Chapter 148

[Title: All of This Is Pure Stupidity]

“Seriously, if you don’t know, shut up and stay out of it. At the very least, don’t drag the team down.”

“–If you knew that, you wouldn’t be stupid.”

“–Are you the one in a horror movie who can’t resist curiosity and runs out first just to die?”

“–I thought Team 1’s lineup was fire, but it got torn up, lol. Roy’s the one tearing it apart, hahaha.”

“–Wait, what...? Someone knock that guy out already.”

“–He’s showing off way too much, sob.”

[Title: Witness Account of Roy Filming a Movie]

“They said First doesn’t have an idol debut as Roy is false, but turns out he’s not an idol at all but an actor, lol. Heard he’s in the same project as Seo Han Gyeol? A staff member who saw their favorite hiding powers posted it but then deleted it. (Selfie of Roy with staff.jpg)”

“–Dreams do come true.”

“–An actor? Actor??? Lol the legend of First’s behind-the-scenes... If they’re gonna use Roy like that, give him back to Park Junseo.”

“–Same project as Han Gyeol? T-T I’m freaking out, I love it so much T-T-T”

“–Did someone shoot First in the head? Aren’t those traitors????”

“–They think Hallyu is some big deal overseas so they lost their minds... They bring in an S-rank only to have him act?”

“└ S-rank my ass, lol.”

“└ They probably just let him snap a photo as they passed by.”

“└ Who’s S-rank? hahahah.”

“–Why can’t Awakeners be in showbiz? If they just hunt Blood Fiends properly, who cares what they do?”

“└ It’s your fault—they’d rather mess around than hunt Fiends.”

“└ But abroad they use Awakeners as ad models all the time...”

[Title: Roy’s Debut Cooldown Must Be Over]

“‘Roy Debut’ is trending again. But I heard he’s filming a movie with Seo Han Gyeol—does that mean he’s definitely out?”

“–I’ve told you 9,991,284 times he’s not out.”

“–Some of you didn’t even see the third survival round and yet you talk so much.”

“–If this is real, it’s a massive national loss.”

“–Roy’s gonna switch to entertainment knowing he’ll be hated? Pray that day never comes for Korea.”

[Title: Don’t Bash Roy Because Park Junseo’s Editing Is Evil]

“When you think about it, Park Junseo set out from the start to build Roy’s image as trash. In prelims he free-climbed the rock wall bare-handed and beat a Blood Fiend with the same stone others needed powers for. So why get F? Why...? Seriously, even D would’ve been deserved. But they gave him F, then all his teammates kept slapping on F so he couldn’t even try. And after grinding through round 2 with them, they all rose to A and B ranks while he finished alone at D. From then on it felt less like evil editing and more like he was a ratings gimmick—they treated him like a prop. +It felt like they set out to brand him trash on purpose, which pissed me off to the max. Then in round 3 he absolutely slayed but they edited it like this... Roy, sue Park Junseo the moment the show ends.”

“–The fact you think your IQ dropped because of evil editing is more surprising.”

“└ Birds of a feather, lol.”

“–What did Roy do to Park Junseo? Even if he were a thousand-year nemesis, they wouldn’t edit him like this T-T”

“–Bittersweet builds to payoff but Junseo went way too far.”

“–I knew this would happen when they said they’d split round 3 into parts, lol. I thought it was funny, though.”

“└ 222 Can’t wait for next week’s community reaction.”

“└ Something big’s coming next week.”

“–Another fight? So tired of it... Just let Roy debut already.”

“......”

Watching the broadcast with his family, Roy found himself at a loss for words. Today was the day he’d tell them his true identity and warn them about the upcoming ‘God-piece’ fallout... but the atmosphere was heading in a completely unexpected direction.

“Roy, it’s not too late. How about going to the US to prepare for college?”

That was the chairman—his father—speaking. He casually added that he’d already asked his secretary to find the most capable entrance-exam tutors.

“You’re only a first-year in high school. It’s not too late to study now. And what if you’re a bit late?”

His voice brimmed with encouragement, as if there was nothing wrong.

“You’re smart, after all.”

Me?

I’ve heard I have a nice face, but this was the first time someone called me smart. Sensing the deep distrust in Roy’s eyes, his father went on.

