ㅤ

"...So he wants to focus only on the dance."

Well, I understand his intention.

This time, the concert performances of each sub-unit will be promoted on WeTube, so it's sure to draw the attention of many fans.

But can he do better than Cha YooJin? If he manages to do so, questioning his position will probably never be mentioned again.

I wonder if that can be possible.

—...Wouldn't you like to have a dance break in the songs on the new album?

—Haha, even if I practice and become very good… YooJin and AhHyun would do much better, don't you think?

Keun SeJin responded immediately. He seems like he had pondered quite a bit about this situation for a long time.

“But SeJin and YooJin facing each other is a bit…”

That doesn't mean SeJin's skills weren't good.

"...Status window."

After a long time, I went back to check his status window.

His status window was commendable. The most notable development was that of “Talent”, which reached the “A” level this awards season.

“No matter what it is, he is improving his ability.”

…The problem is that he, in general, has lower levels than YooJin.

Except for “Singing”, in which they had the same level, all the rankings were slightly lower than YooJin's.

Even if he had one or two rankings with higher levels… the result would still be unpredictable.

"Somehow, he will be devoured by YooJin's ability."

Because his talent was level “S-”. “Blackhole” is an amazing ability that doesn't cause synergy on others, but makes him stand out madly.

Honestly, I, who have a completely different position in the group, would not want to perform alone with him.

"...If I were to face him, whatever I do will only tickle him."

I can imagine that my usual reward would be gone even though I put all my points into my “Dance” ranking.

Holding back a sigh, I looked at SeJin.

—...What I will tell you now is what I sincerely think.

—Okay.

—I don't think it's possible to stand out more than YooJin, whether it's you, Seon AhHyun, or anyone else who's up against him.

—...

—Maybe you have already thought about it too.

It would have been better if he had chosen card number three and somehow made a part that would catch the public's attention.

Even so, he dared to choose YooJin… He seemed to feel great greed and fear to prove himself.

SeJin looked at the ground and asked in frustration.

—... Do you think it's impossible for me to make it?

—I think that... instead of trying to beat him, it would be better to approach the situation in another direction.

At least there was one option that seemed the most convenient.

—You just have to give your best in the presentation. I don't want to compare you to YooJin to determine who is the best.

I would like the public opinion to say something like "That subunit did a very good dance, I liked it a lot!".

If you do that, you won't be left behind and rather, your position in the dance line will make a better impression on the audience.

It will be hard, but it will be worth doing instead of trying to beat YooJin in the sub-unit performance.

—You have to get YooJin to cooperate with you in the performance.

—...Yes.

SeJin nodded calmly; however, I don't know if he was squeezing their clasped hands tightly.

"...His hands are shaking."

He hadn't seen him this nervous and worried since Icorp finished.

"It looks very similar to when the rumors of school violence broke."

So maybe it's something more serious.

—What else has happened to you?

—What?

—I am not asking you about general public opinion, I want to know if there is something else that is haunting you and you have been hiding. It must affect you a lot because you look very anxious.

—...

He was silent for a long time, until he smiled sadly.

—I can't believe I'm going to tell you this… Do you know why I was excluded from the debut group? It is because he had an uncertain position.

—...!

—After all, just before the release, a new guy came in whose parents are actors. Since he is someone very famous, they had to add him to the group anyway… But the agency had already decided that it would only be seven members. What could they do? Obviously, they would eliminate one.

—...

—But in the group, there was a boy who danced better than me, one who was younger, one who was handsome, one who was good at singing, and one who rapped. They couldn't fire the leader because he already had time leading everyone, so in the end, I was the right person because I didn't have a well-established position.

He patted his thigh and continued.

—That's why I got fired. I couldn't do anything else… That's why I can't give up. What would happen if I left the group? I'm sure everyone would talk a lot, but none of them would feel sad... It's funny. Even when I want to renew my contract with TeSTAR in the future, I wonder if they'll want to offer me a good deal... Hah, I'm really talking too much...

He clicked his tongue and lowered his head. He seemed to be talking about things that he wouldn't have said if he had been in his normal state.

“...These kinds of stories are usually told only when you drink alcohol.”

I felt a little dizzy listening to him speak soberly.

“Well, I understood your situation.”

It seems that the fact that he didn't manage to stay in his first group and make his debut with them caused a very severe impact on him.

Perhaps the fact that he has held the position of "leader" and "main dancer" in all of Icorpo was more significant than just occupying them to get more time on the broadcast.

"But how should I react?"

After hearing all this, I was perplexed.

Is there any solution that I can give him so that he forgets that past? I also have no talent for comforting people...

…There was nothing I could do. I could only list all the positive things he does.

I held in another sigh and spoke to him.

—For now… No… I don't care what position you have, I need you in the group.

—Why? To entertain you?

—No, to cut off all those rumours.

—...!

It was sad, but true.

—As you can see, half of our team is ignorant about the topics related to this industry and more than half are too innocent. Think about it a bit, what kind of situation would we be in… if you weren't with us?

—...

He was silent, apparently remembering all the crises we suffered from before debut to the scandal we had with Onyx.

