Chapter 432
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 432
“Oh, hello, Ho-yun! Congratulations on hitting number one on the charts!”
“Haha, has the news spread already?”
“Of course! Good news travels fast, after all.”
Every step I took into WH Entertainment was met with a couple of compliments. I moved quickly, making sure to return every greeting as I went.
It was Monday, the only day of the week without music show schedules.
I had just finished filming my movie, and right when I thought I’d have a bit of a breather, the Song Camp schedule and the new album comeback overlapped. I was severely sleep-deprived, but a smile naturally spread across my face at the thought of the person I was about to meet.
I ordered a coffee from the company cafe, grabbed it, and then swung open the door to the practice room reserved exclusively for the biggest star WH Entertainment had ever produced.
Slam!
“Goooood morning~.”
The man who was a household name in Korea—and my number one mark—bolted upright in surprise. He must have been resting mid-practice; sweat still beaded on his skin, and his breathing was heavy.
His wide eyes narrowed into a thin glare.
“…It’s three in the afternoon.”
His voice was thick with suspicion.
“Then, should I say good afternoon?”
Instead of going inside, I leaned against the doorframe and smirked. Ju Woo-seong swept his bangs back and shot me a look.
“Morning or afternoon, what brings a bastard who never gives a damn about calling suddenly gracing me with his presence?”
“Let’s just say I missed you terribly today, Woo-seong.”
“Ha…”
“So, so much?”
Ju Woo-seong already looked like he’d had enough.
“…A person with a shred of sanity wouldn’t do this, but since you’re a psycho, I have to ask… You’re not laying the groundwork to brag about flipping the daily charts, are you?”
“Hey, why so cynical? You were the one who advised me not to give up and to see it through to the end. I just came by to say thanks.”
“…Ah… Ahem, really?”
Seeing his expression soften slightly, I pulled out my phone and accessed the music streaming platform.
【Between disaster and miracle,
We stand here, holding hands—】
Then, I slapped my forehead with a loud thwack and shouted.
“Oops! I accidentally turned on the Mango Weekly Chart ‘Play All’!”
“…”
“Not the daily, the weekly chart!!”
As Ju Woo-seong sighed and looked away, I tilted my head slightly and tossed out a question with a predetermined answer.
“Huh… but why is a song by The Dawn playing instead of Black Call? Anyone want to guess why??”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”
Unable to contain his rage, Ju Woo-seong finally hurled his towel at me and barked.
“You… you ungrateful brat! I was actually prepared to congratulate you when I heard you hit number one on the daily charts, but you come all the way here just to mock me?!”
You sociopathic psycho, they say you should never take in a black-haired beast, you little shit, the whole world needs to know your true nature—Ju Woo-seong went on a wild rampage.
But to my ears, it sounded like nothing more than the cute chirping of a baby bird on a sunny afternoon.
Ah, this is fun. Truly.
Perhaps my feelings showed on my face, because Ju Woo-seong glared at me, gritting his teeth so hard the veins in his jaw bulged.
“Fine, yeah, go ahead and hit number one on the weekly charts, and the monthly charts too. Go ahead and sweep every single trophy.”
“Thank you for the kind words, Senior.”
“And I’ll be looking forward—really looking forward—to you breaking our Billboard record.”
The corners of his mouth twitched.
Considering Black Call’s peak performance, that was a mountain so high it felt almost sacrilegious to even imagine crossing it.
Even after his childish retort, Ju Woo-seong wasn’t satisfied and vented his frustration.
“Wow, I’m suddenly pissed… This bastard is nowhere to be found when I’m looking for him, but he only shows up when he feels like it.”
Is he sulking?
It wasn’t like this was our first day meeting; I wondered why he was reacting like this to such simple teasing. But I was in a good mood, and since he had helped me out in the past, I crouched down in front of him with a generous smile.
“Did I really come here just to tease you?”
I tapped the shoulder of the silent man.
“I’m quite busy too, you know—though maybe not as much as you. I barely have time to sleep; would I really come all the way here just to mock you?”
“…”
“I’m truly grateful for everything you’ve done, so I squeezed in some time to see you before you head off on your world tour.”
As I sprinkled some sweet-talk bait before getting to the main point, Ju Woo-seong met my eyes, looking wary but listening.
“…Really?”
“Aww, of course. Who knows when we’ll see each other again once you get busy? Speaking of which, I heard this world tour is on an unprecedented scale and already sold out? Black Call breaks records every time; how do you even handle that kind of pressure, Woo-seong?!”
