Chapter 213: You're Moving Too Fast
“Teacher, you're moving too fast.”
I was so flustered that the words I’d only been tossing around in my mouth slipped out before I realized it.
I hurried to add something with an awkward cough to recover.
“Billboard debut, huh… It really is an impressive achievement.”
“No. That’s not it. If anything, it’s more like a stepping stone towards an impressive achievement?”
The wall of 1st-tier idols was high.
Seeing my gaze wander aimlessly in the air, Kim Woochan waved his hand.
“Not number one on Billboard, but just getting into the Hot 100 is doable. Don’t you think?”
“…Not really.”
Billboard isn’t your next-door neighbor’s front yard, you know.
Maybe in the distant future, but in 2018, only a handful of Korean artists had made it into the Billboard Hot 100.
Tiple hit 21st on the Hot 100, and The Way also charted with their last album.
It’s a wall only 1st-tier idols who’ve built up solid fandoms both at home and abroad can aim for.
Hmm.
Stardust might be able to aim for it someday, too.
It aligned with my goals as an idol, so I nodded.
“I’ll try someday.”
But then—
“Half a year.”
Kim Woochan’s eyes glinted ominously, his serious face showing not a trace of playfulness.
Before I could ask what he meant, Kim Woochan continued.
“Seo Han, the deadline given to you is probably half a year.”
Not easy at all.
Doubles is a cradle of stars.
Throughout the history of the entertainment business, countless stars who shined brilliantly had been under Doubles.
No need to look far—Tiple, who firmly established themselves as a 1st-tier idol group, had done so, and now Stardust was steadily following in their footsteps.
With solid achievements just two years into their debut, they were practically the golden boys.
Song Jinha, who had seen countless celebrities on his way to becoming the head manager, had an eye for talent.
Of course, that only applied to skills.
He believed personality didn’t matter as long as you had talent—this judgment led to him failing to filter out villains like Kevin and putting them in the debut team.
‘That was a close call.’
Fortunately… the current Stardust members were kind.
Every single one of them was easygoing and not the type to cause a major scandal.
Still, seeing them hold their ground in the cutthroat, backstabbing world of entertainment meant one thing.
Even if they looked like limp gas station balloons from the outside, there had to be members with firm resolve at the core.
Kang Siwoo and Jin Sehyun were probably those kinds of members…
“Do Seohan.”
Seohan… I wasn’t sure about.
He was a sweet and adorable youngest, but also somehow mature.
He was polite and sociable.
Whenever he chimed in, it was always something helpful to the team.
Sometimes, he even showed insights that someone like me, who’d been worn down by years in the industry, hadn’t thought of.
And yet, even in those moments, when I looked into those round, sparkling eyes…
He was just too cute.
“Ah. I should’ve had a son like him.”
Song Jinha wasn’t even married yet.
So he was lost in thought, dreaming aloud about a distant future.
‘I want to release this single.’
That was the bombshell Do Seohan dropped during a meeting earlier this morning.
It hadn’t been long since our last full album promotions ended, so while I could understand his eagerness as a rookie, the timing felt surprisingly fast.
So much so that eldest brother Ha Junseo shook Seohan’s shoulders and added:
‘Seohan! Are you a workaholic?’
‘Gyaaaah! A comeback already?!’
Seo Haim screamed and pulled at her hair.
No matter how passionate they were, no one wanted to throw away their hard-earned break.
Not that Seohan cared.
Do Seohan was completely fixated on releasing a single.
He looked more serious than I’d ever seen him before.
While the rest of the members were panicking, the youngest-on-top Do Seohan calmly laid out his plans one after another.
‘Personally, I’d like to release an English version too. I hope we can drop it within two or three months, so we’ll need to start preparing fast. Seongbin-hyung, do you have any songs you’ve been saving?’
‘…Are you serious?’
‘Yes. Preferably a song that could do well overseas too.’
And then, he added this:
“I want to make it to Billboard.”
Hmm.
Honestly, he’s not exactly normal.
To be honest, the older members did go easy on me because I was the youngest.
Just the fact that they defended my absurd suggestion showed that much.
“But do you really have to start right away?”
“I’d die if I didn’t!”
“T-That serious?”
Why?
Because if I didn’t, I might literally die!
The older members seemed to think I was riding high from the emotions of the last concert and burning with passion.
If they delayed preparations under that misunderstanding, it’d be a disaster…
So I ended up pestering Cha Seongbin until I succeeded in getting to his studio.
Cha Seongbin’s workspace looked like he’d been up agonizing until dawn.
Just seeing all the snack wrappers scattered across the table gave away the suffering of late-night deadlines.
“I’m telling you, I’ve got nothing. I used up all my stuff preparing for the last album…”
Cha Seongbin grumbled as he turned on the monitor.
The title track had been by a different composer, but Cha Seongbin’s song had also been well-received and was used as a follow-up track.
Since he’d poured out everything back then, there was supposedly nothing usable left on his hard drive—that was his claim.
In situations like this, all I could do was appeal with tears.
I clasped my hands together and earnestly pleaded.
“Hyung, please save me.”
“…?”
“I really want to make it to Billboard.”
Cha Seongbin’s brows furrowed.
“Seohan, are you saying stuff like that because you think this hyung will do anything you ask if you act that way?”
“This isn’t it.”
“Of course, I’ll write anything for you. What kind of style do you want?”
“……”
That cheeky addition was obviously not sincere.
Cha Seongbin burst out laughing and shook his head.
“Why are you suddenly fixated on Billboard? That’s something only a group like Tiple can realistically aim for. No matter how good the song is, you think you can actually pull it off~?”
