Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Debut Stage (2)
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The stage had been going smoothly at first, without any issues.
We followed the choreographed movements along the planned path.
But then, one guy's movements suddenly started getting weird.
'What the hell is up with him?'
It was none other than Teddy.
The guy who usually nailed high-difficulty dances with agile, almost flying precision had suddenly become noticeably sluggish. It was like he'd frozen solid as ice.
On top of that, Teddy was our main dancer, so he had more parts leading the choreography from center stage than the rest of us.
If it had been Han Tae-hee or Kim Kwang-myeong, who were often positioned at the ends of the formation, we could've covered somehow. But with Teddy, it stood out way more.
'Is he just nervous?'
He'd never been like this before.
Not just me—the other members were glancing at Teddy too.
That's when the PD's furious shout pierced through the music and straight into our ears.
"Hey, you in the middle! What the hell are you doing? You messing around?"
"Uh, um......"
"Hey, it's rehearsal—do it properly! What kind of attitude is that? Get your head straight!"
"Uh, um... s-sorry, no. I'm sorry......"
Teddy startled like a frightened animal, fumbling his words. He seemed totally flustered.
We needed to smooth this over first. I shot a quick glance at Park Su-rim, who was standing next to me, and he got the hint, bowing toward the PD and yelling out.
"Sorry, director! He's just really nervous. We'll do it right for the actual take. Sorry!"
"If you pull this during recording, you're all out. Newbies acting like this? You got a good slot thanks to your Sunbaes—earn it!"
"Yes, sir. We'll make sure he shapes up! Sorry!"
"No time, moving to the next song. You! Middle! Snap out of it!"
The director barked one more order, then signaled the staff. The track switched, and the edited version of our B-side for the live broadcast started playing.
But Teddy still couldn't dance properly this time either. He was trying, but... dancing while out of it didn't yield great results.
In the end, we got yelled at again by the director and dragged off the rehearsal stage.
Back in the underground waiting area after botching the dry run.
Teddy's condition was worse than I'd thought.
'Is he having a panic attack or something?'
It was his first time dealing with this, apparently—he was in full panic mode, trembling. Seeing him slumped on the floor, staring blankly, had me worried sick.
'Come to think of it, during the music video shoot too......'
He'd messed up a few times during his individual shots and the group dance scenes, causing some delays.
But it hadn't been this bad back then.
What do we do now? Pre-recording was right around the corner. If he kept this up, it wouldn't work. Teddy's role as main dancer was crucial to the performance.
Plus, this threw off my plan to use the Performance Amplifier item on him for an even more flawless stage.
Damn.
The members held back from saying anything to his face and started chatting in the group messenger, stealing glances at him.
[UJ Park Su-rim: Guys]
[UJ Park Su-rim: Teddy's in bad shape]
[UJ Park Su-rim: Total panic mode]
[UJ Park Su-rim: Pre-recording soon... what do we do]
[UJ Han Tae-hee: No way fr]
[UJ Han Tae-hee: No idea why he's suddenly like this]
[UJ Han Tae-hee: Is he sick?]
[UJ Han Tae-hee: (Fox tilting head emoji)]
[UJ Lee Jae-oh: Should I ask if he's hurting somewhere?]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: He was fine just a bit ago tho]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Can't be that his body's suddenly gone bad]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Something else prob]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Too nervous maybe ;]
[UJ Go Eun-young: Teddy-hyung's main dancer]
[UJ Go Eun-young: He has to nail it... so worried ㅠㅠ]
[UJ Go Eun-young: (Crying emoji)]
Seeing Kim Kwang-myeong's message about it being something else sparked an idea. Maybe...
I wasn't sure if I was right, but talking to Teddy one-on-one seemed best.
I tapped out a message.
[Me: Mind if I talk to Teddy alone?]
[Me: Better than all of us piling on—one person listening might help more]
[Me: We're the same age anyway]
[Me: I'll talk it out properly, calm him down]
[UJ Park Su-rim: You wanna?]
[UJ Park Su-rim: Makes sense, you two are closest]
[UJ Park Su-rim: Yeah could work]
[UJ Lee Jae-oh: Let's do that then.]
[UJ Han Tae-hee: Ok cool, we step out for a bit?]
[Me: Nah, better if I just take him out]
[Me: Be back soon after talking]
[UJ Go Eun-young: Ok ok... talk it out Jae-oh hyung]
[UJ Go Eun-young: ㅍㅇㅌ (Fighting emoji)]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Good luck Ha Jae]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Coax him gently, fix it]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Pre-recording time]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: (Camera emoji)]
[Me: Got it]
I sent the last message, stood up, and approached Teddy.
"Teddy."
"Uh, uh, Jae-oh."
"Wanna step out and grab something to drink?"
"......Sure."
I'd worried he might say no. Fortunately, he got up without protest and followed me.
I led Teddy out of the auditorium to the vending machine at the end of the underground hallway.
"What do you want? I'm getting green tea."
"English Breakfast?"
"Nope. Vending machine."
"Then green tea for me too."
I fished coins from my wallet, slotted them in, and hit the green tea button twice. Moments later, we each had a warm cup.
