Chapter 31

31

"Hey, just kidding."

I winked with one eye. However, knowing it wasn't a joke, Yuhyeok's ears turned red.

No matter how much a large company invests, what can't be done won't be done.

'They're fools. They couldn't see the big picture.'

Ironically, the White Cherry's song being too famous turned out to be a curse. Even when mixed with the mermaid concept, it ended up being too similar to the original, failing to show any uniqueness.

The Today members were also skilled, so they might have been a topic of conversation for a while, but the original stage was much better.

"You, you...!"

"I'll move, Darden!"

Nodding to the staff, all the Darden members left, and once again, Yuhyeok missed his chance to argue.

Seeing his speechless face, as if he had eaten honey, I felt refreshed and could walk onto the stage. Seong Ji-won looked as if he had drunk a whole box of soda, his face clear and satisfied.

As the stage lights enveloped the Darden members, the staff's flustered voice could be heard clearly.

"Is their concept Peter Pan?"

"Yeah, it is..."

"But why are they dressed as pirates?"

The costumes were intentionally not shown during the rehearsal. At those words, I saw the corners of Kang Eun-jae's mouth turn up.

Before asking Im Hyun-soo to do the arrangement, the conversation we had among the members came to mind.

'Peter Pan isn't just about Tinker Bell. There's a character that fits our concept perfectly.'

'Captain Hook? A pirate?'

'Yeah. Actually, there's a story that Captain Hook is incredibly charming. He hates Peter Pan for cutting off his arm, but he's also known for being kind to Wendy.'

Seong Ji-won added his opinion.

'Are you suggesting we push the story of a pirate clinging to someone?'

'Exactly.'

Like Girls' Want You.

A fresh and playful song about unrequited love, where the singer slowly approaches and confesses to someone who is desperately avoiding them. Originally, it had an American cheerleader concept, but it can be rearranged from different perspectives.

Tick, tick.

The sound of the clock's second hand flows.

Pirates, traumatized by the crocodile that bit off their arm, cover their ears and crouch.

Suddenly, the stage brightens,

Boom!

Everyone's eyes widen at the sound of a cannon, and Kang Eun-jae leaps to the front of the stage, jumping over the other members.

[My fellow pirates, this is our show time!]

Whoosh! Thud!

Seong Ji-won stands up with him. Instead of the clock's ticking, the sound of fierce waves crashing against the ship can be heard. The playful song transforms into a lively beat with a sharp edge, mixed with sirens.

[Hello, try greeting the one passing by, why don't you look at me? Right now I'm giving you the message]

The American high school-style song changes to a tempo that exudes danger and charm.

Indeed, Im Hyun-soo, your sense of rearranging songs is amazing.

Kim Sung-hyun blocks Seong Ji-won's path and smiles at the camera.

[Look at me, not the kid next to you. Don't you think we'd look good together?]

Kim Sung-hyun raises a hand over his eyes, as if looking out to sea, and simultaneously makes a motion with his other hand, as if steering a ship.

We sway as if we're on a ship sailing the sea.

[It's not him, I've told you so many times. He's so selfish, I only look at you, making sure you won't regret it. Trust me]

Jeong Da-jun fiercely charges forward. It's hard to believe this is the same person who was trembling and playing the recorder just a moment ago.

'That kid' refers to Peter Pan, and 'I' refers to the pirate.

As Jeong Da-jun raises his hand, the camera follows it up and then zooms in on me.

[Hello, let's greet again]

Leaning against the set, I brush my hair back and approach the camera with the unique wobbly gait of a sailor, curling my lips upward.

[I know you're swaying, but you're destined to come to me. Don't make me wait too long]

Kang Eun-jae pretends to be sleeping with a pocket scope, then tilts and falls down. At the same time, the sound of falling into water can be heard.

Boom!

The song reaches its highlight with the bubbling sound. The lights turn a deep blue, as if submerged in the sea. Seong Ji-won walks with a wobbly gait, clutching his neck as if drowning, frowning.

[I might go crazy with your smile, your tone of voice. I'm already falling for you]

At the same time, Kim Sung-hyun slowly picks up the tricorn hat from the floor, puts it on his head, and speaks.

[Maybe I can't do it anymore. I might already have lost. But I'll walk again, gathering my courage]

His gaze meets Seong Ji-won's.

The final highlight. The bubbling sound fades as they rise above the sea.

