Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Irremediable Teammate
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"Hyung, what do we do?"
Kim Ha-woon approached with a worried look on his face. I felt a bit bad about pissing off the trainer, but it wasn't that serious of a situation.
I was annoyed at being tied to Im Joo-won like this, but at least if this got the company to realize how grave the current situation was, it might actually be a blessing in disguise.
Fortunately, Lee Jae-ha seemed to think the same. He'd already come over and was patting my back.
"Go ahead and whine up there all you want, you dumbass."
But as expected, Im Joo-won's reaction was on another level. Far from worrying, the guy scoffed and mocked the trainer.
Thanks to him, the already frosty practice room had turned into a full-blown freezer.
No matter how thoughtless he was, weren't they even a little concerned about what the trainer might say upstairs?
Sure, if we debuted and became popular idols, whatever the trainer reported wouldn't matter.
But right now, we were strictly just trainees who hadn't even debuted yet. And he was already acting like this.
Im Joo-won's rude remarks kept coming.
"What can he do? He's just a dancer getting paid by the company."
Now I was certain.
'...This guy's a lost cause.'
If we debuted together like this, there was a 100% chance problems would erupt because of him. No hunches or gut feelings about it—it was absolute.
They say a person who steals needles becomes one who steals cows. You think someone this reckless as a trainee would suddenly behave after debuting?
'No way.'
I could already picture it clearly: the group's image ruined because of Im Joo-won, all of us getting the boot together.
Ah, I should've recorded that and taken it straight to Management Team 2.
'They won't believe me if I just tell them.'
Looking around, everyone had shocked expressions.
If the four of us excluding me went up and spoke, they wouldn't think we were lying, but it'd probably end with just a warning.
'They say even superiors get trashed where there's no pay.'
How many trainees had never badmouthed a trainer?
Besides, there was a huge difference between hearing it live and hearing it secondhand.
"Fuck this! A company that can't even produce one decent singer."
Unable to hold back, Im Joo-won spat out a harsh curse and stormed out of the practice room.
Bam!
The practice room fell silent except for the loud slam of the door. The rest of us stood there dazed for a moment.
"Hyung."
Lee Jae-ha was the first to snap out of it. He glanced at Kim Ha-woon and Park Tae-hoo before whispering to me.
"This doesn't feel good."
I'd been thinking the same thing.
"Hyung, let's talk for a sec."
Lee Jae-ha's expression was grave, like he had something serious to say. Leaving the two with heavy faces behind, I stepped out of the practice room.
He cracked the door slightly, confirmed no one was around, and lowered his voice as much as possible.
"It's just a rumor, but I heard Im Joo-won is close with someone high up in the company..."
He trailed off, but I'd heard enough.
'So that's it?'
That explained why Im Joo-won could act so untouchable.
Lee Jae-ha called it a rumor, but where there's smoke, there's fire.
'Did they really beg him to join the debut lineup because of that?'
If so, even if the trainer reported everything upstairs and threw a fit, nothing would change.
But I couldn't just sit on my hands. If things stayed like this, we'd flop right after debuting.
'This is insane...'
What about my coins then?
'With 13 days remaining, I can only buy about 60 more days with coins.'
If I failed as an idol, my future was obvious.
I had some buildup from the radio now, but a failed idol couldn't get on shows, and without that, no fans either.
'So I'd have to rely on Goodstar...'
Goodstar was growing steadily, but not explosively.
Once the radio appearance boost faded, I'd be done. If I didn't make it, I might as well be dead.
From now on, I needed to record everything Im Joo-won said. Judging by how he talked, he'd slip up eventually.
'The problem is how high up his connection is...'
If it was someone untouchable, there'd be no way.
"Hyung?"
Snapping out of my thoughts at Lee Jae-ha's voice.
"Nah, just thinking about something."
Yeah, no time for just thinking. I patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"Hang tight. I'll handle it somehow."
Yeah, if debut flops, I'm dead anyway. Might as well try, whether I die here or there.
'You picked the wrong guy to mess with, Im Joo-won.'
I'll show you what it means to see red.
"That's what I'm saying—the basics aren't there!"
The dance trainer's words left Management Team 2 in the conference room wrapped in silence.
More precisely, everyone was watching Go Moo-seo, seated at the head of the table.
"That bad?"
"Yes! I keep telling you! If we debut like this, attitude controversies are 100% guaranteed!"
"Argh, damn it..."
Go Moo-seo scratched his head in frustration. Then Kim Han-soo, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.
"Ha-woon came by last night, actually."
"What for now?"
To Go Moo-seo's irritated response, Kim Han-soo just met his gaze silently.
