Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 196

‘Isn’t experiencing something firsthand the same as not knowing it, Baseborn?’

[…I’m upset.]

Why has he been like this for the past few weeks? It’s good that he’s feeling emotions, but I’m starting to worry that his personality has become strangely twisted.

“So, what’s the goal of today’s work, Dong-hwa?”

Ryu Iden asked, untying the rope he had tied himself. Just a moment ago, he was confidently fabricating evidence and taking pictures, threatening to report my misdeeds to the fan cafe. Anyone would think I tied him up.

“To capture spring in music.”

“…Ah, please, are you going to ask me ‘Do you feel spring?’ hundreds of times again today?”

“That’s the plan.”

Even without lyrics, a well-written song can evoke memories just by listening to it. The goal is to make the listener recall the experience of walking on a campus path in spring, even if they’ve never been there before.

“…Dong-hwa, I’ve never been to college.”

“Too bad.”

“You’ve been, though. What do I know about spring? I don’t know anything about spring.”

Do you think I was excited, enjoying the spring on my way to submit my leave of absence, you jerk?

“Among the people I know, you’re the most suited for youth, hyung [older brother or male friend].”

If you were to express ‘So what?’ with your face, it would look like your face right now, awesome, hyung.

“And the ‘chun’ in youth (青春) means spring (春).”

“…Crazy.”

“If you understand, listen to the song, hyung.”

“Your logic is weird!”

Humans have a tendency to lose their ability to think and judge normally when they have something important to do and the deadline is approaching.

Of course, I’m human too, so my judgment is definitely wavering because of the fact that I have to help Chae Ha-min be remembered as a pathetic younger man in people’s minds, no matter what kind of crazy things happen this drama season.

I tapped my fingers to the music playing. Well, it’s definitely a harmonically well-structured composition. The problem is that harmony is closer to mathematics, so you don’t feel any sense of spring.

“…Ah, it just feels good in a bland way.”

Me too.

“So, I’m going to try listening to a love story.”

Indirect experience is still experience, so maybe I can use it to incorporate it into the song.

“Uh… me?”

“Yeah.”

Turning my chair, I saw Ryu Iden fidgeting with the rope as if he was embarrassed. Watching him squirm awkwardly made me want to get a brick immediately. I want to smash him.

“Ah, this is a problem. I don’t even have a first love.”

I couldn’t help but frown at Ryu Iden’s shocking statement. What kind of team is this, seriously?

“…Let’s call the other guys.”

* * *

Really, what’s going on? Did some kind of plague that kills love break out in Korea around the time we were born? Or is it possible that Erich Fromm agonizing over what love is was already a century ago?

After calling all the members, we were able to learn one shocking fact.

Chae Ha-min, who dragged on the conversation saying, ‘Oh, I’m embarrassed! Dong-hwa, why are you asking me that!’ eventually screamed, ‘Aaaah! I don’t have one! Holding hands in kindergarten is the end of it for me. I don’t even remember!’

On the other hand, Lee Hyun-jae, as soon as he received the question, lamented, ‘My life has been too unfortunate to love.’

And finally, Seok-joon mentioned the name of a Wizney [parody of Disney] character, saying, ‘Remy—is.’ I tried to persuade him that it’s hard to make a person the object of first love, but I gave up thinking about what I was doing.

“…Isn’t this a little serious?”

“I think so too.”

“…No, Dong-hwa, I can see that for you and me.”

“Why?”

“I’m the leader, and you are… obviously……”

What kind of prejudiced words are those? I decided to put aside my curiosity about what Ryu Iden’s vague words were in the end.

“Anyway, if rumors spread, it’ll be a mess, right? So I was careful when building connections.”

I nodded. It is irrational. It’s funny that five of these things are gathered in one team.

“Ha-min is unexpected. Did God’s Enter [entertainment agency] also control their trainees’ private lives during their trainee days?”

Who knows, I don’t even remember.

“This is a problem.”

I leaned back in my chair. Ryu Iden also leaned back, following me, and sighed. And the two of us opened our mouths at the same time.

“Right? If none of them have ever been in a relationship, what if they meet strange people later?”

“No one can give me feedback on my song.”

And looking at each other, we exchanged glances that said, ‘Why is that a problem?’ They haven’t even done it themselves, but why are they worrying about the kids? They should worry about their own future.

After staring at each other in silence for a while, I turned on the computer and started writing an email.

“What are you writing, Dong-hwa?”

“I’m going to propose a project to the director.”

“…What are you trying to do?”

“We’re screwed from the start.”

What spring are we talking about? I was born in a country with four distinct seasons, but I’ve only tasted winter, and the rest are all the same. I’m starting to think it would be more reasonable to gather passing kindergarteners and ask them.

“…We are screwed.”

Ryu Iden also agreed and came behind me, seeming to read the contents of the email carefully.

“Oh, this is fun.”

[‘What is Your Spring?’ Project Proposal]

You can see how great big data and statistics are everywhere in the world.

* * *

And a week later, a survey page was posted on the drama station’s website, Blossence’s official SNS [Social Networking Service] account, and fan cafes.

A page titled [What is Your Spring?] was created to select the 1st and 2nd place among a total of five 10-second sound sources.

The 10-second sound sources were similar and different from each other, and the atmosphere was slightly different. It’s really nothing more than a survey, but it was inevitable that it would raise the fundamental question of ‘Why are they doing this?’

