Chapter 97
Chapter 97
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: University Hospital's Christmas Eve (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From earlier, she was the girl who'd been sitting in the very front row, watching our performance with eyes sparkling brighter than anyone else's.
The girl approached me shyly and greeted me.
"Hellooo."
"Hello. What's your name?"
When I smiled and greeted her back, the girl's face lit up as she answered.
"I'm Seulgi! Ha Seulgi."
"Nice to meet you, Seulgi. Here's a present for you."
I pulled a neatly wrapped gift from the bag and held it out to her. Seulgi bowed politely with a "Thank you," and took it.
She was so adorable that I added a heartfelt blessing.
"May next year bring you even better health and joy. Merry Christmas."
But even after getting her gift, Seulgi lingered in front of me, reluctant to leave.
She looked like she had something more to say, fidgeting hesitantly.
"Is there something else you want to tell me?"
The moment I asked, Seulgi unleashed a torrent of words like a rapid-fire cannon.
"Me! I... um, actually, I'm a huge fan of Jae oppa. A little while ago in my hospital room, I heard Jae oppa singing on Masterpiece Medley. And it was just so amazing. I was feeling really, really down that day, but after listening to oppa's song, I felt totally better. So from that day on, I've been a fan of Jae oppa and all the EverPlanet oppas!"
Her words came flooding out so suddenly that I was momentarily stunned, but I quickly regained my composure.
Ah, so she was one of our fans. That explained why she'd been watching our stage so intently.
At that moment, Seulgi shyly ducked her head and rummaged in the pocket of her hospital gown, pulling something out to offer me.
"This... I heard the oppas were coming to perform at our hospital, so I wrote this letter last night before bed. I worked really hard on it! ...I'd love it if you took it."
It was a letter envelope folded from red double-sided colored paper—meticulously crafted, clearly made with her own hands and full of care.
"Can I read it?"
"Yes! Oh, wait just a sec!"
Seulgi suddenly dashed off somewhere.
Where was she going? I watched her retreating figure for a moment, then opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter written in the characteristically round handwriting of a child.
[To the EverPlanet Oppa-deuls
Hi, I'm Ha Seulgi.
Thank you for the awesome stage at Masterpiece Medley!!
I love watching TV, but the EverPlanet oppas' performance was a million times better.
You sing so well, dance so well, and you're all so handsome.
And that "Dye" song this time is really, really good.
Please make lots more songs like that.
I'm having surgery soon, but I'll get better and come to an EverPlanet oppa concert. That's my dream!
Always so thankful, I love EverPlanet ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
- Seulgi]
...So cute. I couldn't help but chuckle at the letter, which clearly screamed "written by a kid."
Just then, Seulgi came rushing back, panting from her quick steps.
In her hands was our second album.
"Um, could the EverPlanet oppas sign it for me?"
"Of course we can. Hold on a sec."
I asked one of the nurses nearby to grab me a name pen.
In the meantime, the members—who had finished handing out gifts to the other kids—started gathering around.
"What's up, Jae?"
"Hm? That's our album."
"Whoa, our fan? Awesome. Hi there. What's your name?"
"Oh! She even brought the album! You're the best. Great taste."
As the members swarmed in like a flock of sheep, Seulgi's cheeks flushed bright red.
In an excited voice, she poured out her fangirl enthusiasm to them all.
I'd gotten the name pen from the nurse by then, so I signed the album and passed it to the others.
"Everyone, sign it once, please."
"Of course. Seulgi, right? I'll do it right now."
"After Surim hyung, it's my turn."
While the others were signing, I bent down on one knee to meet Seulgi's eye level.
Holding the letter she'd given me, I said,
"I read your letter. Thank you so much for liking us and our music. And I really hope your surgery goes perfectly, so you can come to our concert healthy and strong. If you recover well from the surgery, we'll make sure to invite you to one."
"R-Really?!"
Seulgi's eyes went wide, her mouth dropping open in disbelief.
"Promise," I replied, gently stroking her head. A single concert ticket? That was no big deal.
By then, the other members had finished signing and handed the album back to Seulgi.
She clutched the signed album to her chest, her face beaming with overwhelming joy.
"Thank you so much, oppas! This is the best Christmas gift of my entire life!"
With that shout, she broke into a smile as radiant as the sun.
Her smile was so pure and beautiful that I found myself smiling right along with her.
'I hope her surgery goes perfectly and she gets better soon.'
As I stroked her head, I silently prayed for the child's full recovery.
* * *
With the year-end approaching, MBS Broadcasting Station was buzzing even more frantically than usual.
It was all thanks to the annual lineup: Entertainment Awards, Acting Awards, and the Music Festival—those perennial year-end staples.
Since every network ran the same events every year, there was this subtle rivalry and tension between stations.
They might not win, but there was pressure to at least match the competition in quality and ratings.
Among them, the Music Festival sparked the fiercest invisible battle with rival networks.
