Chapter 86
Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: NicoleTempest
Chapter 86 Standing on the Stage
I went to the salon early in the morning and saw that there were only celebrities and no regular customers.
They must have been rookies since I didn’t recognize any of their faces.
“Hi, hello!”
A female idol who seemed to be scheduled for the same music show as me greeted me and Seon-woo with a bright smile.
“Hello.”
I nodded lightly and sat down, feeling a bit awkward.
There was no need to act too friendly. It wouldn’t hurt to get along with them as fellow humans.
But I was afraid of being misunderstood by the young ones who easily fell in love with a touch of a finger.
As I sat there uncomfortably for a moment, a staff member came over and took me to the sink for shampooing.
“I’ll just shampoo and dry your hair a little bit.”
The staff member with a stern face and a lot of tattoos on his arms gently laid my head back.
Ahh, the water that was neither cold nor hot soaked into my hair and I felt like the day had really begun.
“Anyway, you’ll have to redo your makeup in the dressing room, so I just trimmed it a bit for now.”
Seon-woo seemed to be the same as me and finished quickly.
The girl group that came in around the same time as us was still busy with their hair.
‘Their hair is long, so it must be harder.’
With a short comment, I got on the minivan that was heading to the broadcasting station.
“When you get off at the parking lot, there’s a photo zone right there, so put Seon-woo in the center and take a quick picture and go up.”
We also had to go through the ‘commute’ shooting that always came up as news photos.
“Music Safe even made a booth for you to take commuting photos, right?”
Kyunghwa asked, trying to recall the recent information since it had been a long time since we appeared on a music show.
“Yeah, you’ll see it as soon as you get off.”
As the manager said, a simple booth that looked like a photo wall came into view as the parking lot got closer.
“Just go there and take a picture and follow the staff up.”
Seon-woo’s MC special stage pre-recording was at 11 a.m.
They usually post announcements for the audience recruitment for the pre-recording and do all sorts of things.
Maybe it was because it wasn’t a Climax solo pre-recording. Or maybe WePlanet didn’t have the will to manage it.
There was no announcement posted.
‘Well… I’ve been doing fine without fans until now.’
I decided not to worry about it and just focus on the stage.
“Okay, I’ll open the door for you, so get off.”
The manager switched the car to parking mode and opened the automatic door.
I saw some idol vlogs and it seemed like the reporters and fans were waiting to take photos.
‘Let’s not expect anything.’
The bigger the expectation, the bigger the disappointment. I tried to console myself and stepped outside.
And then…
“Wow, Cheon Ise’s face is so small.”
“Seon-woo, your sister made you some food!”
“Na Seon-woo is so handsome!”
The flash of cameras and the cheers of fans echoed from afar.
I turned my head to see where the noise came from and saw a bunch of fans crowded in the waiting area that was supposed to be off-limits.
Kyunghwa, who was the first to snap out of it among the three of us, raised his hand and greeted them cheerfully.
“Kyunghwa, you’re handsome too!”
‘You too?’ That could be a subtly hurtful remark, but Kyunghwa didn’t seem to mind.
“Thank you!”
Unlike Seon-woo, who was so tense that he opened his eyes wide and waved his hand awkwardly like a robot, Kyunghwa looked quite skilled.
“Thank you.”
And I was somewhere in between the two. I was surprised by this kind of thing because I wasn’t used to it, but it wasn’t enough to shock me.
Click click click-.
The sound of phone cameras taking burst shots filled the air.
“See you later!”
It was only when we stood in front of the photo zone that Seon-woo finally booted up and smiled and waved his hand earnestly toward the fans.
He looked nice with a bright smile on his face, as if he had finally relaxed a bit.
“Mr. Na Seon-woo, please come this way.”
As we followed the staff who came to meet us, we saw the pre-recording waiting room.
“Do we just wait here?”
“Aren’t you going to watch the stage? Is it dangerous to mingle with the fans?”
As we chatted among ourselves, the staff came over and explained politely.
“You’ll go to the staff zone with us to watch the stage! Seon-woo, please go to the bathroom and wash your face after removing your makeup briefly!”
The staff pointed to the direction and we saw a young female staff member who seemed to be in charge of makeup, gesturing with her hand to the bathroom.
“Come back soon.”
He’s not a five-year-old running an errand. I pushed Seon-woo’s stiff back and he nodded his head vigorously.
“Okay!”
***
“How do I look, okay?”
A while later, Seon-woo came out of the fitting room in the waiting room, dressed in his outfit after finishing his makeup.
He wore a white beret with a bright-colored silk short-sleeved shirt underneath, giving off a retro vibe.
He also tied a ribbon bandana on his head. It looked like a children’s clothing, but the stage outfits were supposed to be flashy enough that you couldn’t wear them in everyday life, and it suited him well.
“It suits you. You’re cute.”
Kyunghwa answered as he crouched down on the floor to take a picture for his SNS.
