Chapter 29
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: First Music Show Debut
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"If something like that happened, you should've contacted me right away! What the hell were you doing?"
The cramped waiting room filled with Kim Han-soo's scolding. The road manager bowed his head with a pale face.
Having received the call from the road manager late, Kim Han-soo erupted in fury the moment he heard the full story.
He'd tried to help, saying it was an unavoidable situation, but it was no use. Even I had gotten an earful from higher-ups.
"If Flame hadn't stepped in there, do you have any idea what could've happened?"
It had already been ten minutes. If the space were bigger, it might be okay, but sitting here in this tiny room listening to the reprimand made it feel like we were all getting chewed out together.
Judging by their expressions, the other members felt the same way.
This is gonna turn to me and Lee Jae-ha next once it's over. Was there any way to change the subject? I quietly waited for the right moment to jump in.
"I didn't tell you to fix the situation! Was it really that hard just to give me a call? How can I trust you with anything from now on?"
Now!
The instant Kim Han-soo took a long breath, I darted in like a rabbit.
"By the way, Team Leader, didn't you say Arena has a bad reputation anyway?"
All eyes turned to me. Kim Han-soo seemed to catch my intent and let out a short sigh.
He patted the road manager's shoulder—he looked on the verge of tears—and told him to grab some coffee and step out. Only then did he finally sit down, speaking in an exhausted voice.
"It's something anyone in the know already knows."
He'd looked sharp as a model when we first arrived at the station, but now he seemed like an office worker who'd pulled three all-nighters.
"Still, I didn't expect them to pick a fight with someone they'd never even met... Ha."
Politely apologizing for his own oversight, Kim Han-soo lowered his voice and continued.
"For now, we'll keep a close eye on Arena, so you all avoid running into them as much as possible."
"What, like we're ever gonna cross paths anyway?"
I said it half-jokingly to lighten the mood, but it was also half-serious.
They're trash now—no hellos needed. It wasn't like it'd cause any issues.
But Kim Han-soo shook his head.
"You never know when or what might happen in this industry."
...Well, I wasn't saying it because I didn't know that.
I thought I'd successfully changed the topic, but after that, the nagging turned to me and Lee Jae-ha.
From "No matter what happens, you can't handle it like that" to repeating a bunch of warnings we'd heard a million times already.
While everyone was just watching Kim Han-soo's mood, the waiting room door opened again, and Kim Ha-woon shot to his feet.
"Whoa! Food! This one's mine!"
The road manager had returned from the cafe with coffee and snacks. It looked like Kim Han-soo had tipped him off in advance.
The reason I thought that was simple: there was way too much for it to just be a peace offering.
And if he'd had the street smarts to bring it, then...
After that mess, he wouldn't have failed to contact Kim Han-soo the whole way back to the waiting room.
We fueled up on sugar and caffeine, did rehearsals in between, and waited like that for a few hours.
Finally, we took the stage for our first ever broadcast music show.
❤
I couldn't remember a thing after the rehearsal. Live broadcast had a whole different kind of tension from the showcase.
Unlike the showcase, where everyone in the audience was there for us, this time we had to perform for fans of other groups. It was only natural to be nervous.
We somehow made it through the stage, piled into the van, and caught our breath when Kim Ha-woon spoke up.
"Eh, it was doable. No different from the showcase."
Park Tae-hoo scolded his laid-back attitude.
"Don't play coy. I saw your legs shaking before we went on."
"No way? It was just the stage volume vibrating."
Park Tae-hoo stuck out his chin and mimicked him obnoxiously—"A-nyu-ge-don-yo?"—and Kim Ha-woon let out a screech.
"Damn it! You were shaking too, hyung!"
"Was not? Was not?"
"I saw it!"
"That was you shaking so hard it looked like trembling?"
"Don't play coy!"
They really were playing coy.
Both of them had been fidgety the whole time backstage from nerves, but now that the tension was gone, they were bickering so hard the van was shaking.
Lee Jae-ha gave them a pitiful look before staring out the window like he didn't know them.
