Chapter 52
Chapter 52
It was close to a compliment, but instead of acting shy, Baek Gyeonwoo said this:
"Why?"
Why. Did he want me to analyze each and every one of his features?
But I didn't want to continue this compliment relay any further, so I pretended not to hear and tapped the lyric sheet with my pen.
"You really don't want to do it?"
Baek Gyeonwoo nodded with his chin propped in his hand.
As I'd said before, looking too generous was also a negative factor in this game.
If I added any more words here, I'd only be giving the production team more evidence for that 'unearnest' image they wanted from me.
I reined in my disappointment and immediately asked the team members,
"Then can I please have a show of hands from everyone who's okay with me doing it?"
Five hands shot up.
I bowed my head several times with a moved expression, then wrote my name next to the part.
And then.
Practice was halted because the production crew called for us.
"Alright, take one each."
The staff handed out sheets of paper with scripts and vitamin C, explaining,
"Trainee Seo Cha-gyeom will have a longer cut, so don't grimace when you eat it. How should I put it... a refreshing feel... you know?"
So it was PPL.
I lifted my eyes from the script and scanned the auditorium where the joint practice was taking place.
'Are we the only team doing this?'
The moment I confirmed it, I realized.
'It must be an advertiser request.'
Anyway, I diligently acted as the crew instructed.
The lines went something like this.
"Wow, I feel so much more refreshed after eating this."
"It really wakes you up. Feels like practice will go perfectly if we keep this up."
"And it's delicious. And it's zero sugar!"
It might sound like AI dialogue, but I did my best. I barely managed to deliver those lines while fighting the sourness that almost stole my voice.
After that, we were supposed to go straight to practice.......
We couldn't.
Instead, we filmed a sports day segment. Since the number of trainees left to fill screen time had been more than halved, it was only natural that extra shoots multiplied.
The production team was probably editing almost live at this point. Before I complained about the exhaustion, I should first be grateful for their hard work.
Despite the name sports day, most of the events consisted of recreational games that had nothing to do with physical strength.
The trainees were already half zombies, but as if to prove they hadn't survived this far for nothing, their eyes all lit up with vitality the moment the cameras turned on.
The result was that our team took 4th place. I wasn't sure if I could say we 'took last place', though.
The games were a bit hard, you see.......
Among them, the one that left the deepest impression in my memory was the 'Body Talk' game.
A game where two people become partners, and one explains a keyword with gestures while the other guesses it.
The reason I remembered this game the most... was because I was the worst at it.
I do have an excuse.
[Airplane]
That was the keyword that appeared when I played as the one explaining, and Baek Gyeonwoo as the one guessing.
Thinking it was a problem the crew gave us to get right no matter who saw it, I naturally pointed my finger back and forth between Baek Gyeonwoo and myself.
But Baek Gyeonwoo.......
―Handsome.
―Wrong!
―Good-looking.
―Wrong!
―Visual.
―Wrong!
―What are they doing?
So I was the only one dying of embarrassment.
People around us clamored, asking how he didn't know this, and I eventually replaced the explanation with other gestures while thinking to myself,
'Does Youth block their trainees' internet too?'
I'd heard that some companies block it altogether for mental management reasons.
But once the correct answer was revealed and I saw Baek Gyeonwoo's reaction, I realized.
―Oh, that.
He just had no sense.
Once filming ended, we returned to the dorm, walking along a road where the sun had already risen.
Roommates were decided in ten seconds with rock-paper-scissors.
When I came out after showering, my new roommate Baek Gyeonwoo was standing in my way. I thought he was about to give me a welcome greeting.
"Why?"
"They said there's an extra shoot."
There was still more to film.
I was about to turn back to the shower room to dry my dripping hair, but I looked at Baek Gyeonwoo as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"What about you? You're not going?"
"Yeah."
So it wasn't a group shoot.
When I hurriedly dried my hair and came out, Baek Gyeonwoo was still in the same position as before, staring at the blocking app installed on his tablet.
"Get some sleep."
"Yeah."
I was ignored.
Leaving Baek Gyeonwoo, whose gaze remained fixed on the tablet, I opened the door.
The production crew I met on the first floor of the building guided me somewhere.
The place I was led to was a room normally used as an interview room. When I asked what kind of interview it was, a staff member answered,
"You'll know when you go in."
With those words, I went inside.
There stood a red telephone booth that looked like it came straight out of a movie, sitting there all by itself.
'......A phone?'
I made a puzzled expression and opened the booth door.
Right above the receiver, I saw the text the production crew had left.
[My very first fan, who believes in me and looks only at me]
[A time to convey your sincerity to your family......]
"......."
So they were really doing this.
I stepped back slightly and checked the camera positions. One near the corner inside the booth, one directly above the receiver, and one at my feet.
With a setup this thorough, it would probably air for a decent length of the broadcast. Not that I expected to make the cut, of course.
But still, I couldn't exactly say 'I won't participate anyway since I won't get aired.' I should at least go through the motions.
'At this hour... they'd already be at school.'
I mulled it over and picked up the receiver.
Clunk. A classic sound effect that was hard to hear these days rang out.
'Should I just say I don't remember the number and run away?'
Contrary to my thoughts, my hand diligently pressed the numbers. In these situations, it's better to just act than spend time hesitating.
I had planned to think of what to say while the dial tone rang, but the call connected much sooner than I expected.
A voice came from the other side.
―Hyeon-gyeom?
"It's me."
―Ah.
The other person's voice dropped sharply.
―Sorry. I was expecting a call, so I got confused.
"No, it's fine. You haven't gone to school yet?"
