Chapter 1

A room filled with trash.

A boy was scrolling through the schedule for an audition program displayed on his smartphone screen.

The boy’s name was Do Wonwoo. He was a trainee who had recently been kicked out of his company.

Right now, he was preparing to join an idol survival show while still dreaming of debuting, but…

‘Why am I even here?’

At a time when he should have wanted this more than anyone else, the boy did not even know why he was here.

Because the person inside Do Wonwoo’s body right now was not Do Wonwoo.

It was Moon Dohyun.

* * *

Moon Dohyun was what people called a genius.

First place in school. Perfect mock exam scores. He got test papers without a single wrong answer, enough for people to call him a living study machine.

To Moon Dohyun, maintaining perfection had become something completely normal.

But that perfection only applied to studying.

“Why should I be friends with you?”

The kids who tried approaching Moon Dohyun never stayed around for long.

“Moon Dohyun is weird.”

“He acts all arrogant just because he’s smart.”

“Forget it. Let’s just stop hanging out with him.”

Moon Dohyun did not care.

Friends were annoying and useless. They were nothing more than obstacles that got in the way of studying.

He only had one goal.

To escape this miserable bottom of society and climb to the very top.

So he did not care.

In the end, he believed he would be the one smiling last.

Crash!

At least, that was what he thought.

Until he got into a traffic accident on the day of the college entrance exam.

* * *

[You have died.]

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a blue system window.

‘So I really died.’

“Hah…”

Rather than being angry at his sudden death, all he could do was laugh.

Looking back, his life was ridiculous.

He spent his whole youth desperately struggling to climb upward without ever properly enjoying life, only to end up dying at rock bottom anyway.

“So… what happens to me now?”

Ding!

[Moon Dohyun’s next life will be decided through the Fate Lottery System.]

Ah, so that was how it worked.

Maybe the reason his life turned out so terrible in the first place was because he had drawn a bad fate from the beginning.

He did not like the idea of deciding fate with something this random, but there was nothing he could do, so he quietly waited for the result.

[Displaying results…]

Ding!

Congratulations. Moon Dohyun has been selected for the “Possessor” life type.]

“A possessor?”

The unfamiliar word confused him, and the system explained further.

A possessor is someone whose consciousness is transferred into another person’s body. The world you will possess is a fictional world where the settings of novels, games, comics, and other creative works are connected to reality.

I see.

He roughly understood what it meant…

‘But I know nothing about this stuff.’

He had spent his whole life studying, so he was completely clueless about web novels or comics.

If he had known this would happen, maybe he should have read a few.

Though regretting it now was pointless.

[The world and character you will possess will be decided through the Fate Lottery System.]

‘Another lottery?’

Well, maybe random selection was better since he knew nothing anyway.

He only prayed it would not be a strange world.

A world with monsters or zombies would be a nightmare.

[Displaying results…]

Ding!

A cheerful notification sound rang out.

Congratulations. Moon Dohyun has been selected as the possessor of Do Wonwoo from the web novel “Idols Walking the Flower Path. ”]

“Idols Walking the Flower Path?”

He had never heard of it before.

‘No, I don’t even know what the story is about…’

He did not know what expression to make after suddenly being thrown into some random novel.

Still, maybe this was a good thing.

At least if it were an idyll story, there probably would not be monsters or zombies.

Ding.

[For Moon Dohyun, the original setting book and full story text have been provided.]

“Oh, really?”

That was actually welcome news.

He had no idea what to do without knowing the original story.

[Then we will now begin the possession.]

‘Wait, just like that?’

Before he could even mentally prepare himself, his vision instantly turned black.

* * *

The darkness faded from his sight.

“This place…”

The first thing he saw after opening his eyes was a cement wall outside the window.

‘A semi-basement room?’

As he looked around, the terrible living conditions became obvious.

The wallpaper was stained with mold, and damp cardboard boxes and leftover food containers were piled messily across the floor.

‘Definitely not someone living a good life.’

The familiar smell of poverty.

He had lived in a similar environment in his previous life, so it was a scent he knew all too well.

“Hah.”

Leaning against the wall, he let out a bitter laugh.

What kind of system made someone end up with an unlucky life twice?

His previous life had already been exhausting enough because of poverty…

But he could not just sit around crying forever.

‘I have to change things.’

At least the good thing was that he still remembered his previous life.

So maybe he could retake the college entrance exam and finally live the life he wanted—

Ding!

[Synchronizing with the real world…]
[Synchronization complete. Do you think Wonwoo’s life goal will now be set?

