translation by mourningmoor
[Master of the Magic Tower, Jesquière. You, who have been granted the authority of the Grand Mage, must protect those who trust and follow you. If you are prepared, now drink this elixir of life.]
The High Priest of the Earth Goddess "Kinier" offered a blue elixir of life, shimmering with a white light.
Without a moment's hesitation, I took the cup and swiftly drank the elixir.
It was the moment when a new Grand Mage was born in the Armania continent, 21 years after the death of the previous Grand Mage, Bartholomeus.
And at that time, I was twenty-eight years old.
[This is an absolute and eternal covenant, and it remains valid as long as your life endures.]
The Grand Mage's absolute covenant remains valid as long as life endures.
For that reason, I must protect those who trust and follow me.
"Damn..."
I must protect those who trust and follow me.
I recalled the youngest, clutching at my hem and crying, and lifted my eyelids.
No, it’s not about trust and following. The kid’s mental state is messed up. Yeah, I can’t let myself be shaken.
Before I knew it, the car was entering the area around TVH’s headquarters in Sangam-dong.
"Did we arrive?"
"I was about to wake you, but you woke up on your own?"
Gyuhyung, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and grinned.
This black bear had been smiling a bit more since that day.
By "that day," I mean the day when sasaeng fans appeared before the fanclub even did.
"I didn’t sleep. I just closed my eyes."
"Oh, I see."
"Really."
"I saw you sleeping pretty soundly. And what's wrong with sleeping? You should rest when you can."
Gyuhyung, grinning, made a phone call.
"Did you arrive?"
It seemed like he was calling Manager Kim Hyerim.
"Wake the kids up and have them standby. We’ll be there in 1 minute."
It had already been just over a week since that incident.
The reason Gyuhyung was smiling so much more was that CEO Pyo Cheonhee had been completely persuaded by me that day.
There were five team members, plus the main manager Gyuhyung, one road manager, and one stylist manager. He expressed his dissatisfaction, questioning if this number of people could even handle things.
He also added a request to add one more manager for the safety of the team members during their schedules.
Gyuhyung also asked that he only manage the overall tasks and let others handle the smaller ones.
Thanks to that, two cars were arranged, and there were now two road managers, one stylist manager, and a separate makeup artist assigned to the team.
“Wake up Hanjoon. That guy’s out cold too.”
When I turned around, Hanjoon was sound asleep in the back of the van, oblivious to the world.
“Why wake him up? We haven’t arrived yet. You said we had 1 minute left.”
For the kids now, every second counted.
As Gyuhyung said, it was wise to sleep when they could.
Even during trainee days, things were tough, but after debuting and receiving some response, the days only got harder.
Music shows, interviews, photo shoots for photocard pictures, reality show pre-interviews, and then more music shows.
In between handling all the official schedules, they never slacked off in practice.
Choreography practice, vocal practice, facial expression acting, interview practice, attitude practice.
There was so much to practice that it almost felt like trainee days were the easy ones.
On top of that, now there was even a fixed schedule for physical training.
[You need strength to endure the tough stuff. Separate from dance practice, time for physical training is essential for managing your stamina.]
Of course, the requirement for our safety also included physical training. You need strength to survive the grueling schedule.
[So, you’ve been going out for exercise every morning?]
[Yes, I was planning to take a walk around the neighborhood with Hanjoon hyung today. But with the sasaeng fans now, I don’t think I can do that anymore.]
[So what you’re saying is…]
[Either you create a gym inside the company for safety or get us personal training sessions. Do one of the two?]
At my words, CEO Pyo Cheonhee immediately arranged for personal training sessions.
Of course, they didn’t forget to create a small gym in the company’s basement.
Now that I think about it, Blade Entertainment doesn’t seem like a broke company. Seeing how they can provide anything as long as they decide to, it’s clear they have the resources.
“We’ve arrived. Let’s get off.”
“Yes!”
At Gyuhyung’s words, Hanjoon immediately sat up.
Then, without a hint of what just happened, he got out of the car looking perfectly fine.
Anyway, this guy is impressive in his own way. He's tough, too.
In the past week, he lost another kilogram and hit his target.
As a result, his face became more defined, and his features stood out much more.
He used to look like a retriever, but now his face would suit a Doberman. I like it. This dog-like guy.
"Hyung."
As soon as I got out of the car, Jaewon, who had already arrived, suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist.
This guy manages to invade my bed two or three times a week.
He doesn’t cry like that day anymore, but I can still sense extreme anxiety in his demeanor, so I can't be as harsh with him.
But that and this are a little different.
"Get off!"
