TDOCD Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Side Effects of Dopamine Addiction

"That was excellent. Your performance was wonderful. I could really sense how much you practiced and monitored yourself."

 "Thank you," Ryu Jiye said, bowing her head.

She was well aware of who had just praised her - Lee Sia, the most renowned girl group choreographer in the industry.

Though Ji-ye had never worked with her personally, Lee Sia's reputation preceded her: immensely proud of her career, selective about only working with famous groups, and notoriously discriminating even within those groups.

She was known for treating her favorites exceptionally well while being difficult with others, her choreography quality varying based on her preferences.

 Judging by Lee Sia's pleased expression, Ji-ye had clearly made a positive impression.

 "This must be your first time in front of a camera, yet you're incredibly composed. Weren't you nervous?"

 “…….”

 Jiye paused briefly, considering her response carefully. "I was a little nervous, but I think I managed to show what I had prepared properly."

 "Oh my! 'Showed what you prepared properly!' That's quite confident!"

 Another judge, So-hae - the leader of idol group Simple Play - jumped in to support Jiye.

 "But she really did do well. She has every reason to be confident. It felt more like watching a professional singer's live performance than an audition."

 "Thank you," Jiye replied softly.

 " I don't know what kind of performances you'll show in the future, but what you showed today wasn't the work of a trainee or amateur—it was professional. Flawless, even."

 Ryu Jiye smiled shyly. The word 'professional' echoed in her mind. After being an idol for seven years, wasn't that a given? Being praised for something so obvious made her feel unexpectedly embarrassed.

 So-hae continued while examining Jiye's profile documents.

 "But I'm curious about something. Since you're so skilled, I naturally assumed you must have received guidance from a good teacher, but nothing is written down."

 "That's right."

 The judges' faces showed collective surprise as they reached for their microphones.

 "Really? You've never been in a company? Not even an academy? Yet you're this good?"

 "You practiced by yourself? How?"

 This wasn't simply about being good or bad—there was a level of expertise that typically only came from proper training.

The judges looked at her with a mixture of amazement and skepticism.

 'This is really weighing on my conscience,' Ji-ye thought. Under their questioning gazes that seemed to demand some sort of confession, she hesitantly spoke. "Well, you see..."

 The truth was complicated. She had received training and had been in a company. She'd even debuted and been active longer than Judge So-hae.

But that was Hong Yeo-eun's story, not Ryu Ji-ye's. So despite her guilty conscience...

 "I practiced by myself, watching videos and studying senior artists."

 "……Wow, really? So it is possible."

 "Indeed. There really are people who can reach this level through self-study."

 Lee Si-a broke into a bright smile and declared enthusiastically, "You're definitely a participant I'm looking forward to seeing more from!"

 "Thank you," Ji-ye responded, uncertain how to handle the continuous praise.

It was worth noting that Lee Sia was known for one more thing—she absolutely adored prodigies. At this moment, Jiye had unexpectedly become the genius Lee Sia was looking for.

 ***

 After what felt like her hundredth expression of gratitude, Jiye finally came down from the stage. This had to mean she'd passed, right? By the end of the interview, they were already referring to her as a 'trainee' rather than just a 'participant'.

 A slight smile tugged at her lips. If she was being honest, she had expected a positive reaction. She had strategically chosen a song that matched Ryu Jiye's vocal tone, appearance, and overall vibe.

As for the dancing and singing—well, she'd been doing it for seven years, or closer to ten if you counted her trainee period.

 Still, receiving such effusive praise made even her skills, which she had always thought of as ordinary, somehow seem fresh and remarkable.

It had been so long since she'd received recognition like this.

 'It feels good...'

What particularly intrigued her was how what had merely been evaluated as "skilled idol work" when she was Hong Yeo-eun was now being lauded as innate genius for someone just entering the industry.

This was definitely a promising sign.

 Though there were many participants, those with both technical skills and star quality were rare. Judging by the judges' reactions, she likely didn't need to worry about passing.

 To her surprise, instead of being stuck at the studio for hours after her performance as expected, the production staff sent her home as soon as she returned the microphone.

 'I thought I'd be trapped here for at least ten hours,' she mused.

Although it was a filming day, this was just the preliminary stage to select participants for the main competition.

There was apparently no need to keep and manage a large group of people.

 'It's nice that they're letting us leave early.'

Now that one major hurdle was cleared, she figured she could rest until the acceptance message arrived.

They'd promised to notify candidates within the week, so she should be able to complete her mission by sharing the good news with her family just in time.

 With these thoughts, she returned home and happily flopped onto her bed. That's when it happened.

 Ding!

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦· 

   Mission completed.

 ✦✧✦✧

 Would you like to receive your reward? [Y/N]

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·  

 A system window suddenly materialized before her eyes.

 "...Huh?"

 Mission completed? But she hadn't done anything yet. She bolted upright, confusion evident on her face. Did this mean the second mission was somehow completed? Just like that? Out of nowhere? How was that possible?

