Chapter 363
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 363
“…Seo Ho-yun, let’s be careful. We’re in a sensitive period right now.”
That guy hasn’t changed a bit.
After tossing that warning my way, Kang Yeon-hu acted all prim and proper, as if nothing had happened.
By now, the members were so used to the sight of me getting under someone’s skin that they didn't even blink. I tuned out their constant chattering and tilted my head with an air of feigned innocence.
“What did I dooo?”
“……”
Kang Yeon-hu’s brow twitched as he failed to maintain his poker face. He gritted his teeth and whispered like a ventriloquist.
“Stop using that unsettling, weird tone of voice. Let’s just finish today’s shoot quietly. Please.”
“It’s not like I did anything.”
At that, Kang Yeon-hu looked up at the ceiling, let out a deep sigh, and walked over to the members of High Five who had just arrived. I rested my chin on my hand, watching him for a moment, before standing up and ignoring our youngest member’s lame jokes.
The preparations for the shoot were mostly finished, and the gymnasium had grown quieter. I scanned the room and stepped outside.
“—Ah, dammit…”
Bingo.
I’d only taken a few steps when I spotted Kim Hee-yeong rummaging through her pockets near a row of vending machines.
“PD Kim.”
I inserted some bills for her and pressed the button for the coffee she usually drank. I took the can out and handed it to her.
“Do you need anything else?”
“…Wow, Seo Ho-yun, you looked like a commercial model just now. If I were the advertiser, I’d definitely extend your contract for another six months, seriously.”
I’d be lucky if you didn't hit me with that can.
Hiding my true thoughts, I gave her a bright smile and got to the point of why I’d sought her out.
“I was really surprised this time. Not only did you manage to recruit all of Black Call—who are hard enough to get even one member of—but you even persuaded WH Entertainment to let you use their name for the broadcast. I’m truly impressed by your skills, PD Kim.”
“……”
“Last time it was LV Entertainment. Is this kind of thing common? I’ve never seen such a groundbreaking plan from anyone but you, PD…”
“Seo Ho-yun, we both know what’s going on here. Don’t beat around the bush and just ask me straight.”
“Ahaha.”
Kim Hee-yeong ran her fingers through her bangs, sweeping them back, and spoke calmly as she popped the tab on the can.
“WH contacted us first.”
WH Entertainment did?
Seeing my expression, Kim Hee-yeong let out a smirk.
“Could you try to hide that ‘did the executives get shot in the head?’ look? It’s common for an entire group to come out for promotion.”
“Sure, but it’s not common for an agency to send out that many of their artists at once.”
“Well, I guess… it is a bit strange for rival idols to appear together.”
Kim Hee-yeong tilted her head slightly, then shrugged and brushed the topic aside as if it were no big deal.
As I thought.
I already had a rough idea of why WH Entertainment was acting this way.
The moment I heard they had contacted Kim Hee-yeong first, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
WH Entertainment was arrogant. Their pride pierced the heavens. They never sold their artists for cheap. To them, everything boiled down to money.
In other words, these bastards intended to put us and High Five on the scales and weigh us. They wanted to see who would bring in more cash.
Even if a problem arose, they would use the reputation of ‘WH Entertainment’—the agency that provided the bulk of the candidates—as armor. They figured the attacks wouldn't be too harsh.
It’s nothing new, but… it still pisses me off.
Kim Hee-yeong glanced at me and scratched the back of her neck.
“The production crew is on edge this time, too. I’m going to edit this as beautifully as possible… I really don’t want any more controversies coming out of my program.”
“Really?”
“I’ll bet ten packs of my cigarettes on it.”
Seeing her solemn face and the fact that she was wagering her cigarettes, she seemed to be in earnest.
“…Anyway, Seo Ho-yun, you’re going to have a rough time until the end of the year.”
“Tell me about it, PD. My heart is already aching.”
Kim Hee-yeong burst into laughter and crushed the empty coffee can with one hand.
“Regardless, I put a lot of effort into planning this WH special, and I’m confident I can make it great, so work hard. Not that I need to tell you that; I know you’ll do well.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Having said her piece, she gave a light wave and disappeared back into the gymnasium.
