Chapter 153
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153
“Ju Woo-seong, are you actually insane?”
Standing on the third-floor balcony of the studio, Ju Woo-seong, who had been tapping away on his phone, turned around with a playful grin.
“Seo Ho-yun, hi.”
“I was going to be annoyed that you didn’t tell me the lineup, but now I’m beyond fed up; I’m actually impressed. How can you stand between those two…?”
Unable to finish my sentence, I simply shook my head.
Previously, Ju Woo-seong had been miserable just at the thought of performing a year-end stage with White Cherry’s Han Chae-ri. Today, however, he seemed to be in a good mood.
“You know you only care about common sense in the weirdest places, right?”
“It’s you who lacks common sense in the weirdest places, Ju Woo-seong.”
Ju Woo-seong chuckled. Then, leaning his arms on the railing, he waved his hand while looking down at the crowd gathered below.
“Season 2 is a total mess, isn’t it? A grand festival featuring my direct juniors and my ex-girlfriends…”
“…….”
“And you.”
Unbelievable.
“Why am I included in that sticky mess? All of that is related to you.”
“You’re asking even though you know? You’re the worst one in this group.”
You’re probably the worst.
As I stared at him with my arms crossed, Ju Woo-seong tilted his head.
“Why a Lia Purple song, of all things?”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
Ju Woo-seong snorted as if I were being ridiculous.
“You’re playing dumb. Everyone who knows anything knows you arranged your collaboration stages specifically to avoid scandal rumors. So why go out of your way to bring in Lia Purple here? Don’t you know that’ll only leave a bad impression on the fans?”
“Hearing this from you is actually quite refreshing.”
“You want to die?”
In reality, Ju Woo-seong was the one participating in a broadcast with two ex-girlfriends by his side, but there was a reason he had never been caught in a messy scandal despite his numerous relationships.
Aside from having secret meeting spots, he never, ever let it show in front of the fans.
Well, his agency also blocked everything thoroughly since they couldn't afford to lose Black Call.
“What are you going to do if a scandal breaks out?”
For someone like him, he was surprisingly hypersensitive about these things.
“Most people’s thoughts would flow in that direction, wouldn’t they?”
“……?”
I walked over to Ju Woo-seong’s side, rested my chin on the railing, and looked down.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
TEW was standing below.
I caught a faint mention of our group’s name, and everyone exchanged glances with awkward smiles.
It wasn't a strange conversation for anyone to overhear. Just the typical office gossip.
Still, since they had some years and experience under their belts, the contestants weren't as amateur as those in Shining Star Season 1; they were clearly trying to be careful with every word.
“Don’t act rashly.”
Ju Woo-seong noticed them too, shifting only his eyes to look in their direction.
“There’s a limit to dragging others down. They’re being cautious enough as it is.”
“…….”
“It can’t be helped. In this business, the more you’ve been around the block, the more cautious you become.”
“Is that from personal experience?”
Ju Woo-seong glared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh. It seemed to mean: When someone is being serious, you should at least listen.
“Anyway, you can’t expect the same kind of fluke as in Season 1. You have to face them with skill alone.”
I looked at Ju Woo-seong.
“That’s surprising.”
“What is?”
“I didn’t think you were capable of such thoughts.”
The top star bastard gave a crooked smile at my words.
‘A fluke?’
He wasn't wrong. From the outside, it probably looked like a fluke.
If Season 1 was a true wilderness, Season 2 was a mess pretending to be neatly organized.
At least the wilderness was pure; this place was crawling with people who had survived the mud and crawled their way up.
In other words, the political games were going to be even more intense.
As Ju Woo-seong said, the more people roll around in this industry, the more they try to protect themselves.
‘Which is why it’s going to be more fun, isn’t it?’
“I think a bit differently. Doesn't everything depend on the situation?”
“And what do you think?”
“Don't those who already have everything want even more?”
I had seen countless cases like that.
“Only those who have tasted the flavor know it, and only those who have possessed something become greedy. The more they have to protect, the greater their greed grows, and they’ll show their teeth soon enough.”
