Hard Mode Idol

“Why? I want to hear more.”

“…I feel so embarrassed I could die right now.”

I turned my head in a completely different direction to avoid his gaze. Let’s just run away like this. Yeah. That’s a good idea. I was about to dash off, but my arm was grabbed. I couldn’t bring myself to shake off my favorite artist, so I hesitated.

“Ah, I’m sorry. But this is the first time I’ve met someone who likes my songs this much… Don’t run away because you’re embarrassed. I’m really embarrassed too, right now.”

“…Okay.”

“You must have really liked it. You remember the lyrics and melody of a song you heard once.”

“Ahaha…”

I’ve heard it many times. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of times. Of course, in my previous life. I could only laugh.

“I want to repay you somehow, but I don’t have much. Is there anything you want?”

“Why do you want to repay me?”

“As a reward for passionately praising my song. It was the happiest moment since I started music.”

“You’ll hear such praises a lot in the future, what are you saying?”

Kwon Se-hwa tilted his head and asked, “What?” I knew Kwon Se-hwa’s future, and I was confident that unless there was a change, he would achieve the same results after listening to Winter Sea. So I said with confidence,

“You’ll definitely succeed. Because your songs will be what people seek when they need comfort.”

“Was it that good? Enough for you to be convinced that I’ll succeed?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“I see…”

Kwon Se-hwa stared down at me while plucking the guitar strings with his fingertips. The faint sound was buried under the ambient noise. It didn’t seem like a good time to talk, so I kept my mouth shut. Soon, Kwon Se-hwa pressed the guitar strings with his palm and looked at me.

“Um, if it’s not rude, could you take a picture with me?”

“With me?”

Kwon Se-hwa nodded. Just that? I gladly agreed and said, “Please send it to me too!” Isn’t this the epitome of a successful fan?

Isn’t there a saying in the idol world, “A fan can’t debut”? In other words, not many fans like me can debut.

We stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and smiled brightly at the lens. We took a photo with our shoulders just touching, and a slightly awkward photo was born. Even that made me want to bounce on my feet with joy.

“This is nice. I like it. What about you?”

“I like it too!”

“I’ll send you the photo. Can you give me your account?”

“Of course!”

Wow! I saved the photo preciously in an album with a big smile. Now just one more thing. It would be nice to have the song file.

“By the way, when are you debuting?”

“What? Is my debut already confirmed?”

“Huh? It’s not? Don’t tell me you’re not going to be a singer? Why?”

Even without seeing my face, I could picture it. I looked at Kwon Se-hwa with a very sad expression. Kwon Se-hwa, who was frozen for a moment like a broken person, soon burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! I guess I should. I should do it. Okay. I’ll be a singer. Actually, I was contemplating it, but I just made up my mind.”

Why was he contemplating it? The important thing is that Winter Sea gets released. Let’s push it before he changes his mind.

“Should I recommend an agency? I know a company that supports solo artists well.”

“Which company are you from?”

“I’m from SR. Huh? Wait? Did I say that?”

“No. I just guessed it right from the photo.”

I thought of our CEO and director and said SR is a good place too. But wouldn’t it be better to go to a big company if possible? My artist should live proudly. So I explained diligently. It was worth studying while searching for agencies to audition for.

“Thanks for the detailed explanation. I’ll keep that in mind. But your name is ‘Jin Haon’, right? It showed up on your chat profile.”

“Ah! That’s right. I’m Jin Haon.”

“I’m Kwon Se-hwa. Can I chat with you sometimes?”

“Yes! Of course! I’m still nineteen, so you can speak comfortably! You’re older, right?”

“Should I?”

“Yes!”

“Then I will.”

Wow, wow! How can this happen? Cheers escaped from me. It was something I really wanted to do in my previous life but couldn’t even dare to try, but I think I can finally do it this time. I clenched my fist and said clearly,

“I’ll definitely go to your concert when you have one.”

“I haven’t even debuted yet.”

“You’ll have a big one. I’ll work hard to get tickets!”

“Hahaha!”

I wanted to talk more, but suddenly my phone rang. It’s Kanghyun hyung. Why did he call?

“Just a moment. Hello?”

– Where are you?

“Near the company. Why?”

– I’m in the practice room, but I don’t see you.

“Huh? Why are you here already?”

– Just because. Are you coming?

“I’ll go! I’m coming! Wait for me!”

As soon as I hung up, I looked at Se-hwa hyung. It’s time to say goodbye.

“A friend?”

“Uh. No. It’s my hyung.”

“Your brother?”

“A close hyung. I think I should go since he’s waiting. I’ll be waiting for the Winter Sea song release! Please debut soon, hyung!”

“Okay, got it. Take care.”

After a pleasant parting with Se-hwa hyung, I ran to the practice room in one breath. Was the gloomy mood earlier a driving force for this moment? Thanks to going out for a change of pace, I had a happy day filled with good things.

And that night, the members returned. Everyone gathered except for Jung Ilhan, who had gone to the countryside. Why did they come back so early when they were so happy to go on vacation? Putting others aside, what’s up with Seoho?

“Aish, I came all the way here, but why aren’t you alone?”

He says while kicking me with his foot. Now, he has not only hand habits but also foot habits.

“Why are you hitting me!”

