Chapter 12 |
“You’re telling me to believe that? You died and suddenly you’re in the body of a high school student you don’t even know?”
Jay squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to the rough description of what had happened to me since my death.
“If you don’t believe me, then what? Didn’t you drag me here because it’s too convincing to be untrue? You even left the camera you loved so much.”
When I smirked and calmly retorted, that guy pouted his lips.
“….Cigarette name.”
That guy suddenly spoke. It seemed like he was trying to have a trial of truth.
He’s obviously in shock, so let’s just humor him.
“07 Blue.”
“Name the alcohol you drank often.”
“Why you don’t drink?”
“Because I want to stay sober for work.”
“Password to your old house.”
“10140721.”
“Your computer password.”
“I’m the best.”
After hearing my smooth answer, he let out a sigh as if he was about to give up and wiped his face with both hands. I was the one who should have sighed. If he had doubted me one more time, I would have left this guy here and gone back to the practice room.
“Hyung, you’re really not a ghost, right? Am I going to die today?”
“Cut the nonsense.”
“From the way you’re talking, you’re really my hyung. I thought it was strange that a kid who hasn’t even debuted was so comfortable talking in front of a camera. You must have toned down your temper a lot.”
“So what.”
He didn’t seem to mind my blunt answer and took out a blue cigarette pack from his pocket. Then he offered it to me. His gesture was telling me to take one.
I shook my head to refuse. I wanted to avoid anything harmful to someone else’s precious body as much as possible. It’s definitely not because I cared about what Han Seungbeom’s aunt requested.
He looked down at me as if he was disappointed by my refusal, and then naturally lit the fire.
“….You said you wouldn’t smoke to protect your throat, but it looks like you ended up starting.”
“It just sort of happened.”
Jay, who smiled faintly, crouched down next to the tree. He didn’t ask me why I made that choice or if I had been struggling. It was as if he wasn’t curious about anything. As if he didn’t expect an answer.
‘If he’s going to be this fine, I should just pretend not to know until the end.’
When he questioned me about my identity, he was whimpering like a drenched puppy, so I quickly confessed. But after that, he seemed quite fine. In fact, he even looked more stable than when we were practicing together.
“…….”
“…….”
The two of us sat for a long time without saying anything.
Just when the time flowing aimlessly started to feel like a waste, I spoke up playfully.
“Why did you pick me and make things so difficult? If we hadn’t practiced together, you could have easily ignored me and gone on with your life.”
“I was just trying to look after you because something about you kept bothering me. It was obvious you’d do well, so if I got close to you before you made it big, who knows what I might gain from it? And Frick keeps causing trouble, it’s annoying. What, is there a problem? It’s not like I’m going to tell anyone about this.”
Scratching the back of his head, this guy grumbled.
“Yeah, there is. If you hadn’t picked me, I would have done the collaboration stage with Frick.”
“…..No way, did I get in your way?”
After hearing my answer, Jay, who had been staring blankly for a moment, took a deep breath and raised his head.
It seemed that he had just now realized that I had been waiting for Frick’s choice. How dense. He was quick to notice strangest things, but slow on the obvious.
It was ridiculous to be suspected by someone like him, but there was nothing I could do about what had already happened.
‘What kind of neighborhood drum situation is this, my secret1.’
I wondered if it was okay to be exposed like this. Anyway, Han Seungbeom’s aunt would keep her mouth shut for Han Seungbeom’s sake, and Jay was someone who would do anything I said, so it was fine.
“You’re not getting in my way. We’re bound to run into each other sooner or later while doing the program anyway.”
“There’s no guarantee.”
“If your head is full of crap, no matter how hard you try to hide it, it’s bound to leak out.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
“Fine. If you don’t want to tell me, don’t. I’m too petty to even listen.”
It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but I haven’t been able to figure out the best way to handle this yet. It all would depend on how Frick acts. This guy seemed to think I was some kind of omnipotent God.
