In the Lemon Entertainment lounge, the variety star Mo Beom-Ju sits, his small frame and round glasses giving him the impression of a cute owl.
[Q. How was the vocal practice with Rihyuk?]
A. Ha…
The sound of the cast’s laughter filters through unabated.
Mo Beom-Ju, who had been staring into space trying to hold back tears, lowers his head to look at the camera.
[Q. It must have been tough.]
A. When we were just doing the choreography, I thought, ‘Ah, this person is an angel.’ When the other teachers scolded us, he alone would send long messages of encouragement, asking, ‘It’s hard, isn’t it?’
He pulls out a chocolate given by Rihyuk from his pocket and even verifies the message on his phone.
A message with the beautiful phrase, ‘You must endure winter to see the spring.’
Looking at it, Mo Beom-Ju lets out another sigh, “Ha…”A. So I thought, ‘Ah, this person has compassion unlike the others!’
[Q. Wasn’t that the case?]
A. Turns out, it was selective compassion. I overlooked the fact that Rihyuk is also a member of New Black.
The production crew bursts into laughter once again.
After vocal practice, during the time to change recording tapes.
The New Black members have left, and the cast sprawls out in the practice room.
“Ughhh…”
It feels like my stomach is cramping as if I’ve done hours of ab workouts.
My head spins as if I’m about to throw up any second.
But…
‘Why do I still have energy left?’
I feel like I’m about to die, but not so much that I can’t do anything.
It’s a strange phenomenon—exhausted but still energetic.
Just like when I learned choreography from Bi-Ju, vocal lessons pushed me to my limits, but they were manageable.
“Is it just me? It feels like I’m exerting so much energy, yet I still have some left…”
“Me too.”
“It’s really tough, but just when I think, ‘Ah, I’m going to collapse if we go any further,’ we stop right there.”
As they express their agony, Kim Ui-Ji, a former soccer player, answers while stretching.
His gaze is serious.
“These kids, they’ve got the knack of pushing people more than once or twice.”
“Hyung.”
“Hm?”
“Why are you suddenly setting the mood? It doesn’t suit you at all.”
“Ah, come on.”
Kim Ui-Ji throws a towel, which lands smack on Chu Gi-Seok’s face.
They all burst into laughter, and Kim Ui-Ji says,
“But who could these guys have pushed around? They’re not training rookies.”
“…?”
“They’ve been pushing each other around.”
That’s when it clicks.
I marvel at how well they know their own limits, having pushed each other to that point.
“Impressive. They’re not good for nothing.”
“I want to bring my nephew here.”
Nam Do-Hun’s comment turns heads.
“Why your nephew?”
“He’s been pestering my older brother and sister-in-law about wanting to be an idol… He should experience this once.”
“He’ll run away in a day.”
They all laugh heartily.
Despite the exhaustion, the atmosphere is incredibly positive.
‘This will work. It absolutely will.’
There’s a common saying in the entertainment department, ‘The fun on set translates to fun on air.’
I’m not sure how the project will turn out, but I’m confident we’ve secured solid ratings and buzz.
As the entertainers hold back their laughter…
Swoosh—
Among the sprawled-out figures, a slender silhouette slowly rises.
Kim Ui-Ji grabs the youngest, Hong Seok.
“Seok, you only slept two hours yesterday. Why are you getting up?”
“To practice more.”
Leaving those words behind, the member who had been shaking his head approaches the mirror wall to start practicing the basics.
“Ah, that kid is really diligent.”
“Is it because it’s his dream? He doesn’t seem to be trying as hard as usual, does he?”
While we were having that conversation, the door clicked open, and everyone jumped.
“Kyaa! Eek!”
New Black entered with their usual lively energy.
They looked so fresh and rejuvenated, as if they had absorbed all our vitality.
“Seniors!”
“What is it now?”
The members slumped like wilted cabbages.
“What again?”
“We bought some snacks from the convenience store in front of here for you seniors!”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have…”
The members of Mip suddenly regained their energy, as if their spines had been realigned.
Then they were surprised by the number of bags.
“Oh my…”
“What’s this? Did you buy something for the production team too?”
“No, that’s separate.”
Following Woojoo’s words, I turned to see the managers distributing food to the staff.
An Jae-hee exclaimed with newfound admiration.
“You guys are really generous.”
“That’s right.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Jung-hyun’s bear-paw-like gesture.
It wasn’t the same hand, but what did it matter?
Before us, cool ice cream and various snacks captivated our taste buds.
The leader of New Black asked.
“Senior Hong-seok, aren’t you having some?”
“Leave him. He says he gets sleepy if he eats during recording, so he usually doesn’t.”
Still, the New Black members called out to him, but Hong-seok just laughed and waved them off.
Woojoo watched the ongoing dance practice with a strange expression for a moment.
