Chapter 22

22. Proposal

No Hyun-woo mistook the principal and the parents for teachers and greeted them respectfully.

The principal's face lit up brightly. Of course, the expressions of the other parents and teachers were no different.

"Oh! I see Mr. No Hyun-woo here! There's no one who doesn't know Mr. No Hyun-woo. But how did you end up here?"

The unpleasantness the principal had felt a moment ago due to Mr. Park Dong-cheol had vanished.

"Ah, well..."

No Hyun-woo turned his gaze to search for Min Seo-yeon, but someone else stepped forward first.

"Hello, senior!"

Kang Do-hoon greeted No Hyun-woo respectfully.

'Senior?'

The student who had played Lee Mong-ryong. No Hyun-woo briefly searched his memory but couldn't recall where he had seen him.

"Oh, oh, is Mr. No Hyun-woo here to see our Do-hoon? Oh, how could you. It's such an honor!"

Kang Do-hoon's mother suddenly stepped forward and made a fuss. Of course, it was an absurd claim. No Hyun-woo's expression became awkward.

"Ah, well, that's..."

No Hyun-woo's gaze, which had passed over Kang Do-hoon, stopped on Min Seo-yeon. No Hyun-woo leaped forward with a childlike, cheerful expression.

"Seo-yeon!"

A K-pop star. And a doting older brother.

He lunged at Min Seo-yeon and handed her a large bouquet of flowers.

"Congratulations. You did great!"

Anyone watching would think he was presenting an acting award.

Seo-yeon couldn't hide her embarrassed expression due to the large bouquet. Fortunately, she could hide her face behind the flowers. She whispered to her silly older brother.

"Bro, what are you doing? It's embarrassing."

"Who, me? Is it embarrassing for your brother? Huh? Huh?"

No Hyun-woo, looking at Seo-yeon with a face that said she was the cutest thing ever, turned to the principal and his group.

"This is Min Seo-yeon, my cousin. I came to watch her performance today and to congratulate her."

"Oh, is that so? You're related to Min Seo-yeon!"

Kang Do-hoon and his mother looked embarrassed, but the others looked at the two with pleased expressions.

Seo-yeon subtly hid her face behind the bouquet again.

"Well, well, our students were absolutely amazing today. I, and the parents, were very impressed by the play."

The principal's eyes briefly glanced at Mr. Park Dong-cheol, who looked down.

"I wanted to praise the parents a lot, but since a big star like you visited today, if it's not too much trouble, could Mr. No Hyun-woo say a few encouraging words to the children?"

Though it was a sudden request, No Hyun-woo didn't seem flustered.

"Though I'm not in a position to speak on behalf of everyone, I'll say a few words since you asked. It was a truly great play. I mean it."

The students who had performed in the play brightened at the star actor's praise.

"The bold story variations were also excellent. The transitions could have been rough, but the good acting skills covered them well. The directors and the acting students were all truly outstanding."

No Hyun-woo's gaze turned to Woo Jin-hyuk.

"What's the name of the student who played Byeon Satto?"

"Woo Jin-hyuk."

"Oh, Jin-hyuk. Your acting was very impressive. I think you could debut as an actor right now."

"Wow!"

The surrounding students exclaimed and clapped.

Only three people, Kang Do-hoon and his mother, and Mr. Park Dong-cheol, had sour expressions.

The principal, after leaving a few kind words following No Hyun-woo, concluded briefly.

"Well, then. We should leave now. I've prepared some snacks, so enjoy them. Great job, everyone."

"Wow!"

The students erupted in cheers at the principal's announcement of snacks.

The principal, with a pleased expression, turned to the waiting room entrance. When his eyes met Mr. Park Dong-cheol's, his expression stiffened for a moment.

Mr. Park Dong-cheol, unable to meet the principal's gaze, slumped his shoulders and followed the principal.

"Goodbye!"

While the students were seeing off the teachers and parents, Min Seo-yeon quietly asked No Hyun-woo.

"Why did you come?"

"Hey, a top star took time out of his busy schedule to come, and you ask 'why did you come?'"

"Ah, I mean, why did such a busy person come here?"

The blunt younger sister. But to Hyun-woo, even Seo-yeon's furrowed brow was cute.

"Why did I come? I came because I missed you, this cute little thing."

No Hyun-woo grabbed Seo-yeon's cheeks with both hands. Seo-yeon, holding the large bouquet with both hands, couldn't resist at first.

"Hey, stop it!"

Seo-yeon's muffled voice expressed her annoyance, but No Hyun-woo only teased her more playfully.

"Stop it? What do you mean stop it, this cute little thing. Hehehe"

"Hey, really, stop it!"

Suddenly, a cold tension swept over No Hyun-woo.

"Ahem! Hyun-woo."

At the manager's signal, No Hyun-woo's gaze shifted to the surroundings.

The waiting room had become quiet. All the students were looking at the two.

"..."

No Hyun-woo subtly let go of Seo-yeon's cheeks.

"Hehehe. I'm just very close to my sister..."

No Hyun-woo gave an awkward smile.

Someone had been watching No Hyun-woo with widened eyes. It was Kang Do-hoon.

He never imagined they were such close relatives.

Min Seo-yeon, whose mother was the director of Seongdo Hospital. Of course, it was clear that she came from a prominent family...

