Chapter 25 |
The results of the mini sports event were as everyone expected, with Woo Kangwon taking first place overall. Lee Hwayoung did well, but it was impossible to beat a former athlete.
The final mission race looked like it might change the rankings, but it didn’t, as Woo Kangwon took second place in the mission race.
He wasn’t some Messi showing up at a neighborhood soccer game, he could have gone a bit easier. But when it came to sports, he was always serious.
‘That was the highlight, for sure.’
Woo Kangwon’s mission was [Bring The Loudest Person].
Eventually, Woo Kangwon apologized by bending down at 90 degrees, then ran in while carrying Do Yuda on his shoulders. I had never seen anyone run that fast while carrying a grown man.
Thus, as the top priority target among all the trainees, I ended up joining Woo Kangwon’s team.
“Wow, Kangwon hyung! You’ve got so many fans now!”
“It’s a bit embarrassing, but I should still be thankful, right?”
So, I didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone.
“It’s crazy! If it continues like this, you’ll be totally in a safe zone for debut.”
“Really? I hope so.”
But why did I keep hearing a chirping sound? I scrambled out of bed and got behind the two of them.
Then, I covered their mouths.
I told you, I feel awful in the morning.
“You’re noisy.”
“AAAAK!”
Do Yuda, who belatedly noticed my presence, screamed and threw the tablet upwards. The tablet, floating in mid-air, landed steadily in Woo Kangwon’s hand.
“Seungbeom-ah, did you sleep well?”
“Huh! Hyung, when did you wake up?
The two people, with eyes as round as rabbits, looked up at me. Their hairs looked like a mess because they had just woken up.
“How could I not wake up with all that noise?”
“Sorry, we woke you up.”
“So, what’s going on?”
“Ah, it’s Kangwon-hyung, you know the stage he did for Heart BOOM! last time? It was a huge hit.”
A huge hit? The stage itself was definitely a bit questionable, so it was a little puzzling that it became a huge hit.
“It hasn’t been long since the first mission ended, and it’s already a hot topic? The broadcast hasn’t even aired yet.”
“It was premiered to the Plus subscribers. They told them not to leak it, but what did they expect? The GIFs are already everywhere.”
‘GIFs?‘
I quickly grabbed the tablet from Woo Kangwon’s hand and scrolled through it, while Woo Kang-won flailed his hands.
“Oh, that one!”
A GIF of Woo Kangwon, decorated like a sticker photo, appeared. Pink blush, lace, ribbons, and heart effects seemed out of place beside Woo Kangwon’s muscular frame.
[Woo.Deco.(Meaning Woo Kangwon decoration).gif]
It seemed like fans, excited about the buzz, had decorated it.
“…..You’re sexy.”
“…Thank you.”
I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? I should give him a compliment. I wasn’t sure if it’s a good one, though.
— When Woo Kangwon sings those lyrics, it really feels like he’s going to physically explode my heart.
— My heart is racing, but I’m not sure if it’s because I’m scared or because it’s cute
— The biceps are talking to me………
As I scrolled down the real-time hot keywords on SNS, I saw a series of reactions to Woo Kangwon’s performance.
‘Alright, at this rate, Woo Kangwon should be able to debut without any problems.’
“It wasn’t a great performance, it just became a hot topic because it was funny … I’m not sure if I should be happy about it.”
Perhaps feeling awkward that I was blatantly examining his photo, Woo Kangwon scratched the back of his neck. I firmly opened my mouth.
“Of course you should be happy. Opportunities like this don’t come often. No matter how great your skills are, if people don’t notice you, it means nothing.”
The quality of the performance and the increase in public recognition after the broadcast were two different things. The trainees who worked hard to prepare for the stage might feel a bit disheartened, but the public was drawn to things that were funny or memorable. Why else would companies continue to create noise marketing or B-Grade sentiment advertisements1?
It was unacceptable to be so discouraged about something that others would pay for.
“I see……”
“It became a hot topic because it’s funny, but it’s not funny in ridiculous way since it actually led to an influx of fans. You could use this viral moment to prove your skills.”
