Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: First Paycheck
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As soon as we got back to the dorm, we washed up and gathered in the living room.
The reason was simple.
To give back to our fans.
“We can finally do one of those fan tributes.”
“I know, right?”
“But it’s for tomorrow. Will we even find a place that can do it?”
That was the biggest problem.
It was already late, so it was highly unlikely any shop would take a large group order for the very next day.
“What should we do?”
“We might be rushing things. Let’s try calling around early tomorrow morning. A coffee truck might be possible, even on short notice.”
Park Ji-ham offered his opinion in a calm voice.
“True. I think Ji-ham’s right. Let’s start with that and then look into something more detailed to do properly during our ‘OWN’ promotions. How does that sound?”
“Sounds good.”
“Me too.”
The conversation wrapped up faster than expected.
“And if you guys aren’t too tired, how about we do a short live stream tonight?”
“A live stream?”
“I think BRAVE would be happy to hear we got our first paycheck.”
It occurred to me that BRAVE might be even happier for us than our own families.
Everyone reacted positively to Lee Ho-jun’s suggestion.
So, we quickly started getting ready for the live stream.
There wasn’t much to it, really.
We just set up a phone on a stand for the stream and brought out a tablet to read the comments.
“Alright, I’m starting it?”
“Yeah.”
Park Ji-ham, who was sitting in the middle, tapped the screen, and the live stream began.
[It’s a live!]
[It’s real.]
[The notification popped up and I came in thinking, no way!]
[Wow. So glad I was on my phone!]
As if they had been waiting, a flood of people joined.
“We have something to brag about today.”
[I know. You guys got first place.]
[You’re gonna ask if you did well today, right? Yes. You did great.]
[Congrats on first place. Let’s keep this up and set a new record.]
No one even thought of the paycheck after Jung Eun-woo’s comment.
*They’re usually so quick on the uptake, but not today.*
“We got a present from the company today.”
Park Ji-ham proudly held up a pair of Bluetooth earphones.
[What’s that?]
[Wow. They even engraved your initials? I’m touched.]
[But I thought you guys using wired earphones had a certain vibe, so I bought a pair too.]
It was surprising that everyone knew we used wired earphones.
“How did you know we used wired earphones?”
[From airport photos and your original content.]
[Is there anything we don’t know about you?]
[You guys only ever used wired ones.]
The responses came back as if we’d asked the most obvious question in the world.
“BRAVE, you’re amazing.”
“I’ve thought this for a while, but don’t our fans have the sharpest eyes? They spot everything, no matter how small it is. You all should have been detectives.”
[Looooool I don’t want to disappoint Ji-ham.]
[……It’s only like that when it comes to you guys, ahem.]
[Everyone, let’s just be quiet. Let’s maintain our good image.]
“I already saw that.”
[Oops. Too late.]
“Anyway, the company gave them to us as a gift because they saw us using wired earphones.”
[Major props to the company.]
[The gift itself is so thoughtful, but such a detailed one? I’m touched.]
[Wow.]
[I wish my boss was like that.]
[No wonder the boys looked so bright today.]
“The gift is great, but there’s even better news.”
[What is it?]
[A concert?]
[A full album?]
It was a moment that made us realize exactly what kind of good news the fans were hoping for.
[You know we have no patience. We’re victims of RED CUBE too. Hurry up and tell us.]
“Ah.”
A fan’s comment made the mood turn solemn for a moment.
“Sorry.”
“We didn’t mean to drag it out. We’ll reflect on our actions.”
“That’s right.”
[Lmaoooooooo guys……. It’s okay. We’re all just victims here.]
[Survival shows really make victims out of the fans too. Our blood runs dry right along with you.]
“We finally got our first paycheck.”
[Haru. Say that again.]
[A paycheck?]
[Wow. I saw Kang Ju-hyeok from the group next door got his paycheck and is driving a car now, and I was wondering when our boys would get paid.]
[Congratulations!]
[That’s great!]
Just as we’d expected, BRAVE was genuinely happy for us about getting paid.
“Thank you.”
[What are you going to do with the money?]
“First, I’m going to put some in savings and buy presents for my family.”
“Me too.”
“I think I’ll probably do the same.”
[What about for yourselves? You guys have worked so hard. You should do something you’ve wanted to do.]
[What about for you? It’s your hard-earned money. Please spend some on yourselves too.]
We hadn’t even mentioned using it for BRAVE yet, but seeing them tell us to spend it on ourselves made me realize once again how incredible a fan’s heart is.
“We’ll spend it on ourselves, too.”
[What are you going to do?]
“We’re going to pool our money and buy a massage chair.”
[Looooool ah, that’s so realistic.]
[Other idols buy luxury brands and cars, but our boys are getting a massage chair lolololol]
“It’s a really important item.”
Haru said with a serious expression.
Honestly, it was an item we desperately needed.
“We’ve already decided to set a schedule for using it.”
[Usually, people fight a lot over things like that, but I’m not worried about our boys.]
