Chapter 384: 5th Competition (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 384: 5th Competition (2)
“It’s all because I love my members! It’s a one-time thing to celebrate becoming an ad model! I’d really appreciate it if you guys could just accept it, okay?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon hurriedly made his excuses. However, Jeong Seong-bin didn’t back down.
“It’s because the price is anything but reasonable.”
“But when else would I give such a meaningful gift? I’m doing this before the contract ends. Even I won’t be able to do this later.”
Do you really think Linis won’t renew their contract with you? Even after their brand recognition among people in their twenties skyrocketed after they switched to you as their model?
Besides, do you think Linis is the only brand eyeing you? Even if accessory competitors can’t have you, every product you can wear from head to toe is waiting for you!
As I held my forehead, Choi Je-ho brought me some headache medicine and water. I wasn't sure whether to be grateful for this or not.
“When did you even buy these?”
“When I went for the department store pre-inspection. You didn't suspect a thing, did you?”
“Did Gi-yeon know too?”
“Kang Gyeon didn’t know. I lied and told him the staff called me away for a bit regarding the modeling work.”
“I didn’t think Linis sold stainless steel products. Is this white gold?”
“That’s right. I wanted to go with gold to give off a wealthy vibe, but our members are all ‘cool tones.’ I matched them to your personal colors.”
“…….”
“In my heart, I wanted to go with 24k, you know? But they said they don’t make 24k products. Apparently, they lose their shape too easily.”
“Sigh……”
“And…… pure gold is heavy.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon continued to spout nonsense with a dead-serious expression. I left the lecturing to Jeong Seong-bin and sprawled out on the sofa. As I closed my eyes, a medley of nagging began that made me want to fall asleep right then and there.
“And when did he even find the time to throw away all the receipts……”
The bracelets, which couldn't be refunded, had been guarding the members' wrists ever since that day.
After experiencing his bracelet getting caught on his guitar strings a few times, Kang Gi-yeon displayed the eccentric behavior of practicing with the bracelet taped down. Lee Cheong-hyeon even cackled while taking photos of it.
Since he was so happy just seeing the members wearing the bracelets, I thought he would be several times more delighted today, their first official appearance wearing the friendship bracelets.
Yet, a faint frown was etched between Lee Cheong-hyeon’s brows. Something seemed to be bothering him.
“What kind of serious dilemma are you facing that you’re doing something as audacious as frowning while getting your makeup done?”
“It’s our outfits. We’re recreating the Season 1 Self PR stage, right?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon said, lightly tugging at the white T-shirt he was wearing.
“What was our concept back then?”
“It was the innocent, fresh, refreshing, crisp, bubbly, healthy rookie boy idol concept.”
“Right? But what if I look like some tacky nouveau riche because of the bracelet?”
It was a fairly plausible concern. Fashion is something that can flip between hip and tacky in a heartbeat, after all.
“I don’t think it looks that nouveau riche. It’s not yellow, and it has a thin, string-bracelet feel.”
“Is that so? I guess I did a good job picking a simple one, right?”
“But since you, the provider of the gift, brought it up first, I have a suggestion.”
“What is it?”
As soon as I finished speaking, the stylist brought over a small, fancy box. It was filled with small tools and parts that had an overwhelming presence.
“How about a kitsch, limited-edition custom?”
I didn't even need to hear an answer. Lee Cheong-hyeon’s eyes were already glued to the sparkling jewels filling the box.
Living as a celebrity, there had been countless hardships. There were times he was unfairly bombarded by camera shutters for things he hadn't done, and it was a daily occurrence to be cursed at along with those around him.
Even so, the reason Polo could hold his head high was that he was confident in himself.
I’ve never done anything to harm others. I haven’t broken the law, nor have I lived insincerely.
That pride was what allowed him to endure in an industry where smoke rises even when there is no fire. And that pride had crumbled all too hollowly.
≫ There was a reason Hellas came out as MCs.
≫ They’re all in on it together, must’ve been so sweet for them lololol
As he always had, Polo had done nothing to be ashamed of. He was certain he had never excessively promoted Parte on the broadcast.
However, he couldn't claim innocence amidst the pouring criticism. From the moment they renewed their contract with MYTH, it was only natural for people to think Hellas were the same as their agency. This was a responsibility that had to be borne by those who held the power to decide.
He wanted to quit.
But because finishing the task he was given was also a responsibility.
Polo couldn't step down. Now that he knew even the program was being run under pressure from the agency, he couldn't make things harder for the production team by having the MC bail.
Polo arrived at the scene with a heavy heart. When the contestants came to greet him, he told them they were working hard.
After the live broadcast began, he did his best to maintain a bright appearance. He could see the comment section he had read all night above the audience seats, but he narrowed his vision by smiling until the corners of his eyes crinkled.
“The first runner-up to open the gates for the Battle for the Throne, please come out!”
Spark had earned the right to decide the order after Slay, who took first place in the last competition. The young juniors boldly chose the first slot.
The script he received before the live broadcast was packed with comments before and after Spark’s turn.
He wondered if it was a shallow favor to make up for the biased broadcasting.
