translation by mourningmoor
"I don't know how to do anything. I only found out that rap was fun when I entered high school. I saw our school's hip-hop club performing."
Right. This kid, like Roa and Jaewon, is a student at an arts high school, but I heard that his major wasn't performing arts when he first enrolled. He was a special admissions student for the acting department, 100% chosen for his face.
"And it's not like I have any talent either. I can't rap as well as Hanjoon hyung, and I can't dance as well as Roa or you. I don't have any composing skills, and I can't even write lyrics……"
"Are you kidding me?"
This kid, I've shared so much of my precious mana with him to help him build self-love, but he hasn't moved forward even a step.
No, maybe he did take a step forward to get to this point.
"Your face. That's your talent."
Yoon Siu's biggest problem is this. He doesn't know himself at all.
This kid was specially loved by the gods of this world to have a face like that, but he doesn't realize it. That's his greatest talent and power.
"Why do you need anything else?"
Yoon Siu is someone who can be explained just by his face.
"Isn't it a scam that you can rap like that with that face? Does it make sense that you can dance like that? And now you're coveting composing and lyric writing? You're being way too greedy."
"How is my face a talent? And faces like mine are common in this industry."
"Ha!"
If Do Junwoo, the announcer, had heard this, he would've jumped up and called it the most outrageous statement ever, surpassing even Kang Ichan's. He'd probably say he needs to disappear entirely, not just cover his face.
"If it weren't for your face, would we have even gotten any attention?"
Sure, anyone who sees us would fall head over heels for L.I.T's charm, but it's definitely Yoon Siu who grabs their attention first.
"This CF is the same. Your face got us 50% of the way there."
Why doesn't he realize how incredible his face is, and that his face itself is a talent? Even in my original world, there aren't many who can compare to Yoon Siu's face, except maybe me or the Demon King.
"Your face itself is a blessing and a talent."
This kid has endless possibilities with that face. He just doesn't realize it.
"So don't let that amazing face go to waste and be a little bolder. You're allowed to be a bit shameless."
At my words, Siu, who had been breathing heavily, started chewing on his lip.
His tear-filled brown eyes still held so much to say.
It seems he wants to talk about why he has so little self-love and such low self-esteem. But I can't listen. This is as far as I can go. I can't interfere any further in the kids' lives.
After meddling in Jaewon's life, I realized something. I can't afford to get attached anymore.
"And let it go."
"…?"
"I'm sorry for running away back then. And thank you for telling me to get my act together."
But this much should be fine.
These are the words the original owner of this body, Kang Ichan, wanted to say to Yoon Siu. Words he couldn't bring himself to say and left in his diary.
"Thanks to you, I reflected a lot."
And it's also a kind of action guideline to achieve a specific goal. I need to soothe him enough to reach that goal.
"Like you said, I got my act together, and I'm going to run like crazy toward the Rookie of the Year Award, so you better get your act together and follow me. I'll hold onto the life you've staked here as collateral."
* * *
Surprisingly, my words seemed to have worked.
When Siu returned to the set, his face was much more relaxed as he resumed filming. Naturally, the director's satisfaction shot through the roof.
And then, the final shoot.
Leaning against each other by a window where warm sunlight streamed in, Siu and I lazily gazed at the camera, each delivering our lines.
"Bright as light."
Tilting my head slightly, I delivered my line, and Siu, touching his cheek with his fingertips, followed up.
"Moist as water."
"Cut! Perfect."
With the director's final sign-off, applause erupted from all around. It seemed the filming was truly over.
"Great job, everyone. Ichan-ssi, you worked hard. Siu-ssi, you too."
The director approached with a bright smile, patting our shoulders and praising our efforts. Over the two days of filming, this was the first time I'd seen him smile so warmly.
The advertiser was no different. The Skin Therapy executive, who had stayed on set throughout the shoot, had a grin plastered on his face that seemed permanently stuck.
"Wow, this ad is going to be a hit, isn't it? I caught a glimpse of the footage earlier, and the vibe… it's next level."
Of course it is. The director probably thinks it's because of his top-notch directing and camera filters, and the advertiser likely credits their cosmetics and makeup artists, but they're wrong.
It's all because I've been feeding the kids high-grade charm potions for two days straight and constantly supplying them with mana in between. I even used a lot of magical energy subtly while comforting Siu earlier.
And that's not all. I used my magical energy to elevate the set's lighting conditions to their absolute best, something artificial lighting could never achieve. The director must have experienced a light show unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
He probably thought, "Wow, I can create this kind of atmosphere with these filters too."
In other words, this is all thanks to me.
It's all thanks to me for elevating everyone's abilities to their peak.
Except now, I'm… completely wrecked.
This damn weak body.
"Ichan-ah!"
I felt something warm trickle from my nose—it seemed my nose had started bleeding.
