Chapter 71: Guess Who? (2)
71. Guess Who? (2)
Ji Soo-ho, the guardian deity of Miro Entertainment, stepped into a restaurant in Seoul.
"Welcome. Do you have a reservation?"
"Yes, under Ji Soo-ho."
"I'll guide you to your private room."
This restaurant was favored not just for its clean cuisine but also because all seating areas were completely private, making it ideal for important meetings.
Though today's appointment wasn't strictly business, the nature of their discussion required more confidentiality than most corporate meetings, hence the choice of venue.
"I arrived a bit early."
Checking his watch, he saw there were still about thirty minutes until the scheduled time.
Never one to waste even spare moments, he pulled out the tablet from his bag to monitor viewer reactions and voting trends for last night's MIRO MAZE performance video.
Upon accessing iTube, the performance video of MIRO MAZE Team A automatically began playing—the same one he'd fallen asleep watching last night.
Concerned about noise, Soo-ho paused the video and quickly scanned the view count and comments.
MIRO MAZE ∥ Daylight (Prod. Seo Tae-il) — Team A Performance Video
Views: 498,125
Comments: 2,965 (Top Comments)
— Writing this comment just to watch Seo Tae-hyun
0:03 That hair flip is heavenly
0:21 Nostalgic Tae-hyun vibes
0:54 His falsetto is insane T_T
...More
— Seo Tae-il makes damn good songs
— ♥Gaon Arts University Vocal Major's silver medalist Jung Si-woo debut now♥
— Fuck my life I'm ready to stake my entire existence on these boys
— Tae-hyun, you've done so well
— Eun-chan, you don't know me but
From this moment I first saw you
I vow to mobilize my bank account and remaining lifespan
To support your debut
...More
Achieving these numbers in just one day was remarkable. The PR team had already sent screenshots showing posts trending across various SNS platforms and communities.
HOT! ║ [Just dropped: MIRO's next-gen male idol survival performance vids]
Team A https://itu.be/eHdmsrj
Team B https://itu.be/tjDMghkdwl
+First episode airs 5/3 at 9PM
+Voting now open >> VoteLink
— ? The view count trajectory is wild
— Team A's visual trio is insane ㄷㄷ
— Which team you picking? A vs B
└ Team A... visuals and skills are next level
└ 2
└ 333
└ Huh? I think B's more polished!
└ 22 Team B has better completeness
— Does Seo Tae-hyun not age?? Is he immortal????
└ Shut up I consumed all his aging years
└ Stop eating them you'll get indigestion
— Guys please who's the first verse singer in Team Bㅠㅠ? Save a life and tell me
└ Kang Ha-jin 182cm vocal + Team B leader (the hot guy in black hoodie)
└ Wait that cat??
└ What did they do to his profile pic
└ WTF with those visuals he's dance break center???
└ Not Mebo...Mebo is Gong Seok? I heard
— Are Seo Tae-il and Seo Tae-hyun related?
└ Rumors existed since Boyhood Under Heaven days but nothing confirmed
└ Nah he mentioned in recent interview—distant relatives from same clan
└ Seriously? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ But like generations apart so basically strangers...and Tae-hyun's technically higher in family hierarchy which made things awkwardㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ LOLㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ AHAHAㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
— Guess Seo Tae-il's sticking to producing...not continuing Uphia activities? Tbh producing probably pays better than being an old-timer idolㅋㅋㅋ
└ Uh their 12th anniversary concert was announced last week~?
└ Ignorant fool, scram back to whatever hole you crawled from
'The first teaser drops...this Wednesday, right?'
Soo-ho jotted down feedback for the PR team on his tablet, recalling the premiere now just over three weeks away. The buzz was undeniable—calls from reporters and industry contacts were already flooding in despite it being the weekend. This business truly had no off-hours.
"I'll check urgent calls for callback later..."
At least he'd handed off his previous group Endway to a junior before starting MIRO MAZE. Had Ha-jin not brought that survival show proposal that blew away Director Son Hyung-gu, he'd still be Endway's manager right now.
Come to think of it, meeting Ha-jin three months ago had changed everything.
