"So, does the Black Call sunbae really like you guys that much?"
That's what he wanted to say.
"You're suddenly getting into this, huh?"
"Ahaha, I was just curious. There have been rumors going around lately."
Kang Yeonhoo shrugged nonchalantly, glancing at the floor indicator in the elevator each time it went up.
"Well, it's intriguing, isn't it? Sunbae Joo Woo sung was always just a 5-second mentoring cut for us."
"Are you perhaps jealous now?"
He asked honestly, so I responded accordingly, matching his level.
"...Seo Hoyun also quickly got in, just like his nickname, 'the shooting star'."
He sighed softly, pressing his temple with one hand and letting out a groan.
He seemed genuinely embarrassed.
"No, it's not jealousy. I'm just genuinely curious."
"Hmm."
"I get anxious if there's any uncertain factor I don't know about. I bet Seo Hoyun feels the same way."
"..."
"I need to fix this habit."
After muttering to himself, Kang Yeonhoo took a sip of his coffee.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway."
Watching Kang Yeonhoo muttering to himself, I adjusted my perception of him slightly.
"I'm okay with anything. Whatever Seo Hoyun does, even if Senior Joo woo sung only looks after him. Just-."
This guy seems a bit fidgety.
"-Don't meddle with us."
Although softly spoken, it was ultimately a threat that he would somehow intervene.
'It's refreshing.'
It had been a long time since someone threatened me.
Lowering my gaze and stirring my lemonade, the elevator arrived.
*Ding.*
"Well, have a good day."
As the door opened and Kang Yeonhoo was about to step out, I quickly blocked his path with my arm and pressed the close button.
*Whee-ing.*
*Bang.*
"…??"
With a gaze that seemed to ask "What are you doing?" Kang Yeon-hoo looked at me, and I squinted back at him through the straw, tilting my head.
"Why did you close..."
"Kang Yeonhoo-ssi, I naturally stretch my legs and look for a place to lie down as well."
High Five is in the same agency as Black Call.
If I rashly provoked him, I wouldn't be able to handle the aftermath. Just like before, I had nothing, and if rumors spread, it would not only affect me but also The Dawn.
And originally, I had long abandoned the idea of meddling with High Five.
"It's not that I don't want to, I can't."
'Too bad.'
Of course, I didn't even try.
Even in large entertainment agencies, there were always those who would stand out. Just look at our Mr. Ju Woo-sung; scandals aside, he's just...
But High Five hadn't been caught for smoking, drinking, dating, gossip, or drugs... Not even once.
Is he nice? No.
'This guy is the main culprit.'
It meant the leader was managing things so strictly that it seemed like he had OCD.
Wasn't Kang Yeonhoo around twenty-five?
After a long trainee period, debuting at a relatively old age for a large agency, he was fierce.
"Ah."
My answer wasn't what he expected.
Kang Yeon-hoo looked surprised for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"You're quite honest. But there's no need to be so cautious."
"Anyway, we're still going to win, okay?"
"...."
But.
"I have a personality where I have to win no matter what."
This guy, he still hasn't fully developed his bluffing skills.
Watching the slightly chubby Kang Yeonhoo, I kindly pressed the open button.
"Well, let's go out now."
"...."
.
.
.
"Huh?"
After Kang Yeon-hoo and I came out of the elevator and headed to the meeting room, I saw Joo Woosung and Chae Jung-woo in the distance on the opposite side of the hallway.
"This combination is refreshing. Hello, Yeonhoo?"
"...Oh, sunbae. Hello."
As Kang Yeonhoo replied reflexively after being lost in thought, he soon pursed his lips. It was a wry smile.
No matter how much I thought about it, my elevator antics seemed absurd.
'I should learn more about the real deal.'
Of course, I ignored it, and asked Chae Jungwoo instead, "Did you take care of everything?"
"Uh, yeah. Um, everyone understood right away."
"What about my green tea latte?"
Here you go, my child.
Ju Woo-sung, who still didn't say a word to Kang Yeon-hoo, simply took the green tea latte from the drink carrier I was holding.
Chae Jung-woo smiled awkwardly.
"Good luck. And Yeon-hoo, I was actually going to talk to High Five."
"Oh, thank you."
"Just a moment. I'll just send Ju Woo-sung."
"Okay."
After nodding slightly, Kang Yeon-hoo turned to me.
"Seo Hoyun, I'm looking forward to the second round."
"Yes, me too."
