Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: This Life is Space Star 53
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The media showcase wrapped up, and we headed back to the waiting room.
Everyone looked drained, but their faces were bright.
It was that sense of relief you feel after nailing what you had to do. My chest felt wide open.
"Good work, everyone."
"You too, hyung."
We patted each other on the back, exchanging glances.
Having pushed through something tough brought out a rare camaraderie.
"We got through the photo session safely, and the Q&A too. Doesn't this feel like our best one yet?"
"Nah, you didn't do much. This ajusshi hard-carried it all."
I wedged myself between them, fanning myself with a mini fan.
"Why are you like that, Ri-hyeok? Ji-ho did great too."
"What did we even do? He fixed that near-disaster all by himself earlier, and we just lay there eating it up."
"Hmm? Lying down to eat sounds like trouble."
"Hyung, can we please stick to the context?"
Even as the main vocalist scolded him, the rapper kept grinning ear to ear.
Unlike his usual laid-back vibe, he seemed genuinely hyped.
"Thanks, hyung."
I absentmindedly returned Jung-hyun's high-five.
Clap!
Ouch, that stings.
I thought I went easy, but it felt like slapping hands with a volleyball player.
Jung-hyun grinned and said,
"Thanks to you, hyung, my jinx is finally broken."
"Jinx? Oh."
The showcase had been such chaos I'd forgotten.
"Every time I said I had a good feeling, something weird happened. But you broke it this time. Ah, what a relief."
"Yeah, I told you it was superstition."
"...But you know it glitched right after Jung-hyun hyung spoke?"
"Honestly, Woojoo hyung overcame it with sheer luck."
Despite the two maknaes' rebuttals, Jung-hyun just smiled contentedly.
He even joked about saying he had a good feeling once a day from now on.
Ri-hyeok suddenly asked, as if it just occurred to him.
"But earlier, that a cappella part."
"Yeah, why?"
"When we asked after the stage, you said it was unconscious."
"Right."
After the Fireworks performance, with my face flushed, I'd brushed off the dongsaengs' questions.
"Was it really no thought at all?"
"More or less."
"But you always plan everything out. Even for Fireworks, you locked us up to analyze our music styles."
"Hey, that wasn't locking us up."
...I glanced around, but Ji-ho and Jung-hyun nodded with kind smiles.
Those unhelpful idiots.
"I'm not always thinking everything through. I was panicked too—that was my first sound glitch on stage."
"Really? You handled it like a pro. Watching you was so cool..."
"Cool?"
Ri-hyeok fumbled his words.
"Uh, mature. I couldn't have done that."
"Just say it was cool, hyung."
"Agreed. I was amazed earlier. You doing the choreo a cappella with this halo effect."
"That was the lighting, hyung."
"Oh, was it?"
"Look at that. Ajusshi's smirking."
I tried to keep a straight face, but their praise had my lips curling up involuntarily.
It was a mix of smiles.
One part pride from the members' thanks and compliments.
The other, embarrassment knowing it wasn't my sense but my ability that made it happen.
Well.
Can't exactly tell them the truth.
Saying my body moved on instinct felt more natural.
Still, I was starting to get it now.
Some progress, I guess.
This incident peeled back another layer of my ability's secret.
The essence of the ability.
I'd called it Motion Mimicry Ability, treating it like some superpower.
But after today, it didn't feel like just that.
When I first researched it, I remembered a blog post.
[Memory has declarative memory and procedural memory.]
Declarative memory is conscious stuff, like recalling your day for a diary or memorizing vocab.
Procedural memory is unconscious, like riding a bike or using chopsticks.
My theory: this ability stemmed from hyper-procedural memory.
Mastering movements from videos just by watching, unconsciously.
That's how it'd been.
But these two incidents weren't procedural—they were declarative memory on steroids.
Vividly recalling buried memories as if they were happening now.
Looking back, it triggered every time I was in crisis.
Like a test-taker five minutes from exam time suddenly remembering a forgotten formula.
This ability flashed up in dire straits too.
If I had to pin it, extreme stress was the trigger.
At the university hospital, the responsibility for Min-jun had me stressed out; the sound glitch just now was obvious.
In those moments, my brain kicked in unconsciously.
It rifled through my memory database on its own and went, 'Look here, owner!'
Of course, still just a hypothesis.
Putting it all together, my ability wasn't limited to motion mimicry—it spanned broader.
Encompassing both procedural and declarative memory.
Makes sense: mimicking a move starts with remembering it.
"Hyung, what're you thinking about?"
"Huh?"
"You're laughing to yourself."
"Oh, just zoned out. Nothing big."
I'd been grinning like some superpower holder.
Snapping to, I scanned the room.
"By the way, where are the managers and Bi-ju?"
"Min-gi hyung's getting stuff from the car with Manager Yoon. Bi-ju hyung's washing up in the bathroom."
"Alone?"
"Yeah."
"He won't get lost again, right?"
Ri-hyeok laughed.
"Bi-ju hyung's not a kid. Bathroom's right outside—how's he gonna get lost?"