‘Spark decided to do a band performance. We have to clear all the instruments before the next turn, so you’ll need to buy us some time after Spark’s performance ends.’
There was a reason for it. Polo looked down at the cue sheet, which had an unusually large amount of lines, for a long time.
The inevitably secured interview time. The early slot chosen to coincide with the day real-time text voting was being tallied. The band genre, optimized for hyping up the atmosphere.
None of this could be a coincidence. Spark wasn't a team that relied on opportunities that just happened to come their way.
Spark walked out from the back of the stage. They were dressed in white T-shirts and jeans splattered with paint.
It was an outfit similar to the first episode of Season 1, which Polo had monitored before joining ‘A.Wang.Sil.’
“Our Spark, I heard you’ve prepared especially hard for this stage.”
Yur began the interview. Jeong Seong-bin’s eyes, holding the microphone, sparkled under the bright lights.
“Yes, we’ve been waiting for today!”
Jeong Seong-bin and the members on either side of him smiled brightly.
There was probably no one who would whip Spark to work harder. Even Polo himself, who worked while being treated well, had thought, ‘I wish I could just wrap this up and be done with it,’ yet they said they had been waiting for today.
“It seems like there must have been many difficulties, from preparing a self-composed song to band practice. Is there an episode that particularly sticks in your memory from practicing?”
“Ju-woo hyung is such a good singer that working hard not to get in his way was……”
“It’s true. I saw Gi-yeon sleeping while holding his pick.”
It was only through this recent incident that he learned Song Min-il had frequently made inappropriate remarks about Spark. Had he said something like, ‘There were frictions, but’?
Spark, who must have suffered for nearly a year, didn't say a word. They didn't even look tired.
It felt different from just being mature. It was the sight of them focusing only on what they had to do. That was also something the current Polo was struggling and striving to do.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of stage Spark will show us.”
“Then Spark, please get ready!”
The pre-interview ended with Yur’s words. Spark’s practice footage was broadcast on the displays installed on both sides of the stage. The original video was likely being aired on the broadcast.
『I-wol: Let’s practice from start to finish, and do twenty push-ups every time we make a mistake.』
『Gi-yeon: That’s all well and good, but who’s going to count? If we’re going to go without stopping, someone has to count in the middle.』
『I-wol: I can count. I can do it.』
『Cheong-hyeon: Shouldn't this hyung be on ‘Our Neighborhood Eccentric King’ instead of ‘A.Wang.Sil’?』
『Ju-woo: Should I have played an instrument too……?』
『Seong-bin: Was there an instrument you wanted to learn?』
『Ju-woo: There was something you play with a flourish, like a harp…….』
『Je-ho: Blinds?』
『I-wol: Wind chimes.』
『Gi-yeon: I filled up my practice log.』
『Cheong-hyeon: Wow, what a memory. We used to color in an apple every time we practiced once.』
『Gi-yeon: Sometimes Seong-bin hyung would try to color in two after playing once, then sigh and put his pen down.』
『Seong-bin: You saw that……?』
『Cheong-hyeon: Don’t be embarrassed, hyung. It’s a natural phenomenon!』
Even on the blurry electronic display, the fingers tightly wrapped in bandages and the wrist taping that was occasionally visible despite being hidden by long sleeves were clear.
At the edge of the stage, which had gone dark after the video ended, Polo stood still, unable to move his feet.
As I plucked the strings a few times to check the sound, the bass resonated heavily.
It’s a vibration that settles the mind. The mid-to-low tone that first captivated me.
The lights pouring down from above were bright and hot. Even though we were inside a concert hall, it felt like being under the midsummer sun.
Standing in my spot at the back left of the stage, I could hear small rustling sounds.
The sound of Choi Je-ho pulling his stool, the sound of Kang Gi-yeon habitually pressing down hard on the strings to prevent noise and scraping the tip of his pick against a string.
The sound of Park Ju-woo tapping the microphone handle twice with his fingertips, and Lee Cheong-hyeon aimlessly pressing the ‘A’ key.
I was also twenty-two when I first performed in a band club. I remember passing on it the first year because I had only learned chords and basics and felt embarrassed to play in front of people, but then I went for it just before enlisting.
‘It was fun.’
The sound wasn't as clear as in the practice room, it was hot because there was no air conditioning, and the bass felt heavy as if it had soaked up all the moisture from the humid outside air.
How much the sensation of the strings I pressed with my fingertips on an early summer night, and the low rhythm vibrating through the stage floor via the amps and speakers, had thrilled me.
The people I was with back then were no longer by my side, but faces just as familiar filled the empty spaces. Gazes less experienced than theirs turned toward me.
“Let’s have fun.”
I spoke just loudly enough for the microphone installed at waist height to catch it. Park Ju-woo, standing at the very front, smiled brightly. The bracelet on the wrist of the hand holding the microphone shimmered.
The production team’s cue sign came from below the stage. Choi Je-ho struck the crash cymbal rhythmically. The sharp metallic sound shattered like dust.
A band song intended as fan service, which we planned to include as a B-side if we made a comeback in the second half of the year.
『Speaker』 began.