Chapter 149 - 149

Chapter 149

Dawn of the 29th.

We left our dorm early in the morning for the pre-recording of Music K Showdown held at the KNet building.

Because we have to go into pre-recording with hair, makeup, and coordination all finished.

It really felt like there was a mountain of work to do.

"I can't open my eyes...."

"Hwaaam...."

"...."

The members who usually sleep a lot were having a hard time even inside the car.

Heo Yu-bin was rubbing his eyes, trying to overcome the sleepiness.

Yoo Minha yawned like a lion and wiped away the tears from his eyes.

Ji Yoon-chul was taking advantage of the interlude to take a nap.

I guess we'll have to get used to waking up this early from now on.

As I looked at the youngest line with worried eyes, Song Hyung-bin, who was sitting in the back row, started taking out something one by one.

"I knew this would happen, so I prepared in advance."

"What did you bring, hyung?"

"It hasn't melted yet, right?"

When I asked what he had prepared, Song Hyung-bin smiled brightly and lifted a bag of chocolates.

"I thought the kids would get sleepy if we went out so early in the morning. So I bought some snacks in advance to recharge their batteries."

"Certainly, chocolate contains caffeine, which is good for keeping you alert."

"The Karis I know certainly never said things like that."

"This is just basic knowledge, Siyoon."

We got energy by eating the chocolate that Song Hyung-bin gave us.

I felt a little bad about waking up Ji Yoon-chul, who was sleeping soundly, but even if it was just a light nap, I had to be careful because his eyes would get swollen if he slept any longer.

"... I suddenly missed something."

"What?"

Heo Yu-bin, who was munching on chocolate, suddenly spoke as if something had occurred to him.

His gaze was fixed on the chocolate.

"When I was in IPS, the first person I became close with, other than Karis hyung-nim or Siyoon hyung, was Ken. We were on the same team during the first team match... I suddenly remembered Ken giving us chocolates back then."

"Oh, that's right. When Yubin mentioned it, I suddenly remembered it too."

At the mention of Ken Hashimoto's name, a sudden surge of nostalgia came over me.

I thought of Ken Hashimoto, who was in Park Se-han's cell during the first team match.

Because the percentage of foreign trainees among the participants of was very low, I felt a faint sense of kinship from the moment I first saw him.

I could clearly picture him approaching me with a bright smile, offering me chocolate and saying he wanted to become close to me.

'He was a kind younger brother who I met quite often in the same group.'

Like most of the participants, Ken Hashimoto is said to have returned to his normal trainee life after Idol Producing Simulation ended.

Since they've already made an impression on the public through survival shows, if they can just make an official debut through their agency, they'll probably be able to gain some popularity.

I nodded to Heo Yu-bin, who was thinking the same thing as me.

"We'll be able to see Ken on stage soon. I'm sure it will happen."

"... I think so too, hyung!"

Heo Yu-bin looked at me with bright eyes.

Whenever I see him, I can't help but think of my younger brother, Ray von Walden, in the game.

Ray was always a child who longed for a bright world.

An innocent child who always stuck to me like a piece of gum.

Even in the world of , which was mainly filled with episodes related to war, he was the only younger brother who wanted peace.

If he hadn't died, he might have been looking at the world where the Demon King died with bright eyes like Heo Yu-bin.

As I was looking into Heo Yu-bin's eyes for no reason, I felt a longing emotion, and this time too, due to an irresistible force, I had no choice but to stroke Heo Yu-bin's head.

"Let's prepare to give it our all today, including Ken's share who has been practicing hard."

"Of course!"

"I feel like I can do anything when I listen to Karis."

Kang Si-yoon nodded vigorously, his expression filled with emotion.

I opened my eyes narrowly towards him.

"Siyoon, are you really that moved?"

"Of course! I always get teary-eyed whenever I hear you say that?"

"If only you didn't have that habit of exaggerating, you would be a really good friend."

"Tsk, it's not easy to get over it now."

Chae Eun-gyu, who was listening to my conversation with Kang Si-yoon, suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I suddenly thought of it because of Siyoon. I think it's true that I really gain willpower thanks to Karis."

"Right? I'm not exaggerating."

"I should say he has a strange persuasive power."

Chae Eun-gyu said something similar during the third competition.

He said that he was able to gain strength because of my mediation and that he was able to withstand Baek Si-hwa's trolling.

'... Of course, I spoke a little well, but wasn't it because my passive skill was activated without me knowing?'

A passive skill that increases the persuasiveness of my speech, 'Genius of Speech.'

It's a skill that I didn't think was that important because idols don't go to debate competitions.

After hearing what people around me had to say, I thought that if this skill were to be upgraded in the future, it would have incredible effects.

'Even though it's a C grade, it's so convincing, so if it were upgraded to an A grade....'

I smiled slightly to myself.

I don't think I'll often find myself in a situation where I have to subjugate or manipulate someone.

However, if I can encourage the members' will in this way in daily lives, I think it will be very useful.

Song Hyung-bin spoke in a low voice as he put the bag of chocolates into the trunk.

"As Karis said, the moment we all dream of is right in front of us. We said something similar during our debut show, but let's come down from the stage without any regrets."

"Yes!"

