By Zephyria There’s no point in whispering since we’re wearing microphones anyway. I answered with a smile.
“Yes. He’d be good as an actor too.”
Liv Sunbae was by far the most visually striking member of Sun & Moon. Gun-woo Hyung seemed proud of such a friend and kept looking at me with a pleased expression.
While we were whispering for a moment, Jumping Boys entered. Jumping Boys, who debuted 11 months ago, was a team that had been written about in articles as having suffered a lot because they debuted at the same time as Perfect Puzzle until recently.
“Hello! Sunbaenim.”
“Hello!”
The groups who had arrived earlier greeted them loudly, but Jumping Boys responded with quiet smiles. Perhaps because of the taciturnity of the members wearing matching black-toned uniforms, a subtle charisma was felt in the team’s atmosphere.
“Perfect is coming.”
The voice of a True Heart member sitting next to me was heard.
The eyes of everyone were focused on the set entrance at the same time, and leader Song Woo-shin appeared.
Following him, Si-hyun, Mu-yeol, and Myung-yoon appeared, and Roy and Sung Se-han walked in side by side.
I, who was craning my neck and looking at the entrance, was at a loss for words.
Perfect Puzzle, who preferred all-black outfits to the point that their team color was said to be black, appeared wearing pure white uniforms.
Perfect Puzzle, who already had a higher average height and better physiques than the other teams, appeared wearing white uniforms that shone incomparably, looking like princes hosting a royal party.
“Wow, this is too much.”
“I think they’re determined to intimidate us?”
The complaints mixed with admiration that were heard here and there were exactly my feelings.
It was so absurd that the set’s lighting seemed to be focused only on them, making it so dazzling that I couldn’t even look at them. It was a moment when I became ashamed of us, who had spent a decent budget to get new uniforms made.
“Se-han Hyung is the most shameless.”
I quietly agreed with Jeong-min’s grumbling. What shone brighter than the jewels decorated on the gold epaulettes was Sung Se-han’s three-dimensional face. If your eyes were completely stolen by those perfect features, things like jewels wouldn’t even feel like they existed.
More than anything, I was convinced that the uniform that revealed his body line was the outfit that made Sung Se-han stand out the most.
The red cloth that continued from his broad shoulders and wrapped around his slender waist was so intense. After losing my mind and scanning from his firmly extended legs to the boots that wrapped around his ankles, I suddenly raised my head.
Ah, damn it.
The moment my eyes met Sung Se-han, who was letting out a slight smile, I had no choice but to lower my head again.
This is bad.
I became terrified when I thought that the sound of my heart beating might be captured in the video.
The Perfect Puzzle members, who bowed to the teams that had come out earlier, nonchalantly found their seats without any particular action.
“Ah, Se-han Hyung. He’s not coming to greet us.”
Jeong-min whispered as if he was disappointed, and I felt the Asla team and the True Heart team looking at me. I couldn’t control my expression, so I fiddled with my forehead.
Honestly, I had expected that Sung Se-han, like Liv Sunbae, would come to greet me. I was picturing whether I should go down the stairs like Gun-woo Hyung and shake his hand or not…
Ah, shit. What is this. Am I feeling upset right now? Over this kind of thing?
I couldn’t hear anything my younger brothers were whispering behind me. Still, I was casually agreeing with them and then subtly turned my gaze towards the entrance.
Perfect Puzzle, who was sitting in the first seat on the left of the host’s seat, had Song Woo-shin, Myung-yoon, and Mu-yeol sitting in the front row, and Sung Se-han, Si-hyun, and Roy were sitting side by side in the back row.
Sung Se-han was listening to the youngest, Si-hyun, and nodding. With a smile on his lips.
Sob. Something hot surged up to my throat, and I clenched my teeth.
“Right? Tae-kyung Hyung?”
“Huh? What…?”
I couldn’t hear Jeong-min’s words, so I turned around with an awkward smile. Jeong-min was touching his jacket and frowning.
“It would have been nice if we had worn something a little stronger than school uniforms too. The Sunbaenims are all so cool that we’re being compared to them.”
“Isn’t it good to be differentiated in that sense? We have to compete with freshness. It’s hard to beat the Sunbaenims with charisma.”
Even while spouting broadcast-friendly comments to my younger brothers, my mind was entirely elsewhere. I was becoming increasingly depressed without knowing the exact reason why, and I was very embarrassed.
