By Zephyria “Wow, I overslept, why didn’t anyone wake me up!”
Panicked, I looked around and Jeong-min was already out of the room. Judging by the fact that the bedding was arranged, he must have woken up early according to his usual schedule.
—I slept well for the first time in a while today too.
Sung Se-han was laughing happily over the phone. I hurriedly got out of bed, but I sat down again at the sound of that laughter.
“Good job. You have to sleep well for the wound to heal quickly. Are you in any pain?”
—Tae-kyung.
Why, why is he calling my name so cheesily? A bad feeling wakes me up completely.
—Perfect Puzzle has also decided to go on Star Light.
“Star Light…?”
Where is he going? Star Light… Huff! A groan burst out as if I had been hit in the head.
“That’s the MVT idol survival show! Are you really going to go there?”
—Um, the company rejected it a few times, but I said I would do it. So earlier….
“Hey! Sung Se-han!”
I couldn’t control my temper and got out of bed, but I couldn’t go out of the room. I paced back and forth like a beast in a cage, gasping for breath.
“Why is Perfect Puzzle going there… Haa! Please, Se-han… Don’t you know why we’re trying to go on a survival show? If Perfect Puzzle goes there, teams like us…”
The more I talked, the more angry I got.
“Damn it, we’re going on a tough survival show to get even a little bit of attention! Why are you going there? I’m trying to do something, but instead of helping me…”
—Tae-kyung, why are you getting angry at someone who’s hurt? Are you going to take responsibility if you make my wound worse?
Ugh! The back of my neck was pulled, so I pressed down hard on the back of my neck. Is this what it feels like to have high blood pressure!
“Haa… Sung Se-han. We haven’t even debuted yet. The company has been discussing it since yesterday, and they don’t even know if we can go there yet. Got it?”
—Don’t worry about that, Tae-kyung. I’ll make sure you come out.
Wow, what is this guy? I’m doing everything I can to save that guy.
Is he blocking my path like this…?
[Exclusive ‘Perfect Puzzle’ to Participate in Star Light! Launching a Destructive Lineup!]
[MVT Idol Survival ‘Star Light’ Lineup Foretells a Space War from the Start? There are No Rivals for ‘Perfect Puzzle’ on Earth!]
[Unrivaled Large Rookie ‘Perfect Puzzle’ to Participate in Survival! Victory Guaranteed?]
“Tae-kyung Hyung, stop looking at the articles.”
Jeong-min gives me a look because I’ve been glued to my phone every break.
“The same articles have been coming out for days, what’s going to change if you keep looking at them? Hyung, are you really… that scared of Perfect Puzzle? Don’t you have confidence to win?”…
“Maknae, sit here for a second.”
I took Jeong-min to the built-in chair that filled one side of the practice room.
“Maknae, can you see the Star Light lineup here? Perfect Puzzle, Jumping Boys, Sun and Moon, etc.! Imagine our group’s name being listed alongside them soon! Do you feel this crazy dopamine? I’m fully charged with energy right now!”
“Oh…!”
Jeong-min’s eyes widened as if he had realized something.
“Hyung! My heart is really pounding!”
“And maknae.”
I didn’t want to dampen Jeong-min’s spirits, but a realistic perspective was needed.
“How can we beat Perfect Puzzle when we’ve just debuted? Right now, it’s hard for anyone to beat Perfect, whether it’s on stage or through voting, not just rookie groups. We have to admit what we have to admit.”
“Well… I don’t think we can beat Se-han Hyung even if he comes out alone.”
“No, why are you going that far…”
I was briefly choked up by Jeong-min’s fact bomb, but that wasn’t important.
“Let’s not think about anything else. Since we’ve seized this opportunity, we have to do our best. If we can’t gather fans on the survival show, our future will be bleak. Do you understand the situation?”
It’s an important survival show that the team’s survival depends on. Of course, I was prepared to grind my bones to fill the stage.
But… Haa! Perfect Puzzle is going to barge in.
If that happens, the share of topicality that the remaining teams will divide will definitely decrease.
Sung Se-han, because of this crazy bastard… No, let’s not get worked up for no reason. It’s no use grabbing a crazy guy by the collar, I’ll only hurt my fingers.
“Tae-kyung Hyung, your goal is too modest…”
Jeong-min was about to express some dissatisfaction when suddenly the practice room door slammed open. I wondered what was going on and jumped up from my seat.
“Oh, what’s going on?”
I couldn’t help but laugh as soon as I identified the person walking with loud footsteps. Kim Hyuk-soo. A member who debuted with VOB.
“Lee Tae-kyung Hyung!”
Kim Hyuk-soo, who walked up panting, stopped right in front of me.
“I heard Sunbae kicked me out? Is it true?”
“Who said that?”
