I frowned. Special rewards always seemed to be a little late.
“What’s this new system?”
[You can receive points as you complete quests.]
“Collect points and use them to buy the items you need for scenario progress at the item shop.”
“Ugh, look at this jerk…”
Well, I guess you need these kinds of business transactions if you’re supposed to play a tycoon game. You might find yourself needing to buy items if necessary.
But… shouldn’t they have given it from the beginning?
[We have added some now!]
“Open it up.”
At that moment, the system window opened. I was really impressed by the game-like UI.
It was unrealistic, no matter how you looked at it. I was looking for an item that could increase my dance skills instantly.
[There’s no such item! You have to work hard to get there!]
What was I hoping for…?
I browsed through the items. Except for a few, it was empty, and the phrase “Updating” was written. I wasn’t expecting much to begin with.
The only thing that caught my eye was one item.
[Relax your heart completely.
Points: 300p]
It wouldn’t be bad to buy it just in case. It’s not something I would use, though.
I turned off the item window while pondering. I didn’t have any points anyway.
“Will I receive points from now when I do the quests?”
[Yes!]
Okay. That’s good enough.
I memorized the items in the item window and slowly headed to the practice room. I can only hope that the day will come when I can use them.
***
“Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da-da!”
“Oh, ugh…”
“It’s not ta-da, it’s ta-da-da, Hoyun!”
“Ta-da-da… What’s that?”
“How do you do that?”
Seong Jiwon ended up being a more challenging teacher than I anticipated. The person standing before me was not the same person who said he would give up when we first met.
After a meeting with the planning team, we practiced for six hours straight. These kids didn’t even think about leaving, even though it was almost 11 pm.
“This is weird, hyung… I know I’ve memorized it, but why can’t I do it?”
“Hyung, can we take a break?”
Jeong Dajun asked, but I shook my head. The system window kept popping up in response to Seong Jiwon ‘s tough coaching.
[Dance +1]
[Dance +1]
[Dance +0.5]
[Dance +0.4]
[Dance +0.2]
[Dance +0.01]
I didn’t know why it was decreasing, but damn. At least it was somehow increasing.
Kim Seonghyeon casually threw a water bottle at me as I struggled to stand up. I clumsily caught it, causing Kim Seonghyeon to drop on the practice room floor.
“Let’s take a break.”
“Why? I think I can do more.”
“We’ve been dancing almost non-stop for six hours, Seong Jiwon.”
When Kim Seonghyeon spoke, Seong Jiwon looked at his watch and scratched his head awkwardly.
“You’re right. Did I push you too hard?”
“Let’s take a break.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, hyung! How can we keep going?!”
Jeong Dajun was terrified and held me back.
But still… We had to do it.
Dragging me along, Jeong Dajun soon melted to the floor as if his stamina had run out. He looked like ice cream.
The manager had already left, so we were the only ones in the practice room.
Kim Seonghyeon looked at the members and shook his head.
“No, you can’t. Resting is also practice.”
“Wow, what a quote.”
“‘Resting is also practice…’ If I die from practicing, please engrave that on my tombstone.”
When Kang Ichae and Jeong Dajun grumbled, Kim Seonghyeon threw a water bottle at them. Seeing even Seong Jiwon flinched, Kim Seonghyeon let out a small sigh and got up, shrugging his shoulders.
“I’ll go to the convenience store. We’re out of water.”
“Bring Melona on the way.”
“Aren’t you sick of it?”
“Please buy it~!”
“Oh, I’ll go with you.”
I stood up abruptly. If we weren’t going to practice anymore, I might as well go to the convenience store and get some fresh air. I still observed Kim Seonghyeon feeling awkward around me, but I didn’t care.
“See you later, hyungs!”
“Dajun, let’s try that part again. I think your right hand could be a little faster…”
“Ugh, no more…”
Seong Jiwon continued to teach the choreography without giving up, perhaps enjoying teasing the youngest members.
As soon as we closed the practice room door, the bustling noise died, leaving only silence between Kim Seonghyeon and me. I didn’t feel uncomfortable and silently walked with shuffling legs.
“…”
Kim Seonghyeon was really quiet. I didn’t feel like talking, so there was silence between us.
He didn’t look imposing, so how did he become the leader? Seong Jiwon, who had been a trainee for a long time and was the same age as us, would have been more suitable for the leader position anyway.
“Welcome!”
I arrived at the convenience store and went where the drinks were displayed.
“What are you going to buy?”
“Seong Jiwon and Jeong Dajun like Pocari, and Kang Yichae like 2% milk. Let’s get that.”
Kim Seonghyeon picked out a drink with ease and gestured for me to choose, stepping aside slightly.