I let out a small breath and put more bills into the vending machine. This was just in case someone saw me; I needed the excuse that I’d come to buy a drink and happened to run into the PD.
As I pressed the same button repeatedly, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the vending machine glass. I looked every bit the idol I had become.
Well, it has been a long journey.
Thinking that this, too, wouldn't last much longer, I stacked the cans in my arms and returned to the cast’s waiting area.
“Guys, let’s do well today.”
“Yeah! I’m going to take first place in everything!”
“Can we promote our songs?”
I saw Kang Yeon-hu giving instructions to his naive group members. I smiled slightly, then turned and tossed a drink to each of my members.
“Hey, drink up.”
“Ooh, what’s this? Our Ho-yun hyung actually has some sense… Wait, they’re all Pine Bud Drinks……”
*
“Unfortunately, Kim Chae-jun of High Five couldn't make it today due to personal circumstances. Therefore, we will be dividing into four teams of four.”
Some actors were also unable to attend due to their schedules, so only Black Call, Min Ji-heon, High Five, and The Dawn ended up appearing on Let’s Go on a School Trip.
Once everyone had gathered, changed into school uniforms, and finished filming the opening, we exchanged brief greetings and introductions before moving on to team selection.
I checked the paper I’d received at random and went to sit next to Min Ji-heon. Among the Black Call members, Chae Jeong-woo seemed to have been chosen for the same team, but I caught him surreptitiously handing his paper to Ju Woo-seong.
“Oh, Woo-seong. Are you the wild card?”
“……”
Ju Woo-seong looked at Chae Jeong-woo with a bit of hesitation, but eventually, he started sauntering over. When our eyes met, he began to mutter excuses.
“I mean, Chae Jeong-woo told me to go…”
I raised an eyebrow but turned away without answering. From the High Five side, Kang Yeon-hu snatched a note from their youngest member and approached us.
Kim Hee-yeong was intentionally looking the other way, pretending not to notice that the teams weren't following the draw.
“…Ju Woo-seong, hello……”
“Ah, yes, hello. Min Ji-heon…”
Min Ji-heon and Ju Woo-seong, both of whom were incredibly shy despite their appearances, exchanged awkward greetings.
I was worried that too many high-profile members were concentrated on one side, but if those two kept their mouths shut, it seemed like a fairly balanced arrangement.
It wouldn't be good to stand out too much here anyway.
The viewership ratings were already guaranteed just by the news of Black Call appearing on a variety show for the first time in a while. Given the existing rumors, acting out would only damage my image. I imagined a post titled [Subject: Seo Ho-yun was being a total jerk to Kang Yeon-hu today lol] and clicked my tongue inwardly to clear my head.
This was definitely a time when I needed the skill of knowing when to step in and when to back off.
“Senior, I look forward to working with you.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Kang Yeon-hu seemed to be thinking something similar, but for some reason, he had a grimly determined look in his eyes.
Once the teams were all sorted and things had settled down, Min Ji-heon pulled his chair forward slightly.
“Now then, shall we decide on a team name?”
“Wasn't it the Wild Card Team?”
At my dry response, Min Ji-heon chuckled. He seemed to find the current situation quite amusing.
“Ahaha… let’s pick a cute name.”
Kang Yeon-hu, with an awkward smile, stepped in between me and Min Ji-heon to mediate. Ju Woo-seong seemed to have zero interest in something like a team name.
“Hmm, let’s see… How about ‘Seo-Min-Kang-Ju,’ using the first syllable of each of our last names?!”
“……”
“……”
Lame.
Just as everyone was about to ignore Min Ji-heon’s expectant face, Kim Hee-yeong tactfully announced the start of the game.
“We will now begin the first mission: Condition Running!”
Condition Running.
It was a mini-game where you spun around once at the starting line, then found a person or object that matched the requirement written on a slip of paper and crossed the finish line first.
There were three rounds in total. Each team would decide the order of their participants, and no one was allowed to run twice.
“I’m sure you’ve all done this at least once during a school field day, right?”
“Yes!”
“The team that arrives in 1st place gets 3 points! 2nd place gets 2 points!”
The rules were very simple.
