Chapter 89
Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: NicoleTempest
Chapter 89 The Real Fox is Found at the Snack Bar
“Be careful.”
As I lifted my head, I saw a skinny male idol with a slender frame looking down at me.
He wasn’t very tall. A bit shorter than Kyunghwa?
He looked like he was in his early to mid-170s.
But he was so thin that his height didn’t seem like a flaw. I was sure I had seen his face somewhere before…
Not in person, though. It seemed like I had glimpsed him in some video.
‘Who is he, anyway?’
While I was trying to recall, Kyunghwa made the first move.
“Thank you, Shim Naru.”
Oh, right. That was his name. I had no memory of seeing him in real life, but his face was oddly familiar. He was the one who appeared incessantly in the My Idol Stage clips I had watched for reference.
‘This guy… Did the program deliberately push him or what? He was everywhere.’
The so-called angel’s edit.
Whenever his group did something, he always took the lead or came up with an idea, and they showed that scene.
And he also showed nothing but good sides of himself.
Even when his team seemed to be fighting, he would intervene and stop them, as if the broadcast was for that purpose.
‘It seemed like his high rank in another survival program was the reason they favored him.’
He was the main vocalist of Floss that the comment on Seong-won’s stage clip said, ‘If Seong-won had been on My Idol Stage, he would have replaced Floss’s main vocal.’
“Are you from Climax?”
Shim Naru asked us casually, pretending to know us.
“Ah, yes. We’re not very familiar with this, so we were flustered and rude. Thank you for helping us.”
I thanked him politely and got up from my seat. Fortunately, the other burgers were safe, except for Seon-woo, who had become a bit stupid.
“I didn’t do anything, really.”
Shim Naru smiled with a meaningful look in his eyes.
“You’re making a comeback next week, right? You must be very busy, but you seem to have some free time?”
No. The release of the song was in about 10 days, and the comeback stage was in about two weeks.
“Ah, no, not next week. But it’s coming soon.”
When I couldn’t figure out what he meant, I just pretended not to understand and answered.
“Oh, really? That’s too bad. It would have been fun if we overlapped on the music shows.”
Floss was currently promoting their summer mini album with the follow-up song ‘Love by love’.
It wasn’t a regular single, but a follow-up song, so next week was their last activity.
I didn’t want to keep track of Floss’s schedule or anything…
‘I won’t be able to come to the dorm often until next week because I have to support Floss’s activities. If you need anything, contact me.’
The manager was busy with that side of the work, so I couldn’t help but know.
“Ah, I see. I hope you finish your activities well. Fighting!”
I replied casually and shook my fist in front of Shim Naru, like I did to Seong-won.
Then Shim Naru scanned me up and down with a sour expression, as if he didn’t get the reaction he wanted.
‘What are you looking at?’
Cheon Ise was not a visual S for nothing. He had a tall and handsome height of over 180, a solid but moderately slender physique, and a head as small as a fist.
His appearance was perfect, with no flaws anywhere.
So what… What are you going to do about it? I looked down at Shim Naru with a calm expression.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
I threw a fastball and Shim Naru’s expression changed instantly as he answered.
“No. Then enjoy your meal.”
He didn’t look like he meant it at all. I looked at him suspiciously and turned my head to meet Kyunghwa’s eyes.
‘Why is he acting like that?’
‘I don’t know either.’
As we exchanged glances, a loud noise came from Seon-woo’s stomach.
Grrrrr.
“Let’s fill our stomachs first.”
That was my motto whenever this happened.
Just like Mt. Geumgang is a sight to see after a meal, worries are also a sight to see after a meal.
Most of the worries are solved when your stomach is warm and full.
“Yeah!”
Seon-woo nodded his head with a happy face.
***
After finishing the meal and sending Seon-woo to the MC rehearsal stage, Kyunghwa and I naturally became idle.
Why do these celebrities have so much time to spend on things like Twitter all day?
So this is what they do in their spare time.
I nodded my head as I solved my curiosity by myself.
Since I had some free time, I went on SNS and scrolled down the feed and saw someone retweeted Kang Yu-geon’s post.
[It’s been three weeks since we visited you with Love by love. It was a really happy time to be with our Tempos.]
They also participated in the pre-recording today, and they looked amazing in their stage outfits and flashy makeup.
When I saw them on the radio, I felt like they had a dazzling impression that was on the borderline between a beauty and a handsome.
When I saw them with full makeup, I could see that they had something that attracted people’s eyes.
‘If you’re an idol, I guess that’s a basic skill.’
It was an awkward situation that remained unresolved since the awkward phone call.
After that, I didn’t have anything to ask him for, and he seemed to have no personal schedule to pass on to me for a while as he was busy with his group activities.