[I bet they’ll use it so peacefully.]
[Yoon-seul, by the way, do you know the guys from Zero to the Boy?]
I was going to pretend I didn’t see it, but surprisingly, many questions popped up asking about my relationship with Zero to the Boy.
“We were acquaintances who would say hi to each other during our trainee days.”
There was no good reason to get involved with them.
LM wouldn’t miss an opportunity like that.
[I see.]
[Right. Our Yoon-seul doesn’t have any friends…….]
“No, I have friends.”
[Who?]
[Who? Name someone you knew before RED CUBE.]
[Yoon-seul, the moment you said you didn’t have any with your own mouth, this was bound to happen.]
My brain started spinning rapidly.
“Wi Yeo-jun.”
[We know Wi Yeo-jun is your friend. You lost touch before RED CUBE and only recently met again. But you still reconnected through RED CUBE.]
“……”
I was at a loss for words.
[Yoon-seul. Nothing to say?]
[Just admit it. It’s not a crime to not have friends.]
[It’s okay. You have four older brothers now.]
Somehow, it felt less like they were comforting me and more like they were teasing me.
“You’re all making fun of me, aren’t you?”
[You’re only just realizing that?]
[Yoon-seul. Just look at your members’ faces. You were the only one who didn’t know we were teasing you.]
I turned my head and saw the members covering their mouths, trying to hold back their laughter.
[Isn’t teasing the youngest always the most fun?]
“You’re all so mean.”
[Yoon-seul. We’re sorry. But you’re so cute, we just want to mess with you.]
[What can we do? We’re just a bunch of pranksters.]
“I’ll let it slide, just this once.”
[Okay. Thanks.]
[In that case, Yoon-seul, why did your hair suddenly look different during the encore stage?]
“That’s because we patted Yoon-seul’s head so hard that his hair got all messy, so he went to the bathroom and fixed it with some water.”
[Why do you guys get to see that all by yourselves?]
[Let us see too.]
* * *
After the live stream, which lasted about an hour and a half, I found a spot in the kitchen to call my mom.
All the members had scattered to different parts of the dorm to tell their families about the paycheck.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom. Are you busy?”
“No. More importantly, what’s going on?”
“I finally got my first paycheck. It’s completely different from my GANGSTER-M days. This time, it’s a pretty big amount. You have no idea how surprised the members and I were when we saw our bank accounts. You’d be shocked if you saw it too.”
I expected to hear her excited voice congratulating me right away, but contrary to my expectations, there was a moment of silence.
*What’s wrong?*
I checked to see if the call had dropped, but there were no issues.
“Mom?”
Only after I spoke again did I hear my mom’s voice.
“Son. Congratulations. Your hard work is finally paying off.”
For some reason, her voice seemed to be trembling slightly.
“Mom, are you crying right now?”
“No? Why would I cry on such a happy day? I’ve been so happy lately. Do you know how glad I am that you’re doing so well, Yoon-seul? I’m talking everyone’s ear off bragging about you. Everyone around me is so envious.”
She said she wasn’t crying, but it was obvious she was.
The way she raised her voice higher than usual to hide her crying was too obvious.
Though it seemed she had no idea that I’d noticed.
*She must have gone through so much because of me.*
I suddenly declared I wanted to be an idol, practically giving up my studies to throw myself into the trainee life.
But after failing to make the debut team at Stunning, I had no choice but to move to LM.
After that, I finally succeeded in debuting with GANGSTER-M, and just when I thought the hardships were over, even bigger problems arose. She must have been on edge all the time.
*Especially since I was being criticized for things I hadn’t even done.*
Remembering the comments my mom used to write to defend me, the tip of my nose tingled.
So, I decided not to let on that I knew.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll come home after promotions are over. I’ll stay for a while this time. I want to get some proper rest at home, too.”
“Okay. I’ll make you something delicious when you come.”
“Okay.”
I don’t know if tears are contagious, but now I felt like I was going to cry.
*Hold it in. I can’t cry now.*
I had a feeling that if I started crying here, I wouldn’t be able to stop.
I had a music show schedule tomorrow, so I couldn’t show up to meet the fans with swollen eyes.
So I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately holding back the tears that threatened to fall.
“You must be tired, so get some sleep. I’ll always be cheering for you.”
“Okay, you get some sleep too, Mom.”
I ended the call but couldn’t bring myself to get up from my seat.
*Making me all emotional. Right. I should use my first paycheck for my family instead of saving it. A big reason I was able to make it this far was thanks to my family, who believed in me.*
I knew that even if I asked my mom or dad what they wanted, they wouldn’t say anything.
My sister would probably joke around and name something deliberately expensive.
So I quickly ordered gifts for my family on my phone.
They were things my family had always wanted but never dared to buy.
*I feel so proud.*
I never knew that being able to do something for my family could bring such joy.
“I’ll be able to stretch my legs and sleep soundly tonight.”
I stretched once, got up, turned off the kitchen light, and headed to my room.