Chapter 163
However, adhering to the basics was nothing to boast about.
Basics were always a given.
Thus, even though Go Kyung-yoon’s mindset was somewhat rigid like that of an eighty-year-old, his actions didn’t reflect that.
Within the set boundaries, he utilized whatever he could.
Pretending to be close to someone by bringing up insignificant past connections, especially with people who could be beneficial, was within those boundaries.
As a result, even with that minor gesture, the company’s elders, who already thought highly of him, would say things like, “Taking care of a struggling younger colleague, Kyung-yoon is indeed kind.”
This elevated Kyung-yoon’s reputation within the company once more.
He endured a brief moment of discomfort, but hearing praise for simply doing what was expected felt like a profitable deal to Kyung-yoon.
At the time, On Raon also felt quite grateful for his actions, but he didn’t try to get closer to Kyung-yoon beyond that.
On Raon understood that Kyung-yoon’s actions were based on his values, and there was no need to say anything more.
He knew that pushing further might only upset the person who had just helped him.
It was the right judgment.
If On Raon had thoughtlessly approached Kyung-yoon, he would have unhesitatingly rebuked him, asking what kind of misunderstanding he was having.
Fortunately, On Raon respected Kyung-yoon’s boundaries.
Soon after, On Raon returned to the United States to attend school as the vacation ended, and Go Kyung-yoon remembered On Raon as “someone who might be a bit unpleasant but has a decent sense.”
Kyung-yoon didn’t believe On Raon, who seemed more likely to be criticized than loved by the public, could succeed as an idol.
However, On Raon’s dance was artistically impressive, making Kyung-yoon think it wouldn’t be bad to keep an eye on him.
So, after deciding to leave True, Kyung-yoon extended a bit more kindness to On Raon during the vacation.
As a result, On Raon couldn’t help but shed tears upon hearing that Kyung-yoon was leaving the company.
On Raon, who had a colder perspective than he appeared.
He wasn’t just saddened by the departure of the one who treated him well but also vaguely realized what would happen to him after Kyung-yoon, who had been somewhat of a shield, left.
Kyung-yoon’s hypocritical kindness was a double-edged sword for On Raon.
Every time On Raon received slight conveniences from Kyung-yoon, he earned the resentment of trainees who looked down on both of them, like Oh Hyun-jin.
If Kyung-yoon, who acted as a sort of barrier, left, it was obvious what those trainees would do to On Raon.
“Why are you crying?”
“[I’m sorry… I don’t want you to go…]”
Kyung-yoon also knew what On Raon understood.
But.
“Are you asking me to take responsibility for your matters too?”
“[No.]”
“I don’t care if you call me irresponsible.”
“[I won’t.]”
“Really? If I were you, I would.”
“…”
Receiving On Raon’s gaze, Kyung-yoon scribbled his eleven-digit phone number on a nearby post-it.
“Contact me when you can be of help to me. Then I’ll help you too.”
“Okay.”
“Anyway, I’m leaving.”
It was late summer, three years ago.
* * *
Smelling the distinct new scent of the gymnasium, I suddenly recalled Kyung-yoon’s words.
– Contact me when you can be of help to me. Then I’ll help you too.
And then I remembered the yellow post-it stuck in the corner of the desk in the officetel.
I wondered what the number was for; it turned out it was his.
“You told me to contact you, but you called first?”
“And you said you didn’t remember.”
“I just remembered that one thing.”
“It’d be nice if you remembered other things too.”
Unlike Ban Yo-han, who was explicitly likened to a fox cub, Kyung-yoon’s face, which fit the typical “fox face” description, smiled calmly, making it unclear if he was sincere or not.
“Why did you suddenly drop the formalities?”
“If you want, I can keep using them. Should I keep calling you ‘senior’ too?”
…That gave me a bit of chills.
“Never mind. Let’s just be equals, Kyung-yoon.”
“Sure.”
Just then, I received a text from Kwak Sang-hyun, asking when I’d arrive.
Quite a bit of time had passed, even though we didn’t seem to have talked much.
“I think I have to go. My manager is calling.”
“Then you should go.”
He didn’t hold me back, as if there was nothing else to say.
Why did he call me, though?
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“I was planning to meet the teacher in the gym before going.”
“Okay.”
As I was about to leave, Kyung-yoon called out to me, “Raon.”
“My offer still stands.”
