LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 116
Chapter 116
The moment Trainer Kim Ah Sung spoke, the outcome became obvious.
“You could keep going.”
“...!”
At that moment, Song Woo Dang’s eyes widened.
Just a few minutes ago, he had shooed away the two in front, saying it was bothersome to watch them, but now he wanted to see more of this person.
Was there a need to interpret it in a roundabout way?
“Why stop when it’s worth watching?”
This response was as clear as the push-and-pull in a third-rate romance novel.
‘As expected.’
Unlike Song Woo Dang, who hesitated, Lee Min Ki, feeling assured, turned to the side and asked.
“Manager, what do you think? Isn’t this good enough?”
“Hmm, it certainly is.”
Manager Park Han Mo nodded and said.
“To be honest, I thought, ‘How good could it be, even if they’re talented?’ But this... this was a performance that left me in awe.”
“...!”
“I’ve seen a lot of people who claim they can dance while working in the field, but it’s my first time witnessing this level of skill in person.”
It was high praise.
Hearing those words, Song Woo Dang looked as if he might faint on the spot.
He simply opened and closed his mouth in silence.
He couldn’t even say thank you, nor could he ask questions.
There was so much he wanted to say.
There were so many words he had prepared in his head.
However, overwhelmed by joy, he lost his ability to speak.
“Uh, uh, uh...”
It was like someone utterly shocked, unable to close their mouth, stomping their feet.
Meanwhile, there was another person who felt a thrill just as intense.
‘As expected, Song Woo Dang.’
It was Lee Min Ki.
After watching the dance, he could see the potential results of the content as if they were right in front of him.
The “Lee Min Ki Challenge”?
There were a few decent submissions among the videos sent by others, but Song Woo Dang was on a whole different level.
It’s like how one top-selling comic book often outshines ten moderately successful ones.
‘If he’s this good, he has to make it big.’
It’d be great if he went international.
If I’m being a bit selfish, it wouldn’t hurt if my name also gained some recognition in the process.
In Lee Min Ki’s eyes, Song Woo Dang’s dance had the potential to drive this content entirely.
No, that was a given.
After all, he had essentially hijacked a national talent who had sparked a dance craze in Korea.
He had been lucky.
Though he was the one who seized the opportunity.
‘I don’t know how far this will go, but now it’s time to refine it.’
From now on, it was a matter of execution.
He had roughly confirmed Song Woo Dang’s potential.
Like polishing a diamond into a ring, he was contemplating which studio to send Song Woo Dang to and how best to direct the video.
“Thank you!”
At last, the tension broke, and Song Woo Dang bowed deeply.
“Uh, so, I had something I wanted to say.”
“Take your time. We have plenty of it.”
“Ah, yes! Haa!”
Song Woo Dang, still visibly tense, repeatedly inhaled and exhaled.
After a moment.
He finally spoke.
“...I wanted to submit a proper video too, but my circumstances didn’t allow it. Thank you for giving me this chance.”
“Saying we gave you a chance sounds odd. It’s more like you couldn’t hide your talent.”
Lee Min Ki chuckled at the heartfelt words.
Now that a good outcome was confirmed, there was no need to keep the atmosphere heavy.
However, that was a separate matter.
‘I need to address this clearly.’
What Lee Min Ki was about to say had the potential to bring up a rather serious topic.
Though he wanted to focus solely on the happy news, there were things that needed to be said.
Taking a deep breath, Lee Min Ki opened his mouth.
“Those students from earlier, you’re not particularly close with them, right?”
It was about addressing the issue of school violence properly.
"……Yes."
“I thought so. You don’t seem particularly close. Even in the video you sent, I kept hearing strange laughter.”
“Well, that’s…”
Song Woo Dang swallowed hard but couldn’t provide a clear answer, merely glancing toward the entrance of the practice room.
Due to the nature of the practice room, it was soundproof, so conversations inside wouldn’t leak out.
‘He’s being excessively cautious.’
Lee Min Ki nodded, convinced his assumptions were correct.
‘It was only a matter of time.’
The Song Woo Dang he remembered had exposed this matter himself a few years later, but he failed to enact proper revenge.
It must have been because too much time had passed, leaving him without any substantial evidence.
All it resulted in was a moderate amount of harassment by netizens.
While that could be considered a punishment, it wasn’t sufficient.
‘Did they counter-sue him instead?’
The ending was messy.
The perpetrators turned the tables, claiming they weren’t the aggressors and using Song Woo Dang’s fame to make baseless accusations.
It left behind a deeply unsatisfying memory.
This time, he didn’t want to leave things unresolved.
‘Depending on how Song Woo Dang acts, the outcome could be entirely different this time.’
With his thoughts organized, Lee Min Ki opened his mouth.
“Here, take this. It’s my business card.”
“Oh!”
The business card was embossed with “Actor Lee Min Ki of JC.”
Song Woo Dang, receiving the recently reprinted card, let out an exclamation of admiration.
Feeling a strange sense of pride for no apparent reason, Lee Min Ki continued.
“When you’re actively working, old connections with bad blood might drag you down at least once. They can be quite persistent. I’m not saying this to anyone in particular.”
“…….”
“Contact me, and I’ll try to find a way to help. It’s better to resolve these things cleanly, don’t you think?”
Lee Min Ki sought agreement from Manager Park Han Mo, who was sitting beside him.
And, as expected, the words came out of his manager’s mouth.
“Yes, JC specializes in things like this.”
It was as if he had anticipated this outcome from the start.
