27: Cruising and Difficulties
Neoul, the worst dancer among the team members, stuttered and diligently practiced the choreography. It was clear that his limbs were more free-moving than before.
Fortunately, since Woo Cheong didn't make any major changes to the choreography he had originally created, and only changed the basic structure here and there, there was no problem in filling his head with the movements.
The middle school girl ghosts hanging from the ceiling muttering were noisy, but...
There was something else that bothered him more.
"No matter what I do, it won't work!"
"If it doesn't work, we have to practice until we can. I think we could do it well if we tried one more time, so let's try again. Okay?"
"Look at this! You don't know what it feels like to be a person who can't do it no matter how hard you try! That's why you chose a difficult song without consulting me! You're good at everything!"
Someone slammed the door open in the practice room on the right and shouted. Baek Yuri's voice could also be heard, trying to calm down the angry teammate with kind words.
The voices of other teammates overlapped behind them.
"Just tell him to leave. Why are you holding onto him?"
"Hey, can't you read the mood? Be quiet."
"No, it's frustrating. He makes excuses and just sit around and don't practice, so why is he taking it out on us? Do we have to lower the difficulty level just because of him?"
"Turn off the mic then talk."
"Don't tell me what to do, okay?"
The atmosphere became increasingly tense.
Amidst the noise that echoed through the hallway, the door to the left practice room opened. This time, the sound of someone running out while sobbing could be heard.
"My part is the shortest! It won't even be on camera for 10 seconds! Why did you pick 14 people? If I get eliminated, it'll all be because of Yeo Dobin hyung!"
Oh...
There was chaos on both sides.
The left practice room was Yeo Dobin, who resembled Sangsang, and the 14-person team.
"So, sorry... Then you can take my part too..."
"Hey, Dobin. That's not right. You gave your part earlier and now you only have one verse of the bridge left."
"But..."
"The bridge is high! How can I sing that when I'm a rapper! Are you doing that on purpose to make me sound like a slob on stage?"
"Ah, no...!"
Since Yeo Dobin's team had so many members, it seemed like the practice wasn't progressing due to the constant fight over the number of parts.
They each applied for the part they wanted to do and sang it, and then voted based on who was good at it. Naturally, the parts went to two or three people with good skills, and conflicts arose.
They tried to distribute it evenly later, but complaints, big and small, continued to follow.
The young contestants, mostly, blushed in frustration and ran outside to avoid the cameras. However, there were still cameras in the hallway.
"This is difficult...."
Neoul muttered as he listened outside the door.
"That's right. The leaders must have had a hard time. Baek Yuri's hair is like steel hair that can withstand a lot of bleaching, but he might lose it all today because of the stress."
Baek Gi-yeom shook his head and showed the movements to Neoul, who was dancing while struggling.
Neoul struggled again.
"It's not difficult for Sir Baek Yuri to lose his hair."
"Huh? R-really? Wigs are popular these days, but isn't it difficult for an idol trainee...?"
"Right now, Sir Baek Yuri's hair is not important."
"Then what's the problem?"
Neoul looked toward the door. Their team members were currently out for a moment to do an interview.
But in fact, they weren't there to do an interview.
***
There's an event that idol entertainment shows always include.
A surprise birthday camera.
Usually, team members would pretend to fight each other to make the birthday person anxious, and then when the mood got heated, they would surprise the person with a cake and reveal that it was a surprise camera.
It was an event that allowed viewers to see how the person who was being teased would deal with the conflict situation, and also see other trainees' performances of trying to tease them, so it was a fun event.
However, many viewers felt uncomfortable with this kind of tease because it could make the person being teased feel like an idiot, and they wondered if it was right to hurt someone's feelings on a birthday that should be fun.
'It's always the same, so there are many comments that it's cliche.'
That's why PD Seok Oh-young prepared a new tease to match the concept of a healing variety show.
Since Baek Gi-yeom, who was born on July 16th, happened to be on the current filming date, he called his team members and gave them the role of a surprise camera to celebrate his birthday.
