Chapter 515
Chapter 515
Ryu Cheong-woo was submerged in his own subconscious.
The sudden change in environment and conditions. The days spent doing his best to adapt to them.
And the tenacity that flared up like a wildfire upon meeting his final opportunity.
—Cheong-woo?
But even that was over.
"Cheong-woo!"
'Ah.'
Ryu Cheong-woo looked up.
The person calling him was an unfamiliar manager.
It hadn't been long since he'd memorized the man's name; he was a manager recently hired by the group TeSTAR.
'And the first manager... they said he caused a car accident...'
It was information that held little meaning now. For some reason, just thinking about it made Ryu Cheong-woo’s mood sink.
However, he responded plainly, showing no sign of his inner thoughts.
"Yes."
"I'm going to go buy some drinks. What would you like?"
He knew that this manager regularly bought drinks twice a day: in the morning when TeSTAR's schedule began, and again between 2:00 and 3:00 PM after lunch.
However, the current situation was a special case that fell into neither category.
They were currently filming in the practice room.
"Ah, thank you. Then, a latte..."
From all around, he could hear the production crew, who had been asked about drinks by other company staff, answering in low voices.
After dryly scanning the True Competition staff filling the perimeter of the practice room, he spoke.
"Whatever is easiest for you to order, please."
That was enough.
The final period of Steer's Ryu Cheong-woo began just like that.
Originally, Steer's Ryu Cheong-woo had intended to disappear—no, to 'regain his memories'—as soon as the schedule ended on the day he first mentioned it.
But things didn't go according to plan.
—That would be difficult.
Park Moon-dae. The unfamiliar member who claimed to be his relative had expressed reluctance.
The reason he gave was 'variable risk.'
—I think you might be confused for a while once you regain your memories. Wouldn't that be a bit dangerous while we're appearing on a competition program? There are a lot of times when the cameras are on us.
It was a logical argument.
And that was why Ryu Cheong-woo was currently sitting here, devoid of any purpose.
In truth, he could have retorted that it wasn't his problem, but he didn't.
'It's not like I'm performing on stage.'
If all he had to do for a few days was fill an empty seat, it was merely waiting time. Tiring as it was.
Ryu Cheong-woo sipped the drink he had been given. It was a hot Americano.
"I heard that's decaf."
"..."
"Sejin hyung's idea."
The person who approached and spoke to him with a blank expression was someone who, like himself, was out of the camera's spotlight.
It was also the person who had just crossed his mind.
'Park Moon-dae.'
This member, like himself and Kim Rae-bin, was sitting out of this competition.
He didn't know the exact reason why, but he didn't particularly care.
In the past, he might have tried to figure out if the guy had stepped out for his sake or what kind of plan he was hatching, using some method that didn't seem too overbearing. But he no longer had the drive for that.
Ryu Cheong-woo simply nodded slightly and drank his Americano.
Park Moon-dae also held his drink without saying much, watching the 'TeSTAR Unit' members practicing as the cameras rolled.
"..."
Silence flowed between them.
"Thank you! Oh, coffee!"
"Is this cake for me? Wow."
Then, the practice room began to grow noisy. Having finished filming enough of the practice scene, the 'TeSTAR Unit' stopped their choreography and were smiling as they accepted the drinks and snacks.
At that moment, Park Moon-dae, who had been sitting beside him, stood up as if the time had finally come.
"Then let's get moving. The preparations are done."
"...Preparations?"
"Preparations for filming."
"I told you I wouldn't be performing in this competition."
What filming was he talking about?
But Park Moon-dae looked back at him as if he were the one being strange.
His gaze was almost one of absurdity.
"Just because we aren't performing doesn't mean we aren't appearing on the show."
"..."
"We have to participate in creating the stage. There's more than one or two things you have to pour your soul into besides the performance to complete a stage."
It was then that Ryu Cheong-woo began to feel that something was off.
And before he knew it, he found himself conducting an interview alongside Park Moon-dae and Kim Rae-bin.
"Ta-da. Here are the three one-time contract producers for this competition."
'...?'
"We'll do our best."
Clap, clap, clap.
With Park Moon-dae at the center leading the applause, he saw Kim Rae-bin on the other side clapping along reflexively.