“Thank you for saying so, even if it’s just words.”
“That hyung is not the type to say empty words.” Do Yuda, crushed beneath me in the arm rest, chirped.
He was right. I had never falsely praised or comforted anyone before.
It was a predetermined outcome that he would do well in the next competition since he was now in the same group as me.
Woo Kangwon, who had slapped his palm with his fist at Do Yuda’s words, smiled gently, “With Seungbeom’s personality, that kind of encouragement would definitely be too much!”
What did he mean?
I scrolled down some more, and noticed another account besides the ones I’d seen so often.
[yeon01].
‘No, why does this account have so many followers?’
I clicked into the account and scrolled through the posts. The post with the most engagement was a retouched photo of me at the project launch presentation.
Seungbeom, let’s be together for a long time ♥
— Wow, isn’t this that person? Frick’s legendary fansite master. Her photo editing is super distinctive
└ Hey, shut up. At times like this, you’re supposed to pretend you don’t know. You’re so clueless.
└ So it’s real? lol she must have bought the data and edited it since she’s a latecomer. But who cares. She’ll take a picture of him herself when he debuts. Welcome!
“Wow! A really famous person became your fansite master, hyung! That’s amazing!” Do Yuda said as he poked his head out and looked at the tablet.
“A famous person?”
“The person who took the legendary fancam of Trainer Frick!”
I have zero interest in third-rate idols. What Frick is famous for or what kind of fans he has is completely out of my interest.
‘They say even a maggot has the talent to roll2, and it looks like there’s even a legendary fancam.’
“I don’t know.”
“Hyung, you really have no interest in this kind of stuff.”
“I’m only interested in my fans.”
“That’s great. Now they’re your fan, hyung.”
“…….”
‘It’s a headache.’
If they were that famous, there was a good chance Frick knew about them. I was worried about how long his stubborn, bull-headed resolve would last.
‘Nice to meet you. Thank you.’
That didn’t mean I wouldn’t welcome new fans.
I bowed my head to the account.
***
Now that the group selection was over, it was time to decide on positions. Last time, I joined after almost everything was already decided because of Jay, but this time, I was able to participate in the position distribution from the start.
I sat in a circle with the newly selected members and the discussion began.
“Personally, I think Seungbeom should be the leader.”
“Hyung, you’re the oldest member. Are you sure you don’t mind handing over the leader position to me?”
“I don’t think age represents leadership. If someone else is better suited for the role, it’s only natural for them to take it. I don’t intend to play the age card. And since Seungbeom will be doing the arrangement, I think he should have the priority to speak.”
‘Woo Kangwon isn’t bad either.’
As I observed while the position distribution was taking place, contrary to what he had said, Woo Kangwon was actually pretty good for the role. His attitude was generally positive, and he stood out for leading the members in a kind and gentle manner.
“I agree with that. Then should Seungbeom be our leader? Does everyone agree?”
“I agree.”
“I also think it’s a good idea.”
Of course, I absolutely hated following orders from others, so I had no intention of stopping the leader position from coming to me.
“Haha, I think we get along so well!”
“Exactly. I had such a hard time with position selection in the last mission!”
The members smiled happily at the peacefulness.
Smile a lot. Starting tomorrow, you will bitterly regret choosing me over Woo Kangwon.
“Then the leader has been decided. Let’s move on.”
The camera director, who read the no-jam vibes with Woo Kangwon team’s gentle progress, left for another team.
“He left. I guess there wasn’t much to film for us.”
“What should we do? Should we grab someone by the collar? Kangwon-hyung, please just hit me once. We should make it to the broadcast.”
“I’m sorry. I’m a bit scared of using violence on an ordinary person. What if I hit you wrong and you explode?”
It was a shame that the camera had left. What he just said was kind of funny.
In order to be shown on the broadcast, there should be some kind of provocative scene, but this time, only the mild-mannered ones were chosen, so it seemed like it would be difficult. The only one of the members who spoke in a provocative manner was Nagi Zen.
‘…..Zen?’