In the warm atmosphere, the casual conversation continued.
“So, do you practice like this every day now?”
“Yes. Sometimes from 7 AM to 10 PM… These days, it varies with our schedule.”
“Wow.”
“But it’s the same for other groups. I heard from Teen Spirit seniors that ten hours is the norm.”
The staggering amount of practice by the first-tier idols left me speechless.
Suddenly, I felt a surge of gratitude towards them.
“It’s really kind of you to help during such a tough time.”
“Oh! No, it’s nothing.”
“…You really came at a tough season. Thank you.”
An Jae-hee chimed in.
“You should be very grateful. We got a song for just 5,000 won.”
“Ah, 5,000 won…”
Woojoo looked up into the air with moist eyes, and we all smiled awkwardly.
Then we cast a warm gaze.
“Hey, Mr. Gloomy. Why the long face again?”
“I’ve called everyone, but no one’s taking on the idol project.”
I had heard from Producer Shin Mu-rok about the tremendous difficulties in casting.
Everyone considered for the project felt burdened by the commitment and declined.
It was also problematic to invite someone just seeking fame.
Of course, the show was a win-win for New Black, but only if things went well.
Taking time out of album and concert preparations to assume such a risk was no small feat.
“Hehehe! Haha!”
“Ugh!”
Their bubbly nature was the problem; it made it hard to think that far ahead…
Woojoo said playfully.
“When you have time later, please promote our song.”
“Sure. I will.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Thank you!” New Black danced a little shoulder dance in reaction, and I couldn’t help but smile like a proud uncle.
Eldest brother Kim Ui-ji turned his gaze to the wall clock.
“The wall clock is…”
Gone.
Kim Ui-ji turned his wristwatch and asked.
“What’s left now? We’ve seen the dance and the vocals…”
“The song.”
“Ah! The song.”
Anticipation swirled in the minds of the members.
I wondered what kind of song the composer, who had swept the charts from the first half of last year to the beginning of this year, would create next.
That’s when Jun-hyeon spoke up.
“But before we go, there’s something I need to talk about.”
“…?”
“It’s about dieting.”
“…!”
That’s when I realized that the members of New Black across from us weren’t eating anything at all.
They were only eating apples from their Lock&Lock containers.
The youngest and eldest members of New Black were holding onto chocolate, merely savoring the scent.
Rihyuk, looking at them with pity, said to the members of Mip.
“Looks strange, doesn’t it?”
Nods all around.
“The truth is, they are a bit odd… but that’s what happens to people when they diet for too long.”
“That’s our future? That?”
“Highly likely. About 87 percent.”
“….”
After 10 seconds of silence.
“Hey. Eat. Eat all of this.”
“Brother! Let’s unwrap and eat this. Together!”
Five men began frantically unwrapping their snacks.
Meanwhile, the 6mm camera vividly captured the atmosphere of the scene.
The recording resumed.
“Let’s go, Mip Mip!”
“Yay…”
While Kim Eui-ji boosted the members’ morale with his unique shout, we also gathered our energy.
Jun-hyeon recited grandly.
“Diet ends in D-39.”
“No, hyung. Who in the world calls a concert date the end of a diet…”
“Waaaaah!”
Excluding one dissenter, the rest cheered like giddy baboons.
The members of Mip held back grandfatherly chuckles, thinking, ‘Young ones can’t handle it…’
“Alright! Let’s start filming!”
As the camera rolled again, we got to the point.
“You know you have to diet now, right?”
“Ah…”
“It’s something we must do to show our fans an even more impressive side of ourselves.”
Amidst the sighing members, Chu Gi-seok raised his hand.
“So, we can eat until tonight, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you hear that? We’re definitely having a team dinner tonight. No absences!”
Everyone laughed at the sight of Chu Gi-seok’s twinkling eyes, even the production crew.
An Jae-hee asked.
“But do we have any fat to lose? We all work out and manage our bodies so strictly, there’s hardly any fat left.”
“Yes. You still need to lose more.”
“Really, there’s nothing left to lose…”
I slung my arm around Jun-hyeon and said.
“Do you want to get checked by Jun-hyeon? He’s really good at estimating body fat just by looking.”
“That’s right. Almost human TMI level!”
“You mean BMI…”
Everyone laughed at the youngest member’s unexpected joke.
The entertainers looked at Jun-hyeon with curious eyes.
“Hmm…”
Jun-hyeon’s eyes scanned the ballad singer An Jae-hee up and down like a scanner.
Then he whispered something in his ear.
An Jae-hee’s eyes widened in surprise, making for a perfect scene.
“Hey. You…”
“Is it close?”
“It’s not just close, it’s accurate. What are you?”
Instead of answering, Jun-hyeon drew a ‘V’ with his fingers near his eyes, bursting into laughter.