Well, I’ve been resurrected, so there’s some similarity to Jesus.
“You know, hyung? Frick has a bit of a bad reputation. The production team probably knew that and cast him on purpose. He’s not really cut out to be a trainer. The trainees have to shed some tears to boost the show’s ratings, and Frick is the only one among the trainers who’s stupid enough to ruin his own reputation by hurting the kids.”
I knew that. Frick was actually less experienced and less skilled than the other trainers.
He probably knew that already, so there was a high possibility that he would continue to act in such a manner. He’s been in the industry long enough to understand the task assigned to him by the production team.
‘Although it’s true that he might be jealous of me, someone who’s much younger and less experienced, but more successful.’
Of course, aside from the matter of screentime, his underlying inferiority complex was clearly evident in his hostility.
“Hyung, if you want, I can give him a warning. He wouldn’t dare talk back to his seniors or the production team. What do you think?”
“I’m not letting him get away with just that.”
That sounded like trouble. Even if Frick got a warning from Jay, he could still continue to bully the trainees behind his back. In that case, it would be better for me to deal with him myself.
Jay, who was facing me directly, turned his head away. He forced a smile on his lips as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.
“Okay. You’re still as temperamental as ever. At this rate, someone’s going to get hurt.”
“Behave yourself.”
I dismissed the sarcasm with a cold glare, my fist tightening. The guy fliched and jumped to his feet.
“Aaah! My hyung will surely know what to do. I have no idea. No idea! I don’t know!”
“That’s right. Ignorance is bliss.”
Following Jay, I stood up and the guy who’d just put out his cigarette scanned my body from top to bottom.
“Oh my, hyung-nim. You need to drink more milk. You’re smaller than me now. You’ve gotten smaller.”
“…….”
Come to think of it, Han Seungbeom’s body was slightly shorter than Jay’s. The subtle way he looked down at me was infuriating.
“Aaaak!”
So, I punched him in the side. I couldn’t stand it.
Jay, who curled up his body and screamed, glared at me as if asking what I was doing.
“You’re smaller than me now.”
“Hyung! Watch your temper!”
“I won’t put up with this.”
“It really hurts! You need to take responsibility if I get a bruise from this.”
At the end of the day, I won.
***
“Why are the lights…….”
When I returned to the dorm, all the lights were out. Everyone had finished their lessons and should be back in their dorms, but it was too early for bed.
“What is this.”
As soon as I turned on the light, I saw Do Yuda lying on the floor, unable to even get to the bed, with Woo Kangwon holding the straw of the water bottle in his mouth. It was a sight to behold.
“…..What are you two doing?”
“Heuhuhuhu, hyung, you’re back.”
Do Yuda greeted me in an extremely dry voice, sounding like he was speaking some kind of devil’s language. Woo Kangwon, feeling sorry for him, kept patting Do Yuda’s head as if he were petting a dog.
‘I doubt that’s actually helping.’
“What the, are you even human? Why is your condition like this?”
“I’m … not a human. I am. Human wreck. Keuhuk.”
Apparently, Seezy had trained him harshly. I spread out the snacks I bought at the convenience store on my way here in front of Do Yuda.
“If you’re already this exhausted now, how are you going to handle it when you get even busier after debuting?”
“Really? Busier?”
Do Yuda opened a snack bag as naturally as breathing and started munching away. His once dull eyes regained their shine, like polished Go stones.
“Of course. You won’t be able to sleep much, right?”
Sure, there would be a difference after the psychological pressure of being eliminated disappeared, but once he debuted, he would seriously face the limits of his physical strength. It was too soon to complain.
“Haa, I should’ve built up some muscle too. Look at Kangwon-hyung. He worked out earlier too. Seriously, he’s a crazy muscle man. When I saw you, hyung, I realized that I have to work out that much to truly deserve those muscles.”
“You must exercise so that you won’t be tired.”
