Chapter 50
“Yes, you said so yourself. If our team fails, I’ll be eliminated too. You’ll pretend you don’t know, right?”
Youngin spoke to Juha with a pale face, grasping at straws like a drowning man.
“How can I pretend not to know? When you’re trying to eliminate me.”
“No, that’s not it! That’s just something I say every time I drink with Munseok!”
Youngin shook his head vigorously in denial.
“I’m not trash enough to expose hyung’s sexual orientation or secret drinking, but I can’t just sit still when you say you’ll gather all the annoying kids and eliminate them all at once.”
“No, no! That’s really not it! I just brought all the kids I wanted to perform on stage with!”
Youngin waved his hands frantically in shock.
“Hey, that’s different from what hyung told me in the bathroom.”
Juha spoke with light sarcasm, but his eyes were cold.
“Did I know I’d pick Metabolic’s song? I really brought you because I thought you’d suit that song well! Really! Believe me! I really need to debut this time.”
Youngin looked at Juha with desperate eyes, clasping his hands together in earnest plea. His tone was almost groveling. Since he was 22 years old, it would definitely be an awkward age if he couldn’t debut this time.
“You’re not the only one who wants to debut here. I want to debut too, the one hyung wants to eliminate so badly. If hyung gets eliminated, wouldn’t that create a spot for me?”
“……”
Yoo Youngin couldn’t bring himself to respond. His sad puppy eyes disappeared, replaced by a resentful expression after being hit right on target.
“Are you going to keep acting like a fucking asshole?”
Juha stood straight in front of him and said.
“What did I…?”
“If you keep pretending you don’t understand like this, I won’t hold back either.”
Juha put both hands in his pockets and glared at Youngin. Youngin’s gaze naturally dropped to the floor. He must be going crazy by now. He never imagined that Lee Juha, whom he considered the most pushover, would grab his weakness and shake him with it.
But if the audio file Juha had was wrongly exposed, Yoo Youngin could be buried socially, let alone debut. Especially since young fans these days absolutely don’t tolerate character controversies.
“……S-sorry. I won’t do it anymore, so just let it slide this once. Please?”
Yoo Youngin reluctantly apologized.
“How can I trust hyung? How do I know you won’t go out and say something different?”
“That won’t happen. This is really my last chance.”
At Youngin’s answer, Juha stared at him quietly. Youngin shrank back and avoided Juha’s gaze.
“Don’t touch me or Eunwon either. And get your head straight. There’s not a single person here who’ll fall for cheap tricks like yours.”
Juha’s warning voice didn’t waver an inch.
“O-okay.”
“Tell Jo Munseok too. If he touches Junho hyung, I’ll take this straight to the production team and spread it on the internet.”
“I’ll do well. I’ll do well!”
Youngin, now completely disciplined, nodded frantically in response. Yoo Youngin was completely terrified now.
Watching him, Juha smiled lightly.
“That’s right. You wouldn’t let your professionalism drop enough to be shaken by something like this, would you?”
“No. I’ll really do well. T-trust me. I need to debut too.”
“You better do well. If you don’t want to finish without even properly standing on stage once. Let’s go. We each have a lot to prepare tonight.”
Juha patted Youngin’s shoulder with his hand.
“Th-thank you!”
Yoo Youngin hurriedly escaped through the emergency exit like a lizard running away with its tail cut off.
Juha watched Youngin’s retreating figure with a bitter smile.
The kiss and drinking with Jo Munseok aside, the scheming was definitely a big incident. If it became known to the outside, even Yoo Youngin with his solid fanbase would have a hard time getting through it easily.
He could have pressed harder and really shattered his mental state. But the reason he ultimately didn’t was partly because Juha himself had been kissing Taeri at that time so he felt guilty, but mainly because he had to do the mission stage with Youngin in this competition.
‘Did I do the right thing?’
A competitor’s weakness could be a good opportunity. But Juha didn’t feel like grabbing onto it and pushing his competitor over a cliff to climb up. He had intimidated him, but there was no evidence, and if he used such methods to corner Youngin, he would just become the same kind of person.
‘I shouldn’t worry about others, I just need to do well myself.’
Juha steeled his resolve once more.
If Juha did that, someday his competitors could also throw him into the gutter using the same method. Strictly speaking, his relationship with Taeri was a big weakness for both of them, so if discovered, it could cause even bigger trouble.
And above all, properly executing the second competition stage and advancing to the third round would be better for building Juha’s narrative. If his team had a major incident and the production team was thrown into chaos, shaking the program itself, it would be a big loss for Juha too. So keeping Youngin alive to some extent and training him to be obedient was much more advantageous for Juha.
When the door closing sound was heard, Taeri came clattering down from the upper floor.
“Lee Juha is scary. What would you have done if Youngin hyung came up to where I was?”
“What’s wrong with you and me being in the emergency stairwell? We’re friends anyway. And in that state, he wouldn’t have the presence of mind to check upstairs. It would be more shocking to realize there was one more person watching.”
“But did you really record it on your watch?”
Taeri pointed at Juha’s wristwatch and asked.
“As if.”
Juha burst into laughter.
He didn’t have the presence of mind to actually press the record button on his watch in that situation, and Juha wasn’t that vicious anyway. He saw Juha and Taeri’s faces overlapping over Youngin’s face as they were caught in their secret meeting, and acting dirty by holding onto someone’s weakness didn’t suit Juha’s personality either.
He had simply used Youngin’s fear. Since he was already scared enough that someone had witnessed that scene, he wouldn’t dare ask to check the recording file.
“Ah, Lee Juha is really driving me crazy. Take it easy. I want to stop falling for you.”