―It's Sunday.
......Right.
Being awake for over 24 hours must have momentarily erased the concept of days of the week. Embarrassed, I rubbed my neck, even forgetting that the person on the other side couldn't see me.
Meanwhile, the other person moved on to the point.
―Why did you call?
What should I do. I didn't really have anything to say.
'Should I try to cry a little for the camera angle?'
But if I actually cried, I might have to sever ties with my parents right then and there. It would be too mortifying for both sides, and we'd never be able to face each other.
I leaned one shoulder against the booth wall while holding the receiver.
"I'm in the middle of filming. They told us to call our parents......."
―Filming?
"Yes."
―Hm.
As always, the tone was indifferent.
―What about your re-exam?
"Ah, um, I don't think I'll be able to take it."
The moment I answered, a flood of thoughts rushed in.
Thoughts like, maybe I'd adapted to this absurd reality far too quickly, or maybe I'd actually wanted to continue the trainee life from the very beginning.......
I was about to indulge in that belated sentiment, but I failed.
Because an answer came immediately.
―Then I'll have to go proctor the CSAT this year.
"......I'm sorry."
―I'm hanging up.
"Okay."
Holding the disconnected receiver, I thought.
Back when I said I would quit being a trainee, study, and take the CSAT.
My parents had said the exact same thing then, too.
―So I can skip proctoring the CSAT this year.
What exactly is proctoring the CSAT to a teacher?
I wondered if this was really the picture the production team had wanted, but since I had completed the mission, I walked outside confidently.
The crew member waiting in front of the door gestured to me as if she still had something to discuss.
And then she opened the door to the room right next to it and went in. I half-wondered if she was about to have a private conversation, and I was half right.
"Are you not on good terms with your parents, by any chance?"
"......No?"
"Really?"
The crew member flicked the paper she was holding with her finger.
It was the document where I'd written down my parents' contact information according to the production crew's instructions when my appearance on the program was confirmed.
"They really don't pick up the crew's calls."
"Ah."
"We were trying to ask if they could come. Do you think you could contact them and ask yourself?"
So they were planning to go ahead with that event after all.......
I answered as carefully as possible so I wouldn't give them any ammo.
"They probably won't come. They're busy."
"Then what about someone who can come in their place? An old mentor is fine. A friend is fine. A company staff member is fine."
"Hmm."
I thought for a moment, then wrote down the manager's contact info.
"This event is a surprise, so you can't tell the other trainees. Got it?"
"Yes."
Only after being cautioned several more times was I finally able to escape the crew's clutches.
When I returned to the dorm, Baek Gyeonwoo was still looking at his tablet.
"What are you doing?"
I asked as I walked up next to Baek Gyeonwoo.
The production crew might let it slide for today, but thinking about the future, the schedule was so tight that we would have to sacrifice even the smallest moments of free time to sleep just to barely preserve our condition.
So, what I was implying was, please, just go to sleep.
But whether he understood or not, Baek Gyeonwoo simply held out the tablet in front of me.
"......?"
"There's a post about you."
I took the tablet from Baek Gyeonwoo and sat next to him.
A post was displayed on the screen.
[Seo Cha-gyeom was a school violence perpetrator]
Hmm.......
[I am a Neulpum Middle School student. (graduation album photo with ID written on it)
During middle school, Chaegyeom was a kid admired by teachers and friends, very popular.
But not to me.
During breaks, on the way home, outside of school.
In places where no one could see, he always subtly tormented me.]
I didn't seem to need to read the rest, so I decided to just check the comments.
Comments
―lol what bullshit, I was in the same class as Seo Cha-gyeom in 1st and 2nd year, during every break the entire school came to see him, so how was he supposed to torment anyone in between... haha the whole student body was CCTV
―The reason this post is bullshit: there was no place where he wasn't noticeable
―Who are you? A few days ago a post selling a Neulpum Middle School graduation album went up and actually sold, I wondered who bought it, don't tell me it was you? lol
―Omg omg Seo Cha-gyeom's Neulpum came up? That's my brother's school??
└Wow, what was Chaegyeom like?
└He was never in the same class, but he heard so much about him that it felt like they were best friends, lol so funny. Even the guys secretly called him 'Prince' when there were no girls around... ㅠㅋㅋㅋ guess they weren't close, but there's a photo from graduation together (photo)
└Wow
└Crazy
└Ah I'm jealous, why did they take such an affectionate photo ㅠㅠ
└Why did the Seonghyeon Arts High School graduation have to be in December... if it was just a little later, there'd be tons of direct shots
―People who don't believe it are funny, can't you imagine that he might have tormented them subtly? I don't get why his image is so good... sigh... I was a Mary trainee, I'm holding back my words... haha
└Are you a guy?
└I'm a girl haha..
└Mary only trains boy groups
The moment I refreshed the comments, the post was deleted.
I stared blankly at the empty page, then turned my head.
"......Is this what you were staying up for?"
Baek Gyeonwoo scowled and said,
"Send it to your agency."
"Ah."
I had wondered if he unexpectedly enjoyed gossip, but he was just looking out for me.
I said okay and turned off the tablet.
Then I blocked the morning sunlight with the curtain and immediately lay down on the bed.
"Good night."
No answer came.
Staring at the ceiling, I recalled it.
The very last comment that had been posted right before the post was deleted.
―Isn't this written by a Baek Gyeonwoo fan? lol Seems like they wrote it thinking 'let's go down together' because Baek Gyeonwoo's image is getting scratched by the pathological lying thing lol
"......."
It seemed like I needed to look into it.