Chapter 59

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

Minji leaned against the window, gazing at the distant mountains while deeply reflecting on yesterday's events.

Amid the laughter that filled the studio due to someone's face turning bright red, Lee Hyuk, with the help of my fan and the bottle of water I handed him, quickly returned to his normal state. Of course, by then, everyone who could laugh had already done so.

"Thanks to Mr. Lee Hyuk, we had a good laugh."

The DJ's voice was tinged with amusement.

"Mr. Lee Hyuk, your ears are really red again."

"Oh, really?"

"This is a phenomenon we jokingly call the 'ears of truth.' Mr. Lee Hyuk, even though you don't seem like it, you get really embarrassed."

"I know, I know very well."

"Your ears turn that red every time you're embarrassed."

"No, they don't."

Lee Hyuk, who looked like he had just had a drink, shook his head with a blush still on his cheeks.

"I don't get embarrassed that much."

It was obvious to everyone that he was lying.

The faces of the people in the studio and the production crew watching from outside the glass were filled with smiles.

Especially the writers looked like they couldn't bear how cute our kid was.

I couldn't understand it at all.

- Hahaha

- Liar

- We saw your face turn red just now hahaha

The audience's reaction wasn't bad.

If Seokhwan hyung is monitoring, he's probably laughing out loud right now.

I felt this way during the Music Cafe too, but whether it was intentional or not, it's not easy to make people like us.

The scene where he turned into a ghost with egg whites was funny, but the revelation that Lee Hyuk, who seemed so cold, was actually very shy, seemed to leave a good impression on the audience.

Of course, the person involved was still suffering.

"Lee Hyuk is a piranha..."

"Huh?"

"That comment was left by Jiho, our group's maknae."

"Really?"

Lee Hyuk's words drew people's attention.

I thought about stopping him, but decided to let it go.

"He kept saying he would leave comments with that nickname before we left the dorm, but I didn't think he would really do it."

"Is this Jiho? That's surprising."

"Yes. I plan to have a serious talk with him when we get back to the dorm."

"Jiho is in big trouble."

Jang So-won, who had been smiling like an older sister, changed the topic.

"But the nickname was 'piranha.'"

"Ah."

"Is it a pet name?"

"Um... it's..."

I couldn't help but laugh.

That's why I thought about stopping him before he said it. A senior like Jang So-won wouldn't miss such an opportunity.

- Piranha?

- What's a piranha?

- Can someone explain?

Han Jo and Kiwon, who were sitting opposite me, also seemed to have forgotten the talk and were now curious.

"Uh? Mr. Wooju, you look like you know something."

"Ah, well..."

I glanced at Lee Hyuk, who was sending me a look that said, 'Don't say it, really don't say it, or our friendship is over,' and laughed.

Hey, do you think people won't look it up just because you say that?

But before I could answer, someone posted an encyclopedia entry in the comment section.

DJ read the comment for the listeners.

"Piranha is the largest freshwater fish in South America. It lives in the Amazon River. I've never heard of this name before. Why does Jiho call Mr. Lee Hyuk by this nickname?"

"It's not a nickname."

Lee Hyuk explained.

"Once, I collapsed because practice was too hard, and Jiho saw my expression and said I looked like this fish..."

"That's too mean. Mr. Lee Hyuk is so cute."

"Exactly. I don't look like a piranha at all, everyone. Please remember that. I'm not a piranha."

People smiled at his desperate denial.

I couldn't see the faces of the listeners, but I was sure the people here were giving good reactions.

Impressive.

I thought about how, during the interview with Oh reporter a while ago, and when I had to feed lines to myself during the Music Cafe, this was a significant improvement.

Suddenly, I felt grateful to Jiho for creating this opportunity.

Well done, our maknae.

Even though he used Lee Hyuk as a sacrifice, it helped us secure meaningful airtime.

At some point, the flow of the broadcast changed.

Although the Street Boys were introduced with equal prominence at the beginning, they were now pushed to the side, and I, along with Lee Hyuk and Jang So-won, were leading the show.

I felt grateful to the maknae for creating this opportunity.

But that gratitude didn't last five minutes.

When Jang So-won, who was leading the talk by introducing each member to the listeners, shifted the topic to the album, it happened again.

