Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 300

Chae Hamin entered the interview room with a leisurely air.

The ‘Escape successful! Let’s go eat snacks!’ paper he seemed to have in his head after the game ended had long disappeared. Only pure brightness remained, a lingering relief at having escaped that place.

“Wow, the counseling room. It’s my first time here since career counseling.”

“You can sit here!”

“Yes!”

Still in his martial arts uniform, he smiled awkwardly, exuding the aura of an amateur shaman.

“The outfit suits you well.”

“Isn’t it pretty?”

“If you want to end the interview, you can end it anytime.”

The writer naturally dropped a hint.

“No way, I have to do everything I prepared before leaving!”

“Is it okay if you eat snacks late?”

“Even if eating late is a shame, I have to work.”

Smiling, Chae Hamin naturally missed the point. Missing the point to this extent was almost an art form.

“Yes, you worked with Donghwa to escape today. How was it?”

The writer thought to herself, ‘The others won’t be okay…’, as she asked the first question of the fake interview.

Chae Hamin listened intently, then sighed once and muttered gloomily. It seemed the scary memories were resurfacing.

“…I really don’t think I would have been able to function properly without Donghwa.”

For Chae Hamin, the interview was a time to reveal his inner thoughts. The members might see it later, but since there was no one listening right now, he could reveal everything.

“Strange situations kept unfolding all day. When I opened the door, a man was suddenly crying, and when I passed by, women suddenly rushed out…”

The writer thought, ‘Women?’, but brushed it off as a common slip of the tongue.

“But every time Donghwa called me, I calmed down!”

“Why is that?”

“I thought Donghwa might even be able to get rid of ghosts.”

* * *

In a quiet snack shop, Ryu Ideun and I shared an earphone to listen to Chae Hamin’s interview.

Chae Hamin seemed completely unsuspecting, and I wasn’t watching Seokjun’s interview, but…

“Hyung, get a grip! The writer is giving you so many signals to leave! Why! We won so we could tell Donghwa hyung together, ‘Hey, stop reading books so much!'”

Just from that reaction, I could tell how it was going.

…More than that, what are you saying, Hyeonjae? You read a lot too, so you can’t say that to me.

―I thought Donghwa might even be able to get rid of ghosts.

“That’s what he says. What do you think, hyung?”

“Explain how you get rid of something that doesn’t exist first.”

The prerequisite for removal wasn’t met. I chewed on a piece of *tteokbokki* [spicy stir-fried rice cakes].

―I’ve said this many times, but Donghwa is my closest friend among people my age, you know?

“That’s what he says.”

“Be quiet, Ideun.”

Before I swear.

―Whenever I’m having a hard time or have worries, I go to Donghwa first. Actually, I don’t even need to because we share a room, so if I talk to him before bed, he’ll get up and listen, no matter how tired he is.

“That’s sweet, hyung.”

Shut up.

―But the amazing thing is, I feel like things will be resolved just by talking! Donghwa is like a lucky charm to me. Like he’s watching over me from behind, no matter what I’m doing!

Don’t talk like I’m raising you, Hamin. You have the ability to solve things on your own, so what are you saying?

“That’s not wrong. You’re like a sugar daddy, you know.”

Ryu Ideun, who had been listening quietly, added unnecessarily.

“What.”

“Didn’t you fill in Hamin’s mushrooms when he forgot to?” [Referring to a task in a game]

“…That’s like a gift. I filled your chicken breast once too.”

“So I filled your bookshelf once.”

So it was you. The one who put a book explaining ‘How to get along with others’ on the bookshelf.

―Donghwa seems to be a big support to you.

―That’s right. Actually, Ideun hyung is too. If Donghwa feels like he’s picking up what I drop from behind, Ideun hyung feels like he’s paving the way ahead? I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to function properly without one of them, I realized that today.

“I feel that way too. It feels like you’re always watching from behind, you.”

My expression naturally frowned.

―Is there anything you’ve been too embarrassed to say to Donghwa or Ideun? Would you like to take this opportunity to say it?

―Ha, first of all, Donghwa, I jokingly said I could give you my bank account today, right? I’m always so grateful that it’s not a lie.

So cheesy. I turned my head slightly to avoid Chae Hamin’s eyes as he looked at the camera.

Ryu Ideun was giggling and poking my shoulder.

If your mother heard that, she’d worry about your life, Hamin.

―But I wish you’d cut down on work a little. You don’t come into the room much these days, and I might accidentally hit you one day without realizing it.

“Wow, that’d be Hamin’s first violence ever. He can’t even pretend to hit someone, Hamin can’t.”

“He’d never be able to hit him, even if he said that.”

“That’s true.”

―And Ideun hyung, not as much as Donghwa, but I care about you a lot!

Ryu Ideun spilled a little of the *oden* [Japanese fishcake stew] soup he was drinking.

Wiping his mouth with the tissue I handed him, Ryu Ideun grabbed the tablet and shook it.

“That’s too much! Care for us equally, Hamin!”

―Just kidding, when I see you always working hard and taking care of us, I worry that you might collapse. So hyung, take a break too. If you two go on a trip together, I’ll take care of you!

“I can never trust that.”

“Me neither.”

“There might be flour all over the dorm after you come back.”

“Junnie will make a snowman.”

―I’ll try to be a member you can rely on as much as I rely on you. I love you.

Ugh.

I took out the earphone. It felt like insects were crawling on my face. *Demodex* mites are arachnids, so they’re not insects, but the feeling is right.

