Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 7

I will definitely take revenge on those two. I assessed them from the front, but those guys are proper idol trainees, so they have no shame, and I failed. So, somehow, I must get back at them.

“Dong-hwa, will you give me hope too?”

On the way to a cafeteria near the company after the introduction video shoot.

Chaemin kept bringing up the lyrics, as if he couldn’t see my disgusted expression. Ryueedeun was giggling next to him as a bonus.

Okay, let’s say I’ve become close to Chaemin. Since he’s the only human relationship I’ve made since I fell into this world, let’s think of it in a positive light.

But, Ryueedeun, why is he giggling so much?

“…Do you want to sleep on the street tonight?”

Only then did Chaemin understand his position and become polite. Satisfactory.

* * *

Ryueedeun and I parted ways, and we sat on the sofa for a while after coming home.

Then, after I went in to wash up, Chaemin seemed a little depressed, recalling his fight with his father.

I’m not good at comforting people, but I have to say something given the atmosphere.

“…Your father must have been taken aback.”

“Huh?”

What’s with that clueless expression?

“…I’m talking about the fight with your father.”

“Ah, I’m not too worried about that.”

…Huh?

“I was feeling down because I was worried about not having a place to sleep or money! What can my father do when I say I’m going to do it?”

This guy is crazy. …When I think about it, quitting the company right before debut because someone I didn’t know was being bullied and eliminated from the debut group is something only a crazy person would do.

“…Okay.”

“What, Dong-hwa, are you worried about me? Dong-hwa is secretly soft-hearted.”

“…Shut up.”

“But I didn’t mean to watch it while you were washing up…”

Ah, the reason he was depressed is appearing now.

But I have no idea what he saw, so I quietly waited for Chaemin to open his mouth.

“Did you… get into college?”

It seems ‘I’ submitted a college application. And what Chaemin saw must have been a congratulatory letter for college admission.

But why would that make him depressed?

Since it seems like I got in, let’s answer appropriately.

“Looks like you saw the mail?”

Then Chaemin became even more depressed, nodded, and looked at me.

“Dong-hwa, maybe… did I put pressure on you by suggesting that you accept my offer?”

No, what is it? Give me some context. Let me at least make an inference.

No. Aren’t idol trainees usually admitted to practical music or composition departments? Participating in a survival show is a more advantageous choice than going to such places.

Only then did I realize that I needed to see what mail Chaemin had seen. I’ve been busy lately and just piled up the mail on the table, so he must have seen it there.

I quickly rolled my eyes and looked at the table. And I noticed the Korea University mark.

‘…Why is my alma mater here?’

Ding—!

After a long time, I heard an alert sound, so I pretended to look at Chaemin while checking the notification.

[To minimize the sense of incongruity for the spacetime traveler, the keyword ‘Korea University Philosophy Department’ has also been applied to Ji Dong-hwa in this world!]

‘This is out of the expected range.’

So, the school that I went to after all that hardship in my school days, the ‘me’ in this world, who probably couldn’t even study properly because of studying music, just gets in because of spacetime travel, huh?

Wow, this would just look like a genius to others. The reality is just an ordinary person who studied hard.

Chaemin seems to have started digging a hole himself because I didn’t answer for a long time.

So, he’s feeling guilty now, thinking that he made a guy with a bright future after getting into Korea University take the path of an idol trainee, which is difficult to debut and prepare for.

Yes, of course, it was an unnecessary suggestion from his perspective. Even if we put aside the crazy talent, I’m not the person who dreamed of becoming an idol.

But that’s from my perspective, not ‘my’ perspective. If it were ‘me,’ which would I choose between Korea University and a debut survival?
The answer is obvious.

“Haemin, don’t think strange things.”

I chose to become a novelist despite the big company. I have never regretted that choice until I was twenty-nine years old. That’s who ‘I’ am.

“At least ‘I’ will never regret accepting your offer, even after 9 years.”

“Still… Korea University is too much effort to give up…”

“Who said I’m not going to enroll? Korea University allows freshmen to take a leave of absence even in the first semester.”

Chaemin is startled to hear that. And at the end of the surprise comes a look of relief. Anyway, the problem is that all his emotions are revealed on his face.

“Anyway, don’t dig a hole by thinking unnecessary things. You didn’t say anything unnecessary.”

“…Dong-hwa! I’ll really do well! Let’s debut together!”

Debut, yeah, debut. I decided to do my best if I go on the survival show, so there’s a possibility of debuting.

But I don’t know the skills because I haven’t checked all 10 of them, but considering that survival is a ‘broadcast,’ it will be difficult for a blunt and pessimistic trainee like me to survive.

