Chapter 24
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Music Show Stage Safely! (4)
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“What brings you here?”
“We came to drop off some signed CDs.”
“Oh? Come on in.”
We stepped into the waiting room.
For a split second, I caught a strange vibe from Ye Hyun-ha’s expression. He was smiling, but something felt off.
‘Am I imagining it?’
Inside, Hwang Tae-seok was lounging with his feet up on the table, looking all high and mighty. Next to him, Seo I-jin waved, and our eyes met.
“You guys again.”
“Hello. We’re Manwol’s Boys.”
Cha Jae-hyun pulled out the signed CDs from his bag, and Ye Hyun-ha snatched one up.
“Oh, signed CDs. Let me take a look.”
We handed them out to the other Black Dice members too.
“Oh, nice.”
“The layout inside looks great.”
“They’re all so handsome.”
“Thank you.”
They all seemed genuinely interested. Except for one guy.
Hwang Tae-seok barely glanced at his before shoving it aside with a disinterested look.
Right next to the ashtray.
‘What a dog.’
Just then, someone passed by in front of me—the Black Dice stylist I’d seen at the door earlier.
She was holding a pair of white shoes.
“Um, here…”
Hwang Tae-seok, spotting the stylist, set down his iced coffee.
“Ugh, look at you sweating. Must’ve been tough running down to grab those shoes, huh?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Hand over the shoes.”
Hwang Tae-seok inspected them this way and that, and the stylist’s face tensed up.
“Don’t they clash with the outfit color?”
“I picked the closest tone match from the spares…”
“The ones I usually wear are pure white, but these look kinda dingy.”
What’s he talking about? They’re white as can be.
The stylist bowed her head, at a loss.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t just say sorry—tell me what you’re gonna do about it.”
“There were no other spare shoes.”
“Oh? And why’s that?”
Was Hwang Tae-seok’s default casual speech? No trace of manners or grace anywhere.
Finally, Seo I-jin couldn’t take it and butted in.
“Tae-seok, that’s on you for spilling coffee on your white shoes. It’s your mess, so just let it go.”
“Hah. Seriously.”
Looking offended, Hwang Tae-seok slammed the shoes down on the table irritably.
“Color aside, they suck all around.”
“If you could tell me what’s wrong…”
“They’re just cheap. Ugly from the get-go.”
Now I got it. Hwang Tae-seok was pissed that his shoes weren’t flashy enough compared to the others’.
“Anyway, I’m not wearing these.”
The room’s atmosphere turned icy.
Even Ye Hyun-ha, who’d been chatting with us Manwol’s Boys members, stiffened up.
“Thanks. We checked out the CDs. Camera rehearsal’s starting soon, right?”
Ye Hyun-ha seemed eager to wrap things up.
Who’d want to stick around watching their own member act like that?
I nodded.
“Then we’ll be on our way.”
That’s when it happened.
“Oh, right.”
Cha Jae-hyun stopped and continued.
“Sorry about earlier. One of our members just up and left mid-conversation…”
“Oh, that kid.”
“We heard he’s been feeling off since morning—apparently he bolted ’cause he thought he might puke.”
So that’s how you smooth it over.
People tend to cut you slack if you blame it on feeling sick, even if it’s a lie.
“Yeah, that happens. You guys must be busy prepping for rehearsal—go on.”
“Yes. Take care…”
We were heading out when Hwang Tae-seok’s voice rang out from behind.
“Hold up. Stop right there.”
We all turned around in unison.
Hwang Tae-seok scanned us slowly, like we were some entertaining spectacle, then smirked.
“Who apologizes with their head held high like that? And from rookies, no less.”
My blood ran cold. I’d heard the industry had gotten better about hierarchy bullshit than in the old days…
What the hell kind of toxic power trip was this?
“There’s a junior who bails mid-advice from a senior?”
No grand justification—just him enjoying the moment.
Cha Jae-hyun squeezed his eyes shut.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why’re you apologizing? Someone else screwed up. You, skinny twig over there! Apologize yourself.”
Unbelievable.
This asshole’s sticking to casual speech the whole time?
Did he even know Cha Jae-hyun was older? Would he still talk like that if he did?
‘Fucking prick.’
Seo I-jin sighed and covered his face. He looked mortified.
“Tae-seok, enough.”
“Hyung, just sit tight.”
“Let the kids go. They’ve got rehearsal soon.”
“I’ll let ’em off after they apologize.”
Seo I-jin spoke in a sigh-heavy voice.
“What apology from the sick kid?”
“Hyung, I’ve danced and sung through pain on stage. You think showbiz excuses you just ’cause you’re sick?”
