Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: Rxel
Chapter 245
Woojoo walked past the dark lobby on the first floor of the TBC building in Sangam-dong and got on the elevator to the third floor studio.
“Hmm hmm.”
The hit song ‘Breeze’ that Lisa Sunbae sang in the last performance was playing behind him.
Minki Hyung was humming along with the song.
Their eyes met and he raised his voice. He hummed louder, as if to say hmm hmm!
Woojoo sighed deeply.
“Minki Hyung.”“Hmm… yes?”
“I’m sorry.”
Woojoo said to him, who was laughing, “I don’t know what I did wrong, but I’ll apologize first. Hyung, if you’re upset, I’ll buy you something delicious…”
“Hey, don’t be silly. What could I be upset about with you?”
He had a lot of grievances. This guy.
Ding.
They got out of the elevator and walked down the hallway. He smiled brightly, looking at Woojoo’s flustered expression.
At this rate, he might say ‘Hello, this is the New Black manager~’ in a voice changer later.
“What could I be upset about? Well, maybe when you said you just wanted to listen to a song you worked on and kept me there for three hours…”
“I bought you meat that day.”
“Oh, right.”
They both burst into laughter.
They each carried a box of coffee and the manager laughed.
“I’m kidding. Nana and Dowon don’t have anything to be upset about either. You guys are so good to us. Of course, I know a lot of your black history for criticism…”
“Ah. Hyung.”
“We’re not on the phone call lineup today, so don’t worry.”
Whew. Thank goodness.
Then he said seriously, “Of course, I don’t know how the Director will be.”
He chuckled and Woojoo rolled his eyes. He changed his expression and asked Woojoo, “Are you feeling less nervous?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“What if you can’t do it? Relax. I can see the pressure on your shoulders.”
“Is it obvious?”
“You talk less when you’re stressed.”
It was his first time going on a terrestrial broadcast show alone.
Woojoo was worried about getting some airtime. He comforted Woojoo with a smile.
“Just do your best and come back. It’s not like it’s a big deal if you don’t get enough airtime right now. You’ll be fine as long as you act like yourself.”
“I guess so.”
“Take it easy. You guys sometimes seem like you’re still in your debut days.”
Woojoo smiled gratefully and Minki Hhyun looked into his eyes and said, “And this is a serious advice, but you can’t have no airtime on Shinto Rabbit.”
“…Don’t say things like that seriously. Hyung.”
They walked together with friendly smiles, and soon they reached their destination, the C studio.
“Is Hanjo the only one in the waiting room right now?”
“Well, their manager said they’re the only ones there, so probably? There’s still a lot of time before the recording starts.”
They had contacted each other beforehand to split the cost of coffee for the staff.
Hanjo must be in that waiting room.
Woojoo felt excited to see him after a while, and opened the door and entered.
“Hello…”
Woojoo’s eyes met with the two men sitting at the table.
And he was stunned.
“…?”
One of them had the same face as the road manager of Street Boys that he had seen before.
But the person who was supposed to be Hanjo…
“Hello, Woojoo.”
A stranger with thick muscles under his short-sleeved shirt called him.
Woojoo greeted the staff of Shinto Rabbit and handed out coffee with the managers.
Since the hosts hadn’t arrived yet, he went back to the waiting room and sat down with the other person.
“What, what happened?”
“My body got better, right?”
Hanjo smiled sheepishly, and Woojoo nodded.
“It’s not just better, it’s like when you eat a mushroom in Super Mario and your body grows.”
He burst out laughing, and his muscles twitched.
Wow. Wow.
The last time Woojoo saw him was at the end of January at the awards show. But he had changed so much in just three months.
His appearance, which used to be like a handsome and diligent college student, was now like a firefighter calendar.
His skin was also slightly tanned.
“Are you not used to it?”
“Yes. Really.”
“We sometimes get scared too. When we’re in the dark, we look like scary guys in the alley.”
Woojoo laughed at the image. He laughed again at the joke that ‘the tree became a real log’.
Hanjo calmly explained the situation to Woojoo.