I answered with a friendly smile for now. Kim Hyuk-soo was very excited, so my heart was subtly pounding.
“It’s been over a month since I joined the debut group! The teachers all said I was center material, but what does it mean that I suddenly don’t harmonize with the members? Gun-woo Hyung wouldn’t do that, and Lee Tae-kyung Hyung has hated me from the start!”
“No, who said you were center material? Choi Soo-in is much better than you. Seriously, that’s ridiculous?”
Kim Hyuk-soo glared with murderous eyes.
“What gives Lee Tae-kyung Hyung the right to decide the center? Huh? Just because you’re close to Gun-woo Hyung, do you think you’re the CEO’s son or something?”
Seeing Kim Hyuk-soo glaring at me, I really wanted to cause an accident.
Kim Hyuk-soo. Because of this guy, we had to throw away all the video content we had worked hard to prepare to promote the team before our debut, and we even had to wear the stigma of being a school violence group.
“Kim Hyuk-soo…!”
My clenched fist trembled.
I had put up with Kim Hyuk-soo’s rude behavior, believing only in his natural looks and talent. But when I received reports that he had collectively assaulted his school friends and sexually harassed a female student and even injured her by punching her, who could understand the despair I felt at that time?
It wasn’t like I wanted a member who could fill Sung Se-han’s void. I was so miserable that I had been chasing my dreams, sweating with such a piece of trash that couldn’t even be recycled.
Maybe our dreams had already been shattered before our debut.
“I’d rather drop out of the debut group than be on the same team as you.”
“You son of a bitch…!”
Pow! A fist landed on my jaw before I could even dodge. Sparks flew in front of my eyes, and I fell onto the chair.
“Lee Tae-kyung! I won’t let you get away with this! From now on…”
“Hey! What gives you the right to hit Tae-kyung Hyung!”
I couldn’t even pull myself together because Jeong-min was screaming, so I jumped up. Ah, seriously. How dare a pure kid who can’t even punch get involved.
“Hey, maknae! Stop…”
“What are you guys doing!”
“Kim Hyuk-soo! Won’t you stop?”
Before I could step in, the choreography teacher and Gun-woo Hyung rushed in. Fortunately, the situation ended with Jeong-min getting hit slightly on the face.
“Ouch…!”
“Just stay still.”
Gun-woo Hyung, who was applying ointment to my jaw, said with a gloomy face.
“I think it’s better to take Hyuk-soo out, just like you said, Tae-kyung. If we have the same team with that kind of personality, he’ll just cause accidents.”
In fact, Gun-woo Hyung liked Kim Hyuk-soo, who was helpful to the team. But after I showed my determination to leave the company, he seemed to be trying to accept everything I said.
For now… I had to take advantage of this point.
“Gun-woo Hyung, it would be good to get Choi Soo-in to join the debut group quickly.”
“What? Soo-in hasn’t even been a trainee for a year!”
“Hyung, he’s going to join our team anyway. He’s quiet, so he’s not noticeable, but his dancing is the best.”
However, his singing and rapping are a bit lacking.
“If that’s what you think, Tae-kyung…”
I patted Gun-woo Hyung’s shoulder, who had a dark face.
“Cheer up, Gun-woo Hyung. It’s all for our team.”
Gun-woo Hyung must be wondering if this is okay. But there’s not enough time to think a lot. I have to give up sleep to handle the recording, choreography, and content filming schedules.
Because our debut date has been set for March 28th.
*
I finished the simple treatment and came out, and my phone rang in my training pants.
When I took it out, it was Sung Se-han’s call as expected.
I haven’t been able to talk properly because I’ve been busy these past few days, so it seems like he’s calling more often. He’s such a childish guy.
Gun-woo Hyung, who was glancing at the screen, hit my shoulder.
“Tae-kyung, talk on the phone and come to the studio. Let’s record the guide version again.”
“Yes. I’ll be there soon.”
The phone kept ringing until I sat down on the chair on one side of the hallway. I suddenly felt a little uncomfortable talking because I had ignored his calls several times today.
After hesitating for a moment, I finally accepted the call.
“Oh, Se-han.”
—Lee Tae-kyung, you must be really busy.
Judging by the noisy surroundings, it seemed like he was still at the filming site. Perfect Puzzle seems to be taking on all the magazine photoshoots.
“I told you our debut date was set. I’m really out of my mind.”
If I said that I feel your absence even more because I’m preparing for my debut again, what would you say?
You should have been standing at the center of our stage. If that had been the case, a guy like Kim Hyuk-soo wouldn’t have joined our team.
Sung Se-han, you don’t know any of that, so you must be so comfortable.
“Se-han, I have to go to Gun-woo Hyung’s studio now. Let’s talk again later.”
—Tae-kyung.
I put the phone closer to my ear at Sung Se-han’s low voice.
—I told you. No taking it back.