[I really want you]

In Like Girls' Want You, the ending note, which was originally low, is raised high.

As the stable duet with Seong Ji-won and me ends, a refreshing splash of water accompanies the ship reaching the shore, breaking the tension of the stage.

The brightened lights rise, and Kim Sung-hyun throws his hat.

[Well,]

Kang Eun-jae, catching the hat with a sharp sword, spins and grins playfully.

[It looks like I don't need fairy dust.]

At the same time, Jeong Da-jun charges in and perfectly performs the chorus.

[It's not him, I've told you so many times. He's so selfish, I only look at you, making sure you won't regret it. Trust me]

'Seong Ji-won's efforts to go wild were worth it.'

As the group dance begins, sirens sound, and a dazzling dance unfolds.

The beat slows down, and the members rotate accordingly.

[Hello, let's greet again]

Following the ticking of the clock, the body sways left and right again.

[We can do this together.]

Bang!

Everyone falls to the sound of a gunshot, and the lights go out.

This was the ending of the supporting actor who loved the protagonist. The story, which highlighted the supporting actor, came to an end.

"......"

The atmosphere was quiet.

I thought it was because there were no audience, but I couldn't hear the reactions of the assistant director or the PD, so I maintained the ending pose for a moment, and the Darden members slowly raised their heads.

All the staff, looking at the stage, were in shock.

'It seems to have gone well.'

"Good job."

"Yes, good job."

I bowed and greeted them, then shook the hat I was wearing and exchanged light greetings with the members.

Then, my eyes met those of PD Kim Hee-young, who was standing below the stage, mouth agape in surprise, but with eyes sparkling like she had discovered a gem.

"Thank you."

This was just the beginning.

***

"To celebrate the first filming of Shining Star, let's hope for a 1% rating! Cheers!"

"Cheers~!!"

Everyone laughed boisterously. The manager said I didn't have to participate in such events, but how could I miss the first gathering of the program? Absolutely not.

The manager, who said I had to be careful in such places, was sipping his drink and looked tipsy.

"I, uh, when I saw your performance today, I really, uh, teared up. How could I have...! How could I have left such talented kids alone!"

"Manager, are you okay?"

"Ah, ah!"

No matter what I say, he looks like he's about to cry. Trying to comfort him, I passed the task to Kim Sung-hyun, who was quietly drinking nutrients on the left. Kim Sung-hyun looked bewildered.

"Why are you passing it to me?"

"Because you look reliable."

Kim Sung-hyun sighed, patted the manager's shoulder, and even brought him water. Well, I knew he would do that. Next to him, Jeong Da-jun, who was only drinking cola, seemed to be drunk on the atmosphere.

"Manager, don't cry~!"

"Don't cry, don't cry."

Seong Ji-won clapped his hands in rhythm and comforted the manager.

We rented a restaurant, and the staff were seated in groups. An idol group approached Darden, the only junior group among the participants, Nightmare.

"Ah, hello!"

"Hello!"

In response to the juniors' greetings, Darden also stood up to greet them.

The leader of Nightmare hesitated and stepped forward.

"I'm Lee Han-sung. I really enjoyed your performance just now and wanted to say hello."

"We enjoyed your performance too."

One of the members stepped forward to speak, and encouraged by the warm response, the other members also approached and bowed deeply.

"It was amazing. Ah, your new single was great too!"

'Hmm.'

I decided to let Seong Ji-won handle this. Pushing him forward, he looked greatly surprised but couldn't run away.

"No, no, you were much better."

"What are you talking about! Darden is much better!"

"No, Nightmare is better...!"

I needed to get out of this conversation quickly.

Leaving Seong Ji-won, I walked to another table. I had something to say to PD Kim Hee-young.

As I walked, I saw the Today group chatting with the staff.

Trying to ignore them, the main vocalist suddenly grabbed my arm.

'He's drunk.'

"Hey? Aren't you the ones who did the last performance? The pirates!"

"Yes, that's us."

"Wow! I was really surprised. The stage setup was amazing. Let's have a drink to celebrate! What do you say?"

"Sure!"

This was a way of saying, "Show us what you've got."

I was considering whether to play along when the Today center grinned unpleasantly.

"Or are you afraid to drink with us? Are you scared of losing?"

'Oh, come on...'