After briefly meeting my gaze, Kang Yeonhoo quickly walked away without saying anything more. Joo Woo sung drank his green tea latte and spoke to me.
"Kid, are you only friendly and quiet with me at times like this? Normally, I would have nagged you."
"I'm always quiet though?"
"Why would I say anything to you?"
Chae Jungwoo chuckled beside him.
Since it wasn't just Joo Woo sung and me, I hesitated to speak, but since it seemed like everyone already knew the situation, I decided to ask honestly.
"But Joo Woo sung, do you dislike High Five?"
"Huh?"
At first, I thought Kang Yeonhoo might be jealous and that Joo Woo sung didn't want to give me a high five because of that during this competition.
'But that's not it.'
When I thought about it, Ju Woo-sung had been giving advice since Second Chance (although there was a bit of coercion involved), and considering his personality of pushing people away, it wasn't just about seeking approval from High Five.
Moreover, Kang Yeonhoo seemed more indifferent than I expected after talking to him.
"...Why would I?"
In response to my question just now, Ju Woo-sung seemed genuinely puzzled, as if hearing about it for the first time.
"Did you hear something from him?"
As I pondered how to respond, Ju Woo-sung snapped his fingers.
"Oh! Are you thinking I help you because I dislike them?"
"..."
"That's not it, silly. I'm not interested in them. I'm just... with you."
However, Ju Woo-sung seemed reluctant to say more and closed his mouth there.
"What about me?"
Seeing that sight, Chae Jungwoo let out a long sigh.
"Hu.... Our Woo Sungie is really, really, really a pain, isn't he?"
"...Sometimes I'm not sure."
"Why am I a pain? Don't you know how well I treat Seo Ho-yoon?"
"It's more painful when you treat hi. well. Didn't you see Kang Yeonhoo's expression just now?"
Unlike Joo Woosung, who always seemed to be 2% short in his awareness despite the title of "best friend," Chae Jungwoo had a keen eye for people.
As I still couldn't grasp the current situation, he said to me:
"As Woo Sungie said, there's no trouble with the junior. He's just a real lone wolf who only cares about himself."
"...No, why are you saying that again? That's not true."
"Hey, Woo Sung. You've been annoying since earlier. Go talk to Seo Hoyun first."
"...."
"Quickly."
As Chae Jungwoo tried to push him out, surprisingly, Ju Woo-sung grumbled but moved first.
'What's wrong with him?'
I slightly frowned at his high-handed and dignified demeanor, which I had only seen him being cheeky and stage-savvy before.
'He's surprisingly obedient?'
Chae Jungwoo put his arms around himself, licked his lips, and turned towards me.
"Anyway, thank you so much, Seo Hoyun. Woo Sungie takes good care of me."
"...Did I take care of you?"
"Haha?"
Chae Jungwoo chuckled.
"You still don't know, do you?"
"I really don't know."
As long as it won't harm The Dawn, I didn't care about the reason why Joo Woosung would helped me.
"Anyway, good luck with the second round! Watching good junior groups like The Dawn is very stimulating. If you have any difficulties, contact me anytime. I'll always respond."
"If you say so, I'll really contact you out of the blue."
"Please do. I tried not to be biased, but I guess I have a little more affection for Seo Hoyun, who Woo Sungie helped, than my direct junior."
Chae Jungwoo, who had been jokingly nonchalant, stared at me with clear and affectionate eyes.
"I hope you win first place."
I couldn't understand the meaning behind his words to a different agency group with direct juniors.
I didn't even know where Ju Woo-sung and Chae Jungwoo's fondness for me stemmed from.
"Got it."
I smiled slightly.
After finishing the conversation, I watched Chae Jung-woo's back for a moment before returning to the conference room.
"Wow, awesome!"
The atmosphere inside the conference room was completely different from before, filled with energy.
"Got it! We nailed it!"
"Wow! Ichae is a genius."
"I felt it in an instant! That's it!"
It seems like we've got a direction without needing to rely on chances. I put down the coffee carrier and looked at the notes left by the members.
They were quite well organized.
"I've made a rough beat, want to listen to it?"
"In that short moment?
"Once the inspiration strikes, anything is possible."
Kang ichae said casually, as if it was no big deal, and started playing the song on her laptop.
"Kang ichae, you're seriously a cheat code..."
"Don't you even think you're a genius after hearing this?"
As I watched the members nodding their heads or tapping along with the beat, I turned my gaze towards the planning notes.
"Hmm."
As I tapped my fingers on the table, Kang ichae's stats came to mind as if waiting for me.
