Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: TrueDetective
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: 22. The Five Great Families (1)
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"I'm telling you..."
Leaning against the ship's railing, Jeonjeon Ryang spoke with a solemn expression.
"I think I should take the visual spot."
Huangbo Yun, standing beside him, looked flustered and shot back.
"No way, Sunbae-nim, you're obviously the main vocal, right?"
"If we debut as the Five Great Families, we might pass for young, but my voice isn't getting any younger. Don't you think you, with your still-fresh vocal cords, should be the main vocal?"
"No! Sunbae-nim as main vocal! Teacher Peng as main dancer! Which means I'm obviously the visual member!"
"...Why are you two fighting over the visual position?"
I asked, pausing midway through my shrimp crackers, as the Heavenly Demon—gracefully tossing shrimp crackers to the seagulls—replied instead, her hair whipping dramatically in the sea breeze.
"In my eyes, the Tang kid's the only one who fits."
"Ugh... Th-thank... you..."
Tang Sa-cheon managed a smile despite being half-dead from seasickness.
Jeonjeon Ryang jumped up in protest.
"Hey, Heavenly Demon! What makes that half-dead mush better than me?"
"His face pisses me off just looking at it, but it's handsome enough to be useful."
I hadn't expected the Heavenly Demon to acknowledge Tang Sa-cheon's looks.
Having distributed all the shrimp crackers in her hand, she reached out to me.
I grabbed a handful, popped some into my mouth first, then placed a bit on her palm.
She clenched her fist in fury, and the crackers crumbled into dust like magic, scattering in the wind.
"Quit stuffing your face already. You're hogging all the pigeon food!"
"They're seagulls, not pigeons."
"Churlish seagulls, you cow!"
The reason I was having this utterly mismatched conversation with the Heavenly Demon was...
She'd gone off to give us space, then returned holding cruise tickets in both hands.
I'd been worried deep down that Hyun-seong sunbae—Chang-hye—had firmly rejected any connection with the Heavenly Demon, and she might be hurt.
But that worry was unfounded; she was just innocently carefree.
No wonder they say you shouldn't worry about celebrities.
Anyway, sensing she wanted some sightseeing,
I ended up boarding a cruise to Jangsado—one of Tongyeong's tourist spots—with the Heavenly Demon and Tang Sa-cheon.
And somehow, the Five Great Families candidates had tagged along, leading to the current situation.
Peng Ha-buk muttered with a shocked face.
"I thought if Jeonjeon sunbae was main vocal and Yun did the composing, I'd obviously be the visual..."
Still going on about the visual spot?
But then.
"Yun, you can compose too?"
At my question, Huangbo Yun rubbed his cheeks, looking a bit shy.
"Ah, yeah... But I'm not that good. Just... enough that I won't starve even if I don't debut as an idol?"
...Was that humblebragging?
Jeonjeon Ryang stared at him for a moment before asking.
"But Yun? Didn't you say you had a reason to debut only at Kichi? Why'd you come along?"
"Huh? W-well, Heavenly Demon hyung booked extra tickets anyway... And... to hitch a ride back."
Pretty practical reason.
Peng Ha-buk chimed in abruptly.
"Give me a lift to Seoul too. I don't really plan on debuting; I just tagged along."
Huangbo Yun's eyes widened like a rabbit's.
"Teacher, you don't want to debut?"
"Pfft, I'm already doing as well as any idol. Why bother?"
"Th-then... I can be the visual member!"
"...You sure talk big for someone with such a soft voice?"
"Yield it to me..."
Watching Huangbo Yun and Peng Ha-buk bicker, the Heavenly Demon clicked her tongue.
"Why fight among yourselves? I said the visual's the Tang kid."
"Blood runs thicker than water, huh?"
"? Then should arms bend outward instead?"
These candidates... are they planning to debut or not? It's confusing.
Jeonjeon Ryang seems definite... but Peng Ha-buk and Huangbo Yun? Unclear.
To me, Huangbo Yun feels like he's hedging bets in case Kichi doesn't work out, while Peng Ha-buk seems to have zero intentions.
'Well... I let them tag along to bond, since they might debut together.'
Not sure if they'll actually bond.
Tang Sa-cheon, who should be keeping the peace, tapped out from seasickness ages ago.
All we can do is hope he recovers once we hit Jangsado.
