Chapter 18
“Did your ears turn red back then?”
Taeri said mockingly from beside him.
“N-no. I came inside after practicing so that’s why.”
Juha could feel his ears heating up again. Just as he hoped this embarrassing state wouldn’t be noticed, the screen changed.
[Episode 2 Preview]
As soon as episode 1 ended, the next episode preview started quickly.
The prop game scene for profile photo shoots appeared. Ten people mixed together, blindfolded and spinning like elephant trunks – it was complete chaos.
Naturally, Juha tumbling over a random box was also shown in the preview. His movements were close to slapstick comedy.
“Pfft.”
Choi Taeri burst into laughter watching the screen.
Though the contents were shown with mosaic, Juha’s face checking the random box he drew was clearly shocked by anyone’s standards.
‘Trainee Lee Juha will become a ‘beep-‘!’
Park Jusung said teasingly while stretching his hands out dramatically. Right after, everyone was shocked seeing what Choi Taeri drew, and the preview ended.
The screen showed guidance text along with ‘My Job is Idol’ music.
[The profile photos to be broadcast in episode 2 can be viewed immediately through the Gnet website or app.
Please give hearts to the trainees you like.]
Commercials started as if confirming it was really all over now.
“It’s over.”
Juha muttered.
A week’s worth of hardship contained in just 3 hours. It felt somehow hollow.
No, he just felt it was a disaster.
That stiff appearance among kids trying to show off their charm whenever they got a one-shot.
Juha bit his lips in regret. Next to him, Taeri put down his beer can with a thud and spoke.
“It’s better than I thought?”
You would be fine. Juha swallowed his words internally.
Choi Taeri had been edited with the production team pouring their souls into it. Yoo Youngin, who stuck desperately to Taeri’s side, appeared frequently on screen as well.
The two-shot of tall, sharp-featured Taeri who suddenly melted like a gentle puppy when he smiled, with small and sparkling Youngin beside him, looked well-matched even to Juha.
“I came out pretty bland.”
Juha muttered to himself. While he couldn’t say he had no screen time, there were no particularly memorable scenes either. Moreover, despite being designated as Taeri’s roommate and getting solo shots several times, Juha had no notable reactions.
After it all ended, he became anxious and unsettled. Though only one episode had aired, he felt the uneasiness of having lost his chance forever.
At Juha’s dejected words, Taeri turned his head and stared at him intently. His expression was unreadable.
“You’re really… um… never mind.”
Taeri started to speak then just closed his mouth.
That he stood out tremendously among them all – only Lee Juha himself didn’t know. Among the wildly energetic kids, Lee Juha was noble like a white deer.
Like a peacock with a long tail, glittering feathers trailed long where he passed, making it impossible to look away.
Taeri didn’t doubt his discernment. As episodes progressed, Lee Juha would surely shine. A year ago, the Lee Juha he saw in Serona Entertainment’s practice room was grooming the feathers he possessed. The moment he spread those enchantingly beautiful wings, not only the judges but the public would fall for him too.
Imagining this made Taeri’s heart race with overwhelming excitement.
“Why? Say it.”
Juha asked with slightly furrowed brows. Perhaps because he couldn’t drink well, his reddened cheeks made him cute even when angry.
“Among 80 people, you’re the only one with your kind of character. Forget it, let’s look at the photos.”
Taeri reluctantly answered and shifted his gaze to his mobile phone. At Taeri’s words, Juha’s already red cheeks heated up noticeably.
Always pretending to be prickly but so cute. Taeri muttered internally and smiled.
“…Okay.”
Let’s look at the photos at least. Juha also turned his gaze to his mobile phone.
Asking to give hearts meant they would count the numbers. They’d probably make another ranking based on heart counts. The tedious ranking game would likely continue until the program ended.
Clicking the ‘My Job is Idol’ banner on the Gnet app main page immediately connected to viewing trainee profile photos.
It was hard to stand out much among 80 trainees wearing the same school uniform.
First place Choi Taeri appeared first. Juha checked his photo before his own.
The first photo was the school uniform picture. Next to it was a simple profile.
[Choi Taeri (200X. 07. 01. Age 18)
Height: 185cm
Weight: 74kg
Hobby: Reading
Specialty: Contemporary dance]
His bright smile showing teeth looked more cheerful than usual Taeri. When not speaking, he seemed to have deliberately made a brighter expression to shed his cynical impression.
Scrolling down revealed concept photos.
“…”
The moment Juha saw Taeri’s concept photo, he almost stopped breathing.
Wearing a plain white shirt, Taeri had dark eye makeup and a long red wound on his left cheek.
He was staring straight ahead while stretching a black rope prop taut with both hands extended forward.
An intense gaze as if saying he’d chase you to the ends of the earth. One corner of his mouth curved up strangely while his eyes narrowed mockingly, seeming to look down on his opponent. The gaze was intense enough to be frightening, yet somehow felt hollowly empty.
His shoulders and chest muscles rose masculinely from tensing his upper body. Veins clearly drew lines on the back of his hands gripping the rope, and the sharp muscles visible on his wrists were intimidating.
Overall it evoked an ominously dark fallen atmosphere, which was strangely sexy. He felt the threat that he might leap out of the photo at any moment to cover Juha’s eyes or strangle his neck.
