Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: The Self-Reporting Mafia
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[No. Why do we keep suspecting only each other?]
Park Ji-ham said with a shudder, as if he was sick of it.
The BRAVE deeply sympathized with his words.
“Seriously. We should be suspecting the others, too. We're only suspecting each other.”
[We don't know what the others are like normally. We need to know that to suspect them. There are mafia mission directives, but depending on how you do it, they could seem natural. The game has to be fun, so they wouldn't have given a mission like 'suddenly get up and dance'.]
At Jung Eun-woo's answer, the BRAVE, including Haru, who were watching the video, all slapped their foreheads.
“That's a really good point.”
[So we have to be suspicious within our own groups. Each group covers for their own.]
Lee Ho-jun chimed in.
At that, Park Ji-ham nodded, as if convinced.
Then, he began to seriously suspect the other members.
[Wait a minute!]
Seo Yoon-seul suddenly raised his hand and spoke up.
[Isn't this a little strange?]
After confirming that all eyes were on him, Seo Yoon-seul spoke again.
[Why hasn't anyone died yet? Even if there's only one mafia left, isn't it a little weird that the mafia hasn't killed anyone?]
“That's true.”
[Huh?]
Park Ji-ham rested his chin on his hand and began to sink into thought.
The others were the same.
[What could the mafia's mission have been?]
It grew quiet for a moment.
Since RE-V had been mired in a swamp of suspicion throughout the mafia game, it was a long-awaited moment of peace.
[Right?]
Everyone looked at the production staff with suspicious eyes.
[Ah, no. Why are you looking at me?]
The staff member acting as the MC took a step back, waving his hands in denial.
He looked incredibly wronged.
[We didn't pull any tricks. We're completely innocent. What can we do if the mafia got scared because Haru died?]
The suspicious gazes disappeared as the staff member spewed out his words as if he were rapping.
[We're sorry.]
At the quick apology, the staff member nodded to signal that it was okay.
And so, the game resumed.
[Ji-ham isn't usually the type to get angry like this. Something's suspicious. He's the type to get calmer when he's angry, right?]
Lee Ho-jun tilted his head, his words trailing off.
[Wouldn't it be weird not to get angry when you're constantly being suspected like this? You've been jumping up and down every time you're suspected.]
Park Ji-ham shut his eyes tightly and raised his voice.
[Achoo!]
Jung Eun-woo, who had been quiet, sneezed.
[That's not the mission, is it?]
Not missing a beat, Lee Ho-jun directed a question at Jung Eun-woo.
[If that were the case, someone would have died by now. This is habitual suspicion. Everyone, for the sake of the group, I don't think we should ever play this game again. It's a disaster.]
Jung Eun-woo replied with a deep sigh.
“But couldn't it be the opposite?”
The BRAVE knew that RE-V wasn't on bad terms, but they were so careful with each other that they sometimes lacked a sense of closeness.
That was occasionally a bit disappointing.
‘Watching other idols be close, I did think it would be nice if we could be like that soon.’
Having been together since RED CUBE, they weren't uncomfortable or awkward with each other, but if you asked whether they had the tight-knit comfort of a family, it seemed they hadn't quite reached that point.
‘Still, it's nice to be able to watch them slowly grow closer with my own two eyes.’
[A moment ago, an innocent citizen has died. Night has fallen to confirm who the deceased is. Everyone, please close your eyes. There is a curse that if a citizen opens their eyes, their next album will fail.]
At the staff's words, Creatin and RE-V squeezed their eyes shut.
In contrast, Leon didn't even flinch.
He knew all too well that the staff's words were merely a means to keep them from opening their eyes, so he couldn't help but be calm.
“Leon is like an older brother playing with his younger cousins during the holidays.”
[Mafia, please open your eyes.]
Just then, the screen went dark.
“What?”
[Try to deduce who the mafia is together.]
“Ah. I'm curious.”
Piquing the viewer's curiosity, the video continued.
The one killed by the mafia was Myeong-seok of Creatin.
[I'm telling you, we have to stop suspecting each other. Why do you think we haven't been killed? Because we're suspecting each other, there's no need to kill us. If one of us dies, this atmosphere of mutual suspicion and surveillance will disappear.]
Park Ji-ham said in a calm voice.
[Let's stop suspecting and actually talk to each other now. Huh? Logically, not based on feelings.]
The heated atmosphere calmed down considerably.
Before long, the surroundings grew dark, and it was completely night.
[By the way, how long are we doing this?]
Leon, perhaps tired from the continuous debate, lightly rolled his neck and stretched.
[It ends when the citizens catch all the mafia, or the mafia kills all the citizens.]
Leon rolled his eyes for a moment.
[You said we get a prize if we win, right? Not that the loser gets a penalty.]
