Chapter 65

Chapter 12. Your Name

Whoosh.

Lying with my eyes closed, the sound of water tickles my ears.

Someone gently stroked my hair.

"Is the temperature okay?"

"Yes, it's fine."

A formal question, a formal answer.

While the hair salon assistant was washing my hair, I drifted off to sleep.

Awakened by a gentle shake, I barely managed to sit up in front of the mirror.

Looking at the clock, it was 4 a.m.

As my hair was being dried, I could see the bodies sprawled on the sofa behind the mirror.

Jung-hyun, who had taken off his shoes and lay flat, was entangled with Ji-ho, while Bi-ju and Ri-hyuk were dozing off in their seats.

Next to them, Min-ki and the actor team leader, who had come today, were wearing their baseball caps low.

The only ones moving were the expressionless salon teachers.

It's so quiet.

When we go to the broadcasting station later, everyone will be laughing and chatting, but at this hour, everyone is as quiet as a corpse.

This is a fitting scene for a Monday.

The reason I got up at this hour is because of the music show.

People who only know about the three terrestrial channels and K-Net might ask, 'Huh? There's a music show on Monday?'

But there is.

It's just that the main broadcast is on a different day.

Today's recording is for 'Global K-Pop,' a music show on Korean TV that introduces Korea in English.

The main recording is at 10 a.m., but the standby time is 7 a.m., so we're already preparing.

Well.

It's still better than when it's 4 a.m. sometimes.

"Today, you look really tired. Didn't you sleep well?"

"No, I slept just like usual, but maybe it's because of the radio schedule yesterday."

"Oh, you mentioned you were on the radio, right?"

While chatting with the hair stylist, a young face plopped down in the chair next to me.

The youngest member, who had been making strange noises, leaned towards me.

"Ugh, I feel like I'm going to die."

"Why?"

"Because the spots where my hyung and Ri-hyuk hyung hit me keep hurting."

"Hey, when did I hit you?"

Shaking his head to deny it, the others laughed at his tired face.

As my hair was being dried, Ji-ho, who had been swaying like a bobblehead, seemed to remember something.

"By the way, I was mistaken. I must have seen it in a dream."

"Hey."

"But my body still aches. They were squeezing me and applying wrestling moves and all."

Well, that did happen.

After the radio schedule, our producer had us record the song 'Night Sea' as a demo version, and it was uploaded to Mityube.

"You deserve it, you brat."

"But thanks to me, we got some airtime, right? You have to admit that."

"Really, you don't change your expression at all, do you?"

"What can I do? This is my charm."

I couldn't think of a retort because I was too tired.

Smiling and shaking my head, Ji-ho picked up his smartphone.

With familiar gestures, he tapped on his favorites.

Soon, the yellow mango-shaped icon appeared.

What position will it be today?

I was too tired to even touch my phone.

As far as I remember, the song 'Night Sea' had been stagnant in the charts for a few days.

It was in the 40s.

It briefly rose to 39th yesterday.

Just as I was about to ask the youngest about our position, I glanced in the mirror and was puzzled.

Why is he doing that?

His eyes were as wide as a character from a cartoon.

"Ji-ho, what's wrong?"

"Hyung, 'Night Sea' is on the Mango real-time search list?"

"What?"

"I checked, and there's a song. It's at 135th."

"Just a moment, just a moment."

My head spun.

"What are you talking about? You mean the song was uploaded after the radio schedule yesterday?"

"Yep."

"Does that make sense?"

"Look here. 135th."

The youngest member thrust his phone at me.

Sure enough, 'Night Sea' was at 135th.

135th. Universe & Ri-hyuk - Night Sea (Original Ver.)

There was even an album art.

A song hastily put together just a week ago was now on the charts, and it was at a fairly high position.

There were probably only two people who could explain this phenomenon, but neither of them was here.

The salon teachers, who were stroking my hair from behind, looked at me with curious eyes.

"Ji-ho, what's going on?"

"I don't know. What is it?"

In the end, the only two people awake in this room started searching on their smartphones.

After a while.

While browsing idol communities and internet portals, I quickly found the cause.

[Best] The reaction of a former military idol to the 'reenlistment' joke.gif

"......"

Turning my head with a chilly gaze, I saw only an empty chair.

* * *

At 11 a.m.

The music show 'Global K-Pop' records 2 to 3 weeks in advance, unlike other broadcasting stations.

That's why the recording is divided into 1 to 5 parts, and as the youngest members, we naturally had the 1st part in the morning.

The others participating are all rookies or singers with low seniority.

Rivals like Street Boys, Soul Six from Eulrim, who debuted right after us, and the girl group Blink, who debuted earlier this year.

