Chapter 41
The convenience store lights brightly illuminated the nearby street. At the tables placed around, people were drinking beer or eating ramen while chatting.
This common Han River nighttime scene struck Juha as surprisingly fresh. Just a month ago, he could have mixed into that crowd without anyone noticing, but now he was in a position where he had to cover his face and be careful with his actions.
It seemed excessive to be this cautious when only 3 episodes had aired, but after carelessly taking the subway to Taeri’s house a few days ago and being chased around by people and having a rough time, Juha had been covering his face whenever possible.
As he arrived at the convenience store, Juha glanced back. Far in the distance, in a place so dark he could barely see, Taeri was lying on a picnic mat with his chin propped up, gazing at Juha like a faithful wife waiting for her husband’s return.
‘Cute kid.’
Juha chuckled softly and entered the convenience store.
He picked out four cans of beer that were on promotion and held out his card. The part-timer who was watching YouTube didn’t even look up and scanned the barcodes mechanically. Just as Juha thought it was nothing special, the sound flowing from YouTube caught his attention.
[To die or to kill, that is the question. With this mission, one team member will definitely be eliminated.]
The part-timer was watching a ‘My Job is Idol’ clip video. Juha panicked and pulled his cap down low.
“Ten thousand won. Your card…”
The part-timer was processing the card payment and handing it back when he suddenly stopped moving. His gaze lingered on the card name ‘Lee Joo Ha.’ The part-timer momentarily looked up to check Juha’s face.
“…Th-thank you.”
After finishing the payment, Juha hurriedly took his card and beer and left the convenience store. Even though he hadn’t been caught stealing, his heart was pounding.
‘Whatever.’
The part-timer wasn’t going to chase after him, and there was no way an adult like Juha buying 4 cans of beer at the Han River would become a topic of discussion, so he decided to put his mind at ease.
Taeri was still lying on the picnic mat with his chin propped up, gazing at Juha. Juha could feel Taeri’s expression brightening as he got closer, even in the darkness.
“I think the part-timer recognized me.”
Juha said as he set down the beer cans.
“Well, you should be handsome.”
Despite Juha’s worried tone, Taeri’s shoulders lifted proudly.
“You be careful too.”
“I know, so give me those handsome thighs.”
When Juha sat down without much resistance, Taeri lay down again using his thighs as a pillow. Taeri made meaningless comments like “the wind feels nice” and “there are a lot of people” while slowly stroking Juha’s legs.
“Touch me one more time and I’ll put your head down on the ground?”
When Juha gave him a sharp warning, Taeri grumbled and sat up to drink his beer.
Watching Taeri become horny at any time or place, Juha sometimes called him ‘Jeongnam.’ When he said “Where did Choi Taeri go and why did Choi Jeongnam come?” Taeri would grin and lay Juha down.
As they chatted leisurely, the occasional river breeze pleasantly tickled their faces.
Flushed from drinking beer, the two looked at each other and just smiled. Even without doing anything special, being together made it special time. Even if they had to return to brutal competition, being together would make it feel like heaven.
Occasionally Taeri would make dirty jokes, and Juha would either counter with “Jeongnam, go bring Taeri back” or smack Taeri on the back. Still, Taeri would giggle happily.
What he liked most was being able to be like comfortable friends like this without sexual tension.
It seemed like they hadn’t talked about anything special, but time passed quickly. It was past nine-thirty, and before they knew it, all the beer they’d brought was gone.
“Let’s go. We need to watch the live broadcast.”
“Yeah.”
When Juha gathered the empty beer cans and stood up, Taeri followed suit.
A subtle tension different from before circulated between the two as they folded up the picnic mat. If they went home this way, Episode 4’s live broadcast would start immediately. Thinking about watching the show, the pleasantly consumed alcohol was sobering up.
The promised Episode 4.
There was both anticipation and fear about how today’s broadcast episode, which would highlight Juha and Taeri’s story, would be edited.
* * *
Arriving at Taeri’s house, the two sat side by side with their backs against the sofa. When all kinds of advertisements passed and the main broadcast began, Juha hugged his raised knees tightly.
