Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Choi Wongil was a contestant from Idol Inc. who had caused conflict on every team he was placed on and had eventually been killed off in the edit. He was sly but hadn’t been quite smart enough to disguise his own craftiness. Even Ahyeon had been furious with him at one point and had said he was a terrible person, so he was a pretty impressively awful individual.

Hmm. If I remember correctly, he defected to Goldie #1’s agency. Knowing this, it wasn’t all that surprising that they had shown up together. What was unexpected was that we’d run into them here in the broadcast station where an end-of-year music festival was being held.

They haven’t debuted yet, as far as I know. I’d looked into all the new groups that had debuted this year because of the damned fuss over the Rookie of the Year awards, but their agency hadn’t appeared on the lineup.

Goldie #1 was already chatting with the members. “Man! It’s nice to see you again! I guess I should treat you as my seniors in the industry now, huh? Great work, guys!”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that,” Big Sejin said.

“Y-you don’t need to th-think of us that way!” Ahyeon said.

“Hey, Ahyeon! You haven’t changed a bit, still so nice!”

While they exchanged pleasantries, I ran my eyes over Goldie #1 and Choi Wongil’s outfits. Then it hit me. They’re here as backup dancers.

A solo artist from their agency, who’d formerly been an idol, was doing well of late. It was very common to have trainees who would later debut work as dancers, allowing them to gain experience and exposure, so this wasn’t all that surprising.

As expected, Goldie #1 shoved at the guys around him, all dressed in the same black outfit as him, introducing them enthusiastically. “Right! I’m working with these guys!”

“Oh! Hello!”

“Hi there!”

Their eyes gleamed with curiosity, envy, and admiration. A few of our members nodded back awkwardly, no doubt finding their reactions uncomfortable. Then someone said my name.

“P-Park Moondae, can I ask you something?”

“Yes?”

“Can I please... have a handshake?”

The young guy’s companions reacted with shock.

“Hey! Don’t push it!”

“Why are you being so embarrassing, damn?”

Why are they being jerks? Hiding my displeasure, I nodded. “Of course.”

“Th-thank you!” The kid very politely shook my hand, like I was the CEO of some huge corporation or something. “I’m so excited to meet you!”

Goldie #1’s teammates whispered among themselves.

“I guess it pays to be brave, huh?”

“Yeah.”

The way they were talking about me, it was like I was some kind of K-pop legend. Their team had obviously already been formed, and if they debuted early next year, they would only be a year younger than us as a group.

Though I suppose how well you do after debut matters far more. Their admiration probably stemmed from the fact that we’d managed to hit it so big. They weren’t the only ones who felt this way, either, though the person I was looking at currently obviously felt differently about our success.

“Wow. I was so nervous during the pre-recording, and I wasn’t even being filmed,” Goldie #1 said.

“Oh, come on! There are fancams of you with hundreds of thousands of views!” Big Sejin insisted with a grin.

“But that’s different! It’s a lot scarier to think you could ruin someone else’s performance,” Goldie #1 replied.

“Hmm. I think it’s difficult to say which is worse,” Raebin said.

While Goldie #1 and the TeSTAR members caught up, Choi Wongil stood off to the side, eyes on the ground.

He’s been defeated. I’d always assumed he’d be the sort of guy who’d get real quiet once he was shown his place. Because TeSTAR had done so well this year, he probably couldn’t even muster the guts to try and talk to us.

In the meantime, Goldie #1 even had the tenacity to attempt a conversation with Bae Sejin. Remembering where they were, he began winding the conversation down with a disappointed expression.

“Man, there’s so much to talk about. But you’ve got to go, right? I’ll buy you guys a meal next time!”

He was encouraging us to be on our way, but the usual suspect wasn’t very good at reading between the lines—namely, Kim Raebin.

“Oh, we’ve got plenty of time until our next performance. We can head to the waiting room and talk some more.”

Goldie #1 looked taken aback. “Haha. Raebin, thanks for the invitation, but anyone in your group who doesn’t know me very well might be uncomfortable.”

He was, unfortunately, referring to Eugene and Chungwoo.

