Chapter 441
Chapter 441
“Huu.”
I took a deep breath and exhaled. The pale face of Ryu Gun-woo reflected on the smartphone screen moved in sync.
…This isn’t a situation where I can stay calm, but let’s try to organize things as calmly as possible.
However.
And here comes the cherry on top.
“……”
This is insane. I’ve dealt with my fair share of nonsensical situations, but this is truly mental.
‘Ten minutes until a live standby? Is this for real?’
The only glimmer of hope was that, just as Keun-dal had done before, I could share Park Moon-dae’s vision.
First, status effects be damned, I have to do something about this live broadcast… Wait.
‘…Park Moon-dae’s vision is getting blurry?’
The radio waiting room looked hazy.
I had a bad feeling. What if there was a connection issue because I, a complete novice, was linking up instead of Keun-dal, who used to be the status window itself?
‘Shit.’
I could practically hear the sound of a career going down the drain. I hurriedly pulled up the chat.
“Are you okay? There’s a connection issue with the vision…”
[I-It’s tears…]
“……”
[I’m sorry.]
I understood.
However, through that blurry vision filled with those damn tears, several people appeared, walking briskly from the front of the radio booth.
…It was the writers!
[Hyung!! Hyung! They’re telling me to go in!]
“Wait.”
This was no time for sentimentality.
“Tell me your smartphone lock pattern!”
[Uh, uh, the debut date! TeSTAR’s debut date!]
A pattern based on a boy group’s debut date? He picked something terribly unintuitive!
Regardless, I worked my brain quickly.
‘There’s no “0” on the keypad, so exclude that. But if the pattern is only three digits, it’s too short, so if he added the year…’
Five digits!
After connecting the five dots and lifting my finger, the screen slid open.
‘It better!’
I immediately started downloading the broadcasting station’s radio app. I planned to use it to replace Park Moon-dae’s sense of hearing.
‘It’s better than making a mistake during the live show while trying to share the body’s actual hearing.’
To be honest, I didn’t even know how I was managing to share his vision right now.
Time to get to work.
I opened the radio app as soon as the download finished. In those few short seconds, I simultaneously formulated, discarded, and reviewed plans.
Then, I sat up in bed.
“Listen carefully.”
[Yes!]
“This is a surprise radio appearance right before the comeback. The script is only about five or six lines at most, and you can check it in real-time. Since there are many members, only answer when a question is directed specifically to Park Moon-dae.”
Other than that, only open your mouth when everyone answers together, and try to speak slowly only when I give you a signal via chat.
During those moments, I would send the answer, and he would have to fill the gap by using interjections to stall for time.
But one thing was vital.
“Don’t put any nuance—whether positive or negative—into your interjections before you answer. You have to be very careful with that.”
The moment he accidentally sounded sarcastic or inappropriate, it would be over.
Once a broadcast is aired, that’s it. Tension was a necessity.
[Uuugh…]
Keun-dal sent something like a death rattle through the chat popup. I suppressed a sigh.
‘I shouldn’t tighten the leash too much.’
If I pressured him too hard, he’d fail.
“You don’t have to overthink reflexive reactions. It’s not like you have an aggressive personality anyway.”
However, the chat wailed.
[Please! Just control me! I’ll do exactly what you say for the reactions too! Just whatever hyung writes! Please!?]
He couldn’t have been more desperate.
But I couldn’t accept that proposal, even if it seemed like a win-win.
“I can’t do that.”
[Huh…?]
I sat on the edge of the sofa and lowered my head.
“It’s a visible radio show.”
[……]
That meant he had to control his facial muscles, too. Including all reactions.
[Save me.]
Wasn’t I doing all this to save him?
I sighed.
“If you really can’t do it, there is a way to avoid the broadcast entirely.”
[What is it!?]
“Just collapse on the floor right now.”
It was the most certain way to get a schedule canceled.
Getting hauled away in an ambulance.
“……”
After a moment of silence.
[I’m sorry, I can’t do that…]
Yeah, I figured.
TeSTAR was already receiving the final briefing in front of the booth door. If he were the type of guy shameless enough to fake a collapse in cold blood, he wouldn’t have come all this way to save me in the first place.
“No need to be sorry. Anyway, it’ll be hard for you to handle this alone.”
[…Yes.]
“Fine.”
I had already considered this.
An amateur who had never done a broadcast being thrust into a live show? His rhythm would be unnatural and he would stand out like a sore thumb.
‘It’s even more of a problem because he’ll be compared to the “broadcast-ready” Park Moon-dae I’ve shown so far.’
He needed someone to assist him, someone on-site to play along.
However, sharing this with all seven members right now would cause an absolute uproar. So… there was only one answer.
I pressed my finger against my cheek and spoke.
“We’re telling exactly one person.”
*
The air in front of the booth was taut with a moderate, healthy tension. It was only natural, considering TeSTAR had been active for over five years now.
However, just because a member appeared on variety shows often didn’t mean they were particularly relaxed.
For instance… like Lee Se-jin.
He had already repeatedly read the script in his head and checked his parts.
And the next step was also important.
‘Hmm, this part looks good too.’
He memorized parts that weren’t explicitly assigned to him but were ‘up for grabs.’
It was a habit he hadn’t lost since the debut survival show.
Claiming his share.
TeSTAR had already grown large enough as a group to be beyond dispute. However, as expected of a group from a survival show, the trend of comparing and ranking individuals within the group hadn't disappeared.
Furthermore…
‘There’s no reason not to do it, right?’