Gyuhyung rushed over with a panicked expression. Siu, standing beside me, also turned pale.
I quickly covered my nose with my hand, but it wasn't enough to stop the flow.
Gush, gush—it was like a spring had burst open.
What am I supposed to do with this ridiculously weak body?
Gyuhyung pressed a wad of tissues to my nose.
"Shouldn't you go to the hospital? You're bleeding way too much."
"I'm fine. I didn't faint or anything."
"Hey, is that something to joke about?"
Going to the hospital won't help. This isn't a normal nosebleed.
It's because I overused my magical energy while my mana reserves were low. It's a signal that I shouldn't use magic for a while until my mana replenishes. This kind of biological signal is something you'd see in apprentices or 1st-circle mages, but for a Grandmaster like me to be in this state is just absurd.
"You've been pushing yourself too hard lately."
Gyuhyung's voice trembled.
"Staying up all night composing, working on choreography, filming… Please, take care of yourself. Okay?"
Before I knew it, a crowd had gathered around me.
The director, the advertiser, and other staff members.
"Stop. Just stop."
To think I'd embarrass myself like this in front of everyone—this is no way for a 9th-circle Archmage to behave.
"I'm going to the car. It's embarrassing. Wrap things up here and come out."
I patted Gyuhyung's arm and walked out of the set.
Damn it, damn it all.
* * *
That evening, chaos erupted on idol fan communities as a few photos were uploaded.
It was early September, about a month after the show had ended.
During that time, there had been little news about L.I.T aside from a few simple photos, but now some paparazzi shots had surfaced.
I wasn't originally an L.I.T fan, but I fell for them after seeing them today. Sharing some photos of them filming an ad yesterday and today. Oh, by the way, I'm a temporary part-timer at the ad agency.
There were five photos in total.
Jaewon and Roa, wearing white blouses with intricate shirring designs, laughing and chatting while holding an apple and an orange.
Ichan reviewing footage with the director, engaged in conversation.
Siu, wearing a floral crown, relaxing his facial muscles while looking into a mirror.
Hanjoon, with a serious expression, listening intently to the chief manager, as if hearing some important instructions.
Even in the paparazzi photos, L.I.T was glowing.
For the Filaments, who had been thirsty for any news about L.I.T, these photos were like a blessing.
But then, everyone covered their mouths at the last photo.
It was unmistakably a nosebleed. The photo showed Ichan covering his nose and mouth with his hand, while the chief manager handed him tissues. Blood dripped through Ichan's fingers, and Siu looked panicked, unsure of what to do.
Below the photo, the uploader added a short comment:
The manager said Kang Ichan has been pulling all-nighters working on a new song, plus practicing and filming. It seems like Blade Entertainment is grinding these kids to the bone. Seeing it up close was dizzying. Kang Ichan bled a lot from his nose today. ㅜㅜ
The Blade Entertainment forum exploded.
CEO Pyo Cheon-hee, reflect on yourself. You live in a nice house, drive a nice car, and eat good food, while L.I.T is stuck in a dump eating instant noodles and being deprived of sleep?
I thought it was a joke, but it seems real. Buy them some meat instead of dumplings.
Isn't this too much? Let them sleep while they work. Look at our leader's face—it's ruined.
All the Filaments want is one thing. For L.I.T to be healthy and happy. How can they be happy when they're being worked to the point of bleeding from their noses?ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
PD Pyo, who had been reading the posts, closed his laptop. If he kept reading, he felt like what little hair he had left would thin even more.
In all his years, he had never seen such a heated response. Of course, it was proof of how popular L.I.T had become.
"You've caused quite the uproar."
PD Pyo said, looking seriously at Ichan, the main culprit of this chaos, who was sitting on the office sofa scrolling through the forum on his phone.
"Is it really that big of a deal?"
"It's huge. Our company forum has never been this hot before."
"Then maybe you should've bought us some meat instead of dumplings, huh?"
"I did buy you meat. Don't you know most of the blood you bled yesterday came from the meat I bought you?"
The kid was so relentless, working day and night without sleep. He only went to bed after finally finishing the track, but even then, he only slept for a few hours before getting back to work.
"Let's go to the hospital and get you some more supplements."
Despite PD Pyo's concerned words, Ichan shook his head with a bitter smile.
"No need. If I eat well, sleep well, and exercise a lot, I'll be fine."
"The problem is you're not eating or sleeping well."
Now, this kid felt like a late-born youngest sibling or an early-born son, and the worry was reaching its peak.
"If you keep this up, you're going to collapse, you know."
"Don't worry. I'm slowly building up my stamina. I'll take it easy with practice for a while. No big deal."
Then, with a cool smile, he got up from his seat.
"And I'll handle the company forum myself, so don't worry too much."
"What are you planning to do?"
"If I tell you, will you support me?"