Chapter 87

87

Ding!

[Quest Arrival!]

When I woke up from a faint, a blue system window was floating in the air. I blinked and then jumped up.

The system window had returned.

"How... how did it come back..."

But how it came back wasn't important. What mattered was that it had returned to normal after what happened with Minjiheon.

"Why did it disappear?"

However, there was no answer. The system window was clearly avoiding showing up.

I glared at the screen floating in the air and sighed.

"Check quest."

Ding!

[Quest Arrival: 'Let's Make a Fan Song Together!' Group activities are better than individual activities!

Let's make a surprise fan song for the Noels.

Success: 5,000 points

Failure: If the fan song is not made within 2 weeks, a significant decrease in dance stats (B+ → D+)]

I stared intently at the quest window.

If this had arrived under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have had any doubts about the quest, but a few things were bothering me.

First, "Group activities are better than individual activities."

On the surface, it seemed like a much more normal quest than the usual ones given.

"Individual activities," meaning acting, were intended to turn my attention away from it. I also think group activities are more suitable for the current situation, but...

"Why?"

If they wanted to discourage acting, they should have blocked it from the start.

That is, this quest should have appeared when the representative asked if I wanted to act. Or at least when Seongjiwon asked if I would act, and I stubbornly said I wouldn't.

But now?

Moreover, if they wanted to stop acting, why didn't they give a quest to not appear in the drama?

"Is it that they can't, rather than don't want to?"

For some reason, it seemed the system window had its own limitations. So, it was trying to stop acting by giving a tight deadline quest, even if it was a stab in the dark.

In other words,

"You're scared."

It was telling me to avoid Minjiheon.

The system window still glowed faintly. But I no longer needed an answer. I had already gotten it from the silence.

I jumped up and went to the living room. The members, who had been chatting about something, stood up when they saw me.

"Ah, oh..."

I wished they had forgotten about me and had a good time, but these overly kind members couldn't do that.

Is there any group that loses its energy just because one member is down?

"Are you upset?"

I clicked my tongue and plopped down on the empty sofa. Only then did the members hesitantly follow and sit down.

"Hoyun..."

Seongjiwon started to speak but then closed his mouth. He looked nervous, and Kim Seonghyun quickly picked up the conversation.

"The manager came and went. He left you alone because you were sleeping."

"Okay."

"You passed the first round of the audition. ...Now you just need to go to the second round."

Normally, the members would have been ecstatic and done something to celebrate. It was a good enough reason to be happy, but they were being cautious because of what happened earlier.

I took the drink from Jung Dajun and drank it. As I gulped it down, Jung Dajun's eyes widened.

"Bro, that's mine..."

"Jung Dajun."

"Y-Yes."

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Why are you being cautious?"

"Y-Yes, sir?"

"If you haven't done anything wrong, why are you being cautious? Why haven't you improved in real situations yet?"

"..."

Jung Dajun, who was slightly lagging in processing my words, finally opened his mouth.

"You're back, you jerk..."

"No, you're back to being a jerk."

"Ah, that's true."

The other members murmured. Jung Dajun, who was mumbling, suddenly grabbed me and started talking.

"Bro, ...just forget what I said earlier. I didn't mean that I wanted you to pass the audition to see Minjiheon. Of course, I had a bit of fangirling for Kim Sookhee, but... I don't know what it is, but if you don't like it, I don't like it either!"

"Is that so?"

This naive kid. Looking at the quite amusing Jung Dajun, I smiled and asked.

"Jung Dajun, choose between Minjiheon and me."

"Wh-What?"

"Choose."

After about 3 seconds, Jung Dajun rolled his eyes and hesitantly answered.

"Of course, it's you, bro??"

"..."

"What a ridiculous thing to say..."

...It was satisfying, but even I thought it was a bit too much. I sighed and patted the confused youngest member, Jung Dajun, on the head. Jung Dajun looked a bit aggrieved, but I ignored it.

"So, I can go to the second round of the audition?"

"Um. It's a big celebration, but since you didn't want to do it, we'll respect your decision."

"Good, then."

"But shouldn't you at least think about it...?"

Seongjiwon, who was speaking, was surprised and asked.

"You're saying it's good?"

"Yup."

I took out my phone and sent a positive text to the manager.

"I'll do it."

"O-Oh?"

"I'll act."

Everyone's eyes narrowed.

A few hours ago, it seemed I would never do it, so everyone looked at me with a "Why?" expression, but I had no intention of answering. I had already decided to do "Lee Jung-hoon."

