Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Ladies Closet Interview (2)
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"Go grab that flowerpot by the window at the end of the hallway for me."
"The vase?"
"Yeah, that one."
At the photographer's request, a props staffer nearby brought over a small vase and handed it to me.
It was a white vase filled with yellow freesias.
I stood there holding the vase, staring blankly at the photographer.
The photographer spoke in a flat tone.
"You know the movie *Girl Holding a Flower*, right?"
"Yes."
*Girl Holding a Flower*. It was a work by Jin Su-yong, one of our country's master filmmakers, and also the debut film of top actress Yoon Ji-ye—who later fell from grace due to some incident (though that was a few years away).
It was an artistic film that delicately captured the romance between an orphan girl who treated her potted forget-me-nots as her only family and a boy who came to recuperate from illness, and it had been a massive hit, surpassing ten million viewers.
It was so famous that I'd seen it too. And I'd left the theater with puffy eyes...
The photographer raised the camera, focused on me, and added an explanation.
"Pretend you're the female lead and hold the vase."
"The female lead?"
"Think of this vase as your one remaining family member. How would you hold it then?"
"Hmm..."
I pondered for a moment, then hugged the vase tightly with both arms.
*Click!* The shutter sounded, and the flash went off.
"Good. Now strike any poses that come to mind. I'm shooting."
After that, I couldn't clearly remember how the shoot went.
I'd just entrusted everything to instinct.
* * *
Ladies Closet's photographer, Park Yun-hee, kept her eye glued to the camera lens, staring at the boy beyond it.
EverPlanet. A rookie boy group that debuted with a pretty unique concept.
When she heard she'd be shooting their pictorial, she hadn't expected much.
'It's just a rookie group, after all.'
She figured it would be nothing special beyond the fresh, untainted vibe typical of rookies.
The most interesting part was probably their group concept.
So planning the shoot hadn't been too hard compared to other boy group pictorials.
Each member had a symbolic planet and god, so she could just shoot them accordingly.
'The results? Snap some decent shots and edit them lightly.'
That had been her casual approach.
But now, seeing the boy through the lens, all those half-hearted thoughts were crumbling.
'He's good.'
Without any specific instructions, the boy tilted his head this way and that, adjusting angles on his own and shifting expressions moment by moment.
'It has a certain vibe.'
There was something uniquely captivating about his impression—like a stray cat with a backstory.
And the way his aura subtly changed with each expression was utterly appealing to her as a professional photographer.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, the boy sat down right there.
He hugged the vase like it was a teddy bear.
And with his left cheek lightly resting on the yellow freesias, he gazed this way.
'Yes, perfect. That's it.'
Park Yun-hee found herself rapidly pressing the shutter, as if entranced. She felt an urgent need to capture every single movement of this boy in that instant. His acting was solid, and his eyes were spot-on.
"Okay, keep that vibe going."
As Park Yun-hee nodded and urged him on, he sniffed the freesia scent, dropped his gaze to the floor, and struck various poses.
Park Yun-hee captured it all without missing a beat, then pulled away from the camera with a satisfied smile.
The moment she called the shoot wrapped, she thought to herself.
'That kid's got it.'
With that in mind, she gave the boy some praise.
"You take to the camera well. Good acting, great eyes."
Her voice was matter-of-fact, but the compliment was genuine.
"Thank you."
The boy bowed his head in greeting to Park Yun-hee.
Looking at his bright face suddenly sparked her curiosity.
"What's your name?"
"Lee Jae. Ha Jae."
Ha Jae. Park Yun-hee committed the name to memory.
"Got it. Next."
If the chance came later, she wanted to work seriously with this boy again.
It was the moment her passion as a photographer ignited.
* * *
After the shoot, I gave one last greeting and stepped out of the studio center.
Han Tae-hee, who had been watching from the sidelines, approached and poked my side.
"Not bad, Ha Jae."
"You think so too, hyung?"
"Yeah. The way you handled your gaze, the expressions... You could prep for film school. Be my junior while you're at it."
Acting... I sank into thought for a moment.
Back when I was a trainee at TL, acting hadn't even crossed my mind.
I didn't show any particular talent for it, nor did I want to do it.
So while other trainees took acting lessons dreaming of switching to acting careers, I'd focused solely on singing and dancing.
But things were different now.
'Maybe try acting if the opportunity comes later.'
I'd stood on stage once as a supporting role in the theater club during university... and it hadn't felt bad.
Of course, theater stages and the filming actors do for dramas or movies are a whole different world.
Once Kim Kwang-myeong and Go Eun-young finished their individual shoots, it was time for the full seven-member group shot.
The group shoot went off without a hitch.
No costume changes—just a classic setup against a white backdrop: four in the back row, three in the front.
They shot Park Su-rim, Han Tae-hee, and Lee Jae-oh grouped together, then me, Teddy, Kim Kwang-myeong, and Go Eun-young standing still, and that wrapped the pictorial.
"Good work. The pictorial will use the best shots from what we took."
"Thank you!"
The photographer monitored the shots on his computer with a deadpan voice after the pictorial ended.
We greeted him and followed the editor to the interview room.
Unlike the studio, the interview room had a cozy, charming setup.
"Have a seat here."
Once we sat, the editor placed a small device on the table and pressed a button.
Teddy, watching, suddenly asked.
"Is that a recorder?"
"Yes. We use your recorded responses to write the interview article. We never use it for anything else, so no worries there."
"I see."
With that brief reassurance for Teddy, she turned on the recorder and started the questions.
"How does it feel to have debuted?"
