Chapter 87

The camera continued to closely capture the team’s discussion process.

“Have you thought about the direction for the arrangement?”

“Huh? No. I left that for you so we could discuss it together. Arrangements should be left to the experts!”

“Ah... so while I was gone, you only divided up the parts.”

“Well, we analyzed the song too. This and that.... Now let’s all work on it together.”

“Yes.”

I gave an appropriate response and glanced over at Gowon’s team.

The person on that team with the highest individual ranking was Gowon.

The next highest-ranked person was the one who had formed the team.

Just by looking at the members, it was obvious they had gathered trainees because they wanted to do an intense dark sexy concept. ℯℯ𝘭.

The song they chose had exactly that kind of feel. With that song, Gowon would stand out even without my help.

Then since I don’t need to worry about my junior as much this competition...

I looked around at the people surrounding me.

Maybe I’ll have some fun my own way.

I met eyes with the leader sitting directly across from me and smiled.

“I think we’ll do well. Our team.”

“Right? I’ll work hard too.”

Among the flower paths a senior lays out, there are also pure white flower paths that lead straight to the grave.

***

The direction for the arrangement was decided easily.

Or rather, everyone agreed surprisingly well.

When several ideas came up, the leader simply chose whichever one suited his taste.

In an age group where even a one-year difference felt significant, a twenty-four-year-old—the oldest member, with debut experience—took an authoritarian approach to decision-making, so things moved quickly.

After that, we practiced matching the original choreography until late at night and adjusted the formations for each part.

After practice ended, the team members patted my shoulder.

“Then we’re counting on you for the arrangement!”

“Ah, Hanje has a private room, so it’ll be easier for you to work.”

“......”

The team members’ tendencies were roughly divided into two types.

People who were influenced by the leader treating me as someone easy to push around and started acting the same way.

And—

“H-Hanje. Is there anything I can help you with?”

People who watched my reactions and looked apologetic.

The representative example of the latter was my junior Nam Jeongho.

“I’ll try working on it first, and if I get stuck, I’ll ask you.”

After saying that, I returned to my room and sat down in front of the laptop.

“Haah.”

When I returned to reality, I would never call my studio a cramped little room again.

Sitting hunched over in front of a laptop barely the size of two palms made me desperately miss my wide monitor.

Alright. From now... maybe an hour or two should be enough.

This was also why I had refused Nam Jeongho’s help.

It would be troublesome if a seventeen-year-old appeared to arrange music with the skill level of someone who had spent ten years as a professional producer.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

The heavy rhythm of the knock felt strangely familiar.

With a strange certainty, I opened the door.

“...Ah.”

Gowon was there.

Despite being the one who had come all the way here himself, he flinched when the door opened.

“Why?”

“...Because it’s the room next door.”

“Oh, did you come to brag that you got a private room after becoming S grade?”

“......”

Gowon frowned while looking at the headset around my neck and the laptop spread open on the desk.

“Are you busy arranging?”

“No, not really. I’ve already got the basic structure.”

“Already?”

“The order was clear. Anyway... want to come in?”

His expression became even more severe, so I thought he would refuse.

But he stepped into the room without hesitation.

Even though it was an S grade private room, it was still just a single-person room, so with two grown guys inside, it immediately felt cramped.

Especially since Gowon was strangely puffing out his upper body.

“...Baek Hanje.”

“What?”

“Can I say something?”

“What?”

“...Your team’s situation doesn’t look good.”

“Huh?”

“If you need me to... I’ll confront your team leader. I’ll tell him not to treat a younger teammate like that....”

“......”

“I think I’ve already been branded as someone rude by everyone anyway, so doing it one or two more times doesn’t matter.”

Thanks, but I’m not really struggling that much, so it’s fine...

“You’re adorable.”

Huh.

I thought the whole situation where words and thoughts came out reversed only happened in dramas, but apparently it could happen in real life too.

But when an eighteen-year-old steps forward saying he’ll protect his seventeen-year-old younger brother... what other emotion am I supposed to feel besides finding it adorable?

The only thing I wanted to tell this guy, who was hissing and showing his claws, was to protect himself first.

“Hey, I’m being serious here.”

“No, I appreciate it. We’re both already dealing with enough problems, but you’re still trying to help me. It’s honestly cool. ‘Adorable’ just came out by mistake.”

Worried that I might hurt the delicate feelings of an eighteen-year-old, I quickly gave him a double thumbs-up as well.

