By Zephyria “Well, something like that.”
“I don’t want to be shaken or scared by something that didn’t happen. I hope we can move according to the schedule without change. You go to Seoul with the team, and I’ll stay and film. No objections?”
Instead of answering, Sung Se-han opened the car door and got out of the sedan. I immediately followed Sung Se-han out of the car.
“I’ll do as you wish.”
Sung Se-han took out his phone from his training top pocket and checked something.
“I’ll leave Joong-seop Hyung behind, so if anything happens, ask him to help you right away.”
“That’s a bit….”
I wanted to refuse to leave Vice Manager, who was protecting Sung Se-han’s side, behind. But if I didn’t do that, Sung Se-han wouldn’t leave the studio, so I had no other choice.
“Okay, so go quickly. The team is waiting because of you.”
Sung Se-han nodded as I pointed in the direction where Perfect Puzzle’s van was parked.
“I’ll go after seeing you go in, Tae-kyung.”
I immediately turned around and ran to the studio. The phone in my hand kept vibrating, but what I was most concerned about was Sung Se-han, who would be watching me.
What should I do.
If Sung Se-han isn’t by my side even for a moment, if I can’t see him, I feel like I can’t stand it anymore.
I’ve come to like him this much, it’s too much for me to handle, what should I do now.
*
When I returned to the dorm after finishing the shoot, it was close to 5 AM.
Nevertheless, our team gathered in the practice room at exactly 9 AM and finished a high-intensity practice.
The reason why everyone, who must have been exhausted, could be so motivated was that we had essentially entered the survival show starting today.
At precisely 12 PM, the vocal cover songs of six teams will be released on the ‘Star Light’ YouTube official account.
Afterward, the first survival round will begin, ranking the teams based on the combined views and likes of their cover songs over the next three days.
While the other members headed to the cafeteria to eat lunch before the song’s release, I took a seat in an empty conference room.
I couldn’t possibly stomach any food at this moment, with the cover video about to be released.
I had poured my heart and soul into creating the perfect cover video. I put in so much effort that Hu-seon Hyung, who was directing, eventually begged me to stop. Therefore, I couldn’t help but be excited about the fans’ reactions.
However, the reason I was nervously shaking my leg in front of the laptop right now wasn’t just because of that.
I had naturally assumed that Perfect Puzzle would feature cover videos from the main vocalists, Mu-yeol or Song Woo-shin. But to my surprise, I heard the news that Sung Se-han’s cover video would be uploaded.
And that was just this morning.
I was a little disappointed that the adorable Sung Se-han hadn’t mentioned it to me, but anyway, I had been waiting all morning for the cover video to be released, and now, with five minutes to go until noon, I was extremely on edge.
In this empty conference room, the moment I opened my laptop, my heart was even more fluttery than on the day my first cover video was released.
Exactly at 12 PM, the cover videos of the six teams began to be uploaded.
Even without rapidly darting my eyes around, Perfect Puzzle’s cover video, which was uploaded first, immediately caught my attention.
A black and white image of Sung Se-han in a recording studio, wearing headphones and gazing at sheet music.
The thumbnail alone put so much strain on my heart that I couldn’t help but clutch my chest.
He was just wearing a short-sleeved white t-shirt, but the thumbnail scene looked like a luxury fashion spread. But for some reason, it felt a little bit lewd, and if I had to be picky, I didn’t think it would be a very dignified fashion spread.
It was a scene that made me instantly understand the fans who said that Sung Se-han’s eyes were sexy.
The cover song I confirmed was Bryan Adams’ Heaven. My fingers trembled slightly as I played the video.
“Ah.”
From the moment Sung Se-han uttered the first verse on the screen, my mind became hazy.
I covered my mouth with the hand that had been pressing against my chest.
His sweet voice, singing that he was everything I wanted, was heaven.
The way his rich ash-brown hair fell naturally, the occasional furrowing of his brow, his thick, broad shoulders, and his long arms with lean muscles.
And his brown eyes, shining beautifully even in monochrome. Everything that made up Sung Se-han was heaven.
The video ended and an advertisement started playing, but I couldn’t easily escape from the heaven that Sung Se-han had shown and let me hear.
“Ha… I’m going crazy.”