"New Black's song is really hot right now. I checked again before coming to the studio, and 'Fireworks' has entered the daily chart at 39th place."

"Yes, we are receiving overwhelming love."

"Many groups have been in the spotlight since their debut, but it's the first time a member has composed the title track and achieved this level of success. How do you feel these days?"

"It's hard to describe in words."

It really felt like a dream.

"Every time I look at the charts, it feels like I'm floating in the air."

"I understand that feeling."

The DJ, who seemed to know everything, started reading the comments from the listeners.

"AfricaYouth, 'I love the song!!!!!!' There are many exclamation marks. And GoldSap, 'You could aim for a 1st place on music shows.' Oh, if this continues, you might really be a candidate for 1st place on music shows?"

"Whoa, that's a big statement."

I waved my hands.

"We are very grateful for the current success. It's already more than we could have hoped for, and we are very thankful for achieving this much."

"Isn't that a bit too much for a broadcast?"

"I'm a rookie. Senior."

Just as I playfully threw that out, the DJ laughed.

At that moment, 'Lee Hyuk is a piranha' appeared in the chat window again, like a shark surfacing in still waters.

The PD typed something into his notepad.

While the DJ nodded at the message 'New Black members' comments!!', I had a bad feeling.

What? What is it?

"When the 1st place candidate talk came up, comments started flooding in. Some are jokingly asking if there's any 1st place promise."

"Promise?"

"Yes, one of them is from 'Lee Hyuk is a piranha.' 'The leader of New Black has been to the military! How about a promise to re-enlist? Haha'..."

Jang So-won burst out laughing while delivering the line.

It was because of my expression.

* * *

"Really, every time I see you on music shows, I think you look so young. I never even dreamed you had been in the military."

Yeah, I'm a veteran.

- Veteran??

- Your face just now hahaha

- Really, you were in the military???

Yes, I'm a veteran.

"Ah, tears are coming. Your expression... I haven't laughed like this in a long time while doing broadcasts."

That's good. I'm glad I made you laugh...

People burst out laughing, as if the laughter when Lee Hyuk was embarrassed wasn't real.

Han Jo and Kiwon, who had been tense and watching the DJ, also burst out laughing, so everyone else must have too.

It was chaos everywhere.

Wang Jiho, you little brat.

When we get back to the dorm, I won't let you off.

Not just the maknae, but the guy sitting next to me, rubbing his trembling cheeks, is also annoying.

It's not just him.

Our members in the dorm are probably giggling and taking screenshots.

Bijoo is probably making real-time GIFs.

Should I laugh or cry?

Personally, it felt like a level of shame I hadn't experienced since the souffle incident, but from the perspective of the rookie group New Black, this was the best possible situation.

We were supposed to be rivals, but we ended up taking most of the airtime.

By now, the manager of Street Boys, who was listening to the broadcast, must be fuming.

He wouldn't have enough to brag about even if he tried.

The broadcast atmosphere was so good that it could have been a New Black solo special.

Everyone was giving us positive reactions.

The warmth in the production crew's expressions and the comments in the chat window were evident.

Especially the engineer and PD, who are also veterans, seemed to feel a deep sense of camaraderie with me.

Yeah, let's just move on.

But this is definitely going to end up on the internet.

I don't know what my expression changes were like, but judging by people's reactions, it will definitely become a meme.

During the souffle incident, we were unknown and it was quickly buried.

This time, with some recognition after our debut, I don't know what kind of reaction we'll get.

Well.

For now, I just hope it helps the success of 'Fireworks.'

"Who would have thought we'd start the small talk segment of Part 3 with so much laughter? Did you enjoy it, everyone? Let's give a round of applause to Mr. Wooju, who made us all laugh so much."

"Wow-"

"Yes... thank you, everyone..."

That senior is trying to embarrass me to death today.

I even brought a gift to give him later, but now I'm really conflicted.

Should I give it to him or not?

I glared at Lee Hyuk, who was giggling for no reason, but he just kept laughing.

Well.

It's been a while since I've seen him so happy, even though he usually has little facial expression, so I'll let it go.

But not you, Wang Jiho.

* * *

The schedule for today's Wonderful Night was divided into three main parts.

The first part was the small talk.

This is the time when the DJ introduces the guests and they chat about various topics.

Thanks to my brothers' hard work, we secured a dominant airtime and a good image today.

