Chapter 258

Chapter 258

“Hello everyone! How is your December going? I hope it’s going great.”

“The musicians that got your heart pumping this year are once again putting together amazing performances for you.”

The two idols next to me were pretty good at this.

The years of experience under their belts aren’t for nothing. I held the microphone to my mouth as well.

“Now then, why don’t we start with the first performance of Gayo Daejeon, where we’ll see the artists whose activities have stood out the most this year?”

I got the feeling my lines were much longer than theirs, and I was probably right.

Am I getting all the long lines because I have less experience? And who the hell was it that came up with the cheek poking? I hadn’t been able to say no, given my position, but they’d explicitly requested it in the script. I would not forget this.

“SBC Gayo Daejeon starts now!”

In any case, the cameras were running, do the three emcees smiled at them diligently—we’d been paid to do so, after all. The moment the camera indicator light went off, we relaxed and took a moment to recalibrate.

“Phew.”

“Nice!”

The VTIC member opposite me reached over and patted me on the back.

I don’t need you playing the part of senior, even though you are.

“Moondae, that was great!”

“Thank you.”

Youngrin, who was checking her script again, smiled faintly and added, “You’re working hard, as always.”

“Thank you,” I repeated, bowing again. Given the large gap in experience between us, keeping my mouth shut for the most part was probably my best bet. Right below us in front of the stage, there were fans holding lightsticks, after all. I could see a few camera lenses pointed our way as well.

I wonder how they managed to sneak those in? Smiling slightly at the cameras held up by a few people with faces I recognized, I eventually turned away from them. This was a live broadcast anyway, so anything they managed to film didn’t even qualify as leaks, which was the reason studios usually banned the audience from bringing in cameras.

After this performance, we’d describe the show’s theme… I mentally ran through the stupidly long line that began with “The festivity in all our hearts.” The script would be visible on the teleprompters, but I didn’t want to stumble.

But aren’t three idols a little overkill? A lineup like this would ensure people would talk about the show, that much was true, but in terms of the quality of the emceeing itself, I felt like it would be better to have a professional anchor on hand. I knew people probably weren’t going to be too hard on us, since this wasn’t the Drama Awards or the Entertainment Awards. Still, I didn’t want to leave any room for criticism. The other two idols brought in to emcee seemed to be thinking along similar lines as well.

“Wow, this really has me sweating! I’ve only been an emcee for my own group’s content and whatnot. Who would have thought I’d be doing something like this all of a sudden? I’m really going to do my best, guys.”

The person with the longest-running career among us was promising to do his best like he was a rookie.

“Moondae, you’re still a rookie, so don’t worry too much. If you mess up a line, just finish up the sentence. I’ll continue on for you from there.” Youngrin almost sounded like a professional emcee. She’d done this sort of work for various shows, and it showed.

“Thank you,” I said, turning my attention to her.

“My goal is to not make mistakes, though. I’ll do my best.”

She smiled almost imperceptibly. She looked just like a team lead who was proud of a new recruit. “Sounds good.”

“Wow! Let’s go, idols!”

We put the hands holding our scripts together and huddled up, which I thought was pretty funny. I decided to be content that none of the emcees were just trying to do the bare minimum.

“That was the special stage by the National Gugak Team, introducing this year’s musicians. Did you enjoy it?”

“It was amazing!”

“Their impressive performance seems like a good sign for the amazing new year we’re about to usher in. I really had fun watching it.”

The three of us did not make a single mistake during the first part of the show—including me, of course.

All right.

[Advertisement]

After part one ended, I noticed that an ad had begun to play. I drank a mouthful of water. Then I noticed a few familiar faces in the singers’ seating area, which were front a center, so the audience could see the artists’ reactions. They were waving at me.

“You were great! Keep it up!”

I can’t hear a thing you’re saying, guys. The audio and the noise from the audience when combined were extremely loud. I wondered why the members bothered trying to say anything to me at all. In any case, I was grateful for the encouragement, so I waved back and then flipped through my cue cards.

I’ll come out of this looking like I did a fairly good job, at least, as long as nothing goes wrong. I’d even covered for the VTIC member in the middle of part one, since he’d clearly been embarrassed by the script, which included a line pretty ripe with self-praise. At least people wouldn’t perceive me as an incompetent rookie idol.

I hope the articles are kind. I shrugged and put down my water bottle.

[Remaining time - 2:30]

The first performance of the second part had ended, and we were beginning to speak, when someone said something that wasn’t in the script.

“Moondae!”

It was VTIC Chaeyul, who’d shoved a huge cupcake right up to my face. On top, there was a burning sparkler candle.

“…?”

The hell?

“I heard that it was your birthday a few days ago!” he said.

“Happy birthday, Moondae.”

