Chapter 66
‘I should have called Taeri.’
Juha was still fidgeting with his phone, lost in thought.
It was almost 10 o’clock and there was still no contact from Taeri. But he couldn’t just call out of the blue during a family dinner.
He decided to send a few texts and wait for a reply, but he couldn’t easily let go of his phone.
With the broadcast approaching, Lee Yunha had ordered delivery food again.
“Oppa, move the remote.”
When Juha moved the remote from the center of the table, Yunha set down the food. Outside the bag, it read ‘Mara Manna.’
“……”
He had told her to order whatever she wanted to eat, and Yunha had ordered malatang. It was even exactly the same franchise restaurant that Juha had gone to with his team members for PPL.
“……Why malatang of all things?”
“Why? You eat malatang too.”
“I had it a few days ago……”
“Ah, what are you saying. You told me to order what I wanted, and now you’re complaining.”
Yunha grumbled as she took the food out of the bag. As soon as she opened the lid, the mala scent wafted out. Seeing the malatang automatically reminded Juha of ‘that day.’
That day, he had heartily eaten both malatang and maxi banguo, and even two days later, his mouth still felt numb.
‘Haven’t seen him since that day.’
Thinking about how Taeri had barged into the karaoke room after eating malatang and gotten jealous still made Juha chuckle.
“If you don’t want to eat it, don’t eat it.”
Yunha pouted and tore open her chopsticks, glaring at Juha who was just staring at the malatang.
Juha sipped the cola that came with it and turned his attention to the TV.
The commercials ended and episode 6 began.
“Wow, would their lack of closeness really show that much? Why did Yoo Youngin form teams like that?”
As soon as Team 1 with Juha appeared first, Yunha criticized them. Thanks to clever editing, they looked like they weren’t even making eye contact during practice and were only looking in mirrors, which would surely appear to the general public as if they had fought.
After Lee Cheong’s “You guys aren’t close, are you?” it ended, they practiced awkwardly. The awkwardness and gradual consideration for each other was captured on camera. Though they practiced the same song in the same space, they each still did their best.
Soon, scenes of Na Junho and Jo Munseok teaching each other, and Myeongwon twins, Yoo Youngin, and even Juha practicing awkwardly together appeared.
The highlight was the scene of them sleeping together in Na Junho’s room. Though it wasn’t shown in detail due to being filmed with observation cameras, it was clear enough to see that they had grown closer.
Despite the short time, the change in their relationship was clearly visible due to the contrasting editing.
[Team 1 members who came to understand each other by sleeping in one room……]
A wistful subtitle appeared on screen. Along with it, Na Junho’s smiling face, the room owner, was shown in close-up.
“What’s Na Junho’s personality like?”
Yunha asked while wiping her lips, which had turned red from the malatang, with a tissue.
“He’s okay.”
“Give me a more sincere answer.”
“I don’t really know either.”
Juha brushed it off casually and focused on the screen.
And then the performance began.
When the “Butterfly Dream” accompaniment started, Yunha unconsciously flinched. Since it had been a family forbidden song all along, Yunha uncharacteristically glanced at Juha nervously. Seeing that reaction, he could imagine how angry his family members had been when Yoo Youngin picked “Butterfly Dream” and then chose Lee Juha in the last episode.
“Just watch it.”
When Juha couldn’t stand it anymore and said a word, only then did Yunha relax.
At the time, Juha was on stage, so this was his first time seeing his own performance through edited footage.
Munseok and Junho, who appeared secretly like shadows and did acrobatic flips with a whoosh, were really ‘cool.’ Despite both being tall, their body movements were light and agile.
“Wow, oppa, I’ve really liked Na Junho since last time?”
“I thought it was Yoo Youngin?”
Juha casually threw out the words.
“Huh? Hannie and Jang Chaemyeong, wow. Jang Chaemyeong succeeded.”
Yunha ignored Juha’s words and kept exclaiming while watching the screen.
When Seo Eunwon and Jang Chaemyeong filled the screen, Juha also chuckled. Jang Chaemyeong, well-dressed up, didn’t fall short even standing next to Seo Eunwon. Since he had practiced expressions and movements with Seo Eunwon so much, they looked lovely like pretty twins.
