Introduction
Enbin's looks and acting skills are on fire lately. As expected of my baby. I'm so proud. You're so cool. ~(?v?~)
So who is that high schooler? Editor-nim, please reply right now. Otherwise, I'll poop my pants.
There's no info on the student actor ㅠㅠㅠ
I know him. He's mixed. From Heaven and Korea…
What kind of insane casting is this? A handsome guy next to another handsome guy? Their visuals are brighter than my future. I'm rooting for them.
Looks like Seoul City's actually doing a good job this time. The food scenes look delicious, and the cinematography's great too.
That boy actor I've never seen before acts so well; I teared up without realizing it.
Yeah, I used to be like that too. Good luck to all the students studying hard. Once it's over, it all becomes a memory.
The two of them have great chemistry.
Enbin oppa, hello! I am from Malaysia. I like Korea. Ramen delicious? I love you!
Click. Click.
Each time she refreshed the page, the number of comments increased by dozens.CEO Jo Miyoung clicked her mouse again and again like she was addicted.
"CEO?"
"Look at this! Isn't it insane?"
"You're still at it?"
"Who knew watching the views go up would be this fun?"
The team leader chuckled and set some papers on her desk."Explosive" was the right word. They hadn't expected the video to blow up like this right after uploading it.
"You really can't figure out the MTube algorithm."
"Team Leader Lee, do you really think this is just the algorithm?"
"Huh? Isn't it? Seoul City's channel only has 120K subscribers. Their reach isn't nearly enough for this. Other than that 'Arolo's Handwashing Campaign' that hit 2.6 million five years ago, they've never had a hit."
Jo Miyoung wiggled her long fingers with a smile.This was what people called momentum. The kind that led straight to success.
"Sure, it started thanks to Enbin's fans. But what's driving it now is their chemistry—especially Ha Mooyoung. That kid…"
She couldn't help but be amazed.She had seen the edited cut, but watching it on her computer and phone screens gave it a different flavor.
"How did we even find someone like him?"
"We didn't find him—he rolled right into our laps."
And he could act.As if he'd been a veteran in the industry for over a decade—natural, smooth, perfectly hitting emotional beats, and aware of the camera's gaze.
He's born for this. Acting runs in his blood.
When an actor looks like an actor rather than the character, the illusion breaks.The audience loses immersion, and the project falters.But even after watching this clip dozens of times, Jo Miyoung hadn't felt that once.
"The shoot went smoothly, right?"
"Yeah. Mooyoung's close with Enbin, so he helped bridge things between staff. The mood was great."
"I could tell from the script reading that he was special."
"We really owe him this time. Seriously."
Rumor had it that Mooyoung even helped resolve Enbin's personal scandal—something about that video that almost ended his career.
"Ah, I'm curious. What the heck was in that video that made him nearly quit the industry?"
"Shouldn't we get a bonus for this?"
"Heh. Not a bad idea. At this rate, the view count's gonna explode."
Their contract with Seoul City included a performance clause—if any video surpassed 1.5 million views, they could move forward with a second production.Her gamble to go all-in early had paid off beautifully.
"We're already at 700K in two days, and it's still trending. If this keeps up, it might hit record-breaking numbers."
Among Square Film's web dramas, this one was shaping up to be their best-performing yet.Jo Miyoung tapped the desk lightly, lost in thought.
"CEO?"
The team leader slid a piece of paper toward her with a grin.
"I know what you're thinking. But if you're gonna make that move, you'll have to go all in."
"What? What move?"
"There've been ten inquiries about Mooyoung today alone. Four from agencies."
They were trying to find out who played the high schooler alongside Enbin.Anyone with eyes could see it—the hidden gem, Mooyoung, had just burst onto the scene.
"Two are model agencies, the rest are actor agencies."
The paper listed the companies' names and contacts.The final decision, of course, would be Mooyoung's—but the team leader intended to pass it on to him after checking with his boss.
"Should we make an exclusive offer?"
"Hah—you really live inside my head, don't you?"
"We've been sharing a rice pot for five years, boss."
Square Film did have a few in-house actors, though it wasn't their specialty.Mostly to ensure no scheduling issues during shoots.
"What kind of contracts are the others offering?"
"You think they'd tell me?"
"Right, dumb question."
Since the other agencies were professional, they couldn't compete head-to-head.After a moment's thought, Jo Miyoung picked up the paper and waved it.
"What if I just tear this up?"
If she erased the competition's offers, wouldn't that give them a chance?But the team leader quickly snatched it away with a grin.
"No way. This is Mooyoung's bonus."
"Sure, sure. I know how you work, Team Leader Lee. I was joking."
"So… should we make the offer too?"
That was exactly what he was suggesting.Jo Miyoung drew a circle with her finger.
"Okay. Do it."
"Got it."
"And you know the saying—strike while the iron's hot. Tighten the schedule and push the next upload sooner. Enbin's cooperative these days, right?"
