“Hey Geunseok, we’re heading to Anyang. You coming?”

The girls were asking him to play, they were pretty cute too. Geunseok wanted nothing more than to play with them all day. Unfortunately, he just didn’t have the time today.

“Sorry, next time.”

“Whaat, why? Let’s go.”

The girl dragged out her words as she tugged at his arm, the other girls were asking him to tag along as well. Geunseok could feel a tinge of annoyance creeping up his head, these brats just didn’t know when to give up. They were like little flies that didn’t know when to leave. He wanted to shout at them, but he did his best to maintain his composure.

“I have work to do. Let’s go together some other time. I’ll play with you then for real.”

“Well, alright, fine.”

The girl let go almost immediately, her eyes seemed to have lost all interest. The other girls were no longer smiling as well.

“That’s a pity. Everything’s free if he tags along too.”

“Didn’t he buy everything last time?”

“Yep.”

He could hear them snickering, Geunseok glared at the girls. They ran away almost as soon as their eyes met.

‘Bitches.’

He could feel anger rising all the way to his neck, he forced himself to calm down. Girls were all like this anyway. He headed down to the freshmen classrooms, this time his destination was the design class. He might be able to score a few points if he used the fact that he’s also in design. Unfortunately, he got nothing. Not a single student was interested in joining the acting club, this was troublesome. He won’t be able to make a club at this rate, his stomach was starting to hurt due to the irritation.

Right then, he saw one of the freshmen girls laughing in front of him. She wasn’t even listening to him talk. Instead, she was just talking to the girl right next to him. Geunseok decided that he might as well use this as a chance to let out some of his stress.

“Hey, you think I’m a joke?”

“What?”

The girl responded back to him with a smile. How disgusting. Geunseok continued with a frown on his face.

“You think I’m a joke? You can’t hear me talking right now? You have the audacity to ignore what I’m saying when I’m in front of you? Huh?”

The wide-eyed girl immediately lowered her head, same with the other girl she was just talking to. Geunseok felt relief looking at their reactions, lowering their heads was a sign of weakness to a carnivore like him. He relished his control of the situation, they were obeying him, a good behavior to have. He was too scared to speak out against the big one behind the girls, but he could always crush herbivores like these.

“Watch out from now on, got it? I’ll remember your faces. Understand?”

“...Yes.”

“Good. You should respond like that to seniors from now on. What club are you two at right now?”

“U-us? We’re in the movie watching club.”

The girl looked at him with fear on her face. It was pretty satisfying to look at, but Geunseok knew very well that this wasn’t the right way to carry the conversation. He wouldn’t be able to get club members with a whip alone.

“Why are you guys scared? I was just kidding. Did you really think I was really mad?”

He immediately got rid of the frown on his face, he kneeled a little and got on the two girls’ eye level.

“Sorry about that. I was just playing around a bit so that I could get close to you. I think I went a bit overboard with my acting. Were you scared?”

“What? N-not at all.”

“Right? I’m not really that scary.”

He immediately continued, so that the girls wouldn’t be able to recover. Girls at this age often agreed to whatever as long as you pushed them around a bit.

“Won’t you try acting?”

“What?”

“I need cute girls like you. You have very good diction, too.”

“Me?”

The girl looked confused, Geunseok didn’t even pause as he continued.

“Yup. You have good eyes, too. You’d come right to life on stage. I feel embarrassed to say this with my own mouth, but I got the best actor’s award in the nationals. My teachers told me that I have an eye for good actors as well. You guys need to act. Are you guys really going to spend all of your exciting high school life just watching movies? This is a secret, but the acting club I’m making is going to be backed by some seriously famous people in the industry. In other words, I’m giving you two a chance. I don’t give this to anyone.”

“But just before, you were talking to everyone...”

“I was trying to get a reaction out of them. I don’t see many people in the class with talent, but you’re an exception. Do you know Kim Suyeon? The actor in the SBC drama?”

“I do! She was really pretty!”

“I’m very close to her.”

“Really?”

“I don’t lie. Moreover, I’m trying to create an acting club of elites. The one that exists right now is just garbage. I don’t like talking bad about people, but the guys there right now kicked me out just because I was too good at acting. So a big guy in the industry took pity on me and decided to back me fully. If possible, I’d like to start this off with you two. If you come along with me, acting won’t just be a hobby for you. Have you ever wished to stand on the big stage?”

“Well… yes.”

“Me too.”

The two girls nodded together, this was his chance. His first goal was to compliment them until they became dizzy and get their signatures on the signup form. After that, he’d raise the talented ones and leave the talentless ones to make props. He would use them for the next two years to make a play that made himself look good, he just needed the individual actor’s awards. If they didn’t get the overall awards, he could just fault that on the club itself.

