A few days later.
TeStar's stage clip was uploaded on the official WeTube channel of the music company that hosted the first awards ceremony this year.
It was the stage I did right after the first grand prize this year.
[Whee-ik!]
A simple underwater device applied to the concert stage was supported by splendid choreography while water and light spurted out.
Fans who watched the concert said, 'Isn't that cool? Their personal concert was better than this,' and tried to make a stage that could be sold with excitement, and that was how it ended.
Of course, it was ranked as a real-time popular video.
[(RMA) 테스타 (TeStar) | Intro + 약속 (Promise) Live Performance]
Of course, VTIC's performance was also ranked, but why should I care whether they waved their capes or rode a boat?
Our stage, which I hadn't done in a while, was so impressive that it ate up my brain capacity.
I held my breath.
'I'm glad I didn't mess up.'
My body barely remembered it. I almost made a choreography mistake on stage after the first grand prize.
'It's a brain break from there.'
Strangely, the reaction to my acceptance speech was ridiculously better than expected…
Excuses like 'He did it because he was moved' would be over if I messed up on the stage.
It was as simple as whether I had professionalism or not.
But that didn't happen, and instead what was left was… There were only a few unnecessarily intense close-ups.
[Island in the sky to sail
We Fly so far!]
"Oh~ Moondae-hyung's smile~"
"… …"
I'd admit it. I got a little excited.
It was a spectacle from the thumbnail of the comment collection that popped up as a recommended video earlier.
-Moon Puppy's 100% happy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-That's the face of a puppy who went out for a wak
-Zero Tibetan concentration Hyper pure puppy status
I watched a close-up of myself laughing, then turned off the screen without a word.
"What the… ! I'm still watching!"
The guy who popped out while brushing his teeth was acting like he was watching it.
I changed the screen to the magical girl cover stage, and Cha Eugene ran away.
"Hyung, that's too much!"
If it was unfair, next time he could grab the remote control first.
When I saw Cha Eugene go back to the bathroom, I tried to turn off the screen, and inadvertently found T-Holic guys standing in the background of the Magical Girl performance.
[Heart bullet of flying magic!]
Their eyes were out of focus. Their overwhelmed expression was perfect for creating a bad mood.
'Come to think of it, I think those guys also sent a congratulatory message about the grand prize."
I opened my smartphone and looked at the contents.
It wasn't as much as Keun Sejin who managed messages and calls to the point where his smartphone died as soon as he got home on the day of the award, but I also got quite a bit.
After winning the grand prize, everyone from Youngrin to entertainers I saw once in a variety show contacted me, so they must have sent them too…
[TeStar, listen. We have one trophy for each of you. Please continue to treat us as seniors]
[Please]
[Of course, we didn't actually take it, so it will be in the company president's office]
Did these bastards even open a new group message room to send this?
In addition, there was even a personal message asking if it was okay to upload a screenshot on their entertainment show's social media account.
'They're living hard.'
I replied politely with 'It doesn't matter if you upload it, but if there is a controversy, take care of it yourself''.
For other small things, if I replied in moderation, there would be no problem.
It was then.
"No, why did Moondaemoondae have a penalty stage… Oh, T-Holic sunbaenim~"
The one who was the quickest to notice something like this put his head over my smartphone.
'This bastard is starting to lose privacy.'
But I didn't bother covering the screen. The T-Holic thing was just work.
But I guess that wasn't the point. Keun Sejin smiled and sat down on the sofa.
"As expected, T-Holic sunbaenim~ You also have them on KakaoTalk! Hm, but what did the other sunbaenim say?"
There was no need to ask who it was. He was talking about the seniors who narrowly missed out on the first Artist of the Year award.
VTIC.
So this guy deserved to be curious.
'It's funnier if they're keeping their mouths shut after sending responses to all kinds of awards.'
Of course, VTIC showed off their strength by winning the 'Album of the Year' at the finale.
And probably in about half of the award ceremonies after that, the Artist of the Year award would also push us forward.
'Still, they would feel like shit if they lost it after winning it all the time.'
They may not be sending friendly messages one-way anymore.
"Why?"
"I wanted to know if they said congratulations. But I recognize the situation they're in too~ So I just wanted to know how they sent it to the other members!"
Was that so?
It meant that he was curious about whether there was something to be checked. I smiled and took down the message windows that I had turned on one by one to organize.
And finally, I found a message from a VTIC member.
However… It was not a celebration.