The staff, sensing the tense atmosphere, looked at us with wide eyes. I glanced at the staff. Behind them, PD Kim Hee-young stood with a sour expression, as if saying, "These bastards are at it again."

My mind raced. This kind of provocation could be ignored, but...

'Hmm.'

It might be fun to liven up the atmosphere.

I smiled.

"No."

Great.

"But can you handle it?"

Let's give them a show.

.

.

.

I shook the beer bottle in front of the glasses.

I could even hear someone swallowing.

In front of me were numerous glasses. I shook the beer bottle and aimed it at the glasses.

Swoosh!

"Wow!"

"Seo Ho-yun! Seo Ho-yun!"

The beer filled the glasses precisely, completing the bomb shot. I smiled and shook the glass, and everyone cheered.

"What! I can't do that!"

"What kind of idol does that?!"

"Mr. Seo Ho-yun! Show us your next trick!"

"Do you want to see it?"

"Yes~!"

"Your voice is a bit low."

"Ooh~!"

"Do you really want to see it?"

"Yes~!!"

The staff were in an uproar.

Despite seeing all kinds of tricks in the entertainment industry, they were in an uproar over a rookie idol doing this.

"......"

"Seo Ho-yun! Seo Ho-yun!"

The Today members, already reduced to nothing, were bitterly sitting in a corner. Kang Eun-jae, excited, giggled and livened up the atmosphere.

"Next one."

I stood up and opened the bottle with a spoon.

The staff held their glasses, eyes wide with anticipation. I deliberately created distance and used a snap to fill their glasses from a distance.

"Wow!"

"Me too! Fill my glass too!"

"I'll go in the order of who deserves it."

"Mr. Ho-yun! I think I did a good job."

"No, I took better care of you!"

Seo Ho-yun is still alive.

Feeling proud, I diligently poured the beer. I felt like I had completely deflated the Today members.

Kang Eun-jae, excited, laughed and asked,

"Bro, how do you do that?"

"You just have to practice a lot."

"But where do you learn such things?"

Where did I learn it? I learned it at the broadcasting station, where I had to pour soju into the air or soy sauce.

I also learned how to secretly pour soju into rice or soy sauce. But I couldn't tell that to the young sprout, Kang Eun-jae.

"I'll go out for a bit to get some fresh air."

"Mr. Ho-yun, come back quickly. I need you to help me with my drinks."

"No."

"Ha ha ha, so cool~."

The staff laughed and saw me off. Still, the atmosphere was well set, and the Darden members seemed to be receiving special attention.

As I stepped out, my body shivered. It's quite cold.

I would have smoked a cigarette, but I can't now.

Ding!

[Why did you come out? You're not even drunk.]

"I'm drunk."

[Did you see me pouring it into the air just now?]

Oops.

"That's what I do."

I was also sober and found it annoying to answer people, but there was a main reason. Looking outside, I saw a ponytail over the wall.

'As expected.'

Pretending it was a coincidence, I slowly approached.

"..."

"Hello."

It was PD Kim Hee-young. She was drinking from a bottle, gulping it down like water.

'Same old, same old.'

Kim Hee-young smiled without any hint of embarrassment.

"You were really amazing."

"Thank you."

"Where did you learn to do that? It can't be from your agency."

"It's a talent."

"Wow..."

Kim Hee-young, perhaps drunk, chuckled.

"Seo Ho-yun, you'll probably become popular among our staff. I don't know how the other groups will react, though."

"True."

"Your performance was great. To be honest, it was the best among all the performances here."

"Really?"

"Really."

Kim Hee-young sighed.

"That's why... Ah, forget it. Just forget it."

"..."

Bitter, right? Our performance was the best, but we can't make it number one. Shining Star is a program where Today is set to be number one.

Kim Hee-young swallowed her words and finished the bottle.

"PD."

"Yes."

"You changed our performance to be the last, right?"

"...That wasn't me. The filming schedule got mixed up."

"Is that so?"

I chuckled, and Kim Hee-young stiffened, worried that her intentions might have been revealed.

"Anyway, thank you."

"...For what?"

"Just thank you. That was exactly the picture I wanted."

"..."

'That can't be,' Kim Hee-young's eyes wavered at that moment. A sharp voice came from behind.

"What's with Seo Ho-yun and his group?"

It was Today.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1) A hat worn by European men from the late 17th to the late 18th century, also known as a pirate hat.