Chapter 118:
Chapter 118
It’s going to be a fun stage today.
“Hyung, we’ll hold you up, so just lift your feet off the floor.”
“Okay.”
Kim Joo-young pushed the chair where Park Jin-hyuk was sitting. The chair rolled smoothly on the polished practice room floor.
“Isn’t it going too far?”
“Don’t we need someone to catch it? We can’t do our choreography.”
The choreography, which was completely revised by Awi after consulting with Seo Joon-young, was their comeback title song. Awi was immersed in practicing for the comeback show.
“This won’t work. Let’s ask for help from the kids next door. They’re just going to stand as backups anyway.”
Lee Joo-hyuk got up and left the practice room. He soon came back with the trainees from the next room.
“Hello!”
“Hi.”
The trainees crowded in front of Awi and greeted them. Five people were missing from the last time they saw them.
[They must have been cut from the debut group.]
‘That’s right…’
Ian smiled bitterly as he didn’t see some of the people he had recognized.
They practiced together during the day, but now it was their own individual practice time. Lee Joo-hyuk said with an awkward face.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your practice.”
The trainees said it was okay and looked even more embarrassed.
The trainees didn’t have much to do in the choreography. They mostly pulled and held the chair where Park Jin-hyuk was sitting in the designated direction.
“Can you do it with us like before?”
“Yes!”
The trainees quickly found their places. Lee Joo-hyuk played the music and the members danced.
After practicing the choreography three times, Awi members watched the practice video recorded on the tablet with a serious expression.
“It looks well synchronized. Thanks, guys.”
“I’ll buy you some tteokbokki later. You can go first.”
The trainees smiled brightly and said goodbye. They left and Park Dong-soo came into the practice room. He looked nervous and restless.
“Guys, just a minute, Nnet suggested a setlist for the comeback show.”
“A suggestion? Didn’t we already decide?”
“Well… they asked us to do ‘Jujak’. They want us to change some lyrics.”
‘Why do they want us to do that?’ Park Dong-soo muttered to himself with a puzzled look and the members looked at each other in surprise. Lee Joo-hyuk and Ian said.
“They suggested ‘Jujak’ first?”
“That’s weird.”
If there was no contribution of ‘Jujak’ to the audition program manipulation scandal, it would be a lie. It was still amazing that they got to appear on Nnet, but they asked them to do ‘Jujak’?
‘What are they up to?’
[Isn’t it some kind of self-deprecating gag?]
Kim Hyun’s past story and Park Jin-hyuk’s creation of ‘Jujak’ were things that didn’t happen in his previous life. It was a new event that happened because Ian joined Awi, so he couldn’t expect his previous experience.
‘Self-deprecating gag?’
[We know about ‘Jujak’ and we made the culprits pay, so we’re an open broadcaster who also reveals our dark history. Something like that?]
‘Ah…’
[The PD doesn’t have a clue. The more you mention this, the more you get burned.]
As soon as ‘Jujak’ came out on the comeback show, the reporters who were booked in advance would spread articles. Maybe they wanted to create a humorous and satirical image of the broadcaster. It was a plausible scenario. The netizens who were into fandom would be angry and say ‘Don’t make light of it’, while the public would laugh it off and say ‘Cool’.
“It would be funny if we sang ‘Jujak’ first when we came out.”
“We were going to make ‘Jujak 2’, right? Should we do that?”
While Ian was pondering, the members were excited.
“How do we change the lyrics?”
“Delete this part about copying the same plot as the broadcaster and delete this part too…”
“There’s a lot to change?”
Park Jin-hyuk frowned. Most of the other members were positive. But Ian and Lee Joo-hyuk looked uncomfortable. Lee Joo-hyuk exchanged glances with Ian.
His eyes seemed to say ‘You too?’ and Ian nodded slightly.
“Can we refuse?”
“We already have a setlist, so I think we can refuse. How about using Jin-hyuk’s leg as an excuse?”
Park Jin-hyuk asked casually as Lee Joo-hyuk and Park Dong-soo talked.
“But isn’t it better to do it?”
‘Jujak’ was a hit song that boosted Awi’s popularity and music sales. It would be quite a buzz if they sang ‘Jujak’ as a signal for their comeback on Nnet.
Lee Joo-hyuk shook his head.
“No, I think it’s better not to do it. There are victims, you know.”
“Victims?”
Cho Tae-woong asked blankly, and Ian answered.
“He was a victim of manipulation.”
“Ah…”
“If Hyuk didn’t overhear the PD’s conversation, he would have been a ‘rapper idol’ victim of manipulation. I don’t think we need to make this sound… fun and cheerful.”
All the members except Joo Hyuk, and even Park Dong Soo, opened their mouths with a realization. The broadcasting station wouldn’t ask them to do ‘ad-libs’ so easily. Dong Soo, who had a similar guess as Jin, rubbed his chin.
“I felt uneasy from the start, but now I get it. I heard that the N-net manipulation case didn’t give proper compensation to the victims.”
“Ah, that’s…”
The members who were chatting excitedly became serious. Jin Hyuk and Tae Woong said.
“Let’s refuse then. We don’t want to look cool by calling out ‘ad-libs’ there.”
“Exactly. We don’t need to help them clean up their image.”
***
Awi arrived at Sangam early in the morning for the N-net comeback show. Because of the coronavirus, this comeback show was also without live broadcast and audience.
“It’s more fun with fans.”
As Jin Hyuk sighed with regret, the members surrounded him as he got out of the van.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re protecting you, hyung.”
“Ah, stop it. You’re embarrassing me.”
