Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: A Night of Confession
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Since that day, we would return to the company after our promotional activities to practice for the stage.
Our part wasn't very long, so it wasn't too difficult.
The fact that we had already filmed a bunch of variety shows before our debut also helped.
Thanks to that, we currently had no other schedules besides the music shows.
"You must be tired, having to come here and practice after the show because of us. We're sorry."
Jae-hee apologized to us cautiously.
He seemed to genuinely feel sorry and grateful.
*'There's no need to feel sorry.'*
I hadn't spoken with the members about this performance, but I was sure they were all approaching it with happy hearts.
We knew the sorrow of being unpopular better than anyone.
And the frustration of things not working out despite trying so hard.
So if our popularity could be of help in this way, we would gladly help anyone, no matter who they were.
"It's nothing. We're from the same company; we should help each other out."
"Still..."
"We don't have that many schedules right now, so it's fine."
Haru patted Jae-hee's back as if to tell him not to worry about it.
Creatin, as a whole, seemed very intimidated.
I could see them trying hard not to show it in front of us, but they couldn't completely hide their ingrained actions and words.
Or the sadness in their eyes.
*'Especially since we're all people who have been through times like that, it's even more obvious.'*
I felt a strange sense of kinship.
"Oh. I heard you got first place again today. Congratulations."
Oscar offered his congratulations.
A hint of envy seeped into his voice.
"Thank you."
Starting with our first win, we had been achieving the feat of winning first place ever since.
Thanks to that, we were currently basking in a state of euphoria.
"By any chance... has your next comeback schedule been decided?"
Myeong-seok asked in a very cautious voice.
"Our comeback schedule?"
"Yes."
I could see all of Creatin's gazes turn to Haru's lips.
*'Well, our comeback schedule would be important to them.'*
Once this Twisty Puzzle filming was over, the company will probably move to have Creatin make a comeback.
Strike while the iron is hot.
There was nothing more important than that in business.
Releasing something when no one wants it was another way of saying you wanted to fail.
Creatin wouldn't be ignorant of that.
So it made sense they'd be curious about our comeback timing.
After all, the company has to consider which side would be more profitable.
*'Creatin and RE-V. Objectively speaking, RE-V would be far more profitable.'*
That's why they wanted to confirm any potential risk factors.
"We haven't heard anything yet either."
"Ah, I see."
"Yeah. But we probably won't have a comeback right away. We decided to release a full album next."
This debut album wasn't a full album, but a single album.
We had no choice, as RE-V had to be unveiled without delay as soon as Red Cube filming ended.
Preparing a full album would take twice as long.
"That's true. For a group like RE-V, you can release a full album right away."
Most idols didn't release full albums often these days, as they required a large budget and a lot of time.
"Anyway, I think we'll probably take a break and prepare for the full album."
"Thank you for letting us know."
"It's not exactly top-secret information."
"Still..."
A smile appeared on Creatin's faces.
"Shall we start practicing again then?"
"Sounds good."
***
After finishing practice, I returned to the dorm, washed up, and came out to the living room.
The trophy on the living room shelf caught my eye.
After Park Ji-ham said that, the company brought three trophies to the dorm, telling us we might as well look at several.
Thanks to that, trophies from different music shows now sat on our dorm shelf.
*'Looking at them just makes me smile automatically.'*
"Alright. Everyone's here. Let's sit."
At Haru's words, we gathered in a circle on the living room floor.
"Alright, we will now begin our session of candidly sharing stories from the past!"
Another thing that had changed in the dorm since Park Ji-ham brought it up was our decision to gather and share stories about our difficult times.
The idea was inspired by Lee Ho-jun, who suggested that trying to hide and ignore the memories might actually be making us think about them more.
He said that just as time dulls the pain, talking about our wounds might eventually make them feel like nothing.
"Who wants to go first today?"
One surprising thing was that even though we did this whenever we had time, we never ran out of material.
*'Everyone has had so many hardships in their lives.'*
"Let's start with the youngest today."
In my case, I had to think carefully about the timeline before speaking.
The time I spent as a member of GANGSTER-M's second lineup remained in my memory, but it hadn't existed in this reality.
