translation by mourningmoor
Ha, crazy bastard.
You really like being from the same hometown, huh?
No matter what, I have no intention of meeting you separately, got it?
I cursed him in my heart and tossed my phone into the locker.
Today, there are no other schedules, so I won’t be leaving the practice room. Tomorrow and the day after, we have magazine interviews, and the day after that, we have a magazine photoshoot. That’s why I need to maximize today’s practice time.
Seeing Hanjoon and Siu come back after going out to buy drinks, I cast a Time Dilation Spell over the entire practice room.
It’s time to dive back into endless practice.
* * *
After the afternoon practice ended, Ji Youngjun-ssaem's dark circles under his eyes were deeply pronounced.
"Why is it that every time I have to supervise your team's practice, I end up so exhausted? It feels like we've done so much, but only four hours have passed."
In reality, the practice lasted about seven hours. During that time, they chatted enthusiastically, danced, and even scolded each other…
Of course, they were bound to be tired. While the kids could endure physically because I shared my mana with them, Youngjun-ssaem must have felt immense fatigue from the extended hours.
Youngjun-ssaem, who had been yawning excessively, left the practice room.
"Let's meet again after dinner for individual practice. Today, it's Siu and Hanjoon."
"Yes, ssaem."
Still, he didn't suggest skipping the evening practice.
Generally, the people at this company are filled with a basic level of passion.
That's why I keep wanting to help them.
I took out a Big House from the mini fridge in the corner of the practice room and followed Ji Youngjun.
"Ssaem."
As soon as he stepped into the hallway, Ji Youngjun turned around.
Wow, seriously. The dark circles aren't the issue. His face looks utterly haggard, as if he's aged alone.
Feeling pity for Youngjun, I cast a recovery spell on the Big House and handed it to him.
"Ssaem. You must drink this."
However, Youngjun glanced at the Big House and shook his head.
"No, this is something Chairman Gong bought for you guys to drink. How can I take it? I'll just go take a nap."
No. Drinking this will be much more effective than taking a nap. Otherwise, you might die early. It's quite burdensome for an ordinary person to endure Time Dilation Magic with just their body.
"Why are you being so stubborn? Just drink it. Ssaem."
I twisted the cap off and forced it into Youngjun's hand.
"Quickly."
It was almost a command.
After hesitating for a moment, Youngjun drank the Big House.
The effect of the recovery spell was immediate.
The dark circles under his eyes cleared up, and his haggard face regained its vitality.
"Wow. Is the Big House effect this good? Thank you, Chan-ah."
With that, he left the third floor with a lighter step.
When I returned to the practice room, the kids were sitting together, looking at something.
Jaewon, who noticed me, waved his hand, urging me to come quickly.
"Channie-hyung, what do you want to eat for dinner? Earlier at lunch, Yuna noona said she'd treat us tonight."
"Yuna… noona?"
"Ga Yuna noona from Dinaple."
Since when did Ga Yuna become Yuna noona?
And why would that woman buy us food? She's not the type to buy something like food without a reason.
"Let's share the concert stage together."
Ha, this woman.
I thought about it, but she couldn't wait and approached the bunnies?
And judging by how readily they agreed, these guys also want to stand on Dinaple's concert stage?
"They say it's customary for seniors to treat juniors, and juniors shouldn't refuse."
Perhaps my expression wasn't great, as Jaewon started making excuses. It seems he's a bit embarrassed that he caved in for a meal.
"But noona suggested eating out, and I said no to that. I did well, right?"
Well, thinking about it, if she's going to treat us anyway, we might as well eat our fill.
"Alright. But order the most expensive thing. It's okay to take advantage of Dinaple a bit."
With a nonchalant expression, I nodded and took out my phone from the locker.
I thought I'd do some preliminary research for tomorrow's interview.
When I turned on my phone, there were several messages waiting.
"Ha, this bastard. Really."
It was Noah again.
"Why do you keep texting? I heard you went to the U.S.—are you back?"
Even if I didn't want to know about Noah, I naturally found out.
Every time ARCHE did something, the internet world would go wild.
Last summer, after successfully completing their album activities, ARCHE reportedly left Korea to appear on American broadcasts. They performed on some stage in the U.S., collaborated with someone, and the media went crazy.
The news about ARCHE wasn't limited to their official activities.
Someone's birthday, the fan club donated somewhere, someone released a mixtape that ranked in some country, someone went on a trip with a friend.
Even trivial and private stories, truly, even if I didn't want to hear them, news about ARCHE steadily came through.
The other members are living so busily, so why does this bastard keep texting me?
2000-Year-Old Trash
Hoobae-nim. Are you practicing for your comeback stage? You must be busy, right?
I have something to ask you, and no matter how busy you are, make some time. We should at least have a meal together.
Your composer name is Jess. K… so can I call you Jess from now on? It brings back old memories, isn't it good?
Pervert bastard. Should I call you Demon King bastard then?
At that moment.
The practice room door opened, and Dinaple poured in.
Ha, this really makes them look like meerkats sticking their heads out of the bushes simultaneously.
"Kids, have you decided? What should we order?"
The leader of the meerkats rolled her round eyes and spoke as if doing a favor.
"You can order something expensive, so just say it."
