Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 40

40.

This is happening on a yacht rented for concept photos.

I’m incredibly embarrassed right now.

“Isn’t it a problem if the clothes barely function as clothes?”

“You’re wearing a jacket over it anyway, right? It’s okay, it’s okay. Go and put it on quickly!”

I’ve sensed it since the survival show, but the coordinator seems to have a penchant for the bizarre.

Unlike the choker, I couldn’t bring myself to move.

“Oh, Donghwa, you’re wearing see-through?”

‘…So, they’re calling this piece of wool ‘see-through’ with such a fancy name.’

“You have a slender and delicate figure, so it’ll look great on you!”

Ha, this is too embarrassing, even with a suit jacket over it.

I carefully slip my hand under the white see-through shirt.

‘It’s slightly… see-through.’

…Okay, let’s accept it. This is my destiny as an idol.

In the end, I endure the bizarre feeling, put on the see-through shirt, and wear the same white jacket.

The collar of the shirt is slightly wavy, making it look either elegant or childish.

Another prop is handed to me as I come out.

“I’m sorry, but when can I stop seeing chokers?”

“Hey, it’s just a piece of cloth, not a choker, right?”

If you tie a blue silk cloth around your neck, isn’t that the same as a choker?

“And Donghwa, your fans really like you wearing chokers.”

…Ha, the consumers’ choice. It’s not like I’m going to die if I do this, so doing it is just being polite to them.

I tie the cloth around my neck without saying anything.

* * *

Having finished all the preparations, I stand on the yacht. The other members also finish preparing one by one and come to stand beside me.

Lee Hyunjae is wearing a mint-colored shirt with a ribbon and is shivering slightly as if he’s cold.

I want to take off my jacket and give it to him, but… this is my only bastion of human rights.

Seokjun is wearing a proper navy suit with a vest.

Ryui-deun is a little more casual than us, walking a tightrope between casual and elegant, and Chae Hamin is wearing a blue blazer with a shirt.

‘Looking at it like this… everyone except me looks like nobles.’

Then a staff member comes and shouts that they will take individual shots first, and accordingly, Chae Hamin goes to the beach first.

“Donghwa hyung [older brother/male friend], you look like the main character of Frozen.”

“…What’s that?”

Seokjun is excited that I’m showing interest and starts explaining excitedly.

“It’s a story about a protagonist who uses ice magic to freeze one of the two suns in the sky and saves the world!”

Well, it’s a motif of myths distributed all over the world.

“…Should I say thank you?”

“It’s the biggest compliment I can give.”

Then Lee Hyunjae and Ryui-deun approach us, who are standing at the bow of the yacht.

“Everyone looks so different when they dress like this compared to the practice room.”

“Right? I think the photos will turn out well.”

“By the way, hyungs, did you prepare your expressions?”

…If I had to do that, why didn’t you tell me in advance, Hyunjae.

I wonder if this is how a high school classmate feels when they realize they misunderstood the exam scope right before the exam.

“…Did everyone do it?”

I ask carefully.

“Yes, I asked Junseong hyung and he told me to refer to a lot of video materials, so I watched some foreign dramas!”

“I also watched a summer background CF [commercial film].”

“I! Watched a summer background Wizney [likely a misspelling of ‘Disney’]!”

Hmm, this is a big problem. What if the schedule is delayed because of me? I’d be sorry to the staff.

I should practice now.

“…Ryui-deun, Hyunjae, tell me how to make expressions.”

“Donghwa hyung— I can teach you well—”

You be quiet, Wizney.

* * *

“No! Donghwa-gun [Mr. Donghwa]! Erase your expression!”

I’m sitting on a fancy-looking chair, legs crossed, between white pillars with the sea in the background.

‘Damn it, all that practice was meaningless.’

I completely erase the faint smile and stare straight ahead with a fierce expression.

“Take out the venom in your eyes! With a slightly bored expression!”

‘Isn’t making a bored expression while erasing my expression contradictory?’