Come to think of it, Zen wasn’t here.
“Where did Zen go?”
“He went to the Practice Room A to grab the tablet. He’s the only one among us who got the tablet. He told me he wanted Seungbeom to be the leader.”
I knew he would. I wasn’t really curious about who he voted for as leader. We needed to decide on the main vocalist and main dancer now, but we couldn’t do it with one member missing.
“When did he go?”
“Well, about 15 minutes ago?”
We were in the Practice Room B. It took 15 minutes to get to Practice Room A, which was less than twenty steps away. That’s way too long. Koreans were all about quick quick.3
“He’s taking too long. If you open the door and go out, it’s right there.”
“I don’t think he’s the type to slack off … should I go pick him up?”
“No, I’ll go pick him up. You guys go pick the song.”
Since I’ve taken on the leader role, I have to work. I got up and headed to Practice Room A.
“What should we do? Should we tell the PD?”
“No, let’s not make it a big deal. He’s probably just talking to him in private.”
As soon as I opened the door and stepped inside, a chill ran down my spine.
Something was off about the atmosphere. There were no trainees practicing, just a bunch of guys talking amongst themselves.
“We need to get some good footage for the broadcast, but what if we get caught on camera for interfering? It could be scripted.”
“Oh, that’s right. It’s scripted!”
It was usually an ominous sign to see a group of kids whispering to each other without any grown-ups around.
The production team couldn’t leave minors unattended without a supervisor. They were content creators who also had a responsibility to ensure the safety of children.
A trainer was supposed to be assigned to each room, but the trainer was nowhere to be found. The Practice Room A was unusually crowded with young trainees.
‘Was there an accident?’
Anyway, I was planning to just take my child and continue the practice. The trainer would probably handle the solution once they arrive.
“Zen? Answer me if you hear me.”
However, no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find Zen, who was supposed to be in the Practice Room A. As I checked the faces of the trainees in the practice room one by one while looking for Zen, I could feel the children avoiding my gaze.
‘Something happened to Zen.’
“Zen?”
None of the kids would tell me about Zen’s whereabouts.
In times like this, you just need to grab one person and deal with them.
“Do you know where Zen went? He said he was going to the Practice Room A to get his tablet.”
I grabbed one of the kids and openly asked. The kid, feeling hesitant, glanced at the other trainee next to him, clearly looking for a hint.
“Oh, I…….”
“Tell me. Something happened.”
“Can I tell him?”
“I think it’s fine to tell Seungbeom-hyung.”
While the kids who had been whispering among themselves came to an agreement, I continued to look around the practice room.
‘The trainer in charge of Practice Room A must be…….’
The trainer assigned to Practice Room A was most likely Frick. It was already ominous.
“The production team isn’t here, so there’s no one to stop him. What could we do?” A child with teary eyes, as if tattling, told me.
“Zen-hyung got into an argument with Trainer Frick and … was dragged out.”
“There’s no cameras. But maybe it’s scripted?”
“He won’t get in too much trouble, will he?”
“I remember he said something about giving him a mental training.”
…..What?
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Translator’s Corner:
- sentiment (/emotional) advertisements (감성 광고): advertisement that appeals to the emotions of consumers, mainly to the opposite sex, often in poor quality. ↩︎
- even a maggot has the talent to roll (굼벵이(도) 구르는 재주(가) 있다): an expression used to describe someone with no talent at all but still has something to attract other people’s attention. A maggot itself is a short, plump bug. It is used to describe someone who is slow, meaning that even the most incompetent person has at least one talent. ↩︎
- Quick quick here refers to the “Hurry up” culture ( 빨리빨리 culture): It refers to Korean’s culture where a fast-paced lifestyle is embraced since most Koreans tend to do everything very quickly. ↩︎
G-DRAGON (feat. BIGBANG) released A NEW SONG TODAY AND IT’S SOOO GOOOD OMG THE VIBES IS TOTALLY PERFECT FOR THIS SERIES AAAAAAAAAAAAAA (MC and his groupmates confidence is like the one you usually found in bigbang song)