Chapter 98
“Huh? Why?”
“Our team leader asked if I’m close with you? Since I know we were at Serona together.”
Jaewan asked, glancing at Juha with an embarrassed look.
“Why?”
“What else would it be. Probably because of scouting.”
“So what did you say?”
“Just said we know each other. There’s nothing good about saying we’re close in this industry. You know.”
“That’s true.”
Juha nodded.
“By the way, I’m really proud of you. You know how to make Jung Changseon eat shit.”
Jaewan smiled and patted Juha’s wet hair.
“It’s nothing.”
Even while saying various things, Jaewan didn’t pressure Juha to come to the agency where he worked. Even though things were going well now, he knew all too well that companies could stab you in the back anytime when interests conflicted.
The agency where Jaewan worked as a trainer, ‘Illi,’ was a subsidiary of a large corporation. Riding the hip-hop idol boom, Illi was preparing a new hip-hop group. As My Idol’s popularity grew before the launch, they decided to set the launch date entirely after the My Idol group’s debut.
Although the entertainment business scale was small compared to the parent company’s size, the solid backing would be tempting. But Juha, who had already tasted a lot of bitterness, wanted to be extra cautious even when crossing a stone bridge. Subsidiary companies of large corporations might look good at first glance, but they could fold the entire business anytime if performance wasn’t good.
“Let’s practice more.”
When Jaewan patted his shoulder, Juha took another sip of water and jumped up. As his sweat evaporated in the cool air conditioning breeze, he felt energized to practice again.
* * *
Having practiced too intensely with Han Jaewan after a long time, his whole body was screaming as soon as he opened his eyes. When Juha loaded his luggage in the trunk and got in the passenger seat while tapping his shoulders, his mother started the car. Exiting the underground parking garage, he could see the sky with a faint blue remaining. Perhaps because it was entering summer, it was already bright outside even though it was past 6 AM.
“You should practice in moderation.”
His mother scolded Juha in the passenger seat with a disapproving look.
“It’s fine. This happens sometimes when practicing.”
Juha lowered the hand that was tapping his body and spoke as if it was nothing.
“It’s your maternal grandmother’s birthday but you can’t visit her. You should go greet her since she sent you beef last time.”
Juha’s mother muttered while driving. Although she got up at the crack of dawn to take Juha to the filming location, she showed no signs of fatigue.
“When is grandmother’s birthday?”
“July 1st by the lunar calendar. It’s right when you’re in the middle of group lodging and you don’t have time to visit grandmother even on rest days, so we’ll have to go after the program ends.”
“Grandmother will probably be disappointed.”
Juha answered while leaning against the window. He hadn’t visited since preparing for My Idol, so it had been quite a while. Maternal grandmother’s birthday was in 3 days, July 1st. Come to think of it, he remembered that Choi Taeri’s birthday was also July 1st.
‘Oh no…’
He had been so busy he didn’t even realize Taeri’s birthday was approaching.
‘I should take care of it after group lodging ends.’
“Mom will talk to grandmother, so you just focus on filming. We’re almost there.”
His mother stopped the car in front of the annex. Behind the car, guardian vehicles carrying participants lined up with their hazard lights blinking.
“I’m going. Drive safely.”
“Do well. Take care of yourself.”
Juha greeted his mother and entered through the main gate. After Juha checked attendance and went inside, other trainees also gathered at the Gnet annex one by one right on time. Although they could have been tired from gathering early in the morning, everyone’s eyes were sharp from tension about filming.
Until the production team arrived, participants chatted about the Episode 8 broadcast. After leaving their luggage and returning their phones, Juha looked around and realized something had changed.
Everyone’s hair and style had changed slightly.
Juha spotted Taeri who had arrived first. Taeri still had the same style but was wearing chocolate-colored cubic earrings he’d never seen before. They were the same color as Taeri’s hair and had a clean design, so they suited his refreshingly handsome appearance well.
“Lee Juha!”
Toward Taeri who was waving, Juha also waved and ran over.
“Ugh.”
The aftermath of yesterday’s intense practice made the back of his thighs tight, but Juha tried not to show it.
After a long time, Juha got fired up with Jaewan and repeated dancing and resting for a full 10 hours. He used muscles he hadn’t used much while practicing excitedly, so he was in agony in the morning. But if Taeri found out he could barely walk because he had a good time with someone else, he would probably be quite sulky, so he was trying hard to endure it.
“Why do you look like that? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Taeri, who was ghostly quick at noticing things, immediately placed his hand on Juha’s forehead. While muttering “no fever though,” Choi Musin came running toward Juha from far away. Juha hurriedly turned his head and knocked Taeri’s hand away.
“Juha hyung!”
“Huh? Oh.”
Seeing Musin’s delighted face, Juha was slightly flustered. Although they had done a small mission together, he didn’t think he and Musin had become particularly close. But Musin’s face was glowing as if he had reunited with a hyung he’d been separated from since childhood.
At the energetic sound of calling Juha, even Jang Chaemyeong and Seo Eunwon came running to him. The cute little boys surrounded Juha and Taeri.