And when Juha appeared, he let out an “ah” sigh as soon as he saw his own face on screen.
“……Wow, what flower are you wearing, wow……”
Lee Yunha looked at Juha with contemptuous eyes.
“……”
Right. The stylists had all praised Juha with flowers in his hair as pretty, but there was no way he’d receive such praise from his blood relative. How must it feel to see your older brother appear on TV with flowers in his hair.
Fortunately, Yoo Youngin appeared right away. Unexpectedly, Yunha was lukewarm.
“I thought Yoo Youngin was your favorite?”
Juha probed Yunha once more.
“I don’t know, I’ve lost interest.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think? Because he’s being annoying to you. Oh, he’s paired with Na Junho?”
Yunha casually revealed her true feelings while focusing on the screen.
“……”
Youngin’s team formation was controversial among fans too, but the opinion that it was strategic was stronger.
He had thought only Juha, the person involved, would have felt malice, but seeing her get angry like that, a younger sister was indeed a younger sister.
Thanks to getting used to the stage, Team 1’s second verse performance was even more energetic. Juha flinched every time he saw himself acting cute on screen. Lee Yunha, who had initially said her eyes were rotting because of her oppa, eventually just tolerated it and watched.
Silver flower petals scattered from Juha’s hands with a whoosh, ending the performance.
“……How was it?”
Juha casually asked Yunha.
“Oppa, I like Na Junho. Wow, Na Junho is so cool!”
Ignoring Juha who was waiting for an answer, Yunha kept repeating Na Junho’s name and making a fuss.
“What about me!”
Annoyed that Yunha kept going on about Na Junho, Juha snapped.
“What do you mean how was it. Wouldn’t it be more impossible for oppa not to be able to do that song?”
“……”
This was also praise according to blood relative standards. While the two were bickering, the judges’ comments passed by and Team 2 appeared.
“Oh! It’s Choi Taeri! Oppa, oppa! Choi Taeri.”
Gone was the awkward expression from when she asked for Choi Taeri’s autograph earlier, Yunha was completely absorbed in the screen. Juha also focused on the screen since he hadn’t directly seen Taeri’s preparation process.
Compared to episode 5 which only showed good sides, this episode’s preparation process for Taeri’s team didn’t look very smooth. First of all, all the team members found Taeri difficult to approach. Taeri tried to ask for other people’s opinions and bring their hearts together as much as possible, but everyone just watched each other’s reactions.
The biggest problem was Korean-American Andrew Son. The production team probably thought having a few Korean-Americans or foreigners would liven up the competition atmosphere, but Andrew had been standing far from the group since the first team meeting.
Andrew Son’s interview appeared right away. Since his Korean was poor, he spoke comfortably in English.
‘I emigrated when I was 4 and have lived in Baltimore until now. Being one of the few Asians, I was bullied and discriminated against a lot. What changed me was a song that came on the radio one day. A song in Korean came on Baltimore radio in America. That’s when I realized. I don’t want to live like this anymore. I want to become famous too, singing and dancing the songs I want to do.’
Listening to Andrew’s story, Juha unconsciously let out a bitter smile. His past of being bullied was similar to Yoo Youngin’s, but Andrew was portrayed coolly while Yoo Youngin received mockery and attacks like a criminal.
Even with the same story, the reason Andrew was highlighted seemed to have sycophantic aspects. It makes a better picture to envision an Asian who was discriminated against in America dreaming of conquering the world rather than a story about a school outcast overweight ugly duckling.
-Do you have a Korean name too?
‘My Korean name is……’
Andrew hesitated and then carefully threw out the words.
‘Saesun….. Son Saesun. My father gave it to me so I would always be fresh and green like a new sprout.’
“Pft!”
Yunha couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
“Hey, do you laugh at someone’s name?”
“It’s funny. What is Saesun supposed to be?”
“……Forget it. What am I even talking to you about.”
Juha shook his head and focused on the screen.