“That’s not the same… Ugh.”
Seo I-jin shut his mouth, exhausted.
I’d be wiped too with a loose cannon like that in the group.
The other members staying silent showed how much of a pain he must be normally.
Worst of all, those types throw massive fits if they don’t get their way, so everyone just caves.
But the real worry was…
‘Will Eun Hae-sol apologize?’
Hwang Tae-seok was bad enough, but Eun Hae-sol was no pushover.
He might glare daggers and snap back, or storm out altogether.
‘Either way, disaster.’
Glancing over anxiously, I saw Eun Hae-sol starting to bow his head.
What? No way…
‘He’s actually gonna apologize?’
Something felt wrong.
Sure, if Eun Hae-sol apologized here, we could slide out easy. No ammo left for that jerk to flip out.
I hated seeing Hwang Tae-seok smug, but bending now meant no extra drama.
But…
“About that advice…”
For some reason, a deep rage bubbled up inside me.
“We should get an apology from you too, sunbaenim.”
Hwang Tae-seok’s face twisted. He’d assumed we’d grovel, so this threw him.
He stared at me, then laughed in disbelief.
“Me? Apologize?”
“Yeah. We both apologize, and we’re done.”
Hwang Tae-seok stood up, and a nearby staffer flinched in surprise.
He strode right up to me, eyes like he might swing.
“Why should I?”
In the powder-keg moment, Ye Hyun-ha rushed to hold Hwang Tae-seok back.
I kept going, facing him.
“First, our team leader’s older than you, but you’ve been casual with him since we met.”
The more I spoke, the more menacing his glare got.
“Second, you trash-talked our maknae, saying he’d ruin our debut stage.”
Cha Jae-hyun reached to stop me, but I ignored him and pressed on.
“Apologize.”
A frigid silence fell.
Staff, Black Dice members, us Manwol’s Boys—all frozen in shock.
Then Hwang Tae-seok burst out laughing.
“What a clown.”
“That ‘clown’ bit needs an apology too.”
“Hahaha.”
After laughing for ages, he lifted his head. Gone was the friendly TV face—pure murder in his eyes.
“You’re new, so you don’t get it. I don’t apologize to anyone. Unless I’m the one who fucked up, my manager does it for me. No matter what.”
“Hah…”
Who says that with a straight face? Watching him strut like some big shot made me scoff in disbelief.
“I see. Impressive.”
My sarcastic reply flipped a switch in Hwang Tae-seok’s eyes.
“What’d you say?”
Cha Jae-hyun stepped in front of me then, shoving me back protectively.
“Our apologies.”
“You little…”
“We’ve got rehearsal soon, so we need to head out.”
Hwang Tae-seok sneered at us and turned away.
“Hah, fuck!”
He plopped back on the sofa and yelled at the stylist to vent.
I’d heard entertainment power trips were next-level, but this was insane.
“Guys, let’s go.”
Cha Jae-hyun sighed wearily and ushered us out.
The Black Dice members stared at the air, embarrassed or wanting no part of it.
As we walked, murmurs rose from their waiting room, but I vowed to tune it out.
‘Exhausted.’
* * *
After handing out the rest of the signed CDs, we headed back to our waiting room. The staff who saw us quickly looked away.
Word of the chaos had probably spread to everyone who mattered.
In the heavy silence, Cha Jae-hyun muttered softly.
“If you’ve got stuff to say, chat in the group text.”
We all pulled out our phones without a word.
[Baek Si-woo]
Um.. everyone okay? lol
[Song Yu-bin]
I thought I was gonna get hit back there, scary af.
[Baek Si-woo]
Wtf is his deal? Idol or gangster? lol
[Cha Jae-hyun]
We’ll talk at the dorm later. Focus on today’s music show stage for now. Got it?
My head throbbed.
We shouldn’t pick fights with other idols if we can help it. In an industry where tiny spats blow up into scandals, staying low-key is key.
But we’d just scrapped with a label senior. They started rude, sure…
Looking around, everyone looked drained.
“Time for makeup touch-ups.”
At the staffer’s call, we sat one by one. All sorts of thoughts swirled while getting fixed up.
Then Cha Jae-hyun looked at me.
“You okay, Eun-ho?”
He patted my shoulder as he said it. The other members nodded at me too.
Makeup done, we changed into stage outfits.
Glancing at the clock, about 30 minutes till camera rehearsal.
Once that wrapped, we’d jump straight into pre-recording—and clearing this hurdle meant quest complete.
‘Just hang in a bit longer…’
That’s when it happened. A familiar face appeared outside the door.
I knew that face.
“Kwon Hee-yul?”