Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 126

126.

Even if you don’t want the day to come, it always does. Why is it so unlikely that a highly probable inductive conclusion could be wrong?

I was about to sigh in front of the TV, but stopped myself. When I think about it, what is there to be ashamed of?

“Wow, Dong-hwa’s face is in the trailer.”

“Ha-min hyung also appeared just now!”

I finally sighed and looked at Chae Ha-min sitting next to me. Judging from the fact that he’s messaging his mother on his phone, he must be telling her that he’s appearing in the drama.

“Ha-min, are your family watching this too?”

I asked as if it were nothing, but it’s quite an important question.

“Yeah, Mom said she’s going to turn it on without Dad knowing.”

Applause to Chae Ha-min’s mother for doing exactly what I asked. Now, I just hope the drama is interesting enough to make them reconsider Chae Ha-min’s job.

Chae Ha-min yawns once and then claps his hands loudly.

“Should I go pop some popcorn? I asked the manager to buy some cooking popcorn earlier.”

No. You’re going to fry this house. Or fried popcorn will rain down.

“Oh! Sounds good!”

Seok-jun must have eaten enough tact for two meals, as he says scary things without a second thought.

“I’ll go pop it right away!”

I can’t leave the kitchen to that unconscious pyromaniac, so I get up and head to the kitchen.

“Ha-min, I’ll pop it.”

“Hey, Dong-hwa, just trust me and wait!”

“I’ve gotten a lot from you usually, so I’m trying to repay you.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Saying it like this makes it a little difficult for you to step up, right? Chae Ha-min has a strange expression on his face, a mixture of joy and regret at my offer to repay him. His mouth is naturally smiling, but his eyes show regret.

Of course, once you drop anchor like this, saying what you really want is also an important negotiation skill.

“…Shall we make it together?”

“Okay, okay!”

Yeah, that’s enough. At least I can prevent a weather disaster from happening in the kitchen.

* * *

Just as the drama was about to start, I brought the finished popcorn, and as soon as Ryu Iden took a bite, he praised it as delicious. Of course, I forced him with my eyes.

“Wow! Ha-min! Your cooking skills are improving rapidly!”

Chae Ha-min smiles awkwardly, slightly embarrassed by the praise. Lee Hyun-jae, who looked like he had a lot to say the moment he heard Ryu Iden’s words, thought for a moment, looked at my face, nodded a few times, and then quietly ate the popcorn.

Well, you fox.

While they were praising Chae Ha-min, the drama started.

“Oh, it’s starting.”

The beginning of the drama is quite predictable. They spent about 30 minutes establishing the characters. In between, the members appear and are embarrassed by Jane. Laughter and a bright atmosphere generally continue.

However, for some reason, even in the midst of all that, a slightly ominous atmosphere occasionally rears its head at night. Jane’s inner melancholy and the disapproving eyes watching the corruption within the imperial family, and even the way they monitor Jane’s every move to see what she will do.

And finally, that damn scene comes out.

“…Dong-hwa’s out!”

Exactly in the early to mid part, I appeared as the first device to ignite Jane’s spark. With additional footage and a slightly more tense camera movement.

“Hyung, I’ve been wondering, do you think it’s right for hyung to take on challenges that risk death?”

Lee Hyun-jae suddenly makes a strange noise in that tension. It’s a question with a predetermined answer.

“…It’s not a matter of ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ Hyun-jae.”

If someone has something more valuable than their life, and if they lose satisfaction in their entire life due to the absence of that something, they may morally collapse.

That something may be different for each person, or it may not exist at all. However, before arguing whether it is right or wrong, it will be an absolutely rational choice for that individual.

For example, even if someone obtains money through illegal means and lives as a homeless person without using it, it may seem like a stupid thing to someone, but it will be a moral collapse for that person.

In conclusion, such a choice is not in the realm of value judgment of ‘should do,’ but is only unfolded and chosen by us as a phenomenon.

…That short explanation is not fully proven, but I can explain it to Lee Hyun-jae when he’s tired of studying for the college entrance exam.

“Every time Dong-hwa does this, I understand why he went to Korea University. What are you talking about?”

Ryu Iden mutters with a blank expression.

“That’s right, I didn’t understand half of it.”

It wasn’t that bad. I spoke in Korean, why?

While chatting like that, I was still watching the drama. Jane is naturally drawn to my words, which become a spark for her, even though she may give up everything. Ji Dong-hwa in the drama is also teaching her imperial studies according to her will, even though the imperial family only told him to teach her etiquette.

“…Isn’t that dangerous?”

Ryu Iden suddenly said that, but no one answered. Everyone knew. There’s a reason why the title is ‘The Pomegranate Will Bloom Again’.

―Teacher, isn’t it wrong to teach this…?

Just in time, Jane asks a question appropriately as she quietly looks at an international relations textbook in the drama.

―Aren’t you afraid to jump off alone? So, study properly this time. It’s not time yet, but in a few years…

―Stop nagging! Ah! I’ve changed!

―Isn’t it a problem that you’re showing it off again? Hide it. Emperors do not carry daggers around.

As my indifferent answer continues briefly, the members cheer and tap me on the shoulder. Damn it. I should have gone to work too.

