Chapter 10
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10
The manager scurried after me the moment I stepped out of the CEO’s office.
“Ho-yun. You really…”
“Manager-nim.”
“Y-yes?”
“Please don’t tell the members what I said in there.”
The manager’s eyes wavered. Seeing his anxiety, I drove the point home once more.
“Telling them would only shake their resolve. What matters right now is our comeback.”
“……Right.”
He still looked at me with worried eyes, but eventually, he gave a cautious nod. Satisfied, I headed into the practice room.
The members were practicing relentlessly to the song I’d gotten from Im Hyeon-su, which was playing on a loop.
Wait, practicing?
How are they practicing when there’s no choreography?
As soon as I returned, Jeong Da-jun practically leaped for joy.
“Ho-yun hyung!”
“……?”
What was with this sudden atmosphere?
Jeong Da-jun ran over to me like a puppy. Seong Ji-won also turned off the music and gave me a bright smile.
“Ho-yun, we finished the planning.”
“Already?”
“And we even came up with the choreography!”
What on earth were they talking about?
When I frowned deeply, Seong Ji-won began carefully reading my expression.
“The CEO said he wouldn’t give us any more funding, right? And that he wouldn’t pay for a choreographer.”
“How did you know?”
“Ah, as I thought.”
As I thought…?
Just what kind of treatment had these guys been receiving until now?
While I stood there in a daze, Jeong Da-jun started chattering away.
“After you went upstairs, hyung, it occurred to us. The CEO has no intention of giving us money, so how could we possibly get a choreographer? So, to save time, we just made it ourselves.”
“In just thirty minutes?”
“Seong-hyeon hyung suddenly went into a frenzy.”
I hadn't expected much.
Jeong Da-jun nodded vigorously and pointed at Kim Seong-hyeon.
“You have to see it right now.”
“Hey, you were no joke either,” Kang Yi-chae said, panting and drenched in sweat. Jeong Da-jun rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
I nodded, but I was scanning the atmosphere in the room. I appreciated them predicting the outcome and going the DIY route to save time, but…
Isn't this… a bit heartbreaking?
Jeong Da-jun clung to me.
“The more I listen to it, the more it sounds like a masterpiece. I got so excited that I’ve already finished all the basic moves.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Ho-yun.”
Seong Ji-won nodded in agreement, praising me. I let my eyes wander.
Why had their guard dropped so suddenly?
They were being overly friendly. Seong Ji-won offered a small smile.
‘Ah… I must look like a savior to them.’
I think I understood. From their perspective, I probably looked like a lifeboat.
At that moment, a system window pinged into existence.
[Your relationship with Seong Ji-won and Jeong Da-jun is now ‘Very Friendly.’]
I had intended to earn their trust, but I didn't expect it to be this easy.
You guys better not go around co-signing loans for the wrong people.
Instead of a sense of accomplishment, I felt worried for them. At least Kim Seong-hyeon and Kang Yi-chae were staying quiet.
“Manager hyung, we still have time before the meeting with the planning team, right?”
Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been silent, finally spoke up.
“Yeah, probably about thirty minutes left.”
“Good. Since we’ve already discussed the concept… let’s show the choreography to Seo Ho-yun first.”
“Good idea.”
Kang Yi-chae smirked.
“Come over here. Take a look at the dance we came up with.”
Kang Yi-chae dragged me in front of the mirror. As I sat down and stared blankly at them, he gave a grin and started the music.
The beat began to thrum.
【 I’ll say it once more, this is our beginning
I will come back every time
You fear this strange déjà vu
No, there’s no need to be afraid 】
Since the parts hadn't been assigned yet, the formations were only rough outlines, but even to my eyes, the basic choreography was quite good. They had broken down the movements into trendy, intricate steps that matched the beat perfectly.
I hadn't realized it before, but… these kids were actually good dancers. Jeong Da-jun lagged a little, but even he wasn't bad.
No, rather, the other three were exceptionally talented.
【 Let’s leave together right now
I wanna be with you all the time 】
‘…This is dangerous.’
The more impressive their dancing was, the more cold sweat ran down my back. This was the first true crisis I’d faced since transmigrating into this game.
