Side Story (2)
When I suddenly looked troubled, the trainees seemed to think they’d done something wrong and stared at me with tearful eyes. It was really nerve-racking. I let out a small sigh and mouthed, “It’s fine.”
‘Still, I can’t just entirely edit out either myself or the trainees, either…….’
Well, what can be done? It’s not like I can say anything to the kids.
The problem was caused by poor communication between the staff managing the trainees and those overseeing my contract. Besides, new employees are called ‘newbies’ for a reason; they’re bound to make plenty of mistakes since they still don’t know much.
In the end, the first thing I did to handle the mess caused by the adults’ circumstances was to gesture toward the camera. Once it started filming my solo shot, I lifted the collar of my tracksuit to adjust the look and tilted my head slightly. Let’s just play the pretty card, pretty card.
Technically, the contract didn’t say I had to emphasize the clothes this much, but since the accident already happened, I might as well make sure they don’t feel left out.
“Wow, sh—1 you’re really handsome, wow ……. seriously, super cool.”
Gong Seonghwa-ssi, please mind your dignity.
“…Raiko, fighting!”After giving the outfit a decent showcase, I clenched my fist and awkwardly mentioned the brand’s name. The entire crew and staff burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
Yeah, go on and laugh. If we just pass this off as variety show humor, won’t all the problems be solved anyway? I was planning to have something like ‘Raiko I love you♥’ added as a caption in the edited version.
With the situation neatly concluded that way, the trainees finished the parade performance with a perfectly synchronized dance to Prism’s song.
Since all YT Entertainment trainees learn the choreography for Prism’s title tracks from the beginning, the quality of the performance turned out quite satisfactory. You could they we achieved maximum efficiency with minimal effort.
‘Looks like one of the trainees is rather quick-witted.’
“Who chose the team T-shirts and the song?”
After seeing which trainee raised his hand in response to my question, I nodded. Although he hadn’t been a trainee for long, he was a child whose face I remembered from the monthly evaluation, as he had good looks and his skills were improving quickly.
‘You know very well that I called on you to give you a chance to get your face on camera, don’t you?’
He could have neglected the field day preparations, given that the monthly evaluation was right around the corner, but seeing that he didn’t, he seemed quite clever.
“What do you think?”
“You’ve already taken a liking to him, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, I suppose I have.”
“Then do as you wish. Whatever you think is likely the right answer.”
I asked that brief, subjectless question without averting my gaze, and Choi Jeokhyeon replied with ease, as if he had immediately grasped my intention. In return, I gave a small, crooked smile and gestured to the New Talent Development Team staff member who was waiting behind me.
“That trainee seems promising.”
“Yes, he was scouted through street casting not long ago because of his good looks, but he’s a bit older than the usual age for a rookie debut…….”
What do you mean, a bit old? He’s only twenty.
Sure, the industry favors debuting younger trainees these days, but there should still be some balance. Having one or two members in a group who haven’t spent their entire lives as trainees but have broader life experience can actually be beneficial.
“Yes, understood, Director-nim.”
I cut off the staff member’s unnecessary concern at once and gave a brief order. If you’ve taken on a position of this level, shouldn’t you be able to pick up on a lot, even in a fleeting moment like this?
My intuition is always right.
While I was talking with the staff, the trainees watched me closely with expressions that were half worry and half anticipation. I gave them a slight smile and said, “You’ve improved a lot on the points I mentioned in the last monthly evaluation. You’ve worked hard. I can see your dedication to the company, and you’ve got great sense. You also fit the field day concept very well, so I’ll give your parade performance an eight points out of ten.”
“Thank you so much!”
At that, the chicks broke into wide smiles, their faces flushed red, and bowed in unison like falling dominoes.
‘They really do look like trainees…….’
Watching them, I was reminded all over again of just how much of a bunch of eccentrics the Prism guys really were.
“Haha, Trainer-hyung, you just messed up the choreography again. You must not have practiced before coming here. We have a lot of other practices keeping us busy, so if you’re not ready yet, would it be okay if we worked on that other stuff first?”
“Oh, the rap I’m working on right now? I’ll handle it myself!”
“I’d like to practice on my own. I already got permission from the director.”
The Prism guys had been practically complete in terms of skill even back in their trainee days, and their personalities were so strong that they lacked any of the expected freshness or naivete of typical trainees. It got to the point where some mediocre trainers ended up completely overwhelmed trying to compete with them and told Kang Hyukwoo they couldn’t teach those bastards anymore.
