translation by mourningmoor
Things got busy again.
Five days after the FMA, it was time for the HAMA.
The HAMA, held over three days, hosts award ceremonies in different countries for each category. We were invited to attend the ceremony in Nagoya, Japan.
Thanks to that, under Director Gong Seokho’s guidance, we’ve been going through an intense practice schedule.
“They’re giving us the Rookie Award.”
During lunch, when the topic of HAMA came up, Gyuhyung suddenly dropped this comment.
“Inviting us to Nagoya means they’re giving us the Rookie Award. The Rookie Award category is part of the Japan ceremony.”
Yeah, it’s pretty much decided that we’ll win the Rookie Award.
With MuteSeven out of the picture, there’s no competition among male idol groups.
There’s a girl group that debuted slightly before us, but since the Rookie Award is divided by gender, they’re not a threat.
There’s one male solo artist, but he’s already far behind L.I.T in terms of buzz.
From now on, most award shows will likely give the Rookie Award to L.I.T.
This situation does take away some of the tension, though.
“What’s going to happen to MuteSeven?”
Jaewon asked the question.
“Who knows. They’ve announced a hiatus, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
After the PMA, there was a flood of articles about MuteSeven, but none of them provided any real rebuttals.
HS’s PR team just kept repeating vague statements like, “We’re currently in discussions with the artist.”
Muses were in an uproar.
They demanded that MuteSeven break their silence and clarify the truth.
I wanted to step forward and give an interview, but Producer Pyo Cheonhee frowned and told me to wait.
[Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that Kim Wooyoung isn’t involved.]
[It’s not just for argument’s sake—he’s not involved. You saw the note.]
[The note can be interpreted in different ways. Whether it’s a threat or a warning.]
He wasn’t wrong. Even Kim Jeongsoo interpreted the note as a threat when he first saw it.
[There’s also the video of him threatening you in front of the company.]
The video that was posted on the community was from that day.
The day Kim Wooyoung came to ask us to appear on Showbox. I had gone to the grocery store to buy ingredients to make dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken) for the kids.
We did argue about the appearance, but I wasn’t threatened. Someone like Kim Wooyoung couldn’t possibly threaten me.
But the video did look pretty threatening.
Kim Wooyoung, tall and broad-shouldered, stepped close to me with a menacing expression, while I, skinny and frail, looked around uncomfortably.
[Once HS makes a move, we can respond. They’ll probably sort things out internally.]
We had to be careful not to ruin the image we’d built up by getting involved in this mess.
The PR team would release an official statement, so personal interviews were off-limits.
And then, Blade Entertainment released an official statement.
There have been many interview requests due to the unfortunate rumors circulating. However, Blade Entertainment has no intention of responding to any interviews at this time, as nothing has been clarified. We understand that the police have already begun investigating the incident. We believe the truth behind the rumors will be revealed soon. Until then, Blade Entertainment will focus solely on the safety and healthy activities of our artists.
In summary:
We’re not interested in rumors. But if they turn out to be true, we won’t let it slide.
That’s the gist of it.
In the end, we turned down all interview requests.
Still, it weighed on my mind.
That guy isn’t a good person, but he’s not evil either.
I tried calling Kim Wooyoung several times, but I couldn’t reach him.
A few days passed, and finally, it was time to fly to Japan.
Primitively, by plane, not a teleportation gate.
It was a bit annoying that it took so much time and effort, but it was also endearing how the humans in this world relied on science to get around.
We arrived in Nagoya a day early and stayed at a “hotel.”
Room assignments were simple. Roa and Jaewon in one room, me and Siu in another, and Junyoung, who snores, got his own room.
Without any complaints, we settled into our rooms and ordered room service for dinner. Then, we went to bed early to adjust our condition, but…
Damn, it was hard to fall asleep in an unfamiliar place.
This just leads me back into the swamp of thoughts.
The swamp of thoughts dug by that damn Demon King.
[Take care of yourself. You’re not at a level where you can use defensive magic yet. You might die. You haven’t even reached the second circle yet.]
It was clearly meant to throw me off, but for some reason, it kept bothering me. His words kept swirling in my head.
[Generally, I can’t help but know about things with evil intentions, right?]
[Do you need my help? You might need me, you know.]
[Don’t underestimate this world. Don’t underestimate my abilities either. I see things you can’t.]
I keep getting swayed by the Demon King’s words, playing right into his hands, but I can’t seem to break free.
