translation by mourningmoor
The kids were naturally excited.
From the album jacket photoshoot, the music video, NewTube, and even the variety show.
“Let’s do it, yeah, let’s do it all. Everything, let’s do everything.”
Excited, Jaewon jumped around and shouted.
I knew this kid would react like this. A simple-brained kid.
“First of all, we’ll have to think about the variety show a bit more. It’s not a decision we can make lightly.”
At that, Hanjoon and Siu nodded their heads.
At least these two seem to understand the risks of being “background noise” newbies appearing as fillers on the reality variety show.
“In exchange, we’ve already scheduled the music video and album jacket photos.”
“What about NewTube?”
Roa, who had been quietly listening, cautiously asked.
Yeah, maybe NewTube could be the biggest problem.
What on earth could we possibly do with these colorless, tasteless, and odorless kids?
No, really, what are we supposed to film?
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t want to do it. It’s annoying, that kind of stuff.”
Hanjoon, who had been listening boredly, immediately opposed and retreated to a corner of the practice room.
I knew he’d act like that.
And this kid, of course, would agree.
As I turned my gaze to the youngest, who was bouncing around the practice room, he raised his hand without hesitation, as if it were the most obvious thing to do.
“I want to do it. I want to.”
Of course. The emotions radiating from him now are 《anticipation》, 《excitement》, and 《thrill》. Among them, 《excitement》 is at its peak.
That drugged-up bunny.
“If we do it, they said we’d have a filming team and editing team. Of course, there’ll still be many times we’d have to film it ourselves.”
At that, Siu cautiously raised his hand.
“I’m not sure about variety shows, but I think NewTube would be good. It sounds fun.”
This kid is surprising. He’s shy and has a bit of a bookworm vibe, so I thought he wouldn’t want to do it. His emotions are… hmm… a tiny bit of 《thrill》.
Could this kid also secretly crave attention?
“What about you, Roa?”
This time, I turned to Roa.
Normally, he’d be bouncing around the practice room with the youngest, but he was unusually quiet today.
No, he even seemed more thoughtful than usual.
“Is there anything we’re not allowed to do?”
“Do you have something specific in mind?”
“I want to film choreography videos or dance practice videos. Focused on dancing.”
Of course, the dance-obsessed kid.
But at least his thinking is within the bounds of normality.
“Wouldn’t that be fine?”
“Then I’m in favor, too.”
Roa, shyly smiling, cast his vote in favor.
So, is the decision already made?
“Three in favor, two against.”
Looking at the eager rabbits waiting for the result, I said the words they wanted to hear.
“According to the majority vote, we’ll do NewTube.”
At that, Jaewon shouted things like “Yay! Awesome!” and ran around the practice room again. Siu also couldn’t hide his excitement.
The one who came up to me with a serious expression was Roa.
With furrowed brows, he radiated an intense 《curiosity》.
“Did you oppose it, hyung?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t stand noisy things.”
* * *
Variety shows and NewTube, I don’t care about that kind of stuff.
My only interest lies in the music video and album jacket shoot.
Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, I went out to the living room alone and clicked on the link Gyuhyung sent me, playing the video.
Five boys with heavy makeup were passionately performing. The choreography I now knew well, paired with the music I’d grown to like quite a bit.
The boys in the video, moving their bodies so earnestly... it was a total disaster.
As someone with sensitive ears and a profound artistic sense, let me say one thing: there’s nothing wrong with the music. The choreography is excellent, too.
The composition of the music video is good, and the philosophy of the story is fine as well.
The vocal line’s singing ability and the rap line’s rap skills are both decent.
Roa, the main dancer, is of course talented, and Jaewon, the lead dancer, also stands out quite a bit. The other members seem to be keeping up without falling behind.
Then what on earth is the problem?
Why is it that this feels so tacky, clumsy, and awkward?
Especially you, Kang Ichan.
What the hell is your problem? Huh?
You’re a reasonably good-looking guy, so why are you so devoid of charm? Why?
Why is it that, even with heavy makeup and under dazzling lights, you don’t shine?
Why is it that, even when doing something you love—making music—you have such lifeless eyes and a rotting, twisted smile?
“You brat, you’re supposed to be the leader.”
A leader has responsibilities they must carry.
“If you’re the leader, you should identify the team’s problems and figure out how to improve.”
Letting out a sigh, I replayed the video.
“If you’re the most broken one, then what are the others supposed to do?”
This time, I slowed the video down and scrutinized it with a hawk’s eye.
One more time. And again. And again.
It wasn’t until I had watched it 24 times that I finally understood.
“These kids… it’s not that they’re not lacking talent.”