“I’m serious. You were always sharp as a kid. You walked faster than others and started talking early.”

Right, honey?

His father smiled at his mother, and she nodded in agreement.

“Of course~ I thought our Roy was a genius.”

Saying “thought” meant she knew it wasn’t true now... Yet she still held on to hope. Roy’s lips trembled; he didn’t know what to say.

“It’s all Park Junseo’s fault.”

In episode 10 of Star Hero, the long-awaited third survival round aired, but Roy’s screen time wasn’t even five minutes. With dozens of contestants, special treatment isn’t possible even for the popular ones, he understood that. But the content was the issue. He could already guess the headlines flooding portals.

[Star Hero’s Roy, Shoveling Parade as Soon as He Enters the Blood-Fiend Den?]

[Abandoned Roy Runs Solo and Steals the Show... Will He Be Eliminated First?]

[Roy’s Liability! Viewers Shocked by His Unexpected Moves]

They only showed him acting alone after being dropped into the Blood-Fiend den. Yes, he had the honor of closing episode 10, but it ended as he faced a horde of Fiends. There wasn’t even a preview. Not a second of his real heroics appeared—no wonder his parents looked unhappy.

“We’re not trying to pressure you. Just something to consider... How about thinking it over?”

“Yes, Roy. We’ll support whatever you want, but I still don’t think you’re an Awakener.”

They were politely saying he lacked talent. After all, only a handful of studio audience saw the third survival in person. No matter how much his few true fans raved that Roy was a B-rank or higher, it was hard to believe without proof.

“No. It’s for the best. Today might be the last chance to tell them before it’s too late.”

His family was the second most important thing after the members. It didn’t feel right to let them learn the truth at the same time as millions of viewers. Resolute, Roy lifted his chin with a steely expression. He took a deep breath, placed his Awakener license card on the table, and slid it toward his parents.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wanted to show you I could be more dependable first.”

“What is this?”

On the table lay a small golden card radiating presence. His mother cautiously reached out and picked it up. Silence fell.

“What is it?”

Jun-dragon, wearing a relaxed smile, took a sip of wine and turned his head. In that moment, Roy’s mother, expression stern, parted her lips.

“Roy... it says S-rank.”

주르륵-

From Jun-dragon’s mouth, red wine flowed like blood.

✧

Last night, upon seeing Roy’s Awakener license, his parents finally shed tears. They seemed stunned that the ‘God-piece’ who’d made headlines was their own son. His father was proud but speechless for a long time, and his mother sobbed for some time. After all, he’d died and returned once before. Deep down, his mother must have hoped for a lower rank. She knew that even among Awakeners, social duties differ by rank, and higher ranks are sent to more dangerous positions.

“I feel like I’ve been so unfilial...”

In the end, she hugged him tightly and said she was proud, but Roy didn’t feel at ease. Still, apart from that, he felt relieved. No more worrying about being found out by his family, and now he could do whatever he wanted. He no longer needed monitoring; now he just had to win by any means.

“They’ll still talk about rigging and evil editing... but that will be settled next week.”

Then he wondered if Junseo had deliberately edited him this way. Tomorrow marked the final entry day of two months of Star Hero filming. Whenever entry day came, the set was crowded with reporters and fans. The crew tried to keep security tight, but it never worked perfectly. And the entry participants’ photos were shared live on SNS, causing spoiler controversies.

But if even a glimpse of my performance in episode 10 had been revealed...?

“Reporters would have swarmed our place before I even left home.”

Until yesterday, Roy firmly believed it was all evil editing, but in a day his opinion changed. Without Junseo, he might not even have made it to the final survival and would’ve been eliminated. Just thinking about it gave him chills. Shaking off the thought, he slapped both cheeks to refocus.

“Stay sharp. This time, I’ll behave and just grab my sponsorship and get out.”

Thankfully, the crew seemed serious this time—they changed the entry procedure. Instead of the contestants making their own way to set, the crew would pick everyone up together. That meant Roy would leave home a day early. He couldn’t hide the fact he was part of the Maru family forever, but he wanted to reveal it before finals so his efforts wouldn’t be belittled. And while he was at it, he’d console the sulking Yeon-woo and Taeeon too.

“Then I’ll be on my way!”

With that spirited farewell, Roy headed to Taeeon’s house.