translation by mourningmoor
The vending machine that took the coins quickly spat out two cups of cocoa.
The woman who handed the white paper cups to me and Hanjoon smiled brightly.
《Curiosity》, 《Anticipation》, 《Observation》, 《Rational Judgment》…….
The woman, exuding a strange aura, began scanning me and Hanjoon from head to toe.
Facing such a woman, I extended the paper cup in my hand.
"I was taught not to drink beverages offered by strangers."
It's not the law of my world. It's the law of this world.
Although mana exists, mana in this world does not follow people.
Perhaps it's because the people of this world have ambiguous standards for good and evil.
I heard that in my world, things that would be done only by the absolute evil, like the demon king faction, are actually carried out by ordinary people in this world.
Poisoning someone else's drink is also one of those things.
It would be wise to be cautious, very cautious.
But what do I see? This bastard, Hanjoon, already drank a sip, looking pleased.
No, I guess he took about half a sip since he was startled by what I said and started coughing.
The woman, who had been watching us with amusement, giggled.
"Not a stranger."
She rummaged through her pocket, took out a small piece of paper, and handed it to me.
"This is my business card."
The small paper, called a business card, clearly had the name "Jeong Haeseong" engraved on it.
"My name is Jeong Haeseong. I'm a writer working with this broadcasting station."
A writer. Does that mean she's one of the people making television programs? With this broadcasting station...?
I stared at the business card in my hand, and Jeong Haeseong, the writer, spoke again.
"You're better in person, don’t you?"
At the comment about looking better in person, I shifted my gaze back to Jeong Haeseong.
This time, she smiled, narrowing her eyes.
"Shiny, strange light is flowing, huh?"
Strange light flowing? This reminded me of when I was six years old. The first time I stepped onto Parapara land, my master said something like this.
[Ah, you're a child with a strange light. This light is drawing the energy of the earth and the universe.]
Jeong Haeseong, was it? Seems like you can really read people well.
The corner of my mouth curled up involuntarily.
"Thank you."
I greeted with a smile, and also gently took back the paper cup I had extended.
Yeah, she must be someone with an eye for things, so she probably isn't a bad person.
Jeong Haeseong, who looked at me with satisfaction, then turned her gaze to Hanjoon.
"You're better on screen."
Hanjoon. At those words, his expression visibly soured as he furrowed his brows. This time, Jeong Haeseong tried to soothe him with a gentle tone.
"It's not a bad thing. Complimenting your screen presence means you're good on camera. After all, you guys will be meeting people through the screen, right?"
Simple-minded Hanjoon quickly nodded in agreement at that.
"But..."
Come to think of it, I had overlooked the most important detail.
This person is talking as if he knows us.
"Do you know us?"
"I watched your music video."
Ah, that's right. The music video was released yesterday.
It turned out well since we put so much effort into it, and I'm glad she liked it.
She saw my impressive self.
As I nodded, writer Jeong Haeseong smiled widely and continued.
"I saw the NewTube video too."
I don't need to activate my senses to understand the meaning behind that smile.
"You're good at cleaning, huh?"
Damn NewTube.
As much as I want to say, "Why even watch that stuff?" I decided to hold back because it's not a good idea to have a twisted relationship with someone from the broadcasting station, especially a writer, so I decided to swallow my frustration.
Pretend not to be pissed off.
Yeah. The first skill I gained after training for over 300 years was that, so I'll try being pissed off without showing it.
"Thank you for the compliment."
At my words of thanks, the smile of writer Jeong Haeseong deepened.
"Well, since it's proven that I'm not a stranger, drink the cocoa. The vending machine here makes it really good."
Then, she subtly gestured toward the paper cup in my hand.
"Think of it as a bribe."
"Bribe?"
Indeed, the moral standards of the people in this world are ambiguous.
How can someone casually say "bribe" with such a clean expression? And for just a 500-won cocoa.
Suddenly, my mouth felt bitter.
As expected, I shouldn’t accept drinks from strangers.
"What’s the price for a 500-won bribe?"
For a moment, writer Jeong Haeseong burst into laughter.
"What? Is the bribe too small?"
Trying to hold back the laughter, Jeong Haeseong clenched a fist and covered her lips.
"Then how about I buy you cocoa every time I come here?"
And with that, she piled bribe upon bribe.
"If that's not enough, I'll throw in a whole box of Big House."
"Big House?"
Now that’s tempting.
But how does she know I like Big House?
Could she possibly be a being bestowed with divine power?
Does a being like that exist in this world too?
But the flow of mana doesn’t suggest anything like that.
For a moment, my thoughts grew complicated.
“What… do you want?”
“What... do I want, you say? Kuhuhuk.”
In the end, Writer Jeong Haeseong couldn't hold back her laughter and clutched her stomach, bursting out into fits of giggles.
