Chapter 12

12

He frowned. The special rewards are always a bit late.

'What’s this new system?'

[You can earn points by completing quests.

Collect these points and buy items needed for the scenario in the item shop.]

"Huh, look at this…."

Well, if it’s a tycoon game, it does have that management game feel. It seems you could buy items if you needed them.

But… shouldn’t they have given this to us from the start?

[Where are the additions now?]

"Open it."

At that moment, the system window opened. I was a bit impressed by the game-like UI.

It was so unrealistic. I hoped there might be an item that could instantly boost my dance skills.

[There’s no way such an item exists! You have to work hard to improve!]

'What do I hope for…'

I scanned the items. Except for a few, the list was empty. It only said [Updating], and honestly, I didn’t have much hope.

The only thing that caught my eye was one item.

[Chingxin Pill: Completely relaxes you.

Points: 300p]

It wouldn’t be bad to buy it just in case. I won’t use it, but still.

After pondering, I closed the item window. I didn’t have any points anyway.

"Can we get points from quests now?"

[Yes!]

Okay. That’s enough.

I memorized the items in the item window and slowly headed to the practice room. I just hoped the day would come when I could use them.

***

"Dun, dan, dan-dan!"

"Huff, huff…"

"That’s dan, not dun, Hoyun!"

"Dan… What’s that?"

"How do you do it?"

Seong Ji-won turned out to be a tough teacher. He wasn’t the one who said he’d give up when we first met.

We practiced for six hours straight after the meeting with the planning team. These guys had no intention of leaving even as it approached eleven at night.

"That’s strange, bro… I definitely memorized it, so why am I so bad at it?"

"Bro, can we take a break?"

Jung Da-joon asked, but I shook my head. The system window kept popping up, responding to Seong Ji-won’s intense guidance.

[Dance +1]

[Dance +1]

[Dance +0.5]

[Dance +0.4]

[Dance +0.2]

[Dance +0.01]

I don’t know why it kept going down, but damn. It was still increasing, somehow.

As I panted and stood up, Kim Sung-hyun casually threw me a water bottle. I caught it awkwardly, and Kim Sung-hyun plopped down on the practice room floor.

"Let’s take a break."

"Why? I think we can do more."

"We’ve been dancing almost non-stop for six hours, Seong Ji-won."

When Kim Sung-hyun said this, Seong Ji-won glanced at his watch and scratched his head sheepishly.

"You’re right. Maybe I pushed too hard."

"Let’s take a break."

"I’m fine."

"No way, bro! Let’s do more here?!"

Jung Da-joon panicked and tried to stop me.

But… we still have to do it, right?

As Jung Da-joon tried to drag me away, he soon collapsed, exhausted. He looked like melting ice cream.

The manager had already left, so we were the only ones left in the practice room.

Kim Sung-hyun looked at the members and shook his head.

"No. Resting is also practice."

"Wow, a wise saying."

"‘Resting is also practice…’ I’ll carve that on my tombstone if I die from practicing."

As Kang Eun-jae and Jung Da-joon laughed, Kim Sung-hyun threw a water bottle at them, looking annoyed. Seeing Seong Ji-won chuckle, Kim Sung-hyun sighed and shrugged, then stood up.

"I’m going to the convenience store. We’re out of water."

"Get me a Melona on the way."

"Isn’t it tiring?"

"Please bring one~!"

"Ah, I’ll go with you."

I jumped up. If we weren’t going to practice more, I might as well get some fresh air while going to the convenience store. Kim Sung-hyun still seemed awkward around me, but I didn’t care.

"See you, bros!"

"Da-joon. Let’s try that part again. I think your right hand should be a bit faster…."

"Aaaah, stop…."

Seong Ji-won, who seemed to enjoy tormenting the juniors, didn’t give up and continued the choreography guidance.

As the door to the practice room closed, the noisy sounds diminished, leaving only the silence between Kim Sung-hyun and me. It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, so I just led my wobbly legs in silence.

"……"

Kim Sung-hyun was really quiet. I didn’t plan to talk either, so there was only silence between us.

He didn’t seem particularly friendly, so how did he become the leader? Since we were the same age, Seong Ji-won, who had a longer trainee life, would have been more suitable for the leader role.

"Welcome, sir-."

We arrived at the convenience store and went to the sports drink section.

"What are you getting?"