One is too flashy. Another is too artistic. One just reads the room, another is lazy, and one is lost in another world.
That’s why they don’t harmonize.
Individually, they’re full of character. But when they’re put together, their appeal gets diluted, and their distinctive traits vanish.
On top of that, they’re overly tense, making everything they do feel awkward. Even their smiles look forced, and their rebellious glares seem unnatural.
So, no, it’s not that they lack talent.
“They’re just wearing clothes that don’t fit.”
They’re being managed by a genius composer and a great choreographer, but is this the best they could do?
Turning off the video, I leaned back against the floor.
The full moon hung bright and round in the sky above me.
“Now, answer me, great archmage.”
My head was a mess.
“What are you going to do now?”
Is it time to make a decision?
“If we leave it as it is, even if we reshoot it, it’ll just be another embarrassment. Are you okay with allowing such a lousy music video? Huh?”
No, I can’t allow it.
I, Jesquière, the Guardian of Armania, was born of noble blood.
The Guardian of the Continent of Light, the Archmage loved by the Goddess of the Earth.
And yet, here I am, with dark circles painted around my eyes, wearing an ill-fitting suit, forcing a half-hearted smile, and performing sloppy choreography?
The words Gyuhyung spoke while watching the video with me suddenly resurfaced.
[Still, it’s kind of cute, right? Those dark eye circles make you look just like Kung Fu Panda.]
The moment I searched up “Kung Fu Panda,” rage surged to the top of my head.
The fact that this noble body had been turned into a joke angered me, but what enraged me more was knowing that the people at this company had all seen that miserable video.
If I could, I’d cast a memory-altering spell on them.
“Just wait, humans. Memory Manipulation Magic may be impossible, but I’ll cover them with new ones.”
* * *
I left the dorm early in the morning.
After tightening the laces of my sneakers, I began jogging around the neighborhood, expanding my route.
The steep hills and winding roads made this neighborhood perfect for exercise.
By now, I’d gotten quite familiar with the area and even recognized a few faces, which kept things from feeling monotonous.
It couldn’t compare to the back mountain of Parapara, but there was definitely something to gain here.
“Ah, young man, you’re out early again today, huh?”
It was the old man who collects scrap paper.
“Good morning, grandpa.”
Smiling brightly, I helped push his cart up to the top of the hill.
"Oh my, how lovely. Thanks to you, I was able to come up easily again today."
The old man patted my back with a beaming face.
‘Oh my, how lovely,’ you say… You know I’m not that young, right?
Thanks to my extended lifespan as a result of my magic, I lived a life without aging. If you think about it in terms of time, I’m 318 years old.
This old man, who looks at me like I’m his grandson, is probably a quarter of my age.
A grand mage who halted time at the most beautiful age of twenty-nine.
The people of Armania revered me for it.
The more they worshiped me, the more the amount of mana I had amplified.
And honestly, it doesn’t seem that different here in Korea.
I’ve come to realize something recently: even the mana in this world seems to like me.
Although it regards me cautiously, as if I were a foreign entity, it observes me with interest.
Whenever I perform a small act of kindness, I get a strange reaction.
It reacts—almost playfully tickling me, just like the mana back in the mountains of Parapara.
At first, I didn’t know how to accept this attention from the mana and it was awkward, but not anymore.
As someone who handles mana better than anyone else, I decided to make friends with the mana of this world.
Because now, more than ever, I need all the power I can get.
* * *
After bowing deeply to the old man to bid him goodbye, I continued my jog back to the dorm.
My legs had gained enough muscle by now that I could sprint up the three flights of stairs in our old building with no elevator in one go.
When I opened the door and entered the dorm, the youngest came out of the bedroom rubbing his eyes.
The seventeen year old high school freshman had to go to school today.
“Good morning, hyung.”
Yawning widely, he greeted me, but I only glanced at him briefly before heading straight into the kitchen.
I placed a black plastic bag on the counter.
“Hyung, is that fried food?”
The youngest, now fully awake, came over with wide, curious eyes.
“It’s not fried food.”
I rustled the bag and pulled out its contents.
Onions, potatoes, and carrots.
They were vegetables the old man with the cart had given me as thanks for helping him every day.
I had thought about refusing them, but I didn’t.
Because I’d found a use for them.
“I’m going to cook.”
“Cook what?”
Jaewon, wrinkling his nose, poked at a carrot on the counter with his finger.
“I don’t eat carrots.”
A rabbit that doesn’t eat carrots—how absurd.
“You’ll eat them whether you like it or not.”
Snatching the carrot out of Jaewon’s hand, I subtly activated the mana that had begun to accumulate.
“Because they’re medicine.”