That thought reached its peak when Kang Yi-chae appeared near the end, stepping on someone’s back to perform a mid-air flip. My expression completely froze.
After finishing the dance, they were utterly exhausted and panting, yet they looked at me with subtle expectation. Beside me, the manager was clapping like a madman, his eyes nearly brimming with tears.
“You guys are seriously amazing!”
“Huff, huff…”
“This is insane… To think I tried to make kids like you do ‘Pineapple’…”
Excuse me, did you know ‘Pineapple’ was trash all along?
“Is it okay?”
Yeah, honestly, the members were excellent. Moreover, Kim Seong-hyeon, who was the main dancer, was practically flying. There were a few things to tweak, but at this rate, I didn't think I’d have to worry about the dancing.
Except.
“…….”
When I remained silent, Seong Ji-won, sensing the mood, asked, “W-what’s wrong, Ho-yun? Is something weird?”
“Gasp. Do you not like it, Ho-yun hyung?”
“No, well….”
I hesitated.
“I like it. I do, but….”
“If you like it, that’s enough! Man, you scared me.”
“The thing is….”
“Just get in here for now. We need to sync up with you, too.”
Kang Yi-chae waved his arms around. Then, he stood me next to Kim Seong-hyeon. It seemed this was my starting position.
My pupils shook even more.
Why did it have to be right next to the high-flying Kim Seong-hyeon?
Kim Seong-hyeon glanced at me.
“Just try it once. It’s fine if it’s messy, just get the movements down.”
Kim Seong-hyeon was being surprisingly considerate, which only made me more worried.
Ah, the moment had finally come.
“I’m starting the music! One, two!”
I couldn't say anything and just nodded. Kang Yi-chae shot me a glance and energetically started the track. The same beat from before rang out, and everyone began the choreography. I raised my hands and tried to follow them.
“……?”
Kim Seong-hyeon slowly guided me through the movements, pushing my back. But the problem grew worse as the song went on. As the track progressed, the atmosphere in the practice room turned icy. Finally, Kim Seong-hyeon spoke.
“Yi-chae, turn off the music.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kang Yi-chae quickly read the room and cut the music. As I stopped moving and stood there blankly, Kim Seong-hyeon asked.
“Seo Ho-yun, why….”
“…….”
“Why are you such a klutz?”
Shit.
It was here. The problem had finally surfaced.
I quickly avoided the members' gazes, but avoiding it wasn't going to solve anything.
I had never danced in my life.
Of course I hadn't. I’d spent all my time studying to become a PD. I’d sung songs to suck up to my bosses, sure. But dancing? No way. Why would a normal adult male practice idol dances?
“Maybe it’s just because it’s his first time?”
Seong Ji-won cautiously offered his opinion. But Kim Seong-hyeon was right.
I was a total Ttukttak-i.
A hopeless klutz.
“Let’s try playing it a bit slower. It’ll be fine once you learn the moves step by step.”
Perhaps because of his long trainee period, Seong Ji-won had some experience with this. I nodded silently.
Following his suggestion, Kang Yi-chae played the song slowly, and Kim Seong-hyeon led the whole group from the front.
“Here, it’s boom, ta-ta-ta-ta, boom-boom, ta.”
Kim Seong-hyeon was precise. And while Jeong Da-jun struggled a bit, he wasn't nearly as bad as me. I watched Kim Seong-hyeon intently and followed along.
“Boom, boom-boom ta. Ta….”
Kim Seong-hyeon fixed his gaze on me.
Damn it….
I wanted to tell him to stop looking because the pressure was killing me, but I couldn't say it out loud. By the time the slow version of the song finally ended, we were all completely speechless.
“Why… are you still so stiff?”
Kim Seong-hyeon asked, sounding genuinely puzzled. Kang Yi-chae had the same expression.
“Hyung, why did you suddenly get so bad at this?”
“Well….”
“I don’t think you were this bad before.”
I had nothing to say. I kept my mouth shut and hung my head like a criminal.
Man, it had been a long time since I’d been this speechless.
“Sorry, I forgot everything.”
“……!”
“Really?”
“Is it because you were sick?”
“Uh, yeah… I guess it’s an aftereffect. I completely forgot how to dance.”
