Chapter 36 |
Today was rehearsal day, the day before the actual show.
We took the bus and headed to the broadcast station as a group. When we opened the waiting room door and entered, a shocking scene unfolded.
“Eek! It’s broken!”
“It’s okay, Miss Jiyoung! I brought extra!”
‘…..It seems like the support has increased since the program became a hit.’
The waiting room was crowded like a battlefield, and all kinds of fancy costumes and props filled the room.
Typically, dry rehearsals were conducted without full costumes or makeup. However, since these trainees needed to go through one round of feedback from their trainers, it seemed they were practicing in full gear to get a better sense of the performance.
Since the trainees from the team that refused to place bets were eliminated, the number of trainees had significantly decreased, but the waiting room was still cramped. So, I left the waiting room to get some fresh air while waiting for my turn.
‘I’ll just have to make it back in time for my turn.’
“Jay-hyung, I really can’t do this. Heuk. Huheuk!”
But then I heard someone’s voice nearby. Judging by the occasional sob, it sounded like someone was crying.
‘Jay-hyung?’
I stopped walking for a moment when I heard a familiar name.
“What should I do? Heuk.”
The voice belonged to Yang Hajun, and the other person he was talking to seemed to be Jay.
“Huhuhu … people keep commenting on my Inheartgram telling me not to mess with children’s lives. It’s not like I’m the one writing the script!”
I once overheard the trainees talking. Yang Hajun was an actor who quickly rose to stardom with his warm visuals and beautiful voice and is continuing his successful career.
‘To think that the National Oppa is going through emotional distress and crying like this.’
I hurriedly left the scene, knowing it would be troublesome if I got involved.
However, without even having 10 minutes of alone time, Yang Hajun walked over to where I was.
‘What the hell?’
With eyes reddened like a rabbit’s, he wiped his eyes with his sleeve and staggered, seeming completely unaware that I was nearby. It was quite pitiful to see him staggering, not even knowing which direction was the right one.
Wouldn’t his fans faint if they saw this?
‘He looks fine on the outside, but the inside is even worse than Lee Danbi.’
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
I stood still in place so that he wouldn’t have to avoid me, but he still bumped into me.
‘Ugh.’
My black shirt, which I wore as daily casual wear, was soaked with Yang Hajun’s tears.
‘How are you going to survive in this harsh world with such a careless attitude, you brat!‘. I wanted to scold him like that, but since I was a junior now, I held my tongue.
I held Yang Hajun’s shoulders firmly and straightened his body.
“Be careful. You’ll get hurt.”
“…….”
Then, eyes filled with tears stared at me wide-eyed. This must be why they said birds of a feather flock together. His appearance reminded me so much of Jay when he was a child.
I lifted the back of my hand and wiped the corner of his eye with my knuckles as I spoke, “Don’t cry. Stop.”
“….Yes.”
Satisfied with Yang Hajun’s dazed response, I patted his back a few times and then started walking away.
At that moment, Yang Hajun called out to me in a hesitant voice.
“Se-Seungbeom!”
“Yes.”
“Fighting! I’ll be cheering for you.”
I wondered what he was going to say, as he called out with such seriousness, but it was just words of encouragement. It was a bit odd for a senior to say to a junior, though.
‘You were feeling so down just a minute ago, and now you’re all energetic again. What National Oppa … you’re still acting like a child.’
“Thank you.”
As I chuckled and spoke, Yang Hajun covered his mouth like a girl and looked at me. Feeling like my face was about to be pierced, I quickly left the place.
“So cool……”
It seemed like he was muttering something from behind, but I didn’t think it was anything important.
***
“You can go down from the stage after listening to the Motorcycle Team trainer’s feedback.”
Unlike other teams that made a lot of mistakes, our team was able to finish the rehearsal without any problems.
The members said they were more nervous watching me in front of the practice room mirror than during the rehearsal itself. Perhaps that kind of mindset helped more than I thought.