“Huu…!”
I was overwhelmed by the situation of suddenly becoming depressed on the recording set where dozens of cameras and dozens of staff members were watching.
So I think I unknowingly sighed.
“Tae-kyung Hyungnim, are you sick somewhere?”
Soo-in, who always keenly noticed my mood, asked carefully.
“Huh? No… I’m okay.”
I tried to smile brightly, but even that was difficult. I had reached a point where I couldn’t control my plummeting mood.
“Just, a little….”
I actually know the emotions that are trying to come out of the water. It’s the regret for the dazzling days I’ve missed, which I want to hide even from myself. It was unbearable resentment and unfairness.
If Sung Se-han hadn’t suffered such a thing as a child.
If he could have continued playing the piano that he loved.
If we could have debuted as the same team.
If he could have lived a free and ordinary life without being forced to do anything.
If that had happened, we wouldn’t be facing each other like this, but sitting side by side.
Making Sung Se-han laugh and guarding his side would have been me…!
“Tae-kyung Hyung…?”
“Tae-kyung Hyung? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Seeing the serious faces of my younger brothers, I guess I’m not in good shape.
“I ate the lunch box too quickly earlier, so I think I’m a little bit nauseous. Haha. It’s not serious.”
I felt the writer Noona looking at me worriedly, so I stretched my back straight. I can’t cause this kind of trouble. I need to pull myself together.
“Wow, I’m so nervous. Seeing the Sunbaes, I feel like we’ve come to an amazing place. Don’t you guys feel that way?”
“Hey, Hyung said it’s okay if we come in last place. How can Hyung be nervous after saying that?”
Jeong-min’s nagging made me scratch the back of my head sheepishly, agreeing with him.
“Tae-kyung, are you really okay?”
Gun-woo Hyung’s complexion changed as he saw me wavering. I raised my thumb as confidently as possible.
“Look. I’m fine, hehe.”
Thump. Thump. Thump. Soo-in, who was sitting right behind me, patted my back, which made me smile a little. She must want to do something for me since I said I was nauseous. Cute kid.
“PD-nim.”
The moment a husky voice cut through the space.
The somewhat bustling space, filled with comments from each team, instantly fell silent. And all eyes turned to one place.
“Let’s take a break.”
The person slightly raising his right hand was Sung Se-han.
The teams on the set stared at Sung Se-han with dumbfounded faces at his confident attitude, as if he was demanding something obvious rather than asking the PD-nim a favor.
“I was going to cut anyway. Why are you stepping up first? Does he think he’s the PD?”
PD Bae Dong-yeon, scratching his head irritably, replied curtly. The writers and staff around him chuckled, but we looked at each other bewildered.
Because we got the feeling that Sung Se-han and PD Bae Dong-yeon were close from their short conversation.
“Okay, let’s take a 20-minute break!”
PD Bae Dong-yeon, who had granted the break, sat down in the staff chair.
As if the tension had been released all at once, small sighs erupted from all over the set. Just as the strength was about to leave my shoulders, firm footsteps approached.
Ah. I closed my eyes tightly and then opened them. Even without looking to the left, I could tell whose the firm footsteps were, a little faster than usual.
And I could fully feel that everyone’s gaze, which had stopped chattering, was focused on the man in the white uniform crossing the set.
“Tae-kyung.”
Stubbornly, I only looked up when Sung Se-han called my name, as if I had just noticed.
Sung Se-han, who looked like an aristocrat because of his sharp uniform and perfect hairstyle with a left part, was quickly approaching me.
“Why. Are you not feeling well?”
Sung Se-han, who had come up one step, lowered his shoulder and began to examine my face. As I felt the heavy force naturally grabbing the back of my neck, it felt like the blood that had been blocked was finally circulating.
“Ah, Se-han.”
I liked that his clear brown eyes held worry for me. So I lowered my eyebrows and muttered softly.
“It’s nothing much….”
“Se-han Hyung, Tae-kyung Hyung seems to be nauseous.”
Sung Se-han’s handsome brow furrowed at Jeong-min’s words. I felt embarrassed and ridiculous, but I still didn’t want to miss this moment.
“It’s just a little uncomfortable… don’t worry. I’ll be fine in a bit.”
“Get up. Let’s go to the infirmary.”
“Huh, uh?”
I was quite taken aback when Sung Se-han grabbed my arm.
“No. It’s not that bad? I’ll be fine soon….”