Ryu Chungwoo, who had passed the microphone and walked over, sat down on the sofa in the waiting room and spoke.
"I enjoyed the performance."
"Yes."
And after a while, he asked briefly.
"Are you okay?"
I chuckled. As expected, this guy noticed it too.
"Yes. I'm okay."
Even looking back now with a more rational mind, it was funny. I couldn't believe I was getting so nervous just because I was covering the first stage of
'Even if it was uncomfortable, I should have just done it anyway.'
[No! It was a situation worthy of shock!]
Is that so?
Let's be honest.
I was not the type of person who got hurt by petty emotional fights. But now I understood why I was so stupid.
[What…]
It was simple.
'I was sad.'
Starting with meeting my first homma again and coming to the realization that 'I am no longer TeStar's Park Moondae', my mentality was irrationally shattered.
This… This meant that I was attached to that reality.
… No, not just 'a little', but 'a lot'.
I crossed my arms.
'… It's my first time.'
[What?]
And I admitted it.
'It was the first time that my condition deteriorated because of something like this.'
[Oh my gosh!]
It wasn't like anyone had died or the landlord had scammed me and I couldn't get my deposit, but I didn't expect to feel so helpless.
I opened my mouth and added.
"This won't happen again in the future."
Because it was the first time, the response was inadequate. That wouldn't happen in the future. Because I knew how to control it now.
[Oh~ What method?]
Why was this guy writing so loudly?
I declared calmly.
Has there ever been something that I just didn't feel like doing, even though there was no other solution right away?
'Then I don't have to think about it anymore.'
[Oh.]
'Don't think about it, just do it if the situation calls for it, and if I feel bad enough and it isn't effective, I'll get rid of it.'
This was the fastest method.
I can't believe I haven't practiced this simple truth. I nodded inwardly.
[Hyung… Is that really a healthy way to go about things? I think…]
It's my opinion, so I can do as I please. Understood?
[Yes…]
The pop-up shook. And Ryu Chungwoo's answer was heard at the same time.
"You could really do that, but it's still okay to speak up when your mind is complicated."
When I turned my head, Ryu Chungwoo made a small hand gesture.
… It was the TeStar logo.
"Because we can understand each other. Got it?"
"…"
[Did he hear??]
I nodded. Ryu Chungwoo just smiled without saying anything else.
I didn't feel bad.
After that, we went back up to the empty stage where the audience had returned and filmed the final cut for this shoot.
Looking at the president's face, it seemed like everyone liked this performance.
The participants were also a bit excited, and the filming ended in a rare good atmosphere.
"Gunwoo hyung! I heard you were sick!"
And I got ready to go home with Kim Raebin giving me his grandmother's herbal medicine that was said to be 'good for body aches'.
"… ??"
By the way, it seemed that this guy had prepared this for me, so I was going to refuse, but then a list of various misunderstandings that this guy might make when I refused came to mind.
-Because it looks shabby!
-Because he doesn't eat food prepared by others!
-It was late in the filming, so the expiration date for having the herbal medicine would have passed!
… I said yes after that. If I didn't want to have any problems with that old lady, I'd have to call her over for a meal or something before the next photoshoot.
So, when packing, I was putting this water bottle in my bag.
Around me, I could hear the excited sounds of the guys sharing the waiting room.
"Hey, aren't we all debuting together like this?"
"Oh, it's a bit much… I think that would be better than getting eliminated."
"Oh, the president knows how to make some profit?"
Actually, it was that bastard Cheongryeo who decided everything within the company at the end of the day.
'What has he done in the past few years?'
I looked at the two guys who seemed fine so far, then gathered my things and went out into the hallway. The others would be waiting in the lobby.
I was about to leave the filming set when I heard a voice.
The voice I heard from across the hallway echoed.
"Ahyeon-ssi, please wait a moment, just a moment!"
"Yes."
… It was Seon Ahyeon and his staff.
The sound of an employee running somewhere was heard and Seon Ahyeon came around the corner.
'Hmm.'
And the moment our eyes met, he walked towards me.
"I was going to say hello, but this is how I see you!"
"Oh, yes."
I bowed my head like a participant who met a mentor who had successfully completed the performance.
I thought this guy would give points to other teams' performances, but surprisingly, he just stuck with focusing on the honors class participants only.
As a mentor, he had the highest specifications.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I finished the stage well."
"No! Thanks to you, I had a really fun performance."
Seon Ahyeon slightly waved his hand and blushed.
"I rarely get to perform on stage using pop songs like this… It was fresh. Thank you."
"…"
I needed to stop thinking. All I needed to do was say hello and part ways. Let's go like that.
However, Seon Ahyeon spoke again.
"And… I really wanted to tell you this, but the revised draft was better than before."
"…"
"I think you found a better answer."
Seon Ahyeon spoke his next words softly and carefully.
"And if you ever need me to introduce my counselor to you… I wouldn't mind."
Ah.
I had to ask about this.
Why on earth was this guy seeing a counselor here?
"May I ask how you met the counselor?"
At this level, it would feel like a reasonable amount of interest and reliability verification.
I planned ahead to withdraw the question if he hesitated.
However, Seon Ahyeon answered calmly.
"She was listed in my agency contract."
Hmm?
"After all, arts and physical education is always a battle with yourself. Counseling is also included in the basic curriculum."
"… … Ah."
Therefore… It was for the artists' welfare.
'Then what context did he come from when he said that he was in pain too?'
I looked at him to see if he was lying. In real life, he was a guy who was obvious to the point where he couldn't do anything, but he could hide it pretty well here.