After his short hiatus, Enbin had regained his passion and was working hard.The team leader gathered the papers.
"Yes, understood."
Jo Miyoung waved him off and grabbed her mouse again.Click. Click. Click.
She kept her eyes glued to the skyrocketing view count, climbing higher and higher without end.
So I got calls from several companies. One of them's even pretty big.
Mooyoung leaned against the restroom wall, listening to the team leader.
So… they were saying multiple agencies wanted to sign him?
"That's wild."
It had only been two days since the video was uploaded.
He gave a bewildered laugh and wiped the corner of his mouth.
— That's how big the response is. You haven't searched your name yet, have you? It's not just on MTube — there are posts about you all over the communities too. Traffic's pouring in from there as well.
Clips from the video were spreading like wildfire across social media.
Soon, Seoul City and the PPL company would notice too. Then the promotions would really begin.
"I'm not the type to be online much."
— Yeah, well, either way, this is a good thing. For us and for you. I'll text you the list, so check it out. Oh, and our own offer too.
"Yes, Team Leader. Thank you."
— Thank me? I should be thanking you! Oh, right—are you free the weekend after next? We'll probably wrap up filming by then and have a wrap-up party.
"Really? That's faster than I thought."
— We're burning our souls here to shorten the upload schedule. Gotta ride the momentum while it lasts.
"Wow. You're all working so hard. Of course I'll go. Just tell me the time and place."
— Got it! Then enjoy your class!
The call ended with a hearty laugh.
A message popped up right away — JP Agency, Fladin, Bright Entertainment… all names he'd never heard before.
"Agencies, huh. Hmm."
It would be convenient to have one if he wanted to act seriously, but… none of them really caught his eye.
Maybe because he didn't recognize any. As for Square Film—
"They only handle web dramas, that's the downside."
And more importantly, signing a contract was a big decision.
He figured it wouldn't hurt to wait until the phenomenon happened again.
Making such a call after just a few days felt reckless.
Click.
"Oh? Mooyoung's here."
"You feeling okay? What the hell did you do over the weekend?"
"Hurry up and sit down! You were aiming to be an actor?"
As he reread the team leader's text and entered the classroom, the class reps' group immediately surrounded him noisily.
They acted like they'd never met an aspiring actor before.
Well, it's not that common.
There were always a few in art or music, but acting?
Before enrolling in BV Academy, Mooyoung himself had never met one either.
"You guys are too much this early in the morning."
"Too much? Dude, your video's blowing up! You were incredible!"
"Check the comments! Are you from Busan or something?"
"Huh? No."
Everyone wanted to know who Mooyoung was.
Normally, people could find that out from tagged SNS accounts—but he didn't have any.
"Good morning—"
The chatter died down as the professor entered.
Just as Mooyoung was about to turn off his phone—
[Actor Ha Mooyoung. You're quite the star now, huh?]
A message from Junho.
[The guys sent me screenshots. You look great on camera, man! Acting was insane too. I even liked, subscribed, and turned on notifications. ( ?° ?? ?°)]
"The guys" — that'd be their high school friends.
Unlike Mooyoung, who had drifted apart after the whole stepfather incident, Junho had always been social and stayed in touch with everyone.
[They talked about me?]
[Yeah. They're asking how you even ended up acting with Enbin, lol. Said it doesn't look like your first time. I'd love to see the faces of those jerks who used to talk trash behind your back.]
Were there people like that?
Mooyoung tilted his head. Maybe he hadn't noticed, or maybe he'd just ignored it back then.
Oh right—there had been a homeroom teacher too.
[It's nothing. It's just my first gig anyway. Oh, and I got some agency offers, but I don't recognize any of them. Can you check? Some are model agencies.]
[Sure. Send them. I'll take a look after work.]
Junho probably knew this stuff better than he did.
Mooyoung was about to end the chat when a thought crossed his mind.
Come to think of it, Junho's company…
[How's work going? The celebrity model launch?]
The reply came back instantly—a barrage of texts.
Starting with "Damn that newbie from JB" to "I'm losing my mind," "everything's a mess," "I wanna flip a table."
Clearly, things weren't going smoothly. Mooyoung asked again.
[But Enbin's way more popular than that JB guy, right?]
[You even need to ask? They're not even close.]
[Then what if Enbin did an ad model gig?]
[I'd get on my knees and bow a thousand times. But could we even afford him?]
A bow a thousand times? What does that even mean?
Mooyoung laughed and started typing a reply—when Junho suddenly sent a flood of messages.
[Wait. What? Don't tell me…]
[No way, right? Seriously? My heart's pounding here.]
[If you're serious, I'll get you all our brand's clothes for free. You've debuted now, right? So we could sponsor you officially. Whatever— even if my boss kills me, I'll do it! Please save me! This diet's killing me!]
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Junho's desperate pleas practically rang in his ears.
Mooyoung chuckled, sent a reply, and finally turned off his phone.
[Get that bow ready. ㄱㄱ.]