I sat on the chair by the machine and patted the one next to me.
"Sit. Drink."
"Yeah."
Teddy plopped down beside me, looking totally deflated. He let out a sigh, gripped the paper cup with both hands, and blew on it before sipping.
I waited silently until he'd had a bit. Warm drinks help settle the nerves when you're anxious.
Once he seemed steadier, I spoke up slowly.
"Teddy."
"......Yeah, Jae-oh."
"About rehearsal earlier."
"......"
"Can I ask what happened?"
"Jae-oh. I must really be a dumb idiot. You think so too, right?"
Teddy suddenly scrunched up his face and started berating himself.
"I came to be a K-pop idol, but just seeing the camera makes my heart... pound like crazy. It hit me out of nowhere, Jae-oh. I feel so weird."
"Your heart races when you see the camera?"
I tilted my head, confused. Camera phobia?
Don't companies do camera tests during auditions or trainee days?
Pushing my questions aside, Teddy sniffled and nodded.
"Yeah. Never used to, but suddenly it does."
"So the mistakes during the music video shoot were because of that too?"
Was it some latent camera phobia he hadn't known about?
But it wasn't this severe then.
"Back then... it wasn't shaking this much, Jae-oh. But......"
"Talk freely. It's okay."
"We saw some comments online after the teaser dropped."
Oh no. The moment I heard that, it clicked why he was like this.
"I can't get them out of my head. Then I see the camera, and they keep popping up. Scary. And the PD's yelling... I was too scared to do anything, Jae-oh. Strangers hating on us, and we haven't even debuted... I know it's not just me, like you said—we're all in this together. But still, I'm scared......"
In short: he saw a few hate comments aimed at EverPlanet, got spooked, and froze up.
Then the PD yelled at him to shape up, dozens of staff staring... no wonder it got worse.
Seeing Teddy slumped like a drenched puppy, I felt so bad for him.
I gently rubbed his shoulder and started comforting him.
"I get it, Teddy. I understand completely. I was shocked when I first saw those comments too. Kinda scary."
"You too, Jae-oh?"
"Of course. I didn't say it, but the other members probably felt the same. Hyungs, dongsaengs—all of us. Who wouldn't?"
"......But only I'm acting like this now. Like an idiot."
Ah. Seemed like it was backfiring a bit.
I panicked a little seeing Teddy sink even deeper into self-loathing.
'Need to handle this carefully.'
Teddy had uprooted his life from his home country like a runaway ninja sprout rabbit—he needed extra gentleness.
Okay. What works in times like this?
I thought back to my most tense moment.
Mid-November 201X, a Thursday, high school classroom... right, the college entrance exam.
'Might as well try the same trick that relaxed me then.'
No guarantee it'd work, but nothing better came to mind, so I went for it.
"Teddy, hang tight here a sec."
"......Jae-oh? Where you going?"
"One minute! Sip your tea."
Ignoring his puzzled look, I grabbed a pen and memo pad from a nearby staffer.
"What's this all about, Jae-oh?"
Instead of answering, I drew a little teddy bear on it.
Teddy bear for Teddy: round ears, cute eyes and nose, chubby body...
I added a pair of adorable wings and a star-shaped wand on top, then handed the paper to him.
"Here. Gift."
"What's this?"
"Check it out."
Teddy tilted his head and took it. The second he saw the drawing, he burst out laughing. Puahaha.
"What is this? So cute! Didn't know you could draw like that, Jae-oh."
"Learned from my sister when I was little. She was good."
"Aren't you an only child, Jae-oh?"
"......Neighbor's sister."
"I see. But what's this teddy bear?"
"Luck fairy."
I'd quit trainee life and crammed like mad for the exam. Five minutes before the first session started, I was still a wreck from nerves.
So I drew a luck fairy on my answer sheet. Told myself as long as it was there, I'd nail every problem.
It eased my tension enough, and I got the results I deserved from all that studying.
A little comfort goes a long way when you're maxed out on stress.
"Pocket that paper and take it on stage. It'll help you. No mistakes. Just like practice—perfect stage."
"......"
"And the rest of us are cheering you on, helping too. Who are you, Teddy? Our team's main dancer. Best dancer in the group. The Teddy who went to that famous dance school in the UK. Right?"
"Right."
"So just do it like always. You can."
"Jae-oh......"
"Doesn't it piss you off a bit? People who've never seen our stage talking like that. It does for me."
"What do you mean 'piss off'?"
"Makes you mad, you know."
Teddy nodded at my question.
"......Yeah, it does."
"Me too. So let's show 'em today. That we can really do this."
Saying it to him felt like saying it to myself too. Caught in that strange mood, I repeated inwardly.
Yeah, Seo Il-hyun. No, Ha Jae. Let's show them. That you can do this. That you can be a more perfect idol than anyone.
"We'll absolutely crush the stage today. Okay?"
Teddy stared blankly between me and the fairy bear, then suddenly chuckled. His face already looked much lighter.
With tension gone from his voice, Teddy nodded.
"......Okay."
Now we were truly ready.