“Donghwa-gun! Haven’t you ever been really bored? Oh, like being too sleepy. Have you ever dozed off in class?”

I have to tell the truth, right?

“…No.”

Then the person taking the picture is momentarily embarrassed and asks.

“Imagine lying still in bed in your room!”

‘…I like that because I have a lot of time to think about that.’

A situation where the definition of ‘boredom’ is inconsistent due to different lifestyles. Just when we’re about to get frustrated, unlike the open scenery…

Ding—!

[Imagine gaining all the knowledge in this world!]

Hmm, then, even if I read a book, there would be no new parts to learn, and I wouldn’t be able to figure out any new facts by thinking for myself, in the world…

…It’s boring.

“Oh! Good! That expression! So good!”

They capture the moment with the camera without missing it. The members who are checking the cuts that are uploaded in real-time let out small exclamations.

“Donghwa, you really… look like a noble.”

“Well, he’s a noble, but the feeling is a bit different.”

As Ryui-deun mutters, Lee Hyunjae claps and says.

“A noble who looks like he’s going to kill his vassals because he’s bored!”

Then Chae Hamin and Ryui-deun nod vigorously and clap.

“Hyunjae, you’re really smart.”

“Wow, that’s perfect. He looks like he’d be bored even after cutting someone with a knife.”

Then Lee Hyunjae smiles shyly.

‘…That’s just a personality disorder.’

…First, let’s focus on filming.

* * *

As I finish filming and go down from the white platform…

“Donghwa, stained with blood, filming complete!”

Chae Hamin shouts in triumph…

“Cruel monarch Ji Donghwa, filming complete!”

Ryui-deun shouted in triumph.

Those, damn, guys, made up a weird nickname.

“…Everyone, be quiet.”

“Hamin, be careful. Donghwa-nim [Mr. Donghwa, honorific] is getting bored. Do you want your neck cut off by a knife?”

Then Chae Hamin covers his mouth with an exaggerated gesture and shakes his head.

“…Both of you are showing signs of mental abnormality, shouldn’t we transport them, manager-nim [Mr. Manager]?”

Then manager Kang Seungwon, who was laughing softly next to me, shakes his head briefly and answers.

“Even I thought he looked like a cruel noble.”

…The culprit of all this is Lee Hyunjae.

I give a smile to Lee Hyunjae, who was awkwardly looking at me and smiling next to me.

“…Let’s increase your homework, Hyunjae.”

Then Lee Hyunjae looks at me with a look of disbelief.

“Hyu, hyung! There’s already a lot!”

“…It’s all to promote your intellectual growth.”

The French philosopher Sartre emphasized that one must take responsibility for one’s choices.

You take responsibility too, Hyunjae.

“Hyung! I’m already studying every break during filming!”

Shh, there’s no such thing as enough studying.

* * *

After finishing everyone’s individual cuts, we come up on the yacht for a group shoot.

“The sunset is short, so we have to take it quickly!”

A staff member shouts, and a white sofa is installed on the yacht.

As the sun begins to set, blue and red lights begin to subtly shine on the white yacht and sofa.

I, the shortest, sit in the center of the sofa (surprisingly, Lee Hyunjae is 1cm taller), Lee Hyunjae and Chae Hamin on either side, and Ryui-deun and Seokjun sit on the edge of the sofa, looking straight ahead.

“Everyone, make expressions that match your character!”

“Donghwa! Bored noble expression!”

…Am I that kind of character, Hamin?

Without thinking, I follow what Chae Hamin says and make a bored expression as Gijisaeng [Korean term for ‘trained entertainer’] taught me.

I heard that Ryui-deun is like a future heir to the throne, Chae Hamin is someone who likes to meet people while holding parties often, Seokjun is a rich man with a quirky personality, and Lee Hyunjae is like a third prince, but why am I alone… a noble who enjoys human blood. This is all because of Lee Hyunjae.

I slowly cross my legs and look ahead, and the other members also make the expressions they have been practicing.