“What?”

He froze.

“Wasn’t I supposed to live how I wanted?”

Since he had never read a possession story before, he never imagined things would go like this.

Apparently, it was not enough to simply possess someone.

He also had to fulfill that character’s goal.

[Do Wonwoo’s life goal is to become a successful idol.]

“…Ah.”

The moment he read the system message, his mind went cold.

‘So I actually have to become an idol.’

This was bad.

He barely even knew a few K-pop groups, and now he was supposed to become an idol?

For someone who had only ever thought about getting into university, this felt like lightning striking from a clear sky.

“It would honestly be easier to get a perfect score on the college entrance exam.”

He muttered to himself and laughed bitterly.

“What happens if I fail to debut?”

The moment he finished speaking, a warning sound rang out and a red system window appeared.

[If the life goal is not achieved, Do Wonwoo’s date of death will remain unchanged and be confirmed for three years later.]

“…Hah.”

He was speechless.

So if he failed to debut, he would die in three years?

‘Do Wonwoo is eighteen right now. What the hell happens to him at twenty-one?’

At that moment, he realized he had seriously drawn the short end of the stick.

Now he could not just ignore the system and live however he wanted.

The situation was hopeless, but since it had come to this, he had no choice except to try.

He did not want this life to end early too.

* * *

Idols Walking the Flower Path.

The protagonist of this novel was not Do Wonwoo, but a character named Lee Haewon.

Lee Haewon had a bright and energetic personality without a single rough edge.

Anyone could tell he was the protagonist.

Even his story was perfect.

A country boy who only knew how to play guitar came to Seoul for the first time to participate in an audition program.

Despite having zero dance experience, he improved dramatically and successfully debuted.

[The trainee who achieved the highest number of votes on Dream Stage Season 2 and proudly took first place is Lee Haewon!]

On stage, Lee Haewon smiled brightly as he gave his acceptance speech.

“Thank you so much to everyone who supported me until now! I love you all once again!”

Of course, even someone like Lee Haewon, who seemed destined to walk only on flower paths, faced hardships.

During the survival show, several evil forces appeared to stop his debut.

One of them was Do Wonwoo.

* * *

Did Wonwoo live such a miserable life that the word “tragic” suited him perfectly?

Poverty and abuse.

Either one alone would have been terrible, but he had both.

Whenever something annoyed his parents even slightly, they would hit him.

The kids at school whispered behind his back because he was the kid who always got beaten.

Sadness. Anger. Anxiety and despair.

And the sense of inferiority from being unable to enjoy the things other children naturally had.

Those feelings slowly settled into the once-pure heart of the child.

Why was I even born?

One day, after crying himself to sleep with thoughts like that every night—

“Have you ever thought about becoming an idyll?”

While passing through the school gate, Do Wonwoo was handed a business card by a woman.

“You have the exact face for an idol.”

“Me?”

“Haven’t people told you you’re handsome?”

Even for someone born with the worst circumstances, Do Wonwoo had one talent.

His face.

‘He’s handsome.’

‘What’s his name?’

‘He looks like he could be a celebrity.’

He only realized he was handsome after graduating elementary school.

As time passed, his looks became even more refined, and the kids who used to openly gossip about him disappeared.

That was how Do Wonwoo, who was terrible at both singing and dancing, entered TSQ Entertainment based solely on his visuals.

TSQ Entertainment.

One of Korea’s top entertainment companies.

If you debuted there, success was practically guaranteed.

Did Wonwoo work hard?

His growth was slow despite all his effort, but he still believed he could change his own fate.

“Sorry, but I think this is where it ends.”

Until the company suddenly informed him he was being cut.

“Why?”

“Wonwoo, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way.”

The company comforted him while saying he did not fit the group’s image.

Maybe that was not what they truly meant.

But this was how it sounded to Do Wonwoo.

‘A poor kid like you doesn’t suit the luxurious image we’re branding.’

Thinking about how his father had come to the company causing trouble and demanding money, he could not even say the company’s decision made no sense.

A troublesome kid.

A kid not worth taking risks for.

‘Was that really all I was worth?’

And so, Do Wonwoo returned home.

“What? You said you’d become an idol, but you got kicked out in the end. I told you you couldn’t do it.”

“A huge company like that won’t even lend us money? Then why were you even there?”

“So what are you going to do now? I seriously regret giving birth to someone like you.”

Every single day, his parents showered him with verbal abuse.

‘Hah… maybe I should just die.’

In the end, Do Wonwoo broke down mentally.

