Junwoo carried Jung Hyun on his back and headed to the hospital. He held the damaged wheelchair in one hand.

*Thump, thump.*

Junwoo remembered the time when Mansik had treated him for an injury for no reason when they first met.

"..."

On the way, Junwoo didn't ask Jung Hyun any questions.

Why had he been there all along? Why had he been watching him all this time?

Jung Hyun didn't know the reason, but he felt grateful to Junwoo for not asking.

He was embarrassed and confused, not having thought about where to start or how to say it. It was as if this child was giving him time to clear his head as if he understood his feelings.

When they arrived at the hospital, Junwoo laid Jung Hyun down on the bed and looked at the damaged wheelchair.

"This will no longer work. You'll need to get a new one," Junwoo said.

Jung Hyun suddenly wondered how long he would be able to use a new wheelchair.

He had never really calculated how much longer he had to live, but now, in front of this child, he naturally thought about it.

"Why did you help me?"

Jung Hyun asked. Junwoo looked like he was thinking for a moment.

"You were just watching me, weren't you? From the very beginning."

"I... didn't think you would notice. I'm sorry if I bothered you."

"No. I was curious. It wasn't that you were just sitting there because of your disability, but that you knew everything and just watched me like that."

"No."

Jung Hyun shook his head.

"If my body had listened to me, I would have been there too. I would have been more enthusiastic about your stage than anyone else."

Stage. Jung Hyun called the plaza from earlier Junwoo's stage.

Jung Hyun started to ask questions about what Junwoo did in the plaza.

He had mostly figured out what Junwoo intended.

'Indeed, what I had felt about him was not insignificant.'

No one had ever understood what Junwoo was thinking.

In his tired but enthusiastic words about the stage he had just seen for the first time, Junwoo felt that he was a person who loved this field as much as he did.

"I saw your previous stages through Sungrae."

"My stage?"

"Yeah. I went to the broadcasting station. To see you."

Jung Hyun thought back to the video of Junwoo he had seen before.

"Honestly, I don't understand why a kid like you is doing this program."

Jung Hyun felt a sense of disappointment.

Even though I know he is already far beyond the program, the missions that take place within their scope are not suitable for this child.

He wanted to see this kid sail all the way on his own.

It was a waste. This child was not the type of person to be a participant in such an audition program.

He wanted him to go to bigger waters as soon as possible. No, this kid will create a new realm in the film industry.

Even if the best directors and actors in Korea worked together right now, it wouldn't be enough.

Jung Hyun briefly wondered if the child could have gone even further if the program's constraints had not been there.

As a result, he was curious about the child's dream. He was still a young child.

"Your name is Junwoo, right? What do you want to achieve with that talent of yours?"

On the one hand, Jung Hyun was afraid that this child would follow the same path as himself.

When he left the movie industry 20 years ago,

the fear that always haunted him was the fear of being bullied.

Junwoo thought for a moment.

"I'm just doing what my heart tells me to do."

"Just doing what your heart tells you?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you afraid of failure?"

"..."

Junwoo had already experienced failure in his previous life. He also felt regret for his choices.

After a moment of thought, Junwoo replied.

"I know what it's like to live without this."

"..."

Jung Hyun was speechless. Those words were digging into something inside of him.

He realized that he was still stuck in the past, 20 years ago.

"What else can I do?"

Junwoo looked up at Jung Hyun.

Jung Hyun was struck by Junwoo's calm and confident demeanor. There was no hint of fear in his eyes, only stillness and strength.

Jung Hyun saw in Junwoo a possibility that he could not even begin to imagine.

'What was I so afraid of?'

He thought back to a time when he could not enjoy what he loved, and fear was always at the forefront of his mind.

Many actors praised him.

They became actors because they wanted to be actors. That alone was a successful life.

But this child was different. It was not a feeling of chasing or being chased by a dream.

He has been wielding the destiny given to him since he was born.

It seemed like he was born to be an actor, not that he just decided to do it.

Jung Hyun had to admit it all.

It probably wouldn't change much if he went back in time.

"I had a movie I wanted to make once. It was my dream."

Jung Hyun began to tell his story, which he had never told anyone before.

"I was swallowed up by that dream a long time ago. But... you seem to be already above it."

He told Junwoo about the life he had missed.

It was the first time he had told anyone about it, even to himself. He didn't expect it to be to such a young child.

Junwoo listened to Jung Hyun's story quietly for a long time.

Then, when Junwoo stepped away for a moment to answer a call from Mansik, he returned to find the nurse cleaning up the bed.

"Why are you still here?"

The nurse asked in surprise.

Jung Hyun was gone.

"He left?"

"Yes... He said he would check out of the hospital and return to where he was. I thought you were going with him."

Meanwhile, Jung Hyun had left alone, dragging his frail body. Only his broken wheelchair remained at the side of the bed where he had been.

***

At the end of the second round of the preliminary round, worry was etched all over Yoo Sang-jun's face.

The mission this time was intended to create a rivalry between the first and ninth teams.

There was no tension at all.

The crowd gathered overwhelmingly in Seoul Station Square, and even more than a hundred citizens became participants there.

The production team was unable to intervene again. Kang Hyeok was brutally defeated.

In terms of broadcasting, it was a scene that could capture the attention of the public in an instant. But... is it really okay to leave it like this? Yoo Sang-jun asked Park Jun-gil, who was next to him.

