Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: No Matter How Busy
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Even Washed-Up Idols Look Good Again Chapter 79
"No matter how busy we are."
"Hey, guys, but what should we do for the finals song?"
"Oh, right. I hadn't thought about that."
"Yeah, we have to do a different song for the finals."
"I totally forgot."
I'd forgotten too.
For the Masterpiece Medley, we had to prepare two songs total: the preliminary round performance and the finals song.
If we made it to the finals, we'd have to unveil a brand-new track right there on that stage.
"But do you think we can even make it to the finals?"
"Hmm..."
Of course, if it seemed unlikely we'd advance, teams often just prepped one song half-heartedly...
"But we should prepare anyway."
"Yeah, you're right."
It still made sense to have something ready just in case.
If we somehow did advance to the finals but had nothing prepared and couldn't put on a show for the audience...
'As a singer, that'd be the absolute worst.'
Better to at least have an idea in mind, even if we couldn't perfect it. And so, we gathered in a circle in the middle of the practice room once more.
"Okay. Anyone have any ideas?"
"Since it's following the first song, maybe something connected to it..."
No obvious songs came to mind. Kim Kwang-myeong stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes. Just then, Park Su-rim, who was scrolling through her phone, turned to me.
"Jae, got any ideas? You picked the prelim song too."
At that, six pairs of eyes locked straight onto me. ...A bit overwhelming, guys. I averted their gazes slightly and sank into thought.
As Kim Kwang-myeong had said, a song connected to the first one, while also satisfying the audience's tastes...
That's when Teddy piped up cheerfully with something offhand. It was probably just a casual remark, but the moment I heard it...
'This is it.'
A full stage concept flashed into my head like a lightbulb switching on.
And with that vision, the potential finals song was decided too.
Now, endless practice was our only path to survival.
* * *
Days of intense practice for a flawless stage at the Masterpiece Medley.
With the main event fast approaching, we doubled down on rehearsals.
Juggling occasional schedules in between made it brutally tough.
But I didn't even have time to think about that.
'Practice instead of daydreaming.'
Sometimes, even thinking was a luxury.
Memories surfaced of my grueling trainee days with TL, when I lived more fiercely than anyone, and the year of hardcore exam prep after quitting to aim for teachers' college.
'Not much different now.'
Even after landing in someone else's body, debuting in an unexpected group and carrying on, it seemed I still had to give my all and fight tooth and nail in everything.
Like that, one day passed, then two. Time flew, drawing the competition ever closer. During a short break one day, my chat notifications pinged.
[UJ Lee Jae-oh: Guys.]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: ??]
[UJ Han Tae-hee: lol what's up Jae-oh~~ Excluding just Teddy? (giggling fox emoticon)]
Yeah, exactly. I tilted my head at the sudden group chat.
Lee Jae-oh, of all people, making a chat that deliberately left out Teddy—there had to be a reason.
I stared silently at my phone screen. Soon enough, his message arrived with the explanation.
[UJ Lee Jae-oh: Saw it on the calendar and realized—Teddy's birthday is in a few days. The 16th.]
I immediately checked my phone's date. October 14th. Only two days left.
'I completely forgot.'
I'd sworn to keep track of the members' birthdays, but prepping for the stage so frantically had made me blank on it. If not for Lee Jae-oh, I might've missed it even on the day.
The others seemed just as shocked, firing off surprised messages.
[UJ Go Eun-young: Whoa really????????]
[UJ Park Su-rim: Wow yeah]
[UJ Park Su-rim: Forgot cuz we've been so busy;;]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: ㅈㄷㅇ]
[UJ Park Su-rim: ?? What does that mean?]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Me too]
[UJ Han Tae-hee: lmao using initials for everything]
Under Han Tae-hee's usual giggling fox emoticon, Lee Jae-oh's serious message followed.
[UJ Lee Jae-oh: I know we're busy, but it'd be nice to celebrate Teddy's birthday simply.]
[UJ Lee Jae-oh: What do you all think?]
Classic Lee Jae-oh. Moments like this showed he was the real deal through and through. Flawless character-wise—except when we worked out together.
Everyone naturally responded positively to his suggestion.
[UJ Park Su-rim: Of course we should celebrate!!!]
[UJ Go Eun-young: Gotta make him feel the loveㅇㅇ]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Skipping it would make you inhuman]
[UJ Go Eun-young: But aren't you a hamster hyung? lol]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: -_-]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Don't get cocky Go Eun-young (angry emoticon)]
[UJ Han Tae-hee: Teddy barely has anyone to celebrate with besides us... We gotta take extra good care of him! (gift-giving fox emoticon)]
The second I saw Han Tae-hee's message, I let out a soft "Ah." Come to think of it, she was right. We were the only ones who could celebrate Teddy's birthday up close. His family was all on the opposite side of the world, in the UK.
Sure, members like Lee Jae-oh from Busan or Park Su-rim from Daejeon had distant families too, but Teddy's situation was on another level.
'He won't see them for years to come either...'