Jin Hyuk sighed and touched his forehead. The members circled around Jin Hyuk and played bodyguards. Even Joo Hyuk, the most mature one in Awi, joined in teasing Jin Hyuk. He was also an Awi member after all.
“Jin Hyuk is the star of today, you can’t get hurt here.”
“Really… I should never get hurt again.”
Jin Hyuk covered his face with both palms. The Awi members who entered the broadcasting station shrank their shoulders noticeably. They had caused a huge accident the last time they came in.
“Wow, N-net, long time no see.”
“It feels strange…”
Awi left their belongings in the waiting room and headed straight to the stage for rehearsal.
“Hello!”
“You’re here.”
Some people greeted them as the popular boy group, but some also gave them displeased looks.
‘Their eyes are sharp.’
[It makes sense. The manipulation incident was done by Kang Byung In PD, but the CP and other higher-ups got away with a slap on the wrist. They probably still have some grudges.]
Jin said sarcastically. Ian rolled his eyes as he felt tired already.
Awi successfully finished their rehearsal and went back to the waiting room to eat. The fans prepared a support for them as it was their first N-net broadcast in a long time, and it was bigger than what they had received before.
“Is this all ours?”
“We hit the jackpot.”
The members opened their mouths at the lavish food, dessert, and flower baskets. Each lunch box had a message engraved by the fans, and they were all different.
Joo Hyuk took pictures of the support food and said.
“It’s nice… but it’s a bit burdensome. How did our fans do all this?”
[Fans just pay money and the companies do everything for them.]
It’s not easy to pay money either. Ian ignored Jin’s cynical remark and opened the lid of his lunch box.
“It’s too good to eat.”
Next to the elaborate lunch box, there were water and drinks, and Ian laughed out loud when he saw them. The members flocked to Ian’s lunch box.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Crazy, look at this. A weird drink lineup with no normal choices.”
“Creepy.”
Coconut drink, pine needle drink, black tea and cola-like drink. The lineup was full of Ian’s bizarre drink preferences.
“I thought he was drinking these things as a concept. But seeing him laugh like that, it’s really scary.”
“A concept? He’s real.”
Jin Hyuk and Tae Woong shook their heads as if they saw something they shouldn’t have seen. Ian smiled because of the fan’s consideration for his taste, but he didn’t deny it.
“What’s this?”
Kim Hyun found something in Ian’s lunch box. It was a candy flavored with pine needle drink.
“This candy came out too?”
“Yeah, want some? It’s good.”
“You eat it yourself.”
Kim Hyun pushed away the candy and looked for his own lunch box.
After finishing their meal and changing into stage outfits, Awi was about to touch up their hair and makeup when someone knocked on the waiting room door.
“It’s not time yet… What is it?”
Kim Myung Jin opened the door. A middle-aged man in a light semi-suit was standing at the door.
“Hello, this is Awi’s waiting room… You’re here.”
The members got up at the appearance of the stranger.
“It’s nice to see you in person, I’ve only heard rumors about you. I’m Eom Kwang Soo, the CP of N-net.”
“Hello!”
The members of Awi bowed deeply as they saw the CP, not the PD. Eom Kwang-soo chuckled.
“You don’t have to greet me so stiffly.”
[Eom CP? Never heard of him… Is he the new CP who replaced the Manipulation CP?]
The manipulation scandal had been exposed sooner than in the past, and he was a person who was ahead of the curve. Lee Joo-hyuk smiled and said.
“Please feel free to speak.”
“Should I?”
Eom Kwang-soo had an aura and atmosphere that was hard to touch. He offered a handshake to the members. There was no hostility in his eyes as he looked at Awi. He had a friendly expression on his face.
“You guys are handsome. You’ll be coming to our broadcasting station a lot from now on, so I wanted to see your faces. I was also personally interested.”
Ian raised one eyebrow.
‘Personally?’
[Probably a typical political fight. He must have gotten rid of his rival thanks to us.]
‘I wonder if Manipulation CP and Kang Byung-in had a lot of enemies.’
[They did. They were involved with the headquarters and did a lot of politicking.]
Anyway, it was not bad for Awi’s position. If the CP was on their side, it would be a huge support for them.
“And… my daughter is a fan. Can you give me an autograph?”
“Of course.”
The enemy of yesterday became the ally of today. Even if it was dirty and cheap, the idol broadcasting content was something that N-net could not ignore. Ian quickly grabbed a magic pen.
***
After having a friendly autograph session and photo time with Eom CP, Awi prepared for the stage by doing their hair and makeup and went up on the stage.
“Wow… the set is so pretty.”
“It’s awesome.”
The members looked around the completed stage.
The broadcasting company only handled the recording and broadcasting, and the set production and props costs were all borne by the agency. That’s why appearing on music shows was always a loss.
[They spent a lot of money.]
And the agency did not spare any money for their first appearance on N-net in a long time.
There were decorations made of crystals hanging from the ceiling, large curtain decorations, and complex objects everywhere.
“How many songs are we doing on this set?”
“Two? Or three?”
And this wasn’t the only set. They would record several songs on this set and then make a new one. That’s why the comeback show was scheduled to be recorded all day long.
“Here’s Jin-hyuk hyung’s seat.”
The members gathered around Park Seo-dam’s words.
There was a chair that blended the oriental pot and the western throne in a exquisite way at the back of the stage.
“Wow… doesn’t it look like there are more decorations than when we saw it before?”
“Yeah. It’s amazing.”
“This stage will be fun.”
The members were full of anticipation as they smiled at each other.
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