The system window was hiding something and was extremely averse to Minjiheon. Minjiheon knew something and could even temporarily remove the system window.

So, the answer was clear.

If I couldn't get an answer from the writer or the system window, I would have to get it from Minjiheon.

'How should I do it...'

While searching for information about Minjiheon online, I suddenly looked up at the members. Kang Iche was a bit unnatural in turning away, but...

Let's move on. There was something more urgent.

"By the way, let's make a fan song."

"..."

Everyone looked even more puzzled.

*** [Seo Hoyun 'Camera, Please' Confirmed for Young Genius PD Role]

[Seo Hoyun, Transforming from 'Idol' to 'Actor'... Harmonizing with Co-Star Minjiheon]

Seo Hoyun, of course, seamlessly portrayed the life of a PD in the second and subsequent third rounds, and was unanimously selected.

Moreover, to include 23-year-old Seo Hoyun, writer Kim Sookhee lowered the age of PD Lee Jung-hoon to 29 by adding various "early" titles.

The casting news spread quickly, and somehow the information leaked.

Lee Jihyun, who had almost become a casting consultant for 'The Dun,' read the article and panicked, but decided that it was better to get it over with quickly and promptly released additional press materials.

When Seo Hoyun's personal fans, who had no inkling of this, saw the sudden news, they were shocked but quickly posted on Twitter.

[Seo Hoyun confirmed for 'Camera, Please' as a genius PD!! It's a perfect fit and I'm so excited♡ I support your first acting challenge! (Link to press release)]

The post went viral, but... there were far more retweets with comments than simple retweets.

[?????????????? Haha]

[Wasn't Lee Gangseok supposed to play this role? Where did he go?]

[Wow, what a great job! The skill of inserting Minjiheon is amazing!]

[It's so ridiculous that they modified the character and age just to insert Seo Hoyun as a supporting actor. Isn't this just a publicity stunt?]

If it had just been an acting challenge, it wouldn't have caused such a stir, but the role was rumored to be almost confirmed for rising star Lee Gangseok. The news had been reported several times, and the fit was good, so the reaction to an idol suddenly taking the role was negative.

While casting changes at the last minute weren't uncommon, the fact that the age was adjusted after casting and the news of Lee Gangseok's management commenting that they were disappointed not to get the role made the criticism even worse.

The personal fan who posted the article, after reading the comments, moved to a private account and wrote:

[Hmm]

There's only one thing I want to say.

[I get it, guys. I'm sorry for being brainwashed └Hahaha... I actually know, too.]

Still, they tried hard to post positive comments like "Wow, Seo Hoyun acting? I'm so excited," and "I can see Seo Hoyun's face regularly for two months, I'm so happy." Of course, behind the scenes, they were crying, saying "Please stop."

The Noels couldn't openly complain and were only crying on their private accounts.

[Well... I know this is a bad move...]

└[I'm muttering curses all day at work. I'm a madman now.]

[What's this sudden talk about Seo Hoyun acting? It's because of the drama's desire to insert him, right?]

[It's visible... The future of being hated for inserting an idol... All kinds of trolls and anti-fans are ready to fight... But we are Noels, and we will fight for Seohyun. Winter is coming, let's fight, you bastards.]

As if to prove their words, the sparks were already starting to fly in the community.

[Title: Is this another publicity stunt for Seo Hoyun and Minjiheon?

This time it's too obvious and annoying. Even the age was modified... Is Seo Hoyun even an actor??

└No, he's not. └Wow... Haha...

└That's disappointing. I had high hopes because it was written by Kim Sookhee, but now it's just a drama with an idol added.]

[Why not just say he wants to be an actor? I knew he looked uninterested in being an idol, but I didn't expect him to show his true colors so quickly. He'll soon be hated. Seohyun, don't be a nuisance to others and just die. └What a jerk. How can someone who hates being an idol be a regular on a variety show? He's famous for communicating with fans, but you should do better.]

[If he's going to act, he'll miss a lot of schedules. Isn't he not thinking about the other members at all?]

[Isn't it too obvious that he's not thinking about group activities? Just quit. #SaveNoels #Noels_Tweet_Friends └Shut up.]

As fans and trolls started to clash, what was Seo Hoyun doing?

"..."

"Ah, you're here..."

"Cough, cough!"

"...Hey, get out first."

He had entered a studio that hadn't even been ventilated.