Chapter 51
‘Peppermint Girl’ was a difficult song. Like putting nursery rhyme lyrics to death metal, the lyrics and music played separately, so it was important to decide where to focus the arrangement and concept.
Juha was genuinely curious about how Choi Taeri and the members would implement that song.
“Me? A neighborhood delinquent. Hehe……”
Taeri smiled sheepishly as he imagined his character. His face looked full of anticipation as if he’d found the most interesting character in the world.
‘Holy……’
Juha stared at Taeri, unable to even respond.
A neighborhood delinquent clinging to Peppermint Girl. A neighborhood…… delinquent. That word lingered blankly around Juha’s lips.
Taking advantage of that gap, Taeri’s eyes flashed.
“Then can I have one last kiss?”
Without waiting for an answer, Taeri’s lips pressed forward and separated.
It was a glorious moment when the future flower prince received a kiss from the future neighborhood delinquent.
* * *
Practice went more smoothly than expected. First, Yoo Youngin, who had been turning people’s stomachs, became docile, and Jo Munseok, who had been agreeing from the side, was also quiet.
17-year-old Jang Chaemyeong got along surprisingly well with 15-year-old Seo Eunwon. Though young, Eunwon, who was very interested in music, asked Chaemyeong various questions and came up with ideas, making music together.
The arrangement concept the two brought was unanimously approved. They added electronic beats to the original song ‘Butterfly Dream,’ whose concept was ‘Our things are good things,’ to enhance its sophistication, and added piano arpeggios in the interlude to emphasize a dreamlike feeling.
It wasn’t just good ‘for something young kids did’ – it was genuinely pleasant to listen to.
The costume concept that Jo Munseok and Yoo Youngin came up with was also surprisingly decent. The collarless jackets had length like traditional robes, but with side slits so they could flutter front and back when moved. The bottoms were also loose-fitting pants that didn’t cling to the body, making the dance lines look graceful and dreamlike. The fabric was white with light pearl accents, so it would look like it was self-illuminating under the lights.
Juha and Junho first followed the original choreography all the way through, then modified it to match the arrangement. Though usually taciturn, Na Junho’s passion and skill for dance were remarkable.
True to someone who had been a martial artist, he was full of power but his dance lines weren’t crude. Rather, his dance lines were so smooth that it made you wonder if he had really done taekwondo.
In contrast, Jo Munseok, also from a martial arts background, had quite rough dance lines. This brought out his masculine charm and made it quite worth watching.
Knowing Jo Munseok’s plan, Juha forgot his own tasks and stealthily followed Na Junho around. Though he’d gotten a promise from Yoo Youngin that he wouldn’t do anything, Jo Munseok could be far more vicious.
Jo Munseok gave him looks telling him to get lost several times, but Juha wasn’t one to lose at staring contests either. Eventually Jo Munseok gave up and let Juha circle around them.
“Instead of blocking the kick here, let’s kick at the same height. Then the kids who appear next can come out like they’re receiving a ceremonial bow.”
Na Junho calmly presented his opinion to Jo Munseok. Watching the two men with their towering 187cm height and physiques that wouldn’t be out of place as real warriors standing side by side was breathtaking.
“We need more intense sparring to get that warrior feeling. That much, anyone can do, not just you and me.”
Jo Munseok provoked Na Junho to make the choreography rougher. Every time this happened, Juha, who was beside them, felt anxious. If their voices got even slightly louder, it seemed like the two would start kicking at each other right there. Though Juha wasn’t interested in other people’s business, if such a thing happened, he was determined to jump in and stop them. To prevent second-round elimination, Juha felt he could easily do things that didn’t suit his personality.
On the other hand, he also found the mutual rivalry between Jo Munseok and Na Junho regrettable. The two made such a good picture that if they just worked well together, they could dominate the stage from the opening.
“We’re not here to show off tricks, we need to choreograph. I think some acrobatics at the front is enough.”
“You don’t want to spar with me?”
“Why should I spar with you right now?”
“I’m joking. It just reminds me of old times. Ha, you’re so sensitive.”
Jo Munseok tightened the tension then patted Na Junho’s shoulder to lighten the mood. At times like that, Juha would also hold his breath and then exhale. Fortunately, Na Junho didn’t seem to pay much attention to it.
Jang Chaemyeong and Seo Eunwon, who had grown close while arranging, couldn’t be separated even during break time. Watching them match twin choreography and come up with various ideas was as cute as children playing house.
Cutting through them, Juha approached Na Junho. He felt he’d only be at ease after giving Junho some hint to be careful of Jo Munseok.
“Hyung.”
When Juha called him, Junho handed over the water bottle he was drinking.
“Drink.”
Seeing him casually wipe his lips, Juha couldn’t refuse by saying it was something he’d been drinking. His throat was dry anyway, so Juha took a sip without putting his lips to it.
“Are you anxious about me being with Munseok?”
At Junho’s casually thrown words, Juha choked with a “gack.”
Juha coughed for a while, tears streaming down. Junho quietly waited beside him for the coughing to stop.
“……Does it show?”
Juha asked with reddened eyes.
“How could that not show? Following around so restlessly like that.”
“I’m just a bit worried. I saw before that you two didn’t get along well in the past……”
Unable to mention Jo Munseok’s plan, Juha spoke indirectly.