Woo Kangwon tilted his head and spoke. It seemed like he couldn’t understand the vicious cycle of not having stamina because you didn’t exercise, and not being able to exercise because you lacked the stamina.
“If you feel it’s unfair, then you should exercise too.”
“Save me! These hyungs are trying to kill me. Seungbeom-hyung isn’t even a muscle man, but he keeps telling me to exercise.”
When I backed up Woo Kangwon’s words, Do Yuda whined.
“Then you should follow me to practice every morning.”
“….I was wrong.”
“Then go to sleep quickly. Tomorrow is the recording day for the official theme song.”
“That’s right, Yuda-ya. You have to sleep quickly and do well in tomorrow’s filming.”
“…….”
There was no answer. All I could see was the back of Do Yuda’s head, which had collapsed.
“.…Is he dead?”
“No. He just fell asleep.”
I quickly dismissed Woo Kangwon’s serious hypothesis. He was more slow-witted and had a strange way of thinking than I expected.
“I see.”
Woo Kangwon, who quickly regained his composure, swiftly grabbed Do Yuda and placed him on the bed.
***
The day arrived, and it was finally the day of the official theme song stage.
We were once again packed into a van, dropped off at the broadcasting station, and rushed onto the set in a group, just like a retreat.
Since we had worn our school-look outfits from the dorm, we didn’t have to change outfits and went straight to do the makeup and hair.
“Alright, trainees, let’s move quickly!”
“If you’ve got your makeup done, please don’t hang around and get out of the way immediately!”
“Have you gotten your makeup done?”
With this large group of 77 people, it’s surprising they didn’t hire more makeup artists. Instead, fewer than 10 makeup artists were gasping for breath as they applied applying makeup to the trainees in a factory-like assembly line.
‘The makeup artists are exhausted, and they’re barely doing a decent job.’
It was a disaster to watch. Instead of proper makeup, they were just dabbing a bit of red on lips, covering up big scars, and filling in the eyebrows a little. But given the environment, it would be unfair to say the makeup artists were incompetent. That’s just how things were on set.
“I’ll do it! Please leave as soon as you’re done!”
“Yes.”
The makeup artist, who had just finished applying another trainee’s makeup, stood in front of me. Then, she looked up and saw my face.
“Heuh.”
“…….”
“What more … how should I … do this? Your face looks like this.”
“Miss, hurry up! There’s still so many left! I’m dying.”
The young makeup artist, obviously inexperienced, just stared at my face with a brush in her hand. Then, another makeup artist behind us yelled at her to hurry up.
“..…I think it will be fine to do it in the same way as everyone else.”
“You have to look like everyone else to get the same makeup as them. Your natural lip color is pretty, so I’ll just put on some lip balm for you. So it doesn’t get dry..…”
“….Okay.”
I bent down to let her touch my face, and got hit with reality check.
I see. Han Seungbeom’s face is like that.
I forgot for a moment because I didn’t look in the mirror often.
‘But Han Seungbeom’s aunt did a lot of things.’
The number one in the industry was indeed different.
I immediately put on the microphone to relieve my disappointment.
“Prepared trainees, please stand by! Where is the center? Trainee Han Seungbeom!”
“I’m here!”
“Please go up to the stage! Rehearsal will begin soon.”
It had been a long time since I had performed on stage.
My tension seemed to have disappeared, leaving only a pleasant fluttering feeling. As I stood at the very front of the stage shaped like a triangle, I saw cameras and lights pointed at me, along with the busy staffs moving around.
Today, I returned to the stage that I had deeply missed.
“Please take care of me!”
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Translator’s Corner:
- Neighborhood drum (동네북): an expression metaphorically referring to a person who is commonly teased or looked down on by many people, in the sense that they take it out and beat it whenever something happens. Like, you know, a neighborhood drum can be hit by anyone anytime. English equivalent would be similiar to “punching bag”.
Since MC keeps getting beaten to spill his secret, it became like a punching bag. ↩︎