Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 145

145.

Actually, Ryu Iden had already given me a heads-up before starting the W App. He told me to be careful because the comment section might be more chaotic than expected.

I should have been more careful about my behavior outside, but it was my fault. Of course, I didn’t expect a rat to be hiding [someone secretly recording and sharing information].

When I apologized before starting the W App, Ryu Iden shook his head. He said that the fans like it when we playfully argue with each other.

“The problem is that posts that would just get downvoted and disappear in the community are being made into videos. You didn’t swear or do anything immoral. It’s okay. Just do what you usually do.”

Clearly, you told me to just do what I usually do, Ryu Iden. Even though there were instructions from the staff, I expected it wouldn’t deviate much from ‘what I usually do.’

But why?

‘Stay calm.’

I muttered quietly to myself.

“Ah—you have to, Dong-hwa!”

‘I must stay calm.’

Ryu Iden is in front of me, stabbing bread with a fork and urging me to open my mouth.

‘Even if I want to grab him by the collar and ask what he’s doing, I…….’

Slowly, I open my mouth with the greatest patience I’ve ever mustered. Then Ryu Iden shakes his head, saying ‘Eung~eum,’ and makes an ‘Ah~’ sound again.

Under the desk, I bring my second and third fingers to my knee. It’s a gesture meaning ‘stop.’ Usually, if we make a gesture on air, we unconditionally listen to each other, but Ryu Iden shakes his shoulders and whines as if he didn’t hear anything.

“Dong-hwa hyung, my hand hurts.”

I manage to control my expression, which is about to be filled with shock.

“…Ah.”

“Oh, you eat well.”

“Hyung, do you really have to go this far…….”

I take a small bite of the bread and chew it in a small voice. If the fans know about my relationship with Ryu Iden, they’ll understand.

“Why are you whining again, baby kitten.”

The moment words form in my brain, my expression reflexively contorts. I almost asked if he was crazy, but I remember it’s a broadcast and barely hold back.

― Dong-hwa is gritting his teeth ㅋㅌㅋㅋㅋㅌㅋㅋㅋ [Korean laughter abbreviation]

― Baby kitten, seriously crazy ㅋㅌㅌㅋㅌㅌㅌㅌㅌㅋㅋ

― Please, get some troublemakers out, they’re bothering the kids

― No, but you can see the closeness in Ji Dong-hwa’s furrowed brow ㅋㅌㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Over something so trivial, I’m suffering this humiliation. It’s not something that would be written up in an article, and even if it were, it would be written by some unknown company.

I keep chewing the bread and make a resolution. Next time, no matter what happens, I will not grab Ryu Iden by the collar outside the dorm.

“Ah, everyone, do you know what happened today?”

Ryu Iden claps his hands and speaks in a bright voice.

“No, our baby kitten.”

Crazy bastard. It’s been a while since I wanted to plan an assassination. If I get help from Chae Ha-min’s father, I could handle it quietly and quickly, couldn’t I?

“Today, we had the ‘Luminous’ stage. Hamin and I choreographed it, and he complained about why we made it so hard.”

Ryu Iden says with a grin. It was a slightly exaggerated brightness, and although not many people will believe it, it seems like he’s trying to explain it indirectly.

“But what’s a little unfair is that Hamin and I clearly choreographed it together, but he only complained to me? I think it’s the kind of mindset that pushes away people you like.”

Really, you crazy puppy. My expression was about to sour again reflexively.

“…You believe I’ll accept whatever you do.”

I open my mouth to help with the explanation.

“Oh, so Hamin is narrow-minded?”

You’re always just thinking about playing pranks, you’re so consistent, you crazy puppy.

“Hamin is being careful because he might get hurt.”

“So, it’s okay for me to get hurt a little?”

“Yeah.”

I nod firmly and bite into the bread. Ryu Iden said it was healthy bread he bought, but the taste is…….

― Dong-hwa, it’s okay for me to get hurt too! (Hamin)

― It’s Hamin

― It’s Hamin

― Hamin-ah!