"Seong Ji-won and Jung Da-joon like Pocari, and Kang Eun-jae likes 2% milk. Let’s get those."

Kim Sung-hyun picked out the drinks familiarly and subtly hinted for me to choose.

I casually picked one, and Kim Sung-hyun stared at the drink in my hand.

"…Are you really going to drink that?"

"Yep."

The drink I held was Sol’s extract. It had a strong taste, but I liked the pine scent and the sour flavor.

Kim Sung-hyun looked skeptical.

"Alright. Next time, I’ll get that."

'Hmm.'

Kim Sung-hyun answered and then picked up some band-aids and pain relief patches at the convenience store. He must have noticed that Jung Da-joon was complaining about pain from the long practice.

'Ah… I see.'

I understood why Kim Sung-hyun became the leader. Despite his gruff appearance, he was surprisingly considerate.

"Here, I’ll check you out."

"I’ll get…."

"Excuse me?"

I almost ordered cigarettes out of habit, but stopped when I saw Kim Sung-hyun staring at me and the system window popping up.

Beep!

[Warning]

[Cigarettes are harmful to idols!]

Cigarettes are harmful to everyone.

Well, we have a recording session tomorrow, and… and I need to quit….

All rational thoughts told me to quit, but my instinct resisted.

"Marlboro…."

Beep!

[Warning]

[You have a recording session tomorrow, Mr. Seo Ho-yun!]

"Just check me out, please."

"……Sigh."

Kim Sung-hyun quickly interrupted me. I stepped back, feeling dejected.

The cigarettes I used to smoke while editing were really good…. Now I can’t even do that….

Honestly, it was a similar shock to when I was possessed by this game. The part-time worker at the convenience store looked skeptical as he processed the payment.

Feeling depressed, I added two ice creams to the items being checked out.

"Check these out, too."

So-called fathers who buy ice cream for their kids after work and get rejected. Kim Sung-hyun clicked his tongue but stood firm beside me. At least it was free.

I immediately tore open the bag and started eating the ice cream as we left the convenience store.

"Damn, life is hard…. Now I can’t even smoke."

"Don’t smoke."

"Why?"

"…Fans don’t like it."

Kim Sung-hyun lectured. It was true, so I couldn’t argue, but it still annoyed me.

Kim Sung-hyun also took out an ice cream from the bag. He bought it for Jung Da-joon, who mentioned ice cream earlier.

He glanced at me and said,

"Evidence destruction."

"Ah, right."

Agreed. Idols need to diet, after all. We have jacket and music video shoots after the recording and planning are set.

For a while, the conversation stopped, and only the sound of us eating ice cream was heard. Then Kim Sung-hyun suddenly asked,

"What did you talk about in the representative’s office?"

'Hmm.'

If I mentioned the settlement or breach of contract, our trust would definitely drop.

"I told them we’re scrapping the plan."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We adjusted with the planning team."

"It seems to be going better than expected. I’m not sure if it will be decided by tomorrow, though."

"It might. The junior in that team was very passionate."

I’m not sure how the final result will turn out, but they seem to have done some basic research to meet the deadline.

I’ll keep what I like and cut the rest, and we’ll have a solid framework.

"Tomorrow, I’ll take the plan to Mr. Im Hyun-soo… no, Blue Tiger, and ask him to revise the lyrics."

"You’re moving fast."

"We have to. We need to make a comeback in almost three weeks."

If we don’t move fast, we might have to delay the comeback, and that would cost money. The representative won’t want to invest more in a future that’s uncertain.

We have to work with the budget we have.

"You’ve changed."

Kim Sung-hyun said casually.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem like a different person from a year ago."

It stung. I wasn’t a different person, but I was pretending to be an idol, which was new to me.

I quickly changed the subject.

"We need to be determined."

"Yeah, um…."

He’s subtly sharp. Through the dance practice, I could gauge the characteristics of the members I would be working with. Overall, they were all quite perceptive.

Except for Jung Da-joon. It seemed he had absorbed everyone’s perceptiveness.

"Still, thank you."

"……?"

"The members seemed like they were going to give up, but the atmosphere has changed a lot. So, thank you."

Kim Sung-hyun tried to act nonchalant, but he seemed a bit embarrassed after saying it. I shrugged and replied sincerely.

"If you’re grateful, just hit me once…,"

"Are you kidding?"

