translation by mourningmoor
The intense beat of the music kept pounding in my ears.
At first, it was just noisy, but after listening to it for a while, I’ve gotten quite used to it.
No, it sounds pretty decent now.
As I moved my body to the music, the reflection of 'Kang Ichan' in the mirror also moved diligently.
Kang Ichan, even though it's been three weeks living in this form, it still feels unfamiliar.
A pale face, skinny body, dark eyes, and a gloomy atmosphere.
Still, have things improved compared to the beginning? What a commendable kid.
"Kang Ichan!"
In an instant, the music abruptly stopped.
"Is that really the best you can do?"
Youngjun, who the kids called the choreography teacher, was glaring at me with an angry expression.
I could faintly sense 《anger》 emanating from him.
"I did it properly though? Without messing up even once?"
But that wasn’t all Youngjun wanted.
Here, joints had to snap, upper and lower body had to move separately, energetic here, gentle there, knees at a perfect right angle, dynamic, smooth like flowing water...
"If you don’t mess up, does that mean it’s all okay? Like this, stiff and rigid."
Youngjun, looking at me as if I was pitiful, demonstrated the transition between moves.
"You need to show angles, right?"
Oh—yeah. It looks sharp and good. Impressive.
I nodded with a blank expression. Then, I could faintly sense 《embarrassment》 from him.
Embarrassment? Why would he feel that now? Could it be a misunderstanding? Does he think I’m looking down on him?
Maybe there’s something off about Kang Ichan’s expression. It does look gloomy and somber, after all.
“That was impressive.”
I lifted both thumbs and offered a slight smile as I complimented him. Youngjun’s face turned red, and he suddenly shouted loudly.
“Roa!”
Roa, face drenched in sweat, scurried over.
“Yes, Youngjun-ssaem.”
“Teach him again.”
At that, Roa's eyes twisted into a peculiar expression.
“Ssaem, I don't think there's anything more to teach Ichan hyung.”
Park Roa. 18 years old, the main dancer of the idol group L.I.T.
Roa, who has been learning ballet and modern dance since she was young, is usually serious, but becomes even more serious when it comes to anything related to dance.
“I was worried because you said you had memory loss, but after a day, you remembered all the choreography.”
“Did you just say the same thing twice?”
At Roa’s words, Youngjun’s eyes became even sharper.
"Is it just about following without making mistakes?"
Roa, who seemed to disagree with that, lowered his eyes and shook his head.
"This guy doesn't have the enthusiasm to do it right now."
Youngjun’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before turning back to Roa.
"Everyone else is sweating buckets, but you’re the only one looking fresh."
Now that I think about it, that’s true. The kids, except for me, are all drenched in sweat.
They've been working so hard, panting heavily with their chests rising and falling.
"Consider yourselves lucky you’re not debuting. If you guys went on air, it would've been a failure because of Kang Ichan."
"No, that's not true. Ichan hyung is doing well. Ssaem."
It was the youngest member of the team, Jaewon, who suddenly spoke up.
Despite the mood, Jaewon, ever so bright, lazily tried dancing.
"It feels like there's some ease and it's cool, right?"
"That's cool? You're just slacking off. If someone saw you, they'd think you're an idol from 300 years ago. Huh?"
As Youngjun’s voice grew louder, veins popped out on his neck.
"You guys are rookies. You haven't even stepped on stage yet. And here you are, acting like you're bored while dancing. Who’s going to get excited about that?"
No one could argue with that, so everyone kept quiet.
I too couldn’t help but acknowledge Ji Youngjun, the choreographer.
He claimed to have 10 years of experience in teaching idol dance, and his eyes were indeed sharp.
First strike with the comment about lack of enthusiasm. Second strike with the 300-year-old idol remark.
My chest tightened a little.
At that moment, Youngjun's sharp gaze hit me.
"By tomorrow. If it's not perfect by tomorrow, the company dinner will be canceled. Got it?"
And then, he immediately left the practice room.
"Wh-..."
Where’s the escape in that? Canceling the company dinner? That's too much.
As soon as the practice room door closed, the youngest rushed over.
"Hyung, I like your dance. It used to be sharp but kinda bland, but now it's got some swagger, right?"
And then, he immediately started mimicking the moves, swaying around.
"It's cool."
The youngest of the team, 17-year-old Kim Jaewon.
This kid is always so innocent, his brain too pure, and he seems oblivious to everything.
But the other team members weren’t in the same mood.
The threat of the dinner being canceled if we don’t finish by tomorrow was enough to make everyone fidget in anxiousness, their eyes filled with uncertainty.
Yet, none of them complained, which made me wonder—are they just gentle or foolish?
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
In the end, the problem was...
"I'll just run around the neighborhood once and be back."
It was me.
* * *
Blade Entertainment, ambitiously launching their 5-member boy idol group L.I.T.
I searched the internet for related information, but nothing came up.
The only thing I found was that the hit song maker, composer Pyo Cheonhee, left The Music Entertainment to create Blade Entertainment, and that Blade Entertainment had planned this first boy group. That was about it.