“I’m not uncomfortable!” Eugene exclaimed.

“It’s fine. We can talk,” Chungwoo said.

“Y-yeah?” Goldie #1 said, surprised by the easy acceptance of his presence.

Goldie #1’s teammates, quickly understanding what was going on, made their escape.

“Take your time, Iljoon! We’ll be waiting back at the dorm.”

“Bring us ice cream on the way back!”

“Have fun catching up, Idol Inc. alumni!”

“You assholes!” Goldie #1 shouted after them as they hastily fled down the corridor.

His teammates vanished down the corridor, but Choi Wongil, not paying attention and missing his cue to leave with them, was left standing awkwardly beside Goldie #1. Either he’d freshly joined the team and was awkward around them, or the others had left him behind because he was also from Idol Inc.

This could go so wrong. Thankfully, Goldie #1 turned and addressed Choi Wongil.

“Hey Wongil, why don’t we go buy some drinks, since it’s our first time dropping by their waiting room before?”

“I’ll go buy them.”

“Huh?”

Choi Wongil dashed away before Goldie #1 could say anything more.

I doubt he’s coming back.

Goldie #1 sighed. “Sorry. That was pretty awkward, huh?”

“I-it’s okay!” Ahyeon reassured.

“Of course, it’s not okay... but Wongil’s gotten a lot better. I’m a little worried about him since he spends so much time on the internet looking up what people are saying about him, but there isn’t really much being said about us these days, anyway.”

Goldie #1 heaved a sigh. Apparently, he’d been through it since we’d last seen him.

Big Sejin laughed and glanced down the corridor Choi Wongil had fled. “He’s part of the team your company is debuting, right?”

“Yes. He’s good at singing... and he’s young. People recognize him.”

This was all true. He hadn’t debuted from Idol Inc., and the way he’d been portrayed on the show could simply be blamed on malicious editing. There was no real reason he shouldn’t be included in the group.

Not that it’s any of my business. I would only need to start keeping an eye on them if they sold more than three hundred thousand copies in their first week next year.

“Where are you going, Moondae?”

“Bathroom,” I said, stepping away from the others as they headed to the waiting room.

There are not a lot of people downstairs if I remember correctly. I had plenty of time, so I wanted to take a route that would save me from having to stop and talk to anyone. I ran into Choi Wongil before I even found the bathroom.

Surprisingly, he was sitting on the emergency stairs, visibly sulking. I stared silently for a moment but decided to just go on my way to the bathroom. Giving him a slight nod, I passed him on the stairs, only to hear him shouting behind me.

“It must be nice, Moondae. Everything worked out for you... and people love you.”

It felt like he was delivering a line out of a cheap soap opera. I wasn’t confused so much as... deeply embarrassed for him and glum that I’d been caught up in this unfolding drama.

His voice is going to echo so loudly because we’re on the emergency stairs. I cringed internally. I hoped there was no one else lingering in, since the stairs were fairly secluded, not wanting anybody to know that these embarrassing lines were being directed at me.

“What’s it like? To have the entire world at your fingertips?”

I never thought I’d hear a real-life person say something so painfully lame with my own ears. Choi Wongil was even sniffling.

Why the hell is he so emotional? I was once again left feeling the deep chasm between myself and other idol hopefuls.

Maybe I should just leave. I went to take another step but then spotted the shadow of someone moving next to the railing on the floor below us.

Can whoever that is hear us? It was pretty far down and the echoes would muddy what was being said, but I expected some of what he was saying would still be audible. What were the chances that strange rumors would start going around if I let him keep talking?

Maybe I should handle this situation. I turned my attention back to Wongil.

“Everyone behaved the same as I did! It’s not like I was the only one... Everyone fought over roles, cussed at each other, and all that.” Now he was just saying random nonsense. He had completely lost control of his emotions.

But why are you saying all this to me?

“Y-you got my part, too. A-and... Sejin got angry, too, but they made it look like I was the only one who was mean. I apologized to Heeseung, but they didn’t show that, either.” Choi Wongil continued to mutter about all the negative screen time he’d gotten after the midway point in Idol Inc.