The production team passed up a birthday hat with puppy ears from behind the cameras. I took it and put it on with a shocked look on my face.

Assholes. You should have warned me! This is a live broadcast!

“Smile!”

There’s no need to write prompts on sketchbooks. I can’t smile any broader than I already am.

“Haha. Thank you.”

“Blow the candle out!”

Are you serious? I beamed and blew the sparkler candle out, then tugged on one of my puppy ears.

Wow. I’m wearing a suit, emceeing at a show everyone in the country watches at the end of the year, and being forced to do this…

“Thank you,” I could see a few of the members rolling around laughing in the artists’ seats.

I’ll deal with you when we get back to the dorm. But wait. The opening script for part two, now that I think of it…

“The next performance has to do with a beautiful birthday!”

“It was a really big hit this summer.”

Maintaining my equanimity with a huge effort, I followed up with, “We invite you to a special live performance of ‘Birthday Boy’ by the band Gray Cable, which has now been around for seventeen years.”

So all that was a set-up for these lines? Are idol emcees supposed to forego their dignity just to segue into introducing the next song? I felt dizzy as I realized all the requirements of an idol transferred perfectly to this end-of-year program, which was not even a regular music show.

The show continued in this manner until the very end.

***

Park Moondae is so cute! Moondae’s fansite master, who was seated below the stage with a camera in hand, was close to bursting into tears. There had been a rumor going around shared by someone connected to the industry that Moondae was going to be an emcee for a year-end show, which was why she’d secured herself this seat. It had been totally worth it.

This is what I’m talking about! This is it! She couldn’t get enough of seeing Moondae in the flesh. It had been such a long time since she’d seen him. He wore a neat navy suit with a black shirt, and it was a great emcee look when paired with his hair, which was tastefully slicked back. He also wore a white ribbon tied into a bow instead of a tie, presumably because he was the youngest emcee, and that was… just too cute.

Especially when he took the cupcake! Apparently, he hadn’t been told about it in advance, since he’d obviously been very taken aback. That made him even cuter.

There was icing on his nose… Moondae had wiped it off as soon as he’d realized it was there, and a staff member had even fixed his makeup, but she’d already caught it on camera.

Hahaha… Hahaha! She was in a state of excitement, being at her first offline event in a very long time. Laughing to herself like a lunatic, she snapped pictures like her life depended on it.

You’re the preview image I’ll post first, aren’t you? The emotional burnout she’d experienced after the accident, followed by the deeply depressing situation and the rollercoaster of emotions, then the worry she’d felt when the group resumed activities, was erased completely. She felt refreshed and jubilant.

I’m so looking forward to their next promotional cycle. It felt so good that the group had found its footing again. The fansite master grinned and adjusted her face mask.

And Moondae seems to be in good condition, too! The members in their seats sometimes waved when they locked eyes with Moondae. He waved back surreptitiously when the cameras weren’t on, which she liked to see. It seemed Moondae had even found the hidden cameras that the fans had brought along as well, since he made eye contact with them often.

Please stay an idol forever! Moondae was a blessing sent from heaven, and clearly her ultimate K-pop bias. She believed it was so, and therefore, it was true.

There will be no other idol for me. The fansite master had bitterly resolved in a drunken stupor that she would never trust an idol again when her former bias had made headlines, and not in a good way. But everything she’d been through with Moondae since had turned that memory to dust.

Part three began not long after that.

I guess they’re starting soon! Seems the cue sheet was right. Moondae quickly ran off, vanishing behind the emcee seats. She could also see TeSTAR moving from the artist seats.

The end-year shows don’t typically upload official fancams! A sense of duty settled in her gut, and she gripped her camera tightly. She felt prouder than she’d ever felt as she caught everything on camera.

That felt… so good! Now she was on her way home, leaving the SBC Sangam Hall with a content smile on her face. She didn’t feel tired in the least—though it was probably the explosion of adrenaline that was preventing her from feeling it. She’d probably start to feel it after she got home. Moondae’s fansite master was extremely happy at the moment.

“They’re so good at this!”

TeSTAR’s ability to perform hadn’t diminished in the slightest. In fact, not a single move had been adjusted or erased to make it easier for them.

They somehow seem even more experienced than before! It was almost as if the car accident hadn’t happened at all. Moondae, who had momentarily lost his balance at the group concert right after getting out of the hospital, seemed to have grown wings today. It had been obvious on-site as well as on camera that he’d been fully ready and eager to perform.

The performance itself had been great, too, of course. The performance of “Spring Out” had been fancy, and suitably grand, as it was the end of the year. She assumed that it had become a pretty big deal on the internet by now, for sure.

