Chapter 87: Soccer is Played with Feet, Basketball with Hands (1)
87. Soccer is Played with Feet, Basketball with Hands (1)
One hour and thirty minutes before Kang Hajin began yearning for regression—at a certain gymnasium.
<★Miro Maze Cup★ Unity Sports Day>
<Kids, dinner tonight is beef -by. Han Se-won Cardㅡ>
<(Shock) Miro darlings in matching uniforms exist (Shock) ΣΣ(ﾟДﾟ;)>
<Destiny, enjoy yourselves (wink) That's what sports day is for>
Banners fluttered everywhere in the gymnasium, each plastered with absurdly exaggerated slogans.
From the crack of dawn, Kwon Myung-eun PD had gathered the trainees with a clap of her hands, commanding their attention.
"Alright, everyone! Today is genuinely just a day to relax and have fun! Enjoy yourselves! I figured you'd all be suffocating from being cooped up in the practice rooms all the time, so I splurged a bit. Well, technically, your CEO did!"
Whoo~~! The assistant directors standing behind PD Kwon stretched their arms toward someone and cheered. Caught up in the expertly orchestrated hype, the trainees clapped along with bewildered expressions.
The cheers were directed at none other than Han Se-won, the CEO of Miro Entertainment, who had made a rare appearance.
Wow. He actually showed up here.
It seemed Miro Maze's first broadcast had truly hit it big. The trainees were slightly awkward at seeing their CEO after so long. For Hajin, this was his first time seeing him since signing his contract.
"Yeah, yeah. I left my card so you can all have something delicious for dinner tonight, so have fun! And don't get hurt!"
"Yes~!"
"I love my youngest sons!"
"Wahhhh~~!!!"
To fans, a company CEO was usually just the personification of a corporation that existed to be cursed at...
But among them, Han Se-won of Miro Entertainment had a relatively decent reputation.
ㅡ Our Se-won might not have money, dignity, or sometimes even common sense, but he treats the kids well.
└ Whether you bash him or defend him, pick one.
It was the kind of relationship where even if people criticized him, they couldn't stand seeing him get unfairly attacked.
And rightfully so—even Hajin had to admit that Miro was pretty good when it came to artist welfare.
They provided financial support for trainees struggling with tuition or living expenses and made sure weekends were free for rest or visiting family, avoiding practice or lessons on those days.
Especially for minors—whether trainees or artists—they ensured everyone graduated high school, and behind this policy was a tear-jerking story.
[Why UPIA members never disrespect Seo Tae-il.jpg]
(UPIA's 8th Anniversary Drinking Room Self-Produced Content)
(Screenshot)
(Screenshot)
ㅡ Back when the company was struggling, Seo Tae-il secretly dropped out of high school and took part-time jobsㅇㅇ
The CEO and members had no idea until they noticed Tae-il refusing to leave the dorm on his supposed graduation day and pressed him until the truth came out...
ㅡ At the time, the CEO was working three jobs to pay staff salaries and cover trainees' tuition, living expenses, and debut prep, but Tae-il used the money under his name to supplement living costs.
ㅡ He spent his part-time earnings on practice room rentals and recording studio fees, giving whatever was left to the younger trainees as allowance (even though he was exhausted, he didn't want to discourage them).
ㅡ Conclusion: Tae-bear is a god. Light and truth incarnate.
Refute this and you'll be locked in a room with Nam Da-woon for three days without talking.
ㅡ I was crying while reading this, then the last line made me burst out laughing.
ㅡ Just imagining that last line makes my energy drain and blood drip from my ears;
└ Even Nam Da-woon's name is... unique. Not Nam Da-reum or Na Da-woon, but Nam Da-woonㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅡ Scribe, add this too!
Later, the CEO admitted he'd known all along and tearfully promised Tae-il, "I'll make sure you succeed."
And as soon as UPIA earned their first income, he sold his own house to relocate the members and fully funded Tae-il's GED exam feesㅜㅠ...
This is why the kids could never hate Se-wonㅠㅠㅜㅜㅜ He's just too sincere with themㅠㅜㅜ,,,
└ Wow, I didn't know thisㅠㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅠ
And after that incident, Miro established an ironclad rule: all trainees and artists must graduate high school.
[System Notification: A story you can't hear without crying...!]
[System Notification: ʕ ಡ ﹏ ಡ ʔ]
Typical eldest son sacrifice story from back then.
Hajin thought as he watched Seo Tae-il testing the microphone at the center of the gymnasium.
Though he said that, Hajin actually respected Seo Tae-il quite a bit.
He knew better than anyone how heavy the word responsibility could be for the eldest.
"Ah, ah. Mic test. Can everyone hear me?"
Filming seemed about to start, as staff adjusting Tae-il's hair and makeup retreated to the production area.
Tae-il was decked head-to-toe in matching sportswear from a brand UPIA had endorsed for three years straight. Those sneakers were definitely the limited-edition pair released for UPIA's 12th anniversary.
Today, I vow again: Young, rich, tall, and handsome.
Clenching his fist with determination, Hajin headed toward the center as directed by the staff.
Well, at least it felt good to get some fresh air for once.
"Today, we have a special MC joining us!"
"Ooh~."
The trainees' reactions had been improving steadily, likely from getting used to variety shows. Tae-il smiled fondly at his juniors before clearing his throat, remembering the special MC he had to introduce.