“Last year’s rookie candidates all did well, and they each found their positions. Blink is a skillful group, Serenity is a visual…”
Blink and Serenity, who didn’t stand out much in their debut, were showing the power of the four major agencies this year.
MOP’s Serenity was attracting fandom as a visual girl group, and KM Entertainment’s Blink was showing their performance as a group in the music market.
Among them, Street Boys was relatively floating among the rookie candidates, except for New Black who did overwhelmingly well.
Of course, they were doing well, but compared to the other rookie candidates, they were…
“The Director and the planning team staff had a long discussion. Hip hop has been a bit sluggish in the music market lately. They thought it would be difficult to continue like this…”
So they decided to go with the concept of ‘hip hop + beast idol’.
It was a position that no one had among the third generation idols like them. They seemed to have a plan to fill the empty seat of the second generation beast idol seniors.
“Of course, if it doesn’t work, they’ll take it back…”
Hanjo was drinking his protein shake with tears in his eyes, saying he almost died from building muscles.
“When is your next comeback?”
“Maybe at the end of May…? It’s not really confirmed yet.”
“So you’ll be out around the same time as our follow-up song.”
“You’re doing a follow-up song too? …We’re in trouble.”
Woojoo laughed at his sincere worry. Anyone would think they were TNT or something.
As he drank his protein shake, Hanjo asked Woojoo, “By the way, do you know what’s going to be on the show today?”
“No, I don’t. But I’m curious.”
The show was so focused on reality that even the cast members didn’t know what to expect.
“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about your screen time, Woojoo. I’m jealous.”
“What’s there to be jealous of…”
“My siblings told me to stick with you when I went to the station today. They said I’m boring and would get edited out if I’m alone… How mean of them.”
“I’m also getting bombarded with messages right now.”
Woojoo briefly showed him the screen of his phone.
Jiho [I’m sorry]
Junghyun [Slap]
Rihyuk [I’m sorry]
Junghyun [Slap]
Bijoo [Fighting, Woojoo Hyung who is like an apple]
Junghyun [sigh]
Woojoo glared at Hanjo, who was grinning like a fool. He looked like he was enjoying watching someone else’s house burn down.
Jiho [Is Hanjo Hyung there too??]
Jiho [The SB brothers sent a message on the computer. They want me to pass it on to you.]
Jiho [‘Apologize’]
Jiho [‘If you don’t apologize for what you’ve done, you’ll face hell in the recording studio.’]
Jiho [“Stay still, tree.” “Why me again?”]
Woojoo clapped his hands and laughed.
While the older brothers were trembling and whining ‘grrr, you guys…’ to the younger ones, the guests arrived one after another.
“Hi.”
A heavy and clear voice, it was Gu Seonwoong, the leader of TNT.
He waved his hand lightly at Hanjo, who was bowing in greeting, and then reached out his hand to Woojoo.
“Hey, number one singer.”
“Seonwoong Hyung, long time no see.”
He bumped his shoulder against Woojoo’s as they shook hands, then pulled out a chair and sat next to him.
“How long has it been since the awards? Keep in touch, man.”
“I need to know your number first.”
“Oh, did I not tell you I changed it? I have to switch my phone number regularly because of the fans.”
They laughed along with the other guests who were saying how lucky they were to have each other as friends in this cold industry.
They had seen each other’s faces a lot, but the truth was, they weren’t that close.
Even when they were in TNT’s debut group, the older and younger lines didn’t get along well.
They would joke around and laugh together when they were in a group, but they would become quiet when they were alone. That was the kind of relationship they had.
The funny thing was, they weren’t even that close among themselves.
Woojoo was actually closer to the four guys below him.
He didn’t know how they were now, but as someone who was kicked out a long time ago, Woojoo wasn’t that friendly with them.
They would just greet each other with “Hey, buddy!” and have a pleasant conversation when they met.
"How are we going to fill the airtime? I'm so boring. Did you prepare anything in advance? If you did, let's coordinate."
"I didn't prepare anything like that, but I think a lot of people around me did…"
"Oh, right. You're the rich guy in this line of work."