That was why they said you only truly know a person’s character when they reach a position where they are forgiven for anything they do.
Then, conversely, what happens if the rice bowl they’ve naturally enjoyed is taken away?
“Most people are the same…”
They go absolutely ballistic.
The line “Do you know who I am?” didn't appear in dramas until people were sick of it for no reason. It was because so many people actually said it.
However, since everyone seemed so cautious this time, I needed a means to pick out the easiest target—the one most likely to make a mistake. That was the reason I chose this song.
“I’m quite curious to see who it’ll be.”
Who would be the one to make the most foolish mistake?
The trap was set; now I just had to wait for someone to get caught.
I thought to myself, tapping my fingers on the railing.
‘And I hope it’s your junior.’
Ju Woo-seong would be horrified if he knew.
“Well, let’s pretend you didn't hear what I just said.”
“…….”
“Just let it slide, okay?”
I thought I’d said it with a smile so obnoxious he’d call me a devious bastard, but Ju Woo-seong simply nodded.
“Whatever.”
“……?”
When I tilted my head slightly in confusion, Ju Woo-seong glanced at me and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’ll help you.”
“……Pardon?”
With my schemes?
Ju Woo-seong’s eyebrows twitched at my blank expression.
“What kind of crazy thought is that?! I mean your skills! Skills! I’ll help you improve your dancing.”
“……What??”
“Seo Ho-yun, do you think I came here as a mentor for no reason?”
Wait, is Ju Woo-seong actually…?
My brain stuttered at the unexpected confession.
“……Excuse me.”
…No way.
I don't know if it was because my brain wasn't working properly, but Ju Woo-seong’s words sounded as if he had volunteered to be a mentor just to help me.
“Don’t say such nonsense just to act like you’re doing me a favor. Who are you trying to play?”
“You’re usually so quick-witted, so how did you not notice something so strange? Of course, the company suggested it, but am I really at the level where I’d come out as a mentor here? Usually, they’d just attach a trainer.”
Ju Woo-seong’s sarcasm actually made me more flustered.
“That’s why I told you before. I’m going to get cursed at from all sides. I’ll get bashed once for being a mentor because of my direct junior, and then I’ll get bashed again for not taking care of my junior and hanging around some weird bastards instead.”
“What?”
“…Hmph, well, I guess I’ll live a long life with all those curses.”
I stared at him with my mouth slightly agape as he muttered awkwardly.
‘He’s talking nonsense….’
Fine, even if I give him the benefit of the doubt and assume this is true….
“…Ju Woo-seong.”
“What.”
“Is your DNA sequence made of ‘pushover’? Or are you just a lunatic?”
This was way too much.
“Fuck, I am a pushover, you son of a bitch.”
“…At least it’s good that you know.”
“You really don’t hold back on the insults, do you?”
Ju Woo-seong looked at me with a sour expression, as if to say it was a mistake to look out for me, then sighed deeply again and pulled out his phone.
“Haaa, this is so thankless. You don't have a drop of cuteness like Seong-hyeon…. You’ve got no manners, no talent, and you’re a total klutz at dancing. Why do I even bother? I must be crazy.”
“Stop badmouthing me to my face.”
“Seo Ho-yun, do you really, really, really not know why I or Cheong-beom Noona act like such pushovers only to you?”
I don't know. Aren't you guys just pushovers?
I don't know what kind of expression I was making, but Ju Woo-seong’s lips curled into a smirk when he saw my face.
“That’s why you’re a nobody, you nutcase.”
“…….”
Wait, now this guy is just picking a fight.
* * *
After the competition songs were selected, the schedule for Shining Star Season 2 proceeded rapidly.
“Haaa…….”
“Why are you sighing so much?”
“Ah, it’s nothing!”
With the decision to increase the density of the broadcast, the frequency of filming increased compared to the previous season, and the amount of preparation grew accordingly.
As a result, a grueling schedule was handed down not only to the cast but also to the production crew.
They even had to pull in personnel from the Culture Department because there weren't enough staff members to conduct interviews with the members.