 Well... might as well accept it.

 Ding!

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·  

 1,000G has been awarded.

 '              System-Cash Shop' has been unlocked.

 Would you like to check it?

​· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·  ​

 What was a cash shop now? No, that could wait. She dismissed all the windows and hurriedly got up. First, she needed to figure out why the mission had suddenly been marked as complete.

 The second mission was to gain recognition from her family. But she hadn't even officially passed the audition yet. So what could have caused this change of heart in her family?

 The answer became clear as soon as she left her room. Voices drifted down the hallway, her family's discussion reaching her ears before she even saw them.

 "She's not the type to secretly work hard like this—could it really be true?"

 "Honey, are you sure we never sent her to an academy?"

 "I never registered her anywhere. Though... maybe Jiye used her allowance to secretly attend one?"

 To her utter shock, it was Ryu Jae-geum's voice she heard next, adamantly convincing their parents and oldest brother, Ryu Jinwoo. "During the judges' Q&A, she said she was self-taught, so she wouldn't have lied about that. Anyway, Father, Mother, we can't oppose this. She needs to do this."

 Their parents exchanged uncertain glances before reluctantly nodding. "Well, if Jaegeum of all people is saying this... she must really have talent. I suppose we should let her pursue it."

 Ji-ye stood there like a deer in headlights, watching her family in disbelief. What in the world was happening? How did Ryu Jaegeum know about what happened at the audition?

 After standing frozen for a moment, she finally snapped out of it and approached them, grumbling, "What's going on? How does oppa know about this?"

 Finally noticing her, Ryu Jaegeum rushed over with an excited face, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her vigorously. "Hey! What's this all about? When did you get so good? They say you passed, you crazy girl!"

 "...Huh?"

 More importantly, how did he know about this before she did?

 As always, this family was peculiar when it came to anything involving Ryu Ji-ye.

 "Really, tell me honestly—you didn't secretly attend an academy?"

 "I'm telling you I didn't. How could I possibly do that secretly?"

 "...That's true."

 Her family immediately conceded the point, leaving Ji-ye more confused than ever about what exactly was going on.

Due to Ryu Ji-ye's tendency to cause trouble at every opportunity, she was always surrounded by watchful eyes.

 Her second brother, Ryu Jae-geum, led this silent watch alongside an army of observers - the chauffeur, the housekeeper, the secretary, and even the household management team.

Every move Ji-ye made was carefully monitored, whether she realized it or not.

 It was thanks to their tireless vigilance that despite being the family's black sheep, Ji-ye had managed to avoid major scandals at school or accusations of abusing her privileged status.

They even tracked her allowance spending, with updates promptly reaching her eldest brother, Jin-woo. So the question remained - how had she managed to secretly attend academy classes?

 “I’ve seen it myself, so I can’t believe it.”

 As it turned out, Jae-geum had seen me at the audition.

He claimed he was there on business for PPL placement and happened to see me by chance, but who would believe that?

It was obvious he was there because he was concerned about Ji-ye.

Anyway, Jae-geum had witnessed a new side of his sister and seemed deeply impressed.

Like a doting sibling, he had shared every detail to our parents and Jin-woo, even leveraging his connections to get early news of my acceptance.

As a result, though still somewhat skeptical, the family had decided to acknowledge my efforts. Unlike Jin-woo, who had always been quite lenient with Ji-ye, Jae-geum was known for being straightforward about her behavior - calling out what wasn't right.

The family knew that if he approved of something, it must be genuine.

 'But PPL, really?'

 Wow, I hadn't thought of that. I guess you'd need experience living as a wealthy heir to think that far ahead... Hong-jin Electronics products are known in every household in Korea,

I never considered that their presence at the venue might be for product placement.

 The PPL aspect is somewhat concerning though.

Even if recent photos of Ryu Ji-ye aren't publish, my identity will inevitably be revealed once I appear on broadcasts.

This will surely lead to speculation about whether I got in due to my background.

 As the daughter of the Hong-jin Group, this is an unavoidable issue.

 'Should I inform the broadcasting station in advance?'

 I contemplated briefly before dismissing the thought.

 'I'm just a regular participant--- Unless I'm explicitly asking for special treatment, why do I need to draw attention to my family background?

The scale of Hong-jin is problematic, but in an era where even chaebol heirs, foreign royalty, and nobles are pursuing idol careers, advertising my status would only seem odd.

 Of course, I'll discuss the PPL matter separately with Jae-geum.

'If any controversy arises, my parents will handle it.' They must be considering such scenarios in their deliberations.

 Right, I should just act oblivious, as befits Ryu Ji-ye.

 "Anyway, I'll do my best. Thanks, brother, for letting me know that I pass. I'll tell you when the filming schedule is set."

 "See? I told you she even speaks better now. You really must have hit your head when you fell down those stairs..."

 "I'm going back to my room now."

 Thanks to Jae-geum, I'd received proper permission and cleared my mission early, so all's well. It also ends well.