"Damn it."
That alone was enough to grasp the situation. Go Moo-seo let out a deep sigh and asked,
"No one else who can compose?"
No answer came, of course. Knowing full well what the silence meant, Go Moo-seo furrowed his brow.
Im Joo-won had been added to the debut lineup due to the vice president's ambition.
An idol group that composes and produces themselves!
'Sure, that's great for marketing and long-term...'
But only if they had the personality for it. If the trainer was right, this was doomed before it started.
"We didn't expect it to be this bad. We should talk to the vice president again."
Kim Han-soo's words drew another sigh. If that were possible, they wouldn't have included Im Joo-won.
The vice president had brought him in a year ago.
But as executive director, he couldn't shift blame, so he suffered inwardly.
"...I'll talk to the VP again. Team Leader Kim, have a meeting with the kids."
"Got it."
"And if any solution comes up without involving the VP, report it immediately."
He didn't believe it possible himself, but they were grasping at straws.
In the end, the meeting closed with only frustration lingering.
No one knew what would soon unfold in the underground practice room.
Evening after lessons ended. Lying alone in the empty practice room, my mind was a mess.
'What to do about Im Joo-won?'
For now, we only crossed paths at the company, but soon we'd be living in the dorm together. No way to keep distance then.
'Schedules will get tighter too.'
As someone with pre-debut experience, I knew for sure.
From now on, we'd be together nonstop—sleeping, eating, washing, traveling.
Easy to sour good relations, hard to improve bad ones in that environment.
'Not impossible, but...'
No. Thinking about Im Joo-won's antics, impossible might be right.
To fix this, now—before dorm life—was the last chance.
'If this were GH, I'd go to Min-jae hyung.'
Should I talk to Kim Han-soo? I thought, then shook my head.
Probably useless. Ha-woon already visited, and the trainer had ranted this afternoon.
No reaction meant they were just watching for now.
I couldn't solve it alone. Best to get help from Lee Jae-ha, the longest-tenured trainee here.
'Where is Jae-ha anyway?'
About to call to discuss, the door opened—Lee Jae-ha entered.
"This yours, hyung?"
He held a large rectangular delivery box. I'd been waiting, so I recognized it instantly.
"Yeah. Thanks for bringing it."
I carefully took it and started opening. Lee Jae-ha watched curiously, tilting his head at the revealing item.
"A guitar? Why a guitar all of a sudden?"
I finished unpacking instead of answering. A sleek matte black guitar settled in my hands.
Bought cheap online just in case, but the real thing was surprisingly good.
"You know how to play guitar, hyung?"
"Who knows? Probably?"
"What kinda answer is that?"
The status said so, right? Possible, I guess.
Couldn't say that, so I just smiled and picked it up.
I lightly plucked a string, and it sounded slightly off.
Amazing. I'd only played piano a bit as a kid; guitar was new, yet it felt familiar, like I'd handled it for years. I could even tell it was out of tune.
My hands moved instinctively. Head didn't know how, but the sound was finding its place.
"Wow. You can tune by ear?"
"Huh?"
"Can't usually without a tuner."
Is that so? Would know if I'd tuned before. I just smiled through Lee Jae-ha's question.
'How is this possible?'
Sure, I got 'Guitar Performance' as a reward, so I could. But what really puzzled me was the status window.
From buying lifespan to boosting abilities to playing unlearned instruments—it was superhuman.
'Am I actually a superpowered being?'
Completing quests for powers felt like being the protagonist in foreign movies, novels, or games.
Got to be careful. If caught, might get kidnapped to some lab.
Lost in wild thoughts, my hands naturally tuned the guitar. Finally, it sang true.
'Let's play a song.'
Recalling the one I sang most in vocal training, chords came naturally.
Unconsciously, my hands wove a full piece.
"Whoa..."
Lee Jae-ha's awe didn't faze the performance. The melody flowed elegantly. I was immersed in my first guitar play.
'This is why people learn instruments.'
Finishing perfectly brought unexpected emotion.
Playing guitar coolly while singing is a common dream.
Mine too, naturally.
"Why hide you could play this well?"
"No time to show."
Lame excuse, awkward even. But Lee Jae-ha didn't dwell.
Now, with singing?
Then his phone rang. Park Tae-hoo's name on the big screen.
Seeing it sparked a bad feeling—like when Im Joo-won flipped out at the trainer earlier.
Nah, couldn't be. Not twice in one day.
Shaking off the thought, Lee Jae-ha suddenly yelled—rare for him.
"What? Where are you right now?!"
They say never say never.
...What now? What's going on?