translation by mourningmoor
Yoon Yiho must have seen the fans' reactions too.
Of course, similar conversations had been happening in the program's live chat, so if he had been monitoring properly, he couldn't have missed it.
That's why he called to formally apologize.
And then he made an unexpected proposal.
[Actually, if I hadn’t let my pride get in the way and acted like a stubborn old man, I would’ve brought this up sooner. How about you guys host a radio show? It’s temporary, of course, but I think it’ll be a great experience for you in the long run.]
Host a radio show?
That was a pretty good offer.
As far as I knew, Hanjoon’s dream was to become a radio DJ like Bae○○ sunbaenim, so this wasn’t just a good offer—it was a killer one.
As Yoon Yiho said, if they tried it once, it would make it easier for them to establish themselves as radio DJs later.
There was no reason to refuse, so I immediately accepted Yoon Yiho’s meeting proposal.
[It’s too much for all five of you to do it, but I think it’d be great if you and Hanjoon took it on. Of course, we’ll have to do a voice test first.]
We readily agreed, and two days later, we visited the KBC radio station with Yoon Yiho.
The DJ of <Power Music> had to take a week off due to scheduling conflicts, so they were looking for a substitute. We each received a script and did a test run, and it wasn’t a bad experience.
Moreover, since we were there, they asked us to appear as surprise guests on <Power Music>, which we did.
In the end, it was decided that Hanjoon would be the temporary DJ for the week.
It was a good move.
Siu was taking acting lessons whenever he had time before the concert.
Jaewon was pouring his energy into studying composition, and Roa was busy preparing for the debut of a new boy group that Blade Entertainment was ambitiously working on.
I was busy too.
First, I had to prepare the next song, so I spent the afternoons holed up in the studio.
The track that would be released before the tour was already recorded and ready, and the one I was working on now was for after we returned.
“By then, I might not even be here…”
Of course, there were other things to do besides working on the song.
No, this was more urgent and important.
Today, after returning to the studio, I hung up a “Do Not Disturb” sign and locked the door.
I created a clone and sat it at the desk, then teleported away.
Today, I had to go all the way to Jeju Island.
* * *
And finally, the day came for us to depart for São Paulo, Brazil.
The tour had begun.
We had been so busy until then.
First, Hanjoon, who had hosted KBC’s <Power Music> radio show for a week, was constantly receiving love calls from the radio station. Even the regular listeners of <Power Music> missed Hanjoon’s voice so much that they were posting on the program’s bulletin board almost every day.
They were asking if he could appear at least once a week.
Thanks to that, Hanjoon signed a contract to be a special DJ for <Power Music> once a week, with the condition that he’d be exempt during the overseas tour.
Siu had been cast in a drama set to air early next year on SBC. It seemed to be a fairly significant role. The production company had decided to hold a press conference a month later, considering Siu’s schedule. They asked him to familiarize himself with the script since filming would start as soon as he returned.
As a result, Siu’s carry-on bag had the drama script prominently placed on top.
The busiest was Jaewon.
Jaewon had been running around until the day before departure.
The OST he sang for a recent drama was a success, and many places were reaching out to him. At such a young age, he was already making a name for himself as a vocalist.
Moreover, the kid, who had started writing songs, was now creating tracks on his own and uploading them to SoundCloud in a mixtape format, expanding his capabilities as a singer-songwriter.
And Roa. This kid had finished choreographing the title track for a new 7-member boy group set to debut next spring. According to Director Gong Seok-ho, the quality was outstanding.
Kim Wooyoung, who had signed with Blade Entertainment, and Seo Hanul, who had been a trainee, were set to debut with , and Roa had been working hard on them. As a result, both kids were enduring Roa’s harsh training.
Me? Well, I just did my part diligently.
Anyway, while we were busy, the members had grown a lot without even realizing it.
Their attitude toward music had changed, and so had their approach to schedules.
The members, who had always brushed off how important airport fashion was for idol singers, had started to change. It seemed that the busy off-season, which was just as hectic as the two-month promotional period, had become a new challenge for the kids.
A week ago, after finishing their schedules, they went on a shopping spree and came out looking completely different.
They were already good-looking no matter what they wore, but now that they were putting in the effort, they looked even better.
Now, they truly exuded the aura of superstars.
“Hyung, how do I look? I bought this with Roa hyung on Tuesday.”
What Jaewon was wearing was from a brand we were currently sponsored by.
The designer had even chosen Jaewon as a muse because the brand suited his image so well.
And this kid, he’s been wearing the brand’s clothes regularly, doubling the advertising effect. What a model.
“You can take off the cardigan and tie it around your waist like this.”