As these different movements and changed atmosphere continue for about a year, the dagger is finally revealed. The eldest son and daughter, who are candidates to be the successor of the imperial family and feel uneasy, make sharp expressions while drinking coffee. In a situation where the corruption of the imperial family has recently been attracting attention, it is obvious how public sentiment will turn if such a new face suddenly appears.

―…It feels disgustingly ominous. Right?

―Ah, that’s what I’m saying. Something, something is strange. It’s not exactly visible, but…

―Shall we clean up that place?

―…How?

―Oh my, because I’m getting old, my hand slipped and a fire broke out?

―Oh my, the royal physician is on our side, so he didn’t give a proper autopsy?

It’s a simple conversation, but you can clearly see what will happen. And the eyes that Ji Dong-hwa planted in the drama capture such strange movements. He goes around the palace from time to time to check the atmosphere, and finally goes to Chae Ha-min.

―We need to secure a secret passage to the outside of the palace.

―A secret passage…? Has something… happened that requires it?

―Hmm, I don’t really know. But it’s ominous.

―…Yes? Then!

―You always have too many unnecessary words.

And Ji Dong-hwa turns around and Chae Ha-min stares blankly at his back. He has a lot to say, so his eyes fill with tears and he wrinkles his nose before turning back. Behind that background, a small pomegranate field grown by Jane’s mother is zoomed in on.

“Oh my god, Dong-hwa, you’re so cool!”

“Ha-min hyung! Your acting is great!”

And as the scene continues urgently, Ji Dong-hwa is seen running madly through the palace due to the candidates who moved faster than he expected. Without even fixing his disheveled hair, he kicks down the door and grabs Chae Ha-min and Jane, then speaks quickly.

―Is it secured?

―…Yes.

―Then, go.

Jane was still young even after a year. She is still cultivating the composure of an emperor, so she is flustered by the sudden situation. Ji Dong-hwa turns back to Jane and speaks slowly.

―I still remember the first day you decided to become emperor. It was an honor to be with you on that first day.

―D, don’t talk like it’s a last goodbye, teacher. What is it? Why, there’s still a lot you haven’t taught me, teacher.

―There is no last. There is only eternity for the emperor. All your choices will remain forever, so my glory will also be eternal.

Chae Ha-min rushes in from behind and tells Jane in a small voice that she has to go.

―Wait, Ha-min. Just a moment, I haven’t, just a moment!

―I think I told you in the first class of imperial studies that hesitation is poison; you still have a long way to go.

―That’s right!

―You talk too much. Remember only one thing from what I taught you. You are,

Ji Dong-hwa quietly looks down. Jane thinks for a moment, bursts into tears, and leaves one last word.

―I… am the person who will become emperor.

―Then what are you doing, Mr. Ha-min, assist her.

Ji Dong-hwa smiles weakly because he believes it is his last appearance. When acting, he thought that if he could buy even a little time with a passage that would be revealed anyway, that would be enough.

―Then I’ll see you as emperor.

After that, everyone escapes, and in the room left alone, the surroundings turn red as the flames gradually rise.

―About 10 seconds left?

Saying that, Ji Dong-hwa sits down and loosens his tie. He straightens his breath quietly in a way he has never done before in his life, and looks at the masked man who opens the door and enters.

―It doesn’t seem like a gun, is it a knife? If shell casings are left behind, it will be noisy again.

The masked man’s embarrassment at the fact that a man, not Jane, is sitting in front of him is revealed even outside the mask.

―It’s really beautiful. The next emperor is a pomegranate flower blooming on this sea of blood.

Ji Dong-hwa smiles sincerely and leaves one last word.

―On the other hand… how ugly you are. You’re a disgrace that only suits back alley dogs, not an emperor. It’s really funny.

His voice trembles slightly, but the conviction within it continues firmly. And the screen stops there, and a theme song plays, signaling the end.

As a side note, in the next episode, Jane survives thanks to Chae Ha-min’s sacrifice during the escape process. This is what happened because we couldn’t go any further according to the drama script. Of course, it is also a device to explode Jane’s anguish and various choices in an environment where all helpers are dead, and it is also a composition that confirms that it is Jane’s growth drama.

“…Dong-hwaaaaa!”

Chae Ha-min puts the popcorn container on the desk and runs to me, shaking my shoulders.

“My head is ringing…”

Before I could finish my words, Ryu Iden’s shaking was added.

“Dong-hwa hyung! Hyung! I love you! Dong-hwa hyung!”

“Damn it, stay still,”

And Lee Hyun-jae and Seok-jun seemed to find it fun and joined in the shaking. That damn fox is only getting more and more evil.

While being shaken like that, I feel my phone ringing. I thought it was Mok-hwa, so I shook everyone off and picked up my phone, but I put it down after seeing the names of Ye-eon and Jun-sung written on it. Our younger sibling must be a little busy.

“No, so what happens after this? Do you guys know?”

I know, but I should stay still. I quickly turn my head to Chae Ha-min and suppress the rabbit [meaning to keep him quiet] with my eyes. If I leave him alone, he has a magical mouth that will spill everything.