"..."
Should he clap too?
But before that question could even finish, Park Moon-dae's words came rushing in.
Kim Rae-bin's arrangement, Park Moon-dae's theme selection.
"Since we're a group that self-produces our albums, I thought it would be good to show that side of us, and this worked out well. As you all know, the three of us are the elite producers of this group."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. It's the absolute truth."
At Park Moon-dae's brazen response to the PD's playful question, even the cameraman stifled a laugh.
"And."
The gaze turned toward him.
"Cheong-woo hyung here will be in charge of the overall vision and reviews. Feedback, essentially."
"Wooooo!"
Led by Park Moon-dae, the production crew cheered.
"...Thank you."
And so, a role was eventually given to Ryu Cheong-woo.
—General Producer.
He realized immediately that it was a title in name only, a position where he would just watch the stage and do nothing.
This was because, for the next few days, there were absolutely no other demands made of Ryu Cheong-woo.
The word 'producer' was just a nominal label. Thinking so, Ryu Cheong-woo spent his time without getting involved in anything.
Since he did nothing, time flew by in an instant.
He wondered if he had ever lived like this before. His life had always been a busy cycle of achievement through extreme discipline and the subsequent sliding falls.
'Maybe it was similar to when I quit archery.'
But back then, he hadn't felt this sense of floating, as if he were completely spent. That was because it had been painful.
Pain makes time move slowly.
But since there was no immediate pain to worry about now, the next filming day arrived in the blink of an eye.
Surprisingly, they said the form of the performance had come together in just three days.
"They said they need our reactions while watching the performance, so I think we'll be filming together."
They moved to a company space shaped like a large lecture hall.
"Is it going well?"
"Of course~"
The grinning TeSTAR members stood on a makeshift stage created by clearing the central platform, and Park Moon-dae sat in the very front row of the lecture hall, exchanging small talk.
"Um, Rae-bin...! The song is really good!"
"...! Is that true?! Thank you!"
Even Kim Rae-bin was conversing with unfamiliar members other than Cha Yu-jin; he had likely communicated with 'TeSTAR' frequently during the arrangement process.
'Was that kind of thing really such a natural adaptation?'
Ryu Cheong-woo sat down, chuckling self-deprecatingly. He didn't feel particularly resentful.
After a few adjustments, the stage began immediately.
"Ah, but now that we're standing like this... hmm, the balance seems a bit off~"
As luck would have it, the four members grouped in this unit were a combination of three dance positions and one vocal position.
Furthermore, because the three dance positions were quite tall, it created a strange sense of disparity.
"......Me?"
Nod, nod.
At the gloomy question from the 'remaining one,' Bae Se-jin, the positions were eventually readjusted.
"Center!"
"Oh! Center!"
"......!"
In response to the members' cheers, Bae Se-jin creaked his way to the middle.
And once Bae Se-jin stood in the center... the balance was indeed perfect.
"Pwahaha!"
"Are you laughing?"
"......"
The writers desperately covered their mouths. Seon A-hyun's face was also bright red as he tried to hold back his laughter.
Indeed. Bae Se-jin reacted as if he were annoyed, but the atmosphere wasn't serious.
It was the kind of honesty that comes from the unreserved relationships a good team would have.
'......'
He could have belonged to this atmosphere.
He felt a faint, flickering impulse again, but it soon vanished.
"So! Please keep in mind that our formations are just temporary adjustments as you watch~"
And the stage began.
Along with a bright and cheerful band accompaniment, a retro theme with a somewhat musical-like composition unfolded.
It was immediately apparent that the parts had been distributed sophisticatedly, taking into account the differences in individual skill.
Had he developed some kind of professional habit? Ryu Cheong-woo smiled bitterly.
But that was all.
[Between us, it's as if
There's a special blank space]
The music rang out.
The performance continued.
The fierce and exhausting worry over what level of performance needed to be secured within that gap.
Watching a stage without such thoughts... was comfortable.
[How this interval will turn out
I don't know yet
That's true]
For the first time in a very long while, Ryu Cheong-woo watched a competitor's stage without thinking about anything.
[Yes!]
The one-minute demo version of the performance ended in an instant.
"That's all! Thank you!"