Jaewon, who had learned how to style the outfit from the store staff, smiled brightly.
“Ta-da! How do I look?”
“You look cool.”
When I gave him a short compliment, he grumbled that it sounded insincere.
So, I added another comment for the maknae.
“You’ve grown a lot taller now,”
He had really grown a lot. He was almost as tall as me now.
Plus, he was shedding his boyish charm and becoming a fine young man.
“Your body’s improved, and you’ve gained some sophistication.”
Jaewon was the kind of kid who shone brighter the more he was polished, just as PD Pyo had said.
His vocals had improved, and his visuals were no joke.
The only problem was his way of speaking. It was still dripping with aegyo.
“You’d be perfect if you just kept your mouth shut, but your way of speaking is a problem. A big problem.”
At that, the members laughed and nodded.
“What’s wrong with the way I talk?”
When Jaewon grumbled and protested, Roa stepped in.
“It’s so baby-like.”
Yeah, it’s baby-like. He’s still got that maknae vibe.
But that’s also what makes him cute.
He looks like a tough guy when he keeps his mouth shut, but when he opens it, he’s so endearingly childish.
That’s fine. Whatever.
I chuckled and ruffled Jaewon’s hair.
“You’re cute, Kim Jaewon.”
Then he made a fuss about messing up his carefully styled hair, but he didn’t seem to mind.
At that moment, Kim Chanyeong entered the dorm.
“Are you all packed?”
It seemed the managers had arrived.
“Just a second. I still have some stuff to pack.”
The maknae, who had been busy showing off his outfit, quickly ran into his room.
Then he came out holding a fairly large, flat stuffed animal.
It was shaped like a rabbit, and he had brought it home a while ago. It seemed his mom had bought it for him.
Seeing that, the members each added a comment.
“He’s such a baby. A baby.”
“Right? He’s totally a baby.”
Hanjoon even gave Jaewon’s butt a light tap.
Kim Chanyeong, who had been watching this with a pitiful expression, urged the kids to hurry up.
The kids, each carrying two large suitcases, left the house.
I couldn’t help but smile at this peaceful daily life.
As we got into the car, Kim Chanyeong handed me a stack of papers.
“What’s this?”
“This morning’s newspaper.”
“Newspaper?”
Why the sudden newspaper?
I noticed an orange sticky note placed between the pages.
It meant I should read it.
The page Kim Chanyeong had marked was the international section.
He had even circled the part I needed to see with a highlighter.
<Mysterious Spontaneous Combustion Incidents Continue Worldwide>
Ah, it happened again.
This time, it’s in Japan. Australia too.
“Didn’t we just go to Japan two weeks ago?”
“Why wouldn’t it? That old man must’ve lasted two weeks before taking off the ring.”
Recently, spontaneous combustion incidents had been happening one after another.
It was because I had been diligently tracking down magic circle owners and destroying their circles over the past two months.
Most of them had their memories erased and were spared from execution, but some weren’t.
For those who were irredeemably evil, I left their fate in their own hands.
If they wanted to live, they had to never remove the ring.
But most of them couldn’t endure it and took off the ring themselves.
That’s how these spontaneous combustion incidents kept happening.
“If they were going to live like this, why did they live like that?”
If they were willing to punish themselves, it meant their conscience was still alive, so why didn’t they just live properly?
Or they could’ve just lived without a conscience.
I clicked my tongue and looked toward Seoul Forest.
There are people like Aki who live fiercely, after all.
“If this keeps happening, that crazy old man will have to move, right? He can’t just ignore it. The mana or whatever won’t be supplied properly.”
Kim Chanyeong hit the nail on the head.
“Yeah. He’ll have to move.”
Now, he can’t just pretend not to know.
The magic circles must have decreased significantly.
The halted aging might have started progressing again.
I’ll only know the extent of the changes when I face him.
“I thought he’d come to Korea while we were here, but he never showed up.”
It’s strange how quiet he’s been. Timothy Gordon has been quiet too.
But my curiosity was soon resolved.
Because Timothy Gordon showed up at Incheon Airport.
We had just arrived at the airport, greeted the fans and reporters, and were about to pass through the departure gate when it happened.
Timothy Gordon was standing there, right where the duty-free shops began.
Without a single attendant.
Naturally, the members, their eyes blazing, stepped in front of me.
For them, the two hours I had disappeared after the Dallas concert had been hell. So now, just the mention of Timothy Gordon made their skin crawl.
“What’s going on?”
I asked, after briefly calming the kids down.
Timothy Gordon smiled bitterly, glanced around, and got straight to the point.
“The Master has sent an invitation.”
Then he handed me the same invitation as last time.