“This is patting, not hitting.”

“Ah, really? Then let me pat you too.”

I lifted my leg, and Seoho ran away. I’ll catch that guy and make him eat a kick. I chased after the fleeing Seoho, running around the dorm, and got scolded by Yoochan hyung. He said no noise between floors.

I think my mental age has lowered because of Seoho.

A little past 10 o’clock, I got a call from Jung Ilhan. When he asked if I was alone, I said everyone except hyung was here, and he laughed, saying that was a relief. We exchanged brief greetings and hung up.

What’s this? They’re all really strange.

I knew but pretended not to. This is too ticklish. My members. My people. People who like me and care for me.

Even the worst relationship can change like this. It felt like a miracle.

The debut date was getting closer and closer. I still hadn’t completed my main quest, and the weekly mission became even harder to touch, so it was almost neglected. To be honest, in my desire to make our title song more perfect, the weekly mission had long been pushed down in priority.

All the members gathered and put more effort into practice. We returned to the dorm around 3 am, got a little sleep, and arrived at the practice room again at 6-7 am. As those days continued, I was so tired that I felt like I could fall asleep on the practice room floor.

Above all, a red flag was raised for my stamina management. The problem was the extreme accumulation of fatigue and the sleep time that had dropped to less than 3 hours. My stamina was precariously fluctuating between 10 and 50. Even though I diligently rested whenever I could, I couldn’t maintain the status quo. It’s troublesome.

“Haon.”

“…Yes.”

I raised my head with drowsy eyes. Kanghyun hyung was looking down at me with slightly furrowed brows.

“I’ll take you to the dorm.”

“It’s okay. I want to go with the hyungs.”

“They’re all passed out over there.”

Kanghyun hyung gestured with his chin towards the back. The members were sprawled on the floor, not moving an inch. They’re not dead, right? The three people who seemed to be sleeping without any movement looked like corpses. Do I look like that right now too?

“Then I want to sleep here too…”

Yawns came out consecutively. I wiped the tears away, and Kanghyun hyung put his hand under my armpit and lifted me up. This is Jung Ilhan’s exclusive move… I was about to settle in and lie down, but I unexpectedly found myself standing upright on my two feet.

“You go home and sleep. You’ll catch a cold.”

“What about the hyungs?”

“They’re all healthy over there.”

“I’m healthy too.”

I’m confident in my health as long as there’s no abnormal condition. It’s just that my complexion looks bad because my stamina is hitting rock bottom. I’m managing it very well by resting diligently before an abnormal condition occurs.

“Do you want to go to the hospital again?”

“No.”

“Then come with me obediently.”

“Still, going alone…”

“…”

I felt a silent pressure from the quiet Kanghyun hyung. …Okay. I’m healthy, but I should manage my stamina. Sleeping on a bed is much better for recovery than sleeping on the practice room floor. It’s a betrayal for the sake of tomorrow.

“Then wake everyone up and take them too. Why am I the only one going?”

“They said they’ll sleep for an hour and wake up. I promised to wake them up.”

“Huh? Then you’re coming back, hyung?”

“Yeah.”

I grabbed the arm of Kanghyun hyung, who was walking at the same pace next to me, and stopped him.

“I’ll go alone. You must be tired too, so there’s no need to go and come back again.”

The manager hyung isn’t even here, so why bother at this hour?

“Do you know what time it is now?”

“It’s 4 o’clock.”

“That’s why I’m taking you. I can’t let you go alone. The hyungs will make a fuss.”

“We just need to get our stories straight. I’ll say you took me. You need to rest too. You’re not made of steel.”

“It’s fine. Follow me.”

No matter how much I told him to go back, he wouldn’t listen. Ah, gosh. It’s good that I’ve become close with the members, but this is overprotection. I’m very grateful for their care, but I feel bad about things like this.

“Hyung, I feel bad about it.”

“I’m also anxious about letting you go alone.”

“Then should we stay on the phone? The whole time I go to the dorm?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll take a taxi.”

I said with a big resolve. Since it’s a 10-minute ride by bus, if I take a taxi and exaggerate a bit, I’ll arrive in front of the dorm in 1 minute. Kanghyun hyung shook his head.

“Taxis won’t stop.”

“Why? It’s early morning.”

“The distance is too close.”

“Ah.”

That’s the problem. No, then even more so, we can’t go together. If we walk, it’ll take 30 minutes. For Kanghyun hyung, it’s an hour to go and come back.

“You’re tired too, hyung.”

In the meantime, there was a ding sound from the elevator. I turned my back to the door and blocked it with my whole body to prevent Kanghyun hyung from getting on.

Do you know the struggle of a mayfly? A mayfly that flutters here and there with a single gesture. That was me. I was dragged and put into the elevator.

“Ah! You’re using force?”

“Yeah.”

“What about my uncomfortable feelings!”

“It’s okay. It’s not uncomfortable for me.”

“What?”

“I’m taking you to make myself feel at ease, so keep your complaints to yourself.”

I pouted my lips and obediently watched the elevator numbers change. It was quick to reach the 1st floor. I got off the elevator and trudged towards the lobby, and Kanghyun hyung, who had passed through the security gate first, turned around.

“Come quickly.”

“Yes, I’m coming.”