Face Genius Idol Takes Over the Entertainment Industry – 29

Run Towards Your Dreams (1)

“Sports variety show?”

“Yeah! Apparently, the educational program people liked the part where you carried Minho. It’s a relief. I was worried we’d only get invites from trot shows. Not that that would be bad, of course!” Minho’s face turned bright red. He was already embarrassed about that scene airing, and being mentioned again made him feel even more self-conscious.

“But is it okay in this cold?”

When Jinwoo voiced his concern, President Jo Junseong seemed to realize he hadn’t considered that either, causing Shin to quietly click his tongue. Still, he felt a bit bitter about what President Jo had said earlier.

Shin really liked trot music, but he was aware that its perception wasn’t great at the moment. It was a genre currently favored mostly by older people.

‘I wish the revival period would come a bit sooner.’

Still, this situation had helped Shin discover his strength.

‘Emotional delivery.’

There were many who sang well, but singing with emotion was not an easy feat. Shin wondered if he should develop his singing in this direction.

But being cast on a sports variety show wasn’t bad either.

‘I’m confident in my physical abilities.’

He hadn’t stopped exercising just because it was winter, and gaining an image of a healthy idol would be beneficial.

‘Being on TV as much as possible is a good thing.’

He had briefly checked the fan cafe’s atmosphere before going to bed, and the fans’ reactions were unanimously positive.

ㄴI wasn’t the only one who cried, right?

ㄴI keep crying while replaying the video endlessly.

ㄴShin-ah. We’ll do our best ㅠㅠ

ㄴMy mom asked if Shin was a trot singer. So, I told her he was my boyfriend.

ㄴAre you talking about that boyfriend Lee Shin (occupation: office worker, age: 30)?

Seeing the fans enjoying themselves with just one video made him feel proud. He should suggest holding a small fan signing event or fan meeting when they release their next album.

“But what exactly is the show about?”

“Run Towards Your Dreams. Heard of it?”

Shin nodded, recalling KBC’s flagship sports variety show. It was a program where multiple guests competed, and the winner received a prize.

Of course, it was more like a donation made in the winner’s name.

It was a program with nothing to lose. Unlike “TalkLike,” which had the potential for devilish editing, President Jo mentioned it was an idol special.

It was an era where idols were popular, so they made a special episode featuring many idols without making it uncomfortable.

‘It’s fortunate we debuted at this time.’

This was the period when just appearing on TV served as promotion. That’s how Jinwoo could rise. No matter how great his star potential was, it would have been difficult without a platform to showcase it.

“Oh, and this is something I pushed for personally…”

President Jo Junseong looked around cautiously. Everyone became serious, wondering what was up. Shin, too, felt tense, not knowing what President Jo would say.

“Anyone interested in being a one-day reporter?”

“One-day reporter?”

The term didn’t quite register with them.

“What kind of show would that be for?”

“You go out early in the morning on a boat…”

“A fishing boat?”

Their faces turned pale before he even finished speaking. Fishing boats were a burden, known as a penalty even on famous reality shows.

Shin decided to step up as the leader. President Jo had worked hard to secure this broadcast opportunity.

If Hanul Entertainment were a large agency, they might complain, but unfortunately, they were a small agency. It was something he had done before and could do again.

‘I was surprised things moved faster this time, but it means the president worked hard too.’

Just as Shin was about to volunteer, Jinwoo spoke up first.

“I want to go! But will I be going alone?”

Seeing the genuinely enthusiastic Jinwoo, Shin felt impressed. Jinwoo had always been like this. What happened next was surprising. Seunghyun raised his hand.

“If two people can go, I’ll go with him.”

Dongju looked openly astonished at Seunghyun’s uncharacteristic action. Seunghyun frowned at his reaction but soon everyone was laughing together.

“I’ll check.”

As President Jo Junseong left the practice room, Dongju nudged Seunghyun with an “ooh.” Seunghyun grumbled that it was no big deal but his lips curled into a slight smile.