I pushed Jaewon away with the tips of my fingers, as I absolutely hated any physical contact.
Jaewon, grinning with his eyes squinted, stuck out his tongue and took a step back.
"I borrowed the energy of a struck jujube tree. I need to do well today."
This time, Roa approached, gave me a quick hug, and then quickly pulled away.
"Hyung-nim, I’d like to borrow some too."
Ah, these guys.
Next up is Siu, huh?
He cautiously approached, glancing at me to gauge my reaction. I shot him a fierce look.
"No."
When I said it firmly, Siu flinched ever so slightly and took a step back.
But he didn't give up, he stretched his fingers and lightly brushed my arm.
"I’m nervous too..."
Finally, Hanjoon tapped my back.
"Me too."
I followed right behind Gyuhyung.
"Ugh, seriously."
This body is not someone you can just mess around with like this.
Sighing deeply, I watched the backs of the kids running after Hanjoon.
Once the short-term goal is done, I’ll be saying goodbye to those guys. Goodbye.
And with that, I stepped into the TVH building, taking the first step toward my short-term goal.
* * *
Reality variety show.
It was a summer special pilot broadcast launched by TVH last year.
The program, titled ‘Classmates,’ aimed to encourage camaraderie by featuring three rookie idol groups that debuted in the same season.
While it’s presented as a bonding show, in reality, it’s more of a competition disguised as friendship.
Moreover, since the teams to be promoted are selected in advance, the other two groups inevitably become sacrificial lambs for the program.
I wondered why we even had to appear on such a variety show, but for an idol with zero recognition, there was no choice but to get their face out there somehow.
Today was the day for the program's poster shoot.
It was also the day when the participants would meet each other for the first time.
The studio where the poster shoot was happening had already been occupied by Möbius.
Möbius. They were a 6-member boy group who debuted a week ahead of us.
"Jun-ah."
Jaewon, who entered the room first, ran over to one of the members of Möbius. The kid, who looked just like a puppy, greeted him with a wide smile.
"Jae."
The kid wrapped his arms around Jaewon's neck and, for some reason, bounced up and down in excitement.
"That's him. The one who was closest to Jaewon back at Bishop Entertainment."
"That friend who got kicked out along with the youngest...?"
"Yeah."
Roa, who was standing closely behind me, continued explaining in a calm tone.
"Jaewon and he went to the same kindergarten and elementary school. Their parents know each other as well. Jaewon's parents..."
Recently, I had started to feel some emotional shifts toward the members again.
That was all because of the youngest.
《The one who first told me that Jaewon’s parents got divorced is that kid. That’s why I kind of dislike him.》
This was Roa’s true feeling.
But, he didn’t say the last part out loud.
"No, that's not it."
Roa, who had tightly pressed his lips together, took a step back.
Even he realized that was too much information.
The reason for the youngest's recent emotional ups and downs was that sudden revelation about his family situation.
It had been over a year since his parents' divorce, but it seemed they hadn't told Jaewon the truth. They must have been worried that he would get hurt.
But recently, Jaewon had found out the truth and, without being able to tell anyone, had been suffering alone.
Among the members, only Roa knew about it, but even she hadn't heard it directly from the youngest. He must have found out by chance.
Maybe he had witnessed that puppy-like kid telling Jaewon the news.
Letting out a short sigh, I lightly tapped Roa's shoulder.
"Don't worry too much. Despite how he looks, that kid..."
I subtly pointed to Jaewon with my chin.
"He's surprisingly strong."
Although he crawls into my blankets at night, soaking my clothes with tears, his inner strength is impressive. He's fighting harder than anyone else, battling with himself despite being so young.
At that moment, Roa's shoulder twitched.
Noticing an unusual energy, I turned my gaze toward Roa.
This kid. Why is he holding back tears in the corners of his eyes?
Roa, biting his lip to hold back tears, lowered his head deeply.
"Thank you for saying that. Hyung-nim."
Tears dropped onto the shoes beneath him, one after another.
"I was really worried."
《Jaewon was hurt so much that I couldn't sleep properly because I was worried about what would happen to him. It was so heartbreaking to see him cry every night.》
Ah, this thoughtful kid.
Though I didn't feel like it at first, I hesitantly extended my hand and gently patted Roa's head.
He'll be fine. I'll gradually send him a bit of comforting mana, stabilizing mana. So, you calm down too.
After sending a small amount of mana to Roa, I quickly pulled my hand away from his head.
My fingers felt cringey from the action.
At that moment, the studio door swung open, and an unpleasant aura slithered in.
Just then, one of the staff raised their voice.
“MuteSeven has arrived.”