"…."
"If we run out of content, I'll have to stick to you."
As Hanjo chuckled next to Woojoo, Gu Seonwoong's gaze turned to him.
"Who's that?"
"Oh, that's Hanjo, the leader of the Street Boys. He's my senior."
"Ah, nice to meet you."
He seemed to have no idea what Woojoo was talking about.
‘Is there such a group?’ he looked puzzled. But he liked Hanjo, who was polite and called him ‘senior’. They started to chat amiably.
That guy enjoyed being treated like this.
“Hello!”
Wild’s Woosan also arrived.
They had played on the same team at the Dolympic basketball tournament before.
Woojoo had searched beforehand and found out that he looked like a ‘handsome Doberman’, so his nickname was Doberman. But every time he smiled, Woojoo couldn’t help but think of that nickname.
He greeted the person who pretended to know him and Hanjo, saying “Our aces!” with a smile.
Gu Seonwoong also got up from his seat.
“Hey, Woosan.”
“Seonwoong Hyung? Long time no see. Why don’t you keep in touch?”
“I need to know your number first.”
“I had to change my number often because of the sasaengs…”
Hanjo and Woojoo swallowed their laughter from behind.
They were not close.
As the four of them were talking in an awkward and unfamiliar atmosphere, the door opened abruptly and the last person appeared.
“Hey.”
A handsome boy in a rider jacket murmured in a pleasant voice.
“The traffic was hell.”
The manager behind him smiled wryly, earning him sour looks from the other managers.
He was always like that.
Gu Seonwoong got up from his seat again.
“Uh, Hwiyeon…”
“Don’t contact me. I’m annoyed. I’m busy as hell. How do you expect me to keep in touch?”
“…”
“Change your greetings and life stories a bit. They’re boring.”
At his blunt words, Gu Seonwoong’s face crumpled and he timidly changed his tone. “Uh, okay…”
Hwiyeon casually slumped on a chair.
Every time Woojoo saw him, he felt like he wanted to live like that for once. Saying whatever he wanted without hesitation…
The slogan ‘Life is like Teen Spirit’ popped into his head.
“…”
The atmosphere became even more awkward after Hwiyeon’s appearance.
How was he supposed to deal with this? Would the broadcast go well today?
That was his worry as an amateur.
As soon as the camera started rolling, the young men who were oozing idol charm smiled warmly and mingled with each other.
“Hello!”
Hwiyeon, who was muttering ‘The lights are so damn hot…’ just a moment ago, sat next to Woojoo and greeted the camera.
“I’m the fresh and lively leader of Teen Spirit! Hwiyeon! Please take good care of me~”
“…”
Woojoo tried to keep a composed expression, while glancing around the studio with the corner of his eye.
Dozens of cameras captured the guests’ faces and reactions, while the writers below them scribbled on their sketchbooks.
Among the crowd of managers standing behind Woojoo, Minki Hyung mouthed ‘Fighting!’ and cheered him on.
The set looked like a bar.
It had colorful lights and wood-toned interior, like the trendy bars on SNS.
Under the neon sign of a rabbit biting a carrot, it said ‘New Concept Talk Show: Find Your Memory’.
The guests and hosts sat facing each other at a large round table.
“Next up is someone who’s hot these days, right? Not only did he top the weekly chart with his recent comeback, but he’s also famous on SNS as ‘the idol who’s funnier than comedians’! He’s the leader of the group!”
One of the MCs introduced Woojoo.
“New Black’s leader, Woojoo!”
“Yes, hello!”
Woojoo smiled at the camera and greeted them.
“I’m Woojoo, the leader of New Black, who came back with our mini second album, Windflower! Thank you for having me!”
As the guests clapped, the hosts reacted.
“Wow, you’re handsome.”
“Oh, I love Windflower. Your voice is amazing.”
“Look at our writers’ gums. They’re smiling so hard. It’s been a long time since I saw them like that. Woojoo, can you wave your hand to them?”