But he soon shook his head.

—You gave almost all the opinions yourself, so there wouldn't be much of a change.

—Yes, that's what I mean. I trusted you and that's why I said my opinions.

—What?

—I… I thought that if I said opinions that were helpful, you would support me and set another mood by motivating others.

—...

I felt a bit uncomfortable. I falsely coughed and continued speaking.

—CheongWoo is the leader, but if I had to choose the most suitable person for the organization and support of the group, it would be you. Whether we have a presentation, a show, anything related to group activities or not… it's very rare to find someone who can multitask in those kinds of situations, someone like you.

I wanted to finish.

—For all idol groups it is necessary to have someone who possesses a good hexagonal balance. Well... that's what I think.

—...

NT: The hexagonal balance would have some of the status window classifications, as well as “wit”, “strength” and “leadership”.

After hearing me through to the end, SeJin turned his head in the opposite direction.

"I hope he doesn't cry."

I really hope he doesn't cry, otherwise the atmosphere will become very strange.

And after a while, SeJin couldn't hold back anymore and he snapped.

But not tears, but laughter.

—Wahahahahaha! I think I could die laughing at the embarrassment of everything you said!

—...Laughing?

—Ha, now, if you were in my place, wouldn't you laugh too? Imagine that a boy, who is like Park MoonDae, said anything to you in order to comfort you.

Even though this bastard is giving me a compliment, he is capable of making me angry. He wanted to hit him with the pillow, but before he did, he stopped laughing.

—Hahaha, really… huh… Anyway, it's fine. It's funny, but… it comforts me a lot. Wow, that's amazing.

He smiled warmly at me, when he suddenly crossed his arms and mumbled in an exaggerated voice on purpose.

—But wouldn't it be useless if fans didn't know that SeJin is a great idol? Shouldn't he have more leadership like Cheongwoo hyung?

Don't pretend you're serious, bastard.

I answered as calmly as possible.

—I'm sure they must already know. You're worried that those bad opinions you see will spread to other fans and increase, but in reality... I think the opposite, the longer it stays, the more advantage you will have.

—...Why?

—Oh, because the more time passes, the more apparent it becomes that you really don't have any weaknesses.

That was a real trend that I confirmed in the business of idol photo or video data and materials.

SeJin didn't seem to fully trust that, but he smiled and nodded.

—... Alright. I'll think like this and do my best at the performance~

Still, what he just said seemed sincere.

Anyway, I think he came to a conclusion in his mind, so he will surely receive the effect of the skill from him.

Looking at the name alone, I thought it was a feature related to public opinion due to its strong bias, but when I looked at it in detail, I was a bit surprised.

"Well, that fits very well."

Perhaps the “not complaining” refers both to himself and to his environment.

When he prepares for his sub-unit performance, he will have the same attitude as YooJin.

“...He will only read and care about comments that support him and as he develops he will silence the bad guys who want to affect him.”

He was curious as to how far he would go.

—So, I'll go now. Come when you've calmed down.

—What are you talking about, if you've already calmed me down? Now, we have to go together!

—...

SeJin reached forward to open the door, but looking at his hand, I was reminded of my theory that he cheated at cards.

—...By the way, how did you know the number that was on the card?

—Eh?

—The cards that determined the sub-units. Did you manipulate them…?

—Oh, that? Hold on~

Keun SeJin laughed and exclaimed.

—Ya, I didn’t manipulate them to cheat!

—...!

—When I touched one card, I remembered that the other card had a scratch on its back~ I'm very smart… Aigo, do you think I'm crazy?

—...

I'm very grateful that he hasn't tampered with them, but…somehow, he seems to be.

As we got out of the car and headed to the waiting room, SeJin laughed a few more times. But when we arrived in front of the room, he spoke to me with a more serious tone.

—You know... I really appreciate it. Even though you believed that I had manipulated the cards, you wanted to hear all my circumstances.

—...If the concert ends well, buy me a cow.

SeJin laughed out loud again.

—Yes, very well, but why a cow? I'll buy you Korean beef

—Fine.

—...If you also have something that worries you, don't hesitate to tell me.

—...

Something that worries me...

For a moment, I thought about explaining all my circumstances to this boy.

…Well, if I did, I'd probably stop working and make an appointment for myself with a psychiatrist.

As expected, I'll just pretend I don't have a problem.

—Yes. I'll tell you if I have any.

—Oh~ You're confident you don't have any!

SeJin walked into the room smiling, and seeing that he was back to normal, the manager gave me a thumbs up.

"I'm sure SeJin must have seen that gesture from the manager."

After that, the waiting time we had was quiet. Except for RaeBin, none of them made eye contact with Zyrop.

And TeSTAR won the “Rookie of the Year” award and the Bonsang for “Best Album” for the fourth time.

NT: Usually “Best Album” is a Daesang given to a group or solo artist, but it becomes a Bonsang when it is awarded to the top ten albums of the year.

—Thank you very much! Last week we were able to celebrate the 200th day after our debut…

As I waited for SeJin, who had taken over the microphone, to finish his flowing thank you speech, I finally got the news he had been waiting for.