Chapter 91
Chapter 91
It was the noisy lunchtime hour at the restaurant.
On the table belonging to the fansite admin and the GIF account runner, a pot of budae-jjigae with every possible extra topping added was bubbling away.
"Hyelin unnie."
"What, Juha."
"This budae-jjigae...."
"Yeah, yeah."
"All the toppings sinking into that blood-red broth and getting completely tangled up together... it feels exactly like people after Mebaek ends."
"Uh...."
Hyelin thought, 'Here we go again,' and silently picked up her ladle.
The ending of <MAKE100%> had turned not only the futures of the trainees who participated but also half a year of many people's lives upside down.
'To turn that chic kid into a poet...'
Originally, Juha (the GIF account runner) had been almost pathologically drawn to idols with delinquent-looking faces.
And the reason that face type was labeled "delinquent-looking" was because, well, a lot of people with those faces really were delinquents....
Because of that, Juha's ultimate biases had mostly ended up being the "scandal member" of their respective groups.
Naturally, she had become the type who, rather than loving an idol wholeheartedly, kept things casual and stayed perpetually ready to pack her bags and move on the moment a scandal broke.
But the case of Han Neuti was different.
When it was revealed that Han Neuti was Rei, and the entire internet was singing his praises.
Juha grumbled, 'I don't get why people market someone's personality,' but whenever someone started baselessly spewing, "Han Neuti fans better watch their backs," she would immediately load up her keyboard and fire back rebuttals.
The past version of her, who would simply go, "Sure, fair enough~," even when her bias was hit with the harshest criticism, felt like a past life....
Honestly, the mere fact that she — someone marinated in dopamine — had resolved herself to an indefinite wait and remained in the Sora Island Jonbeo-dan was already a miracle in itself.
Hyelin carefully stirred the budae-jjigae, making sure not to disturb Juha's pure-hearted devotion.
But of all moments, right then....
Yeah, this moment AWAKE!
Look at the now, shining brighter than a dream
"...."
Hyelin froze the instant she heard <MAKE100%>'s signal song, "AWAKE," playing through the restaurant speakers.
Right after the show's early termination, Juha had used to clutch her nose bridge and tear up every time "AWAKE" came on in public.
Recalling the clip account who had stood beside her, said, "Neuti didn't even get to be in the music video because his grade dropped, why are you crying," and then had been promptly cut off forever, Hyelin glanced warily at Juha.
Fortunately, she wasn't tearing up like she had right after the incident, but her expression radiated the message, 'I miss Neuti so, so much.'
Hyelin fished out the premium toppings — the house-made ham and such — from the budae-jjigae and piled them onto the fansite admin's side plate as a gesture of comfort.
"They're debuting soon, you know. Just wait a little longer!"
"...."
"I mean, come on... you literally just saw them in the vlog yesterday...."
And it was true. Sora Island had been steadily feeding content from August, when the situation settled, all the way through December.
The cycle was brutally sparse — just once a month — but aside from the project group, Sora Island was the only one consistently providing content.
Fans didn't want anything more frequent than that anyway. Pre-debut content was nothing more than borrowing against the attention they'd get after debut.
And in the vlog posted just yesterday, a line directly hinting at "debut" had appeared!
[Seo Cha-gyeom: I think you'll be able to see us soon. ...You know what that means, right?]
Of course they knew!
At that moment, Hyelin had been so overcome with a pounding, trembling heart that she'd immediately bolted outside and just run mindlessly for thirty minutes to calm down.
And that was precisely why Juha's forlorn demeanor baffled her. They'd endured six months already — what was a mere "soon"?
A moment later, Juha let out what was really on her mind.
"Debut isn't the problem."
"Then what is?"
"Whether they can succeed or not is what matters!"
At that, Hyelin blinked.
"But you always only liked failed idols anyway...."
Stanning flop idols was a painful business in many ways, to be sure.
But, well....
She'd lived that way all along, so why the sudden change?
But Juha had her own justification ready.
"No, flopping while having Han Neuti and Seo Cha-gyeom — that's not just ordinary flopping. That's a lineup where you'd have to actively try your absolute hardest just to flop."
Hyelin nodded.
"Right, so with Seo Cha-gyeom and Han Neuti there, why are you worried about them flopping?"
"Because it's a broke-ass small agency...."
At that, Hyelin had no choice but to shut her mouth.
It wasn't that distrust toward Sora Island had bloomed, exactly — more that the laughably tragic track records of every agency she'd been through flashed through her mind.
Hyelin shook her head, thinking of her former idol who had been made to sing the lyrics "I'll keep you warm" while dressed in leather pants in the middle of summer.
But that was then.
"Still, with Cha-gyeom and Neuti there, no way...."
"Two isn't enough. There's a reason idol groups have so many members."
"Gyeon-woo is there too."
"Three isn't enough!"
"And Kim Harok's son is good-looking too, isn't he? His voice was nice as well!"
"Four is...! Four might work... No, wait, Kim Harok's son is still just a rumor, isn't it? It's not confirmed?"
"Well, that's true."
Hyelin swallowed her next words along with a mouthful of noodles.
'You've lived just fine as an akgae all this time, and now you're suddenly acting like this.'
But again, from Juha's perspective, she had her excuses.
Seo Cha-gyeom and Han Neuti were simply too perfect a combination.
Yet if you added inadequate members to the mix, no matter how perfect those two were, the team would only end up as a half-baked group in the end.
Honestly, it would be better to just debut as a duo — no, a trio with Baek Gyeonwoo — no, a quartet including Kim Harok's son!