As we lined up for feedback, the trainers took the microphones one after the other.
“Trainee Han Seungbeom’s face is absolutely insane. He looks like an ice prince. I’m already feeling scared when I think about my face appearing on the broadcast, alternating with his. What should I do?”
“Just accept it. I’m just going to be satisfied with not being caught on camera with Seungbeom. This is a moment when I’m truly grateful for my trainer status.”
All the trainers showered me with compliments about my face. I was wondering why they were suddenly gushing about something they’ve seen countless times, and then I realized it was because of my makeup.
“.…Thank you.”
Unlike the official song theme stage, which aimed for a natural look, and the first mission that pursued a cute vibe, this time I had quite intense makeup on. The deep, shadowed makeup intensified Han Seungbeom’s icy aura, making him appear almost ethereal, and the gray contacts added a touch of otherworldly charm.
‘It feels like my eyeballs are going to pop out.’
The dry and dusty stage made my eyes ache, but I could bear it if I could achieve this level of results.
“The stage direction feels like a year-end awards ceremony, so I think the original artists would feel really proud. Once Han Seungbeom takes the lead, it’s all game over!”
“And overall, since the average height of the members is quite tall, there’s a certain vibe. To be honest, with this concept, no matter how good-looking the faces are, if the height and proportions aren’t right, it won’t look cool. You really picked the right members.”
It was obvious. This was exactly why I wanted Woo Kangwon as a member.
That overwhelming presence, born from natural physical attributes, could never be replicated through training. Since we were all over 180 centimeters tall, walking around in a group created the illusion of making everyone around us look small.
When they heard the compliments about the team’s vibe, the members, who had been standing there looking so cool, broke into silly grins and looked at me disarmingly. Their eyes were asking for more praise.
‘Ugh.’
When I gave a casual nod, the disappointed ones let out groans of frustration.
Their body was so bulky, I had no idea why they were behaving like that.
“….Yeah. So cool.”
In the end, when I gave them a compliment, they broke into such bright smiles that it felt like you could hear a “syalala” sound effect. Then, the trainers burst into laughter.
“Seems like everyone is dying to get a compliment from Seungbeom, huh? Yeoyoung-ah, do you want to be recognized by Seungbeom?”
“Yes!”
“Ahahaha! Aren’t you answering a bit too naively? Yeoyoung-ah, you were just standing all cool a moment ago. You should stick to the concept!”
“Yes. Charismatic gaze! I’ll do my best!”
“Ahahaha! Ah, this guy is really funny.”
“I really like this team. They’re the dark horse, but the team chemistry is insane.”
Since there wasn’t much to criticize about our team, it seemed like they were just filling the time with jokes, and the banter kept going.
And sensing that we had filled enough time, Jay slowly started to wrap up the atmosphere.
“The dance and the live performance are both perfect. You’ve worked hard to prepare. Good job. You can go in now.”
“Thank you!”
***
When I entered the waiting room, Do Yuda’s team, who had finished their rehearsal earlier, was there. While the other teams looked drained, seeing them constantly chatting made me feel something was strange.
‘They can’t be that thoughtless.’
There was no way they had delivered a satisfactory performance in the trainers’ eyes. They must have received harsh criticism, yet they seemed completely unconcerned.
‘….Where is Do Yuda?’
But Do Yuda was nowhere to be seen among the cheerful members.
I thought something was off, so I walked up to them and asked, “Where is Do Yuda?”
“Hahaha! When the trainer said ‘why is the stage like this?‘, I broke into a cold sweat!”
“If you’re going to break out in a cold sweat like that, practice harder. Hahaha!”
“No, no. The one who should be practicing isn’t you, it’s Do Yuda! Honestly, the person who sang the worst is definitely him.”
They were too busy chattering to notice me.
I looked around with a refreshing smile. Since ancient times, celebrities have always had to check if cameras were installed before measuring the killing angle.