[What is this]

(Survey post address and captured photo)

Are Blossence leaking their next title song? What is it? Why is it uploaded on the broadcasting station? comments

―This should be seen as an OST [Original Sound Track] angle that is sharply defined

└Ah, the OST was so good in that Emperor something last time

―Wow, but ㅅㅂ [Korean slang, similar to ‘damn’] the feeling of number 3 is crazy, I gave it first place as soon as I heard it

―If they practiced during this time, they would have gotten a little more stage time at the end of the year └ㅂㅁㄱ [Korean abbreviation, meaning ‘Bury the mother’].

―These guys seem to do a lot of strange things…

At first, it was just a so-so survey that floated around on internet communities without much comment, but the story changed when one person, or rather two people, appeared.

[Hey Tot, these guys must really like their juniors]

(A selfie of Jun-seong and Ye-eon doing a survey was posted on their personal SNS.)

They seem to promote anything, lololololol [laughing sounds]. Although they are annoying people to Ji Dong-hwa who are arbitrarily practicing their gratitude for Ji Dong-hwa, they are actually people with name value in the idol scene.

Starting with these two, those who were friends with Ryu Iden also posted authentication posts such as ‘My pick is number 4!’

Did Ji Dong-hwa know? That the act that started with the modest wish of ‘I just want to survey about a hundred people’ would turn into such a big deal.

“Hyung, how much in the world goes as expected?”

“…The PD [Producer] told me to do anything if there was anything he wanted to ask about the sound source, so I was just expecting something simple like a full survey of the people at the broadcasting station.”

“That’s right. Hyung often brings disaster upon himself. Just look at your songwriting, you suddenly vowed to write a better song this time and then hosted a strange event? The fans are saying a lot about whether this is the title song or not.”

Yeah, that could be. Isn’t that how life is?

“So, how did the application go?”

“The announcement is next month. If I fail, I’ll just be satisfied with contributing to the school hyung will be attending later.”

Lee Hyun-jae was lying on the sofa, humming. After the college entrance exam, Lee Hyun-jae became incredibly lazy in the overflowing time. Not to mention now, when he is freely going back and forth between community and e-book reading apps, and X-tube [parody of Youtube] on his tablet. So that’s why he used the 13-inch one. I just thought it was unnecessarily big.

“…Hyun-jae.”

“Yes?”

My tutor student seemed much more diligent, how did he become like that?

“These days, you’re free.”

“…I go to lessons every day?”

Lee Hyun-jae’s eyes sharpened. He seemed to quickly realize how my words would connect.

“And, I sometimes go to the radio too……”

“You know that labor is important to humans.”

“No, I mean, I’m doing it, labor.”

“After the college entrance exam, I sometimes feel sad because it seems like you’ve lost something to aim for.”

The OST work was delayed for a while thanks to the survey, so I bothered Ryu Iden in the meantime and completed a song. A song that I can confidently say I put a lot of effort into.

“Take it.”

“…It’s a USB.”

“A personal song to commemorate becoming an adult. I wanted to give it to you when the college entrance exam was over, but the work was too backed up.”

Lee Hyun-jae received the USB with a dumbfounded expression and trembling hands. He stared at the USB for a while, then moved his lips several times with a blank expression. He gave up trying to say something, took a deep sigh, and gave an awkward smile.

“Why do you keep creating work, hyung? I respect you so much, but I really, sometimes, don’t understand it well. You’re cool, but I’m sure I would have grabbed you by the collar and tied you to the sofa if I were stronger than you, hyung.”

Get old. Because there aren’t many things to do besides work. I’m knitting a sweater because it’s almost spring, but my skills have improved these days, so I’m eating it sparingly because I knit it too quickly.

“Today, we’re going to get together and drink, so let’s write the lyrics tomorrow.”

“I really, don’t know how to repay you. I think I’ll have to have my organs removed to pay it all back.”

Oh my god, don’t even think about such dangerous things. Who thinks about selling organs to pay off debt?

Ting―!

[Do you know why you came out?]

No, Baseborn. I don’t remember at all, so I don’t know.

* * *

Today, we gathered to monitor the broadcast with memories of Bong-ju, and to commemorate Lee Hyun-jae’s first drink, who has never even tasted alcohol.

“Tada― This wine all came out of my pocket!”

Who’s going to drink it all? You get drunk on non-alcoholic drinks.

“Our Dong-hwa will drink it all.”

Looking at Chae Ha-min’s grinning face makes me feel like my liver is hurting. He’ll definitely leave it behind, and I’ll have to drink it all. I don’t even like alcohol, but I have to drink a glass with my meal to make room in the refrigerator.

“I bought all kinds of alcohol for our Hyun-jae to try!”

Ryu Iden is also excited and is taking out makgeolli [Korean rice wine], soju [Korean distilled spirit], and beer. He’s just as crazy as Chae Ha-min. He’s especially fond of the youngest, so he must be excited to play the role of an older brother.

Of course, unlike Lee Hyun-jae, who is an un scratched lottery ticket, the fact that his alcohol tolerance is terrible is a concern. Maybe even if you pour alcohol instead of water on a flower, it won’t endure as well as Ryu Iden.

“Ah― alcohol!”

And, he appeared. A guy who would enjoy watching Wizney even if he bathed in soju.

“…Come to think of it, you can’t drink less than our Jun, can you?”

“You don’t even need to think about it, Iden.”

You have a mouth, so you have to speak properly. There are really many things in the world that you can know without looking closely.

Last New Year’s, when we gathered to celebrate my birthday, the rabbit and puppy, who were excited to tease our handsome dinosaur-like actor, bought alcohol.

“That day, I was so surprised in the morning. Dong-hwa hyung and Jun-i hyung were still drinking together.”