* * *

The surroundings were dark. As if someone had turned off the lights, Shin reached to turn them on. But he soon froze at the voice he heard.

In the darkness, Young lay in a hospital bed.

“Shin, do you know what hurts me the most?”

A silence followed. Shin wanted to say something but no words came out.

“When I desperately cried for help, no one came to save me.”

It was a face he had never seen on the confident Young. Young didn’t even shed tears. Unable to use his legs, his heart had also withered and twisted.

“I begged for help, but no one reached out.”

With Young’s bitter voice, Shin felt a wave of anguish. Young, who liked people as much as Dongju, felt deeply betrayed, and that feeling transmitted directly to Shin.

“Hyung, I’m sorry…”

Someone called out to him then.

“Shin? Shin! Lee Shin!”

With a bright light, Shin opened his eyes to see President Jo Junseong looking at him with concern. Shin, startled, looked around. They were in a car.

‘That’s right.’

Shin was currently on his way to a sports variety show shoot with President Jo Junseong.

“You look really pale. Are you alright? Are you sick?”

“I just had a nightmare. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Shin tried to sound as energetic as possible, but he couldn’t muster much strength.

‘Why did I dream about that?’

The events of the day Young was hospitalized replayed in his dream. Remembering the emotions he felt back then still made him feel tormented.

Shin forced a smile. Being trapped in past emotions wouldn’t help. He took a deep breath to clear the lingering feelings.

At that moment, his phone buzzed with a message from Taewoong.

[I listened to your song. They say a man should only cry three times, but thanks to you, I cried one more time.]

[In that case, I’m not a man since I’ve cried more times.]

[You’re still young, Shin, so it’s alright.]

Shin found it funny whenever Taewoong treated him like a child. Based on how he spoke and acted, Taewoong seemed younger. When he sought Shin’s advice on relationships, it gave Shin a headache.

‘But it means we’ve gotten that close, right?’

Since being acknowledged as the number one male fan, Taewoong had become more active on the fan cafe. Initially, fans teased Taewoong, but now they recognized his passion.

[The fan cafe is planning a gift for you. Anything you’d like to receive?]

Fan gifts, referred to as “jogong,” were presents given to singers by their fans.

Talking about fan gifts reminded Shin that the number of Space fans had recently increased. It seemed that appearing on “TalkLike” had a significant impact.

Contrary to President Jo Junseong’s concerns, the impact had been largely positive.

‘Minho mentioned that Black’s fans have come over to our side, right?’

Although it might not be many, even this caused Black’s fans to view Space negatively.

‘But how much time does Minho spend online?’

It should be President Jo analyzing these things, but Minho was doing it instead, which was exasperating. What Shin wanted Minho to focus on was his composing skills.

‘Now that I think about it, Jinsuk sent a gift to my house. I should send something back, right?’

Thinking about fan gifts reminded Shin that Jinsuk had contacted him to say she enjoyed watching the broadcast. She was deeply moved, which made Shin happy as a fan.

[A gift? No need for that. A letter would be more than enough for me.]

Even before returning to the past, he had found great comfort in reading fan letters. They made him feel like the fans were affirming the path he was taking. Therefore, a letter would be sufficient.

[I bought a camcorder.]

[Why a camcorder?]

[I’ll soon show you my skills as the number one male fan.]

Although Shin didn’t understand what Taewoong meant, he let it slide.

“I asked for the makeup to be sweat-proof.”

“Thank you.”

Today, President Jo Junseong had personally come along to take care of Shin. Thinking about President Jo’s early morning schedule tomorrow, Shin shook his head.

‘Being a manager is tougher than being a celebrity.’

When celebrities become famous, the income they generate is no joke. In comparison, managers’ salaries are peanuts.

However, Jo Junseong was in a better position because as Space rose in popularity, his earnings would significantly increase. He wasn’t just an ordinary manager.

“At this rate, our Shin will soon become a star.”

Shin smiled as Yeonharam gently touched his hair. He hoped what she said would come true.

“You’re going on ‘Run Towards Your Dreams,’ right?”

