Chapter 34 |
I had a really hard time after my conversation with Zen.
Could you imagine trying to restrain a guy who was acting out, wanting to get beads stuck in his hair at a hair salon? I thought I was going to die of embarrassment.
Humans are simpler creatures than we think, and even small changes in the environment or mindset can lead to big transformations. That’s why the first thing I did was to change the style.
“Oh, Seungbeom and Zen! Did you have a great time in the hair salon … whoa.”
“What’s going on … ahhhhh! Who is it!”
“You’ve really transformed. Seriously, you’ve transformed … where did our Zenzen go and where did this fashionista person come from? Seungbeom-ah, can you style me too?”
The way people around him looked at him also changed.
I dragged Zen to the hair salon and packed all of his unbelievable fashion items into a box and sealed it. I told him to keep it as a memory but never to take it out again.
After that, it was all practice, practice, practice.
At first, I just thought he’d be the kind of guy I’d cut off once the first mission was over.
But as time passed, I started to feel like it would be a shame to let him go to waste. Especially after I’d put so much effort into decorating him.
His unique face, tall stature, and husky voice made me feel that there was something different from the idols I had seen so far.
‘If there was at least one person like him in the team, the group would feel unique.’
Zen was like a rough gemstone. It would take a lot of effort, but if you had the ability to polish it, you could obtain a valuable gem.
It wasn’t easy, of course.
“I work hard. I’m confident that I can do well. You’re good with that kind of person, right? Please help me practice the dance break.”
Compared to Lee Danbi, who boldly asked for what he wanted, Zen was at the level of a newborn baby.
“Leada, what should I do today? I will do everything according to Leada’s instructions.”
It was to the point where I had to plan out all the specific practice details.
Despite it all, I gritted my teeth and endured.
It’s true that Lee Danbi was exceptionally persistent, but most of the kids didn’t even have basic diligence. Zen, on the other hand, was a good kid who was very diligent in practice even though he seemed thoughtless.
‘It was hard…….’
As I held onto my small and precious patience and carried out the rigorous practice, my team was able to experience meaningful change.
The first time, the members were surprised by the change, and second time, the trainees from other teams passing by glanced at us, so it was clear that we had made an impact.
And today, for the third time, it was time to surprise the trainers.
It was the day of the trainer’s midterm evaluation.
“Let’s do our best today for the trainer’s midterm evaluation!”
“It feels a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but I think we did well. I want to show our performance soon.”
The members smiled brightly while eating lunch before the midterm evaluation.
It was a good sign if you were more excited than scared on the day of the evaluation, because it meant you had prepared well.
“Right? I was holding back because I felt a little shy saying that, but we’re actually not bad.”
“This is all thanks to Seungbeom for working so hard on the producing! He also did a great job with the stage planning.”
I replied, barely able to keep the corners of my mouth from arching up in pride, “What did I do. It turned out well because you guys worked hard, hyung.”
“Hey, you’re being too modest. Our Captain Han! You’re awesome! You’re handsome!”
“Are you actually embarrassed right now, Seungbeom-ah? You’re kind of cute?”
The members burst into laughter and joked at my desperate humility displayed in front of the camera. I put down my spoon, rested my chin on both hands, and smiled.
“That’s right, I worked hard. So, I believe my members will do just as well. There won’t be any mistakes with the choreography or lyrics. Correct?”
“…….”
“…….”
The members just shut up and started scooping up their food.
‘That’s correct.’
The members, who were excited about the expectations, quickly regained their composure.
Actually, I didn’t mean to say they shouldn’t make a single mistake, but rather that they should have a certain amount of tension. However, they seemed to be more scared than I thought.
‘I’m not a goblin, so why would I get that angry? Of course, I’ll let it slide once. Everyone’s overreacting.’
Haha, hoho, I laughed and put a spoonful of soup in my mouth.
And then I thought about it.
Can I really let it slide just once?
‘Hmm?’
As I pictured it, I could feel irritation slowly rising.
If they really made a mistake, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to hold back and would do something about it.
“…….”
That’s just the way life is.
It’s better to refrain from lying.
***
“First, there’s something I need to share with you.”
While we were sitting together by the wall of the practice room, waiting for the mid-term evaluation to begin, Jay got up from his seat and spoke into the microphone.
“Didn’t you sense something was different after the trainers arrived?”
“Trainer Frick-nim……”
The trainees nodded to indicate they understood what Jay was trying to say and answered that Frick wasn’t present.
“That’s right. Trainer Frick isn’t here. Unfortunately, Trainer Frick has stepped down from our program due to personal reasons. We trainers feel a bit heavy-hearted to have to share this news with you so suddenly.” Jay lowered his gaze, his eyebrows drooping, and spoke with an extremely sorrowful expression.
I almost burst out laughing at his pretense.
‘Heavy, my foot.’
I could vividly recall him raging about destroying Frick, yet here he was, lying so smoothly and nonchalantly. I genuinely wondered who taught him to act like this.
“…….”
‘Ah, it’s me.’
It was a moment of self-reflection.
I raised that child as a fox cub. My mistake.
“But we will do our best to teach you so that you don’t feel the absence of Trainer Frick. So please, don’t worry too much.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
And just like that, the topic of Frick’s departure was over.
