Chapter 63: I Will Live Honestly
The very song I had shown on the final stage.
There wasn’t any particular reason for the song choice.
At that timing, this was the only choreography that came to mind.
But.
The more I danced it…
My face felt like it was burning hot.
Tied to you
I can't break these chains
Prepare a very sharp day
I will struggle to escape from you
Is this right?
Clap clap clap...
“Oh my, how embarrassing.”
“Seems like this works for kids these days?”
“Ssshh...”
Ah.
I had failed in the song choice.
I rubbed my bright red ears with my hands and quietly went to a corner, burying my head.
I wanted to have some time alone for a moment.
But Grandma immediately dragged me out.
“Seohan, you can’t go around dancing like that outside. It’s dangerous; someone might take you away.”
“Huh?”
Grandma added with a worried face.
“You’re so small, you’ll get caught quickly.”
“Me?”
I was already 180cm tall…
Isn’t that a bit big to be caught quickly?
I had even grown 5cm while working at Stardust.
Of course, even if I said that, in Grandma’s eyes, I would still look like a baby.
I nodded and accepted Grandma’s words.
“Haha... yes.”
Well, I could understand that.
To adults, I was indeed a very new generation.
While I scratched my head and smiled awkwardly,
“Do Seohan.”
Suddenly, my brother approached quietly.
He was the one who sent me a video message just before the final, which had surprisingly moved me.
I was happy to be recognized for the first time…
But why did he call me so anxiously?
“Why...? To tease me?”
“Do I look like a kid?”
Right, he wasn’t the type to tease me over my business.
But he wasn’t the kind to look at me nervously like this either.
I was sure he had some ulterior motive.
I looked up at him cautiously.
“I do have a favor to ask... so…”
Just as I thought.
He hesitated for a moment and then spoke carefully.
“Hey, um... try scribbling some doodles.”
Doodles...
“What? My autograph?”
“What?!”
As soon as I entered the room, I couldn’t close my mouth at the shocking news I heard directly.
He suddenly started talking about wanting an autograph, even though he never would use it, not even on a scrap of tissue...
“Your brother has a girlfriend?”
“…Is that not allowed?”
“That’s more shocking than my debut news.”
“What?”
My debut was something I achieved after going back in time once.
Could it be…
Had my brother also gone back in time?
If not…
“Who is the Mother Teresa who took care of that terrible personality?”
The 28-year-old Do Seojun’s expression turned cold.
I held back from saying anything else, fearing I might get hit if I messed around more.
Luckily, he opened his mouth himself.
“We haven’t been together long... She’s a bit younger than me... She’s a junior reporter.”
But.
As I listened, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
No, even if everything else was normal,
The word “reporter” stuck in my throat.
Could it be…
Could it be…
“Lee Doyeon, reporter?”
“What? How do you know her?”
My brother gasped, his mouth wide open.
He looked as if he couldn’t believe a mere trainee like me had any connection with a reporter.
Of course, I did have connections...
“Have you met that early?”
“What?”
“Ah, no. Just meet on your own.”
She wasn’t Mother Teresa but a mutual crazy.
It was going to end anyway, so I wouldn’t meddle in other people’s relationships.
“What? How do you really know her?”
“Ah, no, it’s not like that…”
I waved my hands, denying any close ties with reporter Lee Doyeon.
“I just know her because she’s a senior trainee I know.”
“Really? She says she’s your fan.”
“Oh, that... what?”
That sudden remark made my pupils shake.
A fan?
That reporter was a fan?
I was dumbfounded, unable to speak.
I furrowed my brows and asked my brother.
“Oh… really? What’s the best thing about me, I wonder?”
“She said your quick thinking... or something…”
My brother glanced me up and down suspiciously.
Like he was thinking, ‘This guy?’
After a long moment of choosing words carefully, he finally spoke in a reluctant voice.
“Do you look like me?”
At that one sentence, I immediately got serious.
How could he say something so harsh?
“I don’t want to look like you.”
I truly hated it.
After a week’s rest,
The Stardust debut team members gathered again at Doubles Entertainment’s office.
Even though I arrived fairly early, familiar faces were already seated.
They were the famously diligent Ha Junseo and Kang Siwoo.
“Oh, Seohan. You’re here?”
“Yes, everyone’s already here.”
“I was surprisingly nervous yesterday, couldn’t sleep.”
Ha Junseo pushed aside his deadly coffee and glanced at me.
It’s not the nervousness that’s the problem, but that deadly drink, isn’t it?
Expecting to fall asleep after six shots of Americano is just strange.
I clicked my tongue shortly and spoke.
“If Sehyun hyung catches me, I’ll get scolded.”
“Lately, I’m really scared of him.”
The self-proclaimed charismatic leader was nowhere to be seen, and now it seemed like Jin Sehyun had him under control.
Ever since I collapsed in front of Jin Sehyun that one time, I had been nagged about my health whenever there was a chance.
Ha Junseo grumbled and hid his tumbler completely under his chair.
Still, the fortunate thing was that.
Maybe because we had finally rested after several months of a nerve-wracking survival,
Everyone looked healthier than before.
Especially this person.
“Hyung, your complexion looks better today?”
I lightly spoke to Kang Siwoo as I looked back at him.
Kang Siwoo rolled his eyes and asked back.
“Me, me?”
“Think about your pale face during the finals.”
Especially at the last announcement.
Everyone was probably like that, but it was shocking how Kang Siwoo, who looked so healthy, was so pale that he seemed like he was about to collapse.
Then.
Ha Junseo suddenly interrupted.
“That’s... Hey, Seohan, you were worse.”
“No way.”
Worse than me?
That’s nonsense.
I gave a hollow laugh and shook my head.
Ha Junseo rebutted my confidence and spoke.