"It's Bi-ju."
"True. Bi-ju hyung gets turned around even at the dorm. I saw him last time—carrying food trash to the balcony, then freezing."
"Don't worry, hyung. He'll show eventually."
I clicked my tongue at their nonchalance.
"Wow, you heartless bunch. How am I the only one worried?"
"You didn't even notice he went to the bathroom."
"......"
Just then, the door opened, and three people entered.
Bi-ju and the two managers.
Each hugging a huge box, they set them down on the waiting room floor.
Thud—heavy loads.
"Hm? What's this?"
As I tilted my head at the contents,
Bi-ju smiled and said,
"Gifts for our fans."
* * *
Fan showcase.
Our last event of the day.
If the media showcase was a business meeting for industry folks, this was a fan meet.
Debut fan showcases were rare.
Fans for a fresh rookie? Not usually.
Some teams had fandoms pre-debut, but not the norm.
We'd built recognition through music shows and events beforehand.
Our fan cafe had a solid base.
So the company decided on this to repay them.
Of course.
"Street Boys did theirs, so we have to. Can't lose there, right?"
...That might be the managers' real reason.
"Wow, what's all this?"
"Your photocards, snacks, keychains—gifts like that."
"Whoa."
Like a pack of meerkats, we huddled around the boxes.
They looked heavy.
Seeing Seok-hwan hyung rubbing his back made me wince.
"Back disc issue—should you be lifting that? Call me or Jung-hyun."
"Was gonna, but your dongsaeng texted that he was lost, so..."
"Sorryyy...."
We all laughed at sheepish Bi-ju.
"Lost again?"
"I finished washing up, wanted drinks to celebrate everyone's hard work. Got lost hunting vending machines..."
"We barely found him freaking out among the equipment."
Yoon Seok-hwan shook his head helplessly.
Bi-ju passed around drinks from the machine, embarrassed.
Everyone's 1,000 won; mine's 1,200. Felt oddly heartwarming as we sat by the boxes.
No need to say it—we knew the drill.
Sign photocards with messages for fans, pack the other gifts diligently.
The waiting room turned into a home workshop in seconds.
Ji-ho, stuffing chocolates into bags, beamed.
"Wow, so much. How many coming, Manager? Looks like tons of photocards."
"You guys didn't check? There was ticketing."
"We were practicing. Every break, someone drags us back."
Seok-hwan hyung coughed awkwardly and changed tack.
"What do you think—how many?"
"Uh......"
"Me! I counted—50 personal shots each. So 250 people?"
"What kinda math miracle is that?"
As I blinked, Ji-ho explained.
"One per person: 250 cards, 250 fans."
"Ooh, sounds legit."
"What's legit about it, hyung?"
Ri-hyeok scolded the grinning duo. I nodded along.
"250's way over, no matter how you slice it."
"Hyung, dream big."
"Yeah. Dad says real leaders go big or go home."
Ignore the weird bit in the middle.
"Honestly, hope 50 show up."
"Why?"
"It's a weekday. Hard to imagine 200 just to see our faces."
"Street Boys got over 100, though?"
True.
Their fan showcase last week drew nearly 100.
We debated numbers for a bit.
I joined in, then shook my head.
"Doesn't matter how many fans come. Just them showing up is something to be grateful for."
"Right."
Bi-ju, carefully writing messages on Post-its, chimed in.
"That people come this far to see our faces and hear our songs? That's success to me. One or a hundred—they're all precious fans."
"Whoa......"
The maknae, impressed, said,
"Usually that's Woojoo hyung's sappy line, but Bi-ju hyung took it today. Wild."
"Hey."
"Must've caught it from ajusshi."
"Guess 'you start to look like who you love' is real."
"Pity. If he was copying height too... Ow!"
"Quiet, Kim Jung-hyun."
Jung-hyun quipped, then got elbowed by Bi-ju.
I smiled at them, writing 'Thanks for waiting! We'll work hard!' on a Post-it.
Really, the number didn't matter.
Even one in the seats would thrill us.
Why I became an idol: to see faces light up watching my stage.
Meeting people who enjoy it, sharing songs and vibes—that alone was meaningful.
Just imagining it made my heart race and chest burn.
Can't wait to see the fans.
I smiled at the thought.
* * *
7 PM.
In fresh outfits, we waited backstage.
Excited to meet fans, but all tense eyes darting around.
"Why's it so quiet?"
"Yeah."
"No way just one person's coming."
Wanted to peek at the seats, but lights were off.
Faint murmurs, but no clue on numbers.
"Heading up."
On the staff cue, we climbed the stage.
Nervous.
Media showcase introduced us to industry; this, to fans.
In ways, even more crucial.
I swallowed hard, taking position.
"......"
Pitch-black void ahead.
The heavy silence gnawed.
As my eyes adjusted to gauge the crowd, lights blazed on with a click!
I squinted briefly at the sudden glare.
Then, seeing the seats, I froze.
...Huh?
An unexpected sight unfolded.
-Waaaaah!
The unimaginable scene left us statuesque.