"What were your impressions meeting fans for the first time?"
"How's dorm life going?"
"Could you briefly introduce EverPlanet's debut album?"
"What are your goals going forward?"
None were tough to answer. Standard questions for a rookie group.
We handled the interview centered around leader Park Su-rim.
Our guys weren't the type to clam up, so the mood grew lively as it went on.
Even the editor, who had started off strictly professional, softened noticeably.
"This is really fun. Dorm life must never get boring."
"Thank you."
"If you ever do a reality show, fans would love it."
About an hour passed like that, and the editor pressed the recorder button and stood.
"Yes. That wraps the interview. Good work, everyone."
"Thank you!"
And with that, EverPlanet's first pictorial shoot and interview came to an end.
* * *
Today's official schedule was super light. Just two interviews.
One was for web upload, so it was a quick Q&A without any pictorial, done in no time.
Even after finishing everything, it was only 2 p.m.
As the manager hyung drove us back to the dorm, he said in a cheerful voice.
"The CEO said to spend the rest of the day freely. You haven't had a proper break since debuting. Catch up on errands, sleep—whatever. Things get packed starting tomorrow."
"Whoa, awesome."
"Ah, gonna nap at the dorm."
It was the first long schedule gap since debuting.
The members visibly perked up at the manager's words.
No one hates free time.
I was honestly thrilled too. The past few days of music show attendance had left me sleep-deprived.
My stamina had dipped so low I'd already used two Tiger Energy Extracts.
Han Tae-hee, checking his phone, stretched and muttered.
"Then I'll head to school."
"You have class today?"
At my question, Han Tae-hee nodded.
"Yeah, at 4. It's a gen ed, but... better go at least once. Say hi to the prof if he's there. Manager hyung, can you drop me at any station?"
"Sure. Line 2 station?"
"That'd be perfect. Thanks a ton."
Seeing Han Tae-hee wink at the manager hyung, I turned away.
I spotted Go Eun-young, playing a game on her phone, nudging Kim Kwang-myeong.
"Tae-hee hyung's going to school—what about you, hyung?"
"Working on tracks."
"Workaholic Kim Kwang-myeong."
"Shut it, Go Eun-young."
"Wear headphones. I need a nap."
Kim Kwang-myeong was diving into composing as usual.
His passion for producing was undeniable, whatever else.
Carrying his laptop, headphones, and Launchpad everywhere, beating out tracks at every chance—it was impressive.
Is that the effort needed to become a top hip-hop producer?
I stared at him blankly, then locked eyes with Lee Jae-oh, who was stretching his neck.
"Where you headed, Jae-oh hyung?"
"Gonna do some rehab. Haven't gone in days."
"Ah. How's the leg?"
"Fine. Considering the rain yesterday. No stage today."
"Rain makes it hurt more?"
"Yeah. Aftereffect or something."
News to me.
I etched the formula 'rain = Lee Jae-oh leg pain' into my mind.
Then, Teddy, sitting beside me, plopped his head on my shoulder.
"What should we do, Jae?"
"Dunno... What ya thinkin'?"
Maybe rest at the dorm.
Just then, Park Su-rim turned from the passenger seat.
"You two free? Wanna practice with me?"
"Practice?"
"Yeah. The company practice rooms should be open. We can grab something tasty nearby too."
A rare off day. Did we have to move?
Better to crash at the dorm fully. That way I'd have energy to hustle tomorrow.
With my stamina and passion stats already strained, extra practice didn't appeal.
As I moved to decline, Teddy grabbed my arm and wheedled.
"Jae, let's practice together. Huh? Huh? We can eat out!"
"Yeah, come on. You got nothing else anyway."
True. I'd just surf L-Tube and nap.
...After a moment's thought, I nodded.
"Okay, sure. But I'll work on vocals."
"Cool."
"Yay! Jae's in!"
Might as well grind my vocal skill level.
Lately, singing practice time had been scarce.
To become a top idol and clear the main quest, I had to hone myself.
A bit of practice, then crash at night... I'd recover enough by tomorrow despite today's fatigue.
Then Park Su-rim turned again, asking Go Eun-young, who was gaming.
"Eun-young, you're really going back to the dorm?"
"Yeah. Tired."
"But a bit more practice..."
"I'm good at it, hyung. You know my skills."
Well, now. I side-eyed Go Eun-young.
As main vocal, she occasionally showed this overconfidence.
Fair enough. Her skills warranted it.
Singing-wise, she was beyond idol level, honestly.
At Go Eun-young's response, Park Su-rim hesitated, then nodded like he got it.
"...Okay."
...What was that? Felt off for a sec.
I glanced between them. Park Su-rim's eyes had seemed a tad cold.
Years later, Park Su-rim got booked for assaulting a member—so I couldn't ignore even small signs.
'Guys. No fighting. Or if you do, keep it fixable and make up.'
I couldn't bear seeing you at a police photo line instead of awards.
...Gotta watch closer.
Park Su-rim smiled at me as our eyes met, and I sighed inwardly.
Shortly after, we dropped Han Tae-hee and Lee Jae-oh near Line 2 station, and the rest at the dorm.
Kim Kwang-myeong, off to work, and Go Eun-young headed inside.
And I... got dragged by Teddy and Park Su-rim to the company.
The company practice room was empty—lots of male trainees had left post-EverPlanet debut.
Leaving the two heading to the choreography room, I entered a solo practice room alone.
As I started simple vocal warm-ups to dive in,
[LEVEL upgrade has unlocked a new feature!]
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A new notification popped up.