The performers were pretty much the same across the board anyway. Which meant the station's own production and hosting decided the show's quality.
'That's why we have to nail it.'
Lee Young-hoon PD, in charge of directing this year's MBS year-end Music Festival, hadn't been home in days, crashing in the station's on-call room instead.
The work seemed endless; he figured he'd be glued to the job right up until the broadcast on the 31st.
Other PDs from different shows had pitched in to help, lightening the load a bit, but there was still a mountain of tasks left.
Lee PD let out a sigh as he reviewed the finalized cue sheet.
"At least the urgent stuff is mostly wrapped up."
"You've worked hard, hyung."
"You too, Myung-chul."
Kim Myung-chul PD, who'd helped finalize the cue sheet from Masterpiece Medley, flashed a grin.
With the stage order locked in, all that remained was prepping the actual performances.
That's when someone burst into the meeting room where the two were sitting.
"Sunbae! Sunbae! Big trouble!"
"What? What's going on?"
Lee PD didn't even look up from the cue sheet as he replied.
The flustered assistant director glanced nervously at him before continuing cautiously.
"W-Well, you see..."
"Don't beat around the bush—just spit it out. What happened?"
Urged by Lee PD, the assistant director squeezed his eyes shut and blurted it out.
"It looks like our cue sheet got leaked...!"
"What?"
Only then did Lee PD look up at the assistant director.
Kim Myung-chul PD, who'd come to help, also turned serious as he pressed the assistant.
"What do you mean? Explain properly!"
"We haven't pinpointed how it leaked yet, but photos of the cue sheet are circulating on internet community sites. We requested the sites take them down ASAP, but it seems impossible to stop the spread. It'll probably hit real-time trends soon..."
"Fuck, this is insane."
Lee PD clutched his already thinning hair with both hands, looking ready to lose his mind entirely.
"Find out which bastard leaked it—start there."
"Got it."
"Sigh, with less than a week left—why now?"
"This is crazy... Guess we gotta reshuffle the order, hyung?"
Lee PD nodded at Kim PD's question.
"Focus on swapping the front and mid-show slots where possible. And announce that the leaked one was just a draft cue sheet."
"That sounds cleanest."
Just then, as the assistant director—who'd been grabbing spare cue sheets to hunt the leaker—started to speak again.
"Um, but..."
"What now?"
"About our special stage this time. The nostalgia segment. We included an ELIX song there, right?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Well... now that the cue sheet's out, ELIX fans are fine, but Blue Black fans are complaining—why include ELIX but not Blue Black? Since both groups were active around the same time..."
Lee PD replied in a baffled tone.
"That's because there weren't many top girl groups back then—we had no choice."
"True, but Blue Black fans don't see it that way. Anyway, if we go like this, their backlash could hurt ratings. Their fandom's still massive..."
"Fuck, I'm gonna lose it."
Lee PD rubbed his dry face and let out a weird groan.
After agonizing for a moment, he shouted in agitation.
"Fine, since it's already out—throw in a Blue Black song too!"
"Y-Yes?!"
"Add a Blue Black song! One or two extra unlisted stages won't change much. The post-broadcast is foreign filler anyway; we can adjust time."
At this point, it was all or nothing.
From the looks of things, they'd need at least one or two additions for the "draft cue sheet" excuse to hold water.
The assistant director nodded at Lee PD's words.
"Understood. But with the live show less than a week away... most groups will balk. Any ideas on who?"
"Any decent rookies who aren't doing much stage-wise? Even ones not scheduled at all this time."
That's when Kim PD, who'd been quietly scanning the cue sheet, tapped one slot and spoke up.
"Here—these guys. How about EverPlanet, hyung?"
"EverPlanet?"
"The kids from our show recently. Y'know, the ones who sang acapella..."
"Oh, them? Yeah, they killed it."
The boy group that had shone brightly on Masterpiece Medley not long ago.
Idol groups short on skill usually bombed there, but they'd delivered a stellar stage.
Even to him, with all his industry scars, they'd sounded solid—no small feat.
Plus, he'd heard they'd handled a sudden sound glitch with quick improv.
"How much time do we have slotted for EverPlanet this time?"
"Three minutes. A mix medley of two title tracks, as planned."
"Perfect."
Skilled rookies meant guaranteed stage quality, and since they were only prepping their own songs, they could squeeze in one more.
"Contact them right away and get them prepped. Promise a slot on one of our good shows later if an opening pops up. Oh, and scout one or two rookie groups who missed out this time—add them too. I'll twist the director's arm for about ten extra minutes."
"Yep, on it."
"So you—track down the original leaker now."
"Got it, PD-nim."
With that, the assistant director bolted from the meeting room.
In the suddenly empty room, Lee PD muttered pessimistically.
"Well, guess we'll handle this mess at our level somehow."
"...Yeah, hyung."
Still, the sighs kept coming thick and fast.