'Is it true that No Hyun-woo's family is a wealthy conglomerate, and this is how it's connected?'

Kang Do-hoon, with a surprised expression, ran his lips. Then he thought about what he needed to do.

"Hello, senior! I'm greeting you again. My name is Kang Do-hoon."

No Hyun-woo's gaze shifted to Kang Do-hoon. Kang Do-hoon spoke in an even more respectful tone.

"Senior, you might not remember, but I briefly appeared in one of your works a couple of years ago."

"Oh!"

No Hyun-woo's expression showed that he had just remembered.

In fact, he didn't remember well. But he was grateful for the change in the awkward atmosphere due to Seo-yeon and responded accordingly.

Kang Do-hoon's expression brightened, whether he knew this or not.

"Kang Do-hoon! I didn't know you were related to Seo-yeon. I'm really a big fan of you! You're my role model too."

"Hehe. I appreciate the kind words, but thank you anyway."

No Hyun-woo laughed it off, half-jokingly. Kang Do-hoon, with a serious expression, shook his head.

"No, no, really, you're my role model..."

"But, Jin-hyuk."

No Hyun-woo's gaze had already shifted to Woo Jin-hyuk.

"... my role model..."

Kang Do-hoon, unable to finish his sentence, awkwardly licked his lips as No Hyun-woo approached Jin-hyuk.

***

"Do you act?"

In a corner of the waiting room, No Hyun-woo, sitting a bit apart from the other students, asked Woo Jin-hyuk.

Woo Jin-hyuk briefly pondered how to respond. He had only been attending acting classes for about two months, but it wasn't exactly a secret.

"Yes. I've been attending acting classes for about two months."

"Two months?"

No Hyun-woo's expression showed genuine surprise. Two months meant he had just started.

"Then you don't have an agency yet?"

"No, I don't."

"Ah... So, do you plan to seriously pursue acting in the future?"

Serious pursuit.

That wasn't something for the future. Jin-hyuk had never been anything but serious in his life.

Life, to him, was never something to be handled carelessly.

This was no different in this life. He had vowed to live a new life doing what he wanted. Jin-hyuk was sincere in every moment of this life.

In that sense, acting was already a serious pursuit for Jin-hyuk.

"If you plan to seriously pursue acting, I'd like to recommend you to our agency."

But that serious pursuit hadn't yet translated into joining an agency.

For a student, seriously studying acting and joining a company were clearly different things.

Understanding Jin-hyuk's brief silence as contemplation, No Hyun-woo spoke first.

"Of course. You've only been at it for a few months, so it's not something to decide easily. If you make up your mind, contact our manager here."

No Hyun-woo nodded, and the manager handed a business card to Woo Jin-hyuk.

"I've never made such a direct proposal before. It shows how highly I regard Jin-hyuk. I think you have the potential to become a great actor. Think about it seriously."

Kang Do-hoon, who had been secretly listening to their conversation, widened his eyes.

No Hyun-woo's agency was well-known to Kang Do-hoon. In fact, anyone in the industry would know.

HC Entertainment, the undisputed top actor agency in the country. And this was a recommendation from No Hyun-woo himself?

Jealousy bubbled up from the depths of Kang Do-hoon's heart.

"Thank you. I'll think about it."

Kang Do-hoon's mouth dropped open.

'You idiot! This is such a great opportunity! What are you thinking?'

Other students would struggle to get into the agency through auditions. Future problems could be dealt with later. He had to join the agency.

But on the other hand, he felt a sense of relief. Jin-hyuk joining an agency he couldn't join himself.

"Alright."

No Hyun-woo lightly patted Jin-hyuk's shoulder.

At that moment,

Do Min-woo burst into the waiting room, shouting.

"Hey! Jin-hyuk! Big news! I saw No Hyun-woo in the bathroom just now! He's really super handsome..."

He stopped mid-sentence,

"... but... Oh my!"

He jumped back, startled.

"Super handsome is a compliment, right? Thanks."

No Hyun-woo said with a playful expression. Do Min-woo, still in disbelief, suddenly exclaimed.

"Yes! He's really super handsome!"

"What? Hahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter with No Hyun-woo, and Do Min-woo, embarrassed, scratched his head.

***

The principal quietly observed Jin-hyuk.

'The more I look, the more incredibly handsome he is.'

Though the reason for calling Jin-hyuk couldn't have been his appearance, the principal's eyes couldn't leave Jin-hyuk's face.

"Hehe. It's a casual setting, so feel free to sit. Relax."

The principal, who said this, seemed to need to relax more.

'Hmm.'

It was a strange tension. Or rather, a thrilling feeling.

He had expected Jin-hyuk to be one of the top students, given that he had scored full marks in all subjects.

But before meeting Jin-hyuk, the principal had been surprised by his school life.

A student whose grades had been at the bottom of the class.

And in just a couple of months, this student had scored full marks in the notoriously difficult Myeongseong High School regular exam.

'That means...'

The principal's eyes sparkled as he looked at Jin-hyuk.

Indeed, a genius.

The awakening of an overwhelming genius who had been lazy.

A lazy male lion rolling around in the savanna, leaving the hunting to the lionesses. Their strength is not visible in their usual state.

But at the decisive moment, they roar and reveal themselves as the invincible rulers of the savanna.

No one thinks this sudden strength is a new ability.

The strength of the lion is inherent, and no one doubts the inherent strength of