Woojoo waved his hand, and the camera captured the scene of the writers waving their sketchbooks like light sticks.
Then he had some time to promote their third album.
When Woojoo sang Windflower, the broadcasters and idols showed their enthusiastic reactions, saying things like “Oh my, what a song…!”
“Such a great song. Did you write the lyrics and compose the music yourself?”
“I see that you composed all the title songs so far. And you produced this album too.”
“Wow, you’re so talented.”
Wild’s Woosan and Teen Spirit’s Hwiyeon looked at Woojoo with interest.
Woojoo shook his hand and answered.
“The lyrics were written by our main vocal, Rihyuk. And I had a lot of help from the other members for the composition.”
The MCs teased him.
“You’re too polite. We don’t like that!”
“Don’t be so modest.”
“Tell us the truth. You did everything, you made everything, and the members just added a spoonful.”
“No, not at all. I never thought that…”
‘Hehe!’ The hosts cheered as the lie detector came out.
Woojoo hadn’t seen this in a long time.
This was a show famous for guests denying reality, so they often introduced them with a lie detector.
“Put your hand on the detector. This is how it works.”
Oh. The detector.
Woojoo was flustered as the entertainer Yoo Changhyun wrapped his hand tightly on the detector.
“No. Why are you using the detector for this kind of thing…”
“Don’t worry. Don’t worry. The other guests will have to do it too.”
“Answer the question quickly. Come on, Woojoo, do you think you did all the composing yourself?”
“Not at all.”
The detector immediately gave the answer of truth.
“Hey, what’s this? That’s no fun.”
“This is too obvious…”
“Then let’s change the question. I want to keep all the royalties for myself. Answer me. One, two, three.”
“Uh… No? Of course we share them… Ouch!”
Ow. That hurts.
But Woojoo was more embarrassed than hurt. He looked away as they all laughed uproariously.
“The machine must have malfunctioned.”
The MCs didn’t listen at all.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
“I admit that you deserve the royalties. Money is not something you share even with family.”
Before Woojoo could even answer, the barrage of questions made him feel like he was losing his soul.
When he came to his senses, he was writing a video letter to explain to his siblings.
“My Soufflé fans, and my kids. Don’t misunderstand. The machine had an error.”
“Should we do it again?”
“This machine seems broken. If there’s another machine, I’ll do it.”
“We have a spare. Bring it!”
“Aaaah…! I’m sorry. I was blinded by money…!”
As Woojoo grabbed the wrist of an MC who was trying to bring a new machine, everyone burst into laughter.
Then they had time to introduce the other guests, who were also grilled like him.
“The TNT brother line was honestly too big. In the past, I was the leader and the eldest, so they couldn’t even look me in the eye. Is that right or not?”
“Not at all… Ouch!”
Gu Seonwoong also ruined his stern image.
“Street Boys, when I first heard the group name, I wondered what the CEO was thinking when he named it.”
“Im Hyunsik, I love… Aaack!”
Those who said things like ‘I don’t regret using the stage name Woosan’ or ‘I don’t think I’m cool myself’ were also defeated one by one.
It was the usual introduction time at this show.
It was a way to disarm the guests’ defenses with a talk that would reveal their true feelings.
Thanks to that, the guests became more relaxed and carefree as the show went on.
They spent almost 30 minutes on self-introductions, and then they had time to explore the individual guests.
“…And the person who is attracting the most attention today is Woojoo. The production team found this article on the internet. ‘There is no idol more handsome than New Black!’ It says.”
The title was already shocking. Woojoo thought it was a title that would get a lot of hate, when one of the MCs said, “The content is like this. I’m sorry. I pulled this up to show you. New Black’s dark history is the best in the world…! It says.”
It was a normal promotion article for their Soufflé.
“There’s a lot of stuff. Starting from the fan club name, which was also derived from a slip of the tongue, and wow… How many are there? A video letter where you get jealous of a cat. A workbook ad. Taiwan’s Woo Jenmin…”
“This is crazy. This is the talent we wanted!”
“If Shintoki was a college, this kid would be the top student.”