*'What story should I tell?'*
"When Park Su-hyeol had to leave the company because of the school violence scandal, the company quickly started erasing all traces of him. That part was fine. It was necessary for the group to survive. But then they told us to apologize. Even though I wasn't the one who did anything wrong. At the time, I thought I just had to do what the company said. But I was wrong. The moment I apologized, I became the one at fault. After that happened a few times, I'd somehow become a bad person in the public eye too. So I decided I couldn't take it anymore and acted out, and I got kicked out."
Actually, getting kicked out was something I was very grateful for.
You could say it was the only gift LM Entertainment ever gave me.
*'So I decided to think of it as a severance gift.'*
"Speaking of which, didn't that guy, Park Su-hyeol, say he was going to be an internet streamer or something?"
"I heard there was a petition against him streaming, and his account got suspended because of it."
That was thanks to Kang Ju-hyeok's fans and my fans joining forces.
*'Of course, I don't think Park Su-hyeol will stay quiet forever.'*
Before I returned to the past, Park Su-hyeol had chosen a life where he completely disappeared from the public eye.
But then, after seeing me leave the company and participate in Red Cube, he decided to go down the path of a streamer.
*'He must have gotten courageous seeing the company do nothing to stop me from my entertainment activities. Still, it was too reckless.'*
To be honest, Park Su-hyeol must have had a hard time making a living.
Finding a regular job would have been impossible, and he couldn't even get a part-time job.
With Park Su-hyeol's name and face known all over the country, who would hire him?
It was obvious that if they got involved with him and faced a boycott, their business would take a huge hit.
*'He was always mentally strong, and with no money, he probably didn't care what anyone said.'*
I could see why Park Su-hyeol became a streamer, but I couldn't understand it.
If he had any conscience, he shouldn't have shown his face to the public again.
*'Besides, he's the one who ruined my life. What is there to understand?'*
"You really went through a lot. It's a relief that our company actually treats us like human beings."
"Yeah."
"I guess the saying that the heavens are fair isn't a lie, seeing how we're all being rewarded like this."
Whenever someone shared a story, everyone would say something nice like this.
"Alright, next person. Ho-jun, you go. Let's just go in order."
Lee Ho-jun, who was sitting to my right, was naturally next.
"To be honest, I didn't get along with my old members from the moment we debuted."
I had heard a similar story from him before.
"Back when we were trainees, there weren't even that many of us, but strangely, cliques started to form. The company knew about it, but they just left it alone, maybe because they didn't think it mattered. That's when the problems started. The first button was fastened wrong."
Lee Ho-jun continued his story in a calm voice.
"Debuting in that state, we were bound to keep clashing. When you don't get along, it naturally shows on stage."
It's hard to have good chemistry on stage when you don't get along.
Of course, it's possible to bring it up to a certain level.
The problem is when an accident happens on stage.
It meant we couldn't solve even minor, unexpected problems together on stage.
When a member fell or forgot their mic, no one would help them, so a solvable incident would naturally blow up into a major one.
"Well, the biggest problem was something else. We had to be together all day. We couldn't just think of each other as coworkers. Living uncomfortably every day, we naturally became more sensitive. And that led to more fights. It was a cycle."
"True."
"To put it simply, it felt like living in a boarding school."
Everyone nodded at Jung Eun-woo's words.
"Thinking back, we were all so young. If I could go back to that time with the memories I have now, I wonder if our relationship would have been a little different. I sometimes think about that. You know, like in dramas or movies."
"Yeah. I've thought about that a lot, too. That if I could go back, I'd face a different future than the one I have now. But that's a ridiculous story, isn't it?"
An awkward smile formed on my face at Haru's words.
Because I was the one who had experienced that ridiculous story.
*'Even if I told someone, it's hard to expect them to believe me.'*
I could tell the members everything else, but I could never tell them the fact that I had returned to the past, or about the time I was active as a member of GANGSTER-M's second lineup.
"Is it my turn now?"
Haru crossed his arms and hummed, "Mmm..." as if thinking for a moment.
"I went on a show once and sat there literally all day. But I was completely edited out. You wouldn't even know we were there."
"Ah."
"That kind of thing happens a lot."
As I listened to the other members' stories, the night slowly deepened.