It was nice to be able to choose the song I had in mind.
It's a popular song with the high and low notes of younger Min Si-young and even a cute rap, so the song's part distribution went smoothly.
But there's no way there'd be a stage composition or choreography in an anime opening.
That's why Jang Si-woo was needed now.
Knock-
Still holding Ryota's neck, I knocked on Si-woo's door, and a noise came from inside.
—Who is it?
"Oh, I came to see Jang Si-woo. Is he inside right now?"
—Huh, this voice… ah!
There was a loud crash, and soon, someone opened the door while rubbing his knees.
A tall stature, blond hair dripping like he just showered, double eyelids slightly relaxed from fatigue.
"Tch, what is it? Why are you here all of a sudden?"
Oh, so this guy was Si-woo's roommate. I didn't know that.
I smiled shyly and greeted him.
"Hello, Ji Hwa-seong."
Ji Hwa-seong, who seemed embarrassed by my greeting, shook off the remaining water from his head and spoke with a pout.
"Yes, I am Ji Hwa-seong. Why did Yongyong hyung come here?"
"Uh…"
Yongyong hyung.
…Long time no see.
I was momentarily speechless when Ji Hwa-seong used the same nickname as when we were active as Arrows, but I quickly turned away and muttered.
"I'm on the same team as Si-woo. You know? Covering Min Si-young seonbae."
"Ah, I knew something was off about the kid."
Ji Hwa-seong quickly checked the camera in the hallway, hooked his arms around my and Ryota's necks, before whispering softly.
"I was on the same team as Yongyong hyung for 'Aiming', so I'll tell you something important."
"M- me, why!? Even though we weren't on the same team!?"
"Shh, shh. Anyway, you're on the same team as Siwoo this time. It won't
hurt to know. Listen carefully. Siwoo is like glass, glass."
"G-Glass?"
Ryota, who was stunned when Ji Hwa-seong suddenly looped an arm around his shoulder, widened his eyes.
Ji Hwa-seong snorted smugly, as if he'd known this would happen.
His haughtiness was unchanged.
Of course, he became a popular member of Arrows because of that.
Ah, of course the least popular member was me.
Come to think of it, it's funny how someone could still be popular even with that personality.
"You didn't know, right? This is top secret. You really, really have to be careful with Si-woo. He's not a bad kid, y'know? It's not because we're from the same agency. Once you get to know him, he might call you 'hyung'."
"Huh? That's never happened to me or Yoo-chan aniki before! I'd love to hear it too!"
"Then your approach was wrong. Don't do that. Anyway, there's something you absolutely can't bring up in front of him, and that's…"
The moment Ji Hwa-seong's voice grew smaller.
"Hwa-seong hyung, what are you doing?"
"Eek."
"Oh gods-!"
Ji Hwa-seong threw Ryota and me aside and quickly turned around.
That punk. He's no different from then.
"Uh, nothing. Just- your teammates came looking for you!"
"…Huh? My team members?"
Until he called Ji Hwa-seong, his face was as cute as melted cotton candy, but when he heard that team members he wasn't close with had arrived, the cold wind returned.
"Rex hyung."
Damn, he used to call me that too!
I quickly suppressed my thoughts, cleared my throat, and called out to Jang Si-woo.
"Ah, we have a choreography lesson in three days, but… I thought it'd be good if we worked out some choreography before then, so here I am."
"…The song we chose doesn't really have any choreography. We'll need professional help."
"We'll become experts once we debut, right? And if we plan ahead, wouldn't it make things easier for the choreographer?"
Jang Si-woo, who had been rolling his eyes at my words, soon nodded coolly and stepped out of his room. He showed his approval not with words, but with quiet actions.
Yeah. This is our youngest.
"Then let's rope in Yoo-chan hyung and at least come up with some key choreography for today. That way, we'll be on par with the other teams."
I led Jang Si-woo and Ryota down to the lounge to pick up Yoo-chan hyung.
As the main vocalist, Yoo-chan hyung always practiced his vocals individually even during survival shows.
Before that, he ate raw eggs to soothe his throat.
Right now, he's in the break room eating eggs, so if we just get there at the right time…
"Huh?"
I gaped at the duo, which seemed totally unreasonable to me.
The trainee lounge at the end of the first floor hallway.
There―
"So this is good for your throat? That's really amazing."
"Oh, yes. Well, it's a bit expensive, but… I'll give you some if you want."
"Oh, really? Thank you. I'll just have a little bit, then."
Kim Joo-an and Yoo-chan hyung were having a lively conversation.
…Wait, no. Kim Joo-an's expression was a little off, but Yoo-chan hyung looked happy.
"Oh, wow. My throat feels a little better already."
It seemed like the sociable Yoo-chan hyung had struck up a conversation with Kim Joo-an, who was just passing by.
Kim Joo-an, who had been maintaining his expression until Yoo-chan hyung finished his propolis, frowned upon seeing me on the other side of the glass door.
Kim Joo-an seemed ready to swear at me until he noticed the hallway camera, instead pursing his lips in annoyance.
"…Ah, really!"
I thought it was suicide, but it wasn't.
"Eh, did you eat too much? Sorry!"
"N- no. It's not because of you, hyung..."
"Hey, those are my team members. Just a moment. Joo-an, wanna say hello? Come on in, guys!"
Yoo-chan hyung, who couldn't understand why such good wouldn't even say hello, quickly introduced our team members and Kim Joo-an.
"This is Ryota, a Japanese individual trainee, and this is Chunyong. Ah, I heard you're both from the same agency, so you must've known already—this is Si-woo, our youngest member."
"Jang… Si-woo? That Jang Si-woo?"