Is this really a situation to laugh about? I don’t understand.
Truly, nothing in this world is normal—not its aesthetic standards, not its humor points.
After laughing for quite some time, Writer Jeong finally seemed to calm down, letting out a series of coughs. Even the corners of her eyes glistened with tears.
“I want you. And him too.”
As if laughing wasn't enough, she ended up spewing nonsense.
Who do you want? Are you crazy?
Sure, I may be over three hundred years old, but Kang Ichan is nineteen. Han Junyoung is twenty. And this woman in front of us is, at the very least, over thirty. Saying she "wants" us—that's a crime.
Instinctively, I stepped forward to shield Hanjoon, slipping into a defensive stance. If push came to shove, I was fully prepared to turn her into a cockroach.
At that moment, Writer Jeong Haeseong said something completely unexpected.
"I mean I want you to be on a broadcast with me."
Her laughter had completely stopped, and her sharp gaze returned to its original intensity.
Then, with a slight gesture, she pointed toward Hanjoon, who was standing behind me.
"You too, drink the bribe. He already finished mine."
It was clear—there was no turning back now.
With her palm cupped beside her lips, Writer Jeong Haeseong whispered very softly, then turned with a bright smile.
"You're growing well. I'll be in touch soon."
* * *
Jeong Haeseong
Looking at Writer Jeong Haeseong’s business card, Gyuhyung kept exclaiming, “Amazing!” without stopping, unable to close his mouth.
When he heard that we agreed to work on a show together for the price of a 500-won cup of cocoa, his face turned to one that looked like he was about to cry.
Then he went on to explain in detail just how incredible that was.
“If you appear on a variety show with Writer Jeong Haeseong? Then it’s a guaranteed hit.”
Compared to appearing with MuteSeven this time, it’s said to be on an entirely different level.
To think she was such a famous writer…
As I carefully recalled the encounter with Writer Jeong Haeseong a little while ago, I shook my head.
“Never mind.”
Because I remembered the last thing Writer Jeong Haeseong said.
[Keep growing.]
If you think about it, those words could mean that if I don't grow well, the opportunity might not come.
An uncertain future.
Rather than getting excited about something that may or may not happen, today’s given mission was far more important.
“Let’s just practice.”
Maybe the well-produced music video and the well-edited NewTube clip left a good impression.
But if we can’t pull off today’s performance properly, all of that will be for nothing.
“I saw a space over there earlier that looks good for practicing.”
Yes, at times like this, focusing on practice is the right thing to do.
Today’s stage is the first button that L.I.T. will fasten.
From the rehearsal to the pre-recorded stage, and finally to the live broadcast.
Not a single thing can be overlooked.
Not until we give a big middle finger to HS, who stole Kang Ichan's song.
* * *
Weekly <Music Q's> idol reporter Kang Mina postponed her leave and stepped into the M&E Center.
After receiving her press pass, she headed straight to the pre-recording site of M-Start.
It was all because of that wretched Park Juhee bitch.
Yesterday, after filing her leave request and returning home, Mina had begun fasting in preparation for a gastroscopy scheduled for the next day.
Tomorrow morning, I'll get the test done, and in the afternoon, I'll catch up on all the sleep I've been missing.
That was the plan.
But then Juhee called.
—Unnie, I just sent you a link.
As she spoke, the messenger notification tone chimed.
"What is it?"
—Take a look at these guys. Their music video just got released.
Park Juhee and Kang Mina used to be executives of "Stella" a few years ago.
"Stella," the fan club of Graphstar, the now completely defunct legendary idol group.
Park Juhee, Kang Mina, and even Kwon Yoojung.
The three of them had proudly called themselves home masters for the members and took charge of managing the fan club—a trio of true fangirls.
How intense was it?
Staying up all night creating and spreading content, patrolling communities to manage their image, and going head-to-head with haters was just the beginning.
Making and sharing fan goods, donating in the members' names, buying out entire subway ad spaces just to secure prime spots for promotions.
They genuinely loved everything about Graphstar with all their hearts.
They had spent nearly nine years together like that…
Half of the members made headlines, and one even got married due to a scandal, which caused the end of Stella as a group.
Naturally, the members of Stella went their separate ways.
However, Kang Mina didn't sever ties with Park Juhee and Kwon Yoojung.
"Make yourself clear. What are you talking about?"
―It's a rookie idol group, but they're totally blowing up.
"I’m not into idols anymore."
They're no longer objects of worship but a means of livelihood.
Using her experience as a fan of Graphstar, Kang Mina had become a successful editor at <Weekly Music Q>.
―It’s not about whether I want you to be an idol, I just want you to check if my eyes are right. You know that’s accurate, right?
"What are you talking about?"
―I found someone who makes my heart race after all these years.