Chapter 55

55

[Title: (Pre-release) 'Hope to Get Closer' - Joo Sung and Seo Hoon's Hilarious Phone Mission?????

Joo Sung: Mem… Members excluded phone mission??? (Wide-eyed)

Without members, there are no friends for Woo-sung… After some contemplation, he eventually calls someone!

Joo Sung: This guy won’t pick up…

??? : (Ring) Yes, this is Seo Hoon.

It was Seo Hoon from The Dunn!

The keyword is

"Jonjal"

to hear!

Joo Sung: Yeah, yeah. I don’t really want to hear that you, uh, Jon! Respect….

And I don’t want to hear that you look good… Got it??

Starting from 2 AM, it’s all nagging!

Seo Hoon: One’s appearance is not something to ask others about. Live your life with self-awareness.

Joo Sung:???

Subtly true!

Seo Hoon: Ah… I’m not confident about the quiz….

(1 minute later)

Seo Hoon: Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, Ulsan.

Production team: …????

(What is Seo Hoon’s true identity?)

Production team: What is Joo Sung’s favorite food?

(Past clips of Joo Sung eating kimchi fried rice flash by.)

Joo Sung: I love kimchi fried rice♡ Joo Sung: (Shrug) (Smile) Of course you’ll get it right, right? ㅎㅎ Seo Hoon: (Silence)

Joo Sung: …?

(Hesitating Seo Hoon….)

Seo Hoon: Do I really need to know that….

Joo Sung: ??!

Wrong!!!

Seo Hoon: ……If there’s nothing to say, shall we hang up?

Joo Sung: Yeah, let’s hang up and cut ties.

Swift breakup!

Joo Sung: Seo Hoon (-beep-) I was wrong to call you, (-beep-)…….

(Joo Sung’s curse has been censored)

(Our program adheres to broadcast censorship standards. ^^)

Joo Sung: Who is Seo Hoon? Who suggested we call each other in the first place??

(It’s you, Joo Sung….

I hope you reconcile soon.)

└Haha, I really laughed like a dog ㅅㅂㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ (Likes 4911)

└└Joo Sung: Of course you’ll get it right, right? ㅎㅎ Seo Hoon: (Perplexed)

This surprisingly awkward business relationship!

└└Haha, so cute, Ho-gyeong ㅠㅠㅠㅠ└└They must be really close, huh? Haha, it’s good that Joo Sung has a friend, , └Before that, how did Seo Hoon get all the common sense quiz questions right?? Was it scripted?

└└Famous for no script └└If it’s real, it’s amazing. And knowing the debut date for a music show is really a true Joo Sung fan└└Is he a K-pop veteran….

└But if he’s a fan, why doesn’t he know about the kimchi fried rice? Haha, even my mom knows Joo Sung is a kimchi fried rice fanatic from all his variety shows.└Seo Hoon seems to be a scary person….

└└From being pointed out by Today in Shining Star… so intense….

└└Can’t read the context? When did I blink?

└└(This comment has been reported)]

Indeed, appearing on variety shows gets good reactions. With Joo Sung’s seniority and high public recognition, it’s quite good.

But….

[What? Why is Seo Hoon alone on a variety show? In the early days, the group should be heavily promoted, right? Is the agency not taking care of him??]

[Seo Hoon must be trying to stand out. There are a million such guys among K-pop idols.]

[Ugh ㅠ Joo Sung’s parasitic behavior makes me want to vomit ㅠ Stop the bashing~ (Vomiting emoji)]

How can the content of the hate comments be so identical to what I thought?

I quickly scrolled through the hate comments and hesitated a bit. Getting such hate is nothing new; it was a daily occurrence even when I was a PD, so it’s fine.

'Personal schedule….'

It’s true that going on a variety show alone can lead to criticism. The fact that Joo Sung 'initiated the call' seems to have somewhat mitigated the backlash….

"Bro, what’s the view count?"

If the members also avoid personal schedules, it would be quite awkward.

'Teamwork is important.'

I replied casually to Kang I-cha, who was speaking brightly.

"Indeed. The pre-release is getting good reactions."

"I’m going to work on the song more… Today, bro, you’re with Joo Sung for the variety show?"

"Yeah. What about the others?"

"Da-jun is practicing with Seo Won."

Kang I-cha rattled off the members’ schedules. So I won’t be able to gauge the reactions of the rest of the team. I nodded, and Kang I-cha giggled, showing me something.

"Look at this."

"What is it?"