* * *

'Why is it so hot even though it's dawn?'

Homma, who arrived at Sangam-dong early in the morning, was very dissatisfied with the Korean summer weather.

The weather was getting hotter as the days went by, so even though she left home this early in the morning, she was sweating.

On top of that, she was carrying a lot of things, so she felt like the discomfort index was rising even more.

Homma checked the camera and looked at the crowd that had gathered early.

As expected, there were a lot of people who gathered to take pictures of Seleste's way to work.

'The daily fan manager didn't mention anything at all, so I'll just film the kids saying hello today.'

There were many benefits to participating in the official broadcast recording.

There were also groups that gave out gifts through lucky draws every time you checked in during a set period of time, as well as photo cards exclusive to the workshop.

You can also see a daily fan manager event where the members take turns performing the role of fan manager.

There was nothing more thrilling than receiving a photo card handed out directly by your idol.

Of course, there are many things to be aware of, such as having to wake up early in the morning and standing for long periods of time.

'It's hot, my legs hurt, and it's tiring, but all the fatigue will go away when I see Karis' face.'

Homma, who had already seen Karis in person several times, could not forget the ecstatic feeling she had experienced once.

It's not just her.

Anyone who has encountered the tremendous energy that Karis radiates on the scene will naturally come to see his face more closely.

On the one hand, she was a little worried about the crowds being more crowded than she expected.

Even though Seleste is a heavenly idol with experience in broadcasting thanks to , if this many people gather at once, something might happen.

In particular, data selling guys who aren't true fans of Seleste could cause trouble.

There are many cases where they don't care about morality and just look after the photos of specific members, and they ignore the group and bully the people around them.

'I've seen a lot of crazy guys in the past. I hope there won't be any this time... but realistically, it'll be difficult.'

Despite Homma's worries, she was still very excited to see Seleste up close.

"Seleves, come over here and stand!"

Before the members arrived, a document check was conducted.

To avoid being nitpicked by the strict Sigma staff, whom Homma had also experienced during the debut show, she checked her documents three times in advance.

So, fortunately, she was able to pass by receiving an attendance stamp and a workshop photocard.

If you missed even one of the announced items, you will be sent to the standby number without mercy.

"No, you can see it all on my phone! I bought music from Grapefruit Charts―"

"I clearly told you to bring me a copy of your purchase history."

After the document review, the vague waiting came again.

Homma spent her time imagining what Karis's casual fashion would be like.

And finally, from far away, the screams of fans began to be heard.

'I guess they're here!'

Homma quickly set up the camera and waited.

The first person captured by her lens was Seleste's leader, Song Hyung-bin.

"Hello! Hello!"

Song Hyung-bin continued to wave his hand at fans.

He also slowed down his walking pace a bit to interact with more Seleves.

It was a moment where you could see why he had gathered such a strong fan base early on during the survival show.

Then, Heo Yu-bin and Yoo Min-ha, wearing masks, passed by one after another.

"Hello, Seleve!"

"Thank you so much for coming so early in the morning!"

Homma smiled like a mother while she filmed a preview of the same-age line.

Obviously, Seleste's youngest is Ji Yoon-chul, but for some reason, whenever she sees these two, she feels like they are younger than Ji Yoon-chul.

"Wow!"

"Karis!"

And finally, the moment that Homma had been waiting for arrived.

Hearing the screams of Karis' name, Homma held her breath and looked beyond the grid.

"Hello, Seleve!"

"Hello."

If they were to appear as a pair, she expected it would be with Kang Si-yoon.

Karis walked side by side with Ji Yoon-chul.

'Cra, crazy.'

The two-shot that fans had only imagined in their heads at the time of , was now unfolding before their eyes.

And she's not talking about watching it on TV; she's talking about it in real life.

Homma screamed in her mind.

Karis was giving a ball heart to Seleve.

Thanks to his tall stature and broad shoulders, even a simple black short-sleeved shirt would look great.

Unlike Hye-Yoo-Bin and Yoo-Min-Ha, Karis did not wear a mask.

Even though his skin looked like it had barely any makeup on, not a single blemish was visible.

Should she say it's like pure white porcelain?

'... This is so fraudulent.'

Now, she heard so many people say he's handsome that her mouth hurts, but she can't think of anything to say.

Could it be said that God created the maximum possible form of a human face?

From both the front and the side, it felt like a wall of another dimension that other idols could not overcome.

Ji Yoon-chul, standing next to him, also showed off an overwhelming proportion that had never been seen before.

His visuals come from his small face that looks like it will disappear at any moment, and his superior height of 187cm.

There have been many golden maknaes in the idol world so far, but Ji Yoon-chul is probably the best among them.

After taking a ton of these graceful two-shots and a solo preview of Karis, Homma was finally able to exhale.

When she was taking the picture, it was only for a moment, but her eyes met with Karis's through the lens.

It was dangerous because she felt like she was going to lose her mind.

'I don't know anymore.'

It was Homma who always controlled herself so as not to get overly excited.

If she screams so loud that her throat hurts, the ears of the people around her will hurt too.

But today, she thought it would be okay to throw that thought away.

Homma vowed that today, at least, she would cheer on the stage even if it meant sacrificing her vocal cords.

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