"Gal Neoul contestant is actually someone from the future 40 years later and is lying that he is Baek Gi-yeom's son! When asked why his last name is different, he said that he took his mother's last name."
"Huh…?"
PD Seok Oh-young put a tear stick in Neoul's hand with a sinister expression.
"It's important to speak as seriously as possible. Put it on your eyes and pretend to cry while fooling him. The other team members will pretend to be interviewed. Then the Gal Neoul contestant will act, and in the meantime, the other team members will go in with a cake and sing the Happy Birthday song."
There were several reasons why Gal Neoul was chosen as the actor to fool Baek Gi-yeom.
First of all, he has no history, no experience as a trainee, and no record of having attended school. He said that he was sick a lot since he was young, so he looked like someone who fell from the sky.
Since Baek Gi-yeom has wide connections and is already close to most of the participants, Gal Neoul, who was not originally close with him, was the perfect fit for the surprise camera setting.
Also, as PD Seok Oh-young watched while monitoring the filming, Gal Neoul's nature was innocent and gentle. Sometimes, he even showed a glimpse of his childish innocence.
This means that he has an image that he would not be good at lying.
However, in his first appearance, Gal Neoul immediately told Baek Yu-ri that he was a prince from the Dragon Palace and showed quite realistic acting.
He thought that Gal Neoul's appearance of acting quite shamelessly with an innocent-looking image would be a fun point.
In Baek Gi-yeom's case, unlike his beast-like impression, his personality seemed very bright and affectionate, but he didn't seem easy enough to be fooled by such a ridiculous surprise camera.
It would be fun if there was a scene where Neoul completely fooled him, but Baek Gi-yeom pretending to be fooled could also have highlighted the chemistry between the participants.
If Neoul showed off his acting skills, it would have been funny in its own way.
Whether he knew PD Seok Oh-young's intentions or not, Gal Neoul was asking Woo Cheong what cake was. Woo Cheong told him that it was a very sweet, soft, and delicious snack.
"Raccoon Hyung-nim, have you never had cake?"
When Neoul nodded to Woo Cheong's question, Woo Cheong made a very shocked expression.
"Then, a birthday party... never...."
What kind of misunderstanding did he have?
Woo Cheong twisted his lips as if he was looking at the most pitiful person in the world. Go Woon-goo and Daiki next to him were the same.
PD Seok Oh-young also clicked his tongue inwardly.
'You said you've never even eaten kimbap, and that everything you eat is something you're eating for the first time.... No matter how much the child is sick, how can they never let him see delicious food?'
Everyone looked at Gal Neoul with pity, and he made a bewildered expression as he often did.
"....?"
His face was filled with the question, 'Why are you doing that?'
Gal Neoul seemed more curious about the sweet and delicious cake, regardless of whether they looked at him pitifully.
***
So, at present, the original plan was to set the mood and fool Baek Gi-yeom 10 minutes after the team members left.
However, after 5 minutes, Baek Yu-ri's team and Yeo Do-bin's team started arguing, and the hallway became noisy, so there was no time to say nonsense like 'I'm actually your son', 'You're my father.'
'I have to deal with them first!'
Neoul quickly opened the door and came out into the hallway.
In the right hallway, there was a grumbling human, Baek Yuri trying to comfort him, and two of Baek Yuri's teammates peeking out from the doorway.
In the left hallway, there was a human crouching in the blind spot of the camera, crying, Yeo Do-bin crouching in front of him, looking flustered, and Yeo Do-bin's teammates looking like they had a headache.
Neoul first grabbed the problematic teammate on the right with Baek Yuri's arms and dragged them away.
"What, what is it?!"
"Neoul ssi?"
"Neoul ssi! What's wrong! Where are you going!"
Baek Gi-yeom also followed behind in surprise. The camera quickly followed the participants who suddenly headed outside. Neoul, who went outside, answered without saying much.
"The first one to get from here to the end wins."
"Huh?!"
"Neoul ssi. Why are you suddenly having a running race...…."
Neoul smiled softly at the two.
"You have to follow the winner's words without question."