Everyone seemed to accept that explanation. Well, Kim Seong-hyeon looked a bit suspicious, but what could he do when the person involved said he’d been sick?
“This is a bit serious. Our comeback is less than a month away.”
“Can we even fix this level of dancing in a month…?” Jeong Da-jun asked tentatively.
Hey, what do you mean by ‘this level’? I glared at him, but Jeong Da-jun was being sincere.
Kim Seong-hyeon also seemed to be seriously contemplating what to do with me, while Seong Ji-won just stared at me intensely.
You’re gonna bore a hole in my face, kid.
“Wait, Ho-yun. Try it with me once.”
“……?”
“You dance first. Okay?”
With an ambiguous expression, Seong Ji-won restarted the song and watched me dance.
I danced as instructed, but Seong Ji-won’s expression gradually turned strange.
He fast-forwarded the song.
“Then what about this part?”
“…Uh.”
I hesitated for a moment, trying to recall what that part was, and then danced it as I remembered.
“…….”
What I was doing was basically a nursery rhyme compared to the other members, but that didn't matter.
Seong Ji-won fast-forwarded the song several more times and made me do it, muttering something to himself. Only then was I finally able to stop dancing like a puppet.
“Wow.”
“What is it?”
Seong Ji-won toyed with his lips. But it seemed Kim Seong-hyeon had realized it too.
“You memorized the whole dance in that short time.”
“……!”
Everyone was shocked. Jeong Da-jun jumped up.
“Hyung, you memorized it all?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“How?”
“I just… memorized it by watching.”
At that, Jeong Da-jun looked at me as if I were some kind of monster. Kim Seong-hyeon nodded.
“I thought it was weird. From the second time on, you were doing the right moves.”
“Exactly. So Ho-yun memorized everything while we were demonstrating it?”
“How is that even possible?”
Three minutes and forty seconds is a fairly long time.
They ignored me and whispered among themselves, as if they were at an auction evaluating a freshly caught tuna piece by piece.
“There are kids like that sometimes. People who have danced for a long time can memorize it after seeing it once or twice.”
“But Seo Ho-yun can’t dance.”
“That’s true….”
“Hey……”
Seong Ji-won quietly agreed. It was true, but hearing it right in front of me made me a bit annoyed.
Kang Yi-chae nodded at the members' words and added his own assessment.
“So hyung is… a klutz with an incredible memory.”
“That’s exactly it!”
A hollow laugh escaped me. The light joke broke the tension.
Seong Ji-won clapped his hands as if to seize the moment and set the mood.
“Then it’s not completely hopeless.”
“Hyung, can you really say that after seeing Ho-yun hyung dance?”
“Yi-chae, be quiet for a second.”
Surprisingly, Kim Seong-hyeon stepped in first to stop Kang Yi-chae. Seong Ji-won nodded.
His eyes, burning with a strange passion, locked onto mine.
“We can do this.”
“Mmm….”
I don't think I can.
“You said it yourself, Seo Ho-yun. That you’re going to make The Dawn successful.”
……I’d started the fire on purpose, but now the sparks were flying back at me like this.
I kept my mouth shut.
Man, if a scene like this appeared in one of my programs, I would have used some soul-crushing editing to give myself a massive growth narrative. It was a pity I wasn't the PD here.
“I—no, all of us—will teach you well. So you can keep up.”
Seong Ji-won spoke gently.
Because a Korean idol has to be good at everything. Even if you have the vocals, the dance, the face, the talent, and the variety skills, you only blow up if luck is on your side.
Since I was an idol now, it was only right to follow those rules. Looking at the passionate Seong Ji-won and the other members, I spoke slowly.
“I don’t know much.”
“Yeah.”
“So… teach me well. I’m counting on you.”
When I spoke, everyone’s eyes went wide. The members rubbed their arms as if they’d gotten goosebumps.
“Wow. That is seriously awkward….”
“I’ve only seen him acting like a jerk for the past few days, so this is really weird.”
“Just give us orders instead, seriously.”
What the hell had happened to my image…?
Jeong Da-jun, the only one who hadn't said anything, studied me before asking cautiously.
“Hyung, did you eat something wrong…?”
This brat.