 After giving a quick bow to my family, I turned sharply and headed to my room.

 Sorry, but I'm too tired for conversation right now.

 Due to the dopamine addiction’s side effects, I needed to get some sleep first.

 "Oh, just look at that! She's going to her room without properly explaining things to us! Honestly, when will she ever grow up..."

 I didn't even have the energy to counter Jae-geum's grumbling.

Upon returning to my room, I practically threw myself onto the bed and immediately fell asleep.

 ***

 "Ah."

 This is crazy - I'm still exhausted no matter how much I sleep. Was it in elementary school when I heard that saying? That sleep is practicing for death.

 That's exactly how these feels. I'm sleeping so much that I'm slightly worried I might actually die...

 "Ugh."

 My waist and neck are stiff and painful too.

 The problem is, the fatigue still hasn't subsided. Judging by my physical state, it seems this will continue until the actual filming begins.

 'Ugh, I don't want to get up.'

 Fighting against the creeping lethargy, I forced myself to sit up. If I really don't want to die in my sleep, I should eat something and prepare for the filming.

 [Please eat when you wake up]

 While munching on the sandwich the housekeeper had left on the table, I reopened the window I had hurriedly closed earlier.

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·  

 'System - Cash Shop' has been opened.

 Would you like to check it out?

 · ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·  

A cash shop, of all things.

 'They really did implement a complete game system.'

 I had my doubts when the reward was 1,000 gold, but to think there'd even be a cash shop...

 'I'll check it out'

 With a cheerful sound effect, the cash shop window immediately opened.

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·  

 User: Ryu Ji-ye (Hong Yeo-eun)

 Balance: 1,000G

 Categories:

 * Stat Points

 * Items

 * Buffs and Traits

 * User Feature Unlock Passes

 * Currency Exchange

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·  

 "Oh..."

 The range of purchasable items was more extensive than I'd expected.

 Stat points to increase the stats on my status window,

 Various buffs like the "Saint's Healing" I'd received as a tutorial reward,

 Traits such as "Master of Persuasion" and "Social Genius,"

 And even a Currency Exchange to convert cash into real money.

 'Everything is quite expensive though.'

 My 1,000 gold isn't nearly enough. Everything is priced way out of reach, and while stat points are somewhat cheaper, I don't plan on buying those right away.

 'I should check if stats can be increased through practice.'

 If stats represent skill, there's no way they can't be improved through practice.

 My gaze moved toward the bottom of the category list.

 While everything was intriguing, the 'User Feature Unlock Passes' caught my attention the most.

 The name alone gave off an extraordinary vibe.

 When I selected the category, a list of unlock passes I could purchase appeared.

 "Ooh."

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·  

 *Products change on the first Monday of each month.

✦✧✦✧​

 >> Change products with cash!

 * Quest Change 2,000G (1 free use!)

 * Affinity System 5,000G

 * Sub-Quest 5,000G

 * Random Box 10,000G

 * Group Management System 50,000G

 * Status Reset 100,000G

 * Reset 10,000,000G

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·  

 The list contained features that seemed almost like cheats, with prices so high they seemed impossible to achieve with just 1,000G.

 'You can change quests?

 What's this affinity system?

 ...Reset?'

 There was everything from features that made me think 'Oh, that could be fun' or 'I'd like to try that' to functions that seemed too frightening to even consider.

 As if entranced, I was checking the descriptions and purchasable items for each product when drowsiness overcame me once again, and I drifted off to sleep before I knew it.

 Several days later,

 Just as Jae-geum had said, I received a text confirming my acceptance into Star Plan's final audition.

 And in the blink of an eye, the day of the first official filming arrived.

 A white, cutely decorated waiting room door marked the beginning of filming here.

 As I opened the door and entered, all the attention from the numerous cameras and every trainee in the waiting room turned to me.

 "Ah, hello."

 "Hello. Wow."

 Awkward greetings, awkward applause.

 The trainees who had half-risen from their seats greeted me, clearly showing their discomfort.

 "Hello."

 The atmosphere in the waiting room was so awkward it made even someone like me, who doesn't usually get shy, feel uncomfortable.

 'This is truly fitting for a first filming.'

 I kept bowing to them as I made my way to what seemed to be an empty seat.

 Today was the first time all the cast members, including the debut team trainees, would be gathering together.

 Everyone gathered here had passed the final audition as individual trainees.

 They said they would announce the team formations for the individual trainees and the theme for the first round of competition before the main contest began.

 Just as the young trainees, new to being in front of cameras, were awkwardly killing time in the uncomfortable silence, unable to figure out what to do...

 Knock knock.

 "Everyone, let's move to the filming location!"

 The production staff entered the waiting room at a truly grateful moment.

 "...Wow."

 "The filming set..."

 Only then did the trainees let out awkward exclamations as they clumsily got up and followed the staff with uncertain steps.

 A long corridor with cameras positioned everywhere.

 After passing through it, we could see an active film set, and simultaneously, someone's powerful voice could be heard.