Oh, I also saw the phrase "Dinaple's younger brother group."
Tying my sneakers tightly, I began to climb the hill I had been running up every day for the past two weeks. It was to build my stamina, as this frail body quickly runs out of energy with just a little movement.
And only by running like this can I stop thinking unnecessary thoughts.
Like, gaeichan, or puppy, or the lightning-struck jujube tree.
T.N.: 개이찬 (gaeichan): Refers to someone who is very thin or frail-looking, often used as a teasing descriptor.
Should I reveal my true self to those who belittle this body?
Or should I run properly for the vengeful soul of Kang Ichan? Thoughts like that.
No, no. Then my emotional vacation would be over.
But today, it's harder than usual to clear my mind.
It's all because I looked through Kang Ichan's laptop.
Kang Ichan's life, which had no choice but to be full of gloom. That was something I shouldn't have seen.
Kang Ichan's first concern, L.I.T's debut.
"The kids are all kind, but there's nothing special about them."
This is my objective evaluation of L.I.T.
They dance well, sing well, have passion, and have guts.
But based on my long experience, that alone cannot be the measure of success.
"First of all, they're not charming."
The overly kind kids are colorless, flavorless, and scentless. They are just as gentle as the air, almost invisible.
Moderate talent, moderate appearance. Everything is just moderate.
"Moreover, they seem to have bad luck."
Until just a moment ago, I thought the problem of this team was me.
But even if my issue is solved, it doesn't seem like this team is going to do any better.
"So, let's stop caring. It's bad for my mental health."
Yeah, if I'm not going to get involved deeply, then the best thing is not to worry about it.
If I mess up, I'll have to live that war-like life again.
"Yeah, that absolutely can't happen."
A light drizzle began to fall.
I put the hood of my hoodie up and continued running up the steep hill.
"Oh— Kang Ichan. You're doing better now, huh?"
My physical condition had improved to a level that couldn’t even be compared to when I first started exercising.
On the first day, I couldn’t even make it to the top of the hill, and just a week ago, when I reached this point, I was gasping for air. But now, this much felt easy.
In just 2 weeks, this much progress... How out of shape had I been?
I clicked my tongue inwardly and turned around at the top of the hill, heading down the winding slope.
Just as I rounded the first curve, the <Red Snack> grandma called me.
"Student."
I lowered my head without saying a word and walked over, and Grandma greeted me with a warm smile as she handed me a white paper bag.
"Thank you for yesterday. You saved me when you helped carry everything."
The cart Grandma had been pushing tipped over, and goods spilled down the slope.
I couldn’t just pass by Grandma, who was lost in thought and flustered, so I helped her for a moment.
Children, the elderly, and the sick are all people who must be protected, no matter the reason.
It was just something I did as a matter of course, but Grandma kept insisting on offering me a reward.
“This is freshly fried. Take it and eat it.”
“It’s fine, really...”
"I want to give it to you. You don’t refuse when an elder offers something. Go on, take it."
In the end, I accepted the white bag, bowed my head once more, and headed down the hill.
“I shouldn’t accept rewards for good deeds.”
I had broken my principle.
The reason I couldn’t ignore Grandma’s sincere gesture, who praised me for being a good-looking student with a kind heart, was because this place’s customs were different from the principles back home.
No, that's all bullshit.
The fried food in the paper bag Grandma handed me was emitting a heavenly aroma.
I couldn't help but salivate.
"Should I try a bite?"
I pulled out a piece of squid tempura, savoring it slowly as I descended the hill.
Blade Entertainment
Seeing the company sign, I realized I had reached the bottom of the hill.
Thinking the rest of the fried food should go to the kids, I quickened my pace.
Then, it happened.
A black car pulled up next to me and honked its horn.
"Kang Ichan"
The rear window of the car rolled down, and someone called out my name.
The man wearing sunglasses appeared to be quite older. Perhaps he was around the same age as CEO Pyo Cheonhee.
The age of people here is really hard to gauge.
When I stopped, the man took off his sunglasses.
"Long time no see?"
He is not someone on the list of people I have acquired about.
But "long time no see," huh? Should I say that too?
But my instincts took over.
"Who...?"
A line crossed the man's face, and along with a faint hint of 《anger》, there was a deeper, more intense 《excitement》 emanating from him.
"So Wooyoung was right? After the accident... you've got memory problems?"
Wooyoung... is that MuteSeven's Wooyoung?
As I glanced through the window, I noticed a paper bag placed beside the man in the car.
HS Entertainment's Director Kim Chanyeong?
The name I saw in Kang Ichan's diary yesterday, right?
I’m not sure if this is really Kim Chanyeong himself, but there’s no harm in trying.
"It’s a temporary memory loss... apparently."
I gave the man a sly smile and slowly approached the window.
"But, it’s not like I’ve completely forgotten everything."
I placed my hand on the window frame and faced the man directly.
A faint sense of 《unease》 emanated from him. I sent him a bright smile, even squinting my eyes in a playful manner.
"So, when are you going to give me my laptop? ...Hmm?"