"But about the second mission... Can we still broadcast it as it is? Honestly, I don't know if Chairman Kang will just sit back and watch."

"...And if he doesn't?"

"Won't he tell us to get rid of it as soon as possible? No matter what. He could even threaten us. He'll say he'll do whatever it takes to cancel the program even though it hasn't aired yet."

Park Jun-gil, who was listening to him, thought for a moment.

"I don't know. I wonder if he will."

"Yes?"

"That guy, I don't think he'll do it. I saw him last time."

"What do you mean...?"

"We just need to do our job. We just need to promote Kang Hyeok as planned. No matter what happens, that Kang Chairman won't be able to stop us easily."

Park Jun-gil thought to himself.

The production team has been unable to solve the problems due to Han Junwoo.

He'd be more likely to cooperate if you appealed to his competitive side.

"We could even encourage him. That guy's ego is huge, isn't it?"

No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed easier than solving the enigma that is Junwoo.

"I wonder what kind of reaction Chairman Kang will have when the public cheers for someone else."

Park Jun-gil, with his chin in his hand, raised his lips. Yoo Sang-jun thought his team leader had finally gone crazy.

"It'll be fun."

But Park Jun-gil didn't know. In fact, Kang Geonim was not a problem at all. There was something else they had to worry about.

What would be the impact of Junwoo being revealed to the world?

***

30 contestants passed the second round of the team mission.

With the third round mission ahead, the contestants stood on stage in pairs in front of the camera.

The third round was a genre mission.

The teams were formed by pairing two people up, and then they competed against each other one-on-one.

Teams that are competing against each other are given the same genre.

The genres include comedy, romance, thriller, horror, documentary, and musical.

After checking the bracket, Lee Ro-woon quietly moved to Jun-woo's side.

He was Junwoo's partner for the third round.

"Oh no...! Lee Ro-woon is here again."

"I wish I had Lee Ro-woon as my partner."

As he walked by, people whispered to each other.

He was a popular idol who had caught the attention of the participants and citizens in the team he was in with Kang Hyeok.

At the age of twenty-one, he was the visual center of his group, and he was always called a "face genius."

The idol group that Lee Ro-woon was part of was terribly lacking in skill. Thanks to his appearance as the center, they managed to be considered second-tier. However, continuing the group's activities solely based on their good looks was no easy task.

That's why the agency took a drastic measure.

"Just act. You always wanted to do it, right?"

Before it was too late, Lee Ro-woon decided to pursue a career in acting, which he had always wanted to do.

When he stood next to Junwoo, who had become his partner, he was surprised to see that he was taller than him.

"This kid is taller than me."

Lee Ro-woon quickly scanned Junwoo, hoping that he wouldn't notice.

"This kid's body is so muscular. Does he work out?"

The small muscles were tightly packed under his clothes. That was not possible with just a gym.

He didn't know that it was a body that had been hardened by working at a construction site for twelve hours a day.

He was the most sensitive person regarding appearance, so he examined Junwoo's every detail.

When the two of them stood side by side, the other participants couldn't help but stare.

"How do they look so good together?"

"Look at them. It's art, it's art."

"I hope they do a romance genre."

Lee Ro-woon pretended to be nonchalant, but he was aware of the whispers they were making.

But as he listened to them quietly, he was soon overwhelmed with confusion.

...Are they talking about him right now?

*Crack.*

Lee Ro-woon's self-esteem was damaged. He had never been outdone in terms of appearance anywhere.

"That kid from the countryside is holding his own."

"I know. Lee Ro-woon is pretty, but Han Junwoo has a different line."

What's that? What's a line? Lee Ro-woon glanced at Junwoo to confirm.

Han Junwoo seemed to be uninterested in the things they were talking about.

He simply felt Lee Ro-woon's gaze and turned his head slightly. When their eyes met, Lee Ro-woon flinched like he had been caught doing something wrong.

"You're older than me, right? Nice to meet you."

Junwoo shook his hand nonchalantly.

"Uh...yeah."

Lee Ro-woon shook his hand awkwardly. This time, Junwoo was staring at him intently.

He had heard that Junwoo's acting was top-notch in previous missions... Maybe he doesn't think I'm good enough because I'm an idol.

Lee Ro-woon was feeling a little intimidated, but he couldn't help but think,

"His eyelashes are really long."

Junwoo was somewhat pleased with his partner.

'He's really pretty. So this is what an idol does.'

And Yoo Sang-jun, watching the two of them from under the stage.

In fact, the production team had intentionally aimed for this result with the picture.

They're so good together, even in person. If they're caught in the same shot on TV, it's going to be amazing.

Just by the two of them standing there, you could hear the sound of ratings going up.

Lee Ro-woon's unique visuals, which have been managed for several years and invested heavily by the agency. Junwoo was not at all out of place next to him.

No, he's even more eye-catching.

Even when he was just standing there, he radiated an aura. That wasn't something that could be achieved by being managed for a long time. In terms of presence, the younger child was the winner.

In addition, his nonchalant attitude was clearly different from that of the other participants. That alone made Junwoo's presence stand out the most here.

Yoo San-jun knew it. It was clear that not only Lee Jaewon on the course but also people from all over would come after him.

Park Jun-gil was determined to make Junwoo shine. As a result, various waves that Junwoo would bring about due to Actor Kingdom were being drawn in Yoo Sang-jun's head.