He emphasized it with his usual clear pronunciation, telling me to contact him if I needed help.
* * *
After finishing dinner with Gyun Seong-ha’s family and returning to the dorm, I researched Go Kyung-yoon.
The more I searched, the more convinced I became that Liftin didn’t add Kyung-yoon as a new member thoughtlessly.
In the long run, the success of a group formed from a survival program depended on how well the new member performed.
It wasn’t possible for the initially popular members to lead the entire group forever.
In that sense, Orca was doing well, with non-Pick Heart members performing exceptionally.
Anyhow, looking at metrics like the number of shares on social media when he posted selfies, the view counts of his stage fancams, and the heart counts and views of his live broadcasts on B-app, Kyung-yoon ranked high in popularity among Liftin’s competitive trainees.
So, what did Kyung-yoon want to say by calling me and Oh Hyun-jin?
Kyung-yoon’s position, my position, and Oh Hyun-jin’s position.
“……”
Liftin.
No matter how well they did, Liftin was a group with an expiration date.
In a few years, they would disband according to schedule.
One might think it’s too early to consider disbanding right after debuting, but that was the bitter reality for a group created by multiple agencies for immediate profit.
Right. Companies were profit-driven entities.
If, even after the short contract period ended, Liftin showed potential to maintain their popularity and profitability…
After much contemplation, I called Go Kyung-yoon.
“Help me.”
– “Why should I?”
Listening to him, it was annoying, as if he was asking what benefit he would get from it.
“You want to win the Rookie Award, right?”
– …..
“You were weighing which side to go with based on the song you sang with me and the other guy yesterday, right?”
– “Yes.”
Kyung-yoon admitted it straightforwardly.
– “And if possible, I wanted to go with you.”
Whether he was sincere or not, it didn’t seem to matter much when talking to this guy.
“Right now, the member being pushed by Huntrid is clearly Oh Hyun-jin.”
I didn’t know why True was so vigorously pushing someone who was mediocre in the past, present, and likely the future, but they were going all out.
By the way, True completely covered up Oh Hyun-jin’s pro-Japanese controversy during Pick Heart by portraying him as “a poor kid who almost debuted with good results after enduring a harsh trainee period but got derailed by a manipulation issue.”
And they did this by associating him with me, who was arguably the most talked-about from Pick Heart.
Their media play was impressive.
What did people say again?
Let me recall some memorable comments.
“Enduring such harsh and grueling training that even On Raon struggled with, no wonder True produces such skilled idols.”
“Hasn’t Oh Hyun-jin also endured under the same system as On Raon until now?”
“So, is Oh Hyun-jin okay?”
“No, come to think of it, Oh Hyun-jin, who persevered until the end, is more remarkable, and On Raon, who couldn’t, just lacks willpower.”
…Well, they moderated themselves to that level, but there were plenty of comments that seemed borderline slanderous.
Whenever there were forced associations with me, Airies would collectively rush in and angrily refute, asking what nonsense they were spouting…
If I make enough money, I’ll just sue them all.
Anyway, everyone who knows knows that True colluded with Music Box to lead the manipulation.
Currently, Oh Hyun-jin is positioned as a helpless trainee who knew nothing about the manipulation.
From someone who knows the whole truth, it was an incredibly shameless response.
“May True fall. May Oh Hyun-jin fall.”
“Anyway, if Oh Hyun-jin collapses, not just collapses, but in the most publicly uncomfortable way.”
It wasn’t hard to tell that Kyung-yoon was listening more attentively than usual.
“That team won’t just lose the Rookie Award; they’ll have to focus on internal cleanup for a while.”
– “What about the other members of the team? I’d feel quite sorry if that happened because of me.”
“You don’t care what happens to them.”
As I countered his insincere remark, a calm laugh, as if affirming my words, echoed.
“And why would it be because of you? It’s because of Oh Hyun-jin and his friends. They should take responsibility.”
– “You’re right.”
I started to understand what kind of person he was.
Calculating, cold, pragmatic, forward-thinking, and highly political.
“Three candidates for the Rookie Award are too many. Let’s narrow it down to two.”
– “I thought you’d become dumber since I last saw you, but you’ve gotten much smarter.”
I let Kyung-yoon’s arrogant words slide.
“If I help you, you can handle it properly, right? With your personality, you wouldn’t have been unprepared for something like this.”
– …..
After a moment of silence.
– “Yeah. I can do it.”