"Hey, I saw our meme! The army one! Right?"

"Yes, that's right......"

While waiting backstage, the Blink members came back and pretended to know us.

They laughed among themselves at my resigned smile.

Was Soul Six next after us?

I had a feeling they would also pretend to know me when they saw my face.

"Look, hyung. Thanks to this, our network is expanding, right?"

"I don't need this kind of network expansion......"

"Wow, you're so negative today."

Why am I negative because of someone, I thought, but then I smiled kindly at the camera.

Ri-hyuk stifled a laugh.

The VJ with the ENG camera and the writer approached with a smile.

"We're filming behind-the-scenes footage for Mityube today. How do you feel about today's recording?"

"Great!"

"I'm so excited to meet the fans."

While exchanging various stories, the company staff checked the microphone packs on our waists and the pins on our costumes.

Sigh.

I took a deep breath and waited for the cue.

I hope the atmosphere is good today.

I was happy to meet the fans, but a bit worried.

The atmosphere was subtle last time.

'Global K-Pop' conducts joint recordings, so each group's fandom sends a few people to fill the audience.

In other words, the audience includes fans from other groups.

Of course, with Street Boys' fans present, the atmosphere was subtle last time.

They didn't openly show dislike or curse each other, but there was a strange tension.

The problem was that the audience was as close to the stage as in a Hongdae indie cafe.

With the audience right in front of us, it was impossible not to be nervous.

"We're going on stage."

At the staff's words, we moved to the stage.

A roar of cheers greeted us.

Our fans in the side seats.

Seeing them, I couldn't help but smile, feeling content.

Just then, my juniors seemed to notice something and giggled.

"Hyung, look at that."

Jung-hyun pointed to a fan holding a sign that read, 'Universe, I'll go to the army for you,' and waving it playfully.

Instantly, not only I but the entire audience burst into laughter.

Even the fans of other groups were laughing.

The Street Boys' fans were laughing awkwardly, and the atmosphere seemed different from usual.

What is it?

There was no hostility like last time.

No subtle tension.

What happened?

Just as I was thinking about finding out later, I noticed another phenomenon.

In a situation where people would usually whisper, 'Who is Universe?' they were all looking at me and laughing as if they knew who I was.

People knowing my name.

Maybe.

It could be a good thing, as the youngest said.

"We're starting the recording!"

Of course, today's fireworks were splendid.

* * *

After finishing the music show recording and a brief interview with a Young Daily reporter, we returned to the company.

The large conference room on the 3rd floor.

This was our second visit since introducing Fireworks to the company.

Bi-ju asked curiously.

"They said the team leaders from each department would be here today. What's going on?"

"Maybe they have something to say."

"Hyung, don't you have any idea?"

I was just as clueless.

I only received a message to attend a meeting about New Black.

"I don't know either. Maybe it's about what Seok-hwan hyung went to TBC for."

"Oh, is that so? Is it going to be on TV?"

"No, it's not. If it were, there would be no need to announce it so grandly. It's not like we're going on a survival show."

Just as the situation was getting murky again, Ji-ho seemed to remember something.

"I think I heard about this. A few days ago, I chatted with a member of the PR team, and she mentioned they were planning something around the time of the fan signing event, like finalizing the fandom name."

Come to think of it, this Sunday is our first fan signing event.

But I was more interested in what Ji-ho had mentioned.

"Fandom name?"

"Yep, I heard they're going to have a public vote or something......"

"Will the fans decide it?"

When I was at TJ, the company's planning team came up with the fandom name.

I was amazed at this new approach.

Ri-hyuk looked around and whispered.

"Well, last time, when the company decided on the fandom name 'Curtain' for Scarlett, it caused a huge uproar. They probably changed the method because of that."

"What happened?"

"The CEO pushed for a name he liked. 'Curtain.'"

"Curtain?"

"Yes, 'Curtain.'"

Suddenly, I remembered the group names the company had proposed before settling on New Black.

Lemon Boys, Flying Angels, Black Hole, Hot Boys.

A shiver ran down my spine.

"It must have caused a huge uproar."

"Yep, that's why if you search the CEO's name on the Scarlett fan cafe, there are a lot of violent posts."

"Well, the meaning was good."

Ri-hyuk said.

"A curtain that shields and embraces my singer from the outside world. The planning intention was good, so the internal reaction was positive."

But a fandom name like 'Curtain' is a bit much.

I felt sympathy for the Scarlett members.

They would have to say things like, 'Our Curtain is the best!' and 'I love you, Curtain!'

I hoped our fans would get a prettier name to avoid such a situation.

Click.

The door opened, and the staff members entered.