If anything, I almost felt sorry for him.
‘The trainees never really liked Frick in the first place … it seems like he was completely hated.’
It seemed the production team was also quite displeased with Frick causing trouble, especially after they had already squeezed every bit of value out of him. It was blatantly obvious that they had kicked him out without even bothering with a polite goodbye. Well, what could be done? It was the consequences of his own actions.
“Okay then, from the first order, the Motorcycle team, please come out.”
Jay, who had sat down and looked at the order list, called our team. Since I had a warm conversation with the production staff to adjust the lineup, our team was scheduled to go first.
“Oh, why is that team going first? We’re screwed.”
“Please don’t let us be number 2. Please! I really don’t want to perform right after them.”
Sighs were heard from both sides of the room. It seemed like other trainees watched us practice as they came and went, so they reacted that way.
“What, it’s the Motorcycle team that everyone’s afraid of.”
“Huh? Are they the Avengers team? Why is everyone reacting like this?”
“No. The Avengers are Hwayoung’s team…..”
The trainers tilted their heads and expressed their doubts after seeing the trainees’ reactions.
I put the hood back on Zen’s head and reassured him, “Be confident and do well. I told you this is important.”
“Yes.”
“This time, you need to get a proper reaction from the trainers to change your image. You know what I mean, right?”
“I will make the trainers faint.”
Today was really important for us. Maybe even more than the actual broadcast.
People might think it’s fine at first, but if the trainers say it’s not good, then they will think it’s not. And when people think it’s not good, but the trainers react so strongly positive, they start thinking maybe it was actually well done.
After finishing all the preparations, I led the members to the center of the evaluation room. Then, I gave a signal in a small voice.
“Two, three.”
“Hello! We’re the Motorcycle Team!”
The vocal trainer, who smiled at the loud greeting, grabbed the microphone, “Have you been practicing hard?”
The members, unable to find an answer to the straightforward question, looked at my face like pigeons. Their expression seemed to say, ‘He’ll answer well‘.
“Yes, we’ve worked hard to prepare this performance.” I barely held back my laughter, picked up the microphone, and calmly replied.
“Haha, this team’s leader is Seungbeom? Seungbeom seems to always be the leader.”
“That’s right. But people with leadership skills always end up taking on the role of leader, no matter what. It seems like some people are just naturally talented in that area.”
“I can already see that the members have a lot of trust in their leader, so it’s likely that this team is well prepared.”
The trainers hadn’t yet glanced at the document with our positions listed. I placed the “L” sticker, the leader’s mark, in a spot where it wouldn’t be visible.
In other words, the trainers recognized that I was the leader without being told exactly who the leader was.
The trainees from other teams who noticed this started whispering among themselves.
“Wow, everyone recognizes that Han Seungbeom is the leader just by looking at him.”
“Whoa. They even asked separately who the leader of our team is.”
Each of these moments would help shape my image. And my goal for this second mission was to establish a solid image of leadership and stage production ability.
‘Yes. Talk more. Thank you very much!’
I really appreciated them speaking so clearly into the mic, right when the camera was rolling. I wanted to give them a thumbs-up, but I couldn’t do that.
While the trainers were creating a positive atmosphere, Jay was quietly watching me.
‘Oh, shit. He’s doing that again.’
As he scanned my body from head to toe, it seemed like he was checking to see if I had fully recovered. I did my best to avoid his gaze.
“Looking at this team’s stage plan and prop request form, it’s already crazy. From just this, it looks like they’re preparing for a year-end stage. PD-nim, did you approve this?”
“We received a lot of support. It’s the best!”
“Haha! The program must be doing really well.”
The main PD playfully made the shape of a coin with his fingers, and the trainers laughed out loud.
It was fortunate. If he had shown even the slightest hint, I could have turned into a Tyrannosaurus Rex and eaten the PD alive.
“As for Seungbeom … he’s a trainee I trust, so I have faith in him. I think Kangwon also took good care of the members. I’m really looking forward to seeing how they prepared.”
“Alright, shall we start the performance?”
“Yes!”
We gave a brief answer and immediately stood in position, adjusting our spacing according to the stage layout. The trainers were already smiling with satisfaction as they watched the members move quickly as if we had made an appointment.
“First impressions are important. If you lose focus and don’t pay proper attention while we’re getting ready, it’s all over. If that happens, just consider it the day Han Seungbeom loses his mind completely.”
“Yes. We’ll move swiftly.”
It was the moment when the advice I had given the members in advance paid off significantly.
When I raised my right hand to send the sign to the production crew, the prepared MR flowed out.
On the day of the performance, we planned to use props for the opening of the stage performance. Unfortunately, it was difficult to replicate that in the practice room, so I gave them the appropriate sign to skip it.
Vroom!
The sound of a motorcycle engine roared past, followed by an adrenaline-pumping buildup.
Boom!
With the sound of a crash effect, the accompaniment suddenly ceased, and the members took their positions, sitting with their backs to the camera.
Through that gap, Zen dramatically threw back his hood, roughly tossed his hair, and jumped towards the center, stepping on the backs of the members with his feet.
“Huh?”
The trainers froze in place, their pens slipping from their hands as they took in Zen’s appearance.
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