By Zephyria I don’t know how to control my heart, which is boiling as if I’ve been betrayed, in front of Sung Se-han, who hasn’t done anything wrong.
“Ah…”
I want to run away from this place right now.
I want to go to a place where I can’t see Sung Se-han. It would have been better if we hadn’t met at all. If I had just watched from afar, it wouldn’t have been this painful…
“Tae-kyung Hyung, our team is this way.”
I quickly raised my head because Ho-soo grabbed my hand. But I was just confused because I couldn’t see properly in my shaking vision.
“Tae-kyung Hyung, do you have a headache?”
I shook my head forcefully at Ho-soo’s worried question.
“No, I’m okay. Where is our team?”
“Tae-kyung Hyung, we’re yellow. There’s a separate spot to stand for each team like this.”
Jeong-min pointed at the floor and pushed my back. I was embarrassed to be seen by the members because I was standing there dumbly without hearing a word from the host.
It’s a relief that I can feel embarrassment. That means there’s still some sanity left.
“Okay, Perfect Puzzle, who came in last in today’s hidden mission, will receive a penalty! What is it? The cover song that will be released on June 1st will be uploaded a whopping 2 hours later than the other teams!”
“Yes?”
“Huh! Really?”
The set buzzed at Nam Sang-jin’s words, who was holding the microphone. If it’s a cover song battle, the side that uploads first is definitely advantageous. If it’s uploaded 2 hours later, the number of views will inevitably be greatly pushed back.
“Wow! I’m glad I didn’t wash my hair!”
“It would have been a disaster if I had changed my clothes!”
The teams that had arrived earlier all breathed a sigh of relief as if they were relieved.
“Seriously, why are the Perfect Puzzle people so late? They’re 40 minutes later than the other teams. Is this supposed to mean, ‘It’s okay if we’re late, we don’t care about filming!’ or something?”
At Nam Sang-jin’s words, Song Woo-shin waved his hands, looking troubled.
“No, that’s not it! Our members are just heavy sleepers, and no matter how much we try to wake them, they just won’t get up.”
Does he think anyone else woke up bright and early because they don’t sleep in? My eyes were narrowing as I stared at the Perfect Puzzle members across from me, or rather, at Sung Se-han, who was standing crookedly at the very end.
“Plus, one of our members insisted on showering before coming, which made us even later.”
“What? What did you say? The other teams couldn’t even wash up and rushed over in their pajamas, but you’re saying someone showered before coming? Who was it? Tell us!”
“I’d rather not reveal the member’s name…”
Song Woo-shin, wearing a sly smile, gestured to the right with his chin.
“This way? Myung-yoon? No? Then Roy? No?”
Song Woo-shin shook his head each time Nam Sang-jin pointed. Finally, only one person was left. I, still unable to collect myself, stubbornly kept my head down.
“It was me.”
But when I heard that voice again, the one I only heard in my dreams, I couldn’t hold back any longer and lifted my gaze.
“I’m the reason Perfect Puzzle was the latest, because I was showering.”
Sung Se-han, who had raised his left hand, gave a slight eye smile. I was momentarily stunned, watching the beautiful smile spread from his eyes to his entire face.
“Sung Se-han, that doesn’t sound like a remorseful attitude, does it? You know you’ve already received a penalty, and it’s no use regretting it now, right?”
“I am remorseful, but I don’t regret it. Because…”
Sung Se-han, who had been talking to Nam Sang-jin, suddenly turned his head.
The moment his gleaming brown eyes turned to me, my heart dropped with a thud. In that brief moment of eye contact, my mind went blank, and I hurriedly clutched my T-shirt.
“I wanted to show you all my best self for the first shoot. That’s more important to me.”
Even after blinking several times, my head was still fuzzy, and I couldn’t come to my senses. What just happened? Did I just make eye contact with Sung Se-han?
No, that can’t be. Sung Se-han was only looking at the host and the members; he didn’t even glance in our direction.
I must have been mistaken. I must have been so lost in thought that I lost my mind.
“Wow, Sung Se-han! I think this every time I see you, but you’re a player, Sung Se-han! Right? Don’t you think so?”
A warm laugh spread throughout the set, but somehow the atmosphere felt unnatural. Everyone must have been feeling it. An unknown tension had been lingering since Perfect Puzzle appeared.
“Tae-kyung Hyung, Perfect Puzzle’s arrival makes the other teams look a little uglier. Don’t you think?”
