In the end, unable to bear the silence, she hesitated as if she couldn’t stay in that place any longer and bolted out of the practice room. Director Gye, who had been watching the whole scene, let out a hollow laugh with an expression of disbelief.
“Ha. Did Teacher Son really just leave?”
Honestly, there probably wasn’t anyone in this room who particularly liked Ka Jerim. Up until now, they had seen many strange behaviors from Jerim that were hard to understand, along with his gloomy personality. But even so, Jerim was a trainee who was dedicating his youth to O-All Entertainment.
“Tell her to bring a resignation letter tomorrow.”
“Yes, Director.”
Teacher Kim, who was in charge of dance in Class B along with Teacher Son, nodded and answered the director’s words. Everyone in this room knew that while differential treatment based on ability was unavoidable for competitiveness, when it came to basic instruction, everyone should learn the same things. Although better students received additional teaching, there was no reason to deprive someone of basic instruction just because they couldn’t do it well, so no one sided with Teacher Son.
“Teacher Kim, you’re taking good care of Jerim, right?”
“Yes. He dances well except for his uncertain gaze direction. But I heard that yesterday his gaze direction was perfect too……”
The stern-looking Teacher Kim answered, and Director Gye nodded in agreement.
“Director. Does this kid dance well?”
At that moment, Onseol suddenly squeezed between Jerim and Director Gye and asked.
Jerim blankly looked up at Onseol with a face that was completely unadapted to the sudden incidents and situations, and Onseol stared down at Jerim’s pale face looking at him, then soon burst into a light laugh. Onseol smiled broadly again with an angelic face, seeing Jerim’s face smiling back—probably finding it awkward to remain expressionless while facing his laughter.
“Wow, he’s really cute.”
“Seol-ah, what are you doing over there? Anyway, Jerim dances well. In fact, yesterday Jerim performed POT’s……”
“Then I’ll take this one.”
As if Director Gye’s answer had been the signal, Onseol quickly grabbed Jerim’s wrist and pulled him up. Jerim still blinked slowly with a face that couldn’t grasp the situation. Director Gye also stared at Onseol with a blank face at first, but immediately tried to stop him.
“What? No, Jerim is fine too, but let’s discuss it with us first, and watch what the other kids do—”
“What. I thought I had the right to decide the members? If not, I’ll be disappointed.”
“Seol-ah, no matter what, this is a matter that needs to be decided carefully!”
But Onseol glanced once at the shouting Director Gye and made an expression as if it was no big deal.
“Wow, then all the members are decided, right?”
“Hey— Onseol!”
“Then we’ll be going. Let’s go, Jerim-ah.”
‘Where? Where are we going? What happened?’
Jerim had many things he wanted to ask Onseol, but not knowing what to ask first, he briefly squeezed the hand Onseol was holding. Then Onseol turned around and looked at Jerim with a face that said ‘Why did you squeeze? Do you have something to say?’ and soon seemed to realize something and went “Ah!”
“Ah, you want me to use formal speech? Sure, Jerim-ssi. Let us depart now.”
Of course, Onseol had completely misunderstood. Jerim had looked at him wanting an explanation of the current situation, but an absurdly wrong conclusion had been reached.
Just then, the trainees who had been blankly staring at the scene started coming to their senses one by one, belatedly. They realized that Jerim, not themselves, had been selected as a member of the group scheduled to debut next year, and that they themselves had been rejected.
And the incident happened in an instant. One of the trainees who had mocked the sheet music Jerim took out stood up from their seat and spoke toward Onseol.
“That kid isn’t in his right mind—he even self-harmed alone. His mind is strange, and his personality—”
Onseol would want to form a group with normal people too. The trainee who was about to grab Onseol spoke urgently, with a sliver of hope that ‘If I say this, won’t Onseol reconsider?’ But instead, Onseol had a face that said ‘So what?’
“I know.”
Then Onseol thought for a moment before speaking, covered Jerim’s ears with both hands, and smiled proudly.
“I wonder if he can’t hear me like this.”
“What?”
“Shh.”
Onseol didn’t want Jerim to hear such talk. Only after covering Jerim’s ears did Onseol speak to the trainee who was glaring at him with heavy breathing.
“This kid is quite famous, isn’t he? Self-harming and acting strange? I know all about it.”
“Then why—!”
“Then why did I choose him instead of you guys?”
The trainee nodded. Onseol no longer used formal speech toward the trainee. While the flustered trainee was opening and closing their mouth at the sharp tone, Onseol opened his mouth again.
“It’s a simple reason, nothing special, but do you want to hear it?”
“Yes. I want to hear it. Why won’t you give us even a chance?”
Hearing the answer, Onseol smiled brightly. Having already encountered Onseol’s kind and gentle personality on the audition broadcast, the trainees thought his smile was a positive one. But at Onseol’s next words, the trainees doubted their ears with blank faces.