I picked out a drink haphazardly, but Kim Seonghyeon stared intently at the drink I picked up in my hand.
“Are you really going to drink that?”
“Yeah.”
The drink in my hand was Soruinun. Although opinions varied on the drink made from pine buds, I personally enjoyed its pine scent and tart taste.
Kim Seonghyeon looked somewhat uneasy.
“Okay, I’ll get that for you next time.”
Hmm.
Kim Seonghyeon replied and then picked up band-aids and a pack of patches from the convenience store. It seemed like he noticed that Jeong Dajun was in pain from their long practice.
Ah… I see.
I felt like I knew now why Kim Seonghyeon was the leader. Despite his rough exterior, he was more sensitive than I had thought.
“Okay, I’ll ring you up.”
“I’ll have a pack of ciga-”
“Yes?”
I almost automatically tried to order cigarettes but stopped when Kim Seonghyeon gave me a stern look, and the system warning popped up.
Ding!
[Warning!
Smoking is harmful to idols!]
Smoking is harmful to everyone.
Well, tomorrow is the recording… and I should quit smoking…
My instincts resisted, even though my rational judgment told me I should quit smoking.
“Uh…”
Ding!
[Warning!
Tomorrow is the recording. Get it together, Seo Hoyun!]
“Just ring me up, please.”
“Hmph…”
Kim Seonghyeon cut me off quickly, and I slunk back, feeling down.
The cigarettes I had been smoking while editing was really good… Now I can’t even smoke them…
Honestly, it was a shock akin to when I was absorbed into this virtual game. The convenience store clerk rang up our items with a troubled expression.
I felt depressed, so I added two ice creams.
“Please ring these up too.”
It was the ice cream fathers bought for their children, only to be rejected. Kim Seonghyeon clicked his tongue, but he held strong next to me. At least it was free, which was some consolation.
I exited the convenience store, tore open the package, and chewed on the ice cream.
“Damn, life is hard… I can’t even smoke now.”
“Don’t smoke.”
“Why?”
“… Because the fans hate it.”
Kim Seonghyeon scolded me. I couldn’t argue because he was right, but it annoyed me.
Kim Seonghyeon also took out the other ice cream from the bag. I bought it earlier to give to Jeong Dajun, who complained about not having any.
When I glanced at him, Kim Seonghyeon said, “We have to destroy the evidence.”
“Ah, okay.”
Agreed. Idols had to diet, after all. We had to do jacket and music video shoots once the recording and planning were finalized. There were lots of work to do.
We only heard the sound of us eating ice cream for a while, with no conversation. Then, Kim Seonghyeon suddenly asked me a question.
“What did you talk about in the CEO’s office?”
Um…
I knew discussing settlement or penalty fees would harm our trust relationship.
“I said we wanted to scrap the plan.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, so we negotiated with the planning team.”
“It seemed to have progressed better than expected. We don’t know if it will be finalized by tomorrow, though.”
“It seems like it will work out. The youngest member of the team was overflowing with passion.”
I didn’t know how the product would turn out, but I thought they would at least do some rough research by the deadline.
Keep what’s good and discard what’s not, and we’ll have a framework in place in no time.
“Tomorrow, we should ask Lim Hyeonsu – no, Blue Tiger – to revise the lyrics for the planning.”
“That’s fast.”
“We have to come back in almost three weeks.”
If the work wasn’t fast enough, we might have to delay the comeback, not to mention the extra cost. The CEO wouldn’t want to invest anymore in a group with an uncertain future.
We had to make do with the budget we had.
“You’ve changed a bit.”
Kim Seonghyeon blurted out suddenly.
“What do you mean?”
“You seem different from a year ago.”
I was taken aback. I wasn’t a different person, but I acted like an idol beyond reproach.
I changed the subject quickly.
“We need to have a good attitude.”
“Yeah, um…”
He was subtly sharp. Through dance practice, I could grasp the characteristics of the members with whom I would be moving forward. Overall, everyone was quite quick-witted.
Of course, except for Jeong Dajun. In my opinion, it seemed like everyone grew up being mindful of Jeong Dajun’s mood.”
“Still, thank you.”
“…?”
“Everyone seemed to have given up, but the atmosphere had changed significantly. So, thank you.”
Kim Seonghyeon acted nonchalant, but he seemed a bit awkward after speaking. I shrugged my shoulders and answered honestly.
“If you’re grateful, just give me one hit…”
“Are you kidding me?”
He was firm… With tears in my eyes, I let the cigarette fade away from my mind.
“Is the practice okay?”
“Seong Jiwon is scary.”
“I’m scared of him, too.”