“Hyung hyung, did you watch the broadcast yesterday?”
Seo Eunwon looked at Juha with bright, sparkling eyes.
“You like Chaemyeong that much? I thought you’d naturally pick me.”
When Juha joked, Eunwon’s pupils shook in sudden panic.
“I’m joking. Why are you so flustered.”
“Hyung, you’re not really disappointed, right?”
“No. I didn’t pick you either.”
Juha chuckled and looked around.
‘Why is that hyung acting like that again…’
Far away, Yoo Youngin was alone, unable to find a place to fit in and reading the room. In the broadcast, only one person wanted to debut with Yoo Youngin – Jo Munseok. In contrast, 4-5 votes were concentrated on him as someone they didn’t want to debut with. His skills weren’t good enough to want to be in the same group, and being with him would only overshadow your own looks, plus his personality wasn’t particularly good either, so it was a natural result.
Just when Juha was wondering if he should go get him since he looked pitiful standing alone like that, Jo Munseok appeared. Like a simple-minded knight of justice, Jo Munseok confidently approached the lone Youngin.
‘He really has magnificent loyalty.’
Juha grinned and grabbed Eunwon’s wrist as he chattered beside him.
“Eunwon, let’s go to Munseok hyung!”
When Juha tried to drag him, Eunwon’s previously bright face instantly turned pale.
“Hy, hyung…”
Since he had picked Jo Munseok as someone he didn’t want to debut with, Eunwon had reason to be scared.
“Come on. You should greet Munseok hyung too.”
“Ah hyung…”
Finding it amusing, Juha teased by pulling Eunwon’s wrist a few more times.
While people around them laughed watching the two, a staff member grabbed the microphone.
“Trainees, please board the bus parked in front of the main entrance. All luggage is already loaded.”
“I guess we’re going to the dormitory now.”
When Juha muttered and turned his head to the side, only Taeri and Musin remained. While he was distracted, Eunwon had quickly run to Chaemyeong. He must have really been scared that Juha would actually take him to Jo Munseok.
“Hyung, but doesn’t it seem like we’re going somewhere other than the hotel we always go to?”
Instead of the departed Eunwon, Musin stuck close to Juha’s side and spoke. Although he had done missions with Taeri too, Musin particularly followed only Juha. Juha found it strangely fascinating that Musin wanted to stick by his side even though he hadn’t treated him particularly well.
“Why?”
“If we were staying at that hotel, they would have told us to gather at the hotel. I thought they called us to the Gnet annex to do something else, but seeing they’re not doing anything, I think the lodging location will change. Other programs also sometimes go elsewhere after the middle part. And they told us to bring swimwear. The hotel we stayed at before doesn’t have a pool.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
While Juha tilted his head, Taeri nodded beside him.
Following staff guidance, Juha and Taeri boarded the vehicle and sat together as usual. Just as Choi Musin said, the car moved in a completely different direction from the existing hotel. Perhaps because everyone gathered early and was tired, they fell asleep and the bus was quiet.
“It’s really fascinating. How is it that whenever Lee Juha is on a team, everyone chatters and flocks to him like that?”
Taeri smiled faintly, thinking of Musin and Eunwon who had flocked to Juha.
“Cheonsan and Suhyeok went to Suchang hyung though.”
“Those guys have unusual taste.”
Taeri answered without hesitation to Juha’s words. Although Nam Suchang certainly had a tiresome personality, contrary to first impressions, he was quite good to younger brothers. He meticulously helped the younger ones with choreography practice, adding “hyung is” and “hyung does,” and taught them smoothly how to move formations without getting confused and what expressions to make on stage. He definitely seemed to know how to intelligently handle team camaraderie thanks to his debut experience.
By the time the stage mission ended, Cheonsan and Suhyeok followed Nam Suchang better than the blunt Juha or Taeri who was too perfect and difficult. It was quite a sight to see Nam Suchang leading the two and proudly saying “In hyung’s time…”Â
“Lee Juha.”
“Yeah?”
When Taeri suddenly called his name, Juha turned his head. Due to the bus engine noise, other trainees were busy sleeping with no interest in others’ conversations.
“Give me your hand.”
“Why?”
Juha asked while extending his hand. Taeri took something out of his pocket, placed it on Juha’s palm, and made him close his fist. He felt two small objects with a cold metallic texture.
“What is this?”
When he opened his hand, there were two ring earrings with amber cubic stones in the center.
“Huh?”
“I bought them thinking they’d match your current hair and eye color.”
“I haven’t worn earrings in a really long time…”
Juha muttered while continuously looking at the earrings. Although he had pierced his ears during his trainee days, it had been a long time since he removed them, only wearing them enough to keep the holes from closing. Since he really didn’t like flashy things, wearing earrings felt very awkward.
While unable to hide his rising smile corners, his first thought was apologetic. Unlike Juha, who had done nothing during the two-day holiday – spending one day rolling around at home with Taeri and one day practicing with Jaewan – Taeri had chosen a gift for Juha even during that busy time. Seeing “TRC” faintly engraved inside the ring earrings, Juha chuckled.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