'Sometimes I think it's a waste. He'd have been incredibly capable as a company employee.'
What became clear over those months was that Ha-jin loved "work" far more than he realized. There was a spark in his eyes when working—vibrant energy practically radiated from him.
'Does he genuinely enjoy this field?'
Otherwise, how could he pull all-nighters practicing while simultaneously monitoring his teammates' conditions?
Soo-ho recalled staff evaluations from monitoring Ha-jin's team during two missions:
—Wherever Ha-jin is, it's always lively.
—Other teams have tension or cliques creating heavy atmospheres...but Ha-jin eliminates that.
—He makes sure no one's left out—initiates conversations, eats with loners, tutors slower learners.
—His sociability is incredible! Memorized all camera operators' names. Clearly experienced in community living.
Among staff, whispers already suggested Ha-jin would lead the debut team.
—Ha-jin doesn't seem like a typical twenty-year-old.
Of course not.
Because he wasn't one.
'He said he...returned from the future.'
As trust grew between them, Ha-jin gradually revealed his other secret—stories about his "past life," as he called it. Though Soo-ho still didn't fully comprehend the regression concept.
'If not for my own ability, I wouldn't have believed him either.'
Checking the time—ten minutes remaining—Soo-ho sipped water.
"Kang Ha-jin..."
Soo-ho was curious. This was his manager instincts kicking in.
Why couldn't past-Ha-jin debut?
Why does he deny loving this work?
Why doesn't he trust himself?
What happened in his past?
Does that past influence his current self?
"......"
The tablet screen now showed Team B's performance video as a recommended watch beside Team A's.
Soo-ho absentmindedly clicked.
The thumbnail featured Ha-jin smiling mesmerizingly at the camera, waving.
"...You're this talented."
Why does Kang Ha-jin seem to hold himself one step back from everything?
These questions swirled dizzyingly in his mind.
Click
The door opened.
"Hello, Team Leader."
"...Ah, yes. Have a seat, Ha-jin."
Who are you really?
Swallowing his curiosity, Soo-ho returned the greeting.
'Damn Seoul-centric society.'
Having skipped breakfast to make this lunch appointment, Ha-jin currently harbored intense resentment toward the nation's Seoul-focused infrastructure.
This was the standard lament of Gyeonggi Province residents—where traveling anywhere in Seoul took at least an hour, often two, totaling five hours round trip.
Noticing Ha-jin's visibly exhausted expression, Soo-ho awkwardly asked:
"Was the trip difficult? Maybe I should've chosen somewhere near your place."
"No, I had business in Seoul anyway. An hour and a half isn't far."
"...That's considered close?"
"That's Gyeonggi life. Everything's two hours away. The problem is everything taking two hours."
Coming from generations of Seoulites, Soo-ho couldn't comprehend this time perception.
Rather than awkward consolation, he opted to feed the hungry Ha-jin first. Pressing the service bell summoned staff.
"Two Set A courses, please."
"Right away."
As Soo-ho ordered smoothly, Ha-jin gulped down chilled water.
This restaurant epitomized privacy—essential given today's sensitive discussion.
"By the way, Team Leader, how long will you keep using honorifics? You dropped them last time."
"Ah, right. It keeps slipping out, haha."
"If you do that around the kids, we're screwed. Better practice now—I'm way younger anyway."
Soo-ho's expression turned complex. This seemed the perfect opening to ask about Ha-jin's past.
"...Speaking of which, you said you returned from the past?"
Ha-jin set down his cup at Soo-ho's question. The manager pressed on, unable to shake his nervousness:
"So...how old are you exactly? From your past life stories, you seemed like an adult."
"......"
"I mean, we're in this together now. The better I know you, the better I can support—"
His words trailed off unnecessarily despite having done nothing wrong.
Ha-jin silently observed him. The longer the silence, the more Soo-ho felt sweat forming.
After an extended stare, just as Soo-ho ran out of excuses, Ha-jin finally spoke:
"You believed that?"
"Huh?"
"You actually believed I came back from the future?"
Yes. I did.
Stunned by the unexpected response, Soo-ho blinked dumbfoundedly.