But his stiff expression didn’t relax.

“...You.”

The tips of Gowon’s fingers twitched rigidly beneath his sleeves.

“You told me not to give up and that we should do this together.”

Me?

Ah, right.

Before I collapsed at the convenience store.

“That’s right. Give up what? I’m fine. Seriously, things are going well.”

Did he really think I would get crushed by something that ridiculous?

“Hey, Gowon hyung.”

I called him that because, for once today, he had actually acted like an older brother.

“What, what is it? Forget it. Now of all times.... Only call me that when there aren’t other people around.”

If he didn’t like it, I didn’t care either.

“Anyway. If I manage to maintain first place overall even in this situation...”

I narrowed my eyes and smiled.

“Wouldn’t that be incredibly embarrassing for everyone else? That includes you too.”

“......”

“Think of it as an opportunity and practice like crazy until you catch up. A chance like this doesn’t come every day, right?”

“...How can you be like that?”

Because, obviously.

“Because me participating here in the first place is cheating.”

Because inside this body was Young Ace’s Hanzel.

“You said you wanted to perform on a stage like mine before Debut Chart ends, right? Then you have to work yourself to death trying.”

“......”

Plausibility has increased.

Current Plausibility: 43% (▲3)

Oh, good.

Looks like that helped his competitive spirit.

“...Okay.”

With that short answer, Gowon left my room.

The reddish color around his ears and the back of his neck showed the determination inside his tightly clenched fists.

About thirty minutes later, my room welcomed another visitor.

“Um, Hanje....”

It was my junior Nam Jeongho.

“Um... sorry. I should have taken better care of things.”

Why were there so many people today who should really just take care of themselves?

“Is the arrangement going well?”

“Yes. It’s almost done. Do you want to listen?”

“Uh, is that okay?”

“We’re on the same team. Why wouldn’t it be?”

I went over to the laptop and played the music I had just arranged.

I left about half of the original song’s feeling intact while modifying it to better suit a dance performance.

I thought I had adjusted it smoothly enough, but Nam Jeongho’s expression gradually darkened.

Looking closely, it was guilt.

“...You did well. Seriously.”

“Is there any part in your section you want to change or want more from?”

“Uh, huh?”

“In our team’s current atmosphere, it’s hard to voice opinions, right? If there’s something you want, tell me now. I’ll quietly put it in.”

“Ah....”

Nam Jeongho didn’t answer what I asked and only hesitated.

Then, as if he had made a decision, he spoke with determination.

“...Hanje. My part... do you want to take it?”

“What?”

What was this now?

Nam Jeongho continued despite already looking full of regret.

“...You’re working this hard, so I don’t think it’s right for you to take the worst part.”

“......”

“You basically carried the first competition too, so I think this is the right thing.”

Is this some characteristic of K-Dom leaders or something?

If someone like him had grown up under Director Kwon instead of Kwon Taeyoung, he would have become an excellent utilitarian self-sacrificing pushover who made everyone around him explode from frustration.

I need to make sure those two never become close in reality.

While I was busy making that plan, my junior must have misunderstood my silence and hurriedly added:

“I-I’m really okay. I’m not confident I can do it as well as you.”

Huh? What did you say?

“You’re not confident you can do it?”

“Y-yeah....”

“Should I make you able to?”

“...What?”

How dare a K-Dom junior say something like that in front of me?

***

“Why are the two most energetic teenagers, Hanje and Jeongho, so dark under their eyes?”

The master, who served as a judge during competitions and a mentor during practice, pointed at Nam Jeongho and me.

Since there was a joking tone mixed in, it wasn’t criticism. It sounded like a casual remark.

Just judging by how casually he treats the trainees, he doesn’t seem like someone who would do anything bad...

Then again, by that logic, among the five judges, there wasn’t anyone I could point at and say, “That person is obviously suspicious!”

“Well, teenagers are at the age where they can stay up practicing without sleeping. Then, shall we listen to this team’s arrangement?”

While the music I had modified the previous day played, Nam Jeongho—who had been trapped with me until dawn—widened his eyes and desperately fought off sleep.

Then, when the bridge part he had to sing arrived, he moved his lips even while looking completely exhausted.

That’s how it should be. I trained him until the words would come out the moment he was tapped.

“Who arranged this?”

When the song ended, the mentor’s earlier smile disappeared completely as he asked.