‘If I hadn’t stepped in back then, they might have been filmed just as they were and failed to debut. Well, I suppose it wouldn’t have mattered, as they’re the kind of guys who’d succeed anywhere anyway.’
The Pantheion guys had been thrown straight into a survival program, so their image leaned more toward that of ‘professionals on stage‘ rather than trainees. Furthermore, those guys were also the ones among the countless trainees who possessed exceptionally outstanding talent and fierce determination.
“Yutae-hyung, I’ve been rewatching our videos from when we were on SI4 lately. You know how most singers can’t stand watching their pre-debut clips because it’s embarrassing, right?”
“…Yeah, that’s normally the case.”
“But the more I watch them…….”
“The more you watch them?”
“We were freaking awesome.”
“…….”
‘They know it too.’
They’re the kids I picked.
It’s only natural that they excel, right?
“Then, next up, we will have the entrance of our Pantheion!”
As the saying goes, even a tiger appears when spoken of. Sure enough, just as I was thinking about my cubs, their turn immediately came up.
“Banana, Bananana.”
The moment that strange singing reached my ears, I sensed something ominous. As I slowly rubbed the back of my neck, which was growing stiffer by the second, I saw a bunch of yellow things rushing toward me in a group from afar.
“BANANA! BANANANA!”
‘Is what I’m seeing right now real?’
I rubbed my eyes a few times and opened them again, and by then, the members of Pantheion, now a bit closer, started to come into my sight.
‘What the hell are those idiots?’
Every single one of them was a banana.
Yes, bananas. The kind you peel off one by one and eat.
“Don’t let your stems fall off! Wooooh!”
Don’t tell me they actually gathered like that just to look like a bunch of bananas?
They might as well have dressed up as monkeys. At least then people would think they were only acting like fools on purpose. The way they are now, they just look like a bunch of hopeless idiots putting their hearts into it.
Please, guys.
You’re idols, not comedians.
Other company’s kids are doing everything they can to look even a little cool, so what on earth is wrong with you guys?
“Ugh!”
To make things worse, Baek Kiryang even tripped on his way over.
It was no wonder he fell. He was wearing such awful clothes.
“One banana down. One down. Code red.”
“We are one. Let’s all lie down together so he doesn’t feel embarrassed.”
In the midst of this chaos, the rest of the members were lying side by side right next to Baek Kiryang. That’s right. Since they’re all identical bananas, if they lie down like that you really wouldn’t know who tripped. So, should I just wipe them all out?
When the song ended, what I was faced with was Lee Hwayoung, the only banana still standing, while the rest lay flat on the ground. I looked at him with a grave expression for a moment before forcing myself to speak.
“Who is it? Who approved those team shirts?”
Do Yuda answered with a very confident face, “It was the CEO-nim.”
Damn you, Choi Jeokhyeon.
It’s so obvious what happened. He probably didn’t want to bother with something so trivial, so he just brushed it off with that usual crap about ‘I respect your freedom‘. Choi Jeokhyeon, you might not know this, but if you leave dogs and children alone, they’re bound to cause trouble. What am I supposed to do if you just let the Pantheion guys, who happen to qualify as both, to their own devices?
‘The staff probably found it hard to say anything unpleasant to the Pantheion members, who have a fair amount of seniority and fame.’
Holding my forehead from the throbbing pain, I shook my head and glared at Choi Jeokhyeon with reproachful eyes. In response, Choi Jeokhyeon smiled brightly and spoke with an utterly brazen face.
“I thought you’d like it.”
You trying to pick a fight?
Oh, you are picking a fight, aren’t you?
I knew I shouldn’t scold the CEO in front of the employees, but anger was bubbling up inside me. While I silently rubbed my face in frustration, Do Yuda gave me a thumbs-up and said,
“As long as we’re happy, that’s all that matters, right? Happy, happy.”
No, behind you is Lee Hwayoung, and he looks extremely unhappy.
What Lee Hwayoung and Han Seungbeom were wearing were basically pajamas that, once you peeled off the outer layer, were just hoodies with a normal design, so they didn’t look all that ridiculous. Their pants were also perfectly ordinary, like regular trousers, so it would be fair to call them reasonably cute. The real problem was the costumes of the rest of the Pantheion members, particularly Nagi Zen and Do Yuda.
“Mister Lee and the Nation Great Beauty2, behold.”
The two of them looked like people had been skewered into overstuffed bananas filled with cotton. The yellow sleeves and leggings they wore to match the color were so awful that I didn’t even want to talk about them.