“Isn’t this a punishment for us, no matter how you look at it.”

If I were watching it on TV later, I could just skip it after 10 seconds. Expressing affection, whether I say it or hear it, makes my whole body twist.

“Why. I like it.”

Ryu Ideun watched Chae Hamin cover his face in embarrassment with a warm expression. He looked like a fool for his child’s talent show, Ideun.

[I’m feeling warm too.]

You’re older than an old man.

Chae Hamin, who was struggling, fell off the chair. The martial arts uniform fluttered, making the fall look like a dance.

I put on the earphone and focused. I looked closely to see if he was hurt, but he seemed fine since there were no scratches.

“You show it all the time without saying it, Donghwa.”

“What.”

Instead of thinking about the member who fell, you’re analyzing my face, leader impeachment. Let’s have Lee Hyeonjae as the next leader.

―Wow, look at how clumsy he is. I’m worried he might actually give Donghwa my bank account. I think he’d manage it better than me.

Don’t say crazy things because you fell.

―Ah, do you want to eat snacks now?

―Yes? No! I think I can do more interviews!

Oh my god.

―Don’t you want to go to the snack shop?

―No, it’s really okay.

Chae Hamin politely refused.

He understood the snack shop talk as small talk, and he didn’t want to make it obvious that he wanted to eat, even though he hadn’t heard the interview was over.

The writer looked a little desperate. Maybe it was originally in the scenario to notice at this point.

She couldn’t say the forbidden words, ‘The interview is over,’ so she seemed desperate to let him know somehow.

…Wait a minute. Isn’t there a human on the other side who can’t lie, even if it’s out of politeness?

As soon as I turned my head, Lee Hyeonjae jumped up from his seat.

“Wow! Hyung! Junnie hyung!”

He clasped his hands together. He closed his eyes tightly and shook them in front of his head, as if overwhelmed with emotion.

“That’s right! That’s it! Hyung! Come quickly! Our *yaja* time! *Yaja* time is waiting for you! *Tteokbokki* too! *Oden* too! Everything! Everything hyung wants to eat!” [Yaja time is a period where the normal age hierarchy is temporarily suspended]

Ryu Ideun covered his mouth. He must have realized it late.

To the question, ‘Do you want to eat?’, Seokjun had no choice but to say ‘Yes’ because it was time to be hungry.

Answering honestly when the other person asks a question, that’s politeness to Seokjun.

We turned our gaze to Seokjun, who was awkwardly getting up from his seat with an expression that read ‘Huh?’ in Lee Hyeonjae’s tablet.

He asked, ‘Are you really going?’, and after hearing some answer, he said, ‘Ah, the other members too―,’ and smiled brightly.

“…We lost.”

“…I guess so.”

“Hahaha, hahahaha! Hahahahaha!”

Lee Hyeonjae burst into wild laughter like a former *gisaeng* [Korean courtesan]. Overwhelmed by the madness Lee Hyeonjae was emitting, everyone lost their words.

“Ah, we have to eat what we want to eat, hyungs.”

Why are you like this, Hyeonjae? Why is there a light in your eyes like a chef contemplating how to cook.

“Ah, what should I do. I’m so excited. A world where I’m the oldest hyung for a day. Everyone, practice using honorifics hard.”

“…Did we, do something, wrong, *maknae* [youngest member]?”

Ryu Ideun opened his mouth with difficulty and stammered.

I completely agree. If you want to overturn the hierarchy of age to that extent, you must have suffered losses from it often, but Lee Hyeonjae has never had that happen (if that had happened, I would have personally dealt with that member).

“No, hyungs are too good to me.”

Lee Hyeonjae’s innocent smile.

“Then why, Hyeonjae!”

Ryu Ideun cried out desperately.

He’s too much, really. When the camera is rolling, he exaggerates amazingly. Anyone would think he’d suffered a terrible betrayal.

But I was also curious, so I waited for Lee Hyeonjae’s mouth to open.

Finally, Lee Hyeonjae smiled and opened his mouth.

“It’s hyungs’ fault.”

“…Huh?”

“I want to joke around because hyungs are so good to me. It’s hyungs’ fault.”

Well, that could be true. The psychology of wanting to joke around more with people who are good to you is observed across humanity.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it makes sense to blame others.

“I’m okay with just using informal speech.”

I think everyone probably feels that way.

“I want to be loved forever. I needed a reason.”

Isn’t it too late?

“And I want to see hyungs call me hyung.”

* * *

“Actually, it was scary today, but it wasn’t that scary! I deliberately pretended to be very surprised to get Donghwa more screen time. Donghwa should be grateful to me…”

In the middle of the interview, in the counseling room.

“Hamin-ssi, you’ve lost!”

As the PD opened the door wide, Chae Hamin was startled.

It was the first time someone had suddenly popped up during an interview.

“Everyone is waiting at the snack shop, so let’s go together!”

“…Lost?”

Chae Hamin very carefully asked what he meant. With a blank expression and disheveled martial arts uniform, he was the amateur shaman himself.

“Yes! Ah, I felt so sorry for Hamin-ssi. There were only two ghosts. But I felt like adding more would be too much, I hope you understand!”

The PD said something incomprehensible. There were a total of three actors, Donghwa said so too?

“Weren’t there a total of three ghosts?”

The PD turned his head and made eye contact with the writer. Following his gaze, the writer also tilted her head.

“…Huh?”