A Week's Nostalgia on the Rooftop Set
...clears throat. Then, it seems there's no copyright issue. Shall we proceed with the paperwork while the work is underway?
I understand.
Let's start shooting now.
Then, please take care of everything. I have an appointment, so I'll head out for now. Kim, please manage the site well.
Yes, Team Leader.
As the client, Song Hojin left behind only the person in charge and departed. Namhun felt a little relieved.
Um... Seokho-hyung. But, is this even possible?
Hm? What is?
No matter how much I disguise myself, Elixer was ten years ago, right? Doesn't that seem odd?
Moreover, my body was slim back then. It's become much larger now.
Oh, don't worry about that. There's something called CG, you see. Right, Team Leader Heo?
Yes. Just do the makeup, and it will look exactly like the original. Plus, we also have AI correction technology.
AI?
They're already applying AI technology that's currently being talked about in the industry.
It's not like our company is doing well in the industry by accident. We're making various efforts.
I see. Well, then, there's no need to worry?
Of course not. Just relax and sing your heart out. In this advertisement, the live feel is the most important thing.
At Team Leader Heo's words, Namhun loosened his neck lightly.
Today, due to time constraints, they decided to shoot only a part of the Elixer version for a camera test.
Mubibro had an outdoor studio on the rooftop and a regular studio on the fourth floor.
The Elixer version was to be shot at the outdoor studio, while the Namhun version was decided to be shot indoors in contrast to it.
...Wow.
At the sight of the prepared stage, Namhun immediately understood why Mubibro was so successful in the industry.
This is exactly like the GAYOTOP 100 debut stage from back then.
MusicBro had recreated that stage in just one day.
Although smaller and with simplified details compared to KBC's actual stage, it was likely indistinguishable when looking at the footage.
'As long as I sing well, it should be fine.'
They said it would be fixed with pitch correction, so there was no worry about the changed voice.
The only problem was the body that had aged ten years.
In the meantime, he had avoided dancing a lot.
Can I practice the choreography for a moment? I did practice yesterday, but suddenly seeing the stage makes me nervous.
Because Kang Seokho had multiple projects going on, he was absent, and Team Leader Heo was commanding the site.
Ah, but I can't give you much time. Makeup will take quite a while.
Eh?
It's almost at the level of special makeup, after all. We have to turn back the clock ten years, you know?
...Haha. Yeah, that's right.
In the meantime, I hadn't received any celebrity management.
Compared to before, the aging was definitely noticeable.
Especially in this era of HD broadcasting.
Our YouTube supports up to 4K, so we need to be careful.
I see.
Namhun, who was unfamiliar with modern technology, didn't know what 4K was, but he nodded as if he understood.
Then, while you practice, I'll take a short break.
Yes.
While practicing choreography on the stage, someone came running up to the rooftop, panting.
Namhun spotted that someone and felt a pang of sympathy.
Pant... pant... pant...
It was Jo Wonhyeong, who was breathing as if his waist was bent ninety degrees and he was about to die.
Hyung, you're not going to die, are you?
Pant... really, that guy is shooting an advertisement.
Then it's real. Did I look like I was lying?
...Hah. What a rotten world. An unfair world. A dirty world! May you all go bankrupt!
At that moment, behind the muttering Wonhyeong, Team Leader Heo reappeared.
Who is this gloomy person here?
She had been gathering snacks, drinks, and water from the pantry.
I brought it for Mr. Namhun to eat, so he should eat it. Here, drink.
She opened the water bottle cap and handed it to Wonhyeong.
Th-thank you.
Watching that scene, Namhun gently closed his eyes.
He knew Jo Wonhyeong all too well.
The founding father of the breakdance scene.
The crown prince of Sunlight.
The nuclear heartthrob of the trot industry.
A boisterous and easygoing personality, a man who became the leader of the group no matter where he went.
But unexpectedly, he was weak to mysterious and powerful women.
Behind the bewildered Wonhyeong, Team Leader Heo approached Namhun.
Has your body loosened up?
Yes. The stage was made really well.
The staff worked really hard. Originally it was MusicPie stage, but yesterday we stuck everything together and changed it to the GAYOTOP 100 stage.
That's why everyone looks tired.
At Namhun's words, the team leader smiled bitterly.
Yes. We worked until late... Instead, we'll give you overtime pay and substitute holidays, so don't worry. Our company is different from others.
At those words, Namhun nodded.
Working eight to five, five days a week on set in the broadcasting industry is a luxury.
Because there are times when things pile up.
That's why in companies with poor treatment, many people quit and leave.
'Paying with money is the best, though.'
The reason Mubibro has few resignations is because the boss, Kang Seokho, is capable.
To take care of employees' welfare, they have to make that much profit.
'I didn't know Seokho-hyung had such talent.'
Managing the production and company is a different category.
Well, gather the makeup team here.
While Team Leader Heo was giving instructions to the staff, Wonhyeong, who had been frozen, woke up.
Um, who is that woman?
......
Namhun hesitated for a moment.
Should he lie to Team Leader Heo and say she's married?
But he also knew she was single right now.
After Kang Seokho's introduction, he had heard stories of her dating.
'Well, life flows according to its own course.'
If it's a destined connection, it will happen, and if not, it won't, right?
No way would a person like Team Leader Heo with her strict personality be interested in someone like Wonhyeong.