"I don't want to?!"
"Neoul ssi."
Baek Yuri was also flustered, thinking that this wasn't right, but Neoul didn't care.
"One, two, go!"
"Aaaissh!"
The problematic team member who was throwing a tantrum acted like he would never run, but then ran forward. Baek Yuri followed suit with a bewildered expression.
Baek Yuri couldn't hide his feelings of wondering if this was okay, so he adjusted his speed as if to give him some leeway, and then returned five steps faster at the end.
"Ah! I lost! I am screwed!"
The problematic team member gritted his teeth and shouted.
"We suddenly ran and weren't prepared! Three rounds! Three rounds and two wins! What we just did is invalid! One round from now!"
"Let's do that."
Baek Yuri immediately agreed.
At first glance, it seemed like he was just accepting the complaint, but in fact, he was confident that he could win all three or ten rounds.
His head was a little dizzy as to whether he really had to do this, but... Since his teammate himself said that they should run the race again, he didn't think he would say anything after losing.
"Get ready."
"Oh, wait, wait!"
The team member warmed up by tearing his legs, turning his ankles, and stretching, then put his fingertips on the ground and set himself in a starting position like a runner.
"All right!"
"Ready. Go!"
Whoosh! The two of them ran forward, cutting through the wind.
The result was a complete victory for Baek Yuri.
The problematic team member lay on the floor, panting. Sweat was dripping down the bridge of his nose. Baek Yuri didn't seem to be out of breath, he was fine but he did look a little hot.
Seeing that, the problematic team member looked even more sullen and kicked the air wildly. He looked up at the clear sky where the clouds were drifting away, then stood up and spoke to Baek Yuri in a slightly more relaxed voice.
"Let's go in. Let's try one more time."
Baek Yuri stared at his team member with wide eyes in surprise.
"Yes! Thank you for thinking about it again!"
It was a bewildering but brighter voice. Baek Yuri asked Neoul.
"How did you do it?"
Neoul shrugged. Nothing much happened, he just remembered that when there was a conflict between soldiers in the Dragon Palace, they would settle it with a swimming competition or a strength test.
The order of the Dragon Palace was maintained by following the words of the stronger, faster, and more learned. The reason why the king of the sea was a dragon was also very simple. Because he was the strongest and wisest. The strong had to become king in order to protect the weak.
'And after a good workout, my head feels refreshed.'
He thought that after running, the sharp mind that was ahead of reason would soften a little.
"Wow. This is... the solution...?"
Baek Gi-yeom muttered quietly behind Neoul.
As they entered the hallway, Yeo Do-bin and his teammates who had been watching everything through the window suddenly hid from the window.
Neoul stared at the young teammate who had clearly stopped crying and Yeo Do-bin. He was about to ask them if they wanted to go out and have a running race.
"Okay, we'll take care of it!"
Among Yeo Do-bin's teammates, the older one hurriedly stepped forward, patted the young teammate on the back, and motioned for him to go inside.
"Sorry for making a fuss!"
The teammates rushed inside, and Yeo Do-bin, who had been watching, bowed his head and followed them, closing the door.
"I hope things work out well for that team too. Right?"
Baek Gi-yeom whispered.
Neoul nodded and stared at the closed door. Then, as he was about to go back into the practice room with Baek Gi-yeom,
Neoul turned his head and saw people sneaking up behind Baek Gi-yeom with cakes far behind him.
'Already!'
When Neoul opened his eyes wide, Baek Gi-yeom tried to look back. Neoul hurriedly grabbed Baek Gi-yeom by the collar and shook him so that he couldn't look back.
"Why! Why, why are you doing that! Neoul!"
Neoul shouted urgently before the cake arrived.
"Abbamama! No, Father!"
"Ugh?"
"Soja, no, I actually came from the future 40 years later to meet my father! Father!"
[Soja = means 'I / me' A word used by a son to refer to himself in talking to his parents.]
Baek Yuri and his teammates' jaws dropped in surprise at Neoul's bombshell(?) as they were about to enter the practice room.