Then, Roa stepped forward.
Since I had just suggested ordering the most expensive thing, she would probably try her hardest to stick to that.
"Then, can we have steak?"
"Steak?"
It seems she didn't expect the word "steak" to come up. Ga Yuna's eyebrows tilted crookedly, and one of her nostrils flared slightly.
But she couldn't say no. The concert must be that important to her.
"Sure."
"Then we'll have steak. The tenderloin steak is the most expensive, right? We'll have that."
Roa is the best at times like this.
With an innocent smile, she properly got back at Ga Yuna.
"You know, right? One steak per person."
Ga Yuna's lips trembled at Roa's expression, which showed no malice.
"One… steak per person?"
Ga Yuna's mind seemed to be in turmoil. Are they messing with us now? Is one steak per person even a thing? And tenderloin steak at that? Just eat spaghetti or something.
'Should I just cancel the concert?' Such an extreme thought briefly crossed her mind.
At that moment, a good idea suddenly came to me.
Noah sunbaenim.
You must be really bored.
Seeing how you keep texting me.
I'll send you a gift so you won't be bored.
Have fun.
After sending a reply to Noah, I smiled and approached Ga Yuna.
"Ga Yuna sunbaenim."
Ga Yuna, who had seemed useless, suddenly started to look quite useful.
"Huh?"
With this personality and level of obsession, wouldn't she fit well with the Demon King?
"I have Noah sunbaenim's phone number."
"Huh?"
At the mention of the name 'Noah,' color returned to Ga Yuna's face.
"Should I give it to you? This sunbaenim is bored."
I held out my phone, showing her the message I had just sent to Noah.
"As a gift, how about Ga Yuna?"
Then, Ga Yuna's fierce cheeks turned red, and her eyes sparkled.
"Hey, hey. One steak per person?"
Killing two birds with one stone. Taming Ga Yuna and giving Noah a taste of his own medicine.
"Eat, eat more. Just eat."
And that day, we feasted on the finest steak we'd had in a long time.
* * *
Sponsorships came in.
According to Hyerim, usually, we have to run around to get sponsored outfits, but this time, the brand reached out first, begging us to just wear their clothes.
Of course, it wasn’t a luxury brand.
But it was a fairly well-known brand, a second line by a domestic designer popular among the younger crowd.
The concept Hyerim decided on was ‘Macaron.’
Thanks to that, we had to fully bring out the ‘macaron’ vibe by pairing white or blue jeans with pastel-toned cashmere sweaters.
The makeup was also fresher and sweeter than usual.
It was to match the mood of the original version of our title track, .
After finishing preparations, we got into the van.
As soon as he got in the car, Hanjoon, as always, put on his neck pillow, reclined his seat, and closed his eyes. It’s about 30 to 40 minutes to the venue. Looks like he plans to catch a quick nap in that time.
“Being able to fall asleep as soon as your head hits something is a skill.”
Gyuhyung, who was sitting behind me, laughed as he said that.
“True.”
I gave a short reply and unfolded the interview question sheet sent by the magazine. The company’s PR team had asked the magazine editor to avoid questions that were too difficult or personal since the members are still young.
But since when do magazines play nice? There’s bound to be some curveball questions, so we have to be fully prepared.
As I was reading through the questions and trying to come up with answers, Gyuhyung suddenly spoke to me.
“You should get some sleep too.”
I looked up and saw Gyuhyung staring at me from the passenger seat, his face full of concern.
“How many times have you had nosebleeds recently?”
“Uh, three or four times?”
Last night, I had a full-on nosebleed too.
Even though my stamina has improved a lot, my body, which isn’t fully accustomed to magic yet, keeps rejecting it.
Honestly, I’ve been pouring out too much at once recently.
The Time Dilation Magic now covers the entire practice room, and maintaining it for long periods consumes a lot of magic. On top of that, there’s the stamina potion for the kids, and so much more to do.
Because of that, I’ve been getting nosebleeds, and when Gyuhyung saw me by chance, he ended up crying.
“Who knows if it’s a side effect of being struck by lightning?”
Yeah, right. It’s a side effect of being struck by lightning.
It’s a side effect of this body becoming Kang Ichan.
It’s just a physiological reaction until this guy gets used to my magic, but are you going to cry every time?
I shifted my gaze back to the question sheet and spoke nonchalantly.
“Who was it that cried tears of joy when the doctor gave me the test results when I was discharged?”
His face is like a bear’s, and his build is as sturdy as a mountain, but his heart is so soft that he cries at the drop of a hat. How is he going to handle being a manager like this?
“The doctor said I was fine. My heart’s beating well, my brain’s working fine, I’m breathing well, and my muscles are strong.”
“Still…”
“What do you mean ‘still’? It’s just fatigue. You’re running us ragged with this packed schedule.”
I looked at Gyuhyung again.
Honestly, if I’m having nosebleeds or coughing up blood, I should rest to recover faster, but that’s not an option right now.
When the water rises, you row the boat, they say, but PD Pyo and Lee Gyuhyung are also part of the problem, saying ‘okay’ to every schedule that comes in.
I just can’t get any rest.
“Just know that if I collapse, I’m suing Blade Entertainment for damages.”