“Ugh, crazy bastard. Get lost.”
Black Call, having recently wrapped up their successful "Blackout" promotions, had announced an upcoming world tour. Once they left the country, it was certain I wouldn't see his face for months.
I even went as far as to clap my hands and use exaggerated gestures to praise him. Ju Woo-seong kept his guard up, but the corners of his mouth twitched as if he didn't entirely hate the compliment.
“Ahem. It’s nothing special. The company’s just trying to milk us for all we’re worth before contract renewal season hits.”
My brow furrowed slightly at his negative response.
There was no way Black Call would fail to renew.
Though Woo-seong had wandered a bit in the past, the members were on good terms lately, and the group had incredible synergy.
Above all, there was no way WH Entertainment would ever let go of Black Call.
“Well… that’ll be over soon, too.”
Strangely, the dejected face of the Ju Woo-seong I had encountered in Unknown Actor Tycoon overlapped with the man in front of me.
I rubbed the back of my neck and asked cautiously.
“……Are you retiring?”
“Huh? Why would I retire?”
Then what?
I thought he was getting along with his members; did something happen?
I looked at the "problem child" with a suspicious gaze, and noticing it, Ju Woo-seong let out an incredulous scoff.
“Wait, hey, I can see exactly what you’re thinking. There’s no discord in the group, okay? I’m close with the members these days. I even go out of my way to grab meals with them!”
“Wow… congratulations on finding lunch buddies.”
“Look at this bastard’s tone…”
I watched the grumbling Ju Woo-seong for a moment before asking.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Mmm, I was actually debating when to tell you since it’s somewhat related to you, too. It’s… Ah, never mind, forget it. It’s not urgent, so let’s talk again when we both have some breathing room.”
Woo-seong scratched the back of his head, trailing off, and then let out a sigh, clearly reluctant to speak.
“…Is it the military?”
“Stop! Pissing!! Me!!! Off!!!!”
Well, a 28-year-old idol would certainly be sensitive about the military.
I tilted my head to the side to avoid his shouting.
It wasn't retirement, discord, or enlistment, yet the subject making him hesitate piqued my curiosity. However, seeing him avoid my gaze and get angry in a defensive stance, it seemed unlikely I’d pry any information out of him right now.
Exhausted from his own outburst, Ju Woo-seong waved his hand dismissively.
“Sigh… whatever, just please get the hell out of my sight.”
“Wait a second.”
Ignoring his dismissal, I thrust my phone toward him.
“Film a challenge with me.”
“…A challenge?”
The main reason I had personally come to the company to find him today was to film a video for Tick-Tock. Posting it with Ju Woo-seong would be a huge advantage for generating buzz.
I expected him to snap at me for having an ulterior motive, but surprisingly, he just flicked his finger.
“Give it here.”
He then proceeded to check the choreography and mastered the highlight moves of our title track in just five minutes.
Holy shit, is that speed for real…
It was incredibly annoying, but he looked damn cool.
Having finished the shoot in one take without breaking a single drop of sweat, Ju Woo-seong crossed his arms and checked the result with a deadpan expression.
“Oh, looks like you prepared a lot? This klutz has actually improved.”
“Well, I am a number one weekly chart idol.”
Having achieved my secondary goal of "making Ju Woo-seong lose his mind," I gave a polite bow and tried to quickly open the practice room door.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
—Before my collar was snatched by Ju Woo-seong’s hand. I looked up to see his eyes, curved into a pleasant smile, but burning with a fierce light.
“You have to film the Blackout challenge before you leave.”
“…”
“I wonder if a number one weekly chart idol would naturally be good at that too… Woo-seong is just so, so, so curious.”
…Fuck.
* * *
【When you step on my heart,
Our lips will overlap】
“Is Senior Ju Woo-seong… a god?”
Kim Seong-hyeon, whose eyes were glued to the challenge video on his phone even with the TV on, let out another exclamation of awe.
Lying on the dorm sofa, I grabbed a cushion and covered my ears, but Seong-hyeon stubbornly shoved the phone right in front of my face.
“Seo Ho-yun, look at this. It’s full of praise for Senior Ju Woo-seong.”
“Are you the leader of Black Call or something?”
“We’re clearly the same species, but how does he dance so perfectly?”
“Or are you just doing this to mess with me?”