An Jae-hee, sticking out his tongue in amazement, said to the camera.
“I mean, even the trainers at my gym don’t know this.”
“How did you guess that? It’s amazing.”
To the gaping onlookers, I just smiled.
“Are there any seniors here who have doubts about dieting?”
Silence.
“If not, then…”
Mr. Choo Ki-seok raised his hand and cried out urgently.
“Can we, perhaps, drink alcohol?”
“Alcohol is obviously…”
“Obviously?”
“Not allowed! Alcohol is strictly off-limits.”
We all made an ‘X’ sign with our hands.
“We heard from our trainer that we should be most cautious of the fat gained from alcohol.”
“That’s right, Ki-seok. Now that it’s come to this, try to cut down on the drinking.”
“What if you like drinking too much?”
“You’ll get divorced, for sure!” we laughed as members imitated Maeda-sensei.
As Mr. Choo Ki-seok was about to leave without gaining anything.
A handsome man with an athlete’s build, who had been listening quietly, asked a question.
“But doesn’t dieting cause you to lose a lot of muscle? It seems like you’d lose a lot of strength too.”
“Huh? Is it bad to lose some?”
“This muscle was hard-earned…”
He shyly flexed his biceps, and I smiled at him.
Then I answered.
“You don’t need to worry about losing strength.”
“Really?”
“We’re not experts, but from what we know, you don’t lose that much strength.”
With that in mind, we decided to have a direct experience.
“How about a round of arm wrestling with Jung-hyun?”
Jung-hyun rolled up his sleeves and lay down in the practice room, ready for arm wrestling.
The MIF members looked on with a ‘Are you kidding?’ expression.
“Wasn’t Jung-hyun the one who went to the hospital during the military variety show at T Headquarters…?”
“That’s right.”
“The doctor said it. He’s not the kind to be sent to the hospital.”
“Was that so? I think you’re right.”
“Hey!”
As they were about to protest, we raised our hands as if to say, ‘Hold on!’
“But we have a good chance of winning!”
“Where exactly…?”
“Compared to the seniors who have regular meals and exercise, Jung-hyun is currently exhausted and starving.”
Someone muttered, ‘Is he a beast or what?’ and the youngest member summed it up.
“Simply put, seniors, you’ve come when Jung-hyun is at his weakest in the whole year!”
Silence.
“Come on, try~ try~ Experience the weakened strength for yourself.”
All members avoided eye contact and looked for a target.
“Dohun.”
“It should be Dohun who goes. He’s the one worried about losing strength, so he should experience it for himself.”
“Are you hesitating because of those muscles, brother?”
Mr. Nam Dohun rolled up his sleeves with a serious expression and said.
“No, I’m just worried I might hurt someone with my strength.”
“Oooh!”
“There’s a thing called weight class…”
“Your tongue is too long, Nam Dohun. Go on.”
The eldest brother, Kim Eui-ji, nudged Nam Dohun’s back.
Everyone laughed at Mr. Nam Dohun’s pained expression as he wondered, ‘Do I really have to do this?’
Finally, the two clasped hands.
“Ow…!”
Nam Dohun’s exclamation brought out a burst of laughter.
The MIF members teased him.
“Looks like Brother Dohun is nervous?”
“I don’t get nervous.”
“Look at the sweat on his Adam’s apple. That’s where he gets moist when he’s nervous.”
“Be quiet. I’m focusing right now.”
While this was happening, Kim Eui-ji saw an opportunity to make the broadcast more entertaining.
“It wouldn’t be fun if we just did this, would it?”
“It’s hilarious, brother. It’s a one-on-one match with New Black TV!”
As Mr. Choo Ki-seok disappeared off-screen, Kim Eui-ji continued.
“If we win, how about you shorten our practice time a bit? To live a more human life…!”
“Yes! That sounds good.”
Now, what condition should we set?
After discussing with my siblings, we made a swift decision.
“If we win, we’ll ask for a stage video covering our song later!”
“That sounds great!”
After exchanging handshakes between the leaders, we immediately entered into a cheering battle.
While we were calling out to Junghyun, the MiPro cast also raised their voices enthusiastically.
The size difference was so apparent that it seemed we had a good chance of winning.
Especially since Junghyun is in his slimmest state of the year.
“Dohun hyung! We’re watching you!”
“Please, be quiet…”
“Junghyun Kim! If you lose, no cherry tomatoes for dinner tonight! Only vegetables!”
“No, not my cherry tomatoes…!”
Amidst our clamor, the arm-wrestling began under the mediation of the producer.
“Oh!”
Nam Dohun, flexing his arm muscles, tried to bend Junghyun’s arm but it wouldn’t budge.
And then…
“…!”
Veins and muscles on Junghyun’s arm started to stand out distinctly.
Bang!
That was the end of the match.
“Woahhh!”
