Lion-Slaying Warriors
On Sunday evening, at Suhyeon's strong insistence, Yoo Siljang personally contacted the rookie planning team to hastily schedule a meeting for Monday morning.
The next morning, Suhyeon headed to the company early and kicked off a marathon meeting with the rookie planning team regarding Pink Berry's debut.
The meeting, which started at 8 a.m., dragged on past 10, and just as directions for each agenda item were being finalized, Suhyeon spoke up.
"Myuran."
When Jeong Siljang asked during the meeting what they planned to change the temporary name Pink Berry to for the official debut, Suhyeon answered without a moment's hesitation, as if he'd prepared it in advance. Murmurs immediately rippled through the room.
Hearing the murmurs sparked by his suggestion, Suhyeon smiled faintly and said,
"You're right that Myuran is the title of an animation produced by Disney, and it's also the name of the Chinese female protagonist. But what I'm..."
At that moment, Concept Director Jo Jung-mi—known among the trainees for her short temper—cut Suhyeon off.
"Suhyeon, didn't you just say Pink Berry's concept is a resilient and wise modern woman who endures hardships and trials in a tough contemporary society? So why name the group after some outdated animation? It lacks any convincing power."
Dance trainer Park Song-hee nodded in agreement with Jo Director's words and chimed in.
"I agree. It's been about 20 years since Mulan aired... If you say Mulan to young people nowadays, they'll think it's an old-fashioned story and feel repulsed. They might even end up hating the group itself."
Even the usually quiet vocal trainer Lee Jin-hee leaned forward as if about to add her thoughts. Suhyeon quickly raised his hand and spoke in a firm tone.
"Everyone, hold on! Just hear me out for a second."
As the room fell silent, Suhyeon softened his expression and continued.
"I've never once said 'Mulan.' You're all just confusing it with something similar. What I said was precisely Myu. Ran. Not the animation protagonist Mulan, and not some flying Mutal either. And I have zero intention of dragging in that stale Mulan image you're all worried about."
The impatient Jo Director asked,
"Then what does Myuran mean? It's a word I've never heard before."
"To symbolically represent the strong female image I envision, I borrowed a word meaning 'warrior' from another culture."
"Myuran means warrior? In what language? I've never heard of any word meaning warrior that's Myuran."
Now able to explain properly, Suhyeon flashed a bright smile and spoke slowly.
"Among the many tribes in Africa, there's one long renowned as the fiercest: the Maasai tribe. You've probably heard of them often from shoe ads. In that legendary Maasai tribe, warriors who venture into the grasslands at their coming-of-age ceremony armed only with a single spear and shield, successfully hunt a lion, and return safely are highly honored with a special name."
"...So Myuran means a warrior who spears a lion to death?"
"Yes, exactly. What do you think? Doesn't it sound incredibly tough once you know the meaning?"
Jeong Siljang, who had been listening to the exchange, muttered,
"For a girl idol group name, isn't it a bit too ferocious...?"
To Jeong Siljang's comment, Suhyeon replied with resolute conviction.
"Siljang-nim, you know better than anyone, but the girl idol market is already saturated. With fierce competition between established groups and new debuts, it's a bloodbath out there. To survive that hell, they need that kind of resolve from the start. Whether they hunt the lion or get devoured by it... the outcome will be one or the other."
As time passed and the meeting neared its end, Jeong Siljang asked Suhyeon,
"So, among the projects for Myuran's debut, the first thing you mentioned to Yoo Siljang yesterday is what you'll handle right away?"
"That's right. The top priority is for me to thoroughly check the girls' bodies first."
After wrapping up the meeting, Suhyeon headed to the empty BBG practice room with vocal trainer Lee Jin-hee and dance trainer Park Song-hee.
Filming equipment was already set up in one corner, and several chairs were placed in the center.
The three sat cross-legged on the practice room floor, skipping the chairs, and talked.
"Did you handle what I asked? Jeong Siljang didn't say anything during the meeting, so I let it slide, but..."
To Suhyeon's question, dance trainer Park Song-hee replied,
"Since it involves the trainees' bodies, I called their guardians myself. I told them we'd do a thorough physical exam before debut, and at first, they were all thrilled, asking when the debut date was... They probably thought it was at a nearby hospital or something I was handling. But when I said a guy from the company would do the physicals personally, they all balked."
"Of course they would. I've been worried about that since last night... Under the pretext of debut prep, touching underage female trainees all over? It's the perfect setup to end up in handcuffs and dragged to the big house. That's why I asked you to step in... So the response wasn't good?"
Park Trainer smiled warmly and responded,
"Not at all—the opposite, actually. Suhyeon, your reputation among the Pink Berry—er, now Myuran—parents is stellar. The girls must've talked about you at home a lot. Once I said you and Trainer Lee and I would be present for your personal exams, they all agreed without a second thought. And they promised to keep it confidential."
