OATCG 25

Chapter – 25

“What’s your name?”

“I– I’m Kim Si-on, fourth grade, Class 2, Number 7, Hakdong Elementary School!”

Si-on answered in a tightly strained voice.

Sunwoo barely managed to open his mouth, holding back a smile.

“You don’t have to be so nervous. Really.”

“Y– Yes….”

“Did you come here alone?”

“No, my mom came with me, but…”

It seemed she hadn’t been able to follow him this far in.

Sunwoo gave Si-on a quick glance. Despite being so young, his nose bridge and eyes were already well-defined—enough to make one look forward to what he’d grow into.

And yet, his cheeks were still plump with baby fat, making him adorable.

How long had it been since Sunwoo last talked with a child like this?

And now he had to compete with him for elimination…

He almost felt like buying the kid ice cream instead.

That was when—

The door burst open.

A man in a suit strode in.

“Oh wow! Looks like everyone’s already here. Hello! I’m Bang Hyung-bin! Wow, you’re seriously handsome!”

His volume was overwhelming from the moment he entered. Complimenting someone’s looks right off the bat, too.

The whole situation already felt chaotic.

“Ah— no, thank you. I’m Kim Sunwoo. Nice to meet you.”

“H– Hello! I’m Kim Si-on, fourth grade, Class 2, Number 7, Hakdong Elementary School!”

“Oh my, there’s a little kid too! Nice to meet you!”

“I– I’m not little….”

He was bursting with energy in every way.

An office worker, maybe? He gave off that kind of vibe. Sunwoo extended his hand for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, but wow, hyung, you’re really handsome. Were you acting somewhere before coming here?”

“Yes. I worked with a theater troupe for a bit.”

“Oh, that’s awesome!”

“No, not really….”

They chatted casually for a while.

Then Hyung-bin suddenly pulled a face.

“Ah… but this kinda sucks. In the end, only two of us get to stay, right?”

“…Right.”

“I wish there were a way for all of us to survive. Hey, though—one person still hasn’t arrived. Are we really just going with the three of us?”

“I don’t think so…”

Just as they were talking—

The doorknob rattled.

All three turned their heads at once.

A man with red hair stepped into the room.

Pale skin. Narrow, snake-like eyes.

The moment Sunwoo saw him, his expression stiffened.

And the feeling was mutual.

“Kim Sunwoo?”

“…Didn’t expect to see you here.”

In the end, he had run into someone from Cheongsong Theater.

At least—if there was any silver lining—it wasn’t one of the people Sunwoo truly didn’t want to face.

“Why are you here?”

Even in front of cameras, his aggressive tone hadn’t changed.

That irritating expression.

Seo Jin-wook.

“So you’re from the same theater troupe? Wow, what a connection!”

Hyung-bin clapped his hands in excitement when he heard that Jin-wook and Sunwoo were both from Cheongsong.

Then, tilting his head with a suddenly serious look—

“Wait… doesn’t that mean this is actually bad? You’re going to have to fight each other.”

Unlike Hyung-bin’s concern, Sunwoo didn’t feel particularly unhappy about facing Jin-wook.

The people he didn’t want to compete with were everyone except Jin-wook.

Though, in another sense, he still wanted to avoid him.

Getting tangled up with Jin-wook in any way was exhausting.

Fortunately, Jin-wook wasn’t saying anything unnecessary.

Still, Hyung-bin sensed the awkward tension between them and cleared his throat.

“Ahem—so, what do we do now? They said we’d have to compete somehow.”

“Well…”

<< The organizers will now provide instructions. >>

At that moment, Sung Jun-il’s voice echoed from the speaker installed in the ceiling.

His tone sounded oddly excited, as if he were enjoying the situation.

<< All participants have now found their assigned rooms. To become the owner of this room, you must compete. >>

<< Please open the wardrobe and check the script inside. >>

“I’ll do it!”

Si-on jumped up and brought over the script.

It was quite thick.

As Sunwoo skimmed through it, a spark lit up in his eyes.

‘A four-person play?’

<< As you can see, the script contains plays that can be performed by four actors. Choose the one you like most and perform it. >>

“It feels more like cooperation than competition.”

“Yeah.”

“I– I’ll try my best!”

Si-on clenched his fists and shouted.

Watching him, Sunwoo once again felt how cruel this program was.

They had to cooperate while preparing the performance—

but in the end, two of them would be eliminated?

Sure, it made for entertaining television, but still…

Just as that thought crossed his mind—

<< Some of you may be thinking this is unfair. >>

<< That after working so hard together, it would be heartbreaking to eliminate one another. >>

<< For those concerns, we have prepared something special. >>

<< The Golden Ticket. >>

Sung Jun-il continued smoothly.

Right. There had to be something like this.

