05. Flag (2)
"....."
After the lesson, it was time for the end-of-month self-evaluation practice. Normally, team members would have gathered together to share opinions and practice in preparation for the end-of-month evaluation... But our team, except for Lee A-ram and Kim Jung-hyun, was just staring into space. The reason was simple.
"So what are we going to do?"
"What have you heard so far? Let's redistribute the parts?"
Because those two had no intention of ending the conversation. I looked back and forth between Lee A-ram and Kim Jung-hyun. It was so cold between them that it was almost chilling.
"No, what I'm saying is, the parts are distributed fairly now, so why do we have to redistribute them?"
"Ha... That doesn't make sense. I am not saying we should redistribute them because there's a problem."
The one who frowned and said to go with the part as it was was Lee Aram, and the one who beat his chest as if frustrated and said to just redistribute the part was Kim Junghyun.
This tense standoff had been going on for an hour already.
"Um..., we should practice first... "
"You stay still."
The opinion of the guy who raised his hand timidly was ignored by Kim Junghyun. The awkward air flowed, making it suffocating.
'Is the part the problem now.....'
I wiped my face with both hands and got up from my seat. The team members' eyes were focused on me. I lightly clapped my hands during the gap.
"I am sorry for interfering."
"If you're sorry, don't intervene."
Before I could even start the engine, Kim Jung-hyun cut me off. Yeah, you punk. Let's see who wins. I suppressed my irritation and turned my face.
"But I felt like I had to intervene anyway. You know it's been an hour, right?"
"Oh, so?"
Kim Jung-hyun let out a hollow laugh. Judging by the nuance, it seemed like he meant, "Why are you interfering with me when you're a newbie?"
The old-fashioned nature that I had been holding back inside suddenly burst out, but... I held it in. If I upset him here, it'll be a disaster. What if my pride gets hurt? Since we're on the same team, I'm the one who should be the one to appease him.
"First... Hyung, why do you want to change parts?"
After meeting the leader of Ter, I practiced my speech in case I made a mistake, and it seemed to help, so I naturally called him hyung even if he was a younger trainee.
I glanced at Lee A-ram, and he was relatively quiet, crossing his arms.
"We need to know the reason too. That way, we can be convinced."
The monthly evaluation team missions are assigned songs and parts by the agency. However, unlike assigned songs, the parts are just guides like 'it would be good to do this', so the trainees can freely change them among themselves.
So if there's a good reason, changing parts is possible. Let's give him that signal and try to please him, and Kim Jung-hyun blurted out his thoughts.
"Um, I think this part doesn't suit me, so I want to change it."
"Ah.......... That, part doesn't, suit you?"
.........So, the reason this situation has been happening up until now is because of the whining like, 'I can't do this, so change it'?
'This is driving me crazy.'
The expressions of the remaining team members, except for Kim Jung-hyun, changed as if they had similar thoughts. In particular, Lee A-ram was expressing his bewilderment with his whole body.
I spoke before he could open his mouth to tell the truth.
"Then what part do you want to do, hyung?"
"From 'Even if everything changes', to here, the chorus part."
"It's A-ram hyung's part."
He just declared that he would stand out by monopolizing the part. I suppressed my irritation with difficulty and quickly thought about the assigned songs for the monthly evaluation.
"Then let's just redo the overall distribution. A-ram hyung, is that okay?"
"...Haa, okay."
Shit, I see all sorts of things. It seemed like Lee Aram muttered, but the team members pretended not to hear. The other team members also realized that this wouldn't end, so they had no choice.
After finishing the calculation, I brought the lyrics and reassembled the parts.
Since I was leading the conversation, no one complained when I, the (physically) youngest, was distributing the parts. Oh, except for one person.
"Can you give me a little more of my part?"
"Hey, if you have a conscience, just shut up."
Kim Junghyun's face crumpled fiercely at Lee Aram's words. Now that I look at it, it seems that Kim Junghyun's ill feelings toward Lee Aram played a part in this stubbornness. It seems that his inferiority complex also played a part.
'No matter what, you know that such a tantrum is disadvantageous to you.'
I looked around while observing Kim Jung-hyun. The team members were still staring into space like they were dying.
"Let's do the part like this and get right into copying the choreography."
"We'll each copy it, right?"
As I nodded, the team members dispersed in a flurry. I watched the video on my phone in the corner of the practice room and memorized the choreography.
Fortunately, I was able to memorize the choreography faster than anyone else.
Our team's designated song was 'Black Light' by a famous male idol group affiliated with a large company. This song, which combines electronic pop with a beat that smells like money, was famous for its intense performance.
'I think I did this challenge with the members before.'
Suddenly, I wanted to see the Planet members. What are they doing now? I wanted to hear news, but since all external group activities had stopped, that was impossible.
Seeing that they weren't on broadcasts or even SNS....
'No, I should stop thinking about other things and focus right now.'
I looked over my team members and shook my head. Even if I think about it now, there's no way to solve it, and struggling with a difficult problem won't help my mental health at all.
Now that I've thought about it all, let's start with practicing. I sighed deeply and focused on my body movements.
"Haa..."
***
After drinking a whole bottle of water, I wiped my sweaty face. When I took out my earphones, I could hear the surrounding noise.
Are there still people left? As I thought about that, a trainee who had just come out of the shower asked me while shaking his head.
"Aren't you going home?"
"I'm going to stay up all night. Is hyung getting off work?"
"Yeah, you too, don't overwork yourself and work hard."