“All your crying got preserved. It shows up whenever you play YouTube. Want to see it?”
“Uh... no, that’s!”
“I prepared it, hyung.”
At Ha Junseo’s words, Kang Siwoo immediately took out his phone from his pocket.
I didn’t know those two had such a good combo to tease me.
Kang Siwoo played the YouTube video and shoved the infamous reaction scene right in my face.
That very scene I had forcibly deleted from my memory.
No way.
[Huuurp… Hhuurp… sniff…]
“No, wait a minute.”
I was crying with such a bright red face?
No way!
[It really... feels like a dream…]
“Really... feels like a... hhuurp hhuurp.”
“Ah, don’t do that!”
Ha Junseo started mimicking my words with dry tears.
[To our sponsors... thank you for making my debut possible…]
[I will... I will... become a Do Seohan who never disappoints... huuurp…]
Click-
Instinctively, I turned off the speaker, but Kang Siwoo hastily turned it back on, and I got hit with confirmation.
The most shocking final comment.
[I will... live honestly…]
“Did I... say something like that?”
“Yeah! You did!”
Damn.
No wonder!
No wonder weird comments were popping up everywhere!
[Do Seohan’s reaction was almost like a prison repentance prayer]
Why the hell would a trainee who just got into the debut team say ‘I will live honestly’ lolololol
Seohan, what were you thinking ㅠㅠ
[I will live honestly, for real]
I thought it was a kindergarten-level innocence, Hamjji
Where did you learn such a pure line ㅠㅠ
[Interpreting MamHamjji’s reaction]
Really... feels like a dream
= I’m happy to debut
I will... I will... become a Do Seohan who never disappoints...
= I will become an idol who never disappoints the fans who support me
I will... live honestly
= I really won’t disappoint
Of course, even I was confused about why the last line suddenly popped out.
Anyway, Seohan was just sincere to the fans~
-Byo-Seohan, why do you say things at a press conference as a debut speech lololol
└ I thought I was being interrogated
└ The baby sniffles and says each word with sincerity, it’s even more absurd lolol
└ Better than saying I will live badly lol
└ That pure and fresh feeling from trainee days is showing....
└ 2222 You can really see the warm heart behind it ㅠㅠ
└ It’s so cute that it suddenly struck a woman’s heart
-Hamjji’s crying hurts my heart but it’s so pretty I might go crazy ㅠㅠ Considering the hardship of being on a survival show at such a young age, it’s touching ㅠㅠㅠ Anyway, since he cried out of happiness for debut, I hope he only cries from happiness from now on!!!
└ Seohan, let’s only walk on flower paths
└ Congrats on your debut, Do Seohan!!!
-How about an idol who tells fans “I will live honestly” as a debut reaction? How about an idol who promises not to make any scandals and earns trust? How about a cute youngest Hamjji who’s awkward even in that way and just talks nonsense?
└ He’s full of youngest charm, really
└ So good
No, so.
All of this...
Because of the member assault by Lee Junhyeok.
Including the drug addict Kevin.
And many villains in the entertainment industry.
‘If it were me, I could have done better.’
‘Really?’
‘I think people who trusted me wouldn’t have been betrayed.’
The sincere feelings just before the time reversal had somehow melted into the reaction I didn’t even realize.
Yeah, the intention was good.
But if you cut the front and back like that, it sounds very weird!
Why is “I will live honestly” coming out here?
Thankfully, fans seemed to see it warmly...
But my burning red face showed no sign of cooling down.
“Ah, so embarrassing...”
“It’s okay. Here come the two who cried as if the world was ending.”
Ha Junseo waved his hand and welcomed the two who arrived just in time.
“Choco Haim has arrived~!”
“Hello, this is Seo Ian...”
Finally, Jin Sehyun and Cha Seongbin followed and sat down, and all the members arrived on time.
“Oh, Sehyun. You’re here?”
“Hyung... is this deadly coffee?”
“Huh?”
“I’ll throw it away when I leave later.”
“...You’re already looking for that.”
While Ha Junseo, who had hidden the deadly coffee under the chair five minutes ago, was caught by Jin Sehyun and looked utterly defeated,
Drreeurk—
At the same time, the planning team staff who arrived around then sat down one by one, and the meeting started.
“Hello. I’m Shin Jiye from the planning team.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Seyoung from the A&R team.”
Ignoring the unfamiliar planning and A&R team members,
The head of the rookie development team, Song Jinha, who was familiar to Doubles trainees, spoke first.
“What’s in front of you are contracts. Those of you who signed trainee contracts with our company only need to sign the debut contract, and there are some individual trainees, right? They will also sign here today.”
No wonder there was a thick stack of documents in front of each seat.
Debut contracts.
So the day I finally received this came.
“……”
Though it was just a piece of paper, its aura made me politely lift the contract with both hands.
At that moment, Seo Haim next to me whispered into my ear.
“I’m so happy!”
“Hyung, me too.”
“Right? Right?”
Though it was whispered into my ear, the voices were loud enough for everyone to hear.
Song Jinha laughed in disbelief.
“If you look closely, it feels like you two swapped ages.”
“Yeah. Isn’t Seo Haim one year older?”
While Song Jinha and Kim Seyoung exchanged words,
Kang Siwoo was seriously reading the contract in his hand.
Maybe because he was the most interested and sharpest about money matters among the seven of us.
His gaze scanning the contract was serious.
“Can we read all of this now?”
“Ah, you can take your time reading it…”
Song Jinha checked the time and smiled broadly.
“Actually, that’s not why we gathered today.”
“...?”
“There’s an important announcement.”
Song Jinha paused briefly and looked at Shin Jiye from the planning team.
Shin Jiye nodded and pulled out a printed file.
A weighty statement came out of the manager’s mouth.
“Your debut song concept has been decided.”
Already?