23rd April 2018;
"Ha…" "Argh…" "Ha" "Argh…" "Ha"
Jun was doing a 100 kg bench press (220bs) under the supervision of his trainer. His face was a bit red due to the blood rush but there was a smile on his face as he was clearly enjoying it.
Meanwhile, just beside him, another person was doing the same thing at the same pace, although his expression is a bit serious. Of course, he's none other than Kim Jong Kook.
During the past few days, they became acquaintances through work out.
Daily, Jun would only workout two hours from morning 5 to 7 and Jong Kook, on the other hand, not only work out in the morning from 6 to 8 but also in the evening 5 to 6.
So, in a way, they work out in the same space from 6 to 7. And that's how the both of them went from strangers to acquaintances.
Being the sole celebrity in this gym who does heavy workouts, Kim Jong Kook was naturally happy that a youngster likes to work out as heavily as him.
First, he was only curious but now, a sense of competitiveness emerged within him when he found Jun would take less amount of break than him, although both had different routines.
Meanwhile, Jun's trainer Cha Woojin was feeling more pressure. He was super tense that Jun might hurt anytime as his debut is at the doorstep.
After hearing that CEO Hwang personally made a call to the manager to take care of Jun, he felt as if he was standing on the narrow bridge between two cliffs.
At around 7 o'clock, Jun finally stopped his work out and said goodbye to Kim Jong Kook, "Hyung, I'll be leaving."
Jong Kook stopped his back swats with the deadlift and asked, "Your debut is tomorrow, right?"
"Yes." Jun nodded and then said, "I'll be busy with promotions for the next two weeks. I might not visit the gym frequently."
"I know but if you can do these heavy workouts without getting any injury, then, you shouldn't stop working out though. It'll only affect mentally as well as physically." Jong Kook suddenly started giving him a piece of advice as if he was his gym trainer. "Even at normal times, you can do simple things like squats and climbing the stairs without taking the elevator. And good luck on your debut."
"Alright, I'll keep it in mind." Jun bowed and thanked him before leaving the place.
After returning to the dorm and having a shower, he went to the kitchen to finish his daily quest. No matter how much of a busy schedule he has, Jun rarely skipped the cooking because of three reasons.
One, naturally to increase his stats and make cooking one of his specialties.
Two, some of the members are addicted to his cooking, especially Suga, the meat lover.
And three, just like in the Treasure Campus final stage, he wanted to gain favorable opinions from his friends as well as from the manager so that the agency will give more points to him when considering the leadership.
Daniel was once again spotted at the television, watching a tv drama.
Jun shook his head as he looked at him. This maknae just ran away from the workout after the first day of work out.
The reason, the aftereffects were too painful for him and are getting in the way of dance practice. There's another reason, which is that each session (6hrs) charges him 21 dollars. Why should he pay money for something that he doesn't even like?
Daniel said that he can't do it and decided to pay back the amount Jun paid for his membership but the latter refused it because he was the one that dragged the former.
After having breakfast with his housemates, Jun sent a text in the group chat and left for the headquarters.
About an hour later, everyone in the dance crew had arrived. He too changed into a training outfit. Everyone seemed energetic except for their leader. Jun spotted it at first glance.
"Noona, you don't look good." He commented right away as soon as he met them. "Is everything alright?"
Everyone turned towards her. Noze was taken aback at first and then, waved her hands in a hurry and forced a smile, "no, I'm alright. Just a little bit of pain in the back."
Jun knew that Noze was didn't think much about it and started the practice.
Until lunch, they continued with the practice. With no mistakes in choreography, everyone decided to stop there and meet the next day. However, Jun found something strange. Once in a while, Noze kept on reaching her back and rubbing as if it was in pain.
Even while leaving, she did the same, although her expression says otherwise.
Looking at her back, he wondered, "Was she suffering from a herniated disc or something?"
If it is someone from his group or even if it is a man, he would have asked right away. But, since she's a girl of the same age and that too, a person with visuals similar to a female idol, he refrained from expressing worry to her direct as it may be misinterpreted as affection. The last thing he wanted is an unnecessary rumor. Not to mention, it may be not be anything serious too.
So, instead of directly asking her, he just informed the main choreographer, Lee Jae Wook, and let him handle the situation.
The next day, at around 4 o'clock in the morning, Jun and Manager Seon left the dorm while everyone is still sleeping.
They reached the headquarters and went to the 11th floor where conference rooms and an auditorium are built on.
The staff members are busy with arrangements in the auditorium. This place is where almost every artist of genesis entertainment artist, solo or group debut showcase takes place.
He went to the training room and waited.
Soon, the dance crew members arrived, one after another, within 15 minutes. However, Noze was yet to arrive.
The choreographer Lee told them to practice thrice followed by rehearsals on the stage with a replacement dancer for Noze and left the room.
Jun then inquired the others about Noze to confirm his suspicion, to which, a dancer named Kim Jinhee answered him, "Noh Jihye is resting at home and will sit out of this showcase. Choreographer Lee asked her to rest after he found out that her back pain worsened and took her to the doctor."
Nam JiEun, the maknae of the dance crew, let out a sigh, "too bad that she can't join us. We worked for so long, you know. Unnie might be feeling depressed about it."
"Well, it's just a debut showcase." Jun then shrugged his shoulders and spoke casually as if it isn't a big deal. "We'll perform together at music shows for promotions, and possibly at concerts too. If something bad happens due to overwork, then, it would only destroy her career."
"Yeah, I agree." Jinhee nodded in agreement.
In case something happens like this, there are always replacements for the backup dancers ready. He practiced with them too even before the music video shoot.
But, to everyone's surprise, Noze arrived at 10 o'clock during rehearsals time with a report from the Physiotherapist that she was good to go, at least for the day.
Choreographer Lee got a little bit angry with her but she appeared to be stubborn on carrying it out saying that the debut showcase can be considered as the last ten meters of the 100m race for an athlete. They cannot back down because of pain. After she promised that she'll take a rest for the next week, Lee Jaewook finally gave an okay.
The replacement dancer was disappointed that her opportunity was gone away just like that. She felt like Noze was too greedy. A few thought she was a tough woman, a few are worried about her causing a mess during the live performance, and the remaining who are close to her worried about her physical condition instead.
As for Jun, he believed that every person is responsible for their actions. He will be okay as long as he won't be the one that is causing a mess.
In the afternoon, the journalists arrived with everyone carrying a laptop. As they took their places, the lights were switched off except for the stage and the large screen behind the wall.
At around 2 p.m., a man arrived on the stage. It's a familiar face. Ro Jongsu, the one who initially hosted the Treasure Campus.