I covered my forehead and lowered my head. I didn’t have the energy to watch my own cover video.
The cover song I had ambitiously prepared was Tevin Campbell’s Tell Me What You Want Me To Do.
While preparing this song, I had been focused on something other than competing with the other teams. I wanted to make Sung Se-han genuinely fall for my vocals, and I was confident that I could do it.
But now, I had lost all motivation.
In front of Sung Se-han’s rich, relaxed, and even sexy voice, my song was just amateurish.
“Seriously, this is too much.”
I wanted to be better at singing than anything else. In front of Sung Se-han, I felt like a worthless human being with no abilities, and a sense of inferiority washed over me.
Ding-dong.
The familiar notification sound made me freeze with my forehead covered.
[How to prevent the death of genius idol Sung Se-han.]
“Wait a minute!”
I jumped up and frantically looked around, searching for the red-lettered Status Window.
“Wait a minute! Just now, just now, I definitely didn’t feel inferior! Really! I’m just envious. I don’t feel inferior to Se-han anymore!”
I was so desperate that I unconsciously stamped my feet.
“T-The truth is, I have something to say to Status Window-nim, but you don’t show up often enough! So I pretended to be jealous on purpose! Really!”
[……?]
A voice of conscience told me that it wasn’t right to lie to an adult, but I had to live first.
“If you raise my Inferiority Score because of this, you’re making a big mistake. If I show you my true feelings….”
[I didn’t come out because of the Inferiority Score, though?]
Huh…? My heart was pounding so hard that I could only move my lips, but I finally straightened my posture. Whew. I was so surprised that I was sweating on my forehead.
“You suddenly appeared… I misunderstood….”
I couldn’t relax yet because I hadn’t received confirmation that the Inferiority Score hadn’t changed.
“Hello. It’s been a while.”
Still, I bowed politely.
“The weather’s nice in May… I hope you’ve been doing well.”
[No? I haven’t been doing well?]
Status Window’s prickly response made my stomach clench.
“Why, why haven’t you been doing well….”
[How could I be comfortable when Lee Tae-kyung is running around blabbing about the scenes he saw through the Status Window?]
Haha. You didn’t appear because of the Inferiority Score, but because of a penalty.
“That’s, I absolutely didn’t do that on purpose….”
[Whether it was intentional or not, you knew that violating the rules would result in a penalty, right?]
Ten penalties are better than one Inferiority Score point. Thinking that way, I could gladly accept even difficult penalties.
“But, I also have something to complain about.”
[Complain…? What does Lee Tae-kyung have to complain about….]
I spread my hands and made the most pitiful expression I could.
“No, if you had given me a manual from the beginning, I would have read it carefully. From the start, the Status Window system isn’t well-established, so I keep getting unfair penalties. I….”
[…….]
Bringing up the Status Window’s system was crossing the line, but I had a clear purpose today, so I couldn’t back down.
Whew. I could clearly hear Status Window sighing.
[So what are you saying? What do you want?]
The moment Status Window-nim got angry, I felt like I was going to burst out laughing, so I clenched my teeth tightly. Wow, how can the way you talk be so similar?
“I’m not saying I don’t want to receive penalties, but if possible, I’d like to be able to choose the penalty.”
[So, what do you want to choose?]
It was the moment I had been waiting for, but I couldn’t help but hesitate. I was well aware that I was being too selfish.
“Se-han’s… I want to know his Mom.”
Sung Se-han had started to reveal his hidden stories, but he was reluctant to even utter the word “Mom.”
“During the time that Se-han was having such a hard time… what was Se-han’s Mom doing… why wasn’t she by Se-han’s side? I want to know.”
Even if Sung Se-han doesn’t want it, I want to know the wounds he holds.
I couldn’t give up the desire to look inside him and know him more.
[That seems like an appropriate penalty.]
I felt momentarily bewildered by the Status Window’s easy acceptance.
[Sung Se-han would never want Lee Tae-kyung to see that scene.]
Sung Se-han would never want it. My mind snapped back as if I had been hit on the head.
“Wait a minute! I think I was wrong. I’ll change the penalty….”
[The determined penalty will be executed within 7 days!]
There were no more opportunities to speak. The Status Window disappeared from before me, leaving only a cold aura.