“Wait, so that bastard… he can see the extent of my mana, right?”
“Huh? Ichan-ah, what are you saying?”
My muttering seemed to have woken Siu.
“Sorry.”
I got up from the bed and changed my clothes. If I stayed lying down, my head felt like it would explode.
Siu rubbed his eyes and looked at me.
“Are you going out?”
“Yeah. I’ll take a short walk and come back.”
Siu sat up, looking at me with concern.
“It’s snowing outside. And this is Japan. What if something happens and you can’t communicate?”
“It’s fine. I’m good at Japanese.”
With “Language Purification,” there’s no place where I can’t communicate.
I might as well absorb the mana of Japan while I’m at it.
“Go back to sleep. I’ll be back soon.”
Leaving Siu in the room, I stepped out of the hotel.
As Siu said, snow was falling heavily.
In Armania, it snows in winter too. In the northern regions, it snows all year round.
I didn’t like snow. I was always sensitive to the cold.
But strangely, seeing the snow in this world made me feel oddly warm. It must be Ichan’s body remembering something.
Or maybe it’s because I liked snow when I was young.
It’s been so long, I can’t remember.
As I walked through the snow, circling a block around the hotel, I suddenly felt someone following me.
At first, I thought it might be Noah, that bastard.
But I’d heard that ARCHE wasn’t attending the HAMA in Japan, so I dismissed the thought.
Then who could it be?
Who dares to follow me?
After trying to shake them off and failing, I finally blocked their path at the end of a quiet alley.
I was a little surprised.
“Kim Wooyoung?”
Why is this guy, who wasn’t answering his phone, here?
“Why are you here? And why haven’t you been answering your phone?”
“My family’s in Nagoya. My brother helped me come back home. I turned off my phone because reporters kept calling.”
Wooyoung scratched his head awkwardly and continued.
“I heard you guys were here, so I hung around the hotel. Lucky I ran into you.”
Wooyoung, catching his breath, looked at me with a more serious expression.
“I have something to say.”
Reading his emotions, he was a complete mess.
Even though he appeared calm in front of me, inside, he was crying his eyes out.
“I’m leaving HS.”
“Aren’t you upset? You weren’t the one behind the accident. You were trying to warn us.”
“Who’s going to believe that?”
That was the problem. Things had gotten so twisted that no one believed him.
“In this industry, the loudest voice wins, and the strongest power wins.”
Kim Wooyoung had already accepted the situation and given up.
“They’ve already fabricated evidence. If this becomes a legal case, I’ll be the one taking the fall.”
HS bastards, no, Jung Yoobin, that bastard. He’s really scary. When he got caught, he pinned it all on Kim Wooyoung?
“If I leave quietly, everyone else will be safe. The CEO said the other members can resume activities someday.”
As the leader, as a human being, Kim Wooyoung made the best choice he could.
I could’ve helped him, but since he didn’t reach out, it seems he’d already made up his mind.
“If that’s the case, why did you come find me?”
“I wanted to apologize.”
“Apologize?”
“You might not remember, but I turned a blind eye when you were being bullied, and later, I even led it.”
It’s not that I don’t remember—it’s just that there was no such entry in Ichan’s diary. For all I know, Ichan might have actually liked Kim Wooyoung.
“Hyung told me to take you out of the dorm, so we went to a PC bang. When we got back and found your laptop missing, I figured my brother took it, but I didn’t say anything.”
This was in the diary. That’s why Ichan felt so hurt.
“I was a coward.”
Yeah, you were.
“I acted worse because I felt guilty. It’s late, but… I’m sorry.”
Kim Wooyoung bowed deeply.
Maybe because I could feel his sincerity, my chest felt heavy.
Ichan’s emotions seemed to accept Kim Wooyoung’s apology.
Wooyoung straightened up and smiled awkwardly.
“I don’t know who leaked this whole thing, but it’s for the best. I think of it as karma.”
Then he reached out and patted my shoulder.
“Kang Ichan. Keep rising.”
That was his final goodbye.
With a lighter expression, Wooyoung turned and walked away through the snow. Then, he looked back.
“Oh, and I tipped off the press about Who's M stealing your song.”
“What?”
“Your song will come back to you.”
With that, Wooyoung left, smiling.
Leaving behind the news that Who's M, that bastard Jung Yoobin, would face the consequences.
But things didn’t go as Wooyoung expected.
Who's M, that bastard Jung Yoobin, dropped a bombshell of an article.