[VTIC Shin Cheongryeo Sunbaenim: Do you have something to say now?]
Ah, this.
'He got the mood.'
After talking about it since November, I felt like he had a feeling after seeing my appearance when I won the grand prize.
'This bastard, he's been waiting.'
Then, I heard a quiet muttering next to me.
"… Something to say?"
Right. From the point of view that he knew that my relationship with Cheongryeo was filthy bad, this seemed almost like a quarrel.
'I think he saw that 'asking if I had something to say' was him trying to start a fight.''
Of course, it was true that the relationship was messy. So excuses came easily.
"Ah, we almost got into another fight over the grand prize."
"What??"
"It's nothing else, it's just a fight. In a little while, the winner will be decided over the phone."
I shook my hand.
"This bastard can't beat me. Because I have a recording."
"… … Moondae is great. Amazing."
Keun Sejin shook his head as if he was tired. Yes, if I changed the topic as it was…
"Give it to me. Sejin will listen and tell him who won."
What?
"Don't worry, I'll be polite when I call. There is no such thing as the last time."
When I remembered Chae Seodam's recording situation, it was not unreasonable for this guy to come out like this.
However, Keun Sejin narrowed his eyes.
"Who cares about that? No, I'm worried about that too… Well, Park Moondae is weird these days."
"… …"
Hmm.
"You seem to have forgotten the choreography, and even when you sing your parts, it feels like you're strangely doing something else and coming back to your senses…"
No way.
While I was silent, Keun Sejin finished the sentence.
"As expected, did you come secretly on an NIS mission?"
"… …"
Look at his imagination.
I looked at him as if it was ridiculous, but Keun Sejin just smiled.
"I practice and work every day, so I have no time for that."
"At dawn? Uh, wait. Chungwoo-hyung is a morning person as well, so it must be real?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
"Moondae also caught Raebin composing early in the morning. Maybe~? Did you also see it on your way out?"
Was this guy joking?
However, while talking bullshit, there was an awareness on his face that he was talking bullshit.
He knew that something was going on, but it meant that he would cover it up with a joke.
"… …"
I spoke with a sigh.
"I told you that I'd tell you if I could talk about it."
"… !"
"It's nothing serious, and everything is working out."
I spoke slowly.
"Of course, it's not the NIS either. It's just a personal matter. There is no problem with TeStar."
"… I know."
Keun Sejin sighed, then smiled bitterly.
"Sorry. We had a lot of work. So I tried it because I thought you wouldn't be able to tell me in a difficult situation."
It sounded like he was speaking sincerely.
I pondered briefly, but soon answered honestly.
"I'll tell you if I'm in trouble."
"Really?"
Okay.
When I nodded, Keun Sejin quickly erased the bitter smile. Then he patted me on the shoulder and got up from the couch.
"Okay. I believe in you, Moondaemoondae~"
He dragged Cha Eugene, who had just arrived, to the kitchen.
"Hoo."
I leaned back on the sofa.
'I don't know how long it will take.'
However, it was crazy to talk about such an absurd situation and ask for trust. There was a reason why I was keeping my mouth shut.
'Since we've been doing well as a group for a long time, things like this will happen.'
It was hard to hide something. Especially for the smart guys.
Even to some extent… I just wanted to say it.
'Is there any other option?'
This was a separate countermeasure, but for now, I had to do what I needed to do.
I went out onto the veranda and made a phone call.
[VTIC Shin Cheongryeo Sunbaenim]
After a fairly long call, the call went through. And a locked voice was heard.
-Hmm… Hoobaenim.
Did he just wake up? No can do.
I put in a recording line right away.
"Did I wake you up from sleeping? Sorry."
-No. I have an early morning schedule… hmm.
Cheongryeo was silent for a short time, then answered in a normal voice.
-Are you okay?
It wasn't like he had been doing all of this for decades for no reason. It seemed that he had completely adapted to his irregular life pattern.
-So why did you contact me?
I could feel the anticipation in his tone. I answered calmly.
"I have something to say. As you messaged."
- Ah, finally.
Cheongryeo's voice gained strength.
-How are you? I think you came back well.
"I am fine. There was nothing wrong, and the grand prize was well received."
-Is that so? Congratulations on your first grand prize. I hope you enjoy the moment.
He meant that I wouldn't be able to enjoy it in the future.
I thought of rebuttals such as 'I hope sunbaenim thinks the same' and then erased them.
It was not the time. Instead, I went straight to the point.
