(A/N: Stuff)

"Woo Young Jang."

Though the voice came out tinny through the overspeaker, it made Woo Young shake a thousand times in his shoes. He drew himself up and walked through the door.

It was a vast room with a table at one end and a mat at the other. Four judges were seated at the table, sifting through various papers; they didn't even look up as he approached the center of the room.

"Get on the mat, please," came a female judge's voice: It was absent and bored.

Woo Young stepped on the mat. He would wager that this was a test in and of itself; the judges would pretend to be busy just to cause the performers more stress. (Knowing this didn't make him feel any less nervous.)

"Sing for us," said the female judge.

Woo Young blinked. "Y-yes?" If I'm supposed to sing, then why did they direct me to the mat?

"Sing for us," the female judge repeated. It was obvious that he was already losing points.

"Yes, Ma'am," Woo Young said. Just go along with it.

"That's not—that's not abiding to the promise!" IU cried. "You said you would leave them alone!"

The Director raised an eyebrow. "I said I would cancel your banishment. That means they wouldn't die because of your banishment. I never said anything about a mission."

"Appa!"

"Quit that 'Appa' thing already!" the Director roared, banging a fist against his table. "We agreed when you first came here that we would not mention our relationship!"

"It wasn't an agreement, but a command!" IU lurched up from her chair. "Did you know jealous I was when I saw little kids playing with their dads on the street? Did you know how much it hurt for me to say, 'Yes, Director. No, Director,' and not 'Okay, Appa. I don't think so, Appa.' Did you know how badly I wanted for you to remember my birthday, even just once?" IU snatched the mission information sheet from the Director. "What started off as a way to pay the bills has turned into something monstrous, Director. Something monstrous that you've even dragged your kids into." She whipped around and threw the door open; it slammed behind her.

The Director was hardly fazed from her outburst: He only leaned back in his chair and smiled.

"The transformation has already begun, my dear," he said.

"There should be a script on the upper left corner of the mat," said the female judge. "Take a few minutes to translate the first paragraph into English; then read it aloud."

That must be because Jason speaks a little English throughout the whole drama, Woo Young reasoned. "Yes, Ma'am."

The first phrase was easy: I love you.

The second wasn't much harder: Do you still remember me?

The third was a huge leap in difficulty. Something about the four winds, love, separation, pain, a day...

Concentrate, Woo Young. You need to get into this drama.

He planned this all out.

The realization hit Ji Eun like a lightning bolt. 

He planned this all out. How else would he have gotten files on Woo Young so quickly? The moment he found out that I was in their house, he knew that I would forget about my watch until it was too late. He knew that I would come to him, begging for him to spare their lives.

Ji Eun's steps quickened.

But why would he want to kill Woo Young? What relationship does he have with Woo Young?

She rounded the corner.

Or maybe... maybe this has nothing to do with Woo Young, but with me.

She open the doors.

What if the Director assigned this mission to me because he knew that I would fail? What if he was doing all this... just to turn me into the ideal agent?

"Ji Eun-sshi?"

Ji Eun's mind jerked back to reality.

Where am I?

Her absentminded steps had lead her to the audition building for Dream High. Four judges and one performer were now staring at her.

"Ji Eun-sshi, are you okay?"

Ji Eun covered .

The performer... was Woo Young.

"Just in time, Lee-sshi," said a judge. "Since Jason and Pil Suk have a special relationship in the drama, I want to see the chemistry between you two."

Ji Eun's eyes widened. "M-m-ma'am?"

"It may be awkward since you just met, but..." The judge smiled. "You've wanted to be an actor for awhile, haven't you, Lee-sshi?" She looked down at her papers. "You may invent whatever situation, so long as it showcases the chemistry. We will give you a few minutes to discuss, and then you shall act."

"The discussion isn't necessary."

The judges' heads jerked up; they stared at Woo Young with wide eyes.

"The discussion isn't necessary," Woo Young repeated. "We'll act right here and now."

Chapter 6 Preview

"I said, don't come any closer!" Ji Eun made her hands shake.

Woo Young stepped forward again. "Ji Eun. I know why you're doing this. It's okay. You are your dad's daughter, not his slave."

There and then, Ji Eun almost dropped the gun.

He knows?

(Estimated date: July 17)