“Both he and I quit sports over 5 years ago. That was then and now is a different field.”
Jo Munseok still had lingering resentment though.
Unable to say it, Juha could only swallow his words.
“You’re not even the leader, so don’t worry about others and just do well yourself. Right now you and Yoo Youngin are doing the worst. I’m getting up first.”
“……”
Na Junho got up from his seat with the empty water bottle without even looking back at Juha.
‘Ha…… shit……’
Something he’d forgotten suddenly came to mind. Thinking of the flower prince, Juha’s vision suddenly went dark.
Right. This wasn’t the time to worry about Na Junho getting hit by Jo Munseok.
Lee Juha’s flower prince hadn’t even formed a bud yet.
Following Taeri’s advice, Juha had decided to acknowledge that he was pretty. However, acknowledging that and doing ‘pretty things’ enough to appeal to the public were separate matters.
Upon recognizing reality, anxiety suddenly rushed in.
‘Did I suggest changing for no reason?’
Juha bit his lips and got up from his seat. The practice room still echoed with the sound of Chaemyeong and Eunwon chattering and giggling. When Na Junho, who had gone to throw away his water bottle, came back in, Jo Munseok, who had been wiping sweat in the corner, threw his towel on the floor.
“Hey, let’s do it again.”
At Jo Munseok’s provocation, Na Junho approached with his hands in his pockets as if finding it interesting. The voices of Eunwon and Chaemyeong, who were watching the older guys’ reactions, grew quieter.
‘Forget it. Let me worry about myself.’
Juha headed to the bathroom to practice expressions by himself.
‘Flower prince…… flower prince……’
Certainly when thinking of ‘flower prince,’ Yoo Youngin came to mind first. His appearance itself was sparkling and he knew how to utilize his looks. It wasn’t pretending to be pretty, but an expression that comes from being completely absorbed in one’s own appearance, and Juha didn’t have the shamelessness to reach that level.
Lost in all kinds of thoughts, as soon as he entered the bathroom, Juha realized he’d come to the most uncomfortable place.
‘Ah, shit……’
Inside the bathroom, Yoo Youngin was alone, looking in the mirror and researching decadent beauty.
Not knowing someone had entered, Yoo Youngin making various expressions was quite a sight. Juha had never thought that Yoo Youngin’s face, definitely the number one beauty among trainees, would lack that much decadence. Until now he’d handled pretty, cute, and even melancholy looks, but his face lacked the power to make people feel ‘aroused.’
Rather, when he opened his eyes languidly and parted his lips, it became ridiculous.
“Hyung, want to teach each other our concepts?”
“Ah shit, you scared me!”
When Juha approached and asked, Yoo Youngin startled and stepped back.
“Sorry.”
“Ah forget it! What bullshit did you come to say?”
Yoo Youngin spoke with an even more exaggerated frown. Since that day, the two wore perfect masks in front of cameras, but didn’t speak to each other at all off camera. This space with just the two of them would be so uncomfortable that Yoo Youngin would want to run away.
However, Juha had never intended to threaten Yoo Youngin further from the beginning. As long as he was faithful during their time in the same group, he didn’t care if he rubbed lips with anyone or did handstands.
Moreover, the Yoo Youngin he’d observed since had surprisingly low combat ability. Even if you assumed Juha really had a recording file, his scheming was quite clumsy and obvious.
“Hyung is struggling with decadent prince and I’m struggling with flower prince, so it’d be good if we taught each other.”
Forgetting even the past blackmail, Juha suggested with an open heart. Since they were in the same boat anyway, no one could be absolutely lacking in ability. Juha was also thinking of temporarily joining hands with Yoo Youngin to make this stage successful.
However, Yoo Youngin’s face filled with mockery.
“After stealing it away, now you’re saying ridiculous things. If you want to be a flower prince so badly, stick some flowers in your hair or something, like a crazy person.”
Yoo Youngin snarled like a bristling baby leopard and left the bathroom. It was a signal not to even dream of becoming allies.
However, in the midst of that, what caught Juha’s attention was a different word.
‘……Flowers?’
He hadn’t thought of that.
Putting flowers in a handsome face was too obvious a direction, but if the face could support it, it could be thrilling. Taeri, Seo Eunwon, and even his blood relative Lee Yunha had all acknowledged Juha’s appearance.
Until now, Juha had whipped himself for being insufficient due to the frustration of falling out of the debut group, but now he could accept it.
That Lee Juha falling out of Metabolic wasn’t due to lack of skill or appearance.
So as Taeri had said, it was a good idea to fully enjoy his beauty.
‘What kind of flowers should I try?’
Juha looked in the bathroom mirror while imagining.
Neat eye shape, a sharp nose that wasn’t burdensome, lips that were moderately thin but long and pretty, making his overall facial lines Eastern.
His pale skin could make him look fragile, but the lines from his neck to shoulders, from shoulders to arms, revealed subtle masculinity. Thanks to consistently exercising and practicing dance during his long trainee period, his muscles were nicely firm compared to his thin body.
Anyway, fans yearned not for the real Lee Juha but for Lee Juha on stage. So Lee Juha himself had no choice but to put effort into drawing another Lee Juha.
‘Let’s try it.’
As soon as Juha left the bathroom, he ordered flowers from the production team’s props department. Imagining himself going on stage with flowers in his hair made him laugh, but it was too good an idea to pass up.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