When Andrew kept hesitating behind his teammates, Taeri approached first to take care of him. For every conversation between team members, Taeri interpreted for Andrew.
As time passed, Andrew’s expression brightened. Eventually, the night before the performance, a surprise birthday party for Andrew was held under Taeri’s leadership. Three ‘SSS’ shaped candles were stuck on top of a choco pie cake. It was natural for Andrew to shed torrential tears, and Taeri comforted Andrew in natural English.
At that time, Juha was struggling in Na Junho’s room to create forced chemistry between team members.
“Choi Taeri is really the ultimate perfect son. He’s good at English too?”
“I’m good at English too……”
At Yunha’s words, Juha replied stubbornly. He wanted to become someone who matched that perfectly-seeming Taeri even a little more.
“Yeah, you’d be good at it. So please create some narrative too. Always the PD. Huh! What’s wrong with Choi Taeri’s clothes?”
Yunha was about to say something important but urgently hit Juha’s knee repeatedly.
“Ah, why are you hitting me.”
Juha rubbed his knee and glared at Yunha. Looking at Yunha staring blankly at the screen, Juha also looked at the screen.
Taeri’s flashy fashion was revealed under the bright lights. It was even more shocking to see on TV.
‘Choco choco mint.’
The blatant camera work that scanned from Taeri’s toes to the top of his head, as well as filming from front, back, and both sides from various angles, focused on his fashion.
Each member of Taeri’s team had interesting characters, but Choi Taeri was incomparable. Only Taeri was visible on stage, and with the camera intensively highlighting Taeri too, the other team members’ impact was relatively weak.
“The song is really damn terrible.”
Yunha burst into incredulous laughter hearing the lyrics ‘We two are between mint chocolate, don’t say toothpaste, between mint chocolate.’
She had long since stopped caring about the malatang.
After Taeri’s team ended, the other teams’ unity missions and performances went more smoothly than expected. Among them, the most eye-catching was Choi Musin on Kim Namhong’s team.
“Huh? Isn’t that the kimchi guy?”
Yunha immediately recognized Choi Musin.
He had started at 57th place, chosen kimchi as his profile photo prop under the worst conditions, made it to 4th place in photo rankings through patriotic marketing, and in the first competition, teamed up with Yoo Youngin and came up through the loser’s bracket.
Kim Namhong’s team song was ‘Don’t Trust Me,’ themed around a bad man. But Choi Musin changed the theme of this song from a bad man to a ‘ghost.’
In other words, he changed the subject you shouldn’t trust from a playboy to a ghost that doesn’t exist in this world, meaning a spirit.
The stage was decorated eerily, and every time the chorus lyrics ‘Don’t trust me’ came out, all five members identically flipped black cloaks over their heads, making them appear to momentarily disappear from the stage. The horror movie-like stage atmosphere and the team members’ stage performance were particularly outstanding.
“He must really be smart. Having someone like that would make it convenient for group activities. Right, oppa?”
“I guess so.”
Juha answered indifferently. Although Choi Musin and Juha had no connection at all, his creativity was worth acknowledging.
“Then Choi Taeri, Na Junho, Yoo Youngin? Yoo Youngin honestly has many fans so he’ll debut, right? Include Seo Hannie since oppa likes him, though he has many fans too so he’ll make it. Kim Namhong also doesn’t seem like he’ll drop out in the current state, Choi Musin seems like he’ll drop out ranking-wise but if he does well he might make it.”
Yunha was counting on her fingers, selecting colleagues who would debut with her oppa. Juha chuckled watching serious Yunha.
Choi Musin was like Jang Chaemyeong. His unique sense stood out more than his visuals, dance, or singing, but when well-dressed, he wasn’t that bad-looking either.
Choi Musin’s first ranking was 40th place. He really barely made it. But since his screen exposure frequency was gradually increasing, it was worth expecting as Yunha said.
Then Juha was startled by the thought that he was unconsciously selecting debut members, influenced by Yunha’s words.
‘The second round isn’t even over yet.’
Juha’s lips naturally turned bitter.
After all the performances ended, an announcement came out.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