‘No cameras, no microphones.’
Okay, let’s go.
I took a step forward and stuck my head between them. And then, I started my verbal attacks.
“Who is the worst at what?”
“Han-Han Seungbeom…..”
They opened their mouths in horror as they finally noticed me. I looked straight down at them and said,
“Huh, I think it’s funny that you’re criticizing an S-Class when you can’t even get into the A-Class.”
“I’m not criticizing…….”
“Who are you? If you’re an S-Class, I should know your face, but I don’t recognize you.”
I ignored their excuses and turned to face the guy who had just been so excitedly insulting Do Yuda.
Then, I noticed the name tag around his waist. [D-Class, 56th place. Kim Jongwon].
It wasn’t even funny, but I couldn’t help but laugh.
It was more of a dumbfounded laugh.
“It’s you? Do Yuda saved you. He saved you from getting eliminated, but now you’re just cursing behind his back.”
“That’s…..”
“Come on, Seungbeom-ah. We’re friends, let’s not pick on each other like that.”
The members’ meaningless excuses were cut off, and one of the guys in the center of the group approached me. And he casually put his arm around my shoulder.
He was someone I had never exchanged a word with before. I looked down at his name tag and saw a leader sticker on it.
‘Song Hanseo … so this guy is the leader of this group.’
“If you’re going to defend only Do Yuda like that … it hurts my feelings. I’m your friend too, you know. We’re both 20 years old!”
‘Cut the crap……..’
It wasn’t just a joke to brush off the situation.
It was more like a dirty desire.
He pretended to be close to Lee Hwayoung throughout the filming period, but ended up being ignored, and now it seemed like I was the target. To put it bluntly, his actions made me feel offended.
“….Just tell me where Do Yuda is.”
“Don’t say that like that. Sit down for a moment and then go, if you want to know where he is.”
Song Hanseo gently placed his hand on my shoulder and pressed down hard. He was trying to get me to sit down.
Just as I was about to shake off his hand, I heard a familiar voice.
“Why is Han Seungbeom friends with the likes of you?”
It was Lee Hwayoung, who had just come in from rehearsal.
Song Hanseo, visibly flustered by the sharp remark, forced a smile and responded, “…We’re all friends. You, me, and Seungbeom.”
Lee Hwayoung, who blatantly sneered, seemed to have lost interest in Song Hanseo. He immediately turned to me and said, “The props room.”
“What?”
“He’s in the props room, the guy you’re looking for. He doesn’t look well.”
I turned and left as soon as I heard that.
“Thanks.”
Song Hanseo was none of my business.
Lee Hwayoung basically had no interest in others. Nevertheless, for him to talk like that meant that Do Yuda’s condition was quite bad.
I was walking at a fast pace, and the next thing I knew, I was running.
Bam!
I finally arrived at the props room, where a member of Do Yuda had mentioned, and opened the door to enter.
But there was no one in sight, let alone Do Yuda.
I quietly focused my senses and heard a sniffle coming from below.
The guy was crouching in the corner of the props room, tears streaming down his face.
“This is strange. Strange. I’m usually comfortable with this note. It should be easier. This is weird. I can do well. I should be doing well.”
It was obvious that his condition was not normal.
As I approached and knelt before him, his shaky gaze finally turned to me.
“Do Yuda.”
He was sitting still, but he was panting heavily, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. Tears fell rapidly from his eyes as he looked up at me desperately.
“Hyu-hyung. Breath, huh … ugh. Hah, I can’t … breathe well. I can’t.”
“…….”
I was at a loss for words, staring at his face that seemed to be pleading for help, not knowing what to do.
F*ck. I only sent this child away for a moment, but what am I supposed to do when he returned in this state?
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Translator’s Corner:
This one actually one my favorite arcs (to be fair everything in this story is my favorite) because you can begin to see MC’s personality more clearly
And not Nicholas heard someone claiming to be Seungbeom’s friend and got personally offended….