“Yes.”

“I heard from some of the others that their set construction is pretty shoddy. So be careful not to get hurt.”

Shin, who had been excited about appearing on the variety show, became alert. Now that she mentioned it, he remembered hearing that “Run Towards Your Dreams” had been canceled for similar reasons.

‘They couldn’t get any participants.’

Many celebrities had become hesitant to participate due to frequent injuries. Especially idols, who needed to dance, couldn’t afford injuries that would keep them off stage. Initially, they might have participated, but later on, almost no one did.

Now, the show’s viewership was decent, giving it some merit to appear on it, but later, with poor ratings and frequent injuries, there was no reason to participate.

Instead, idols were more concerned about the upcoming Idol Olympics.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

At that moment, his phone vibrated.

‘A mission.’

While having his hair dried, Shin quickly checked his phone for the mission.

[Mission: Win on ‘Run Towards Your Dreams.’]

Thankfully, it wasn’t a mission to return safely. That would have made him anxious and unable to focus. But could he really win?

‘There are some very athletic idols.’

This worried him again. Yeonharam wouldn’t have mentioned it without reason. He considered the possibility of getting hurt while overexerting himself to win.

Shin understood better than anyone how critical this period was.

As soon as he arrived on set, he diligently stretched. The last thing he wanted was an injury from not warming up properly.

As a rookie idol, he needed to show diligence, so he arrived early, giving himself plenty of time.

Though he could wait in the dressing room, Shin chose to go outside after warming up. He needed to see for himself how shoddy the set was.

‘I need to help where I can and check for safety issues.’

“Hello.”

Shin greeted everyone he saw diligently. Fortunately, everyone responded positively.

‘The atmosphere here is better.’

The atmosphere on “TalkLike” wasn’t bad either, but being indoors made everyone feel cramped and on edge. Some people didn’t even respond to greetings.

In contrast, the outdoor setting of “Run Towards Your Dreams” provided more space, which was more comfortable. However, he was still concerned about Yeonharam’s warning becoming a reality.

‘The set really is shoddy.’

Although they were still setting it up, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Shin decided to take action.

“Oh? Oh! Shin!”

He heard President Jo Junseong’s surprised voice, but Shin quickly moved to help with the set, brightening the staff’s expressions.

From the staff’s perspective, any extra hands were welcome.

He had learned during his time as a bit-part actor that staff appreciated help unless it was from the main PD. Shin utilized that experience.

‘Now that I think about it, I did all sorts of things to get noticed back then.’

Remembering his bit-part acting days, Shin felt a surge of determination.

“I can help with this.”

Having assisted with drama shoots before, Shin tightened the poorly secured parts of the set to prevent accidents.

He planned to warm up again before the program started, but he wanted to ensure basic safety measures were in place. However, to President Jo, it seemed excessive.

‘If he steps in directly like that…’

President Jo felt nervous seeing the main PD eyeing Shin curiously. Different people had different preferences, and some might think he was showing off.

The main PD watched Shin helping around the set with a peculiar look. Finally, he spoke.

“He’s a diligent kid.”

President Jo silently cheered. Fortunately, the PD took it positively. He looked at Shin with a new perspective.

‘He’s more determined than I thought.’

Shin’s desire and determination to rise were evident. Those were qualities every celebrity needed. The only concern was the potential backlash if his aspirations were thwarted.

‘Still, this kid seems like he’d work even harder.’

If it were Seunghyun, he’d be more worried, but with Shin, he felt reassured. Just then, he heard the main PD’s voice, which surprised him.

“I heard good things about him from Inhan, which is why I called him. I’m glad I did. Didn’t expect him to be this diligent.”

President Jo bowed and thanked him for the kind words. He also thought about Inhan, who had been mentioned during the “TalkLike” casting.

‘I thought I had to form a good relationship with that PD, and I’m glad I did. I must thank him properly.’

Inhan, who received thanks from President Jo, was puzzled by his colleague PDs, who seemed to have picked up on his offhand remark.