When I Opened My Eyes I Was a Superstar

To hide the weirdness as much as possible, Bo Myung just sat quietly at his desk all day. It seemed like it wasn’t much different than Kang Do Wook’s usual behavior. It was a relief.

There were several children, including Yoon Jin Sung, who seemed close to Kang Do Wook from what he observed during lunchtime. They were noisy and seemed like punks, but they just liked to play more than other kids did, they weren’t completely bad.

Bo Myung checked the time while learning the mathematical formulas he already knew.

‘Five o’clock. It’s almost time for school to end.’

By this time, Bo Myung got the general idea about Kang Do Wook’s school life. His usual attitude towards class was such a mess that the teacher asked what he’s doing paying attention in class for once, simply because he was absentmindedly looking at the blackboard. Yoon Jin Sung also asked if he wasn’t going to sleep, like it was so incredulous.

Friends swarmed to him and cackled without him doing anything, and when he passed by in the hallway, you could easily find one or two girls stealing glances of him.

Even when Kang Do Wook was silent, most of them tried to make a good impression on him or treated him well.

‘I’m very envious of his life.’

It didn’t need to be at Seo Kang Jun’s level. If his life were even just to Kang Do Wook’s level, he would have nothing to envy.

On appearance alone, Kang Do Wook could definitely have become a more popular star. He lacked the effort to make it happen. The celebrity Kang Do Wook had a lot, but didn’t put in any extra effort and had no desire to climb higher. Bo Myung finally started to understand Kang Do Wook a little.

He was enjoying this much popularity without much effort so there was no need to try.

As soon as the bell for the end of class rang, Yoon Jin Sung hurriedly crammed his books into his backpack. School was over after the closing ceremony.

“Hey, Yoon Jin Sung.”

Bo Myung initiated a conversation with Jin Sung for the first time that day. He had no information about Kang Do Wook’s usual routine, so he had to somehow get the information through his friend.

“Yeah? What?”

“What do I do once school’s over?”

“What, do you want to drink again? I can’t today. I have to go to academy. If I skip today too my mom will kill me-.”

“…Then what do I do?”

“What? Wow, this lunatic. Are you asking me what you do after school?

Even Bo Myung thought it was a strange question. Still, there was no other way to know what Kang Do Wook usually did after school. He might also have an academy he had to go to.

“You can go to the PC room. Hyun Chul will probably be there too.”

“PC room?”

Everything Yoon Jin Sung mentioned was meeting up with someone to play or eat. There was no mention of attending academy.

‘Hmmm. When was Kang Do Wook’s debut?’

Bo Myung carefully counted the years.

‘19! Kang Do Wook debuts at 19!’

From this point in time, KK will debut next June. That means Kang Do Wook debuted at 19.

It’s September now, so there was less than a year left until his debut next June. Yet Kang Do Wook’s day didn’t feel like someone about to go into the entertainment industry.

‘How the hell does he end up debuting?!’

***

On the bus back home, Bo Myung checked Kang Do Wook’s call logs and messages thoroughly. Thanks to that, he was able to find out details about the people around Kang Do Wook and his everyday life.

“What the hell … all he did was play around.”

His inbox was only about gaming and spending time with his girlfriend. There were messages about his recent break up with a girl from a nearby school that he dated briefly, but not one thing related to studying.

It was obvious that his parents, who are professors, were raising Kang Do Wook extremely carefree. Messages from Kang Do Wook’s mother were just ones telling him to make sure to eat because they will be home late.

“How did he get the idea to become an idol?”

Bo Myung had seen a magazine interview when KK debuted. It was shortly after M2M debuted. In the beginning, they were interviewed a lot with extensive media promotion as a group rivalling M2M who received the Rookie of the Year award.

‘It probably had an anecdote regarding his debut …. I should have read it more carefully back then.’

Something like regret started to set in, but it was ridiculous story. It didn’t make sense that he would have known back then that he was going to enter the body of a KK member.

It still seemed like a fever dream.

‘If this truly is reality, what happened to my body? Did it die?’

If something got twisted and switched, whether it be time or soul, what happened to the other person? Bo Myung’s mind was complicated mess whether he needed to look for him first or not. However, it was just a thought.

Memories that could help approach this world’s Kim Bo Myung were fragmented, like a paper with one side torn. Whenever he tried to recall personal information to track down this world’s Bo Myung, such as the name of his university or the name of the neighborhood he used to live in, he would feel faint. It was as if to prevent him from finding the ‘real Bo Myung’.

The bus that had stopped at the bus stop was turning on its ignition to go. Bo Myung got up urgently and yelled as he pressed the bell.

“Oh, sir! One second. I’m getting off!”

He barely managed to get off at the bus stop in front of Kang Do Wook’s house as the bus driver glared at him. The bus raced towards the next stop and left Bo Myung behind.

