Chapter 146. Invincible Youth (5)
By this point, even the members of the Loving You team on stage had started to realize that the audience wasn’t exactly welcoming them.
And that was too heavy a burden of malice for such young boys, barely in their teens, to bear.
“…Oh dear. Yes, Trainee Jaiden. In the end, you failed the Destiny Mission. How unfortunate.”
In the end, as Shin Kyungho and Jaiden failed the Destiny Mission, it became uncertain whether they could obtain all the items, let alone the remaining stage lighting.
It was only then that sighs of regret started to escape among the Destinies. Yugeon felt a chill at their duplicitous reactions, but having experienced it once before, his mental state wasn’t as shaken this time.
“Now, depending on the mission results of Trainee Lee Yugeon and Trainee Lee Doha, it will be decided whether you can obtain the stage lighting or not. If even one of you fails, you won’t get the item, so I imagine the pressure is immense. Trainee Lee Yugeon, could you share a word about your determination?”
Yugeon hurriedly picked up the microphone at the question directed at him. Then, a small scream was heard from one side. Yugeon turned his gaze towards the direction of the sound.
Right in front of the stage on the right side, a fan who looked very young was covering her mouth while holding a banner with his face on it. She seemed to have startled herself by screaming unconsciously.
‘…She looks about the same age as our tigers.’
When their eyes met, the fan’s eyes sparkled as she shook the banner for Yugeon to see. Seeing that, Yugeon couldn’t help but smile.
This was something he had experienced once before.
The pure power of someone cheering for you unconditionally.
Ironically, it was that power that had brought Yugeon to this place.
Maintaining his smile, Yugeon responded into the microphone.
“I’m the worst at rapping among us. So, while preparing for this stage, I received a lot of help from my teammates. I think it’s time to repay that favor.”
As Yugeon, who was known for keeping his answers short (in other words, lacking enthusiasm), showed an unusual proactive attitude, the slogans with Yugeon’s name started fluttering, and cheers erupted from all around.
Yugeon, as if anticipating such a reaction, nodded and gestured for the crowd to cheer louder.
“Turning a crisis into an opportunity is a vital skill for an idol. So, Trainee Lee Doha, the leader of the Loving You team. If you fail the Destiny Mission and can’t obtain the stage lighting, what will you do?”
Choi Yeonwoo, who had been watching Yugeon’s reaction with interest, naturally shifted the focus to Doha. Yugeon looked at the leader of the Loving You team standing beside him.
Despite the long time spent since the team mission began, Doha stood there like a solidly rooted tree… No, like the pillar of a massive building meticulously constructed, without even the slightest tremor in his posture.
‘This hyung is… kind of scary.’
He had felt this since the Special Class, but Doha was a hyung whose thoughts were impossible to decipher, making him intimidating.
He was the type of person Yugeon had never encountered before, and therefore, his reactions were always unpredictable and curious.
‘I can at least understand why Jung Siwoo hyung behaves the way he does, but I have no idea about this hyung….’
Looking closely, even Kang Hajin, who seemed to have mastered reading people, appeared somewhat awkward around Doha. Since he couldn’t handle people Hajin struggled with, Yugeon had long given up trying to figure out how to deal with Doha.
‘But this hyung really worked hard this time. If we don’t get the stage lighting, won’t I get scolded to death?’
Ever since the start of the Miro Maze, Yugeon and Doha had never missed being on the same team.
Though Yugeon found Doha uncomfortable, that was separate from the fact that he knew better than anyone how seriously Doha took the stage.
What kind of answer would he give?
With a hint of curiosity, Yugeon looked at Doha. Without acknowledging Yugeon’s gaze, as if he didn’t notice it at all, Doha answered.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t matter? Are you saying it doesn’t matter if you don’t get the stage lighting?”
“Yes, I think it doesn’t matter.”
Just as he had once bluntly told Yugeon, ‘I understand your situation, but what are you going to do about it now?’, Doha once again gave an unexpected answer that left Choi Yeonwoo flustered.
Doha, nodding resolutely at Yeonwoo’s question, calmly added.
“Anyway, the most important thing on our stage is us.”
The response came with a look that said, ‘We’re the ones rapping, not the lights.’
At that bold statement, Park Woong, the main rapper of Enderway sitting in the audience, clapped loudly and shouted, “This is hip-hop!” His voice cracked as he shouted, genuinely proud, which made the Destinies around him burst into laughter.
“If Yugeon wants to repay his debt with stage lighting, I won’t refuse, but I think it’s enough for us to just give our 100% on stage.”
Me, all of a sudden?
Surprised by the unexpected mention, Yugeon looked at Doha again. Doha turned slightly, meeting Yugeon’s eyes. Then he looked straight ahead again and spoke in a calm tone as if discussing what to have for dinner.
“We all prepared really hard, and we’re confident about this stage.”
Yugeon still found Doha difficult and uncomfortable, but in that moment, he instinctively understood.
This was a threat.
A Doha-style threat, telling him that it didn’t matter if they couldn’t get the stage lighting, but on this stage, they had to give 200% of what they had prepared.
If it had been Kang Hajin, those words would have been meant to boost the morale of the team,
If it had been Seo Taehyun, they would have been added to showcase his confidence in his teammates on the broadcast,
And if it had been Jung Siwoo, it would have been the safest answer to avoid any criticism.
