Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Greatest Rival
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S-T.
My long-standing nemesis, and once the pinnacle I aspired to reach. TL Entertainment’s five-member boy group.
In the distant future, the five of them—who had outshone everyone with Korea’s biggest output—stood right in front of me.
“Damn...”
I thought I’d grown numb to it by now. But seeing them on a screen and seeing them in person were clearly worlds apart in impact.
The moment I laid eyes on their faces, my heart started pounding like mad.
Thump, thump, thump. It was beating so hard it felt like it might burst out of my chest any second.
Faces I could never forget, even in my dreams. It had been ages since I’d faced them in real life, but they felt as vivid as if I’d seen them yesterday.
“I figured we’d run into each other eventually...”
But actually coming face-to-face with them—on my birthday, no less, the day they were debuting—hit me harder than I’d expected.
It couldn’t be helped. Those guys were the goal I’d dreamed of so desperately, the lingering regret that stayed buried in my heart because I could never reach it.
I looked at the one standing at their center.
S-T’s leader and main vocalist, Lyle.
Lyle was a guy who’d joined TL about a year after me.
He’d seemed a bit lost at first, but soon his singing and dancing skills skyrocketed at an insane pace.
The trainee world is like a natural ecosystem. Survival of the fittest, law of the jungle.
It doesn’t matter who came first or who practiced longer and harder.
In the end, the ones who were better and more talented survive and take the stage.
And Lyle soon claimed his spot in the debut lineup with confidence.
“He was the real deal.”
No one had any objections to him joining the debut team.
He’d shown such overwhelming growth.
Everyone wanted to be friends with him, and I was no exception.
Once we both made the debut lineup, we even got pretty close.
“Il-hyun, how do you sing so well?”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know about anything else, but beating you at singing is damn near impossible.”
“What are you talking about? You’re the one who took first in the monthly eval.”
Back then, I thought we’d debut together.
But after I got kicked out of the debut lineup—and out of TL altogether—and went back to ordinary life, we lost touch.
I get it. Idol life isn’t exactly leisurely.
“They made it big enough to break into the U.S.... It’s only natural.”
I recalled the news I’d seen on the billboard just before the accident.
A K-pop idol—not even a group, but a solo act—crossing over from Korea to dominate the U.S. market with massive success.
It was straight out of a fantasy.
And the biggest problem here was,
“That I have to compete with a monster like him alongside my members.”
A perfection of an idol worthy of the monster label.
One who seemed born solely to be an idol.
“...!”
Just then, our eyes met.
I flinched and froze up stiff.
What if they talk to me first? What the hell do I say?
I wasn’t ready yet...
But not only him—the others didn’t react at all when they saw me.
That’s when it hit me.
“Oh. Of course they wouldn’t recognize me.”
Because I wasn’t living as ‘Seo Il-hyun’ anymore, but as ‘Hai-jae.’ So it was impossible for them to know just from my face.
Should I count that as a relief?
Right then, Park Su-rim stepped up like a true leader and greeted them first.
A moment where Park Su-rim’s business-friendly charm shone.
“Hello, we’re EverPlanet.”
“Hello. We’re S-T. We’re debuting today.”
“Oh, really? You must be so nervous. We were shaking in the back during our debut stage too. Did you just do your prerecording?”
“Yes, we’re coming from wrapping it up.”
Lyle, still as curt as ever.
He’d always acted like he was already a superstar.
Of course, he had the talent to back it up—and he’d actually become a global star beyond Korea—so maybe it was just his innate personality.
“But... was Lyle always giving off that vibe?”
It had been about five or six years since I’d seen him in person, so I couldn’t be sure, but something felt off.
Much more... weighty than the Lyle in my memories. His face carried an intimidating presence and a commanding aura.
It made his already handsome features look even more atmospheric.
And adding to that vibe were probably the four guys flanking him.
“Kim Hyun-jun, Pyo Hee-beom, Yoon Min, and Park Ui-bin...”
All of them were standout talents from TL, each with their own flair.
My gaze lingered briefly on Park Ui-bin, the son of the great actor Park Young-yoon, who’d ultimately taken my spot.
He had a somewhat delicate air, but his talent didn’t fall short of the others.
Above all, the five of them together looked like a perfectly harmonious team.
With the strong-impressioned, talented Lyle at the helm, and the other four supporting him.
Watching that made me feel so strange.
“Good luck on the live show too. We’ll be cheering for you!”
“Yes, thank you. We’ll head out now.”
Lyle gave a crisp bow and led the other four past us.
Once they were out of sight, the members started murmuring about them.
“Those are the guys debuting from TL this time, right?”
“Yeah.”
Park Su-rim nodded at Go Eun-young’s question, and Teddy promptly flashed a thumbs-up.
“Wow. They were seriously cool.”
“Jackpot. Kids from big companies really are on another level.”
“They felt perfectly prepped.”
Han Tae-hee and Lee Jae-oh nodded in agreement.
I agreed too. TL was infamous for grinding trainees’ souls with brutal practice regimens.
Guys who survived that and debuted had to be top-notch in skill and appeal.
“...Yeah. It makes sense.”
I let out a bitter smile, caught in some inexplicable mood.