And if I get eliminated this time, I’ll just go back to the school I accidentally got into and write novels.

“Okay, now you wash up quickly too.”

* * *

Time passed, and the day of the dorm stay arrived. As soon as I entered, the first thing I noticed was the cameras installed everywhere.

It seems to be installed in the living room, kitchen, and room. A daily life surrounded by cameras. It’s an unfamiliar area that I’ve never experienced in my life.

As we looked around the house, we found a sign in the living room.

“Dong-hwa, there’s something written there.”

“…I see.”

Chaemin reads it quickly and says.

“I think we’re deciding on roommates!”

Roughly, you can unpack your luggage in the room first, you can’t enter until you decide on a room, and it’s first-come, first-served. Fortunately, we were the first to move in, so it seems like we won’t be pushed back in the order.

“We can use the same room.”

I nodded and quickly scanned the structure of the house without saying a word. There are numbers on the doors of each room, which probably means the number of people who can enter. 3, 3, 4. 3 is definitely better.

“Which room do you want to go into?”

“That room.”

“Why?”

“Number of people: 3, structurally facing south, the second largest room in the house.”

“Oh, you can tell by looking at it?”

Then can’t you tell by looking at it? Well, he’s a young master, so he probably never went to see a house himself.

We quietly opened the door to that room. There was a bunk bed and a bed, and a side table in the middle, where the camera was flashing.

Looking closely, it’s also installed in the corner of the ceiling.

Wow, honestly, I want to run away even now.

“I’ve never done anything like living together before. Other trainees do it from the debut group preparation, but we didn’t have that.”

“…Are you happy to be living together?”

“Yeah, I’m so excited.”

He’s still crazy. What’s so exciting about 10 people living together in this small house?

I shook my head and started unpacking.

* * *

After about an hour of useless conversation that Chaemin started and I brushed off, we both held our breath at the sound of the front door opening.

Please, please don’t let it be that senior. If he comes here, I feel like I’ll quit the survival show even if I borrow money or deceive other trainees.

Fortunately, it was Ryueedeun who opened the door and came in. Since he’s the oldest of the 10, he’s not short-sighted, so we can live without any inconvenience.

“Oh, hyung [older brother/male friend]!”

“I saw a 1 written in front of the room, so I came to fill it, but it was you guys?”

Since Chaemin and I are on the first and second floors of the bunk bed, Ryueedeun naturally took a seat on the bed he uses alone. How peaceful is the bed assignment!

Yes, it’ll be okay.

* * *

On the 4th day of the dorm stay, I decided to change my evaluation of Ryueedeun.

Ryueedeun is a righteous and virtuous human being, as his pure Korean name means, but his righteousness is so excessive that he is a terrible person who torments those around him.

“Dong-hwa, why don’t you exercise with me?”

“…It’s a real shame that I can’t swear in front of the camera, so please, can’t you just do it alone, hyung?”

“You don’t know how good it is to exercise in the morning.”

Shut up, you dog-like guy.

Ryueedeun wakes up every morning at 5:50 and goes to the gym near the house for about an hour. Moreover, he then eats a healthy diet of salads and eggs for breakfast.

Yes, that’s good, that’s it. How desirable is that? But…

“…And aren’t you tired of being rejected every time?”

“Your mind might change again tomorrow, right?”

He should do it alone, but why is he constantly recommending it to me?

Ryueedeun automatically persuaded me to go exercise whenever he met me and made eye contact with me.

“Then please do it with Chaemin. Why are you only bothering me?”

“Haemin looks healthy at first glance, but you look so weak that I can’t help but care.”

Every time Ryueedeun and I meet, and every time we make eye contact, a fierce debate unfolds between Ryueedeun, who is trying to make me healthy, and me, who absolutely doesn’t want to move my body, and that scene is being captured on camera like a comedy.

At first, I thought, is he doing this because of the broadcast footage? But when I asked around, all the trainees who lacked stamina had experienced it once. Wow, he’s really trying to get me to exercise.

What should I do with this leech? It’s a great relief that he doesn’t wake me up to go exercise in the morning, but I’m worried that he might even do that.

First, I’ll make up lies and make excuses that I don’t remember.

“I’ll go later, later, so please don’t talk about it anymore.”

“Wow, really! Dong-hwa, you promised. Let’s go tomorrow morning!”

Why, why is this robot-like human being so interested in my stamina?

…Unless I go with him once, he’ll keep doing this.

It’s more annoying to have someone constantly sticking to me than exercising. Ha, I have no choice.

“…Promise me that you won’t recommend it anymore after I go with you just once.”

“If you try morning exercise once, you’ll find it fun and keep doing it?”