“Well…”
“The timing is weird too. Is there some urgent reason to rush out a single within two or three months…?”
He might not seem like it, but he’s not completely clueless. He just usually doesn’t bother reading the room.
When Cha Seongbin’s sharp gaze landed on me, it felt like a jab deep in my chest for no reason.
After a moment of serious thought, Cha Seongbin let out a small exclamation.
“Got it.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“You made a bet with Lee Dokyung, didn’t you?”
“…What?”
“She can be a bit of a pest. But if it’s a Billboard bet, neither of you has much of a chance of winning.”
“It’s not a bet.”
“Alright. I mean, it’s possible to suddenly get obsessed with Billboard. Let’s go with that, Seohan.”
To be honest, I kind of wanted to just confess everything.
Um, so, I’m actually from a parallel universe.
No, I’d sound like a lunatic. Let’s not.
Unless I plan to release the next album from a psychiatric hospital, that is.
The only relief is…
“I actually worked on a song yesterday.”
…that Cha Seongbin is as soft-hearted as his fragile mental state suggests.
Even if he says otherwise, it’s clear he stayed up all night tinkering with something.
Cha Seongbin nodded and continued.
“It’s only at the conceptual stage, so there’s no point in listening yet, but anyway, you want a pop vibe, right?”
“Yes. Preferably something that could work overseas too. Even better if it’s good for challenges.”
“A challenge song… a challenge…”
He stroked his chin, and his eyes lit up as if he was getting an idea.
He might not look it, but that hyung is a genius.
Nothing’s been resolved, but somehow, I feel reassured…!
Well, if this doesn’t work out, I’ll have to quickly track down a famous composer.
Just as I was getting lost in thoughts, trying to map out a rough plan—
Cha Seongbin, who had been clicking his mouse, suddenly changed the subject.
“Hey. Isn’t today the GED results day?”
April had been a total whirlwind. Between concert prep and comeback plans, we’d been charging ahead like a runaway train with no breaks.
In the midst of that chaos, I barely managed to take the GED just in time.
I’d forgotten about it.
“Oh.”
Come to think of it, today was the announcement day.
Thump thump.
The pounding heartbeat echoing in my ears wasn’t even mine.
Seo Ian, chewing on his lower lip, gulped nervously.
“I’m the one getting nervous…!”
What’s the big deal about a GED result?
Thanks to Cha Seongbin gathering all the hyungs, I had to check the results in the dorm living room.
Aren’t these guys dying of boredom during their break?
I let out a dumbfounded chuckle.
“Seriously. Is this really something to crowd around for?”
“Hurry up and open the laptop.”
“Let’s make a bet! Who thinks Do Seohan passed?”
Excited even though it wasn’t her own test, Seo Haim bounced up and down behind Jin Sehyun, who was urging me on.
At her playful words, Jin Sehyun clicked his tongue.
“Gambling is bad.”
“Gasp. I’ll refrain~”
“But I still think Seohan’s gonna pass…!”
While the two bickered as usual, Seo Ian smiled brightly and chimed in.
To that sincere encouragement… I had something to say.
“…Isn’t that obvious?”
“What?”
Hey, I’m a high school graduate!
Okay, I never actually went to college, but I got accepted into H University through regular admissions, alright?
Back then I had no foundation, so the gap year was hell, but…
A good chunk of what I studied back then still stuck with me.
Naturally, I was confident in an exam at the level of a high school freshman.
Murmur murmur.
My bombshell statement made the hyungs cover their mouths in shock.
Cha Seongbin quietly let out a whistle and gave me a thumbs up.
“Do Seohan just shredded arrogance….”
“Don’t make me laugh. I’ve never seen you study even once.”
“Hyung, that’s not true. I saw Seohan studying the night before the test.”
“Cramming for one day? Is that even possible?”
I did crack open a few books to refresh my memory in some subjects.
Not that it mattered much.
Besides working at a café, I used to tutor back in the day too.
Math came back to me especially clearly.
At this point, I was starting to feel a bit stubborn about it. I let out a short laugh and rolled my shoulders.
“Ha, I’ll show you.”
“Please do, Seohan~.”
Click.
Amid the hyungs’ teasing, I calmly navigated to the results page.
Honestly, since I hadn’t properly attended school since debut, it wasn’t weird for the hyungs to think that way.
Having a sharp brain and guessing answers to things you’ve never studied are totally different matters, after all.
Even as I navigated the homepage, the hyungs’ curious stares never wavered.
“Is Do Seohan good at Korean?”
“He’s Korean, isn’t he?”
“Right. Are you Korean?”
Of course I aced Korean.
“Is Seohan good at English?”
“Of course.”
“Hey. What if Seohan aced everything?”
“Ahahaha! What are we even doing!”
As a global idol, English skills are a must.
“I’m aiming for Billboard….”
“Last night too, Seohan was muttering Billboard… Billboard in his sleep. I’m telling you, Do Seohan is serious.”
Now that the homepage was up, I moved the mouse cursor to the results section.
I think the passing mark was just an average of 60 points.
If I had to worry about anything, it’d be a memorization-heavy subject like social studies, but I crammed that recently, so I figured I’d definitely pass.
Anyway, just one click now.
“Uuuuugh!”
“What? Are the results out?”
Seo Ian was over-immersed as if this were his own exam….
And the hyungs were all wide-eyed with genuine curiosity.
“I’m clicking it!”
Click.
Without hesitation, I pressed the mouse button.
“……!”
And then—everyone’s eyes widened in shock.