[Kang ichae, isn't there a Kang ichae in your group?]
Really, he can talk endlessly.
[Song: A+ Dance: A0 Variety: A0 Acting: B- Charisma: S- ??: ??]
[Hold on a moment! Let the kind, lovely, cute, charming, and friendly System Window explain!
Rap is included in the song, and charisma indicates star quality!]
Thanks for the speedy additional explanation now.
[Thanks, System Window Thing!]
Ignoring that, I thoroughly checked the members with dance S-, song S0, and charisma S-.
And I imagined the second stage performance with these miracle members from a small and medium-sized company.
'This should be enough.'
Maybe this time, we could even win first place in the expert vote.
"Why are you staring at me like that, hyung?"
"Because I'm proud."
"Huh?"
As the members looked at me with strange eyes, I suddenly realized that one pair of eyes was empty.
"But where did the youngest go?"
***
"Ah."
Meanwhile, Jung Dajun came face to face with the TEW main vocalist in front of a vending machine near the broadcasting station lounge.
"Hello."
"...Hello?"
It seemed like there were other groups still practicing around.
Jung Dajun took out some coins from his pocket and inserted them into the vending machine.
Clank, clank.
'Hyung said he's getting coffee, so should I get water?'
Although his throat was dry, seeing the various drinks listed made him hesitate.
As he was trying to decide what to drink, he heard a voice from beside him.
"Is the practice going well?"
"Whoa!"
"..."
"Oh, oh, you're still here. You surprised me."
He didn't intend to, but he felt a little stung by the TEW vocalist's remark, as if his presence was insignificant.
"Jung Dajun-ssi, you seem absent-minded sometimes."
"Yes, yes."
"Be careful. You shouldn't treat seniors like this."
"Yes, yes."
Jung Da-jun answered nonchalantly and turned his face back towards the vending machine. Despite his indifferent attitude, the TEW main vocalist's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Hmm. Hyung eats a lot of sweet stuff, so barley tea?'
He tried to ignore the constant chattering from beside him.
One of the biggest realizations Jung Dajun had while working with The Dawn and being close to Seo Hoyun was that he should block out annoying things beforehand.
However, one particular word kept itching at his ears.
"Work harder for the second round. One mistake can lead to a big disaster."
"..."
"I don't want to bother talented people like sunbae"
Thunk.
A bottle of water fell down from the vending machine.
Jung Dajun, who had been silently watching him, slowly bent down to pick up the water, and then offered it to the amused TEW main vocalist.
"Take this, s."
"...Huh?"
"I was supposed to ask for another piece of rice cake from the guy I don't like. Seonghyun hyung."
It was a phrase that Kim Seonghyun often said to Seo Hoyun.
Jung Da-jun handed the water to the still bewildered TEW member, saying:
"Drink some cold water."
It was something that Kang ichae, who usually lived an owl-like life, would say when half asleep, and Jung Da-jun swallowed the rest of the words that followed,
"Wake up, idiot."
But, inwardly, he swallowed them.
Even though Seo Hoyun's "Wake up, idiot" remained, he decided not to say anything as it wasn't appropriate for a junior to say such things to a senior.
Jung Da-jun calmly turned his head and confidently grabbed a few more drinks before hesitating for a moment, then turned to leave.
"Ah."
Then he looked back at the TEW main vocalist.
"And our hyungs don't consider that as a bother."
He knew that even without the members telling him. As the youngest, he understood.
"Is that so?"
"...Huh."
With that last word, Jung Da-jun brushed past the TEW main vocalist. As Jung Dajun walked away, the expression on the TEW main vocalist's face twisted noticeably.
"Ha! He's such a...!"
Jung Da-jun's footsteps quickened as he headed towards the conference room.
The TEW main vocalist probably just wanted to tease him a bit.
'Mistake.'
A small anxiety began to grow in Jung Da-jun's heart.
And that anxiety once again reminded him of the thought he had buried deep for the past year, "Jung Da-jun, who would be nothing special if he weren't the youngest."
'I know, the hyungs are exceptional, and I'm just ordinary.'
So he absolutely couldn't afford to make a mistake.
"Are you here?"
"...Yes."
As he opened the door and walked in, he felt Seo Hoyun's penetrating gaze following him, but Jung Dajun just smiled.
'It doesn't matter, I just have to do well.'
However, on that day, the day after, and even until the day before the second round of the competition...
"..."
Jung Dajun couldn't sleep properly, tossing and turning all night.
---