed, as if entranced by her words.

“It wasn’t that popular, but one of the contestants had an idol older sister who posted promotional stories every time the show aired, and she got picked for the debut group right away.”

“Really?”

“There were tons of girls with better visuals and skills than her.”

“Wow! Is it that important?”

“I’m telling you! Oh, look at the time. I’ll hurry up and finish.”

After hearing the artist’s words, Hayoon nodded with a determined look and left the makeup room.

What’s that guy planning? 

No, it can’t be.

He was a bit worried after seeing how seriously Hayoon took the conversation, but knowing Hayoon’s personality, he closed his eyes again. 

After finishing the perfect preparations, he headed to the broadcasting station.

“You can use this waiting room.”

“Thank you.”

He was given a private waiting room, where he, Hayoon, and the daily stylist unpacked.

“They said to check the cue sheet here.”

“Cue sheet?”

“It’s basically the rundown of what’s happening today.”

“Oh~”

He looked over the neatly arranged cue sheet: introduction of the final five, drama introduction, five-minute behind-the-scenes video, impromptu acting, and final result announcement. 

That was roughly the order.

The live broadcast was exactly two hours. 

Everything would be decided in those two hours.

“Hyunjae, you’re prepared, right?”

“Oh, CEO.”

Hyungkyu entered the waiting room.

“Y-yeah. It’s just a live broadcast, so don’t be too nervous. You can do well, right?”

“You seem more nervous than me, CEO.”

With his hands fidgeting like an anxious puppy and his steps wandering aimlessly, anyone could tell he was nervous.

“N-nervous? I never thought I’d see the day we’d be picking a role through a live broadcast.”

“I didn’t expect things to get this big either.”

He had come up with the idea of a public audition, but a live broadcast wasn’t part of his plan.

“You’re in first place, but you can’t let your guard down. The point gap is small.”

“I know.”

The view and heart counts from the acting videos were converted into points, and since the gap with second place wasn’t big, it was a close race.

“Y-yeah, I trust you. I trust you.”

Hyungkyu gripped his shoulders, repeating the words as if to reassure himself. 

Hyunjae was also extremely determined for this live broadcast, and he had no choice but to be.

For the other actors, it was a matter of losing nothing if they failed. 

But for him, aiming to go from a supporting male lead to the main lead, failing meant losing both roles, so his situation was different from the others.

“Oh! By the way, has the writer been decided?”

“It’s decided.”

“How did it go?”

“Is that important right now? Hurry up and practice your greeting or think of ways to appeal to the audience.”

He was curious about who the writer was, but Hyungkyu brushed it off, saying it wasn’t the time to focus on that.

“Come on, tell me! Who is it?”

“Thirty minutes until the live broadcast! Please finish preparations and head to the set as soon as you’re ready!”

“Hurry up and get ready. It’s a live broadcast, so don’t waste time on pointless talk.”

“Who is it?!”

With the live broadcast approaching, he couldn’t get an answer and was pushed toward the set. 

Some of the other actors were already there.

Wow, it’s bigger than I expected.

True to the romance webtoon source material, the set was pink and lovely, catching the eye.

“Hello.”

“Hello~”

Since everyone was a rookie and it was their first live broadcast, they exchanged awkward greetings and stared straight ahead.

“Hello!”

Then a familiar actress MC appeared, followed by Jintae, who arrived to prepare for the live broadcast.

“Let’s do this! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!”

As the countdown ended, the “On Air” light came on.