Maybe I should've just dragged Jin-woo here instead. Of all days, he's the only one free...
But I'm Seo Tae-il, a 13-year veteran idol. I won't let it show.
Maintaining a flawless poker face, Tae-il raised the mic for his next line.
"Truly, for your more enjoyable sports day today, we've gone through great lengths to invite someone. Ah, I wonder who it could—"
—Before he could finish.
"Eyyy. Too long, too long!"
"Sigh..."
Someone boomed into the mic with overwhelming confidence.
Pro idol Seo Tae-il's poker face crumbled. He sighed, covering his eyes as if he'd expected this.
The trainees froze at the sudden newcomer before turning toward the voice.
From behind the staff, a bright-eyed, brown-haired young man in the same outfit as Tae-il strode forward, tapping a cue card against his palm.
"Hey, how long am I supposed to wait, huh? When are we starting this sports day? After it's already over?"
"Da-woon-ah, I'm in the middle of my lines..."
"Yeah, you're doing your lines, but they're way too long. This isn't a Pia Land (UPIA's self-produced content) shoot, hello? The juniors are standing here exhausted—what are you doing, hyung?"
"This is why I didn't want to bring you."
"What? What did you say? Hyung! Is this—is this member discrimination? Should I just leave? I'm deeply hurt right now."
"Da-woon, please."
What is happening in Miro Maze?
The trainees' reactions short-circuited at the sight of the always charismatic and composed Seo Tae-il struggling, even biting his lip in frustration.
It hadn't even been a minute since his appearance, but the audio was already exploding.
"Ah, whatever. Just introduce me already."
"Alright, today's special MC. From UPIA..."
"Huh? I heard about this from Han-sol. Hyung, why do you keep skipping our introductions? Are you embarrassed of us?"
"...The adorable Maltese main dancer, third eldest Nam Da-woon. Wahh."
"Mhm. That's more like it."
Satisfied with the introduction, Nam Da-woon beamed and waved at the trainees.
"Hey, juniors! I'm your Nam-tiz hyung!"
Watching this, Hajin clapped with genuine awe.
Is this the life of a 13-year veteran male idol who has no shame in self-moeification?
Nam Da-woon was one of UPIA's most prominent variety stars.
He was sociable and, above all—talkative. Since Seo Tae-il leaned more toward the composed side, they'd probably brought Da-woon in to liven things up.
And just as the staff hoped, Da-woon expertly ramped up the energy.
"Alright! My nephews! Scream for three seconds straight—NOW!!!!"
"AHHHHHHH~~~~!!!"
"Love confession to Destiny—BEGIN~~~~!!!"
"Destiny, we love you~~!!!!"
This is chaos.
Less than ten minutes in, some trainees were already exhausted. By the time Da-woon cranked up EDM under the guise of warming up, Tae-il had already lowered his mic in defeat.
"Whew, huff."
"Okay, that's enough opening footage. Right, staff?"
He winked, and a writer in front of the cameras raised a sketchbook.
<♥God of Variety, God of Screen Time, Supreme Majesty Nam-tiz, We Love You♥>
The heart drawn in marker perfectly captured the staff's sentiments.
"Now then... Wait, where's hyung?"
Looking around for Tae-il to continue, Nam-tiz—no, Nam Da-woon—peered about.
Around the time Da-woon was leading the trainees in their twelfth wave, Tae-il had long since abandoned the mic to rest in the shade of the announcer's stand. Spotting Da-woon, he lazily waved.
"Go on, go on. Do whatever you want, Da-woon-ah."
"Wow, our MC has zero sense of responsibility. What are you doing over there?"
"Hyung's tired. Getting old."
"Ugh, seriously hopeless. Everyone! Let's just have fun with me today, okay?!"
"Yeeees!!!"
Da-woon threw his arms up, and like a cult following their leader, the trainees mirrored him and cheered.
This is a disaster.
Despite thinking that, Hajin played along and cheered loudly.
And so...
This was the beginning of everything.
Teams were divided into four groups—three teams of four and one team of five—based on numbers.
Each team was color-coded: Red Team, Blue Team, Purple Team, and Yellow Team.
Members were initially assigned by drawing balls from a box, but if the balance was too skewed, the staff and MCs carefully adjusted them. (At this point, Hajin started feeling uneasy. What kind of events required this much deliberation?)
Thus, the final teams for today:
<Red Team (but through their passionate appeal, they upgraded themselves to Phoenix Team)>
<Captain: Jung Si-woo / Members: Joo Eun-chan, Dan Ha-ru, Park Jae-young>
<Blue Team (originally, but after seeing Phoenix Team's rebranding, they couldn't back down and became Blue Dragon Team)>
<Captain: Kim Hee-geon / Members: Lee Pa-rang, Shin Kyoungho, Yoon Tae-won>
<Purple Team (originally, but pressured by the previous two teams' rebranding, they became Lilac Team)>
<Captain: Gong Seok / Members: Kim Min-wook, Yuki, Jayden>
And finally, the long-awaited...
<(Just) Yellow Team>
<Captain: Seo Tae-hyun / Members: Kang Hajin, Lee Do-ha, Kim Won-ho, Lee Yu-geon>
Watching four towering, intimidating men over 180cm huddle together in oversized yellow training suits on the gym floor—Seo Tae-hyun excluded—Hajin thought:
Is this right?