Chapter 81

While enjoying the air conditioning, I took a seat in the middle of the practice room. I performed the three-part leg stretch I had learned since my trainee days with TJ, which helped loosen up my stiff body. "Aaaah..." I let out a refreshing sigh, something I usually couldn't do because of my juniors' nagging. After fully enjoying the feeling of being alone in the practice room, I stretched and wandered around. It was because of the CCTV on the ceiling that had been bothering me. Should I cover it? I thought about covering it with A4 paper, just like the detectives in police movies, but then I laughed. It would look weird to anyone. Besides, I had heard stories from my juniors. The CCTV was installed due to a theft incident in the past, and the company said they wouldn't check it unless something special happened. Moreover, I wasn't planning to do anything strange, so there was no particular problem if someone saw me. They would just think I was doing something weird in the practice room. Actually, I hadn't planned to come to the practice room at all. I had thought about going to the empty school playground nearby because of the summer break, but the warning I had heard from the company people a while ago was on my mind. "Be careful, soon you'll have fans stalking you." Maybe I was destined to be inseparable from the practice room. I got up from my seat, thinking about this, and finished by loosening my shoulders before starting the real experiment. Boxing techniques. Simple coin magic. Handstands. High-difficulty dance moves. I didn't need to watch the videos again. Once I saw them, they were automatically stored in my body. My body moved on its own as soon as I thought about something unconsciously. It was a strange sensation, not visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, or gustatory, but something like an electric current running down my spine. It's hard to describe, but when I felt that stimulation, I understood how to perform the movements without anyone explaining them to me. For example, the suplex I used on the police officer at the Eunpyeong hospital and the company representative. The process of grabbing the opponent's arm, bending down, and shifting my center of gravity to throw them was neatly divided and organized, like a split-screen in a movie. The ability to replicate anything after seeing it once. However, it wasn't limitless. The influence of hardware and software couldn't be ignored. For instance, I couldn't replicate the dunk shots of NBA players or the bizarre body contortions of foreign performers, even though I knew how they did it. I wasn't a 190cm tall, muscular giant, and I had my limits in flexibility. If I tried to dunk, I'd only get close to the rim and fall back down. To perform high-difficulty movements, I needed to meet certain hardware conditions, like increasing muscle mass and flexibility. Of course, the ability to understand how muscles work and apply that knowledge to other movements was a huge advantage. I could learn how senior singers used their voices, how models walked, and how actors made facial expressions, and apply them to my work. However, there were limitations in this area as well. It was a software issue. To compare it to a game, each person has a maximum potential for development. This was usually referred to as talent. For example, if my maximum potential was 80, I couldn't go beyond that, while our team's dance machine had a potential of 120. If it was something I was naturally good at, like singing, I might not have noticed, but in areas where I lacked talent, there seemed to be a certain limit. That's why my position was lead vocalist, lead dancer, and leader. The second-best in vocals and dance within the team. I wasn't sure about acting or rapping since I hadn't tried them, but if I did, I might be the second-best in the team. The given potential was inevitable, but the miraculous ability to reach that final destination faster than anyone else was my conclusion. * * * Anyway, I already knew all of this. I had been researching and applying this ability since I gained it. However, what I still couldn't understand was the principle behind it. I could fully understand how someone made a certain expression or danced, but I couldn't understand how it worked. It was like holding a smartphone. You can search for all the information in the world, but you don't know how the components inside work. It was full of things I couldn't understand. The two biggest issues were: The virtual reality-like experience of the past, which happened when I met Professor Choi Yong-jae and during the sound accident at the showcase. The other was the incident a few days ago when I imitated the emperor penguin's movements. Or rather, I thought I was just imitating the movements, but memories popped up, and I could even imitate the movements of a non-human animal. I was so curious that I sent an email to a renowned professor in the field of neuroscience in the country, and a month later, I received a reply. It was scientifically impossible. I wanted to show it to him in person, but if I did, my name would be in academic journals worldwide, and I might end up in a secret base of the CIA or NASA. That was something I wanted to avoid. In the end, the only option left was to search the internet and ponder on my own. The penguin walked on two legs like a human, so that was understandable. But what was the connection between memory and movement? And how did the memories come out? At first, I thought it was due to pressure. But that wasn't the case. I was under extreme stress during the recent flash performance at the event, but there was no flashback. If I understood the principle, I could use it. I wasn't focusing on this for any other reason. If I could vividly experience past memories, and if the range of memories this ability could apply to extended beyond the day I gained it... Maybe. Maybe I could see my parents' faces. The faces of my parents, which I could only see in albums or by searching for "Seon Myung-ju couple" on the internet, could I experience them vividly? If I could, it would be great. I could smell my mother, hear my father's voice, and feel their skin again. It was a problem I had been thinking about for a long time. After pondering, I shook my head. "Stop being silly, Seon Woo-ju." I thought this was why people needed to stay busy. If you stay idle, you end up thinking silly thoughts. To clear my jumbled thoughts, I laid out a mat on the floor, took a yoga pose, and stretched my sore muscles when my phone vibrated. [Brother] from MovieVillain [Brother, you took my card wallet??] I tapped my fingers. [Okay] [Oh, really] [Don't be heartless like Brother Lee Hyuk] [How cute am I] [O] [Shaking emoji] [Anyway, I charged 100,000 won, so don't lose it] [Why did you buy a children's card] [Is that what kids use?] [I didn't know and charged 100,000 won...] [Wow, I bought it because the design was my style...] [Store it for now, I'll use it as a display] I replied "Okay" and got up from my seat. I decided to stop thinking about it. "I need to get to work." There were many things to do. The most important was songwriting. I needed to start working on songs for the upcoming second album. Even if I couldn't expect another hit like a fireworks show, it was better than nothing. As I was burning with enthusiasm for work, my phone vibrated again. This time it was Seok-hwan. "Hello." -Are you at the company? "Uh, I have something to do..." -I was going to tell you when you were with the others, but I have some good news. Seok-hwan's voice sounded cheerful over the phone. -Your school uniform ad shoot schedule is set. * * * School uniform ad. This was the major project I wanted to announce to the fans along with the "Around the World with a Dice" Chuseok special. When the radio ended, I heard that the school uniform company was in the middle of a meeting, and it was confirmed on the day we became the top candidate. To be precise, it was the day after the music show when we signed the contract with the advertiser. It was a very friendly atmosphere. According to Seok-hwan, the company had been a bit difficult to deal with until then. "Do you know that the trend in school uniform ads has changed?" Seok-hwan, who was driving, said to me in the passenger seat. "Before you went to the military, only top stars were used, right?" "That's right. When senior members from TJ did school uniform ads, the company would distribute bromides to motivate the trainees." "The trend has changed now." The manager explained. "Four large companies dominate the market, and the market size is limited. They have to divide the pie, and it's hard to see significant results with top star marketing like in the past." "So, you're using rookies, Manager?" "To be precise, you're using rookies who are likely to become popular. Using a very famous idol doesn't significantly increase sales, so they're using the strategy of buying a lottery ticket for a small amount to enjoy the promotional effect." Our expressions brightened at this. Even if the situation was different, it meant that the clothing industry,