As each one was revealed, Woojoo was surprised that he had so many.
Hanjo, who only knew about the cat video letter, also looked at Woojoo with amazed eyes.
The other guests also clasped their hands and listened attentively, while the MCs had the expression of miners who had found a gold mine.
“I’m looking forward to it. Woojoo.”
“At that age, he recorded all the dark history that a person would take ten years to make. It’s a talent given by heaven.”
“Oh my. Where have you been until now?”
The PD gave the OK sign, indicating that the phone call was ready.
“It’s finally the first call. It’s a call to New Black’s Woojoo.”
“Shall we~ take it?”
Woojoo wondered who it was.
One of the MCs asked him, “How about it? Do you think you’ll know by the voice?”
“Yes, I think I’ll know if it’s someone I know. I’m good at remembering features…”
“It won’t be easy. We’ve changed the voice a lot. Last time, Lee Gyeonwoo didn’t even recognize his father’s voice.”
A voice with a thick and cheesy voice changer came out.
-Hello~
“Hi, can you introduce yourself?”
-Yes. I’m one of the people who are closest to New Black~~.
A slow and thick voice. While Woojoo was listening quietly, one of the MCs asked with interest.
“Are you a member?”
-It could be~ or~~ not.
“Sounds like a member.”
One of the guests muttered, and the MC asked Woojoo, “What do you think, do you know who it is?”
“Yes.”
-There’s no way you would~? Hehe.
Woojoo nodded.
“We have a manager named Dowon. It’s his voice.”
-…
“Dowon Hyung.”
“Hello, Dowon Hyung?”
As he suddenly went silent, the people on the scene clapped and laughed.
-It’s not… It’s not him~~
“It seems right. His voice is slow, and he puts a slight accent on the first syllable.”
-…
“But he’s not the type to call in for something like this.”
They all looked at Woojoo with interest, as if listening to a detective’s deduction.
“From what I see, our members are coaching him from the side, and he’s relaying what they say.”
-…
“The kids are making X signs with their hands, and Rihyuk and Jiho are typing like crazy. Right, Hyung?”
-Uh…
“Bijoo is covering his mouth with his hand. Junghyun is eating snacks.”
They all clapped and said ‘You’re amazing’ as they laughed, and voices started to come out from the other side of the phone.
They were slow voices with voice changers, but Woojoo could tell who they were.
-Hang up! Just hang up~!
-How can you hang up on a broadcast~~
-Just give us the phone. We’ll…
Suddenly, a ‘beep’ sound was heard, and the call was over. They must have hung up while holding the phone desperately.
They all laughed at the unexpected situation.
The MCs exclaimed, “Wow, you’re so sharp. Woojoo.”
“Do you know them all like that?”
“Yes, if I catch the characteristics, I can…”
“That’s awesome. Are we finally going to have a real-name verification broadcast?”
It was also thanks to the fact that he met them often.
Meanwhile, Woojoo’s friends and others agreed to call each other again later and handed the baton over to Hanjo, one of the Street Boys.
Woojoo heard voices that sounded like they had inhaled helium gas.
-Hi there!
-We are the members of Street Boys!
“Oh, are you sure it’s okay to reveal your identities like this? We, the Shinto Rabbit, always tell you that we’re not responsible for what happens afterwards.”
-It doesn’t matter!
They answered in unison.
-Because we are eight people! No one can ever tell who is who when we say it like this~
-Right, right.
-Wow, this is so exciting! Kyakya!
-Hanjo Hyung, who are we?
…As they chatted excitedly among themselves, the MCs asked Hanjo.
“What do you think, can you tell who is who?”
“No, I really don’t know. This is really hard to understand. They all sound similar.”
At that, the distorted voices on the other side laughed, ‘See? Kyakya!’
The MCs and the guests looked at Woojoo.
One of the MCs asked Woojoo with an expectant look, “You said Street Boys and New Black were close earlier. Can you tell who these voices are?”
“Um…”
Woojoo hesitated for a moment and answered.
“It seems difficult, but I’ll give it a try.”