Geunseok was confident that he could get things moving once he dragged them into the club. In the end, plays were propped by one talented actor. The others were just along for the ride, that was just reality. No matter how good you were, you wouldn’t be remembered unless you’re the main actor. The star.

He’d be that star as long as he got people under him. If they didn’t listen, he might even beat them to make the play happen. A star was born by stepping over those underneath him. Right now, Geunseok desperately needed people to step on.

“But...”

“This is a chance. You guys have the talent. Are you going to toss away that talent just to watch some movies? That would be such a shame. You’d just be damaging yourselves if you did that. I’m just regretful that you’d be willing to waste yourselves just like that. I can just see what you’d be like within the next year if you join me. It’s fine to watch movies with your friends on the weekend. Sure, it’d create good memories. Not the best memories though. It’s a bit harsh, but you guys know it’s true. What’s normal is, in the end, just trash. What’s truly unique is what’s really valuable. Just look at the people behind you.”

Geunseok gestured towards the laughing group at the back of the class, he could tell that they were delinquents almost immediately.

“Are you close to them?”

“N-no.”

“Right? They’re delinquents. They’ll waste away their lives in an engineering school. You two are different, you guys ended up coming here due to some reason. You have a vision, either to go to college or to get a job right after high school. Am I right? You’re different from braindead idiots.”

The two girls nodded with an awkward smile. Again, Geunseok realized that everyone liked being complimented.

“I knew it. I knew I wasn’t wrong. You two are different. You’re not the types that would settle for normal high school life, you can get something more than this. I’ll help you, so long as you allow it. This is a plea. I don’t talk to those without talent. Behind me, I have someone big in the industry. I’m going to create something amazing with people that have real talent.”

He knew his words had a lot of holes in them, but he also knew these two were too stupid to realize that. They were almost done being persuaded, he just said someone big was behind him and they believed him just like that. How stupid was that? People were so easy to manipulate, he should be able to recruit more people if he kept going like this.

“...What you said is wrong.”

Right then, a high-pitched voice cut into their conversation. Geunseok immediately realized who the voice came from, it was that idiot that came to hand over the signup form last time. Lee Jiyoon, was it?

“Senior Maru told me that plays aren’t done by just talented people. It can’t succeed unless everyone tries hard together. Stars can’t make a play successful by themselves.”

She spoke her mind despite the fear she exhibited, that annoyed Geunseok to no end. Thinking about it, she was the cause of conflict with Maru as well. He wanted to shout at her, but he couldn’t afford to look bad in front of the two girls.

“He’s just wrong.”

“...No, you are.”

“What do you know about acting, huh?”

“T-that’s...”

“See? You have nothing to say. Jiyoon, was it? Don’t try to do stuff like this. Trying to tear down a person with baseless arguments is a bad thing.”

Jiyoon shut her mouth up, she didn’t seem to be a person who knew how to organize her thoughts in an argument. Then again, he supposed she couldn’t, especially when he was glaring at her like this.

“I told you, right? Your acting club right now only knows to tear people down like this. I’m sorry for insulting a classmate like this, but I don’t think she can be helped at this point.”

The two girls glanced at Jiyoon with that, Jiyoon stepped back with a flinch. He’d won. Girls were so easy, he might as well use this as a chance for revenge…

Right then, a slipper flew towards his face. It hit his head and bounced onto the floor. Geunseok glared, putting a hand over his numb forehead. The delinquent-like girls were glaring at him.

“It’s that annoying senior from last time.”

“He doesn’t even deserve to be called a senior. Hey, what the hell do you want?”

“Our girl didn’t do anything wrong.”

The girls were all walking towards him. Geunseok raised his body, thinking that there was no way he’d get beat by girls. He ended up swallowing a little when he saw their faces, they weren’t the typical girls he knew. They were the rowdy type, they looked very athletic.

The boys started moving as well. Geunseok paled a little, looking at the big one headed his way, this one was even bigger than him.

“The fuck you want?”

Geunseok looked around frantically before looking at the girl who was just listening to him.

“...It’s nothing.”

“Scared, huh?”

Geunseok stepped out in a hurry, he could see the bigger boy step out behind him. He ran towards the central staircase but ended up running into the one person he wanted to see the least. It was Maru, he was grinning with a phone in his hand.

“I’ll hear the rest of it from Jiyoon. I’ll come to talk to you after that.”

Maru patted his shoulder lightly, Geunseok couldn’t even move a single inch. Right now, Maru looked absolutely terrifying to him.