"Since we're out playing, snap some pics to show those beggars."
At least the Heavenly Demon seemed the most excited.
Even after that mess with someone from the Central Plains, you'd think she'd be down...
She's not faking it, is she...?
I took her phone and did my best to snap photos.
The Heavenly Demon scrolled through them seriously, but looked unsatisfied.
"Hmm... Feels empty. Would've been better with a group shot."
No sooner had she said it than Tang Sa-cheon fumbled in his sleeve and handed over a selfie stick.
As he pulled it out, something else tumbled out too, vanishing back into his sleeve.
This guy... how many Pikac○us is he carrying?
The Heavenly Demon attached the selfie stick to the phone like a pro, then side-eyed the spot next to her.
"Come stand here."
"Group photo?"
"Photos are all that's left."
We huddled around her awkwardly and took the shot.
...With the half-dead Tang Sa-cheon as the backdrop.
Pleased with the group photo, the Heavenly Demon gazed contentedly at the screen.
Peering over her shoulder, I asked.
"Gonna post it on Witax?"
"No."
"Then...?"
"Don't pry."
She turned away from me, focused on sending something, then pocketed the phone in her sleeve with a refreshed look.
Knew she was up to no good...
And sure enough, my phone buzzed.
Opening it, I saw a message from the Alliance Leader.
[Alliance Leader: ㅠㅠHyung... You went playing with Heavenly Demon-nim?]
[Alliance Leader: I like the sea too]
[Alliance Leader: No summer vacation for us this year? ㅠㅠ]
"..."
She took the photo to troll the Alliance Leader...?
A hundred-year-old grandpa earnestly trolling a twenty-six-year-old...
Then another message came in.
[Hyun-seong sunbae: Hwa-jin hyung keeps sending me pics...]
[Hyun-seong sunbae: Our connection's over, so tell him to stop?]
[Hyun-seong sunbae: Still sending pics...]
[Hyun-seong sunbae: Just tell him I'm blocking him]
"..."
This Heavenly Demon... coolly stepped aside since they're "just friends" now.
Only to pull the "I have other friends besides you" card?
Hard to believe this childish guy slaughtered a hundred thousand righteous sect folk in the Central Plains.
"Heavenly Demon-nim, don't send to random places. Post it on Witax."
"...Can't do that."
"What? You're an idol. Witax first, right?"
"If I post on Witax, that Huashan punk'll see it too. If he finds out we're out without him, who knows the fuss... Headache just thinking about it."
"That's... fair..."
"Right?"
"Fair my ass!!"
I smacked her back and snatched the phone.
Knowing I'm a once-in-a-century talent gave me some boldness.
...Though my hand stung from smacking the Heavenly Demon's back; need to unseal my acupoints first.
Unlocking the pattern without hesitation, her eyes went wide.
"How do you know this seat's pattern?"
"Obvious. Heavenly Demon or Demonic Cult's ㄱ shape."
"Nonsense. It's the ma-la tang ㄱ."
That ma-la tang obsession still going?
Ignoring her, I picked the best solo shot of her, cropped it, and posted to Witax. Reactions poured in fast.
But surprisingly, the beggars had already seen the group shot elsewhere.
-Heavenly Demon Faith 132454th Believer: Heavenly Demon-nim is truly glorious, cropping to just her face lol
-MudaMudaMudaMoo: Heavenly Demon-nim lololol Jeonjeon Ryang's Insta has the full group shot lolololol Jeonjeon_Ryang_Insta.Link
Looks like Jeonjeon Ryang posted the group shot on Insta in the meantime.
Links to Peng Ha-buk's account and Huangbo Yun's followed below.
...Did this jerk not send it to me alone?
I scrolled through the comments.
-Volleyball File Room: What kinda unique crew lololol Huangbo Clan, Jeonjeon Clan, North Peng Clan lololol
└DamnMurimDeath: Background has Tang Clan too
└We'reNotBaldies: Nah, Tang guy's the manager, not a celeb lololol
└OneChiTwoChiKichiNeChi: Huangbo Yun trainee's Huangbo clan lololol
└MurimIdolWhat10덕아: Five Great Families meetup but no Jeonjeon? ㅠㅠ
-Oh File Room: Heavenly Demon's more social than expected, even knows rogue disciples.
└WhateverShaman: Turns out Heavenly Demon was a total insider all along.
'Reaction... not bad?'
