Chapter 59
As Choi Gaon momentarily dropped his broadcast persona and was genuinely curious, Lee Chae Hyuk stuttered out his answer.
“I drew Lady Swan seonbaes….”
Oh no.
Briefly feeling sorry, Choi Gaonpatted Lee Chae Hyuk on the shoulder, saying excitedly,
“Drawing a senior from your agency, what luck! I bet President Do Jae Chan will be doing a shoulder dance* in delight!”
(T/N: It’s a movement where people move their arms up and down to express joy)
Sure, he would do a shoulder dance.
Along with the bitter tears of having personally ruined the swans.
Lady Swan.
A girl group from the same agency that had failed spectacularly. Could there be anything more difficult than covering a song from such a group?
Until then, everyone, including Choi Gaon, thought Lee Chae Hyuk’s team had drawn the short straw.
That was until a somewhat uncomfortable-looking Ryota called out to Choi Gaon in a whisper.
“MC, I, I also drew an AG agency senior….”
“Oh, Ryota! You’re volunteering information before I even asked. Good job! So, who did you draw?”
“I, I have….”
But there was more.
“I drew Senior Min Si Young….”
The bigger bomb.
All eyes instantly turned to someone in Ryota’s team.
“…….”
As Gao Yan split an energy bar he’d won as a prize, stuffing it halfway into his mouth, he stiffened along with Kim Chunyong.
And at the same time, they thought,
‘That team is doomed.’
* * *
After the teams were checked and selection of cover artists, a time for team discussions arrived. Standing in front of his team members with trembling legs, Ryota immediately threw himself into a dogeza*.
(T/N: A dogeza is a deep Japanese bow, where the person is kneeling, and touching their head to the floor. It’s used to show deference to others, either to show a sincere apology or to request a favor.)
“I’m so, so sorry!”
From Ryota’s perspective, he might as well have committed a capital offense.
Getting too immersed in the game, not only had he selected fewer team members, but the artist they had to cover was the esteemed senior and female solo artist Min Si Young?
‘I’ve made everyone else avoid me!’
The pressure was too much for Ryota, already at the bottom of his self-esteem at 17th place.
“What? Why are you suddenly bowing? Get up, quickly! No one has said anything to you yet.”
Bang Yu Chan, struggling with a thick romance novel after being caught first, hurriedly tried to lift Ryota by his shoulders.
However, Ryota’s voice, as if emerging from hell, was still filled with despair.
“So, you’ll eventually criticize me…”
“No, we won’t! Hey, Chunyong, help me out here.”
“…Ah, what? Why is Ryota doing that? Just a moment.”
Kim Chunyong, who had been gazing thoughtfully at a distant mountain, quickly joined in to help lift Ryota up.
With a bit of effort from the two, Ryota, who had been glued to the floor like a frog, eventually had to move.
Now they were in a situation conducive to conversation.
Ryota, kneeling and about to bury his head in the ground, began to speak cautiously.
“Well, once I became a cop, instead of planning which team to form…”
“You just caught whoever you saw first?”
“Yes. So, I ended up with people I’ve already been in a team with…”
“And you caught Chunyong, your roommate.”
Every time Kim Chunyong and Bang Yu Chan accurately guessed Ryota’s inner thoughts, Ryota’s head dipped lower. Eventually, he found himself in a dogeza once again.
“I’m so, so sorry!”
“Stop it, that’s enough! This is forbidden! Do it again, and you’re in trouble!”
“Forbidding dogeza, that’s too cruel…”
“What do you mean, cruel? You keep doing this when you don’t have to.”
Bang Yu Chan patted Ryota’s back to comfort him briefly before turning his head slightly towards someone who hadn’t said a word throughout this comedic scene, sitting in front of the mirror hugging his knees.
“…….”
Hair fluttering in the air conditioner breeze. A teardrop mole below the right eye.
A pretty 17-year-old AG purebred trainee, more a boy than a young man.
Jang Si Woo.
A trainee who had already teamed up with Ryota and Bang Yu Chan to stage the original song Aiming, but Bang Yu Chan still found Jang Si Woo difficult.
“Hwa Sung hyung. Jae Ha hyung.“
He was affectionate with Ji Hwa Sung and Son Jae Ha, with whom he had practiced for a long time.
“Hey, Si Woo, hi?”
“…Hello.”
“Si Woo, want to eat with hyung? The other team members said they’ve already eaten―”
“I’m fine.”
“Si Woo! Where are you going! Say hi to hyung!”
“…….”
Somehow, whenever he sees other people, a cold wind seems to blow.
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