I kicked away a beaming Kim Seong-hyeon, who didn't seem to care about my sarcasm. Just then, Seong Ji-won, coming out of the kitchen with some water, asked with a bright smile.
“Is there no mention of Ho-yun? I thought he looked really cool!”
“Yeah, they say he’s working hard.”
Sigh…
Even though Ju Woo-seong had copied the "Flight" challenge choreography in an instant, he had completely devoured me in the video. Afterward, he had tormented me for two hours under the guise of a "Blackout" highlight lesson. He kept spouting nonsense about how it was "healing" and that we should go on a world tour together while laughing his head off, and then he even begged me to do the entire "Blackout" dance.
If I hadn't had a radio schedule afterward, he probably would have kept me there all day.
This damn industry where the naturally gifted have such an overwhelming advantage…
Just thinking about it exhausted me. I grabbed Jeong Da-jun’s cheeks and squeezed them to calm my mind, when a grand BGM began to play from the TV after a commercial break.
“Oh, I think Song Camp is starting!”
To gauge the reaction, I opened the QBS live talk on my phone and turned on the real-time chat.
[Omg it’s starting]
[D-D-D-D-D-D]
[I’ve been fucking waiting for Song Camp forever]
[PD Jeong Jun-hwan is seriously senile for suddenly changing it to a survival show; lol]
Even though it was just the opening, the speed of the comments was incredible.
This should be good.
I couldn't check real-time ratings like I used to when I was a PD, but judging by the atmosphere, things seemed promising.
[Wow, look at the comment speed]
[Is everyone watching this? Lmao]
[Half the people are here to bash Kang Yi-chae, the other half are here to insult the rest of the cast~]
[So cynical; I’m just here because it looks fun]
Despite being a variety show, the members were introduced with a calm background track, almost like a music film.
[In any other show, these celebrities would be mentors, but here they’re contestants]
[This lineup is insane wtf]
[Yeah, Baek Ji-jun for #1]
[Kang U-rin! Kang U-rin! Kang U-rin! Kang U-rin!]
[Rooting for Luma Noona so hard]
[I wish Ju Yeong-bi hadn't come on this ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ She’s not the type to suffer on a survival show like this..]
Finally, we appeared, singing our most recent track, "Flight."
【Now, it’s time for flight,
Beyond the tides of the planets—!
I’ll take you to the place you miss】
“Oooooh!”
The members cheered excitedly, but the scene soon shifted to an interview with the NerdyFreak guitarist.
【I didn't work with Yi-chae just because I lost in IRIX. If that were the case, wouldn't I have worked with every player ranked higher than me? You know if you listen to his songs. That guy is a genius.】
The guitarist, laughing as if a bit dejected, looked straight into the camera.
【There are only a handful of composers who could actually beat him.】
The performance of the new album’s title track, "Flight," was overlapped with headlines from various newspapers.
【<Aeronautics Album Sweeps Domestic Music Charts>】
【<NerdyFreak Reaches #9 on Billboard Hot 100>】
【<Genius Artist Kang Yi-chae, First Korean to Participate as a Composer>】
“Wow, Yi-chae, you look so cool!”
“Oh, seeing it like that really makes him look like a different person.”
“Whoa, Hyung, you’re overflowing with charisma~~!!”
The members added their playful praise, but Kang Yi-chae said nothing. He simply wiped the expression from his face and watched the TV screen in silence.
In truth, all the members gathered here knew very well from their numerous survival show experiences.
That the editing was excessively favorable.
And that in such cases, a good outcome rarely followed.
“…Wait, huh?”
Sure enough.
Immediately following, malicious comments like "it’s just his agency’s power" and "the genius concept is embarrassing" were plastered over Kang Yi-chae’s smiling face on stage. Even blurred-out profanities were shown, making the maknae’s jaw drop.
From then on, Song Camp vividly drew a competitive structure, separating The Dawn from the other contestants.
【ARE YOU REAL?】
【Those who wish to challenge the Billboard composer, show your skills.】
The opening song played once more as the screen faded to black.
【WHO WILL BE THE WINNER?
SONG CAMP SEASON 3
OUR SURVIVAL】
As the subtitles appeared, Kang Yi-chae let out a low exclamation and pulled the corners of his mouth into a smirk.
“Heh…”
The signature smile his fans loved was somehow infused with a confident certainty.
As if telling us not to worry, that everything would work out fine.
“I look pretty slick.”
As if to reassure us.