Chapter 58

The air was stiflingly awkward.

As we got into the elevator, the person opposite us awkwardly moved to make space.

"Hello."

Hanjo, who was in the corner, whispered a greeting.

The leaders exchanged nods, while the two main vocalists bowed to each other and began to create some distance.

Is this a greeting, or not?

One of them was digging into the corner as if he were trying to dig a tunnel, and the other was standing stiffly like an ostrich, only looking at the rising numbers.

While I was just forcing a laugh.

A hearty voice called out.

"Oh, hello there."

It was Park Manager of Street Boys, who had been hidden behind a large box carried by the road manager.

He smiled warmly.

"It's nice to see you here. NewBlack, did only Road Manager come today?"

"Yes, Manager was busy."

"Of course, it's a busy time. NewBlack is doing so well these days. Your songs are hits, and you're appearing on various shows."

We all knew that.

Though his words were gentle and friendly, there was nothing to criticize.

If I were to look serious, I would just seem strange.

"I'm so busy these days. Our kids are going to be on K-Net Reality again. There's so much to do. I have to have dinner with the production team and meetings with the writers. I feel like I need two bodies. Phew."

"Yes, you must be working hard."

Park Manager scratched his nose, disappointed that he didn't get the reaction he wanted.

Maybe he was trying to provoke us.

In a situation where NewBlack's performance is clearly better, the manager of Street Boys seemed to want to show something like, 'But we're doing better in this!'

Ding—

12th floor.

The door opened at the Radio Center, and the conversation naturally ended.

As we followed the sub-writer into the studio, we heard grunting from behind.

The road manager was breaking a sweat, probably because the luggage was heavy.

Hanjo approached as if to help, but the road manager, glancing at Park Manager's back, shook his head and gestured with his eyes.

At times like this, it seems the company atmosphere is different from ours.

Lemon, having started as an acting agency, has fewer restrictions on singers and managers. But DNS, being an idol company from the start, seems to squeeze its subordinates tightly.

When I thought about how glad I was to have joined our company.

Misinterpreting my gaze, Park Manager brought up an unasked story.

"That's support from Street Boys' fans."

"Really?"

"That box, I mean."

"Oh... I see."

"Fans went crazy when they heard our kids were going on the radio. Even though the company said no, they were so enthusiastic that they sent a lot of snacks and drinks for the staff. It shows how many fans we have already..."

It felt like an uncle boasting about his child's employment to a job-seeking nephew during a holiday.

Including the two embarrassed sons behind him.

"..."

The sub-writer, who had been silent until then, stopped and turned around.

"Did you bring that for us?"

"Yes, the fans sent it for the writers and PDs."

"Ah, I see... It's quite a lot."

The sub-writer smiled awkwardly, and Park Manager tilted his head.

We felt the same way.

We were told the food was free, but we didn't seem as happy as we should have been.

What's going on?

When we finally entered the studio, we understood why she had that expression.

The studio with a radio booth.

On one side of the wall, there were stacks of boxes that looked expensive at first glance.

Dessert boxes with a hotel logo.

Each box had a cute font that read, [To the Wonderful Night production team, from NewBlack's youngest member Jiho! Enjoy!]

I felt like I was hearing a ringing in my ears.

- I sent a gift, so look forward to it!

Only then did I understand the situation and start to laugh.

"PD, the guests have arrived."

The PD, who was sitting at the console table, stood up and greeted us warmly.

"Ah, come in. I was just preparing to thank you for the cake you sent..."

Park Manager, who had been looking at the expensive dessert containers, had a stunned expression.

"..."

It was as if he had just found out that his job-seeking nephew had passed the civil service exam and was waiting for employment.

The PD turned his gaze to Street Boys.

"What's that?"

"Ah, this is..."

I tried to hold back my laughter as he tried to brush it off.

* * *

While the managers left with mixed feelings, we entered the radio booth.

"Hello, seniors!"

"Oh, everyone, welcome."

Jang So-won waved and greeted us.

The table was U-shaped, with me and Ri-hyuk on one side, and Hanjo and Ki-won on the opposite side.

She smiled and spoke to us, noticing our nervous faces.

"Both groups are new to radio, right?"

"Yes."

"You must be nervous, but do your best. I'll fill in the gaps, so even if you feel a bit embarrassed, be confident and speak up! Got it?"

"Yes, senior."

The conversation ended there.

Jang So-won smiled at us and then turned her eyes to the script.

The meaning was clear.

She couldn't give us more airtime just because of personal connections; she wanted us to do our best.

I nodded.

We have to take care of our own bowl of rice.

I looked around, thinking of the juniors cheering for us back at the dorm.

Beyond the soundproof glass, the production team was chatting while drinking coffee, and there was a camera filming us in the corner. In front of me was a long microphone and a monitor.

I adjusted the microphone height and looked at the monitor.

- Is this week's guest also an idol???

- Everyone is so handsome

- Supporting Street Boys!!!!

The radio screen and chat window were bustling. Next to it was a memo app, but I didn't know its purpose.

I'll find out later.

During this time, I shifted my gaze to our kid sitting next to me.

He's nervous again.

Seeing him take deep breaths, I couldn't help but smile.

His long, black eyelashes were blinking twice per second, and one of his legs was shaking under the table.

Fortunately, his usual cool, expressionless face hid his nervousness unless you looked closely.

"Are you nervous?"

"Who? Me?"

"Yeah, you."

"Not at all. Don't worry about me. I was a bit nervous during the music cafe, but I can handle this live broadcast."

"Hey, I'm nervous too. How can you not be?"

I smiled at him.

"Relax and enjoy it."

"Huh?"