No, why does he say things that seem mentally problematic so casually? Since he’s a rabbit with no basic instinct for self-preservation, if he goes back to nature, he’ll be hunted down that day.

“Dong-hwa, everyone, even if he acts like this, he always listens to me carefully during meetings, and he even asks me for advice? When he starts his secluded training in the studio, he always calls me to listen to his music.”

It’s a bit exaggerated, but it’s not wrong, so I stayed quiet.

― I get called a lot too, everyone! (Hamin)

― I know, Hamin, don’t compete ㅋㅌㅋㅌㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

― Why are you competing ㅋㅌㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅌㅋ

No, what are you doing, you rabbit? We’re going to see each other at the dorm anyway, so I don’t understand why you’re looking at me on your phone.

“But suddenly, I feel a little wronged. Why is it okay for me to get hurt?”

Ryu Iden puts on a very wronged face. His facial expressions are truly excellent.

“…Hyung, you’d probably bounce off a knife with your muscles.”

“Ah, right. I’m working out hard so I don’t get assassinated by you.”

Oh dear, muscles won’t block poison, so I should be careful.

“Too bad. It would have been nice if you were a little lazier.”

Ryu Iden laughs heartily, not noticing the sincerity in my words. Then, as if something came to mind, he makes a short exclamation and whispers into the camera as if telling a secret.

“I’m experimenting to see how much Dong-hwa will put up with these days. I’ll tell you the results of that research.”

I don’t know what the meaning of whispering is. It’s too transparent.

“Dong-hwa accepts almost everything I do. Except for working out. He says he doesn’t like it, but he always sticks close to me…….”

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s embarrassing, so be quiet.”

I lament the current situation where I can’t bring myself to tell him to shut up.

* * *

[A short thought on the recent rumors.saenggak]

Iden and Dong-hwa are fighting for power in the team? If Ji Dong-hwa had made up his mind, he would have already established a dictatorship in the team. The moment it’s a ‘fight,’ the credibility converges to 0

Comments

― That’s the most logical thing I’ve heard… that’s right

― Even if that’s the case, what’s the problem? Idol power struggles are common

└ But the Roomnuts’ [fans of Room Service, another band] reaction is funny. ‘Iden would have given in to Ji Dong-hwa because of his personality.’ ‘Dong-hwa would have already won because of his personality.’

― Roomnuts know… Ji Dong-hwa values the public sphere like Habermas, so he would never ignore other people’s opinions

└ What, philosophy department, go away!

└ Explain who Habermas is first, philosophy department!

└ Roomnuts don’t know that kind of thing, old man…

― Isn’t it just a video with the opinions of a brain-addicted person who makes a side income by badmouthing others in their room while looking at a picture of kids playing around and buying snacks?

└ That’s too harsh ㅋㅌㅋㅋㅌㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ If I take a picture of my friend and me in our daily lives and mix in nonsense, rumors form immediately… In my day, we put effort into making rumors…

└ In my day, rumors took effort… we didn’t just say whatever came out of our mouths like this..

I nodded while looking at the community with Lee Hyun-jae.

“The fans don’t believe it at all.”

As expected, they’re wise.

“Actually, if you know even a little bit about hyung and Iden hyung’s usual behavior, you wouldn’t believe it, right?”

Whether the fact itself is believable or not is not that important. Even obvious lies, if repeated with a proper logical structure, will be believed by many people. This is proof that the Luminous fans are wise.

“Anyway, I need to be more careful when acting outside.”

“It’s a little, just a little scary. The fact that my appearance is being filmed every moment…….”

Lee Hyun-jae purses his lips as if dissatisfied. It’s a habit he has when things don’t go his way.

“You’ll be more careful, so it’s okay.”

“It’s not that… it’s just that I feel like you’re speaking easily because you don’t know well.”

Lee Hyun-jae slammed his workbook shut.

“Without knowing the hyungs well… how can you be so reckless? Hyung and Iden hyung are almost like a middle-aged couple with great marital harmony.”

What crazy talk, you crazy disciple. Unfortunately, I’m a non-marriage advocate and have no intention of getting married.