…I’m uneasy. Could it be that I made a hasty decision because I was annoyed?

* * *

Cancel, cancel all the utterances I made yesterday. It’s much less difficult and less annoying to be harassed by Ryueedeun morning and evening.

I realized my stupidity to the bone and put strength into my weak arm muscles.

“Dong-hwa! Your posture is good now, just one more time like that!”

I shout while bench pressing.

“Mr. Ryueedeun! This! Is not! Something a human can do!”

“No, you can do it one more time now, cheer up!”

I managed to pull up one more and was able to be freed from Ryueedeun.

As a result of receiving about an hour of intensive care with Ryueedeun watching my posture one by one, my whole body feels like it’s collapsing.

“How is it, Dong-hwa? After doing it once, don’t you feel refreshed and good?”

…Amazing. How clumsy he is at reading human expressions. Surely my expression is full of murderous intent right now.

Ha, I can’t blame anyone because I said I’d do it. Damn Ryueedeun.

And as I was quietly lying down and catching my breath, someone comes to visit.

“Oh, Mr. Eedeun! You brought a friend after a long time?”

The person presumed to be the manager smiles and talks to Ryueedeun. Seeing how close they are, it seems that Ryueedeun is a regular here.

“Ha, Eedeun, if you weren’t going to be a singer, I would have hired you as a trainer.”

“Hey, I’m still far from it.”

“Far from it. If you had a less handsome face, it would be perfect to be a trainer, but you put such a face on a body that exercises, it’s a waste to be a trainer.”

His social skills are really good, very good.

I sat silently and swallowed water while listening to their social talk.

“I’m just happy to train my trainee friends like Dong-hwa.”

Wow, I almost spit it out. Is he going to drag me to this hellish iron-pumping place again?

…Wouldn’t it be beneficial to this world to assassinate Ryueedeun? I thought again while lying on the bench.

* * *

After relaxing the muscles that were surprised by an hour of exercise under Ryueedeun’s guidance, I wake up Chaemin and go to eat.

And as always, a salad, terribly unsalted chicken breast, and a lump of rice come out.

It’s a diet that all the trainees have received under the leadership of Ryueedeun, saying that diet management is essential to look good on the show. Damn, damn, Ryueedeun.

I tried to persuade him that I have a constitution that doesn’t gain weight even if I eat, but it didn’t work at all.

This dog-like dorm is a place without freedom, an immutable ideology that has been popularized since the late 18th century.

Many philosophers would shake their heads if they saw this reality. …Except for Kant, who has the same personality as Ryueedeun.

“But don’t you feel healthier eating like this after exercising?”

Shut up, you Kant bastard. I swallowed what didn’t go down well in the morning and shouted words that I couldn’t say on camera.

“By the way, the stage is in a few days, are you both preparing well?”

Talking about work while eating, he’s definitely not going to be a good boss.

“I’ve finished creating the choreography! I just need to get used to it.”

“I saw you practicing the choreography in the practice room, and it was really cool. What about Dong-hwa?”

“…I’m in the final stage of arranging.”

“Wow, but you’re the only one among the trainees who wants to be a composer. It’s really rare.”

“…Isn’t there anyone else besides me?”

“Yeah, when we investigated the desired positions this time, I know you were the only one who put in composing.”

Wow, I’m going to stand out a lot. It’s perfect for getting cursed at.

“So what song are you doing this time? A self-composed song?”

Um, well, it’s okay to tell Eedeun hyung.

“Do you remember the short song we played when we first came?”

“Ah, that bass riff?”

“I’m arranging that song and making detailed adjustments with the A&R [Artists and Repertoire] team.”

“Dong-hwa, what did you decide on for the song title? You said the song title was undecided last time.”

Chaemin asked while chewing on chicken breast.

“…Wiener Schnitzel.”

At that moment, Ryueedeun tilted his head with an expression of what is that, and Chaemin stopped chewing the chicken breast for a moment and burst out laughing.

I knew this would happen, but I couldn’t help it. There was no other word I knew that could capture the exciting atmosphere of the song.

“What’s Wiener Schnitzel that you’re laughing at, Haemin?”

“Dong-hwa’s, favorite, food, I went to eat with him last time? The song he made excitedly because it was delicious at that time is that song.”

I wish he would just laugh or talk.

“…Haemin, should I open my mouth too?”

“…I’ll be quiet.”

After shutting Chaemin’s mouth, I roughly explained to Ryueedeun that Wiener Schnitzel is fried meat.

“Fried?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s really bad for your body.”

…Is he crazy, really?

“If you want to be healthy even after eating fried food, you have to exercise unconditionally. Let’s do it together.”

…Ha, dropping out of the survival show is urgent, really.