"How can someone always do well? Sometimes you won't. Don't try too hard to be perfect. Just be relaxed. I want us to have a fun chat with the listeners today, okay?"

"...Okay."

He extended his fist as if to cheer me on.

Ri-hyuk, who had been staring at my fist, grabbed it and shook it like a handshake.

No.

It's a fist bump, Ri-hyuk.

He must have been watching Jung-hyun and me earlier.

It would be nice if there were a short-term training course for physical contact. I'd like to send this guy.

Anyway, the other side was in chaos.

If this is clear, then that's a gloomy overcast.

Ki-won was clearly very nervous, just swallowing his saliva.

His small hands were opening and chugging the water bottle every five seconds, and by the time the broadcast started, the water was almost half gone.

Hanjo, adjusting the headphone length for the youngest member, also looked quite nervous.

At first, I thought, 'Oh, they're also new to live broadcasts,' but I soon realized why they were acting this way.

It's because of Senior Jang So-won.

Street Boys' debut song, Hunger, contains a diss track aimed at our song, Something.

And Jang So-won is the original creator of that song.

Of course, I don't know if she's aware of the diss track or what she thinks about it, but from their perspective as rookies, they must be on edge.

Seeing the two of them glancing nervously at the DJ, who was quietly checking the script, I couldn't help but laugh.

Just be shameless.

If they had taken the same attitude as during the showcase Q&A, saying, 'It's not a diss. You guys should come out,' it would have been better.

But.

There are too many things that don't make sense if you start analyzing them logically, so I decided to ignore it.

It's not my business anyway.

I'm already busy taking care of our own kids, so I don't want to worry about other groups.

Right now, I have only two concerns.

How to leave a good impression on the listeners through this broadcast, and how well we can perform 'Night Sea' in the live segment of the fourth part.

Everything else is not that important.

- The commercial is almost over. Please get ready.

The PD's voice, pressing the talkback button, echoed through the speakers, and the guests put on their headphones.

A soft, comfortable feeling.

While enjoying the old, cozy texture, the intro music of Girls on Top's Signal played.

- Tonight, as always, Jang So-won's Wonderful Night.

The live broadcast finally began.

* * *

Seok-hwan hyung once said something like this.

Variety shows are a war without gunfire.

It means that to secure even a minute of airtime, you have to throw out lines, interject, and do whatever it takes to draw attention.

But now.

The scene being played out in the radio studio was far from that.

"The two groups are so harmonious. It must have been a shame not to have had a chance to talk like this on music shows."

The two leaders smiled and answered.

"Yes, we didn't expect to match so well."

"Me too. I always wanted to be close to NewBlack."

The reason for this interesting play was simple.

- You have to do all sorts of things to secure airtime on broadcasts.

It was due to Seok-hwan hyung's training.

- But that's for recorded shows. Problematic parts are edited out. However, the radio you're going on is a live broadcast. If you try to secure airtime and end up being unlikable, it will be worse.

The manager's advice was to create as warm and friendly an atmosphere as possible.

Since we're rookies, we don't have the skill to steal airtime with a smile, nor the confidence to execute it.

The other side seemed to have received similar training, so the atmosphere was consistently warm and friendly.

Well.

Although I don't want to admit it, the chemistry wasn't bad either.

"The guests' positions also overlap. U-ju and Hanjo are the leaders of their groups, and Ki-won and Ri-hyuk are the main vocalists, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What an interesting combination. The two leaders have a similar vibe, but the main vocalists seem quite different."

Text appeared on the memo app on the monitor.

The PD was inputting interesting listener reactions.

"Listener Jeong Da-eun says, 'The temperature difference is like spring and winter 😂.' It's true. Ki-won seems like a warm, cute chick, while Ri-hyuk has an ice princess vibe."

"Can I be a prince?"

"No, Ri-hyuk, you look more like a princess."

Ri-hyuk laughed softly at the playful comment.

"What about Ki-won? A listener says he has a warm, spring-like impression."

"...Oh, yes. I like spring too."

Seeing Ki-won give an awkward answer, the DJ smiled.

"The temperature difference is also visible here. Hanjo is taking great care of Ki-won, while Ri-hyuk has a very independent vibe."

"No, I take great care of him."

I interjected at the right moment.

"Ri-hyuk looks very independent on the outside, but he's actually a lot of work. As the oldest, I always take care of him."

"That's not true at all. I've always been able to handle things on my own."

"Now you're even lying."

While we were joking around, the attention of the broadcast naturally shifted to NewBlack.

The DJ seemed to judge that our side was better than the other, who kept missing their cues.

However.

The person who made NewBlack the center of today's broadcast was not me, Ri-hyuk, or Jang So-won, but a third party.

"Huh? An interesting comment just came up. Ri-hyuk, it seems you have a fan named Piraluku."

Yes, that's our youngest.

Just as I was feeling uneasy about what this kid might say, Senior Jang So-won burst out laughing.

"The comment says, 'Please turn down the lights!! Ri-hyuk's face is disappearing!'"

"Huh? My face?"

Everyone burst out laughing when they checked the monitor.

The PD must have turned up the lights, making Ri-hyuk's face disappear like an egg ghost.

His skin was too pale.

The image on the screen looked like a sketch of a pretty boy without a face.

- His face disappeared 😂😂😂

- I thought he was a mirror 😂

- Suddenly an egg ghost 😂😂😂

The chat window was filled with '😂' as if everyone found it cute, and Ri-hyuk covered his face with his hand, embarrassed.

When the PD turned down the lights again.

- Wow, he looks like a tomato.

As someone commented, a very ripe persimmon was sitting in the screen.