Team Leader Heo. She's in charge of advertising at Mubibro. She's a very professional person, so don't do anything weird.
Eh... okay.
Namhun sighed deeply upon seeing Wonhyeong's expression.
'This hyung, that gold-digging instinct is activated again.'
It seemed like he'd get the same question again and again from now on.
—Hey, aren't you going to Mubibro?
But what could he do?
That person was the leader of the team.
He couldn't help, but he shouldn't interfere, either.
'It's a bit sorry for Team Leader Heo, though.'
Namhun thought it wasn't a big deal.
If Team Leader Heo didn't react, Wonhyeong wouldn't stick around for long.
Such things had happened way too many times.
In the makeup room, the makeup artist who finished applying makeup couldn't take her eyes off the mirror.
......
What's wrong?
Team Leader Heo, who found it strange, came over and quietly stroked her chin.
The three of them were standing for a long time when Jo Wonhyeong, who spotted Team Leader Heo, casually peeked and slipped in.
Then, seeing his reflection in the mirror, he flinched and stepped back.
Hah.
He had no choice but to be startled.
In the mirror sat Elixer, the youngest of Evil Spirits from ten years ago, exactly as remembered.
......Are you perhaps a woman?
Wonhyeong, startled by the result, asked the makeup artist.
She shook her head.
No... there's no way.
She was extremely dejected.
At that moment.
Team Leader Heo, who had been quietly stroking her chin, opened her mouth.
...Hah. What a rotten world. An unfair world. A dirty world. May you all go bankrupt!
Even Wonhyeong, who had said that exact line thirty minutes earlier, jumped in surprise and looked at her.
She left the makeup room with an extremely angry expression and the sound of her high heels clacking.
Thank you... for your hard work.
The makeup artist bowed her head and walked out with her shoulders slumped.
Standing in front of the mirror, Namhun was just dumbfounded.
What? Why are they all like that?
At that reaction, Wonhyeong hit Namhun's back with a loud smack!
Hey. This guy who doesn't know about women's instincts.
What? Suddenly!
Namhun, who had been standing still and got hit, shot up.
Only then did Wonhyeong realize that the person in front of him wasn't the youngest, Jang Nam, Elixer, but a twenty-eight-year-old Jang Namhun.
A young man whose height had grown so much that it felt like a fight would be hard for him to win.
Hey, think back to the old days. How much did the female idols envy you? They always asked what cosmetics you used.
...That was the old days. Now they're all old, though.
Do you even say that while looking in the mirror? Until you stand up from the chair, you thought you went back ten years. With the wig, it's exactly like then. The height and shoulders are the only ones that have changed.
Wonhyeong clicked his tongue at Namhun.
How did that skinny guy get such broad shoulders?
At those words, Namhun smiled bitterly.
If you have two kids too, one on each arm, they'll grow wide soon. You don't need dumbbells separately.
After finishing the makeup and wearing the hip-hop outfit from the Evil Spirits era, Seokho, looking at Namhun, clicked his tongue.
No need for CG, right?
Indeed. After the makeup, it's exactly like back then.
Does Kim also know Elixer?
Well... he was famous in various ways in our generation.
Kim turned the conversation, but Namhun understood what it meant.
Right after debut, there was controversy in the idol fandom over whether Elixer was a man or a woman.
—Demand the truth from Elixer.
The so-called 'Eljin-yo' incident.
After authenticating student ID photos and old photos, the controversy flared up even more.
Because of that, the agency ended up taking a photo of all members bathing together in the bathhouse as authentication.
Of course, the lower part was mosaic-ed.
Even after doing that, Evil Spirits was in turmoil for a while over whether it was mixed-gender or male idols, so erasing a single scandal wasn't easy.
In the end, it became the reason for gaining recognition, but many were also harmed by it.
The incident where a male fan tried to personally confirm and broke into the dorm and got caught by Wonhyeong.
The incident where female fans with strange tastes gathered and sent blood-written letters saying they would kill you when meeting a girlfriend, and so on.
He wasn't a large number of fans, but he did experience all kinds of strange things.
Namhun was also greatly surprised in a different way after seeing his appearance post-makeup.
'Sera sang that Yoonyul looked a lot like me... That was real.'
After applying the makeup, Yoonyul's appearance was visible.
Perhaps when he grows a few more years older and starts full makeup, it might look exactly like Elixer from back then.
'They say blood is thicker than water.'
Looking in the mirror, it was a strangely nostalgic feeling.
Then, as a camera test, let's shoot the dance scene first.
Following Team Leader Heo's instructions, Namhun lightly danced on the stage and came down.
After finishing the stage, when they monitored the footage, it felt as if Yoonyul was doing the stage.
'It seems better than I thought?'
Thanks to the filming technology and changed stage proportions, the larger body didn't stand out.
Team Leader Heo's evaluation was the same.
It's good. For the dance scene, just edit it well.
It was truly surprising.
A debut song from almost ten years ago, and it was remembered after just one day's practice.
That's why he suddenly missed it.
Back then, that time.
And the members who practiced with him.
Jealous brat. You're still alive?
Understanding Namhun's heart, Wonhyeong lightly patted his shoulder.
He, too, had thought of the old days while watching Namhun's stage.
Looking at Wonhyeong, Namhun thought.
'Will we ever gather again at the same place?'
To do that, they would first have to untangle the tangled threads between them.