"Uh, uh… yes. Hello… how are you?"
While glancing at me and Ryota, Kim Joo-an suddenly beamed at the name "Si-woo." The speed his eyes moved at was amazing.
Kim Joo-an grabbed Jang Si-woo's left hand and started talking excitedly, not knowing he'd already lost 200 points in Si-woo's head.
"Wow, I really wanted to meet you!"
"…ye- yes?"
"You're the one—"
Huh?
Isn't this kid just running his mouth?
"Hey, Kim Joo-an, you…"
I hurriedly tried to shut him up, but Kim Joo-an had already blurted out the problematic words with wide eyes.
"―Aren't you Jang Si-won seonbae's younger brother? The one in the milk CF! With that catchphrase?"
Mom, give me some milk too!
I want to grow tall!
"..."
Kim Joo-an's childish voice resonated throughout the break room, and Jang Si-woo's face turned whiter than paper.
I wasn't much different.
For the first time in a long time, I felt like hitting someone over the head with a bottle of alcohol.
"Is it somewhat similar? Of course, you were cuter back then! Well, you know. Later, if it's okay, could I get Jang Si-won seonbae's autograph—"
Slap.
"...eh?"
Silence fell over the break room.
It was because Jang Si-woo, with his head low and shoulders shaking, slapped Kim Joo-an's hand away.
"Ah, that-"
Jang Si-woo, seemingly unable to bear the gazes, stuttered while looking at me in discomfort.
"…I'm not feeling well. I don't think I'll be able to practice today. I'm sorry."
Before I could say anything, Jang Si-woo hurried out of the break room.
The three of us, including Kim Joo-an, were dumbfounded, unable to comprehend the situation.
And I, who knew the reason very well, ended up with a splitting headache.
…shit.
It'd been going well, but due to Kim Joo-an's trolling, whether intentional or not, Jang Si-woo closed his heart away once again.
I gritted my teeth in frustration and just watched Jang Si-woo run back to his room.
If we can't resolve this properly, our team's chemistry will be totally ruined…
We're cooked.
* * *
The midterm evaluation day, a week before the cover mission stage.
"You'll each have a personal interview!"
Lee Hyeon-jeong called the tired trainees into the individual interview room one by one.
She didn't intend to give them the time to organize their thoughts about their thoughts or feelings after seeing other stages.
That way, unfiltered words will come out and make the interview more provocative.
The first interviewee was Seong Won-hyeop, currently ranked 14th.
Perhaps because his team got an advantage after choosing the male idol group 2OCD in the previous cover singer selection, Seong Won-hyeop's expression was quite bright despite the low ranking.
"2OCD's 'Be the LOW'? The song selection is good. The dance fits well, I think we can perform well in front of an audience with no problem."
He was even praised by his mentor, Min Si-young.
Lee Hyeon-jeong looked at Seong Won-hyeop with interest and opened her mouth.
"Congratulations. You've done well."
"Oh, thank you! I'm still a little dazed."
"That's alright. It was just after the midterm evaluations. How did you feel watching the other teams perform?"
"Well, everyone had prepared diligently, and I was especially surprised when I heard the song from Ryota's team, our competitor. I really like
Talking about the opposing team first.
The story unfolds easily.
Lee Hyeon-jeong smiled elegantly and guided Seong Won-hyeop's answer in the direction she wanted.
"That's right.
"Uh…"
Seong Won-hyeop, unaware that Lee Hyeon-jeong had naturally set a trap, spoke after much thought.
"Well, I feel like Ryota's team wasn't quite ready for the stage…"
Caught it.
Lee Hyeon-jeong pushed forward without giving Seong Won-hyeop any time to think.
"Did you feel like they lacked practice?"
"No, that's not it! After all,
"But?"
"The- the point choreography that Chunyong created was really good. The boldness fitted the song, and the use of props like handkerchiefs felt like a natural extension of Aiming. But… what should I say? Um, Si-woo…"
In the broadcast, out of this speech by Seong Won-hyeop, the parts 'It didn't feel like the members were synchronized' and 'Um, Siwoo...' were edited and aired.
Well, you could call it the devil's editing.
'He should've thought more carefully before speaking.'
Seong Won-hyeop continued to chatter, unaware of his fate. However, Lee Hyeon-jeong, having already obtained all the necessary information, gestured to the camera operator with a satisfied expression.
'Tell the next kid to come in soon.'
From then on, the interview went in the direction she wanted.
"I think we were a little lacking."
Only the part 'I think we were a little lacking' was edited.
"The arrangement was really good, so inspiring. I thought, 'Wow, how great would a team with members like that be?'"
Edited only the part 'How great would a team with members like that be?'.
"I really worked hard this time. Our team took first place during Aiming, but… I'm worried I wouldn't leave a lasting impression like 'Trainee Kim Joo-an'. That's why I told Jae-ha hyung I'd do some acrobatics, even though I knew it was impossible. Then the other team members…"
Completely edited out.
"Today's Gao Yan was amazing. He's just running towards his debut. Remember Gao Yan, the man of Hong Kong."
No editing required.
Every time Gao Yan opened his mouth, Lee Hyeon-jeong, with an expression saying 'Let's see how far he can go', checked for the next trainee and sent Gao Yan away.
Gao Yan didn't seem to mind, even though he'd been cut off.
Well, perhaps it's because Gao Yan is the best in Gao Yan's head.
Leaving behind the confident young man, Lee Hyeon-jeong greeted the person sitting in the interview chair.
'This is where the real story begins.'
The one being bombarded with the PD's love, the one who may give
"Hello. This is Kim Chunyong."
Trainee Kim Chunyong.