While he was briefly caught in the lingering afterglow.
As if he had been waiting, Park Moon-dae's nonchalant words cut in.
"Hyung, feedback please."
"......"
Ryu Cheong-woo felt a slight sense of reluctance and awkwardness.
To think he would actually ask for feedback.
'Was the title not just for show?'
However, Park Moon-dae's face was somewhat indifferent. It was as if he were just asking because he needed something to say for the broadcast.
'Is that it?'
Realizing that he didn't need to give such intense and precise feedback, Ryu Cheong-woo nodded slightly. Park Moon-dae immediately asked.
"First, please start with the parts you liked."
Ryu Cheong-woo answered without much thought.
"The movements felt light."
"They did. I thought it would be even better if we used a live band to match that, but..."
For a moment, the thought that they had felt similar impressions crossed Ryu Cheong-woo's mind. Along with a faint sense of welcome.
But Park Moon-dae didn't push for agreement and continued the conversation smoothly.
"Well, anyway. What are your thoughts on the choreography?"
"It was fine."
"Yes. It's quite well-made, but... any disappointing parts?"
He hadn't paid attention to that much.
Ryu Cheong-woo momentarily found a connection from his previous answer.
"Were the movements a bit too flashy compared to the music?"
"Right. Since the track isn't finished yet."
Park Moon-dae nodded, and after looking at the performers who were drinking water, he pulled out his smartphone.
"This is the version Rae-bin is currently working on. Ah, Rae-bin. Is it okay if I play this?"
"Yes...!"
Kim Rae-bin, who had been applauding the members, was startled and gave his consent. Then, Park Moon-dae nonchalantly played the audio on his smartphone and handed over a wireless earbud from his pocket.
Swept up in that natural movement, Ryu Cheong-woo found himself listening to the music before he knew it.
'......?'
However, it wasn't such an unusual thing that he felt the need to refuse, so he naturally began to listen to the music without even realizing it.
"It's gotten a bit flashier, hasn't it?"
"It has."
"I was thinking I'd like more strings in this part."
"Ah."
"Would brass be better?"
Strings and brass.
'Hmm.'
Ryu Cheong-woo focused on the music for a moment.
"......"
And Park Moon-dae observed him intently.
Confirming his judgment once again.
The judgment he had made a few days ago when he heard Steer's Ryu Cheong-woo declare that he would 'regain his memories.'
—Not like this.
He didn't think it would turn out very well if the guy regained his memories while in such a burnt-out state.
It was even more so because he was a member whose mental strength was originally so strong and whose depth was hard to fathom.
Then why had the past Steer's Ryu Cheong-woo become so burnt out?
A clear answer was ready for that.
'He did work that didn't give rewards for too long.'
Furthermore, performing a job that didn't suit him and wasn't enjoyable was bound to make anyone sick of it.
It was even more of a problem that Ryu Cheong-woo's mental strength was so tough that he had endured for an exceptionally long time.
Bae Se-jin had agreed.
—Besides, it's been weighing on my mind... that I heard the news of the lawsuit victory from the past me.
Seeing the conclusion of the event that had triggered him to do such work.
It wasn't refreshing; it had made him feel empty.
'There's a high probability that it became the trigger for Ryu Cheong-woo's drive to vanish entirely.'
So, after consulting with Bae Se-jin, Park Moon-dae had finalized the plan for their future course of action.
The so-called 'Pattern Change.'
First.
—Make him step out of the typical role pattern of an idol member and group leader.
And what came next was important.
—But make sure he can feel a sense of efficacy from the work.
'And this guy has already set foot on that route.'
Recalling that once more, Park Moon-dae looked at Ryu Cheong-woo.
The guy happened to be opening his mouth.
And.
"Brass would be better."
He began to offer his opinion.
'That's it.'
Park Moon-dae smiled inwardly but continued without showing it.
"I thought so too.... Yes. Rae-bin said he'll continue tomorrow morning, so I'll have him check it."
"Mm, alright."
Just like that, like a drizzle soaking one's clothes, Ryu Cheong-woo began to participate in the completion of the stage, step by step.
Indeed.
Park Moon-dae intended to actually make Ryu Cheong-woo the General Producer.