Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Offer
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“Wow. Eun-woo, you're popular, huh? Not just in Korea, but overseas too. That's impressive.”
“Well, yeah. He's tall and has an exotic look, so it's no surprise he'd appeal to people of any nationality or race.”
The manager and Lee Ho-jun spoke in a playful tone, smirking at Jung Eun-woo.
“Why are you guys like this? I'm already flustered enough.”
“We're just jealous. Jealous. We were all there together, but it seems they only had eyes for Eun-woo.”
Objectively speaking, Jung Eun-woo had the kind of looks that Americans would probably find most appealing.
He was tall with a solid build and had an exotic air that could make one mistake him for being mixed-race at first glance.
“Well, to be honest, I'm the only average-looking one here. Everyone but me must have been popular. It just goes to show you have to be handsome.”
The manager said, slowly scanning our faces.
“I'm not exactly a looker to begin with, and standing next to you guys just makes the comparison worse. I guess it's my fault for choosing to be a manager.”
Objectively, the manager wasn't exceptionally handsome, but he wasn't unattractive either.
He was an ordinary man with a pleasant face.
He was even the only one among us with a girlfriend.
*He's probably just saying that to tease Eun-woo.*
“But you have a girlfriend. I've seen you talking to her whenever you get a chance.”
“That's right. Why are you saying you're jealous of us when you have a girlfriend? She'd be upset to hear that.”
Jung Eun-woo quickly chimed in after Park Ji-ham's comment.
“I may have a girlfriend, but I've never had a girl just walk up and ask for my number like you guys. You have no idea how much effort I put in to start dating my current girlfriend. Girls probably flocked to you guys without you even trying. You must have gotten a lot of confessions at school, right?”
“No.”
I immediately denied it in response to the manager's question.
I genuinely had no such experience.
“What? No way.”
“It's true. I've never been confessed to.”
I'd been a trainee since I was eleven, so I barely had a normal school life.
And since I was a public trainee at Stunning, it would have been difficult for anyone to confess to me, even if they had a crush on me.
Of course, other people managed to date just fine while being trainees, but I never understood how.
*I barely had enough time just going back and forth between home and the practice room. I wasn't even sure if having a girlfriend was necessary.*
“What about the rest of you? Same for you guys?”
“Me neither.”
“Same here.”
The other members didn't seem much different from me.
“No, that's impossible. If I were a girl, I would have confessed anyway, even knowing it wouldn't work out. How could no one have confessed? If you tell this to the fans, they'll never believe you. Who would believe this? No one.”
The manager reacted dramatically.
He seemed unable to believe our words.
“Dating was forbidden for trainees in the first place, and most people knew that, so wouldn't it be weird to confess? Even if you tried to hide being a trainee, everyone eventually found out.”
“Huh? Don't people usually date in secret? Who dates openly? If they did, which idol wouldn't have a scandal?”
The manager asked in a very cautious tone.
It felt like he was trying to sound us out.
“If you gain something, you also lose something, so I didn't want to do anything that risky.”
“That's right. It's not like you'll die if you don't date, and idols live off their fans' love, so not having a girlfriend isn't a problem.”
It was a huge relief.
I didn't think the current members would do something like that, but hearing them say it directly put my mind at ease.
The manager glanced our way, as if he wanted to hear our thoughts too, not just Jung Eun-woo's and Park Ji-ham's.
“I think the same as Ji-ham. I guess you could say I just don't want to do anything risky.”
“It's not like I can't live without a girlfriend, so I want to focus on the present.”
At Haru's and Lee Ho-jun's words, the manager's eyes curved softly.
He looked extremely satisfied.
*Well, if we were to get into a scandal, it would be a problem for our manager too. The cleanup would fall entirely on his shoulders.*
“That's right. We're just starting to see the light; we can't collapse now.”
I said finally.
“I'm so pleased. I'm really glad I'm RE-V's manager. Some idols bring their girlfriends along to their schedules, you know. Imagine how frustrating that must be for their manager.”
The manager shook his head vigorously as if the mere thought was horrifying.
“I should be truly grateful.”
“So, where are we going after this?”
“We're going to the desert.”
“The desert? The desert I know? The one with nothing but sand all around?”
In response to Lee Ho-jun's question, the manager nodded and spoke.
“Yep. They're scheduled to pick us up at the hotel after we eat. It's worth looking forward to. The company prepared an amazing tour for us.”
After we finished our meal and were about to head back to the hotel, a few people recognized us and asked for pictures.
It was our first time experiencing this not in Korea but abroad, so we happily took photos with them.