But the one speaking was Doha.
“So, even if we don’t obtain the lighting, it doesn’t matter to me at all.”
Those words were likely 100% sincere, with no hidden agenda.
‘Damn, that’s so cool.’
Yugeon was inwardly impressed, biting the inside of his cheek to avoid showing it outwardly.
Thanks to Doha’s words, Jaiden and Shin Kyungho, who had been shrinking in fear, seemed to stand a little taller, their faces noticeably improved.
“Overflowing confidence, it’s really great to see. In that case, we will now reveal the Destiny Mission that the two of you must challenge!”
Finally, the dice of fate were cast.
* * *
A few hours later.
Even after the guerrilla concert ended, the Miro Maze trainees had additional filming and schedules to complete, and they only returned to the dorms after a little past midnight.
As soon as he arrived, Kang Hajin, having finished cleansing and showering, changed into comfortable pajamas. Lacking the energy to walk to his room, he collapsed onto the sofa in the lounge, which was being used as a living room, with a towel draped around his neck.
“Wow, I feel like I’m going to die.”
His body was feeling the strain of being tense all day from morning until evening. He hadn’t noticed earlier, but now that he was lying down in the dorm, his whole body ached. Even back in his PD days, after recording or reviewing edited footage, he would often collapse like this.
‘If I’m unlucky, I might catch a cold.’
Wondering if he should buy some herbal medicine, Hajin closed his eyes. Suddenly, something cold landed with a splat on his face.
“Ugh! What the heck!”
“Stay still. This is expensive.”
Startled, Hajin tried to remove the mysterious object, but someone slapped his hand away. Unable to open his eyes properly because of the cold object, Hajin recognized from the voice and presence that it was Seo Taehyun. Once he realized it was Taehyun, he also roughly guessed what was on his face.
“Why are you dying on the sofa instead of going to your room? The sofa is cold. If you’re going to sleep, go to your room. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Our grandchild… Are you worried about your grandpa?”
“Grandpa, if you want to live long, you shouldn’t lie down like this. Your face will get twisted.”
Taehyun played along with Hajin’s joke while gently spreading the cold object on Hajin’s face.
The slightly slippery yet refreshing object was a face mask. Taehyun always took care of his skin with these masks on recording days when he had to be under hot lights for long periods or on outdoor shoot days with frequent sun exposure.
“How much better do you want grandpa’s skin to get for you to be so generous with the face masks…?”
Even as he joked, Hajin relaxed his body, enjoying the cool and firm sensation of the mask being applied to his face. Taehyun, though snorting in amusement at Hajin’s reaction, carefully squeezed out the last drops of serum, making sure it all fell onto Hajin’s face.
Only after finishing with the face mask did Hajin slightly open his eyes. He saw Taehyun, also wearing
what seemed to be the same type of mask, sitting on the floor and leaning against the sofa where Hajin lay.
“Why are you sitting on the floor? Get up on the sofa.”
“No, your head is heavy.”
“Wow, that hurts… I won’t lean on your legs, just get up here and sit.”
“It’s too cramped, you’re too tall.”
Hearing that, Hajin slightly opened his eyes and glanced up and down the sofa where he was lying. Since it was a three-seater sofa about 2 meters long and he, being 182 cm, was lying on it, it was indeed a bit cramped for Taehyun to sit comfortably. Agreeing with Taehyun’s comment about the lack of space, Hajin lay back down on the sofa and closed his eyes again.
He could hear the sound of trainees passing through the lounge, perhaps on their way to shower or to take care of other tasks. The sounds served as a pleasant white noise. Just when it seemed he might fall asleep from his even breathing, the trainees finished passing by and silence returned. Hajin, now in a relaxed state, spoke in a sleepy voice.
“Grandchild.”
“Yes, grandpa.”
“If you have something to say, say it quickly. Grandpa might fall asleep like this.”
Taehyun had occasionally visited Hajin and Eunchan’s room before to donate skincare products or face masks. But usually, after taking care of his tasks, he would quickly return to his room. If he was invited to stay longer, he would immediately sit down and start a conversation.
Yet, even after personally applying a face mask to Hajin’s face, Taehyun hadn’t gone back to his room and was instead sitting quietly beside him. This clearly meant he had something to say.
Taehyun was often slow to speak, taking longer than others to express himself. Perhaps it was because he had been involved in various entertainment activities since childhood, and his formal debut was on a survival show.
This industry had a way of changing lives with just a single word.
Even after Hajin’s prompt, Taehyun remained silent a bit longer. Hajin’s younger brother, Hawon, also had a habit of taking his time to organize his thoughts before speaking. When they were younger, Hajin would impatiently ask why he didn’t speak faster, but now he knew better to wait.
Hajin, fighting off the sleepiness that threatened to overtake him, waited for Taehyun to speak. And soon, Taehyun cautiously asked him.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“You know, earlier, after your stage when you shared your thoughts.”
“Yeah.”
“…Aren’t you scared? Saying things like that….”
Hajin had somewhat anticipated this topic would come up, so he made a small sound of contemplation. How should he put this? After a brief pause to choose his words, Hajin answered.
“No, I’m really scared.”
“……”
Can’t you tell by the fact that I’m lying here without even turning on Bluebird?
Hajin’s cheeky reply left Taehyun momentarily speechless in a different way than before.