“…Good! Very good! One more pose!”

The director claps like crazy in front.

…Ha, what exactly is the job of an idol?

* * *

After the concept photo shoot and music video filming, we were gifted a final day off with two weeks left until our comeback.

Of course, the reality show will be filmed nominally, but I will never go outside today.

“Donghwa, what are you going to do today?”

“…Reading.”

“Wow… Donghwa, it’s your day off?”

I put down the original copy of Hannah Arendt’s ‘The Origins of Totalitarianism’ that I was reading.

“…What are you planning to do?”

“I’m going to try cooking today!”

…That won’t work.

“…Have you ever cooked rice?”

“No! Won’t it work out somehow?”

…That crazy rabbit, it’s like leaving a child by the water [proverb meaning leaving someone in a dangerous situation].

“…If you don’t know something while doing it, come and ask me.”

I look at Chae Hamin, who is nodding, uneasily once again and pick up the book.

‘…It’s peaceful.’

* * *

# Reality Show Edited Part

The scene of Ji Donghwa reading a book passes by quickly. On the right, the clock flows quickly.

Ji Donghwa, who had been reading a book without doing anything for two hours, lifts his head as if his concentration had broken for a moment.

He tilts his head once at the noisy sound coming from outside and opens the door.

Then the scene that appears is a sight where all directions are covered in flour as if white snow is falling.

Ji Donghwa, who was staring blankly at the unbelievable scene, and the rest of the members who were coughing like crazy.

Then Chae Hamin finds Ji Donghwa and smiles awkwardly.

‘Su, surprise!’

Ji Donghwa stares at the scene blankly again and nods quietly.

‘…What were you trying to make?’

‘…Mushroom fries.’

Then Ji Donghwa pauses for a moment and says quietly.

‘…Let’s clean up first and make it together.’

* * *

I’m wiping the floor without thinking.

“Donghwa, I’m sorry! I wanted to make delicious mushrooms with my own hands!”

…That evil ingredient can never be delicious.

Lee Hyunjae is also wiping the floor diligently and says.

“But, Donghwa hyung, you like mushrooms, right?”

…Ha, I know what kind of nonsense this is. It’s time to clear up Chae Hamin’s misunderstanding.

“Actually, Donghwa, I was going to make it for you, but I’m so sad that it failed……”

…Ah, it’s a bit hard to say like this.

“…Hamin, actually, I don’t like mushrooms.”

Then Chae Hamin looks at me with a shocked expression while wiping the floor.

“Re, really…?”

I nod quietly.

“But, when we first met……”

Chae Hamin was making a face as if he was about to die of guilt, so I said quietly.

“…My taste changed, so I don’t like it now.”

Then Chae Hamin is noticeably relieved, Lee Hyunjae is holding back his laughter because he doesn’t know the details but finds what I said funny, and… wait a minute, Seokjun is making a snowman out of flour without thinking.

“…Jun, what are you doing.”

“I’m making a person out of flour—”

…You really seem to need serious research.

“…I see.”

* * *

Jang Haejin is slowly recalling the schedule.

Concept photos are uploaded over a week, music video release, showcase, and then mini-album release.

And in the meantime, Ji Donghwa and Chae Hamin’s ‘Detection’ episodes will be aired.

“I have a feeling… If we maximize the aggro [aggressive marketing] with ‘Detection’, there’s some hope.”

When I found out that the comeback schedule overlapped with High Six and Blue Jack, I wanted to bury my face in a plate and die, but when I heard from Junseong, he said that ‘Detection’ would be a hot topic.

“Lee Deputy, are all the materials for the PR team ready?”

“Yes, team leader. But isn’t it a bit much?”

“Junseong said it would be an investment we wouldn’t regret.”

It’s a secret that I’m planning to make Junseong regret it if it’s not.

“I have a feeling. It’s like God hasn’t died yet and is watching over us.”

Jang Haejin slowly looks up at the sky.

Please, this time too, Nietzsche, be wrong.