Less than 5 minutes after episode 1 ended, Choi Taeri’s photo already had thousands of hearts.
And the most hearted comments were:
Best 1: [Obsessive maniac live-action version]
Best 2: [Sorry for our first meeting, but I was wrong.]
Best 3: [I fell down and naturally got on my knees.]
Below that, discussions continued about what he must have drawn to get such a photo.
Juha scrolled back up to the photo.
With just holding one rope, Choi Taeri perfectly embodied the image of a predator with prey before its eyes.
Facing Taeri’s dramatic expression, Juha couldn’t tear his gaze away. Just looking made him feel devoured by an arrogant, sexy monster.
Juha calmed his trembling hands and pressed the back button. The afterimage of Choi Taeri’s photoshoot remained in his vision. Just having that image flickering before his eyes made his whole body tense up.
Juha calmly scrolled down and reached 24th Lee Juha’s photo.
Lee Juha in school uniform was neat like a high school student council election poster or graduation photo. Being among talented people, he didn’t particularly stand out.
[Lee Juha (200X. 11. 01 Age 18)
Height: 178cm
Weight: 62kg
Hobby: Genre dance
Specialty: Learning choreography]
‘Am I ruined…’
Disappointed by the ordinariness that contrasted too much with Choi Taeri just before, the moment he saw the concept photo, Juha doubted his eyes.
The face of a man who would deserve death if debauchery were a crime was brazenly placed there.
‘When did I take something like this?’
Juha was genuinely dumbfounded.
The Juha in the photo was sitting on a long bench, casually leaning his body with one arm and raising the opposite knee.
Through his diagonally leaning body, the wide hanbok had opened to reveal Juha’s long neckline and shoulder line, thin collarbone and even glimpses of chest. Though the loosely undone gonryongpo and hanbok covered much more area, just the skin revealed in the triangular space between clothes was pale as if he’d spent three nights and four days in a gisaeng house without seeing sunlight, eating and drinking.
Above the neck was even more serious.
His eyes were narrowly relaxed as if he’d inhaled all the opium of unknown quality alone, and his mouth was half-open, looking at the camera teasingly while smiling.
And what about the deliberately tousled hair?
The face that was forlorn, debauched, devastated, and fragile yet seductive – Juha absolutely couldn’t believe it was himself.
He’d thought of the strong ruler Yeonsangun while shooting, but the result was a seductively disheveled king oozing with sensuality.
Juha slowly scrolled down to the comments.
Best 1: [The prey that the obsessive maniac will deliciously devour]
Best 2: [This is the nation.]
Best 3: [So this is why Yongbieocheonga was created…]
Seeing the comment “The prey that the obsessive maniac will deliciously devour,” Juha’s gaze moved toward Choi Taeri, the incarnation of the “obsessive maniac.”
His silence since earlier was somehow unsettling.
Choi Taeri was staring at Lee Juha’s photo without moving at all.
Taeri had also checked Juha’s photo before his own. And until now, he’d been staring blankly at the Juha on screen without taking his eyes away.
He’d known Lee Juha’s face was erotic from long ago, but this photoshoot was truly absurd.
The gaze, expression, pale thin fingers, even the slightly curved toes inside the beoseon socks.
He wanted to pour out every stimulus imaginable by humans to torment him.
He wanted to lay him down unable to move and make him cry loudly.
While Taeri was lost in ugly imagination, he suddenly felt a gaze.
Taeri swallowed dry saliva and slowly turned his head.
“Lee Juha…”
When Taeri called his name, Juha’s pupils shook. Just as Juha hastily tried to avoid his eyes, Taeri’s hand gently cupped Juha’s cheek. Unable to fully turn his head away, Juha lowered his gaze.
Though he could have avoided it, Juha obediently surrendered his cheek. Taeri’s thumb tip brushed Juha’s cheek.
His cheek was fluffy and soft like a newborn puppy’s fur. Perhaps the stroking feeling was unfamiliar, Juha closed his eyes tightly and trembled all over. He neither asked him to remove his hand nor turned his head away. Exactly like fighting his own desires.
Taeri’s pupils stopped at Juha’s lips. Those lips seemed about to say something as they moved.
“Re… remove it.”
The words Taeri least wanted to hear spilled from Juha’s mouth.
Lee Juha’s voice, moist and full of tightly suppressed emotion, seemed to be asking him to touch more.
“I don’t want to.”
The corners of Taeri’s mouth curved up awkwardly.
“Remove it…”
“I told you. Next time won’t be a joke.”
Before Juha could finish speaking, Taeri cut him off. His low voice seriously resonated through the room. From the TV, a messy variety show flowed noisily.
Juha slowly met Taeri’s gaze. It should be a joke, but seeing Taeri’s expression, he absolutely couldn’t think of it as a joke. His whole body froze.
Suddenly the imagination he’d been suppressing burst in Juha’s head. The scene of white-shirted Choi Taeri from the photo approaching slowly while tapping the floor with black rope, undressing the clothes of Juha intoxicated with alcohol and drugs.
Imagining himself arching his back and twisting his upper body for even a bit more of Taeri’s touch, goosebumps spread frighteningly all over Juha’s body.
“D-don’t!”
Juha smacked away Taeri’s hand cupping his cheek and bolted upright.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