However, since it was just 'small talk,' we couldn't say the broadcast was over just because we did well here.

The more important second and third parts were still to come.

The live performance is scheduled for 9:30 in Part 4, so now it was time to start the main corner of Part 3.

"Alright, let's start the main corner of Part 3. It's called 'Share Your Troubles~'"

"Let's hear them!"

The DJ's call was met with our enthusiastic response, and a BGM played.

'Share Your Troubles' is the next most important segment after the live performance.

The format is simple.

The production crew selects 'This Week's Troubles' and each team gives advice.

The winner is determined by text voting.

Although it was a simple format, the guests' expressions became serious as soon as this segment started.

Not just mine and Lee Hyuk's, but even the Street Boys' members.

Everyone took the radio segment as seriously as if they were about to face a decisive battle.

But this reaction was not excessive.

There was a reward that had to be won.

The winning team gets to have their name on the Wonderful Night playlist three times next week.

An opportunity to introduce our songs to the general public, beyond the regular audience of music shows and idol fans.

For publicity-thirsty rookies, it was like an oasis in the desert.

After the winning team from last week, Autumn Girls, played 'Endless Season,' the DJ shared this week's troubles.

"Hello, Wonderful Night. I'm a high school student who just turned eighteen. I usually listen to Wonderful Night, which is why I decided to send in my story. I've had a trouble recently."

The content of the story was as follows:

The writer had a best friend since middle school.

They went everywhere together, whether it was for meals or hanging out after exams.

They were so close that they even knew each other's parents.

The problem started during the mid-term exams of the second semester last year.

"Wow, you're really a god of note-taking. I slept a lot in that class, can you lend me your notes once?"

The writer readily agreed to lend the notes.

After the exam, the friend came with a bright face.

"Wow, thanks to you, I got 90 points."

Until then, the writer was happy and thought it was great.

But as the end-of-year exams last year and the mid-term exams this year approached, it became a problem.

The number of subjects for which the friend borrowed notes kept increasing.

During the mid-term exams, the friend, who usually slept in class, scored better than the writer.

"From then on, I thought it wasn't right."

The writer's trouble was this:

How to handle a five-year best friend in such a situation.

With the end-of-year exams approaching, the writer asked for advice on what to do.

"That's a tough one."

The thought I had as soon as I heard the story came out of Han Jo's mouth.

Street Boys, who drew the first turn by lottery, took on the trouble.

Naturally, Han Jo was the spokesperson.

"Personally, I can relate to this. I had a similar experience in school. I can understand how the writer must feel. No matter how close a friend is, it's frustrating when they freeload on your efforts."

He spoke calmly.

"But I think the writer needs to speak up about this issue. It might sound harsh, but it's not a problem that can be solved by bottling it up inside."

"Should the writer talk to the friend honestly?"

"Yes. I have a few suggestions..."

Han Jo's response was textbook.

It was a softened version of what anyone would say upon hearing this trouble: 'Why are you being so foolish? You need to stand up for yourself!'

He showed empathy and provided specific solutions, leaving no room for criticism.

It didn't quite fit him, though.

Maybe it was because his actions didn't match his words.

Although our meeting was brief, the Han Jo I knew was far from giving such advice.

He was the type to carefully choose his words and bottle up his feelings rather than create a fuss.

So when he said, 'Why are you being so foolish? Speak your mind clearly!' it didn't resonate with me.

Moreover, I disagreed with him.

During the commercial break, I was thinking about how to advise the writer.

When I had a clear idea.

A hand holding a pen appeared from somewhere and moved over my script.

At first, only the initial consonants 'ㅎ' and 'ㅈ' appeared, then they were scribbled out.

It seemed like it was going to say 'Cheer up' or 'Do well.'

The white hand, after some fidgeting, finally wrote neatly.

-Be comfortable.

Seeing me smile, Lee Hyuk nodded.

It seemed he was returning the words he had said to me before the broadcast started.

Maybe he thought I was nervous too.

But I wasn't that nervous.

I had adapted to live broadcasts to some extent, and most importantly, I knew exactly what to say to the writer.

When the commercial ended and it was finally our turn.

At the DJ's nod to start the advice, I spoke in a calm voice.

"I think the writer shouldn't tell the best friend about this."