Rebirth: King to Superstar

After knowing which bus to take, he stood there among all the busy people of the city as they waited for their bus. Joon-won looked around and saw most of the people were in suits and professional attire. All of them were on their phones, either talking or scrolling through the news feed. He just stood there, thinking about the next step. He decided to call the number after going back home and knowing when he had to be in the drama house so he could start learning. 

It didn't take long for a bus to arrive and he got in, along with a few passengers, and took a seat by a window. He looked out at the busy city, his head filled with thoughts about the present situation. Joon-won felt confident he would get the role and enough money for Yun-hee's education. 

Now he didn't get the role needs money. He would now have to arrange money before the summer ends, and that was in two months. Joon-won couldn't turn his back after giving a promise to the young girl and hoped that the drama house would give him enough money to act there. He asked about Do Hwan earlier about this and Do Hwan said the drama house would give around 15000 Kros for a new actor for every drama they perform in. 

Drama houses performed once a week as the competition was tough, unlike the old days where it was once a month. He calculated the amount of money he could make if he performs in dramas starting next week as 4 days already passed on the current one. That would mean he could make up to 105 thousand before the summer ends. 

105 thousand was a lot and coupled with the 25k he had in his bank, it would be 130k. That would barely enough to cover her turion fees and, if lucky, her dorm costs. He sighed in relief after knowing could barely make the cut and leaned back on the seat as he looked out with a more relaxed mind. 

After half an hour of riding the bus, it finally stopped before the university and he got off. He looked around and saw a few students who still had classes walking out and walked away towards his house. 

Reaching his house, he took a shower and wore some cleaner clothes before sitting on the couch and taking out the card he got from Do Hwan. On the card, he saw the name of the drama house 'Roses Drama'. He flipped the card and saw the phone number of the person who runs the drama house on its back and dialed the number. 

After a few rings, the phone finally connected, and he heard a voice from the other side, "Hello, this is Roses Drama house, anything I could help you with?" It was a woman's voice and sounded very pleasant. 

"Yee, this is Joon-won. Mr. Hwan asked me to contact you about working in the drama house." 

"Ah, yes. You're that kid he mentioned a few days ago. Yes, he did tell me about it and I watched a video of the exam and saw your drama. You are very good, almost like you are born to act on a stage."

Joon-won felt a little flattered when he heard her comments and replied, "Thank you for the compliments but can I know when to come to the Drama house to learn?" 

"Ah, yes. Your problem. Do Hwan texted me about it an hour or two ago. Yes, I understand your problem. Tell me when you are free and can come to the house. I hear you also have another job you picked up." 

Joon-won sighed at how she knew his complete information, including him working in the supermarket. He knew it must have been Hea-Jung who told Do Hwan, who told her. A long chain of people who couldn't be quiet. 

"Yes, I am working in a supermarket. My shift is in the morning and will end by 1. So I can give my complete time to learn and practice after that." 

  The other side went silent as he heard a tapping sound. He remained silent until the other side responded, "Alright then it's ok. Most of the actors in our drama house also come in late and we don't start practice until 10 or 11. So it should be ok if you come a few hours later than them. After all, you are here to act and learn and also not under a contract." 

Joon-won nodded as she continued, "Alright, we can talk the rest when you are here. Swing by the Drama house tomorrow after your part-time shift is done. I'll message you the location and you can call me when you reach here." 

"Alright, nice talking to you." He responded and cut the call. As soon as he cut the call, he received a text and noticed it was from the Drama house owner. He saved her number and checked the location. It was quite far into the city from where he lived. The Arios Drama University was on the outskirts of the city to give the students a more relaxed atmosphere compared to the bustling of the city. 

Even Do Hwan's company was not completely inside the city and was only halfway through. He knew there were a few A-listed actors in his company and so wondered what the company's in the inner part were like.

The inner part of the city was where the juggernauts of the industry were. All famous production companies and talent companies were there and you could see actors on the streets. The Rose Drama house was very famous as it was situated in the inner circle of the city and was widely known as one of the top three drama houses and also had a few A-listed actors who worked there before they got famous. 

Joon-won wondered how someone like Do Hwan, whose company wasn't that big and famous knew the owner of Rose Drama house. It was only a passing thought as he shook it out of his head and decided to take a cab there instead of a bus. The buses to the inner part of the city were generally packed and suffocating. 

After that, he walked into the kitchen and took out a few chips to eat as he was hungry. Sitting on the couch, not having anything to do, he turned on the television to watch a few movies. After sifting through a few channels, he found one interesting and kept the remote aside. 

As he watched the movie, he received a text and saw it was from Jung-hwa about his audition. He simply texted back that he failed and asked if she booked her tickets to come back. As soon as he sent the reply Jung-hwa sent a row of texts asking what happened and if he was ok and much other stuff. He shook his head and texted back that everything was ok and he will also be going to a drama house to fix his acting problems and try an audition by the end of summer if possible. 

After calming the overly worried Jung-hwa, she told him she will be back as originally planned and that she was excited to go to the Drama house to learn more about acting. She didn't stop rambling until dinner time when her mother called her to eat. As soon as he received the text 'bye' he sighed in relief. Sometimes Jung-hwa was too much to handle.

He stood up and walked to the kitchen to make his own dinner. He took out some chicken he had and cooked some nice juicy chicken to go with rice before sitting in front of the television once again to watch a movie. The rest of the time was spent leisurely, as he completed his dinner and continued to watch more movies. 

After a while, his phone rang, and he picked it up. It was his father who called. 

"Ah, Joon-won you picked up. What are you doing? Didn't your holidays start a few days ago? How are you spending your holidays? Come home if you are not doing anything important." 

"I'm fine dad. The holidays are good. I'm not wasting my holidays so don't worry. I joined a drama house in the city and will go there tomorrow to learn more and act a little for the rest of the holidays. So don't worry."

"That's great. Acting in a drama house in Arios City is very good. I'm proud that you aren't wasting off valuable days." 

"Yes, dad I'm fine. How are you and Yun-hee?" 

"Everything is great here. Yun-hee went back to her usual self yesterday and is coming straight back home from school and studying very hard for the upcoming exams. The schedule came out and the exams start from the 20th so there are only 16 days left. She is planning to use them to the fullest." 

Joon-won felt relieved when he heard him and both talked for a while until they had to go to bed. Joon-won turned off the television before going to bed.