He’s firm…. I mentally sent my cigarettes far away, tears welling up.

"Is the practice going well?"

"Seong Ji-won is scary."

"He scares me too."

Before entering the practice room, Kim Sung-hyun seemed a bit more relaxed and talked to me easily. He gave tips like making the movements bigger or breathing in a certain part of the choreography. I listened carefully, as they were quite helpful.

When we entered the practice room, the members greeted us.

"Bro, ice cream!"

"Here, drink this."

Seeing them, I felt a bit strange. It was a feeling I couldn’t get as a PD or a third party.

I couldn’t clearly define it, so I pushed it to the back of my mind and said casually,

"Hey, let’s stay up all night tonight."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"No! No way!"

***

"Ah, the arrogant Seo Ho-yun…."

"Already had a drink?"

"Thanks to someone, I can’t live without alcohol, you know?"

Im Hyun-soo greeted me sarcastically. I retorted and entered the recording studio, where the members looked at me and Im Hyun-soo with wide eyes.

I glanced at the quest window.

['First Recording!' Successfully complete your first recording.

It will continue until Im Hyun-soo is satisfied.

Success: 300 points, Failure: Im Hyun-soo’s affection decreases]

After practicing the choreography and singing the guide lyrics in our spare time, it was already 7 AM. Of course, I, the dance prodigy, didn’t have a chance to sing even one line.

After a few hours of napping in the lounge, we headed straight to Im Hyun-soo’s studio, and the members looked terrible.

"Hello! Please take care of us."

"It’s an honor to work with the composer!"

"Ah, yeah, yeah."

I ignored the members who were standing at attention and sat on the sofa as usual. Im Hyun-soo, who no longer cared about my attitude, lit a cigarette with a lighter.

"Do you want one?"

"……"

I glanced at the members and then took the cigarette from Im Hyun-soo’s mouth. He looked bewildered.

"No."

"What? Why? You smoked well last time."

"There’s a minor here."

Jung Da-joon was a minor. Im Hyun-soo looked annoyed but surprisingly put the cigarette away, though he grumbled.

"So, you won’t smoke at all?"

"I’m trying to quit."

That’s why I took the cigarette from him just as he was about to smoke. I didn’t want to smoke if I saw him smoking. But I couldn’t do that before the recording….

Im Hyun-soo widened his eyes and shook his head.

"It’s a three-day resolution, Ho-yun."

"Thank you for the introduction."

"…Rude brat. Show me what you’ve prepared."

Im Hyun-soo tapped his foot and held out his hand for the plan. I handed him the printout from the planning team, and he nodded.

"Ah… hmm. So this is the plan."

"……"

"Ahem."

I could feel the members getting more nervous as Im Hyun-soo nodded. They looked like they would faint if she frowned even once.

Im Hyun-soo, what’s up, guys. Don’t be scared.

After reading the printout, Im Hyun-soo nodded.

"Not bad?"

"Phew, that’s a relief…."

"The plan is well thought out. It’s clear that this concept fits this kind of song. You’ve also included trendy elements… If the lyrics convey the meaning well, it should be good."

"Right. We’ve also assigned parts, so we’ll pay attention to that while making the lyrics."

"Of course. I’m Im Hyun-soo."

"Of course, Mr. Blue Tiger."

"You, bowing down."

Im Hyun-soo seemed to like the plan more than expected and helped us despite her constant complaints.

I gestured to the members who were standing awkwardly. We needed to pour out the ideas we had prepared.

"Here, we want to add more about the past…."

"I want to keep the word ‘sharp target’."

"For this part, instead of vague words, it’s better to clearly say ‘I remember you’…."

The members, who had been nervous, started talking non-stop about their parts and comments. Im Hyun-soo responded earnestly.

"Too rustic."

"Ah, the word ‘target’ is good."

"No, that’s too abrupt. It feels like a sudden acceleration."

After about thirty minutes, Im Hyun-soo was more excited than the members. This is why I like Im Hyun-soo.

Crossing my arms, I watched as Im Hyun-soo, after roughly summarizing the lyrics, looked at the members and said,

"Alright, the lyrics are good for now…. They can be revised later, so just think of this as a guide and sing it once."

"Yes! Understood."

"First… Yeah, the main vocalist should start."

"Got it!"

Seong Ji-won nodded.

…He seems a bit nervous.