I shifted my gaze to where The Dawn members were gathered. I could already predict the comments that would fly depending on who was paired with what phrase.
Kim Seong-hyeon took off his school uniform jacket, seemingly intending to be the runner for the first round.
“Maknae, hold this for a second.”
“Huh?!”
Jeong Da-jun took the jacket, blushing and lowering his head as if he were suddenly shy.
“Now that’s a man’s fox-like charm…”
“Maknae, stop hanging out with Kang Yi-chae.”
Kim Seong-hyeon sternly cut off the nonsense and stood at the starting line. At the sound of the whistle, he spun around rapidly and grabbed a slip of paper. His speed was incredible compared to the others.
After checking the paper, Kim Seong-hyeon immediately ran toward Ju Woo-seong.
“Senior!!”
“Huh? Ah? Me?”
Ju Woo-seong, who had been lounging in his chair with a bored expression, stammered in confusion. Kim Seong-hyeon shouted toward him, “It is a great honor to do a three-legged race with you, Senior!” Then he practically dragged him to the finish line.
Ugh, I can’t stand to watch this.
Even the sight of Ju Woo-seong scratching his cheek with one hand while patting the shoulder of Kim Seong-hyeon—who was bowing ninety degrees—was annoying. I could already see the kind of posts this would generate.
“Hey, hey, Seo Ho-yun.”
Ju Woo-seong, suddenly all smiles and excitement, made a point of bringing the scrap of paper over to show me.
“Looks like your member likes me more than you.”
“Oh, really.”
“What can I do? I’m just more popular.”
“Oh, is that so.”
“Are you jealous? I’m just too perfect as a senior. I’m amazing.”
“Oh, I guess you are.”
“…Are you going to keep giving me such half-hearted answers?”
In the following round, a member of High Five saw a mission slip that said ‘Someone who is good at stage performances’ and glanced at Kang Yi-chae, making Kang Yeon-hu turn pale. Fortunately, they weren't completely devoid of tact and settled things by taking Black Call’s Chae Jeong-woo instead.
This much is fine.
So far, nothing had happened that could be considered a major problem. If things kept going like this, the program would turn out beautifully.
“How sad that you haven't been called once~.”
Ignoring Ju Woo-seong’s gloating—he’d already been called several times—I was busy running calculations in my head when suddenly:
“Ho-yun!”
Seong Ji-won, who had gone out as the runner for the final round, came running toward me.
As expected, raising a soft little dumpling was useless.
“He definitely just cursed me.”
“He’s probably thinking, ‘Raising Kim Seong-hyeon was useless, Seong Ji-won is much better’…”
“Shut it, you two.”
Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun were whispering nearby. I gave them a look to be quiet, and Seong Ji-won asked, panting heavily.
“Ho-yun! Can you come with me?!”
“Of course.”
I immediately sprinted with Seong Ji-won and snatched 1st place.
“Thanks, Ho-yun! I was able to get 1st place because of you!”
“Don’t mention it.”
However, Kim Hee-yeong, who was checking the slip of paper, let out a huff of laughter.
“Um, Seo Ho-yun, do you know what’s written on this paper?”
“Huh? Uh? Wait a second!”
Seong Ji-won’s face turned bright red, and he waved his hands frantically in embarrassment.
“Um… PD, do you really have to reveal the contents of the note?”
“Seong Ji-won, it’s fine.”
“Ummm….”
Why was he being so shy all of a sudden?
I crossed my arms and said nonchalantly.
“Let’s see. ‘Bring the smartest person’?”
“Wrong.”
“‘Bring the most handsome person here’?”
“Wrong.”
What other adjectives could describe me? No matter what compliment came out, I was prepared for it.
“‘Bring the person you like the most’?”
“Wow, Seong Ji-won. You performed the mission perfectly.”
Kim Hee-yeong burst into laughter and held the paper out.
While I reached for it, Seong Ji-won remained restless. I put on a benevolent smile.
“Hey, it’s okay. I won’t tease you no matter what’s written on it—”
Crinkle.
[The most shameless person here]
“……”
The members of The Dawn, who had been peeking over my shoulder to see the contents, let out a roar of laughter that filled the gymnasium.