Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: A Song and a Video
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We were taking a break from practicing for our comeback preparations.
That's when I checked my phone and saw that social media was in an uproar.
‘What is all this, all of a sudden?’
Thankfully, things had calmed down thanks to the post Creatin had uploaded to their official account.
[Everyone, let's be honest, this whole fight started because of our own speculation. So it's right for us to apologize first. Creatin posted about it themselves. That's how serious this is.]
↳Seriously, I was so embarrassed when I saw what the boys wrote.
↳Guys. We're sorry.
↳I think we need to sincerely apologize to BRAVE.
↳We were really awful.
[BRAVE. We're sorry. We want to apologize. I think my love for Creatin went too far and I lost my mind. I guess I also felt insecure because we kept getting overshadowed by RE-V. Our boys are the seniors, but they were being pushed aside by their juniors, so I was worried… I won’t do it again.]
↳Sigh… To be honest, I’m still upset and angry, but fine. Apology accepted. I feel like RE-V would be upset if we fought.
↳I’m only accepting this apology for RE-V’s sake.
↳Still, thanks for apologizing. Even while we were fighting, I knew this wasn't right.
↳Thanks for saying that. We’re truly sorry.
[Why are all the BRAVEs so nice? It makes my heart feel even heavier. We were truly in the wrong. We’re sorry. We messed up. As a sign of our apology, we’ll promote RE-V’s comeback and stream their music.]
↳Okay. We’ll stream your music too, as a sign of reconciliation. Let’s help each other out.
↳Thank you.
↳Let’s really not do this anymore, for Creatin’s sake. Complaints go to the company only! Let’s remember that. Memorize it. This is a five-star rule.
[It seemed like our boys really liked RE-V, and now I see there was a reason for it. RE-V must have helped them out a lot. Since they went through hard times themselves, they must have understood how Creatin felt and helped them. We really repaid their kindness with malice. I wonder how shocked Creatin was when they saw social media.]
↳I’m a real sinner.
↳Why did I fall for speculation? To think I let my emotions rule my reason and did something I shouldn't have.
↳I’m too ashamed to face our boys.
↳Sigh… I’m so, so sorry.
[Still, it’s a relief that everything was resolved thanks to Creatin’s post. RE-V was about to get hate for no reason. But our boys are amazing. They must have been swamped just preparing for their own debut, but they still helped out. So sweet.]
↳This really shows their true character.
↳Creatin seems nice too. Honestly, they could have just pretended not to know. It’s a bit much for a celebrity to write a post themselves, especially when it’s scolding their own fans. But they posted it for RE-V’s sake.
↳Right. They could have just ignored it, but the fact that they wrote something shows they’re soft-hearted and good people.
↳Thanks for recognizing that. It’s a real disgrace that we tarnished the image of boys like that. A total disgrace.
‘The same people who were at each other’s throats just a few hours ago have reconciled surprisingly easily. Still, it’s a relief.’
Fights between fandoms might not seem like a big deal, but they are.
If these fights drag on, the emotional labor for the fans becomes immense.
They get exhausted quickly.
‘That’s what happened to my fans back then.’
At first, they fought with other idol fandoms for my sake, but one by one, they grew tired and disappeared.
It couldn't be helped.
What could they do when the situation didn't improve, no matter how hard they tried?
‘I don’t want to go through that again.’
“Let’s resume practice.”
“Yes!”
At the call to resume practice, I put my phone back down.
* * *
After practice, we went straight back to the dorm.
Our schedule had suddenly become incredibly packed.
We didn't have any official schedules, but it was a whirlwind of days spent on concept photoshoots, learning choreography, and recording.
“This is even more hectic than when we debuted.”
“I know, right?”
“When we get paid, I’m definitely buying a massage chair.”
“Me too.”
Sprawled out in the living room, we ate a late-night snack and started talking about what we wanted to do once we received our earnings.
*Bzzz.*
My phone vibrated.
I checked it and saw it was from Leon.
[The song is finished, so I’m sending it over. Give it a listen.]
It seemed there would be no additional recording sessions.
“What’s that? Is it the OST you recorded?”
Lee Ho-jun, who was sitting next to me, asked when he saw Leon’s name on the screen.
“Yeah, looks like it.”
“Let’s all listen to it together while we’re here.”
“Sure.”
I downloaded the attached file.
Then, I immediately played the song.
A quiet intro began to play.
—The rain came down
Leon’s voice started the song.
—The sky completely covered by clouds
The falling raindrops
On that cloudy day
Even the colorful umbrellas
Everything is so vivid
My part came next.
—The misty rain
That fell
On that day
The vocal range suddenly shot up.
