I've Become a Genius Actor

"Brion."

Yooil called out once more for Brion.

Still, there was no response.

Yooil's mind raced.

Could this be a dream?'

There had never been an instance where he did not immediately wake up after background immersion had stopped. Naturally, he had never transitioned straight into a dream either. But if not, it was a situation hard to comprehend.

Yooil began to slowly walk. He started navigating through the ruins of collapsed buildings.

It feels like Ive stepped right into a movie.'

As he wandered aimlessly, he stumbled upon a building that seemed relatively intact from the outside.

Wondering if it might open, he pushed the iron door, and it creaked open.

!'

Yooil looked around the interior with widened eyes. Surprisingly, the inside resembled an ordinary house.

The layout was very similar to the house he lived in as a child. The size of the kitchen and living room, even the angle at which the sofa and TV were placed, were familiar.

No, it's not just familiar.'

Yooil's expression hardened as he surveyed the house.

Could it be?'

Without realizing it, Yooil's hand reached for the doorknob of a white door.

Part of him felt it might be better not to open it, but the door was already half open.

As the door opened, Yooil felt warm and humid air hit his face.

"!!!"

And the moment he faced the scenery beyond the door, his eyes quivered.

He saw trees and grasses that one would expect in a botanical garden. Giant, spiky palm trees and tall green stems with red flowers that resembled birds of paradise bloomed amongst the dense leaves that barely let sunlight through.

Yooil's hand began to tremble as he saw the rainforest situated beyond the door.

What is this'

Yooil covered his mouth with one hand. His fingertips were as cold as ice. His breathing became more labored.

It's a dream. This has to be a dream.'

He thought he needed to breathe properly, but he couldn't catch his breath.

As Yooil couldn't take his eyes off the sight beyond the door,

a loud noise was heard.

Bang!

It was a sharp sound that seemed to echo through the entire jungle.

This can't be real. This isn't reality.

But even as Yooil tried to convince himself several times, the sound of gunfire resounded several times.

Soon, figures with guns appeared. Mafia wearing black clothes covering their entire bodies appeared, chuckling amongst the jungle. Among them were a middle-aged American with a camera around his neck and two East Asians, seen from the back. The mafia surrounded the East Asians and forced them to kneel with guns pointed at their heads.

"One gringo and two Xing lings"

"Just when we thought some bugs had crawled in-"

The mafia, annoyed, tossed aside the camera that hung around the American's neck and forced the two people to kneel.

"It's because of bastards like you, babbling about the environment and all, that our job almost got messed up."

"You get what Im saying, you filthy chinks?"

The mocking voices grew closer. The blurry figures gradually became clearer.

Han Yooil barely managed to lift his head. A strange yet familiar back caught his eye amongst the mafia.

"!"

Even though he couldn't see their faces, he knew.

These two people were the ones closest to him.

No.'

Yooil moved his frozen feet. But no matter how fast he ran, the distance did not close.

"Mom-"

As Yooil's mouth opened, another gunshot rang out. This time it wasn't just to intimidate.

The three people standing in the center fell one after another, like discarded scarecrows.

Yooil watched with a numb expression.

It was the nightmare he had struggled so hard to escape from, the one he had finally left behind.

Due to excessive use of background immersion,' sleep' has been activated.

It was the first time Yooil had ever been so relieved to hear Brion's voice.

Terminating background immersion'.

* * *

"Ah."

Yooil woke up with a splitting headache.

Mr. Yooil.

After regaining some of his senses, Yooil felt a numbness in his right arm. Turning his stiff neck to the right, he saw Malang lying against his arm.

'

Yooil gently lifted the puppy's face.

Mmhm.

Malang flailed its paws in the air and then blinked its eyes.

As Yooil watched the puppy's black eyes, he slowly got up from his seat. Then he went to the bathroom to wash the tears that had dried on his face.

Are you alright, Mr. Yooil?

No.'

Of course, he wasn't okay.

It didn't just feel like a dream. Every step felt as heavy as a sponge soaked in water, and his muscles were sore from the tension.

'

When Yooil didn't respond, Brion continued.

Excessive use of background immersion' can lead to fatigue, hypoxia, headaches, chest pains, and can induce sleep'.

Brion continued explaining, but Yooil wasn't really listening.

In short, the more he used background immersion, the more likely he was to not be able to exit it immediately and fall into sleep' instead.

When you fall into sleep' due to background immersion, Brion cannot intervene in any way.

Yooil clenched his teeth.

He knew it was a dream.

Shit.'

But he couldn't calm down.

* * *

Yooil ended up skipping his morning exercise.

After barely finishing a walk with the puppy, Yooil received a call from Min Woojin and went down to the parking lot.

"Huh?"

Min Woojin looked at Yooil with wide eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

Yooil managed to force a smile.

"Just had a bad dream."

"Ah! A nightmare."

