Chapter 48
He had handed over the small camera in the morning, and in that short time, the video with subtitles thoroughly inserted had quite effectively created a horror-like atmosphere.
“How did you even think to film at night?”
At Hajun’s amazing question, Jaekyung slightly turned his body to be conscious of the guy sitting behind him. Jaekyung had initially thought about hiding it in his sleeve and filming secretly. But he gave up right away.
‘I can’t avoid Lee Jungwoo’s eyes.’
Jaekyung knew not only the current Jungwoo but also the future Jungwoo well. While filming reality shows several times, he’d seen Jungwoo repeatedly catch the members’ hidden cameras, rendering those attempts useless. He looked expressionless and uninterested in anything when you just looked at him, but sometimes he’d be surprisingly sensitive.
So he moved when everyone was sleeping. If they were awake, he’d get caught, so he filmed when their eyes were closed. That was his thinking. On the other hand, he knew from experience when reactions were good on reality shows.
‘It also fits the new side PD Choi mentioned.’
Since it was a dark video that was hard to see clearly, subtitles at the bottom came up to infer what situation it was. Of course, since Jaekyung knew when everything was, he watched more comfortably than others.
As he passed through an empty hallway and entered someone’s room, all the trainees held their breath and focused on the video. Then someone let out a quiet gasp at the hand caught on camera.
The hand moved toward somewhere, then suddenly bright light entered the screen. At the same time, Hajun’s sleeping face was revealed. Jaekyung’s hand had turned on the phone that was beside Hajun’s face.
“Was I first?”
Hajun grabbed Jaekyung’s shoulder next to him. Though he said it while laughing, Jaekyung played dumb and looked ahead. Along with Hajun’s sleeping figure, he showed the objects around him. His phone, glasses, earphones, and such. Though you’d expect him to keep things tidy, since Jaekyung knew Hajun’s habit of keeping objects within arm’s reach, he filmed those.
Then he immediately filmed Hajun’s phone screen with the camera. After showing the cat that filled the entire screen, Jaekyung pointed at the cat with his finger and whispered softly.
“Its name is ‘You’re Also a Butler’.”
At his gentle voice, the other team members also looked at Jaekyung one by one. Under their gazes, Jaekyung nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.
After filming Hajun’s sleeping figure once more, Jaekyung immediately showed his roommate Choi Wooju’s sleeping face and went to another room. Taeyeon, who figured out who was next, showed a horrified expression, and Yang Chaejun completely covered his face. Who would have thought he’d filmed their sleeping figures.
“Jaekyung hyung is really mean.”
Jaekyung coldly ignored Taeyeon’s resentment. As expected, the person Jaekyung filmed next was Taeyeon. With his blanket thrown far away and sleeping with his stomach exposed, the trainees burst into laughter. Taeyeon stamped his feet in frustration, but at the continuing scene in the video, he became docile as if asking when he’d been upset.
“You’ll get a stomachache.”
Jaekyung pulled down Taeyeon’s clothes and covered him with the blanket. At that caring gesture, Taeyeon’s anger subsided. Jaekyung then filmed Yang Chaejun and came out to stand in front of his original room.
“Phew.”
Unlike now, it was a reaction as if he was nervous. When they wondered why, they heard Jaekyung’s small whisper.
“He’s sensitive…”
He revealed his anxiety that the last team leader, Jungwoo, might wake up before he could film him. Perhaps because of that, he moved even more carefully when entering the room.
Jaekyung went to where the blanket was faintly raised and carefully brightened Jungwoo’s phone screen. As soon as he brightened it, he covered it with his hand, but at the faint light flowing through his fingers, Jungwoo rubbed his eyes as if about to wake up. Jaekyung seemed flustered as the camera shook and Jungwoo’s figure wasn’t captured properly. At that moment of crisis, everyone concentrated on watching the screen. It was a breathtaking situation where they didn’t know if Jungwoo would wake up and everything would be discovered, or if he’d fall asleep again. As Jungwoo started to toss and turn completely, Jaekyung’s breathing became rough and he suddenly reached out his hand.
“Sleep, sleep.”
Jaekyung spoke like a spell, then patted Jungwoo’s chest and hummed a lullaby. But when Jungwoo really fell asleep again, Jaekyung let out a sigh of relief.
“Ah, I’m too nervous to watch.”
Taeyeon said with a more heart-pounding expression than when he had appeared. Jaekyung now turned on Jungwoo’s phone screen. He tried to see the wallpaper, but it was password-locked and the background was blurred. Would he try pressing this and that? Or would he just give up? While everyone was curious…
“Jungwoo. What’s your password?”
Thanks to the mafia asking outright, the trainees froze solid in an instant. When did he put him back to sleep, and why is he asking for the password? But Jungwoo told him the password as if in his sleep.