Taeri wrapped his arms around Juha’s waist with a playful smile. Even with his flirtatious aegyo, Juha firmly removed Taeri’s hands.
“Why……”
As Taeri was about to pout, Juha firmly grasped both his hands.
“Choi Taeri, I really want to debut with you. Seriously. So let’s be careful on set. We just confirmed there are many watching eyes here.”
Though it was a whispered small voice, Juha’s tone was firm. Taeri couldn’t joke around anymore.
“Okay. I’ll try to endure well. But after the training camp ends, you really have to dote on me a lot.”
“Yeah. If you endure well, I’ll praise you a lot.”
“Sigh. How can I just watch something this pretty……”
Taeri sighed and muttered to himself. His eyes overflowed with his feelings of finding him adorable to death. Even their joined hands seemed too precious as he fidgeted.
Hearing those words reminded Juha of the mission he had forgotten.
Flower prince.
To completely transform from his decadent image, Juha absolutely had to succeed with the flower prince concept. Juha was, strictly speaking, in the upper-middle tier in both looks and skills. But in other words, neither was outstanding enough to stand out in the top tier.
Moreover, if he was in the same team as Yoo Youngin, who was considered the prettiest among all participants, he needed to put even more effort into proper character creation.
“Taeri, there’s something I want to ask.”
“Hm? What?”
Taeri looked at Juha with curious eyes. Juha swallowed several times before opening his lips.
“When am I the prettiest?”
“Huh?”
Taeri tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.
“You know, you sometimes tell me I’m too pretty……”
Juha spoke hesitantly with his eyes downcast. Since he had never openly bragged about his looks, explaining in detail was even more embarrassing.
“Ah…… Ahhhhh……”
Taeri shook his head toward Juha in disbelief, letting out exclamations.
“What’s wrong?”
Juha asked blankly.
Choi Taeri, who had been wavering between Jekyll and Hyde, suddenly raised his head to look at Juha.
“If I tell you, will you do it?”
“Tell me first.”
Though Taeri’s question about whether he’d do it was ridiculous, Juha seriously considered it. It might be easier to ask and get confirmation about whether this expression or that expression was right. Having someone else watch would be more accurate than practicing alone.
That thought lasted only a moment. As soon as he heard Taeri’s answer, Juha clenched his fist.
“Of course when you’re naked…… ah, that’s not it? After you just showered…… ow, then I’ll get scolded…… ow, Lee Juha, when did you get so strong?”
“This bastard, really.”
Juha punched Taeri’s chest with his fist every time he spouted nonsense. Though it probably didn’t even hurt with all those muscles, Taeri covered his chest with his arms and pretended to be in all sorts of pain.
Juha glared at Taeri while fuming.
Taeri chuckled, finding even that reaction delightful. The problem was that all those answers were sincere.
“So what if you ask Jeongnam?”
Taeri didn’t stop joking as he gently rubbed the spot where he was hit.
“Stop joking around. I’m talking about a stage character.”
At the mention of ‘stage character,’ Taeri’s face immediately became serious. Though they were in different teams this time and could become enemies, they desperately needed each other’s help to advance to the third round together.
Taeri stared into space, deep in thought. Juha focused on what would come out of his mouth.
After thinking, Taeri opened his mouth.
“I wish Lee Juha knew he was pretty.”
As soon as he heard those words, Juha’s face burned hot. He had expected at least a special smile or look, or some expression or action, but Taeri’s answer was completely unexpected.
“What do you mean?”
“I think you underestimate yourself too much.”
“That’s……”
Juha couldn’t argue back either. Though he’d been a trainee since middle school, he had never once received criticism for lacking in looks. He easily passed the dreaded age of 16, and even in the debut group, Juha didn’t fall behind other members in looks.
But strangely, Juha was always harsh in evaluating his own appearance. It started from not wanting to cover up his skills with his looks, but after being eliminated from the debut group, he had been self-deprecating about his looks being nothing special.
“Your appearance itself is like a blank canvas, so you can express anything dramatically, and though you’re thin, your shoulder line is distinct and your muscles are beautifully attached, so your dance lines come out well too. Your personality seems quiet but has an attractive sharpness. You work hard at everything too. But……”
Taeri paused mid-sentence. He seemed to be choosing words that wouldn’t hurt Juha.
“Just because you were eliminated from the debut group once doesn’t mean no one wants you. It just didn’t fit that team’s color. You don’t think about the fans who fell for Lee Juha in just 4 episodes, and you seem to still be stuck in the past of elimination, which makes me a bit upset. Not because I like you, but because you’re truly talented, cool, pretty, and a good person.”
Taeri finished speaking with a bright smile. It was sudden comfort that hit unexpectedly. Juha felt as cozy as if he had entered the middle of a bathtub full of bubbles.
On the other hand, it was sad. He didn’t want to show Choi Taeri, at least, his broken or unconfident side, but Taeri already knew everything. No matter how much Juha pretended to be strong, how long he had been dwelling in his wounded past.
“Ah, I’m so excited. If we were in the same team, I would have watched Lee Juha clumsily practicing to act pretty every day. What a shame.”
Taeri muttered as if savoring the thought while stroking his neck. Right now, he wasn’t the horny Choi Taeri or the beast who dominated the stage, but simply a person who purely liked Lee Juha. Seeing that side made Juha smile naturally.
Just as Lee Juha was Choi Taeri’s biggest fan, Taeri was also Lee Juha’s biggest fan. Remembering Choi Taeri on stage who had been chillingly cool just before, he suddenly felt pleased.
Come to think of it, he had been so focused on talking about himself that he had forgotten his curiosity about Taeri’s stage.
“So what’s your character?”
Juha asked Taeri while collecting himself.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