I chuckled and teased them.
"So, bottom line, you both were shaking?"
As if on cue, their mouths snapped shut at the same time...
"Don't compare me to this guy!"
"Don't compare me to this hyung!"
They pointed at each other and yelled in unison.
Stuff like this just proves how close they really are.
That's when a small mutter slipped from Lee Jae-ha, who'd been glued to the window.
"Same damn idiots."
No matter how quiet, in this tiny van, everyone heard it.
After a huge fuss about not lumping them together, the van finally pulled into the company parking lot.
"I'm gonna stop by the office for a bit, so head to the practice room first."
The moment we got out, Kim Han-soo said that, and Kim Ha-woon—who'd been full of energy seconds ago—suddenly groaned like he was dying.
Just from his voice, you'd think he was about to collapse.
"Uwaaaah, Team Leader, this is too much. Can't we just rest for todayyy...?"
He dragged out the end with some aegyo, but it fell on deaf ears.
Kim Han-soo grinned and said, "You seemed pretty energetic just now," before heading up to the office.
"This is your fault!"
"It's hyung's fault!"
...And they're off again. Again.
Lee Jae-ha and I shook our heads and started walking. Better to get downstairs quick and lie down even for a bit.
Then Kim Ha-woon ditched Park Tae-hoo and hurried after us.
"Hey! Wait up, hyungs!"
Dragging our tired legs into the first-floor lobby, we spotted the elevator doors about to close in the distance.
I tapped Lee Jae-ha's back and yelled.
"Run!"
"Huh?"
The building's tall, and with all the traffic, miss it once and you're waiting forever. Waiting for elevators is weirdly the most boring thing.
Luckily, someone inside spotted us and held the door.
"Thanks... Huh?"
"Hey? Back from music show?"
Inside were Park Min-ha and her manager.
"Ah! Sunbae-nim, hello!"
"Hello. Your song was great. I've been listening."
"Really? For real?"
"Of course, for real."
After chatting a bit with the excited Kim Ha-woon, Park Min-ha turned to me.
"Do-jun-ssi, you heard the news, right? Let me know if you need any help."
...Huh? What news?
A million thoughts raced through my head in seconds.
But the only recent talk was to head to the practice room?
That's not something needing help.
"Ah! You haven't heard yet?"
Park Min-ha brought her white hand to her mouth. She glanced at her manager with a slightly troubled look.
The manager said flatly.
"Doesn't matter."
"Really?"
Her face lit up brightly again, like a weight had lifted. What the heck was this about?
Then—
Ding!
Oh, right. Elevator. It stopped on the fourth floor, not the basement practice rooms.
"Huh?"
We'd gotten on anyway, but it was going up.
Lee Jae-ha impassively pressed the basement button for the practice rooms. He didn't forget to greet Park Min-ha and her manager, of course.
The others followed his lead with quick bows. Kim Ha-woon even waved frantically on top of that.
But I was stuck on what I'd just heard. Better ask what it was about.
I hesitated a moment, then opened my mouth to ask—just as Park Min-ha beat me to it.
"Do-jun-ssi, got a minute if you're not busy?"
"Ah, yeah. Sure."
I'd have made time even if I was busy—I was curious. A minute inside the company? No big deal.
Park Min-ha stepped back into the elevator. Down to the basement would be about a minute, right?
Everyone else looked puzzled about what was going on.
"Haha, it's nothing big. Do-jun-ssi, you're joining the drama with me this time, right?"
"Pardon?"
What the hell was this out of nowhere?
"There's still auditions left, but the executive director said it's just formalities. You really haven't heard?"
Park Min-ha muttered, puzzled, "I heard it was decided two weeks ago?" But I couldn't respond.
"For real? Do-jun hyung's doing a drama?"
"Quiet. They're talking."
Kim Ha-woon's shocked voice rang out. Park Tae-hoo shushed him with a finger to his lips.
Ha-woon defended himself in a hushed tone.
"I said it quietly."
"Only now you're quiet?"
They couldn't hold it in and started fussing again.