"Thank you, then may I ask you what happened to the call you were supposed to make at that time?"
Because this guy was supposed to make a confirmation call to 'Ryu Gunwoo'.
-Ah… That person.
Cheongryeo replied casually.
- I tried to contact him on that cell phone several times. However… It always says his phone is off.
"… …"
What?
"Then how has he been?"
-Yes? Haha. Hoobaenim, how can I know that? It's just that he doesn't answer calls.
"… …"
This damn…
-The very next day was the departure schedule. Where would I have time to find out about domestic affairs during a concert?
"… Yes."
Yes, that was a reasonable statement.
However, hearing it from the mouth of the guy who even found out the address of the officetel by himself, it felt like I had been tricked for some reason.
'Hoo.'
I pressed my temples.
Why did I try to find out the whereabouts of 'Ryu Gunwoo' right away from this bastard?
Still the original Park Moondae… So, it was because 'Keundal' didn't receive a separate text message.
I released the recipient limit to receive it, but all kinds of spam and stalker messages were poured out.
'Hmm.'
I thought it would be better to wait until he wanted to contact me. There must have been a lot of things to do because he was in the 7th level.
But, of course, I thought this guy would contact me… Even after I received the grand prize, there was no contact for several days.
The feeling was not very good.
'At that time… He said that.'
-Then… I'll use it for a while…
Why did he limit the time period? Of course, I knew the address of his officetel. If he got lost, I could just go and find it.
'Of course, there are methods that can be used before that.'
I hung up the phone at once.
"All right. Then I hope you have a good night's sleep."
-Wait. Is that the end?
"What?"
What was this again?
- I thought you would tell me more.
… It sounded like he was a bit disappointed, but this bastard was… upset?
"… …"
It didn't feel good, but… Yes, in his own way… He did listen to Ryu Gunwoo's advice when I was in his body.
I couldn't deny it. This guy was also involved now.
I finally backed off.
"I don't think it's something to talk about over the phone, let's meet at a later time."
-Hmm… Yes. Great.
I never thought the day would come when I would leisurely hold a friendship with this bastard.
I ended the call with a bitter heart.
However, the screen did not turn off. Instead, I immediately changed the screen and pressed the 'text' icon again. Then I opened the field to compose a new text message.
'I'm not stupid either.'
Of course, I memorized the number of 'Ryu Gunwoo' at least roughly.
It was enough to contact him from my side.
'I'll just put in two or three confusing numbers and write the content so that only this guy responds.'
I put in the number I remembered and said, 'Keundal-nim, why haven't you contacted me? I last saw you in November…' But as I was writing that much…
"Moondae!"
"… !"
I closed my smartphone for the time being after being reminded of Keun Sejin.
I turned my head and waved my hand outside the veranda door to see if Ryu Chungwoo had walked from the hallway.
"Are you busy now? Or maybe we could go to work together for a while."
He was less calm than usual. It seemed there was some urgent news.
I'd look suspicious if I turned him down during our break time.
"Yes. But what is it?"
"I'll tell you as soon as we go."
Ryu Chungwoo opened the veranda door and urged me on. This was also rare.
'He's really in a hurry.'
I timidly picked up my coat and followed him out the front door. I was thinking of continuing to write down the text I was writing before when I got into the car.
But the moment I sat in the front seat and saw Ryu Chungwoo operating the navigation system…
I knew something was wrong.
"Hyung."
"Huh?"
"Isn't that the company there?"
"Ah. Wait a moment."
The car started. The car driven by Ryu Chungwoo left the underground parking lot and left the complex in an instant.
And with a smile on his face, Ryu Chungwoo opened his mouth again.
"Moondae. The person you asked to find."
"… ?"
Why was that story coming out at the right time…
"I got a call from the family saying that they found him."
"… !"
"Ryu Gunwoo."
What?
Ryu Chungwoo lowered his voice slightly.
"They said he's a 7th-grade civil servant. I think we were confused about his whereabouts because he was studying for the test."
"…"
"I guess he passed and got in touch."
I suddenly had an ominous feeling. I barely opened my mouth.
"Maybe right now…"
Ryu Chungwoo smiled.
"That's right. So now we are on our way to meet him."
"… !!"
"Anyway, I have a car, and I wanted to meet him in person… … Moondae?"
Ah… Damn.
All of a sudden, Ryu Chungwoo would be meeting Park Moondae who was in the body of Ryu Gunwoo.