Unless his family flew to Korea to meet him, even vacations wouldn't let him see them.
That realization hit me with a strong urge to give Teddy something truly special.
I tapped away at my phone...
[Me: How about we all go out together tomorrow and get a cake and gifts?]
[Me: He'd love getting presents]
I closed my eyes, imagining Teddy hugging a bundle of gifts and beaming ear to ear. Yeah. Adorable and heartwarming.
'For some reason, I always wanna go the extra mile for Teddy.'
We were the same age as "Ha Jae," but to me, he felt like a total little brother.
Maybe because he flew solo to this country to chase his dreams and worked so hard. Admirable, really.
Anyway, replies trickled in from the members.
[UJ Go Eun-young: We agreed not to group up for our own bdays tho]
[UJ Go Eun-young: But Teddy hyung honestly deserves it...]
[UJ Kim Kwang-myeong: Agreed..]
[UJ Park Su-rim: He's here all alone in Korea struggling so...]
[UJ Han Tae-hee: Yeah for sure...]
[UJ Lee Jae-oh: Then that's the plan. How about we slip out at lunch on his birthday and grab stuff?]
Everyone shot back their OKs to Lee Jae-oh's message.
No matter how busy, some things you just had to make time for.
* * *
The promised time finally arrived. With the manager hyung's help, we ditched Teddy for a bit and headed out together.
The camcorder tagged along as usual—this time, per company orders to film a vlog of his birthday celebration.
"Alright, gifts first?"
"Yeah, Jae-oh hyung."
Han Tae-hee handled the filming. In her red round-neck shirt and black slacks, she narrated with her signature confident flair.
"Sunlight fans. We're heading to the nearby bookstore now to pick up Teddy's birthday gifts. You might wonder why a bookstore when it's not Lee Jae's birthday. But our local bookstore is huge. They sell stationery, accessories, all sorts of useful stuff. So we're gonna find something perfect for Teddy there."
Amid her narration and our casual chatter, we arrived at the bookstore. We split up to each pick gifts on our own.
'What to get him.'
Something practical would be nice.
I scanned the functional items section.
Earphones, headphones, chargers... Teddy loved listening to music, so something related might work.
Then, my eyes locked onto the perfect thing amid the shelves. Drawn like a magnet, I picked it up.
"...Just like Teddy."
It was a bag charm with a tiger plushie attached.
Big round eyes, super gentle-looking tiger.
Uncannily similar—like it'd been modeled after Teddy himself.
That's when Han Tae-hee approached, camcorder in hand.
"Ha Jae-ssi. Decided on something for Teddy?"
"...Yeah."
"Oh, that in your hand?"
"Yeah. Looks like him, right?"
Not purely practical, but... I bet he'd adore it. Gifts are best when the receiver loves them, after all.
"Ooh, it really does. And Teddy loves cute stuff like this."
"Yeah. I figured he'd go nuts for it... So this is the one."
Perfect. This it is. I gripped the bag charm tight, decided.
That lunch, we burst into the practice room where Teddy waited alone, arms full of a fresh cream cake.
Teddy's eyes went wide in disbelief at first, then he grinned happier than anyone.
"Oh my days! When did you all prepare this?!"
"Just now. Happy birthday, Teddy."
"Happy birthday, Teddy hyung."
"Happy birthday!"
With our greetings, we handed over the gifts.
A five-pack set of tiger socks, a huggable bear plush, knee pads for injury prevention, a stress-relief acupressure pad, the book *Charge Forth with the Roar of the Tiger* (Go Eun-young's pick), and my tiger plush bag charm.
Hugging the modest but heartfelt gifts to his chest, Teddy bounced around excitedly.
"Thanks so much, everyone! I forgot cuz we've been swamped, but Teddy is so touched."
"It's the least we could do."
"As EverPlanet's main dancer, keep delighting the Sunlight fans from here on out."
"Of course! Leave it to me!"
Teddy beamed like the sun, hugging every member one by one.
His overflowing affection had us all smiling brightly.
And just like that, Teddy's birthday began to wind down.
* * *
That night, taking a brief rest and reading a book, I suddenly felt a scratchy throat.
'Too much practice, probably.'
No matter how solid your vocal technique, belting for hours on end was bound to take a toll.
'Might grab some throat lozenges.'
They hit the spot in times like this. Pop some today, keep at it tomorrow during practice, and it'd ease up. Cut back on singing tomorrow too.
'Gotta baby my voice for the main round.'
Only days away—extra caution now.
I must never forget that, alongside Go Eun-young, I was a key pillar holding up EverPlanet's vocals.
I threw on some simple training clothes and headed out. Han Tae-hee, lounging on the sofa, asked,
"What're you up to, Jae?"
"Grabbing some throat lozenges. Throat's a bit sore."
"Ah. Teddy headed out earlier saying he needed something too. Might run into him."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Hurry back. Stick to well-lit spots."
With her send-off, I opened the front door. Heading down the fourth-floor stairs toward the villa exit.
'Huh?'
I froze at the sight of a familiar silhouette.