If he failed to debut, it felt like there would be no reason left for him to live.

So he treated it as his last chance and joined an idol survival program.

===

[Dreams Season 2: Handsome Trainee Do Wonwoo]

Apparently he’s an independent trainee who used to be at TSQ Entertainment, and he’s insanely handsome.

His singing is seriously awful, but his face is so good-looking that I’m watching on mute lol.

(384 comments)

— Wow, he’s ridiculously handsome.

— His singing is unbearable, but his face makes up for it.

— His visuals are actually insane.

— If only he could sing; he would’ve become a legendary idol lol.

— How was he even at TSQ?

— The fact that someone with these skills made it into TSQ’s debut lineup just because of his face is legendary lol.

— Maybe he’ll improve later.

===

At the beginning of the show, Do Wonwoo gained popularity because of his handsome appearance and got a lot of screen time.

But as time passed, public opinion toward him grew worse.

At first, he started at a similar level to Lee Haewon, but the gap between them gradually widened, and people’s opinions changed.

===

[Did you guys watch Do Wonwoo’s recent stage on Dreams?]

It’s insane that skilled trainee Lee Hyoseob is close to elimination while Do Wonwoo ranks that high lol.

In this stage video, his pitch is all over the place and his dancing is stiff as hell.

The producers clearly tried pushing him as a growth-type character, but his skills haven’t improved at all.

(649 comments)

— That’s not singing; it’s noise.

— Lee Hyoseob is way more talented than him, yet he’s ranked lower lol.

— But he’s handsome, right? He’ll probably debut anyway. The other trainees must feel miserable.

— Lee Haewon had zero trainee experience but worked hard and improved that much. Do Wonwoo just relies on his face and does nothing.

— If this is his skill level after years as a trainee, he seriously should quit being an idol.

— If even TSQ gave up on someone with those visuals, there must’ve been a reason lol.

— After the program ends, he should just become an influencer with that face lol.

===

“Hah…”

Did Wonwoo want to die?

Why was he the only one who never improved?

He worked just as hard as everyone else.

He stayed in the practice room later than anyone else.

“Wonwoo. Why are you crying? Because of the comments?”

One day, Lee Haewon happened to see Do Wonwoo crying and gave him advice.

“Well… but wouldn’t it be better to spend that time practicing instead?”

Actually, there was supposed to be more after that.

‘Wonwoo, you’re someone who works hard, so I think you can do it if you keep trying.’

But the writer suddenly called Lee Haewon away, so Do Wonwoo never heard the rest.

At that moment, Do Wonwoo developed resentment.

Because this was how it sounded to him:

‘Instead of reading those comments, maybe you should practice more instead of sitting there crying lol.’

Although Do Wonwoo looked glamorous on the outside, he was twisted inside.

Lee Haewon had grown up in the same poverty as him yet received love and recognition through hard work.

That scratched at something deep inside Do Wonwoo.

‘…Why are you the only one?’

From then on, Do Wonwoo became a villain who interfered with the protagonist’s flower path.

But every plan he made to sabotage the protagonist failed, and even the people close to him eventually looked at him with disgust.

Just like every villain in novels, his ending was miserable.

All of his schemes against the protagonist were exposed, leading him to a terrible downfall.

The novel ended with the protagonist standing beautifully on stage, and there was never another mention of what happened to Do Wonwoo afterward.

The author later revealed parts of his past in side stories, which earned him a little sympathy, but no readers truly remembered him.

Because Do Wonwoo was nothing more than a tool used to make the protagonist shine brighter.

So…

I’m supposed to make someone like this debut?

‘His singing is awful, and even after years of training, his dancing is mediocre.’

Other than his handsome face, Do Wonwoo had nothing exceptional about him.

‘Seriously, if someone lacks talent this badly, shouldn’t they quit halfway through?’

That thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Why did he insist on following such a difficult, idle path?

Like the comments said, becoming an influencer would have made life much easier.

‘Maybe… it was simply because of hope.’

For the first time in his life, a major entertainment company had chosen him.

With all the attention he received, he probably started believing he might actually have value.

And when that hope disappeared overnight, he could not accept reality.

He must have imagined a future where he succeeded as an idol and stood on stage receiving love from countless fans.

‘…What a foolish hope.’

But even that foolishness reminded him of himself.

Both of them had spent their lives at rock bottom while looking upward.

And both of them failed to climb before their lives ended.

‘If Do Wonwoo’s dream is to become a successful idol…’

Moon Dohyun made up his mind.

He would achieve that dream for him instead.