Stages, photoshoots, producing, interviews… there was always a member who stood out everywhere. Without a doubt, in this team, there were members who ‘scored points’ no matter what the activity was.
And to walk while others were running? That was no different from resting.
Lee Se-jin would not do something as pathetic as missing a point he could take. Not until the day he retired.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Ah, no, we’re good~”
Still, the other members besides Lee Se-jin were now quite accustomed to these talk-based broadcasts. He had to do even better.
‘Well, it’s good that the members are reliable.’
Lee Se-jin recalled the waiting room just moments ago. Everyone was managing their nerves and waiting skillfully…
Just then, a faint whisper, almost like a crawl, reached Lee Se-jin’s ear.
“E-Excuse me.”
A desperate voice, tinged with tears.
For the record, it came from a person who absolutely did not fit those two descriptions.
Thanks to that, Lee Se-jin turned his head almost by spinal reflex.
“……?”
And he came face-to-face with someone whose eyes were nearly brimming with tears.
It was Park Moon-dae.
Lee Se-jin almost jumped out of his skin from the sheer creepiness but held it in. And the next words almost made him actually do it.
“I-I’m not Moon-dae hyung…”
“…!?”
“We suddenly swapped bodies. I’m, uh, Keun-dal.”
“……”
Excuse me?
“You know. The one in Gun-woo hyung’s body…”
The moment Lee Se-jin began to briefly consider the possibility of Park Moon-dae playing such a prank with 4 minutes and 50 seconds left before a live broadcast, he immediately threw that thought in the trash.
In the meantime, Park Moon-dae—the person claiming to be someone else while inhabiting Park Moon-dae’s body—was frantically explaining the situation.
The explanation ended with the claim that he was currently communicating with ‘Moon-dae hyung’ through some magical method.
“U-Uh, as for how to speak on the radio, well, Moon-dae hyung said he’d tell me…”
‘Telepathy…?’
A few cheesy movies and dramas flashed through his brain.
Still, perhaps the several unrealistic experiences he’d had in the past helped absorb the shock, because something else came out before his doubts about this nonsensical situation.
It was worry.
The last ‘nonsensical event’ had been a building collapse.
A chill ran down Lee Se-jin’s spine as he spoke.
“Is his condition okay?”
“Yes, probably! I was in bed about to sleep…”
Just as a brief moment of relief passed.
“And… ah, he told me to tell you this…”
“…?”
A sentence followed, read as if straight from a textbook.
“For now, don’t tell anyone else, just you know. You know what’ll happen if the live broadcast is ruined, right…?”
“……”
He’s perfectly fine.
‘That’s definitely Park Moon-dae.’
Lee Se-jin felt dizzy.
And Keun-dal’s desperate, mosquito-like speech ended like this.
“Please save me. Moon-dae hyung said I just have to trust Se-jin-nim on the radio…”
…Park Moon-dae!!
Lee Se-jin screamed internally without changing his expression.
Just then, Ryu Cheong-woo turned his head from the front.
“Is something wrong?”
Lee Se-jin struggled briefly. However…
“…Ah~ No! We should head in! Come on, let’s do this radio right~”
Park Moon-dae was right. This… the moment the rhythm of the conversation got tangled because they shared it, it would be hell.
He gritted his teeth and smiled. Then, grabbing the back of Park Moon-dae’s neck, he entered the booth cheerfully.
However, there was one thing both Lee Se-jin and Park Moon-dae had missed.
Seon A-hyun had been waiting right next to them. …Close enough to roughly hear the contents of their conversation.
It was a gap created by the intersection of a live broadcast and a supernatural phenomenon.
“……”
“A-hyun hyung? It’s time to enter the booth.”
“Y-Yeah!”
Seon A-hyun swallowed hard.
With a deathly pale face, yet with determined steps, he followed them into the booth.
…And so, Monday, January 9th, 23:47.
On that night when people were busy wrapping up the start of the week and the New Year, living their reality.
“Song DJ’s Midnight Radio. It’s our Monday specialty. We’re back with the <Weekly Lucky> corner.”
The show had just entered its final Monday segment.
“We have very special guests with us today.”
The middle-aged radio host smiled as she watched the seven tall idols file in.
It had been a while since there was such a commotion on her radio show, which was well-regarded for calmly comforting people’s days with a soft voice.
‘They’re young.’
TeSTAR was in the middle of entering, actively and warmly responding to the greetings of the production staff outside the booth.
As expected of top stars who had been successful for years, they all found their seats skillfully and naturally, smiling pleasantly.
“I think our listeners will be very surprised.”
She carefully looked at the table and confirmed their faces.
Of course, she knew all the guests' names. Surprisingly, all seven were famous enough that she didn't even need to study them separately.
‘That blonde young man is Cha Yu-jin, the sharp young man with the ponytail is Kim Rae-bin, the pretty young man in the hoodie is Bae Se-jin…’
And this cute friend sitting right to her right was Park Moon-dae, famous for his composure… but.
For some reason, his hand was shaking like a motorboat.
‘…??’
The host almost rubbed her eyes for a second. But her practiced mouth delivered the scheduled introduction.
“They won the Artist of the Year award at the Golden Disc Awards a few days ago—the undisputed kings of K-pop, TeSTAR!”
And when she looked again, the hand had already disappeared beneath the table.
‘Did I see it wrong?’
Naturally, Lee Se-jin had nudged him with his elbow.
And so, the nerve-wracking live radio broadcast began.