A video that recently heated up the internet had been making waves.
It was the music video for Bojana Olson’s new song, [Treatment], which had entered the top 10 of the Billboard charts.
The success of the song was largely due to its straightforward and well-composed nature.
The rhythm alone instilled a positive feeling.
Even a brief encounter with the melody on the street would leave it stuck in one’s head.
Add to that Bojana Olson’s unique rookie sensitivity in arranging the instruments.
Plus, lyrics that seemed to console modern people were included, making it a song destined for success in every way.
[Bojana Olson seemed like she’d make it big.]
[But I didn’t think she’d rise this quickly.]
[I wrote a post saying this song was good when it first came out and got bashed for it. What are those people doing now?]
The response was overwhelmingly positive.
However, this song didn’t gain traction purely because of its musical power.
Behind the scenes, the music video added significant buzz, enhancing the song’s performance.
[Lee Min Ki lolololol.]
[That Asian guy is hilarious.]
[He’s cute.]
The scene where the Korean actor Lee Min Ki danced stood out.
Anyone with even a slight interest in Korean content might know who he was, though his choice of projects had made him less recognized overseas.
But then.
[Lee Min Ki Challenge?]
A surprising twist emerged recently.
Was it his way of showing off the impact he had on this music video?
He openly encouraged people to mimic him and even offered prizes as part of the challenge.
The rewards included a formal thank-you message from Lee Min Ki, a review he personally wrote, gifts he wrapped himself, and small gift cards.
[What an unusual thing to do.]
[I get that he’s taking advantage of the buzz, but it still feels strange.]
[In the first place, Lee Min Ki only appeared as a cameo in Treatment. It’s not even his music video, so why is he acting up?]
When it was first announced, the reaction wasn’t all that great.
After all, the concept of [Treatment] wasn’t originally Lee Min Ki’s creation.
However.
[Hello, this is Lee Min Ki. Drumroll, please! The results of the Treatment Challenge are in!]
When the first-place results were revealed.
“…Amazing.”
“Who is this person?”
There was no need to elaborate on the public’s reaction.
[Who on earth is this person?]
There was an incredibly talented individual who submitted under the nickname [CKED].
“Wow, isn’t this incredible? Jumping rope while performing shuffle dance moves at that level. Their long limbs make it so visually satisfying to watch, too.”
In the reaction review video, Lee Min Ki clapped his hands and showered endless praise.
“Surprisingly, this person is a high school student. Could there really be another high schooler in Korea who dances this well? I’m not sure if they’re the best dancer in Korea, but at least among high schoolers, they seem to be at the top.”
Just hearing the words might make them sound exaggerated.
But watching the video.
[Is that even human?]
Lee Min Ki’s words seemed like an understatement.
[They’ve got motors on their legs, lol.]
[Do they have brains in their arms and legs too?]
[How does that not get tangled up?]
[What am I even watching right now?]
[Is this person famous?]
[No, no, no. This is literally my first time seeing them.]
The unfamiliar nickname [CKED] made it even more intriguing.
How could someone who dances this well have remained hidden away, only practicing alone?
[Why so secretive about it?]
The fact that they were fully covered in a hoodie and mask left a strong impression.
Yes, it was the exact same [CKED] whom Lee Min Ki had seen on a broadcast a long time ago.
Feeling a mix of irony, Lee Min Ki let out a faint smile.
‘Smart move.’
Sikade, or Song Woo Dang, still chose to hide their identity.
Not simply to conceal who they were.
[It’s them. If I seem unremarkable, they’ll keep provoking me more actively.]
It was to gather evidence.
[If they see even a hint of success, they’ll try to cover it up. Until I collect enough proof, I’ll continue to operate anonymously.]
And so, the new identity [CKED] was born.
Though the circumstances had changed, the name Sikade ended up reaching the public before Song Woo Dang’s.
‘The world is truly fascinating.’
Lee Min Ki chuckled softly.
‘And their mental fortitude is impressive.’
To think they’d use the identity [CKED] in such a way.
Even though they could take immediate revenge, they chose to bide their time until the moment was right.
It was a level of patience unimaginable for most people.
But for some reason.
Lee Min Ki had a gut feeling that Song Woo Dang’s revenge would be nothing like the disappointing, flat soda of his past life.
Instead, it felt like it would resemble freshly opened zero-sugar lime cola—refreshing and sharp.
Revenge was only a matter of time.
And that time seemed to be approaching soon.
“Isn’t it amazing? The world is full of hidden talent like this.”
For now, it was time to give praise.
Both as a producer and as a fan cheering for CKED.
‘I hope this time, life changes for the better.’
In truth, Lee Min Ki himself was still missing one key realization.
Was it just bad luck that ruined his past life?
In this life where fortune had returned to him, he had reclaimed his rightful place.
But his luck didn’t stop there.
The overflowing luck eventually.
‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of fortune.’
Spilled over to others as well.
Song Woo Dang was one such person.
‘For the sake of the actor who recognized me, I must seize this opportunity no matter what.’
Overflowing beyond what he could contain, it bestowed life-changing luck to others as well.
This was a chance.
And even greater opportunities awaited.
Those destined to gain seven will eventually gain ten.
If someone is meant to shine in five years, they will shine in just five days.
This was not much different from what Lee Min Ki had recently been feeling.
‘Why does it seem like everyone who gets involved with me ends up doing well?’
It was something that had repeated several times already.
But how should he put it?
He felt a little more certain now.
‘If I could share this luck with others…’
Wouldn’t the world flow in a much better direction?