Just being together, and fans are dubbing them the Five Great Families.
Do we really need to hide this combo until debut?
Originally planned to contract with Haomen and debut as Five Great Families.
'Change the plan?'
Showing off their friendship and chemistry to get the public pushing for Five Great Families didn't sound bad.
'And...'
For Peng Ha-buk, who isn't seriously considering idol debut yet,
Or Huangbo Yun, weighing Kichi vs. Haomen,
A short event activity might not feel like a commitment.
If this combo blows up, they might want to run with Five Great Families themselves.
To make that happen, with the fandom interested now,
Better create some content instead of just "we hung out."
'But this is Jangsado...'
No proper gear for an event live, and crashing Goo File Room live with Five Great Families out of nowhere? No.
Need another way to expose this combo in the media...
"Nice island."
By then, the cruise had docked.
The Heavenly Demon, now wearing sunglasses Tang Sa-cheon had pulled out, was looking around.
Weekday? Or fixed ferry schedule?
Only a few staff-like folks on Jangsado; no other tourists besides us.
"At a scenic spot like this, you need a bowl of bamboo leaf wine with fish-fragrant pork shreds."
The Heavenly Demon smacked her lips.
"Chang-hye made killer fish-fragrant pork shreds..."
This Heavenly Demon's more whiny than I thought...
Tang Sa-cheon, wobbly on the boat, perked up a bit onshore and asked her.
"In the Central Plains, do people really eat a lot of bamboo leaf wine and fish-fragrant pork?"
"Lots. Order pork noodles too. These days kids yell for 'barista, Java Chip Frappuccino' or whatever. Nothing like that in the Central Plains."
"What's bamboo leaf wine, and what's fish-fragrant pork?"
Huangbo Yun asked like he'd never heard of them, earning shocked stares.
"You... a Kichi trainee who doesn't know bamboo leaf wine or fish-fragrant pork?"
"Even this Tang Sa-cheon devoured a volume of wuxia novels a day back in trainee days..."
"...I'm an idol trainee, not an aspiring wuxia author??"
Tang Sa-cheon snorted at Huangbo Yun's innocent reply, oblivious that Kichi trainees are closer to aspiring murim folk.
As Huangbo Yun's face flushed red,
"Bamboo leaf wine is a golden-hued medicinal liquor. Distilled sorghum wine, fragrant, sweet, nutty. Made with bamboo leaves, wood spice, sandalwood, angelica, tangerine, gardenia, clove, sugar, and a bunch of chrysanthemums—basically a tonic."
Tang Sa-cheon paused there, then continued flatly.
"Fish-fragrant pork is shredded pork stir-fried with bamboo shoots, wood ear, ginger, chili, scallion, vinegar, salt, sugar, then braised in soy. The pinnacle of sweet-salty, with balanced spice and sour too. No fish, but called 'fish-fragrant' because legend says the inventor tossed scraps from a fish wok into it."
Huangbo Yun stammered, flustered by the overly detailed, polite explanation.
"Uh, how do you know so much? Just from reading wuxia?"
"This clan head knows from family business."
Right. Come to think of it, Tang Sa-cheon runs a Chinese restaurant.
The Heavenly Demon muttered darkly.
"...Talking Tang makes me crave it more."
"I kinda wanna try bamboo leaf wine now..."
"I'll take fish-fragrant pork."
"No wonder you're all eyeing me, but sorry—the next ferry's in an hour."
No restaurants on Jangsado; have to head back out to eat.
...Returning to Eunja Rim might score real murim-style fish-fragrant pork.
Then, Huangbo Yun started humming faintly.
A sudden idea struck me.
"Yun... You said you compose?"
He stopped humming and looked at me.
"Ah, yeah... Told you I'm not great. But good enough to sell as a composer member..."
Still humblebragging? I nodded.
"Let's make an impromptu track before we go."
"...Huh?"
"Not long. Just one verse."
"No... Impossible. Can't just whip up a song on the spot."
"Theme: bamboo leaf wine and fish-fragrant pork."
"No thanks."
"Composition fee: this much."
"Huh? Fee...? Whoa."
He froze checking the KakaoPay amount, then calmly opened his composing app and asked.
"BPM?"
"Whatever feels right."
Goo File Room's got that decadent cringy vibe.
So the Five Great Families go the opposite.
Healing cringy concept.