Before we entered the practice room, Kim Seonghyeon spoke to me easily, saying that the choreography was a little easier to do with bigger movements, or that it was easier to breathe with this hidden choreography, and so on. There were lots of helpful tips, so I remembered them well.
As we entered the practice room, the members welcomed us.
“Hyung, ice cream!”
“Don’t drink this.”
Seeing that made me feel a little strange. As a PD, it was a feeling that I couldn’t experience as a third party.
Since I couldn’t clearly understand what it was, I pushed it aside in my head and spoke with a casual expression.
“Hey, let’s stay up all night tonight.”
“Agreed.”
“Agreed.”
“No! I can’t do it!”
***
“Ah, isn’t it the non-celebrity Seo Hoyun?”
“Have you already had a drink?”
“I can’t get through life without alcohol because of someone, huh?”
Lim Hyeonsu mocked me as we walked into the recording studio. The members behind us alternately looked at me and Lim Hyeonsu with wide eyes.
I glanced at the quest window above me.
[“First recording!”
Let’s make it through the first recording safely.
It will continue until Lim Hyeonsu is satisfied.
Success: 300 points
Failure: Lim Hyeonsu’s favorability will decrease]
In addition to dance practice, we practiced singing according to the guide song lyrics during our breaks. By the time we finished, it was 7 am. Of course, I was so bad at singing that I couldn’t even sing one verse.
We napped in the lounge for about two or three hours and then headed straight to Lim Hyeonsu’s studio.
“Hello! Nice to meet you.”
“It’s an honor to work with the composer!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I sat comfortably on the sofa, ignoring the members greeting her with military discipline. Lim Hyeonsu, with an indifferent expression, lit a cigarette after putting it in her mouth.
“Do you want to smoke one too?”
“…”
I glanced at the members and snatched the cigarette from Lim Hyeonsu’s mouth. She looked surprised.
“No thanks.”
“Why not? You smoked well last time.”
“There are minors here.”
Jeong Dajun was a minor. Lim Hyeonsu looked like she was saying, “What the hell, why do you care?” but obediently put the cigarette back in. Of course, she grumbled.
“So, you’re not going to smoke at all?”
“I’m trying to quit.”
In fact, I had snatched away Lim Hyeonsu’s cigarette before she was about to light it up. Seeing her smoke made me want to smoke too. But we couldn’t do that before the recording…
Lim Hyeonsu widened her eyes and shook her head.
“It’s a three-day resolution, Hoyun.”
“Yes, I heard your introduction well.”
“… You son of a bitch. Show me what you’ve prepared.”
Lim Hyeonsu tapped her foot and held out her hand as if asking for the plan the planning team had selected in advance. When I gave her the printed plan, she nodded her head.
“Oh… um. This is the plan, huh.”
“…”
“Ahem.”
Whenever Lim Hyeonsu nodded, the members felt their tension rise even more. If she frowned even once, they would surely faint.
Lim Hyeonsu said, “Don’t be scared, kids.
After reading the print to the end, Lim Hyeonsu nodded her head.
“Is it okay?”
“Phew, thank goodness…”
“Overall, the planning is well done. This kind of concept really works for this kind of song. They also added trendy settings in every nook and cranny… We just need to deliver the meaning well in the lyrics.”
“That’s right. Since we’ve already assigned the parts, we just need to focus on making the lyrics.”
“Yeah, of course. It’s me, Lim Hyeonsu.”
“Of course, our Blue Tiger.”
“This guy is sucking up to me so much.”
Lim Hyeonsu continued to curse, but she helped willingly, showing she liked the planning more than she let on.
I gestured to the members who were slouching next to me. We should pour out the ideas we’ve been thinking about beforehand.
“Here, we should reminisce more about the past…”
“Oh, I want to incorporate the phrase ‘sharp target.'”
“Rather than vague words, it’s better to use a phrase that clearly states that I remember you…”
The members seemed nervous at times, and once they spoke up, they couldn’t stop talking about their impressions and comments on their parts. Lim Hyeonsu replied to them diligently.
“That’s too old-fashioned.”
“Oh, the word ‘target’ is okay.”
“No, that’s cheesy. It feels like it’s suddenly accelerating too much.”
After about thirty minutes passed, Lim Hyeonsu became even more excited than the members. This is why I liked Lim Hyeonsu.
With her arms crossed, Lim Hyeonsu finished organizing the lyrics and looked around at the members.
“Okay, this is enough for the lyrics… Since it can be revised again, let’s just think of it as a guide for now and try singing it once.”
“Yes! Got it!”
“First… Yes, the main vocalist should go first.”
“Yes!”
Seong Jiwon nodded his head.
… It seemed he was a bit nervous.
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