“Nervous?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Juha nodded in response to Taeri’s question. Taeri quietly held Juha’s hand. The hand was warm, but an indelible tension settled within it.
First came a brief review of the previous episode, and the mystery about Taeri and Juha’s performance concept was resolved.
‘We’ll do it as ‘trainer and beast.’ I’m the control freak and you’re the fierce beast.’
At Juha’s words, Taeri nodded with determined eyes.
Though they were united in the ‘trainer and beast’ concept, the practice atmosphere was a bit different from reality. Juha was doing his best while Taeri was just matching movements without much effort. Juha’s cuts showed him sweating and exhausted while shouting “one more time,” while Taeri was saying “let’s just do this much for now.”
‘That’s not right…’
Juha unconsciously bit his lip.
At that time, Taeri was already being careful with his body after injuring his ankle once before the live broadcast. The reason he was cautious in practice was to focus more on the performance. But those damn production staff had edited it to make it look like Taeri was neglecting practice.
If the production team had already started their tricks, it was obvious how they would appear in the broadcast going forward. Unlike Juha’s concerns, Taeri watching himself on screen seemed to have no particular thoughts.
Soon Juha and Taeri’s main performance began.
Taeri’s performance was perfect, making it seem ridiculous that he had been lazy in practice.
The solid muscles hidden within his long limbs changed dynamically like a well-assembled machine.
Having seen directly how those high-quality muscles were built, Juha kept imagining Taeri’s naked body every time he moved.
Taeri’s dance lines were truly savage. He captured the characteristic sleek and seductive movements of the feline family while the energy condensed within made even those watching from outside the screen hesitate.
It called forth the instinct to step back and hide to avoid a tiger’s wrath.
However, on stage, Juha lifted his chin and looked down at Taeri haughtily. Even while singing, his eyes showed no wavering.
“Wow, Lee Juha’s expression is no joke.”
Taeri was pleased watching the screen, but Juha felt somehow uneasy.
‘It’s definitely strange.’
When Juha showed an impressive performance, the masters’ expressions were shown constantly, but during Taeri’s scenes, they passed by without interest. Especially in audition programs, the judges’ reactions have a big impact on viewers.
Even if viewers think it’s just so-so, if the judges who are professionals praise it, they look again. But now Taeri was the opposite case. No matter how excellent Taeri’s skills were, if the judges looked indifferent, viewers would tilt their heads in confusion.
After the first verse ended, the dance break began.
Taeri did a flashy solo dance and then made his final jump. As he landed, he flinched and stepped with his other foot.
A crack appeared in Juha’s face, which had maintained a cold expression throughout.
“Ah!”
Even though it was a scene he already knew, Juha squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed Taeri’s hand. Taeri comfortingly stroked the back of Juha’s hand as if to say it was okay. Without saying anything, just Taeri’s small consideration calmed Juha’s heart considerably. Gaining strength, Juha slowly opened his eyes and faced the screen again.
Taeri’s mistake wouldn’t have been a big problem if edited well. But the broadcasting station guys weren’t ones to miss that.
Taeri’s landing failure was shown from multiple angles three times. Though it was a minor mistake, edited like this made it look as if Taeri had completely ruined the performance.
‘Ah, this is really too much…’
After being momentarily shaken by Taeri’s mistake and barely regaining composure, Juha in the screen came to center stage matching the bass beat. Juha’s coldly hardened eyes were closer to murderous intent than arrogance. Tension circulated in the masters’ gazes meeting him. The production team edited this scene emphasizing the staring contest between Juha and the masters, even temporarily stopping the music. The tough masters’ Adam’s apples bobbed as they admitted defeat.
“You looked at them like that? It’s not easy for Lee Cheong noona to make that expression.”
Not seeming upset about his performance editing, Taeri was sincere about monitoring Juha.
When the bass sound reached the peak of tension, Juha made eye contact with the camera. The pomade hair that suited his close-up pale white face, the scornful gaze, the dizzying tension piercing through the screen.
Just watching made all his muscles contract and his breath catch.