“…Jun-seong sunbae-nim [senior colleague] said it’s better to think of it as a kind of tax.”

“As expected, death and taxes are unavoidable.”

“That’s right.”

“…It’s a little, a little scary. Aren’t you?”

I quietly open the reference book for him. Lee Hyun-jae gave me a resentful look for a moment, but I ignored it.

“Did you take the June mock exam?”

“Yes, I couldn’t go to school because of activities, so I couldn’t take it on-site.”

“Okay.”

I nod and pat him on the shoulder once.

“Aren’t you going to ask about my score?”

“If it was low, you would have consulted me first.”

“…Ugh, it feels a bit strange to have everything read.”

Lee Hyun-jae grabs his mechanical pencil, showing off his pouty lips. If he keeps studying like this even in the midst of his busy schedule, he might be able to go to a university near mine, even if it’s not the same one.

* * *

The hiatus that came after finishing ‘Luminous’ activities. Actually, it’s called a hiatus, but it doesn’t mean the schedule is over. It means we’re wandering around the country for events.

Thanks to having no schedule today, a meeting was held for the first time in a while. Team Leader Jang Hae-jin, sitting in the center of the table, smiles at us. She looks more and more tired.

“I’m glad the 2nd Anniversary Festival was completed safely. Right, everyone?”

The Blossoms Anniversary Festival was held at the end of the ‘Luminous’ activity period. Last time, we rented a venue and held it live, but this time, the situation wasn’t favorable, so we borrowed a studio and released a recorded version.

“It’s a shame, but it couldn’t be helped. Your popularity has increased a bit, so if we rented an outdoor stage and an unexpected safety accident occurred… it’s really hard to control when crowds gather.”

Team Leader Jang Hae-jin looked troubled. It seems that Team Leader Jang Hae-jin insisted on holding it on-site.

“Ah, we received an offer from K-Net to participate in a special music broadcast. It’s a special Bangkok episode, and we were considering Southeast Asia for overseas promotions anyway. I don’t think there’s anything to lose by going. Do you all agree?”

Is that so? I’ve only been on a plane twice in my life, when I went to Germany as an exchange student with all the money I saved from tutoring.

“Wow, I’ve never been on a plane in my life.”

“M―e t―oo, Hyun―jae.”

“Actually, me too. I’m a little excited. Are there any rules or anything?”

Lee Hyun-jae, Seok-jun, and Ryu Iden. They’re not even expressing their agreement and are just explaining how exciting it is to ride a plane.

“These days, there are many strange cases where K-pop is more popular overseas than in Korea, so we’ll be doing overseas promotions so we don’t fall behind, so there will be many opportunities to ride in the future.”

Team Leader Jang Hae-jin gave a warm smile to the three of them. They’ve been trainees at this company, so she looked like a parent sending them on a trip.

“Ah, and the ‘Escape from Daily Life’ episode that Dong-hwa appeared on will air today. Everyone doesn’t have any schedules tonight, so it wouldn’t be bad to gather together and watch it.”

……Wait, I don’t want to.

“I heard from the production team that it will be a warm and fun episode. You should always thoroughly monitor things like variety shows. That’s how you can look forward to the future, right?”

Everyone nodded, but I alone couldn’t nod properly.

“Iden hyung, grab Dong-hwa as soon as the meeting ends so he can’t escape.”

You damned rabbit, if you’re going to whisper, can’t you do it so I can’t hear you? He’s clearly a dim-witted guy, but he’s remarkably perceptive only at times like this.

“Why, Dong-hwa? Did you do anything weird?”

Team Leader Jang Hae-jin also turns off work mode and expresses curiosity.

“…I didn’t do anything.”

* * *

“Waaaaaaah! Dong-hwa, are you crying?!”

“He’s crying, Ji Dong-hwa is crying!”

“Why is our baby kitten crying!”

I want to block my eardrums like a monkey, cover my eyes, and close my mouth. I want to forget my face crying on TV and the beasts next to me watching it and jumping around, and sit alone in my room reading a book.

‘Ha, damn new media era.’

Why isn’t the right to be forgotten properly guaranteed?