And that person was the youngest assistant director of the station, who was currently sighing incessantly.
“Ugh…….”
Following behind Kim Hee-yeong, he set up the camera in the designated spot while thinking of his cousin, who had been whining incessantly.
‘I need to get High Five’s autographs….’
Being a hardcore High Five fan, the cousin had been contacting him via text, KakaoTalk, and phone calls without stop until he agreed.
He wanted to get it over with and be done, but his first filming assignment had unfortunately fallen to The Dawn.
‘Ah, how annoying.’
PD Kim Hee-yeong had told him never, ever to show his fan bias during filming, but surely he could get an autograph or two?
He pouted, hoping to finish The Dawn’s filming quickly so he could run into High Five.
“Hello.”
“Hello! We look forward to working with you!”
However, those thoughts vanished the moment The Dawn walked in.
‘Wow, are they even the same species?’
He had seen many celebrities while working at the station, but the idols he met face-to-face felt so unrealistic that he couldn't even perceive them as fellow humans.
He had heard they were popular lately. Seeing their long limbs and faces that could put actors to shame, he understood why.
‘I guess not just anyone can be an idol….’
However, as an AD who had often heard stories from seniors about the power trips of celebrities, he tried his best to stay sharp so as not to be caught off guard.
Especially since Seo Ho-yun, Kim Seong-hyeon, and Kang Yi-chae looked intimidating even when they were just standing there with expressionless faces.
After greeting the staff, the members gathered in the middle of the practice room and began talking.
“We’ll start by listening to Lia Purple’s song first.”
“Okay.”
【I get this Feeling
You see me as an easy girl
But you’re already falling for me】
Lia Purple had recently become famous through a chart reversal and was actively appearing on variety shows, but perhaps because his knowledge of idols was non-existent, the AD had no memory of ever hearing this song.
That meant there was a high probability that ordinary people like him wouldn't know the song either.
‘Is it a sexy-cute concept?’
But it was strange.
‘Why did they include a girl group song in the first place?’
Of course, one could argue they put it in for other idols to pick.
But if they happened to pick it themselves, it would be a disaster. And as it turned out, The Dawn had picked the very slip of paper they had put in.
If that were the case, they could have just put in something by a boy group that would leave a decent impression, like Black Call’s Kings, and picked that.
‘……Why on earth this?’
It was a "sexy-cute" concept that squeezed out every last drop of flirtatiousness.
【You can mistake me for an easy woman, we have plenty of time
Touch me slowly
Easy Tempo One and Two】
Furthermore, the lyrics were about acting coy and playing hard to get just to look pretty for someone, but ultimately saying "you'll come to me anyway"—the kind of content that wouldn't fly at all these days, to the point he wondered if that was why it hadn't been famous.
The youngest AD wasn't the only one thinking this. Even the veteran staff members’ eyes were shaking.
【Don’t rush
Easy Tempo One and Two
Don’t come to me hastily without certainty】
‘This? On Shining Star? By a boy group? For the first round?’
‘They avoided a scandal, so why Lia Purple again?’
It was even more daunting when thinking about Lia Purple’s outfits at the time. It was skin-tight black leather skinnies.
“It’s good. Shall we go with this?”
“Yep~!”
“……!!”
However, the members of The Dawn themselves were perfectly composed.
Just then, the practice room door suddenly swung open, and someone walked in.
“Your badass senior is here~!”
‘…Why is HE here???’
It was Ju Woo-seong, who was notoriously difficult to see in person.
Unlike the sociable and easygoing image he projected on TV, he was already famous for being prickly and drawing firm lines.
So, the broadcasting station had only given Ju Woo-seong the title of mentor as a formality; they actually perceived his role as just catching his face on screen occasionally to boost ratings.
While everyone else had question marks over their heads at the appearance of the unexpected guest, only Seo Ho-yun reacted indifferently.
“Where’s the drink?”
“Do you think your senior is a delivery boy?”
“If you don't have a drink, just turn around and leave.”
“Seo Ho-yun, you know what?”
“What?”
“I’m not even angry anymore.”
“…….”