"Seung-hyun’s picture today."

Kang I-cha showed me a picture of Kim Seung-hyun in a police uniform.

[Kim Seung-hyun, Police Public Relations Ambassador]

Due to the previous incident, he became an important icon for eradicating school violence. Kim Seung-hyun, looking awkward, repeatedly refused, but eventually gave in to Seo Won’s long persuasion, who argued that he could have a positive influence on many people.

"We should post this in the group chat."

[Kang I-cha: (Picture)]

[Kang I-cha: (Picture)]

[Kang I-cha: Wow!! Brother, you look so cool]

[Jeong Da-jun: You’re glowing, this is 'God Seung-hyun'?]

[Kang I-cha: Huh? This is… 'me'?]

[Kim Seung-hyun: ....................]

[Kim Seung-hyun: Stop it]

[Seo Won: Oh, it’s today! Good luck!!]

I sighed at the endless group chat messages.

'This needs to be maintained.'

The members of The Dunn all had good personalities.

Compared to the Today members, who were in and out of police investigations and had run to the military, … no, compared to those guys, anyone would seem like a goddess.

Anyway, they seemed to understand each other’s hard work, which made their relationships tight.

"……."

If the teamwork were to break, it would be from within, not from outside. What kind of trouble could arise from within?

At this point, there’s only one answer.

Personal settlement.

'Honestly, it’s an important issue.'

The current contract is renewed in my favor. The members are likely unaware of this.

What if they find out my contract is different? Would they sue the company?

No, at the very least, it would cause team discord. Such issues need to be prevented in advance.

'I need to revise the entire contract at some point.'

But lately, I haven’t seen the CEO anywhere. When I asked the manager, I was told he was busy with promotions for the lead actor Min Ji-hun’s China location shoot.

'This is making the CEO want to tighten the rules.'

The best timing, I think, would be after we top the charts with our next comeback. At least then we’d have a good position to negotiate.

"Bro."

Saying it now wouldn’t do any good….

"Bro!"

"What, what?"

"What are you thinking about? You can’t even hear me."

"Ah, sorry. What did you say?"

"Sometimes you’re weird, bro?"

Kang I-cha clicked her tongue.

"When are you coming back?"

"Probably not until the early morning."

Kang I-cha narrowed her eyes and looked at me. From what I’ve seen, her intuition is as fast as Usain Bolt.

I averted my gaze and asked a question.

"Kang I-cha, what will you do with your settlement?"

"Uh? Suddenly?"

It’s sudden, but….

I couldn’t ask, 'Since I changed the contract alone, will it make you very angry?' So I asked a related question about settlement.

"Who knows? I don’t really have anything I want right now. I already have all the game consoles and my computer is already top-of-the-line."

"Game consoles…."

I remember Seung-hyun tried to throw them all away, and I desperately stopped him. After making a promise to Seung-hyun that I wouldn’t play for more than 5 hours a day, I managed to keep my consoles.

What do kids usually like? I recalled the tastes of the 20-something entertainers I saw during my PD days.

"Hmm, don’t you want a watch or a car, something like that? Kids your age usually like those things."

"What’s that…? No, before that."

"……?"

"You talk about me as if I’m not your age."

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

"You want to buy something when you get money, right?"

"Who knows…."

Kang I-cha shrugged.

"I’m not really that interested in money."

"……?!"

'Is this possible?'

Does such a species exist in Korea?

I, a die-hard capitalist, was shocked. I usually feel happy when I check my bank balance during tough times….

The shock was so great that Kang I-cha’s ears seemed to glow with a sense of purity.

"…Why? Are you planning to entrust your life to a religion?"

"Yeah. Just hope it’s not a cult."

"Don’t suddenly call me to buy a carpet."

"Ahaha."

Seeing him ramble on about trivial matters, it seemed like a joke. Kang I-cha frowned slightly and tapped his phone with his index finger.

"Just… I’ve seen too many people become endlessly ugly over money… I’m tired of it."

"……."

'Step on a landmine.'

Is this about me?

Sweat trickled down, and I missed the chance to respond. Kang I-cha, realizing his mistake, quickly changed the subject.

"No, no, I’m just saying."

As if he had made a slip of the tongue, he lowered his eyebrows and smiled gently.

"Anyway, bro, you’ll be late. Hurry up."

"……Okay."

Just as I was about to leave for my schedule, I turned around. Kang I-cha’s eyes, still on me, widened.

"Hey."

"Huh?"