"Phew, what a relief. If word got out, it'd stir up needless gossip for me and the company, putting us in a tough spot. Alright, then—let's start the physicals..."
At that moment, the reserved vocal trainer Lee Jin-hee raised her hand.
"Before that, Suhyeon. I want to verify if it's true that you're well-versed in oriental medicine and can accurately assess physical traits and talents."
"I fully understand Trainer Lee's caution. Hmm. So how should I prove it to you?"
"Try it on me first. Show me if you really have that ability."
"Got it."
Suhyeon took Lee Jin-hee Trainer's wrist pulse and closed his eyes. After about a minute, he opened them with a grin.
"Congratulations. You're pregnant. The pulse is strong, so the baby's very healthy. Looks like you're just over six weeks."
Lee Trainer's jaw dropped at Suhyeon's words, leaving her speechless for a moment. Finally regaining her composure, she asked in a trembling voice,
"No one at the company knows I'm pregnant... I only found out three days ago at the hospital. How did you know? And how'd you pinpoint six weeks?"
"If you can't tell pregnancy from a pulse, you're either a quack or a fraud. A double pulse means two hearts in the body... That only happens in pregnant women or Park Ji-sung. The fetal heartbeat starts around three weeks and stabilizes by seven, with distinct rhythms per week. And... you've got a blessed constitution. No morning sickness even while pregnant—much easier, right?"
Lee Trainer snorted dismissively at Suhyeon's cheerful words.
"Blessed? What a load of crap. Pregnancy means puking your guts out at random, hugging the toilet—that's normal. That's how you get treated like royalty at home and your in-laws, lounging in comfort. But with no symptoms, no one even notices until you're full-term..."
Caught off-guard by Lee Trainer's sharp, deeply resentful retort, Suhyeon stammered an apology.
"I... is that so? I didn't think that far... Sorry."
Her trust in Suhyeon skyrocketing, Park Trainer jumped to her feet.
"Trainer Lee, huge congrats on the pregnancy. I'll go grab the Myuran girls from their practice room—stay put, mommy-to-be. They've been waiting anxiously."
Once alone with Lee Trainer, Suhyeon cautiously asked,
"You told the Myuran girls to wear what I specified, right?"
"Yes, long sleeves and long pants, just like you said. But... won't that make the exam inconvenient?"
"Direct skin contact is best for palpation, but over clothes works fine. And it's far better to be a little inconvenienced than risk weird misunderstandings with the girls..."
Suhyeon shuddered at the mere thought.
"Makes sense. But... I'm really curious. Why go so hard for Myuran? At your level, even famous singers would kill for your songs. Composing isn't easy..."
"True enough. Especially after Moon and My Story blew up."
"Handing songs to nobodies, doing physicals, and from what I heard, producing recordings and designing album covers yourself... I just don't get it."
"Fate brought us together. And honestly... I've got a new dream and goal since yesterday. A pretty grand one. To achieve it, I need to grow way beyond where I am now."
After gathering his thoughts, Suhyeon continued.
"You know the saying? Even with a perfect map to your destination, if you don't know exactly where you are, you can't plot the right course. Through this project debuting unknown girls as an idol group, I want to pinpoint my current position. I need to know how far my abilities extend in this world to decide my path forward."
Having given his long answer, Suhyeon scratched his head sheepishly.
"I'm wordier than I look, huh? Been getting sentimental since last night... Used to get called cold back in the day, but yeah, I've changed a ton lately."
"I like this proactive, emotional Suhyeon much better. Feels human."
"Glad to hear it..."
Then Suhyeon's sharp ears picked up multiple footsteps.
The Myuran girls are coming. Focus, Suhyeon. This moment is your true starting line as an entertainer. But... damn, this is nerve-wracking. Beheading people was less stressful. Whew.
Suhyeon grabbed a water bottle nearby to calm his nerves and took a swig.
Just then, the practice room door burst open. Led by leader Ji-young, the Myuran members rushed in, chattering brightly.
"Oppa Suhyeon, hi!"
"Hello!"
"Pink Berry here!"
"Don't mess up—we're Myuran now!"
"Hello, Myuran reporting!"
"Oppa, please take good care of us!"
Suhyeon spat out the water in his mouth mid-sip, spraying it into the air.
What the hell are these kids doing?
The six Myuran members scampered up to Suhyeon and lined up in a row. On Ji-young's cue, they shouted in unison.
"One, two, three!"
"Hello! The girls who slay even lions—Myuran!!"
Astounded by the scene, Suhyeon let out a long sigh, his face frosting over as he said coldly,
"Haa... Are you kids messing with me right now?"