Revenge Begins: Reincarnated as a Hated Idol!-Chapter 42: Valcourt University of Entertainment

[The Insiders demonstrates that even with a star-studded ensemble, a heavyweight platform like Dragon Films, and great marketing — all this can be rendered useless by a single annoying star and their extended screen time.]

[A disastrously unaware performance — one person single-handedly ruined the whole drama.]

Even after smashing the watch, Theon still felt it wasn’t enough. Feeling the urge to destroy it some more, he kicked the already cracked watch, sending it flying across the room.

So now that the drama’s popularity score dipped, all the blame was on him?

This was only the third week since the drama’s premiere, and some marketing accounts and public platforms had already started calling The Insiders a flop.

Just because it fell below 100,000?

Well, the expectations that The Insiders carried on its shoulders justified the disappointment it brought now.

Not just Dragon Films and Blackshore Management, even the whole industry believed The Insiders was destined to be a massive hit.

But now that it had fallen behind an AxisPlay drama, it suddenly seemed less impressive.

There were still two weeks left until the finale; thus, there was a chance to make a comeback even now.

However, to fall behind AxisPlay for even a week was a matter of shame for Dragon Films’ annual blockbuster.

Fortunately for Theon, he wasn’t asked to take the blame yet.

The reason his screentime was so high was that The Insiders was built to make him a breakout star.

Dragon Films and Blackshore Management had made a long-term deal, paving a path for Theon to rise.

If The Insiders were to succeed, Theon would become a popular actor, benefiting Dragon Films by starring in the future dramas on their platform.

Blackshore Management had invested a tremendous amount of resources in Theon, yet, even after taking acting lessons for a whole year, Theon wasn’t able to perform better than Aren, someone who didn’t receive any training.

Yes, Ryan Black’s and Luna Veil’s acting was miles apart from Theon’s, making his decent acting appear exaggerated. Even then, Theon’s extended screentime did more harm than good.

If Theon were to appear for shorter segments, he wouldn’t be such an eyesore to the viewers, and many would even forgive his mistakes, but now that he remained on the screen for more than half the episode, viewers couldn’t help but get fed up.

It was as if when Ryan and Luna appeared on the screen, viewers would get excited and engrossed, but when Theon appeared, they would get disappointed.

While watching the Insiders, a pattern emerged—excited, disappointed—excited, disappointed—excited, disappointed—making the viewers fed up with the drama.

Only the most loyal fans stayed even after all this, helping the show maintain a 99,000+ rating.

Meanwhile, the viewers who dropped The Insiders shifted to its direct competitor on the charts— To Your Heart.

[I dropped The Insiders and binge watched To Your Heart yesterday. Now, I’m hooked. Even though the direction and script of this show are not subpar like The Insiders. At least I’m not annoyed with any of the characters.]

[+1. I also think To Your Heart is much more interesting than The Insiders overall. I can’t vouch for the first season, but the second season is worthwhile. Even now, I’m most excited for the next episode of To Your Heart on my watchlist.]

[The latest episode had my heart pumping. I was glued to the screen for the entire episode.]

Reading these comments made Theon grind his teeth in frustration.

He wouldn’t have been this angry if it had been any other drama to surpass The Insiders, but it was To Your Heart, the drama that featured Aren.

He was even more frustrated by the constant GIFs and snips circulating of him as Shin. Anyone who used social media would come across his face at least once.

Just what was so good about that trashy show?

He couldn’t understand.

He could just hope for The Insiders to climb back up in the rankings; otherwise, he would have to shoulder the blame for the drama’s flop.

There was just one solace in this hopeless situation for Theon — New Dawn—the drama he had snatched from Aren.

Dragon Films had already made a deal with Blackshore Management to air Theon’s upcoming dramas, so New Dawn was destined to be a big hit being aired by Dragon Films.

Even if The Insiders flopped, he could still make a comeback with New Dawn. He just had to work on his acting now.

With a resolute gleam in his eyes, he smiled confidently in the luxurious apartment.

...

Meanwhile, Aren had finished sketching out his revenge plan. He had a crude blueprint in his mind to fulfill his revenge against Neil and his cheating wife — Amelia Frost.

However, this plan relied heavily on chance and thus was not foolproof. He also had to become more famous and wealthy to execute this plan openly.

Money was an issue, and so was power. He had little of both right now, but not nearly enough to go against someone like Neil.

If his existence was exposed, Neil could easily make him disappear, just like he had done to his previous version.

Aren exhaled a long, tired sigh: "It will take a few years atleast. Let’s take it step by step."

With a faint smile crossing his lips, he murmured: "For now, let’s go and check on my daughter."

The next day, Aren got out of a taxi, wearing his black mask and cap, a black chained jacket over a plain white t-shirt along with blue trousers and white shoes.

In front of him rose Valcourt University of Entertainment, a magnificent white building with top-class architecture.

Marble pillars lined the grand entrance, each one etched with delicate patterns that caught the morning light. Tall arched windows reflected the sky like sheets of glassy water, their frames trimmed with gold.

Wide stone steps led to towering double doors engraved with theatrical masks—joy and sorrow staring down at every student who entered.

Statues stood along the pathway: legendary actors frozen mid-performance, directors captured in commanding poses, singers with mouths open in eternal song. Each statue carried a small plaque with names that shaped the history of entertainment.

Students moved across the courtyard in steady streams. Some carried scripts, others cameras, guitars, and dance shoes hanging from their shoulders. Laughter mixed with nervous chatter, ambition thick in the air. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Large banners hung from the upper balconies.

"VALCOURT UNIVERSITY OF ENTERTAINMENT"

Beyond the entrance stretched a vast campus. Glass studio buildings glimmered under the sun. A domed performance hall rose in the distance like a palace of art. Soundstages, rehearsal halls, editing labs, and screening theaters spread across the grounds like a small city devoted entirely to performance.

His presence instantly invited curious gazes; even then, no one seemed to recognize him under that mask.

Around his neck hung a unique ID card of a different color from the rest of the university students. This color represented his status—Guest Celebrity.

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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)