To the bewildered faces wondering what they had just witnessed, we performed our victory ceremony.
Junghyun, who had secured the cover video promotion, grinned triumphantly.
“Kim Bijoo. Double the cherry tomatoes for me.”
“Confirmed.”
Everyone burst into laughter at the sight of our peer making a cheerful OK sign.
After finishing the recording in the basement practice room, we gathered in the studio with the cast.
As they looked around at the sound equipment and console, they asked,
“Do you work here?”
“No, we passed our studio earlier. This place is shared with the company folks.”
The largest studio on the second floor.
Our studio was too small to be used as a filming space, so we chose this place as our shooting location.
The cast was amazed to learn that this was where Scarlet and senior Yoon Chanhyuk had recorded.
“So that’s why there’s a zebra cushion. Is this Kim Nayun’s?”
We responded with a warm smile to singer An Jaehee’s question, who seemed to know Daisy.
Meanwhile, we introduced a man sitting in a chair, shaking like a leaf.
“This gentleman is none other than Mr. Na Sangyoon, the team leader of our Lemon Enter Producing Team.”
“P-Please take care of me.”
“It’s his first time on broadcast, so he’s quite nervous.”
The MiPro members greeted him energetically.
We reassured the visibly anxious Mr. Na Sangyoon with a smile, telling him to trust us.
“Ugh…”
Why is he getting more nervous?
While pondering this, I sat down at the keyboard and looked around at everyone.
“Today, we’re going to try making a song together.”
“A song?”
“Yes. We said we’d try making a track for the album. We’re going to create a song based on the melody sent by the seniors.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Then I pointed to Mr. Na Sangyoon.
“That’s why our producing team’s composer has joined us.”
“Ah, I see.”
“We need the help of an expert.”
Mr. Na Sangyoon nodded with the most awkward smile in the world.
While the MiPro members watched with curiosity, the composer played the files transferred from the USB.
As I was sketching out ideas in my head, An Jaehee asked,
“But why did you ask for a melody to be made? Couldn’t we just write the song?”
“We wanted to make a fan song for the program.”
“A fan song?”
“Yes. I heard that Mr. Producer is celebrating its 8th anniversary this year.”
It was something we had discussed with producer Shin Murok during the preliminary meeting.
And as expected, the MiPro members were thrilled.
“A fan song sounds great!”
“We thought it would be meaningful if the seniors participated in composing it.”
“So, is the MiPro fan song going to be born right here?”
“I’m not sure yet. It might take some time. For now, the plan is to lay out the framework here.”
Then, I played six melodies on the keyboard.
Music is truly fascinating.
How can such short melodies reveal so much character?
From the relentless forward drive of Kim Eui-ji’s melody to the calm yet passionate melody of Hong Seok.
Even in a simple combination of notes, the feelings were palpable.
I moved my left hand gently, repeating a simple melody.
“How is it?”
“Wow…”
“I tried to lay down a sound that would match the main melody of the seniors.”
Their expressions were uncertain.
Only my younger siblings and producer Na Sang-yoon opened their eyes wide in amazement.
I smiled at them and laid down the rest of the melody.
“We’ll start with a simple progression. We’ll have to create the chorus separately… but let’s proceed like this for now.”
I moved my right hand, playing the members’ melodies.
The notes really stood out.
So, I adjusted each note, fitting them together like pieces of a puzzle.
“Wow!”
The members of Mipf opened their eyes wide.
As I lifted my hands from the keyboard when we reached the chorus, Jiho, who had been lost in thought, spoke up.
“Hyung, how about this?”
He fumbled on the keyboard, but it sounded quite convincing.
I sent an approving look to our youngest, who had recently studied composition and crafted a harmonious melody.
That’s when we roughly had the structure of the song.
“Wait a minute.”
Among the blinking members of Mipf, An Jae-hee opened his mouth in a daze.
“Did you just make this up on the spot?”
“Huh?”
“It’s already complete.”
“Complete?”
We still had a long way to go for completion.
But playing it again, it did sound quite convincing.
The members of Mipf looked on in disbelief, and my younger siblings proudly gathered behind me, puffing up with pride.
Suddenly, Model Student burst out laughing.
“Look at composer Na Sang-yoon’s face. He seems the most flustered, doesn’t he?”
Oops.
I turned my head, and there was a shadow on producer Na Sang-yoon’s face.
“The composer came here, played a computer file, and that was it.”
“I came because you said you needed help, but I’ve been played.”
“We did need an expert’s help. With clicking the mouse.”
As I exclaimed, “Ah! I’m so sorry!” and grabbed his arm, producer Na Sang-yoon shook like a scarecrow.
“You said you needed help. Why on earth did you call me, Sunwoo-joo…”
Producer Na Sang-yoon murmured sadly, and everyone burst into laughter.