Chapter 10: Challenge Dream King!

I cleared Stage 3 in a flash and reached Stage 4.
If I nailed this, Stage 5 would be a breeze, making this the real final hurdle.

‘…Cowboy, huh…’

I sprinted forward, bending to grab the rope without hesitation.
With a thud! I stepped forward, spun my body, and whoosh! flung the rope toward the bar.
The moment it soared past the bar, I gripped it tight—crack!—and the rope, caught by my momentum, spun and wrapped perfectly around the bar.

A flawless rope hook in just three seconds.

“Wow!”

“Insane!”

“So cool!”

The crowd’s gasps of awe echoed at the dazzling move.
Even I thought it was pretty awesome.

With a slight smile, I grabbed the rope and leapt.

Whoosh!!!

My body swung like a pendulum on a military rope course.
At the peak of the swing, I released my grip, soared through the air, and snap! caught the next rope.

After that, it was simple—climb the rope, reach the top, and dive onto the slide.

“Aaaaah!! The final slide!!!”

“Can she clear it this fast?! Will we see a record-breaking performance today?!?!”

Amid the MC’s flamboyant commentary, I hit the final buzzer.
Beep!!!

“Final time!!! 30.22!!!! Unbelievable! A truly insane, record-shattering performance!!!!”

“Whew!!!”

I stood, casually wiping the sweat from my brow.

‘…Even I think this is a historic time…’

From the episodes of DreamKing I’d watched, the best times were usually 40–50 seconds.
A 30-second run was rare, and even then, it was usually high 30s on easier courses.

But me? I’d just clocked an early 30-second time on a brutally tough course.
No wonder they were stunned.

‘…Heh, this seals my scene-stealer status…’

I wiped my sweat and stepped down.

“Wow…!!!”

“Seriously incredible!!”

“That was awesome!!”

“Hahaha, young lady, ever thought about training at Taereung?”

The other audience participants welcomed me with applause, their stunned expressions turning to beaming smiles as they realized they’d get Korean beef sets too.
The MC, who’d been hyping the crowd, finished his spiel and approached me for an interview.

“Now, to today’s star!! Winter-ssi, how are you feeling right now?”

“Whew… Well, I’m thrilled and having fun getting to tackle the DreamKing obstacles I’ve always loved watching. And if I can win and enjoy some delicious beef, that’d be great.”

“You say ‘if,’ but are you not confident in winning?”

“Can I be honest?”

“Of course!!”

“Honestly, I’m already thinking I can take home that beef set…”

“A victory declaration already!!! And with that record! That was Winter-ssi’s interview!!! Now, only the DreamKing team remains!!! Can they conquer this fiendish course against the greatest opponent ever?! Challenge!!! DreamKing!!!!!”

As the MC smoothly transitioned to the cast’s turn, I nodded, noting his slick hosting skills.
I’d have to add speechcraft to my talent and skill list before starting my stream.

As expected…

“Arghhh!!! Impossible!!!”

“How do you beat this?! 30 seconds is absurd!”

“Even sprinting would take 30 seconds…!”

“Huff! Huff!!!”

“Give up…!!”

All five cast members completed the course, but even the veteran Kim Soo-man’s best time was 1 minute 22 seconds.
Victory went to the viewers—overwhelmingly so.
The planned loser’s revival round was scrapped, and the DreamKing shoot wrapped up.

“Wow, Winter-ssi, you’re gorgeous! Seriously, why not try being a celebrity?”

“I can introduce you to my old agency, YJ—you know them, right?”

“With that athletic ability, you should be at Taereung! Or at least try another sport…”

“Being an artist is such a waste with your talents.”

“Winter-ssi, was it? Any interest in doing another variety show? I’ve got a few programs and would love to have you as a guest…”

After the shoot, the cast swarmed me, chatting eagerly as if they hadn’t had the chance during filming.
Wasn’t it usually the other way around—fans mobbing celebrities?

“Uh… for now… can I get your autographs?”

Unable to respond to everyone, I decided to diffuse the situation by asking for autographs—the top priority when meeting celebrities.

They nodded and quickly started signing.
Kim Soo-man was first, followed by the others.
But as soon as he finished, Soo-man approached me again.

“Winter-ssi, right?”

“Yes!”

“This might seem sudden, but honestly, your charisma is too much for you to stay a regular person.”

“Thank you.”

“Once this episode airs, you’ll see what I mean. The audience will be clamoring for you. If you ever want to try being a celebrity, give me a call. I’d love to have you as a guest on my shows.”

“Oh… sure, I’ll think about it!”

“Hey, hyung’s not the only one getting the good stuff! I want you as a guest too!!! Winter-ssi, any interest in YouTube? I run a channel called BoxingMan—wanna try a boxing episode? With your athleticism, you’d kill it!”

“I’ve actually trained a bit in boxing…”

“Ohhh! Then definitely!!! Please, come on my channel!!”

Hyung In-hwan pitched his YouTube channel, asking me to guest.

“Ever thought about being an idol? I’m judging a survival audition soon, and with your skills, even a little singing ability would make you a shoo-in. Actually, you don’t even need to sing well—I can train you! Just call me!”

Do-yoon chimed in, suggesting an idol audition.
It was a flood of golden opportunities to break into the industry.

I decided to accept all their business cards.

“Uh… I’ll think it over. Thank you.”

I was set on streaming, but variety shows were tempting too.
Maybe I’d start with streaming and contact them later.

As we talked, PD Cha, having finished some cleanup, approached and slipped me his card.

“As I mentioned earlier, here’s my card. If you’re serious about entering the industry, call me, and I’ll connect you with the right people.”

“Thank you.”

“Even PD Cha’s eyeing her?”

“Can’t blame him.”

In-hwa and Brown Kim gaped at PD Cha’s move.
After all, Cha was a big shot at the network, more influential than most PDs.
He wasn’t the type to make offers—more likely to play hardball with celebrities.

“Hey, even I bow to top-tier talent,” Cha said.

“…Wow, you’re that impressed already?”

Brown Kim’s question prompted Cha to nod and unleash a torrent of praise.

“Of course! Anyone with eyes can see it.”

“…Fair point, right?”

In-hwa couldn’t help but agree.
Winter had the looks to climb to the top, no question.
Even without proven acting or singing skills, her presence alone was enough.

Blushing under the onslaught of compliments, I fanned myself and spoke.

“I… I’ll really think about it. Honestly, I never thought the celebrity path was for me…”

“Why not?!”

In-hwa’s question made me pause.
If I’d been born with this face, without the power of customization…

Wouldn’t I have thought differently?

“…I just… don’t like going out much?”

“A homebody, huh?”

“A total homebody!”

Yeah, honestly, one reason streaming appealed to me was that I could work from home.