But there was no sign.
'He's not lying.'
And, as if he knew I was thinking about it, Seon Ahyeon added a few words.
"Performers must control not only their physical condition but also their mental condition."
"Yes, that's right."
"So, if you want, I will contact you in advance. That… You can probably get about 5 sessions for free."
"…"
It wasn't until I got there that I realized what it was like to see Seon Ahyeon's smiling face.
This.… I see.
'He made it sound like he was in pain on purpose.'
By lowering the hurdle and developing a sense of relatability, a depressed person could talk about his difficulties and feel at ease.
'I can't believe I didn't notice this.'
I looked at him with somewhat confused eyes.
Wait then… Didn't this just mean that this guy was in extremely healthy condition?
This meant that he was building his career by receiving as much care as he could.
[That… What?]
Okay.
He had the composure to talk to and show favors to strangers who seemed to be in a complicated state of mind.
The tension melted away.
'Indeed.'
"… It's okay. Actually, someone was recommended to me by a friend in advance."
"Ah… okay."
I guessed excessively without any basis. It seemed like the accident happened because my condition was bad. I clicked my tongue and withdrew all my assumptions.
Seon Ahyeon asked again with a smile on his face.
"Then… Shall we exchange greetings sometimes?"
"Alright."
I entered the number into his smartphone without any problems. Wouldn't it be funny to refuse here?
'Anyway, if he leaves the country to do ballet, I won't have to see him here in person again.'
Wouldn't it be better to go back to reality and take a look? … I honestly didn't know if the guy who lived here would welcome that.
'Well, I only have to worry about things like this after I win the companion recruitment.'
Even though I couldn't do anything, I still ended up worrying. I immediately stopped thinking.
'I need to control it.'
It was going well.
I shook hands with him out of habit, just like I did with people in the industry I exchanged contact information with. I nodded.
"Then, I'll be leaving. Good luck to you, mentor."
"I'm not a mentor any more, so you can call me as you please."
He was a persistent guy. I didn't know I'd have to call him this too.
"… Then, hyung, please go in safely."
Seon Ahyeon smiled brightly and nodded.
"Yes… If you have any concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time."
"You're being too generous to someone you've just become an acquaintance of."
Seon Ahyeon had a blank expression on his face, then smiled slightly.
"I just wanted to."
Yes, nothing had changed in that he was still a pushover.
That was how I got the contact information of the ballerino Seon Ahyeon, whom I could communicate with without having to awaken him.
[Seon Ahyeon Hyung]
… Although his saved name was like this.
[Ah, hyung! The lobby!]
"Ah."
Yes.
After parting ways with Seon Ahyeon, I immediately went out to the lobby.
And before I could even get to the front door, I was caught again.
"Gunwoo hyung! Are you coming in?"
It was the two people who I was teammates with in this team match.
Ju-Dan and Chaeyul.
"Okay. I'm on my way in."
I was a little tired because I talked to so many people today. But I couldn't treat the guys who had just performed with me poorly, so I stopped.
'Do they want to talk about the stage?'
Then the two bowed their heads deeply.
And Jin Chaeyul said this.
"Thank you for always leading us well even though you are not feeling well! Next time, I will become a more reliable team member."
Ju-Dan added.
"Even more so when we debut."
"That's right, even more so when we debut!"
"…"
I wasn't sure why they were thanking me when I was clearly in a bad mood during practice.
Moreover, the composition I requested while revising was so grand that expressiveness was difficult even for those who had already debuted.
It would have been difficult for those whose abilities had not fully improved yet to follow, but they just kept their mouths shut and followed diligently.
'… They are guys with good guts.'
I opened my mouth.
"… You both did a great job as well. I will take good care of myself and come back healthy from now on."
"… ! Yes!"
I would admit it. They were guys worth working with.
I looked at Jin Chaeyul, who was laughing as if his cheeks were bursting.
Maybe the homma would watch this performance too because of this guy… Well, wouldn't it be better to like someone on my team?
It was better than not watching my performance at all.
"The stage was really good too. Thanks to you, it was fun. I'm grateful."
"Haha…"
"Me too."
Even without consciously stopping my thoughts, my mind was surprisingly at ease.
"I hope our performance airs soon! Oh, shall we watch it together?"
"No, that's a bit much."
"Ah… I'm sorry."
"No, it just airs after we start filming."
"Oh."
I just laughed it off. Anyway, I had to debut with these guys now, but… It didn't seem like it would be that hard to live with.
And when I finally returned home, 〈Wise〉 had already aired in full, including the guerrilla concert episode.
'I guess I'll have to check public opinion.'
As I had been away from my smartphone for a while, inspection was essential. I immediately got online.
And I was surprised.
-Ryu brothers, are they crazy? Ryu brothers, are they crazy? Ryu brothers, are they crazy? Ryu brothers, are they crazy? Ryu brothers, are they crazy? Ryu brothers, are they crazy? Ryu brothers, are they crazy?
-I found the perfect combination. RyuGunwooChungWoodan. When Jung Woodan was added, something inside of me snapped.
-Wolf Ryu Chungwoo, Husky Ryu Gunwoo, Arctic fox Chaeyul… I decided to call them the Mouse-like spectrum.
-Thank you for being idols. Really… I love you
"…"
I thought I was going to be criticized for a long time because of Club Main Vocal and the corruption of blood relations and all that. It was already like a party the way so many people were getting eliminated.
Even all kinds of participants had accounts with their faces as profile pictures.
All the viewers, regardless of who they were, were about to put up banners for Ryu Chungwoo.
'What?'
I immediately went to the search engine.