On top of that, their faces were completely covered in yellow body paint. Maybe wanting to show off the effort they’d put into it, Nagi Zen even closed his eyes to turn his entire face into a solid yellow surface.
Did he really have to commit that hard to being a banana?
I was staring at Nagi Zen’s face in fascination, honestly amazed that he didn’t even look like he was from the same planet as me, when that guy suddenly snapped his eyes open.
“Eek.”
No matter how bizarre he looks, I shouldn’t have said ‘Eek‘ when looking at a person’s face.
He’s one of my cubs, but to be honest, he startled me a bit. He looked kind of scary.
“Parade score. Give us a perfect score, please.”
That was all he said with such a serious look on his face. It was truly absurd.
“1 point. Don’t go home after the retreat. Stay behind for a private talk with me.”
“Nooooo”
As if saying ‘Nooo’ will change anything.
I’m the one who’s saying no. I won’t change my decision. I have no intention of changing it. Now hurry up and go back to your place.
“Bananas over there, hurry and get into Pantheion’s tent. We need to move on to the next item on the schedule.”
“Boohoo.”
After forcibly removing the suspicious-looking bananas, I proceeded to finish the entrance and evaluation of the solo artist team, including Gong Seonghwa.
“Then, at last, it’s time for Prism sunbaenims to make their entrance…….”
Screeeech!
Just as the MC was about to call for Prism, a suspicious black limousine suddenly drove onto the set. There hadn’t been any prior notice about it, so I couldn’t hide my bewilderment, and right then, music with a grave mood started playing.
“Don’t leave me
Without you, I can’t breathe.”
Listening to the narration, which had an effect that made it sound like a phone call, it seemed like a song from that era when people thought a music video wasn’t a real music video unless someone died in it. If I remember right, the MV was about a tragic female lead who, for unavoidable reasons, leaves the third-generation chaebol male lead, and the male lead desperately chases after her.
While I was wondering why on earth that kind of song was playing right now, the limousine door opened, and the Prism members, dressed in suits and even wearing sunglasses, jumped out.
‘What the hell is this crazy act supposed to be?’
What kind of crazy bastards make their parade entrance by car?
While I watched with lifeless eyes as Lee Chise tumbled out in a front somersault and struck a pose, pretending to scan the perimeter, Cha Woon, his face bright red, followed him out of the car with his hand resting on a spiral-cord walkie-talkie.
He’d clearly been roped into it by the other members who’d insisted on doing this. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.
Boom! Clack! Boom! Clack!
Meanwhile, inside the limousine, Seo Yuseong was sound asleep, completely unaware of what was happening in the world. He was wrapped in Lee Chise’s eye mask, headset, and a pink, cloud-patterned blanket. Jo Inchan, who had been holding a gun as ordered by the members until dawn the previous night, seemed reluctant to leave Seo Yuseong behind, so he lifted Seo Yuseong’s hand and waved it toward the camera with a sheepish laugh.
‘That’s kind of cute.’
It felt like the anger that had been boiling over at these guys for pulling yet another pointless stunt instead of behaving properly was starting to cool down a little.
I guess you could even say it felt a bit healing.
Bang!
But the moment I caught sight of Nam Yihwon, the last one to get out of the car, my mood instantly soured.
Nam Yihwon looked like some chaebol heir straight out of a drama. He was dressed in a full suit, his hair slicked back with wax, leather gloves on his hands, and even a leopard-print fur coat draped over him. He held a bouquet of roses in one hand and an old feature phone in the other, his face set in a grave expression. As soon as he jumped out of the car, he lowered his sunglasses dramatically and looked around as if searching for someone.
‘Don’t waste your acting skills on nonsense like this.’
“Why, why do we have to break up?
When I love you this much
And you love me that much”
The moment our eyes met, he suddenly reached out toward me, his expression profoundly affectionate.
“Oh, my love“
Ah, f**k.
Don’t tell me … am I the heroine?
“That coward who made tears well up in your eyes
That bastard who messed with my love, I’m going to kill him.”
‘Why are the lyrics like this?’
At that exact moment, Jay, looking just as serious as the others, rolled out a bright red carpet straight toward where I was standing. A sense of something ominous crept over me.
“So, come back to me.”
And before that chilling feeling could even fade, Nam Yihwon started advancing toward me while performing intense dance moves.
‘Don’t come any closer.’
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Translator’s Corner:
- Seonghwa almost said “ssibal” here. ↩︎
- actually 경국지색, a beauty that can ruin a nation. The sentence actually funnier because the literal translation is “Mister Lee and 경국지색, we grant you the favor of seeing them” ↩︎
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