I guess he’s still hung up over that show. I wasn’t surprised. He was young, with a strong ego. He’d been forced to put up with rude criticism from random people online for months now.

TeSTAR had been through a lot over the past half year, so we’d gotten over our time on the show quite quickly. But the only thing Wongil had done in that time was practice and no doubt things looked very different to him.

He was probably having this emotional outburst directed at me because he still considered me his rival and felt inferior, even though the show was long behind us. Since he’d been confronted with me alone, not with the others, his emotions had gotten out of hand.

Shouldn’t he be in therapy if things are this bad for him? I had no intention of telling him that, of course—I didn’t feel the need to. I would just finish our conversation on a less heated note and leave.

Biting back a sigh, I said, “You’re envious of me? Why?”

“Because everything worked out for you.”

“No.” I stared at him. “Would you trade places with me if you could?”

“That’s impossible!”

“So you would be interested if it were possible. Hmm...” I rubbed the back of my neck. “But be honest, you don’t want to trade families with me, do you?”

Choi Wongil flinched, still crouched on the stairs. Naturally, he was aware of Park Moondae’s family history.

I spoke clearly and slowly. “You’re only envious of my... currently successful career. And there’s no guarantee this success will last forever.”

He stared silently.

“Do you get along well with your parents?”

“Yes...”

“All right. I hope that you always will.”

Wongil hung his head.

That should do it. My trump card had worked excellently.

I hope this helps him work past his useless inferiority complex. I had never thought that my family situation coming out would end up proving useful in this way. No, I just need to say something encouraging and be done with him.

Something shocking happened before I could, however.

“I’m... sorry.”

Choi Wongil had actually apologized.

“I’m sorry I said you were just lucky at the beginning...”

Had he said that? I seemed to remember he’d said something like that during our evaluation practice, trying to be sarcastic.

Usually, people just forget the mean things they say, don’t they? I hadn’t thought he’d remember. In any case, this was a great note to end our conversation on. And if anyone was listening, then all the better.

I nodded. “Okay. I accept your apology. Good luck with your debut.”

He nodded weakly. I found his personality quite nasty if I was honest, but he hadn’t actually committed any crimes. And he wasn’t quite shrewd enough to pull off being manipulative, either.

I guess he was just never good enough to bring anyone down with his little plots. In fact, Goldie #2, whom he’d openly looked down on, had become more successful than him. In the end, he’d been nothing more than an annoying troll.

I hope I never have to see him again, I thought as I walked back down the stairs. I checked below the railing just in case, but the figure I’d seen earlier was gone.

***

“Happy New Year!”

“Yay! Happy New Year!”

TeSTAR cried out as the clock struck midnight during the New Year’s countdown on MBS. We didn’t have the time to relax and enjoy the new year, of course, since another awards ceremony awaited us only five days later.

The Gold Disc Awards was quite famous and had a long history. It was also one of the ceremonies that Park Moondae believed could be in the running for the “most reputable awards ceremony.”

It was held over two days, with separate categories for albums and singles, but there was only one Rookie of the Year award. The cue sheet for the album awards, the day TeSTAR would be taking part in, included this award.

Everyone thought the same thing—it would be strange if TeSTAR failed to take the award home. And they were right—TeSTAR was announced the winner long before they even performed.

“Congratulations, TeSTAR!”

This outcome was hardly surprising, but given all the setbacks both the members and the fans had endured, they were extremely excited. The fans roared and waved their lightsticks, many thinking back on all the controversy they had endured over the past two months.

“Thank you!” TeSTAR said, bowing as they came up to the stage.

After the members had accepted the flowers and the trophy, they all began exchanging knowing smiles and handed the microphone to Seon Ahyeon.

The fans were confused. Anyone who’d seen even a single episode of Idol Inc. knew about Ahyeon’s stammer. Never had they ever given the microphone to him and had him speak first. Sometimes Ahyeon had even been known to back away from the microphone, visibly distressed. He looked a little tense now but took it in his hand regardless.

“Thank you... for this generous award.”

Everyone was stunned at this new development.