“Ahahaha…”
Jeong-min, whispering with a microphone on is pointless. Please think about the fact that it might all be broadcasted….
“Hey, it’s not that bad, is it? Our Hyungs are handsome too, what are you talking about.”
“True. It’s just that Sung Se-han stands out too much. If you look at the average, we’re not bad either.”
Suddenly, Ho-soo joined in, and the two of them put their heads together, making a fuss.
“So, our team is second in terms of looks…”
“Guys.”
I put my hands behind my back and slowly turned around. Since the camera couldn’t capture my face, I glared at them to my heart’s content.
“I couldn’t hear what the announcer was saying because of all your chatter.”
“I heard it, Tae-kyung Hyungnim.”
Soo-in, who was standing at the very back, suddenly poked his face out.
“He said they’re going to pick a representative from each team to play a game. For the right to choose the round 3 performance…”
“Play a game?”
What is he talking about? I turned back with a bewildered expression, and the staff were moving various props around while the cameras were rolling.
“What is this…”
Isn’t this an idol survival show filming? What is that mat, and what are those ropes? Why do we need those?
“Alright! Now, let’s begin the first act of the idol survival ‘Star Light’! The long-awaited physical test!”
What? What test?
Amidst the atmosphere of all the teams cheering, I started clapping a beat late.
“What will the first physical test be? Yes! It’s the one thing men can never lose at: Chicken Fighting!”
“Woah!”
Chicken fighting…? Ha… Is this really happening?
They said we would compete on stage, but once filming started, they created a physical test site out of nowhere. But everyone else was enjoying it without any resistance, so I seemed to be the only one confused.
“Alright, which members from each team are confident in chicken fighting? Please come forward!”
Seriously, why is the announcer yelling so much? I was so dumbfounded that even Nam Sang-jin’s excited hosting started to bother me.
The previous Star Light was conducted in a standard idol survival format. To match that, we thought about the quality of the songs for a good performance, recorded all night, and did our best every day.
But the set had completely changed, and suddenly there were physical tests and whatnot. I couldn’t understand why the atmosphere had become like this.
“Who should we send out?”
Gun-woo Hyung, looking unsure from the start, looked around at his younger brothers.
“I’ll go.”
Soo-in, the most physically fit of the members, stepped forward bravely. He seemed to feel a sense of responsibility for the team, since he was the strongest.
“Soo-in, do your best!”
“Fighting!”
Seeing Soo-in’s back as he headed to the center of the set where the Sunbaes were gathered, I suddenly felt a pang of emotion.
Until then, I had been consciously avoiding looking at the opposite side, but as I looked at the center, Perfect Puzzle inevitably came into view.
Still, I tried to keep only Soo-in in my sight. Otherwise, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to handle the confusion in my head.
“Alright, start!”
With Nam Sang-jin’s whistle, six people started chicken fighting all at once.
“Oh oh! Soo-in’s doing well!”
“Soo-in, hang in there!”
Soo-in’s aggressive attacks were knocking the other teams’ representatives out. Impressed by my younger brother’s performance, I unconsciously clenched my fist and cheered.
“Soo-in’s the best! Soo-in! Just one more…”
Oh, no. While I was cheering, Perfect Puzzle’s Roy struck Soo-in’s knee. Soo-in, who had been fighting well until then, couldn’t overcome Roy’s physical strength and ended up collapsing.
“Wahahaha! As expected of Roy!”
“He’s so good! No one can beat Roy at chicken fighting!”
The Perfect Puzzle members started to laugh loudly. I crossed my arms and glared at Roy, who was cheering.
Ugh, how annoying. Seriously, what’s so fun about beating a kid who’s only 182cm tall when you’re 187cm?
“Perfect Puzzle’s Roy has become the final winner of the fierce chicken fight! With this, Perfect Puzzle takes the first point! Congratulations!”
Even Nam Sang-jin, who was so excited that he threw his cue card, didn’t look good to me. I think that guy is biased towards Perfect Puzzle.
“Hyungnim, I’m sorry. I almost won…”
Seeing Soo-in coming in dejected, I was angry at myself.
“Soo-in, you were the coolest. Seriously.”
When I hugged Soo-in and patted him on the back, Soo-in smiled, as if he was relieved.
“Hyung is sorry.”
Because I kept spacing out, my thoughtful younger brothers were trying even harder. Even though I was such a useless guy who was lost in his own thoughts and causing trouble, my younger brothers were watching my every move.
“I’ll come to my senses now. Leave it to me.”