While rummaging through his pocket, Min Woojin handed Yooil a piece of chocolate.

"I get nightmares often too. Just the other day, I dreamt I was late for a schedule and got a serious scolding from the PDs Ugh."

Watching Min Woojin genuinely shudder, Yooil gave a small laugh.

"Still, it's a relief. A dream is just a dream."

"That's right."

Yooil murmured while looking out the window.

"A dream is just a dream, after all."

From a very young age, he had realized that the human brain could create scenes so intricate and horrifying, even if it had never witnessed them.

He was only ten when his parents died, and he was at school. Of course, all the scenes Yooil had seen, they were all just figments of his imagination.

Yooil clenched his cold hands.

"Thanks, hyung."

"Huh?"

"Honestly, even knowing it's not real, it's just as scary every time."

However, Yooil had no intention of giving up on background immersion. He couldn't deny that it was the most helpful practice for his acting.

Now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to get used to it.

"You really had a restless dream, didn't you?"

Yooil looked at Min Woojin shaking his head and smiled.

A few minutes later, Min Woojin's car arrived at the underground parking lot of JJ Entertainment.

As he entered the practice room, familiar faces of the staff greeted him.

"Yooil, you're here?"

"Shall we start right away?"

After taking a sip of water, Yooil nodded.

Yooil was at the company to prepare for a performance he would present at the fan meeting.

He warmed up and then began to sing.

[When the sky shines a brilliant blue]

The song Yooil was singing was a famous love song often used as a wedding march a few years ago, by a singer known as the queen of OSTs.

[When the white stars sing at night]

The vocal trainer watched Yooil sing with shining eyes. Often coming to JJ Entertainment when needed due to his close relationship with Director Jang Jaeyi, he admired Yooil's voice.

He had felt it during <Sing in High School>, but Yooil's voice and fundamentals were so good that even with a limited vocal range, he was a captivating vocalist.

But he's improved even more since then.'

If there was one concern, it was that Yooil didn't seem to be in the best condition.

"You're doing great. Just be careful to listen to the beat and enter on cue on stage"

The vocal trainer gazed intently at Yooil and asked,

"But Yooil, are you feeling alright?"

"Of course."

Yooil replied with a smile to the trainer's question.

Preparing for the fan meeting was a different feeling from practicing for acting. The thought of preparing a stage for the fans made him feel special.

More than anything, it seemed like the practice had helped him sort out his feelings a bit.

And after that day, time flew by quickly.

The day of Han Yooil's first offline fan meeting was approaching.

* * *

"Huh."

The office worker swallowed dryly at the sight of the long queue.

I haven't been to a concert since high school.'

For today, the office worker boldly took a day off. It was to see Han Yooil.

It felt worthwhile asking a friend, a long-time fan of idols, to help with ticketing in exchange for a meal.

Huh? Boss, are you going to Han Yooil's fan meeting? My sister is going there tomorrow too.

Although the colleague's comment made the office worker's heart flutter for a moment yesterday, they decided not to think too deeply about it.

I made some excuses, so it should be fine.'

"Please come in!"

"Enter one by one, slowly please!"

[One & Only]

The office worker sat down with a trembling heart, looking at the title of the fan meeting floating above the stage.

The office worker didn't know how an actor's fan meeting was conducted, but guessed it would be quite different from an idol concert. However, as soon as the fan meeting started, they realized their assumption was wrong.

"!"

As everyone was waiting for Han Yooil's appearance.

Music began to play from beyond the empty stage.

Huh?'

The office worker perked up their ears. It was a song they recognized, even though they weren't well-versed in pop music. Before they could even recall the title of the song, the first line was sung.

[When the sky shines a brilliant blue]

As the owner of the voice was recognized, cheers erupted in unison.

The one singing was undoubtedly Han Yooil.

Amazing!'

The office worker's eyes widened, their mouth agape.

[When the white stars sing at night]

The soft voice resonated through the art hall. The fans who were cheering joyously soon began to immerse themselves in his song.

It's good.'

They had felt it during Singin' High', but his tone was really nice. The office worker found themselves softly humming along to the song.

[I can't stop thinking about you]

[But you probably don't know my feelings]

The office worker, captivated by Yooil's song, slightly tilted their head.

Has his singing improved even more?'

They knew he was already good, but this was exceptional.

[I want to look into your eyes and tell you]

As the first verse ended, and the instrumental break began, Yooil appeared from the back of the stage. Cheers erupted as if they had been eagerly waiting.

"Yooil~!"

"Han Yooil!"

Yooil, who stepped onto the stage, slowly looked around the auditorium with a microphone firmly in his hand.

Yooil's eyes deepened as he saw his fans seated in the audience. As he looked around at his fans with a face full of swirling emotions, he slowly opened his mouth.

"Hello, I am Han Yooil."

And so, Han Yooil's first fan meeting began.

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