If the manager hadn't told us it was time to leave, we might have stayed there for much longer.
And so, after quickly washing up and changing at the hotel, we headed for the desert.
We spent some time there drinking coffee before returning to the hotel.
After that, we slept in until the afternoon and then went out on a tour to film our California tour video.
***
The moment we arrived in Korea, it felt like all the fatigue hit me at once.
“Yaaawn.”
When I yawned, the other members yawned too.
It was our first time abroad, and we went on a desert tour right after our performance, then to an amusement park the next day, so it was no wonder our bodies were exhausted.
I'm not a big fan of amusement park rides, so I only went on a few, but I got completely swept up in the atmosphere.
We walked so much, looking around and buying snacks.
When I later checked the step counter on my phone, it had easily passed ten thousand steps, which said it all.
*My whole body aches.*
It was a different kind of pain from after dance practice.
*I have to sleep as soon as I get to the dorm. I'm definitely going to pass out. Pass out. Well, it was still fun. It was the first time I'd ever had that much fun.*
“Guys!”
“How are you feeling? You're not sick or anything, are you?”
“I saw the video that was uploaded!”
I couldn't help but be surprised that a video was already up when we'd only spent a day in California.
“How was it?”
“You did so well! I'm so proud!”
The way she spoke was just like my mom, which made me laugh.
“More importantly, BRAVE. This is for you.”
I handed two large shopping bags to BRAVE through a security guard.
They were snacks I had bought for them during the tour.
“What's this?”
“We bought some snacks in the US for you. It's nothing much, but we're grateful you came all the way to the airport. Please share them.”
Haru said, his face blushing.
“Aaaah! Haru! Thank you so much! The trip here wasn't hard at all!”
The fan who received the shopping bag hugged it tightly as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
“Fans of other idols get things like luxury perfume, but all we have are snacks. Is that okay?”
Park Ji-ham asked in a very cautious tone.
He seemed to be asking out of guilt, even though he knew BRAVE would say it was perfectly fine.
“What are you talking about? There's a world of difference between someone with a million won buying you snacks and someone with a hundred thousand won buying you snacks! The fact that you guys bought this for us when you haven't even been paid yet makes us so happy.”
“That's right. Why do you feel sorry after giving us something? That makes us sad.”
“We follow you guys because we like you. We can't expect things like this. It's not like you have an obligation to do this for us. Just knowing you think of us like this makes us feel like we have everything.”
The fans quickly showered us with words of comfort.
“Thank you.”
The heartfelt support of our ever-loyal fans warmed my chest.
“Please share them well.”
“We will.”
“And get home safely. It's late.”
“Okay. You guys get home safely too.”
I waved at the fans until I got into the car.
Trying to convey even a small part of my gratitude.
***
As soon as we got to the dorm, we were in a frenzy unpacking our things.
“Anyone have laundry? I'm about to run the washing machine.”
“Me.”
“Me too.”
With the laundry of five people gathered together, the amount was no joke.
We just piled the laundry in front of the machine, and the heap was enormous.
“Wow. This isn't going to be done in one load.”
“I know, right?”
“Let's just shove it in with all our might. It'll work out somehow.”
“Yeah.”
With unnecessarily grim expressions, we pushed the clothes into the washing machine.
By forcing it, we managed to get it all in.
It looked majestic, as if it might spit out the clothes at any moment.
We decided to ignore it, telling ourselves that wouldn't happen.
Surely it wouldn't break.
“Success.”
In reality, we could have just run two loads, but we were all so worn out with fatigue that we were determined to finish it in one go.
“Now let's wash up and rest.”
“You guys go first. I still have more to unpack.”
“Okay. We'll be quick.”
Since there were two bathrooms, I volunteered to wash up last and continued unpacking.
*Bzzz.*
Just then, my phone vibrated.
[Leon]
We had exchanged numbers through our managers after meeting at his studio last time, but this was the first time he had contacted me directly.
I cleared my throat lightly before answering the call.
“Ahem. Yes. Hello.”
—Hello.
“Yes, Leon. Go ahead.”
—Did I surprise you by calling so suddenly?
To be honest, I was.
It was a sudden call from someone I never expected to hear from, so it was only natural.
“Not at all.”
But I couldn't just come out and say that.
—Don't say that. You probably thought I'd never call.
He hit the nail on the head.
—But this isn't the time for that. You must be tired since you just got back from the US, so I'll get straight to the point.
I suddenly felt tense.
“Yes.”
—Would you be interested in featuring on my song?