“What a mess, seriously. Huuu…”

His head was starting to hurt. He shook his head and pulled himself together. He looked at his reflection in the dark bus stop glass.

He seemed like he had a blank expression, but he didn’t look stupid anymore. His sharp eyes made him look like he was full of agony. The fact that his appearance changed was enough to make him feel that way.

‘Right now I am Kang Do Wook. Whether it’s a dream or I’ve been given an opportunity, I am Kang Do Wook right now. ‘

Bo Myung recalled when he was a high school freshman. The aftermath of violence on the mind and body was a truly scary thing. Seo Kang Jun and his group were gone, but Bo Myung had to live with a gloomy face and his body always scrunched up.

He straightened his shoulders that were slightly slouched. Once he straightened his shoulders, his upper body, which was firm despite not being fully grown yet, was revealed even more.

Bo Myung looked at that figure and braced himself. Maybe it was because he looked like Kang Do Wook, who was far from Kim Bo Myung’s dark past, but his heart didn’t crumble as easily as before.

Bo Myung thought himself as weak, but honestly he was not that weak of a person. The fact that he overcame violence and continued to live made him a strong person. He just didn’t know that before.

Once he came back home, Bo Myung was able to get a little more information from Do Wook’s room. Although, all he found were Do Wook’s Milky Way albums and snapshot collection in the desk drawer. Nevertheless, for now it was the sole connection between Do Wook and the entertainment world.

‘Could it be that he became an idol because he likes Milky Way? Maybe he got scouted after going to the broadcast station to see Milky Way? Do I need to go to the broadcast station….huu.’

Bo Myung took out Milky Way’s first album and played it on the CD player. The cheerful and bubbly voices of girls began to reverberate throughout the room.

Don’t wait for a new miracle.

The rough road in front of us is a future we can’t tell and a wall.

I won’t change it. I can’t give up.

Without realizing it, Bo Myung put his finger on the desk and started tapping to the rhythm. He nodded his head and started humming. He had a sudden thought, “How would singing sound?” He opened his mouth.

“I love you just as you are….ugh.”

It was a mess.

Kang Do Wook’s singing was acceptable after debuting because he received vocal training, although it was only for a short time. Bo Myung shut his mouth tightly and hung his head for a moment.

The sloppily spouted singing wasn’t Kim Bo Myung’s singing, which he often used to get complimented on when he was young.

“As expected. Since this isn’t my body….”

He was embarrassed. Even though it was someone else’s body, he was filled with the thought that he could become a singer. Bo Myung just realized that. It felt like he stole someone else’s body, and somewhat felt like he was being shameless.

Still, he thought that was even more reason to try his best while he was in Kang Do Wook’s body. It wasn’t simply to live out his unfulfilled dream or for revenge.

Buuzzzzz__buzzzz__

That’s when the vibration went off inside his school uniform pants pocket.

Seo Hyun.

It was Kang Do Wook’s older cousin whose name he had seen in the message inbox. A college student at a nearby college, she often bought Kang Do Wook meals and they were pretty close. She was like a real sister to Kang Do Wook who was an only child.

“Is it ok to answer this?’

Bo Myung pondered for a moment. It wasn’t as if he could perfectly imitate Kang Do Wook within a few days.

However, even if he wanted to imitate Kang Do Wook perfectly, he had no source to find out what Kang Do Wook’s eighteen years were like. Even if the other person felt something was a little strange, it was better to face it head on.

“Hello?”

-You picked up right away. Where are you? School’s over right?

“Yes. I’m home.”

Bo Myung spoke in short sentences to make it less obvious that he was a different person. He felt like he would break out in a cold sweat. He was getting nervous again like when he was at school.

-You’re home? That works out great, come out for a second. I have something to say.

“Where?”

-You haven’t eaten dinner right? I’ll head to the fast food place in front of your house. Head out in 10 minutes. My treat!

“Ok.”

-Woah! Why are you being obedient for once? I guess you were craving hamburgers?

He could hear her laughing on the other side of the phone. It was obvious Kang Do Wook was rude to the people around him.

“What is it you have to say?”

-Oh, just come out. I’ll be there in about 30 minutes. Ok?

“Ok.”

Bo Myung deliberately answered bluntly. That was how Kang Do Wook normally was, so she didn’t think anything was strange and hung up.

***

“Do you want to be a celebrity?”

“….a celebrity?”

Seo Hyun brought up the topic as soon as he sat down with their order of hamburger combo.

‘Did he end up debuting because his cousin worked with celebrities? No, it would be impossible to do when she’s still just an ordinary college student.’

She beamed at him, pushing the cola to him and even putting the straw in the cup.

“It was announced that HIT will have auditions in a month. What do you think about participating in it?”

—