‘Will he ask me to come back as a stand-in after the follow-up song activities are over?’
But from then on, assuming I pass the test, I’ll be too busy with my group activities to do that.
I wish I could say that I don’t need his help at all! But unfortunately, I couldn’t.
I needed to somehow mend this awkward relationship.
Of course, he was ‘an enemy pretending to be a friend’… But he wasn’t someone I wouldn’t need in the future.’
Anyway… I think it would be good to contact Kang Yu-geon soon.
I couldn’t understand why Shim Naru was so bad at hiding his hostility and showing it off.
‘Did he see the comment that his main vocal position might be in danger?’
Was that the reason why he showed such a childish attitude to others?
How old is he? I frowned and searched for Shim Naru’s age on the portal.
[Search results > Shim Naru’s age]
[Smart summary: Shim Naru, a member of Floss, is 19 years old.]
‘…’
He’s young.
‘…’
This kid is really immature, beyond being reckless and impulsive.
He was like a son to me, just like the others, but he was the only one who had a friend of the same age as my son.
He was thirteen when he became a teenage singer star? With that physique? I was shocked and my eyes widened.
He was seventeen when he appeared on the My Idol stage. And now he’s nineteen…
He must have been full of arrogance and pride at that time. I lightly bit my tongue.
‘After all, success at such a young age is also a poison.’
How much did they praise him since he was young, saying he was a genius, he could be a star? When he debuted with Floss, the whole world treated him like the best K-pop star in the world.
He must have been treated like a king, just like Kang Yu-geon.
But unlike Kang Yu-geon, I didn’t even get angry at Shim Naru.
Anger is something I only show to someone who has a certain level of social skills, as I can expect from my social experience.
‘How old am I to be nineteen… How can I see him as my equal?’
I didn’t care if they called me an old fart. I couldn’t feel any disappointment when I got angry at Seon-woo, just like I couldn’t get mad at nineteen-year-olds in front of me.
Kids at that age are just kids. As long as they don’t commit a crime, well… That’s how they are at that age. It was better to avoid them.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
Kyunghwa asked me abruptly, seeing me staring at my phone with a stupid expression.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
I waved my hand as if it was nothing and decided to close my eyes for a while.
It was better to take care of my health than to think about other people’s kids.
***
After waiting and waiting and waiting, the live broadcast finally started 10 hours after we arrived at the broadcasting station.
[Hello, Music Safe viewers!]
[Did you have a~]
[Safe!]
[Week?]
The four MCs, including Seon-young and Seon-woo, opened the door with a powerful greeting that was unique to Music Safe, and cheers erupted from the audience.
Usually, music show MCs were mainly rookies, but Seon-young was a bit of a special MC, so she was an exceptional case.
[Unfortunately~, our Music Safe’s vitamin! Seon-young will say goodbye to us today as her last day.]
[It’s time to say goodbye already, I’m so sad that my eyes are all teary, you know?]
[But where there is farewell, there is a new encounter! Starting today, Climax’s Seon-woo will join us as a new MC of Music Safe!]
[Hello, I’m Climax’s Seon-woo! This is my first time greeting you as an MC. Can you hear my heart pounding?]
Then someone shouted out loud in a clumsy voice from the audience.
“We hear you!!!”
It was a spontaneous action, but it was more comic than unpleasant. Everyone held their breath and laughed.
[I’m so glad you heard me! I’m still lacking, but I’ll do my best to deliver the excitement of Music Safe to you.]
Maybe it was because Seon-young was firmly supporting him next to him. Or maybe it was because Kyunghwa and I had helped him with the references to the point of forcing them into his head.
Seon-woo looked a bit nervous, but he didn’t make any mistakes.
[Well then, shall we go see Seon-young’s goodbye stage and Seon-woo’s welcome special stage?]
[Music~]
[Safe!]
I did well so far. The screen in the waiting room soon switched to a live broadcast.
The actual airing was a pre-recorded segment, and in the studio, the two of them simply stood and performed a simple stage to match the choreography.
‘Let’s just say I studied in advance, thanks to them.’
I imagined myself on that stage with the other Climax members. What if I cried?
They say you get more tears as you age. But the original Lim Hyun-seong was not like that at all.
However, after possessing Cheon Ise, I felt that my personality was gradually changing over time.
It was clear that Cheon Ise’s original personality was slowly melting into me.
‘If they say I’m just making excuses because I’m embarrassed, well… I have nothing to say.’
Ahem. I coughed for no reason and glanced at Kyunghwa.
“…”
Kyunghwa stared silently at the scene where Seon-woo was watching the MC for a long time.
‘He must be jealous, of course.’
Why does he get to do it and I don’t?
A creepy complaint that I heard from someone who was presumed to be Cheon Ise flashed through my mind.