"Haa..."
Lee Jae-ha sighed softly, embarrassed by the scene.
But I couldn't say a word. My mind was just replaying what Park Min-ha had said.
...Drama?
Me?
❤
GH Entertainment Executive Director's Office.
Moon Dae-chan, the executive director, was listening to a report on Flame, the group poised to become the company's sturdy cash cow.
"The weekend variety show should be fine on ratings—no worries there."
"No worries, huh..."
The staffer flinched at Moon Dae-chan's trailing tone.
He hadn't really said anything wrong, but the man could make you tense with just a slight shift in speech.
"Pass it on to PD Park. Maintaining good relations will benefit us both."
"Yes, Executive Director!"
The staffer, gauging Moon Dae-chan's mood, cautiously spoke up.
"Oh, and today during CBK script reading standby, there was a little scuffle with Arena."
"Arena? That group with Sung Joo-chan or whatever? What could they possibly stir up?"
The staffer grew even more careful.
"You know Lee Do-jun, who got kicked out a few months back?"
"Lee Do-jun?"
In that instant, Moon Dae-chan's face hardened.
He'd already dealt with plenty of aggravation thanks to Do-jun drawing all eyes right after jumping to Pida.
Even Pida Entertainment, with zero idol experience, had chewed him out—how could they boot a talent like that? He'd been forced to stay silent like his mouth was glued shut.
Lately, any mention of Pida, Lee Do-jun, or B.O.Y soured his mood instantly.
"Lee Jae-yoon spotted Arena picking a fight with Lee Do-jun. Things got noisy while he was helping."
Moon Dae-chan's brow furrowed sharply the moment the explanation ended. His irritated face spat out words in a sharp tone.
"Why does that Lee Jae-yoon kid always get involved whenever it's about Lee Do-jun?"
"They were friends, apparently."
"This isn't kid's play. Can't he separate personal from professional? Is he too stupid to get that the second someone goes to another company, even a friend becomes a rival to crush?"
He vividly recalled Lee Jae-yoon barging into his office and causing a scene upon learning Do-jun was out.
Acting like that as an idol. It felt like carrying around a ticking time bomb.
If he wasn't popular...
If that punk weren't Flame's leader and the center of their popularity, he'd have made him pay for his arrogance.
But not now. Not now.
You had to nurture the ones making money carefully. At least until their popularity dipped, you played nice and milked them.
"So? That's it?"
"Ah, on-site, Section Chief Kim Min-jae cleaned it up neatly and—"
"Who asked about that?"
"Pardon?"
He glared at the staffer with cold eyes. Realizing the rebuke in that gaze, the staffer's mouth clamped shut like a dead clam.
Moon Dae-chan shook his head in frustration and spoke in an icy voice.
"We could use this to take out two thorns in our side... no, two rivals at once. How long have you been here that I still have to spell this out?"
"Pardon?"
"Sung Joo-chan! Lee Do-jun!"
Bang! Bang!
Moon Dae-chan pounded the desk hard. The staffer jumped and nodded vigorously.
He got what the executive director wanted. But one question lingered.
"Sung Joo-chan holds variety tight, so fair enough, but Lee Do-jun... do we really need to?"
"He's nothing, obviously. But didn't that punk get cast in this CBK drama with Park Min-ha? Probably competing with our project in the same slot."
Moon Dae-chan glanced at his desk. He'd heard it straight from a reporter connected to the production company—solid info.
Cheeky bastard. Drama right after debut?
A sly grin crept onto his face.
"If a scandal blows up, it works in our favor, right?"
The staffer couldn't utter a word against the executive director's words. He understood the angle now.
But...
Sung Joo-chan was always an eyesore, but Lee Do-jun slaved here for seven years before getting booted...
Most staff felt at least a bit of sympathy for Lee Do-jun. He worked so hard; hope he makes it there.
But with orders from Moon Dae-chan, defiance wasn't an option.
The staffer sighed darkly as he left the office. He gripped his phone, hesitated a long while, then sent a text somewhere.