Juha lightly lifted one corner of his mouth, then put the pocket watch into his chest with sensitive eyes and stepped back. The atmosphere that had been like a rubber band stretched to its breaking point suddenly disappeared.
“Wow, our Juha did that?”
Taeri looked back and forth between Juha on screen and Juha right next to him in disbelief.
Whether or not, Juha concentrated as if being sucked into the screen.
The performance reached its climax. What appeared on screen now was different from the stage where they could feel each other’s breath directly.
He thought Taeri’s concentration was so high on stage that the injury couldn’t be felt, but on screen there was no major impact. Rather, Juha’s performance came out much more intensely than in reality.
The cameras caught everything: expressions that changed subtly according to the lyrics, fingertip movements, even the delicate movement of eyelashes falling softly when he lowered his eyes.
And at the end. Juha’s command with his eyes saying ‘don’t jump’ was captured on camera. Regardless, Taeri stubbornly prepared to leap.
The jaw muscles of Juha running toward him while clenching his teeth were sharply defined. As the music ended, Juha put the necktie around Taeri’s neck. He gripped it so tightly that Juha’s gloved hands and jaw trembled.
Juha’s brow furrowed as if displeased that the beast had escaped his control, and Taeri was angry like a beast whose pride had been hurt.
The lingering feeling of the performance didn’t fade even after several seconds. The camera continued filming them without interruption.
Niki’s clapping sound that rang out like hitting a slate cut through the precariously tense atmosphere.
Both Taeri who had been biting his lip in frustration, and Juha whose face was full of irritation, awakened from the play.
The masters’ praise for Juha continued, and criticism poured out for Taeri.
Juha unconsciously gripped Taeri’s hand next to him tightly again. Juha trembled as if he had been the one receiving harsh criticism.
Finally, the words “Trainee Choi Taeri, eliminated” fell from the master’s mouth. Juha couldn’t bear to face the screen. Instead, he clenched his teeth and gripped Taeri’s hand as if it would burst. Still not satisfied, his whole body trembled.
He had done so well, but the editing had made Taeri a complete mess.
“Lee Juha.”
At Taeri’s call, Juha barely returned to reality.
“Yeah.”
“You already know the results, so why are you getting so heated?”
“Aren’t you angry?”
“I am angry, but seeing Lee Juha get more angry for me made me feel better.”
Ugh. Seeing Taeri laugh so carelessly made Juha feel even more frustrated.
Meanwhile, Taeri limped away with staff support, and other performances continued.
Juha entered the successful candidates’ waiting room alone, looking pale.
Other trainees’ performances continued, but they showed Juha’s anxious face intermittently throughout. It was setup for the later narrative. Yoo Youngin’s provocation in the waiting room also came across as just comfort.
When Taeri’s name wasn’t called in the revival round either, Juha’s eyes became vacant. His expression was so honestly revealed that anyone could tell Juha’s true feelings.
And as a result of the lucky key draw, along with news of his partner’s success, Choi Taeri appeared dramatically on crutches.
Before Taeri could even take a few steps out, Juha ran to him and hugged him with a thud.
“Wait… can’t we watch something else?”
Remembering how he had cried then, Juha couldn’t bear to watch the screen. Regardless, Taeri suddenly stood up from his seat.
“Lee Juha cried like that?”
Juha in the screen was shedding tears like he had regained a lost homeland. Taeri didn’t care that his jacket fell off and smiled gently while patting Juha. Watching him on screen crying profusely without knowing his hair was getting disheveled, Taeri was restless.
“Why are you standing? Sit down quickly.”
Juha awkwardly patted the seat next to him. Juha’s interview followed immediately. The interview he had done at the time came out in full without cuts or editing.
Every time Juha mentioned Choi Taeri, his eyes reddened and became moist. And at the end.
‘I like it. Heh…’
Juha’s face as he spoke about both of them advancing was as radiant as a flower in full bloom. Taeri, who had been pacing back and forth beside him, stopped walking and looked at the screen.
“Ah, shit… that’s hot.”
Taeri muttered loudly as if for Juha to hear.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