And now for this…! She excitedly jumped into a taxi, connected her camera to her laptop, and checked over some of the videos she’d taken. She wanted to review some of the scenes that had made the strongest impressions on her. As she was about to speed up the footage, she noticed something.

Huh? On-screen, Moondae was walking to the emcee seats after TeSTAR’s performance. She noticed something bright peeking out from under his black hair. She felt a thrill go down her spine.

“It’s a wig!”

His black hair wasn’t real—be it a wig, or his real hair color covered with a spray. Moondae had dyed his hair a color that was not black again!

My god! He dyed his hair for the upcoming album! That she preferred Moondae with black hair suddenly had no bearing.

What color is it? What color? I can probably tell if I adjust for the lighting. She couldn’t have felt more excited and intrigued. It had been the longest time since she’d last felt this sort of thrill.

“Ha…”

Wondering if she would be able to keep herself from posting spoilers on the internet until January, she mentally formulated some entertaining hypotheses regarding their promotions. The video, which had been copied, began to play from the beginning. Moondae returned to the emcee seat successfully, checking his cue sheet. She realized there was something odd about his expression.

“Huh?”

She felt her joy suddenly dampen and immediately zoomed in on Moondae’s upper body. She stared. Based on the angle, it seemed that he was looking at the TeSTAR members as they returned to their seats. But the look on his face was… vicious. His eyebrows were twitching.

What is this? She replayed the footage a few more times, feeling a chill, but the camera was trained on Moondae only, so she couldn’t tell what he was looking at. He had reined in whatever emotion was playing out on his face rather quickly.

“Hmm.”

I must be mistaken. It was borderline obsessive to read too much into an expression that had lasted for only a few seconds. She shrugged, making an effort to dismiss the incident as she moved on. She wasn’t mistaken, however.

***

“Good work, everyone!”

“Moondae, you were great.”

“Thank you.”

“Moondae, your puppy ears are— Ow!” Cha Eugene began.

“Enough,” I said.

The long live broadcast had finally come to an end. We climbed into the van as soon as we all met up again, since we needed to get back to the practice room to practice for a couple more hours before going back to the dorm.

I did okay as an emcee. The performance had been good, matching the effort we’d put into it, so I had no qualms about that, either. Something unexpected had come up, though.

“H-how is your throat?” Ahyeon asked.

“It’s fine,” I said.

“That’s good!”

That something had to do with Ahyeon. I’d glanced at the artist area on my way back after the performance, and a few idols had been bowing to Ahyeon with excessive politeness.

They’re probably the ones working with him for the collab stage. That much wasn’t a problem, but then Ahyeon had avoided making eye contact and hung his head as if cowed. It bothered me. I grabbed one of the members by the back of the shirt as they got out of the van.

“Hey,” I said.

“Huh? What’s up, Moondae?”

It was Big Sejin. I’d noticed him intervene, subtly cutting off the idols who had bowed to Ahyeon earlier.

He probably noticed, too. I lowered my voice to make sure the members walking ahead of us couldn’t hear, getting down to business right away.

“You saw what happened in the artist seats, right? With Ahyeon.”

“Hmm…”

Big Sejin caught on right away. “Yeah. That.”

“What did you see? They’re doing the collab performance with him, right?”

He shrugged.

“It’s obvious. They seem like they’re harassing him.”

“…!”

“He’s a nice guy, you know. He’s not exactly cunning, so they’re messing with him.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“They say things like, ‘Wow, Ahyeon! You look so good on camera. Isn’t that great? I’ll bet he doesn’t even need to practice that much!’ and laugh about it a little, you know?”

His impression was so realistic, I felt the urge to punch him in the mouth.

Big Sejin quickly returned to being serious, however. “And think about all the people who probably try to act like they know him. He’s shy, and they probably talked about him behind his back, saying he only talks to people who are popular.”

I sighed.

“You get it, right?” he said.

“Yeah.”

This kind of social bullying was ridiculous. Perhaps because their ages were similar, the bastards were no different from the contestants that had been on Idol Inc.

I thought they’d fawn over him because TeSTAR is such a success. I’d forgotten a key human trait—people were unpleasant when a successful person seemed like a pushover. Worst still, because the performance involved only those from groups that were relatively popular, they were even more combative.

I’ll need to hear from him about this. I decided to check on Ahyeon before we went into the practice room. The moment I took a step forward, however, a hand grabbed my shoulder.

“Wait.”

“…!”

I turned around. It was Big Sejin, shaking his head. “Hang on, Moondae, you’re not going to talk to Ahyeon about this, are you? You can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“Think about his pride, man,” he said with a wry smile. “How would you feel in his shoes if a friend realized what was happening? Wouldn’t you hate it more because it’s your good friend pointing it out?”

“…!”

“Just let him handle it himself. That’s the right way to deal with it.”