“You’re so cute, so turn around and look back a little, like this.”
“Okay!”
Like a black mage controlling Seon-woo, Kyunghwa moved him by degrees to take a more perfect picture.
“Lift your chin a little more there.”
“Okay!”
“Can you put your left hand on your waist?”
“Okay!”
“Smile a little more.”
“Okay!”
“Now wink with one eye.”
“Okay!”
I wondered what kind of amazing photos they were trying to take, making such a fuss.
I waited impatiently, clicking my tongue, until Kyunghwa’s passionate photo shoot was over.
“How long are you going to keep taking pictures?”
I asked with a bored expression, and Kyunghwa snapped back.
“Just wait. I’m wracking my brain to bring out this guy’s insane visuals to the max.”
I felt a surge of resentment at his intense concentration, which I had never seen even in the concept planning stage.
What’s the big deal about those photos? How good can they be… I remembered the petty grudge I had when I first possessed Cheon Ise. He had made a scene, asking me what I was thinking when I took those photos.
He was the one who was making such a racket, trying to take such amazing photos. I felt like I wouldn’t be satisfied until I saw the results.
“Done!”
Kyunghwa, who had been sitting down, getting up, and sitting down again repeatedly while taking photos, finally lifted his phone high.
“What is it? Let me see.”
I peeked over Kyunghwa’s head and sneaked a look at his phone.
“…”
“This is really… my masterpiece.”
‘…’
It wasn’t just an exaggeration, this was really…
‘I have to admit it.’
The photo spread on the screen was much more realistic than the teaser photos we had taken by a professional.
“Wow, how do you take something like this?”
Seon-woo, who always saw his own face, widened his eyes and asked Kyunghwa.
“There’s a way. I’ll post this on the notice account after the broadcast is over.”
“Okay!”
Seon-woo looked at Kyunghwa with sparkling eyes, as if he was looking at a savior.
Why did he leave his specialty blank and worry about it? He was a problem child with low self-esteem.
“How much time is left until the live show starts?”
“There’s still about 40 minutes left.”
I felt restless, being trapped here without being able to go out, even though Seon-woo’s hair and makeup were all done.
They said there was a snack bar in the basement. Should I go there for a bit… As soon as I thought that, someone opened the waiting room door.
“Hello~~~!!!”
It was an entrance that seemed to bring a storm with her presence alone.
“Oh, hello, Seon-young.”
The staff who recognized Seon-young first stepped back timidly and greeted her politely.
Then Seon-young, who caught the staff with her hawk eyes, ran towards the staff with a bright smile.
“Ah~~!! It’s Yujin! You were in charge of me last time, but this time you came as Seon-woo’s stylist? Did you do Seon-woo’s makeup today too? Oh my, our Seon-woo has such chubby cheeks, they must have matched well with Yujin’s makeup~! How was it? He didn’t bother you by moving around like a Busanite, did he?”
As I remembered, she had an incredible lung capacity and a loud voice. She could probably make a living with that as a special skill.
“Hey, sis! Stop bothering the makeup artist and come over here!”
Seon-woo, the only one who could stand up to Seon-young’s amazing charisma, waved his hand at her.
“Oh, right. Sorry, Yujin. I’ll talk to you later!”
Seon-young finished her conversation with the staff and walked towards us with brisk steps.
“Hello~!! Long time no see!”
Kyunghwa, who seemed to have never met Seon-young in person, greeted her with a puzzled expression.
“Hello, I’m Ryu Kyunghwa, a member of the same group as Seon-woo.”
And that was the start of a torrent of talk.
“Kyunghwa, is this the first time we meet? Wow, I’m so, so happy to see you! I’m a big fan of Boys in Crisis. I’ve always liked your character since the beginning of the show. He’s so reliable and cool. And lately, there are more fans who are suffering with you, right? That makes me so happy! Do you take good care of the members at the dorm? I wonder if Seon-woo is always making mistakes and causing trouble~.”
At this point, Kyunghwa should have said something to stop her.
But he was overwhelmed by the stunning beauty who was spitting out words like a machine gun.
Not that he had a crush on her… or so he thought. He was just one of those types who couldn’t resist a woman who was energetic and pretty.
He would end up being a henpecked husband if he ever got married.
While Kyunghwa was stuttering, Seonyoung started to get ready for the second verse.
I looked away and thought of something else.
“Stop it, sis! You’re making Kyunghwa uncomfortable.”
In the end, Seon-woo had to step in.
“Oh, really? I know I talk a lot, but…”
Normally, one would say ‘No, you don’t.’ or ‘Don’t worry about it.’ at this point.
But this was really true.
“Anyway, why are you here in the waiting room? We still have some time before we start.”
Seon-woo pulled out the ‘Get to the point.’ card like a hero who was slaying the demon king.
“Oh, right!”
Seonyoung smiled brightly like an idol who could charm anyone, male or female, and answered.
“I came here for this!”
She pointed her finger at her phone.