The staff nodded instead of answering.
[Then just give them the prize. I don't need it.]
Leon said in an indifferent voice.
RE-V and Creatin stared at Leon with surprised faces.
[I'm the mafia. Hurry up and kill me.]
The screen suddenly rewound to show Leon checking his paper.
On his paper, ‘Mafia’ was written in bold letters.
[Mafia.
Mission: Scratch your back.]
And immediately, a scene of Leon scratching his back appeared.
[I want to rest now. Hurry up and kill me.]
RE-V and Creatin, with flustered faces, held a meeting and killed Leon.
[The citizens are victorious.]
The game ended just like that.
It felt a little anticlimactic.
[Bonus Mafia Game 2. This time, we're playing the mafia game as you know it.]
A caption appeared, seeming to preview the next video.
[Videos of the members spending time together in their dorms in the evening will be uploaded to their individual You-Tube channels.]
They were really milking the group retreat for content.
But the BRAVE were nothing but grateful.
“I'd watch a 24-hour unedited video without sleeping, so if they're making a lot of videos, I'm just thankful.”
The video was now completely over.
The BRAVE moved their fingers to check the comments.
↳LMAO. Man, I wish they'd have our boys play mafia again by themselves.
↳Guys. Why are you so suspicious of each other?
↳So you guys were super competitive. It's the first time I'm seeing this side of you.
↳LMAO, for real, they seem more passionate than they were on RED CUBE.
↳It really is the first time I've seen them this excited. You guys seem a little unfamiliar.
↳Leon being exhausted is so relatable, it's hilarious. That was me at a company dinner, trying to figure out the right time to leave.
↳The epitome of lethargy. You can tell he's tired and wants to go home but is playing along. But unintentionally, both mafias turned themselves in LOLOLOLOL
↳LMAO, I'm so thankful to Creatin. Because they said they wanted to go on a retreat, we get to see all this.
↳This combination is so beautiful. I hope they do it again. Following the retreat, maybe a sports day or a hike. Wouldn't that be so much fun?
↳I agree. Totally agree!
***
Today, too, I was waiting in the dressing room to go on stage for a music show.
[Since I received the friendship fee from the BRAVE on his behalf, I'm paying it back on his behalf—Seo Yoon-seul's only friend, Wi Yeo-jun]
“Look at this.”
The manager suddenly held out his phone to me, and when I checked, it was the banner on a coffee truck Wi Yeo-jun had sent for the BRAVE.
“But what's a friendship fee?”
“Ah. A while ago, there was a joke going around, like, 'if you want to be friends, deposit the friendship fee.' It doesn't have any special meaning. So I guess the BRAVE got the idea from that phrase when they sent a coffee truck to actor Wi Yeo-jun. So he sent this back as a reply.”
“I see.”
Knock, knock.
As we were talking, there was a knock on the door.
“Yes, come in.”
The manager said to come in without even asking who it was.
Since he'd never done that before, I looked at him with a puzzled expression.
The person who opened the door and came in was a man who looked to be in his early twenties.
“I brought some drinks.”
“Thanks.”
The manager naturally took the coffee from the man.
“It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jung Yeon-ho, and I'll be working as RE-V's road manager.”
“Hello.”
I exchanged a light greeting with the road manager.
“Please feel free to call me Yeon-ho. I'm twenty. I got a job right after graduating high school.”
Jung Yeon-ho said, flashing a grin.
‘He's the same age as me.’
“I look forward to working with you.”
“Us too.”
“Yes.”
Perhaps because it was his first day, his shoulders were tense.
“From now on, Yeon-ho will accompany members on their individual schedules, like when Yoon-seul goes to record an OST or Ji-ham goes to the studio to compose.”
“Okay.”
“And Ji-ham, after this promotion period ends, let's have you learn composing properly.”
“Sounds good.”
“And by next year, you'll all probably be doing solo activities.”
“What?”
At the sudden news, everyone froze in surprise.
“With your skills, you should all do solo promotions at least once. For now, the company's goal is to include one solo track for each of you on an album.”
Solo.
Popular idols often had them. But that was usually only for those from major agencies.
The cost of producing an album was similar whether it was for a solo artist or a group, but the profits were much higher for a group release, so it was unavoidable.
“We're planning to release solos sequentially based on that, so just be aware. Don't feel too pressured. It's not like we'll skip anyone.”
For idols, whose careers hinge on performance results, this was an incredibly generous offer.
‘Usually, only the main vocalist, center, or main dancer with the best results gets a solo.’
This agency was so different from what I knew in so many ways; this wasn't the first or second time I'd been surprised.
It was considered amazing for even two members of a group to get solos.
“Alright then, let's do our best on stage today too.”
“Yes.”