Was it regret? Self-mockery? Maybe both.
Either way, I was the one who got weeded out in that process, the guy who could never stand where he wanted again.
Seeing Park Ui-bin—son of Park Young-yoon—in the spot that could’ve been mine, right there on-site, felt too weird.
Just then, I overheard Park Su-rim responding to Lee Jae-oh.
“But it makes sense. TL’s insane. They drill you that hard, so anything less would be weird.”
“Whoa, Su-rim hyung knows his stuff?”
“I was at TL for a bit myself.”
Hm? I perked up at the unexpected info.
Park Su-rim was at TL? News to me.
I’d trained there five years myself and knew most people, but I’d never seen him.
“You were at TL, hyung?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“When?”
“Ten years ago. It was my first agency as a trainee. Stuck it out two years, then switched.”
“Oh.”
Our trainee periods didn’t overlap. No wonder we never crossed paths.
Park Su-rim tilted his head curiously.
“But why?”
“Oh, nothing. Just heard TL was brutal.”
“It’s not just brutal. Their regular training is no joke. Tons of kids, so the competition between them is fierce.”
“If regular trainees go that hard, how insane do they make the debut team?”
“No idea. Never heard.”
I wanted to say it’s worse than you can imagine, but I knew better than to spill, so I kept my mouth shut.
Truth is, TL was notorious for its grueling practice and cutthroat competition—and the rumors were spot-on.
For school-attending trainees, you’d rush from after-school straight to the company practice rooms, doing lessons and self-practice till nearly midnight just to keep up.
Huge company meant tons of trainees, and plenty of talented ones, ramping up the rivalry.
Even before official trainee status, kids would get spooked by the intense vibe and bolt all the time.
Sticking it out two years like Park Su-rim meant he was no ordinary guy.
“Well, duh. No normal mentality lasts ten years as a trainee.”
Most would’ve bailed on the idol dream ages ago.
I glanced at Park Su-rim, then looked away.
Having a guy like that as an ally—someone I’d advance with now—was deeply satisfying.
“Not just Park Su-rim—the others too.”
When I first met them, I’d viewed them through colored lenses, recalling the screw-ups they’d pull in the future.
But after months sharing meals and life, I’d grown seriously attached without realizing.
“No, how could I not?”
Looking at them now, I couldn’t even imagine them committing those future blunders.
But one thing was clear: I was on the same boat with them now, and as a fellow oarsman steering it, I respected them.
And if anyone tried pulling future-style mistakes, I’d stop it. So EverPlanet could surpass even S-T and clear that damn main quest.
That was my new mission.
* * *
After that chance encounter with my old ties, we finished music show promotions and returned to the dorm.
I showered, flopped onto my bed, and let out a sigh.
It was a schedule no different from usual, but today I felt utterly drained.
Or was I? Maybe my unsettled mood was making it feel that way.
“Maybe I’ll do some searching before bed...”
Times like this, checking fans’ positive feedback is the best.
I’d been staring blankly at the ceiling—or rather, the underside of the bed above mine—then grabbed my phone from beside the pillow.
I opened Flitter and searched ‘Hai-jae birthday.’
A bunch of fleets from fan accounts popped up.
I scrolled, taking them in one by one.
[epgingiloves @everplanetmj
Jae-ya, happiest birthday!!! ㅠㅠ
It’s the toughest time right at debut start, so I hope you spend today relaxed and happy!
I’ll keep cheering hard for Jae’s flower path ahead too
Love you Hai-jae ♥♥♥]
[kpopdolmaster @DolDol1999
Heard today’s the birthday of Hai-jae from rookie boy group EverPlanet, who I’ve had my eye on lately
Sending bday cheers from afar, Hai-jae-kun~,,,
Keep up the great work ahead,,, I’ll support with my wallet too,,,]
Then, amid the smiling birthday messages, a familiar nickname caught my eye.
[Now_2jae @Now_2jae
Your first birthday since meeting you.
That makes it feel even more special.
My beloved Jae-ya, keep singing on stage for a long, long time.
Happy birthday.
(High-res photo of Jae dancing and singing)]
Now_2jae was definitely,
‘The fan who said she wanted to make a fan page for our Jae. Could you recommend a homepage name...?’
Yeah, that’s right. It was the fan page name I’d suggested at that fansign.
...She actually made a homepage with it?
I saved the photo naturally and clicked the profile.
[Now_2jae @Now_2jae
EverPlanet 2JAE
The little kitten who stole my heart
Following 1 | Followers 432]
Looked like it. I chuckled with some inexplicable fondness. Felt kinda weird, but nice.
‘Guess that wasn’t just empty words back then. I’ve got a homer too.’
To me—who’d thought homers were for popular, successful idols only—it was thrilling.
My mood lifted instantly. Seeing birthday posts on the fan cafe, all the ‘congrats,’ had my lips curving up too.
Watching the fans’ birthday love for ‘Hai-jae,’ a thought crossed my mind.
‘Glad Hai-jae and I share a birthday.’
If they’d been different, my real birthday would’ve felt so lonely.
And so, Hai-jae’s—and my—birthday peacefully drew to a close.