"…Do you want me to bring something you like?"

Knowing the underlying intention, Kang I-cha burst into laughter.

"What are you going to bring? Do you even know what I like?"

"…Chicken?"

"……."

Was I wrong?

"Hamburger? Pizza? Or Jajangmyeon?"

"If we had a phone mission, I would have failed."

I nodded in agreement. Everyone seems to expect too much from me lately.

"I’ll bring something."

"Ooh~."

I brushed it off and left the dorm, walking briskly. Suddenly, a system window popped up in my field of vision.

Ding!

[You’re trying to make up for something you did wrong with food…. That’s why Kang I-cha doesn’t like you.]

"…Why, if I give you food, you’ll calm down a bit."

[Not really….]

I made a lame excuse.

But in my mind, various thoughts were racing.

'I need to, as soon as possible, get to number one and negotiate.'

Otherwise, this team will fail.

***

"Hello, nice to meet you."

"Ah! Come in, come in."

Maybe because he did well on the common sense quiz, this time it was a new school-themed variety show.

I slightly tilted my head at the familiar face of PD Choi, whom I had seen a few times.

"Mr. Seo Hoon, you look great in the school uniform! You really look like a student."

At 33, wearing a school uniform, Seo Hoon really felt out of place… but I quickly dismissed the thought. After all, entertainers, whether in their fifties or sixties, will do whatever they’re told, whether it’s a school uniform or a monkey mask.

"This is your first solo variety show."

"Yes, it is."

"Your first solo variety show on my program, what an honor! Haha!"

"Thank you, PD. I really enjoyed your last mystery program."

"Ah, you remember that? It was so niche, it flopped!"

PD Choi, despite his innocent-looking face, was known for his twisted personality and his ability to create thrilling programs.

So, he’s not the type to be satisfied with just a star in a school uniform.

"Today is the first recording, so I’m a bit nervous, but I’m reassured to have you and Joo Sung starting it off. Especially, how much Kim Hee-young praised Mr. Seo Hoon."

I smiled and quickly changed the subject.

"What about the other guests?"

"They’ll be here soon!"

Seeing his ambiguous smile, it was clear this wasn’t just a show about school uniforms and idle chatter. Normally, even in reality shows, there’s at least some concept and a brief on how the filming will proceed, but this time there was nothing.

All I was told was to move naturally and act naturally.

After chatting with PD Choi for a while, I turned my head at a noisy sound.

"Oh, Mr. Joo Sung!"

Amid the commotion, it was indeed Joo Sung. He was smiling and greeting the staff, but when he saw me, his expression darkened.

"Ugh, Seo Hoon…."

"Hello."

"Why do I have to do a variety show with you? Why don’t people know that you blackmailed me?"

"Why? Would it be better if they knew?"

"…You’re a bad guy."

With Joo Sung, who quickly grasped the situation, by my side, I looked at the school in front of us. The set was incredibly realistic.

"You’re appearing on variety shows a lot lately."

"It’s just that the view counts are good. The chemistry with a junior… After appearing as a guest, they suggested I join the show for a while if the atmosphere is good."

"I’m a bit busy…."

"Me? I’m a black call, remember?"

Joo Sung grumbled, but my default response to his words was to ignore them.

"When is your comeback?"

"It’s in a few weeks. The MV shoot is almost done."

"Really? I might visit the practice room."

I suddenly stopped and looked at him. Joo Sung, looking a bit embarrassed, scratched his cheek. I asked, a bit annoyed.

"Living like that… haven’t you been scammed yet?"

"Really, what a pain…. It was a favor from Cheong Bae-nuna."

"Huh."

Im Hyun-soo is quite… I’m at least a decent scammer, so Joo Sung and Im Hyun-soo are quite lucky.

"Thanks for the help… but it’s fine."

You’ve already helped enough.

If not for you, how could a rookie have appeared on such a variety show? I went back to the car, and the familiar school bell rang. Looking ahead, I saw a red light on the camera, which was following Joo Sung and me. The filming had started. Then,

"Hey! You two over there!"

I turned at the sudden voice.

A 40-something man, dressed in a PE uniform and looking like a typical PE teacher, was scolding us.

"What are you doing, not going to your classroom?"

"Us?"

"Of course, you. Hey, write your names on this paper and go in."

Joo Sung and I, being dragged along, glanced at each other. As the paper was thrust at us, Joo Sung, out of habit, picked up a pen and scribbled. Looking at the paper, it read:

[Always be happy