“Isn’t he awake?”
Like Taeyeon’s bewildered words, everyone had the same thought. Jaekyung showed that the wallpaper was just black with nothing on it, then turned off the camera. As the mafia, he had finished all his tasks.
Now they knew that Jaekyung, who was the only one who hadn’t appeared in the video, was the mafia. But for some reason, PD Choi wasn’t picking up the microphone. When everyone including Jaekyung was wondering why…
“Huh?”
Taeyeon pointed at the screen.
Once again, with eerie background music, the camera turned on. This time even Jaekyung was surprised. Because he hadn’t filmed anything more.
‘What is this?’
While wondering, one person’s face appeared on screen. Thanks to turning the camera part of the cam toward himself, Jungwoo’s face was captured completely.
“Lee Jungwoo?”
At Jaekyung calling out the name, Jungwoo sitting behind him tapped his shoulder. As if to say, “Yeah, that’s me.”
Not only had Jungwoo found the camera Jaekyung had hidden and turned it on, but he also examined it this way and that, then completely drew back the curtains. Though it was dawn and not much light flowed in, the room’s interior was clearly visible in the noticeably brighter space.
Jungwoo was different from the cautious Jaekyung. He walked normally and didn’t particularly try to muffle sounds. Even when he blatantly sat in the chair in front of sleeping Jaekyung, it was the same.
But the amazing part didn’t end here. Jungwoo put the camera on the table and with his free hands, touched Jaekyung’s sleeping face. He pressed and stretched his cheeks, stroked his hair, lifted and lowered his hands, and even poked his slightly parted lips.
But Jaekyung showed no signs of waking up.
“You…”
Jaekyung glared at Jungwoo who had touched him. However, Jungwoo shrugged his shoulders just as Jaekyung had done earlier. Jaekyung looked at the video as if frustrated. He was still poking and prodding him.
“Ah, we’re getting videos that exceed expectations.”
PD Choi was pleased, saying they couldn’t have filmed this even if they’d planned it.
“The mafia of the PR Team was trainee Seo Jaekyung.”
When the PR Team’s turn ended, Jaekyung let out a long sigh. The gazes of his teammates stubbornly looked only at PD Choi.
After scores were tallied along with all teams’ mafias, PD Choi stood before them again.
“You must be curious what benefit is attached to this mission? It’s stage selection rights.”
When what Jaekyung had expected came true, he covered his eyes.
‘He was thinking this from when he asked about the concept.’
And the PR Team failed to secure their desired stage.
* * *
“The office was taken…”
At Hajun’s muttering while glancing at the HR Team, Taeyeon sighed. Because they had worn suits in the original team formation mission, there were quite a few teams that thought of suits like office workers for this stage.
The HR Team, which revealed Lee Sowoon as the mafia, was right in front of the PR Team and snatched the office background stage right before their eyes.
Hajun looked at the stage he had picked, thinking it was the best among what remained.
“We deliberately made the movements small for restraint… will this fit the fluttering cherry blossom sentiment?”
No one opened their mouth at Hajun’s question. They had hoped the subtle sexiness of office workers focused on work would stand out, but they couldn’t create atmosphere under falling cherry blossoms.
Realizing the situation had become serious, even Hajun now closed his mouth and fell into thought.
The next person to speak was Jungwoo. He asked while keeping his gaze fixed on Jaekyung.
“Was this why you said to wait and see?”
“That’s not what’s important. We only have a week left.”
Jaekyung tapped the word “cherry blossoms” toward Jungwoo. Jungwoo nodded slightly and opened his mouth.
“I know. It’s not that we don’t have time, so we should decide again.”
“Decide again? Are you thinking of completely changing the choreography?”
“We have to match the atmosphere.”
“It’s impossible.”
Jaekyung waved his hand. However, Jungwoo didn’t relax his expression. His firmness showed that they couldn’t push through like this. In the suddenly tense atmosphere, Hajun returned to a bystander’s position and the rest couldn’t interfere in Jaekyung and Jungwoo’s conversation.
“Let’s just change part of it.”
Jaekyung first offered Jungwoo a reasonable compromise. Since it was modified from the basic choreography, changing everything new wouldn’t have much meaning. Jungwoo seemed to understand and agreed. However, he didn’t completely back down either.
“Instead of changing everything, I think it would be okay to completely reveal one movement so we can bring out the atmosphere.”
“Fine.”
Jaekyung was too lazy to argue and brushed it off. Then he turned his head away from Jungwoo and made eye contact with Yang Chaejun. When had he come to his side? Yang Chaejun smiled and pressed his body closer to Jaekyung.
There’s also the matter between Taeyeon and Yang Chaejun.
Jaekyung pressed his throbbing forehead. He had a premonition that the week he thought he’d spend somewhat comfortably would flow more tightly than the first stage.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