And to be honest....
There was another reason she had come to want Sora Island's success this desperately.
'I need to crush those bastards' noses flat!'
And by "those bastards," she meant....
—Sora Island vlog views keep droppingㅠ I think their image is already totally tapped out, even if they debut the public won't care 100%
—Sora Island fans really can't read the room at all... even Youth is struggling rn and they actually believe they can be Tier 1...
—LOL later Chateebaek is gonna end up on flop idol survivalㅠㅠ
—Seo Cha-gyeom really ruined his own life fr if he'd just stayed at Mary he'd be settled into Tier 1 the second he debuted and would've had the most lines in the group but what kind of confidence made him ditch Mary ugh
The sniping and dismissal directed at Sora Island.
And then,
—flop idol Seo Cha-gyeom is sexy af stop yapping about Tier 1 you ignorant muggles the whole point of his appeal is that he's someone who can't fail but failed lmao
—um obviously they should flop are you all stupid? better a lifelong flop than the star disease dead-eyed ATM-treatment civilian girlfriend scandals
└Flops are the same, dumbass
—our Neuti is a stray cat so the streets suit him best♥
The malicious voices warped by twisted affection.
Juha ground her teeth.
"Just watch, for real. Once the kids become Tier 1, I'm gonna make sure their screenshots float around the internet every single day."
"Okay, let's eat now. I hate it when the broth gets all thick and gloppy."
With that, Hyelin took her first spoonful.
The rich savory flavor that made the trip to this restaurant worthwhile instantly lifted her mood.
"Juha, after we finish this, can we just go to your place? I'll buy you ice cream. Let's watch the Music Box year-end special together today."
"Why watch it when the kids aren't even on it? Unnie, don't tell me... your eyes have been wandering to someone else lately? You're not ditching me, are you?"
"Nooo, it's just... I wanted to get into the year-end spirit...."
Under Juha's interrogation, which felt like being caught at the scene of a husband's affair, Hyelin broke out in a cold sweat before boldly declaring,
"I was into Seo Cha-gyeom — there's no way anyone else could catch my eye!"
"...Fair."
And the two of them ended up adding more toppings to the leftover budae-jjigae broth, making fried rice out of it, before finally wrapping up their meal.
* * *
The "Music Box Year-End Special" was their own event broadcast, held every year during the second week of December.
Unlike the year-end gayo festivals, plenty of mid-tier and small agency idols got screen time too, so for Hyelin and Juha's taste, this broadcast felt far more like a proper "year-end."
Their former idols "Flyde," Youth's "Giddeun," even <MAKE100%>'s byproduct "KIfF" — idol after idol who had left their own marks over the past year passed across the screen.
Then, what the camera landed on was "AWER (owr)."
A major rookie group that had successfully wrapped up its first promotions in September, then dropped another digital single at the end of November without even pausing to breathe — pursuing an aggressive schedule in every sense.
Infuriatingly enough, they'd even shoved aside a Tier 2 senior idol group to claim a slot near the very end of the program.
Hyelin eyed the stage with a look that said, "Tacky."
'No business ethics at all... Wow, they're good-looking.'
Visuals that made you think, 'Right, there's a reason the big agencies are the big agencies.' Skills to match. Even a set design that had to have cost a fortune.
It was a stage so outstanding that once your eyes locked onto it, you couldn't afford to glance away for a single second.
'Even company backing only comes through when the kids are good, after all.'
Hyelin ultimately gave them her respect. The stage had left her no choice.
At that, Juha casually tossed out a question.
"Unnie, how do you think it would've been if Cha-gyeom had been in that group?"
"Hmm...."
Hyelin thought about it briefly.
"It would've been good. I would've liked Cha-gyeom even if he'd been in Wonseokit."
"Traitor."
"...O-obviously, debuting with Neuti is way better!"
Only belatedly realizing it had been a trap question testing her loyalty, Hyelin hastily changed the subject.
"But looking at the lineup, the next stage is <Between Walls> — I wonder who's doing the featuring? There are so many rappers with good skills these days."
"Well, it's probably not any of the Flyde guys. With the Mebaek connection, Yoonhwan maybe? Or that AWER guy who was just on? What's with Wonseokit, ugh, as long as it's not that guy Kim Jisu. He's so boring. Neuti would honestly be better at it."
As the two were speculating, the MC's stage introduction ended, and Ju Yeon-hee, dressed in formal attire, appeared on screen.
Under the magenta lights, a familiar intro began to play.
You and I remain just the same
But why does the air between us
Stay so cold even as the seasons change
<Between Walls>
This song, about a couple in a stale relationship, was still widely beloved even though a fair amount of time had passed since its release.
Even when we're face to face
It's truly, between us,
Like being between walls
'When's the featuring part coming up?'
But honestly, since they'd heard the song to the point of exhaustion, the only thing holding their attention was the featuring rapper set to come in after the second verse.
"Whisper to me like you used to, like a radio~"
Hyelin hummed along and briefly glanced down at her phone. She'd been about to check the real-time community reactions.
There were good times and bad times when I met you
"...!"
Hyelin snapped her head up.
'What's with that rap tone?'
It was a pleasant high tone, but not purely bright.
A unique voice that felt like it was tickling your ear while simultaneously scratching it — an exquisite blend of huskiness.
The diction landed crisp and distinct, the flow was fluid. It wasn't simply a matter of rapping well or poorly.
It was a rap that just jammed straight into your ears!
So, who was he....
Juha and Hyelin locked eyes and shouted at the exact same moment.
"Who is that?"