“Because you guys are fucking annoying.”
“……What?”
“Ha, what image…… bullshit. Director, how did you only bring such idiots? This is a talent too, really.”
“Crazy! S-Seol-ah. Your mouth! Your mouth!!”
Director Gye rushed to Onseol in horror, but it was already too late.
“Not in his right mind? No matter how strange this kid is, he wouldn’t mock someone else’s sheet music that they worked hard on like you guys did, and he wouldn’t expose someone else’s weakness like that bastard who just went on about self-harm to me.”
Director Gye covered his face with an expression that said ‘We’re screwed.’
“Why do you all have those stupid faces? Are you disappointed that I cursed? But I feel the same way. I thought this was a place where people who work hard gathered, but I didn’t know it would actually be a place where only idiots gathered.”
Shrugging his shoulders saying he was disappointed in many ways, Onseol removed his hands from Jerim’s ears. Then, humming a tune through his nose, he led Jerim, whose face still showed he had no idea what was going on. Director Gye, belatedly coming to his senses, tried to grab Onseol, but they were already gone.
Seeing the scene of the practice room full of the closed door, silence, and mental breakdowns, Director Gye held his head with a hopeless face.
“Ah, that crazy bastard.”
[Profile 1 Used by Director Gye]
Name: Onseol
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Height: Tall
Public Evaluation: At eighteen years old, he was the runner-up on a K-company audition program but received more spotlight than the winner. Flashy appearance and an angelic face, and a model son, good family background.
Anecdote: Came to O-All Entertainment receiving tremendous preferential treatment. In fact, when asked during casting why he chose this place over other good places, he answered ‘Places like this are easier to tinker with.’ Didn’t know why he said that at the time, but feeling it more painfully as time goes on.
Special Notes (Precautions): In fact, his personality is very dog-like. Image management is essential, so Manager Oh Cheolsoo must always be on standby nearby.
Question: Have no idea how he hid that shitty personality on the audition program. A mystery.
**Episode 3**
“Really, this is enough? I said it’s okay to eat at an expensive place.”
I smiled at Onseol, who kept asking if this was really enough, saying it was fine.
“This is what I like.”
“I didn’t bring you out to buy you something like this.”
After leaving the practice room, Onseol said he’d treat me to celebrate becoming a member.
When I asked ‘Am I really a member?’ he patted my head saying there was no one else to bring from there and asked if there was anything I wanted to eat. After thinking about it, I begged to go to a convenience store, and Onseol kept asking ‘Convenience store? Really, a convenience store is enough?’
What I ended up choosing was Bulnak Bokkeummyeon and cola. I hummed as I tore open the Bulnak Bokkeummyeon. I really love spicy things. Carbonated drinks are the best.
“Seol-i hyung, I’ll eat well.”
“I told you to speak casually?”
Onseol told me to speak comfortably to him, but I said this was more comfortable because of my habit of using formal speech with my previous hyungs. In fact, if I were my original age, I’d be the same age as Onseol, but when calculated by Jerim’s age, Onseol was older than me. Phew, who would believe me if I said that?
I drank my cola. Anyway, no matter how I look at it, Onseol is kindness itself, but why were the trainees looking at Onseol earlier with such pale faces? I wonder if he’d answer if I asked…….
“Don’t you want to eat more?”
Just then, Onseol asked if I needed anything more.
“Then I……”
Yeah, he seems to have a lot of money, so let me ask him to buy just one more thing. But since he’s still a trainee, wouldn’t he not have money? Feeling like I was picking the thin wallet of a poor trainee, I hesitated, and Onseol also looked at me with a tense face.
Actually, I’d almost never asked someone to buy me something with my own mouth, so I was even more nervous. So I took another sip of cola and gathered courage to ask Onseol with a determined face.
“Would it be okay if you bought me just one mozzarella cheese?”
“……What?”
He seemed flustered that what I had hesitated so much to say was mozzarella cheese, and his expression stiffened for a moment. Well, mozzarella cheese is expensive, so I continued rambling.
“It’s delicious when you put it on Bulnak…… It’s a bit expensive.”
“How much is it?”
“2,000 won. It’s a bit much, isn’t it?”
“……Ah, crazy.”
Hearing my answer, Onseol lowered his head deeply. Seeing that, I felt troubled. I must have said something I shouldn’t have.
‘To a trainee, even 200 won is precious, and this is 2,000 won with one more zero.’
I was about to say it was okay if he didn’t buy it, but Onseol suddenly stood up from his seat and pinched my cheek.
“Cute.”
“Ueh (Yes)?”
“Wait a bit.”
Onseol pinched my cheek, then grabbed his wallet and quickly disappeared. I rubbed my stinging cheek while swinging my feet lightly.