"Okay. Please go safely."
People who were about to leave work left their seats. There were still some people practicing, but the practice room suddenly became spacious.
I stared at the mirror and put strength into my fingers. My fingertips trembled slightly but soon moved as I wanted.
'My senses are coming back slower than I thought.'
I've been practicing hard, cutting down on sleep since I possessed this body, but my skills haven't returned.
Since Yoo Young and Han A-won's body types are different, it's hard to adapt. It's like when I stretch my arms out completely but they're awkward, or when my legs fold at different angles than I intended.
'They're a bit longer and stiffer than my original body.'
How do possessors in other novels adapt so quickly? The feeling of alienation is no joke when you use someone else's body.
While I was moving my body while thinking about this and that.
"... Really dancing to the point where body breaks."
I heard a voice behind me. When I looked back, I saw Aram muttering to himself in the corner of the practice room. He frowned as if he felt my gaze.
"What are you looking at?"
I blink at the sharp tone and scratch my cheek. When I saw him in front of the water purifier, he didn't seem this sensitive.
"No, hyung, you're still here."
"Why, are you uncomfortable?"
"No way."
Rather than feeling uncomfortable, it would be more accurate to say that I didn't know you'd still be here. It's 3 AM right now. Lee Aram shook his head and sighed deeply. The dark circles running down his cheeks made him look very tired.
"If you're tired, go home. It's not good to overdo it."
"........ I can do more."
Isn't that enough? I think his throat looks a little sore. I paused for a moment and stared at Lee Aram.
'Lee Aram... I heard you were cut out of the debut group.'
I don't think I had to take care of him, but I felt uncomfortable because I remembered that he helped me earlier.
Should I say it's a guilty conscience? Changing parts would not have been possible if he had not agreed.
"Hyung, I'm going to go out for a bit. Don't lock the door."
"Yeah."
After much thought, I left Aram in the practice room and went outside with my wallet. The early morning air hit my face. I immediately went to a nearby convenience store and bought some warm honey water and glucose candy.
'It's been a while since I've had these. I always lived with them during my promotions.'
When we were preparing for an album or doing pre-recording for a music show, the managers would always bring them to me. Even if it wasn't my schedule, I carried them around like they were essential items because my job required me to work day and night.
Oh, while I'm at it, I should buy some red ginseng juice and some nutritional supplements to eat later. It's better to eat them well.
I walked out of the convenience store and under the bright streetlights, thinking about the health food brand I used to enjoy. They said they were going to do some street tree construction, but it was already finished. The road was quite pretty.
'Wow.......... It's good to be young.'
Even though it was dawn, I felt really energetic. I put the straw of the convenience store coffee in my mouth and felt the caffeine rising through my brain.
I was humming a song as I was about to enter the agency building.
Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm.
"Are you a trainee here?"
The first thought that came to my mind as soon as I saw the woman who grabbed me was one thing.
'Is she a sasaeng?'
It was late, and no matter how I looked at her, she wasn't just any ordinary pedestrian passing by; she was wandering around with her cell phone in her hand.
'My first day at work, no. It's the second day, so she probably won't recognize me.'
She was wandering around the agency, and when someone entered the building, it seemed like she would catch them like me right now.
As soon as I made up my mind, I put one hand in my pocket. Then I double-tapped my phone to turn on the recording function that I had set as a shortcut button.
"...I'm a trainee, but what's going on?"
"Ah~"
That's the end of it. The woman who had been staring at me nodded.
"There's nothing."
"....."
As expected, it wasn't me. I nodded as naturally as I could and passed by. It was awkward, but I recorded it, so it should be okay.
'It's been a while since I've been in a situation like this.'
Thanks to my time as a member of Han A-won, I've gotten into the habit of always having my recorder on wherever I go. I have a fierce impression, so I had fewer sasaengs than the other Planet members, but I did have some.
I didn't know that being a secondhand rookie could be helpful in this way. I changed my phone settings just in case after becoming Yoo Young, but I didn't know it would be used this quickly.
"I'm back."
When I opened the practice room door and went in, as expected, A-ram was practicing like crazy again. Even when I told him to take a break, he didn't listen to me.
"Hyung, come here for a moment."
"Why."
Regardless of whether he refused or not, I grabbed him and sat him down on the floor. His irritated eyes were fixed on me.
Before Aram could say anything, I rummaged through the convenience store bag and handed over some warm honey water and glucose candy.
"Eat this."
"What?"
"Hyung, your throat isn't in good condition. Practicing is good, but managing your condition is also important."
".....Ho."
You have to take care of yourself from a young age. For celebrities, their bodies are their assets.
Whether he hadn't expected this, Lee Aram was frozen in place. His face was changing every moment, as if his mind was in a state of confusion.
Well, he must be embarrassed because his younger brother, whom he's not even close with, was taking care of him. Judging from the way he went around the practice room, it didn't seem like there was anyone he was getting along with.
"Just close your eyes and rest for a bit, hyung."
"...Thank you."
Lee Aram, who had been blankly staring for a while, covered his face with both hands. His voice trailed off, as if he was sorry for getting annoyed.
I shrugged my shoulders lightly and got up from my seat.
Oh, that's right. I didn't say that.
"Hyung."
"Why."
When I called Lee Aram, I heard a more relaxed voice than before. I smiled playfully at him.
"You definitely won't regret changing the part."
I don't feel sorry for Kim Jung-hyun, but I'm a bit of a long-winded person.
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