<< Only two teams will receive the Golden Ticket. Teams that earn it will have all members survive. >>

<< You know what you need to do now, right? >>

<< The performance will take place tonight at 10 p.m. >>

<< Best of luck. >>

A clean finish.

Sunwoo looked around at everyone.

“…Looks like we have a goal.”

“Right?”

“Let’s start by reading the script.”

They read through the scripts together.

But things didn’t move as smoothly afterward.

Choosing which scenario to perform wasn’t easy.

Si-on was the problem.

There was no way to give an office worker role to a child. That severely limited their options.

Still, they eventually found one that worked.

Sunwoo spoke up.

“How about Scenario 13?”

Number 13.

Three brothers and a grandson gather at their late father’s house over inheritance issues.

They struggle to open the father’s safe because they don’t know the password, trying different combinations.

Arguments erupt, then reconciliation—

until the second brother’s young son provides the key clue to unlocking the safe.

The emotional arcs worked well, both for the brothers and the child.

It was a solid script.

“I’m fine with anything!”

“I like it too!”

Si-on and Hyung-bin nodded immediately.

Only Seo Jin-wook remained.

He silently read through the script before finally nodding.

“Let’s do this one.”

If he was going to agree anyway, why drag it out?

Assigning roles went smoothly.

Si-on played the young son.

Hyung-bin was the cold, rational eldest brother.

Sunwoo took the role of the irritable second brother.

And Jin-wook became the rough-edged youngest.

‘…So this is the color.’

Sunwoo gazed at the color orb floating before him.

A gray base with dark violet blotches scattered throughout.

Unhealthy at a glance.

Fitting, really—the second brother was a worn-down, overworked man.

But Sunwoo had played similar roles before.

He had practiced all kinds of characters while preparing for the main round.

A burnt-out office worker was nothing new.

And thanks to that—

“No, hyung! I said try a different number!”

“…Whoa.”

As soon as they rehearsed together, Hyung-bin forgot his lines, completely absorbed in Sunwoo’s acting.

He’d expected Sunwoo to be good, knowing he was from a theater troupe—

but not this good.

It was overwhelming.

“I suddenly feel embarrassed acting now…”

“No, you’re doing great. Don’t worry about it.”

“But still… you’re just too good.”

Handsome.

Talented.

What kind of cheat character was this?

Hyung-bin felt himself shrinking.

But the real problem wasn’t Hyung-bin.

“The password is… actually— ah, I’m sorry. Let me try again.”

Every time they rehearsed, Si-on got too nervous and forgot his lines or stumbled.

Sunwoo understood.

A kid thrown into an unfamiliar place, surrounded by adults—of course he’d be nervous.

“It’s okay. Don’t be so tense. Just read it like you’re reading a book.”

“Y– Yes….”

Sunwoo had expected this from the start.

Children had limits.

That was why he needed to help.

Didn’t he have plenty of tips learned from his seniors?

Ways to make acting easier, more natural.

He could support both Si-on and Hyung-bin.

And after doing so for a while—

“Kim Sunwoo.”

“…Me?”

“Come out for a second.”

Seo Jin-wook suddenly called him.

Sunwoo suspected nonsense, but he couldn’t ignore him.

He followed Jin-wook out until they found a corner without cameras.

Jin-wook frowned at him.

“What are you thinking?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Did you forget? We’re competing. You’re not here to play babysitter.”

“Did you forget? The top teams all survive. Remember the Golden Ticket?”

“So you’re aiming for that?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Jin-wook tilted his head, genuinely confused.

“Think realistically. If you help less, this gets easier. Those two will collapse on their own.”

“….”

Sunwoo was momentarily speechless.

This man hadn’t changed at all.

“Are you satisfied acting like that?”

“Yeah.”

Jin-wook answered without hesitation.

“I am. Even if I look pathetic or dirty—as long as I get to act. You’ve just joined this world, so you’re still full. Me? I’m starving.”

“….”

For a brief moment, Sunwoo thought he understood.

When someone wants to act badly enough, they really might discard everything else.

But Sunwoo didn’t waver.

He didn’t want to act like that.

That wasn’t colorful.

It wasn’t beautiful.

“That’s unfortunate. Maybe I’m not hungry enough yet. But I don’t want to abandon them.”

“Lucky kid. He’s got time and opportunities we don’t.”

“…Let’s end this here.”

There was no point continuing.

The more they talked, the clearer it became—they were opposites.

As Sunwoo walked away, he turned back.

“Watch.”

“Watch what?”

“We’re getting the Golden Ticket.”

He declared it—

perhaps as a promise to himself.

“All of us will survive.”

With that, Sunwoo left.

Jin-wook stared at his back in disbelief, then sighed roughly and scratched his head before following him.

The empty corner fell silent.

All except—

Sung Jun-il, who had overheard everything from behind the wall.

With a flushed face, he muttered—

“…I can’t wait for the next episode.”