Baek Gi-yeom raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes in all directions, wondering what was going on.
At that moment, Neoul covered Baek Gi-yeom's eyes with his hand and applied a tear stick to his own eyes.
'Ah! It's spicy!'
The tears that had welled up in an instant flowed down.
He took his hands off Baek Gi-yeom's eyes and hurriedly continued speaking, but his eyes were so spicy that he couldn't open them at all.
"Unworthy Son Neoul meets the great Abam... Father!"
Baek Gi-yeom stood frozen for 0.5 seconds in the unexpected situation, then he put strength into his lips and held back laughter while trembling.
'Is this a surprise camera?'
It was ironic that he spoke in a Joseon Dynasty style even though he was from the future.
Baek Gi-yeom opened his eyes wide and pretended to be surprised, then grabbed Neoul's shoulder and willingly joined in on this strange comedy.
"Yeah! You're welcome, son! But why did you come?!"
"I'm a Gal, according to my mother's last name!."
Neoul, who was preparing for the question that PD Seok Oh-young had expected, blurted out a nonsensical answer. Baek Gi-yeom lowered his head and shook his chin once more, then quickly raised his head with a normal face and answered naturally.
"It doesn't really matter. Son! You must have brought the lottery number with you when you came, right?"
"What's the lottery...number...?"
"Oh, you have no sense, son. Do you have any siblings?"
This wasn't a question I expected!
Neoul wiped away the tears that were streaming down his face and answered carelessly.
"No?"
"Then I had my first child at 42? I must have gotten married late! I must be living a life worthy of a professional idol! I guess I'll succeed in debuting!"
Did he get fooled?
Neoul blinked his eyes in confusion. His eyes were so red that he couldn't open them straight, so he couldn't see clearly. He was even more confused because he could only hear the voice.
It seemed like he was teasing him, not to mention being fooled.
But still, Neoul answered diligently.
"Yes! That's right! That's right!"
"What the hell? What's that!"
Ahahahahaha!
Baek Giyeom burst into laughter. It was funny how you worked hard and fought with tears in your eyes to overcome such a ridiculous setting.
"You should put away the tear stick in your hand and lie!"
"Aah...!"
As he was hurriedly hiding the tear stick in his pocket, a cake with a single lit candle arrived.
Go Woon-gu and Daiki set off firecrackers on both sides.
Bang! Bang!
Baek Gi-yeom and Neoul jumped in surprise at the sound of the firecrackers. Baek Gi-yeom looked back and found a cake and let out a single word, 'Ah.' It seemed that he had expected the surprise camera, but not the birthday cake.
"Happy birthday, Giyeomi hyung-nim!"
Woo Cheong congratulated him and dipped whipped cream into Baek Gi-yeom's face.
"Oh my, thank you everyone...! I thought you were doing something! But it was my birthday today! I was so out of it that I didn't even realize it was my birthday."
Even though he knew that it was a filming event prepared by the production team to get some interesting footage, Baek Gi-yeom looked down at the cake and furrowed his eyebrows in a somewhat moved mood.
Soon, he laughed cheerfully.
"Then Neoul will become my son because of this?! Son! Hahaha! Thank you for this! Let's eat cake, son!"
Neoul held out a tear stick and complained.
"I will never put such a hideous thing in my eyes again."
He complained with his eyes swollen shut, and soon his eyes and mind were taken away by the white whipped cream cake. Baek Gi-yeom muttered, "Who wouldn't say you're a glutton?" and burst out laughing with whipped cream on his nose.
PD Seok Oh-young, who was watching the situation on the screen, chuckled as he watched Neoul eating cake with his eyes turned into sausages.
He didn't know he would become such a desperate and sloppy slapstick, but the sight of Neoul floundering around was quite funny.
"I think it would be good to edit it as 'vocal genius but stupid' or something like that."
The assistant director said about the character on the screen. PD Seok Oh-young muttered while wiggling his feet.
"That's not bad either."
There seems to be a direction that will make the character more distinct.
"Let's watch a little more."
The corners of his mouth went up as he got up from his seat.
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