—Approaching in a pair of yellow rain boots
My first love
I can’t forget you
So I love you once again
“Huh? Aren’t you the feature? Why is it only your voice?”
Jung Eun-woo, who had been listening quietly, asked with a puzzled look.
“It’s my song, featuring Leon.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t know either. I found out when I got there.”
—This heart cannot be erased
Before I knew it, like the damp
Misty rain that soaks through
Love seeps in
(AH)
“That’s really high.”
“Yeah. He said that’s why he passed the part to me.”
The second verse began.
—My rain-soaked sleeves
I tried to hide them in a hurry, but
You just smiled softly at me
This time, it started with Leon’s part again.
—That’s how this heart began
(HOO WOO WOO)
Leon’s falsetto was particularly striking.
It suited his vocal tone so well.
—Approaching in a pair of yellow rain boots
My first love
I can’t forget you
So I love you once again
“It’s just one high note after another.”
“Yeah. They were all really high.”
—This heart cannot be erased
Before I knew it, like the damp
Misty rain that soaks through
Love seeps in
(AH)
“Seriously, not just anyone could sing this.”
I had to agree.
The vocal range for every part was so high that even I found it a bit strenuous to sing it all in one go.
‘Singing this live would be totally draining.’
—Even if I get hurt again
I’m okay
A harmony came in.
It was a part I hadn’t seen on the sheet music.
It seemed to have been added during post-production after the recording.
—This heart cannot be erased
Before I knew it, like the damp
Misty rain that soaks through
Love seeps in
(AH)
Love seeps in
And with that, the song ended.
“Wow. That’s amazing.”
“I bet a lot of covers of this will be uploaded later. Anyone who thinks they can sing will probably give it a try.”
“I bet.”
“Yoon-seul. Looks like you’ll be the next one after Ji-ham to earn big. Solo activities are paid separately from the group earnings, right?”
I think there was a clause like that.
“Haru, have you memorized the entire contract?”
“Not all of it, just the important parts.”
He said that, but it was clear he had memorized the whole thing.
“But can you really earn that much from an OST?”
“There’s money from digital sales and karaoke royalties, so you should earn a decent amount, right?”
“Hyung. Are you planning on starting your own entertainment company later or something?”
At my question, Haru tilted his head at me as if asking what I meant.
“I mean, you know in such detail how idols make money.”
Haru burst out laughing.
“When you can’t make money, you start looking into all this stuff because you want to.”
Another self-deprecating joke.
‘But if he uses this on a variety show later, he could really establish a character.’
* * *
As if they had timed it perfectly, JR uploaded a video to Creatin’s YouTube channel of RE-V and Creatin practicing for their joint ‘Twisty Puzzle’ performance.
[Creatin - Twisty Puzzle STAR Stage Practice Video]
The video began with Creatin and RE-V in comfortable clothes, stretching in a practice room.
They chatted casually.
[The tteokbokki place in front of here is really good. We’ve been going there since we were trainees. The portions are huge and the owner is really nice.]
Having trained at JR for a long time, Creatin knew all about the best places to eat near the company.
The two groups looked very close.
Throughout the practice video, they maintained a warm and friendly atmosphere.
↳The boys get along so well.
↳And they’re still so formal, adding ‘nim’ to everyone’s names lollllll
↳lolololol Are they still not over the whole senior-junior debate? At this point, just be friendly older and younger brothers.
Fans of both RE-V and Creatin quickly flocked to the video.
↳Ah, this combination is so wholesome. So, so wholesome.
↳lololololol Creatin are all like little chicks. Chicks excited to meet their big brothers.
↳RE-V lolol They suddenly give off big brother vibes. I always thought Yoon-seul was the baby of the group, but here he looks like an older brother.
↳Since RE-V has more stage experience, they’re giving a lot of tips. Creatin doesn’t have much stage experience. So this is what they meant when they said they got a lot of help.
As if they had never fought, the fans were getting along splendidly.
It was because they didn't want to see RE-V and Creatin grow distant because of their fighting.
↳But both groups are so gentle and kind. It would be great if they did joint original content like this. I don't think the fans would mind either, since the two groups are so close.
↳Wow, seriously! Just imagining it makes me so happy! It’d be great if they went on a trip together or played games in teams. And it’s perfect since both groups have five members.
↳A sports day or mini-games, please!
↳A sports day would be so good! They could be the white team and the black team. Just like their Twisty Puzzle stage, RE-V could be the white team and Creatin could be the black team.
There were even many who wanted to see more of the two groups together.
An employee from the PR team, who was monitoring the fan reactions, saw the comments and had a flash of inspiration.
‘This would be good for both groups, and we’d only have to produce one piece of content, so it would reduce our workload. This is great.’
He immediately began drafting a proposal.