Chapter 192. JACK
“More tightly! Let’s express it more dynamically. Show the energy that Kairos as a team possesses!”
Was it really necessary to be this serious while wearing animal pajamas?
I felt guilty for suspecting it was a hidden camera prank, as the photographer and all the staff were brimming with enthusiasm.
The concept for the group photo was simply to gather and create the most joyful and friendly atmosphere possible, but our overly enthusiastic photographer seemed to want more than that.
“Great! It’s the heat of a bright summer day with wild animals running across the Serengeti!”
“Ah, yes…”
Even after hearing it several times, I still had no idea what he was talking about.
I thought I had built up some immunity to overly enthusiastic fangirling and exaggerated expressions, thanks to my years as a fan and my experience as a PD….
‘Why am I feeling offended?’
Regardless, we gave it our all with the passion and energy of rookies.
…Actually, a few of us seemed to be genuinely enjoying it.
“Ahahaha! Doha hyung, I’m getting dizzy!”
“Hyung, can’t we try something like a pyramid? We could all climb up like this….”
“If Eunchan wants to try it, we should.”
Watching Dan Haru being spun around like a ride on Lee Doha’s back, and Joo Eunchan eagerly suggesting the next pose to Jung Siwoo, I felt an inexplicable sense of peace.
Yeah, well. As long as the kids are having fun…
“……”
“What are you doing?”
“I was just reminded of my short-term part-time job at a kids’ café, and it hit me suddenly.”
Right, there was one person who wasn’t enjoying it.
I roughly patted Lee Yugeon’s shoulder, who seemed to be experiencing firsthand that ‘highly stylized idol activities are no different from playing an angel at a kids’ café.’ He hesitated for a moment and then cautiously asked me.
“Hyung, don’t you find this cringey?”
“Hadi doesn’t have trouble pretending to be cute. The problem is that I’m not actually cute.”
“……”
“Are you really going to make that face after I tried to lighten the mood with a joke?”
After momentarily cooling down at my attempt at humor, Lee Yugeon relaxed his expression and turned his head. Straight ahead, Seo Taehyun was actively communicating with the staff, exchanging ideas.
Oh? Is now the time for the couple’s quarrel solution?
I casually opened my mouth while keeping an eye on Lee Yugeon’s state.
“Seo Taehyun is really amazing, isn’t he? They say people like him are destined to be idols.”
At my words, which I said as if I knew nothing, Lee Yugeon surprisingly nodded easily and responded as if it were obvious.
“Well, he was always good.”
Oh? So the atmosphere isn’t really that bad?
Jung Siwoo’s words that they weren’t fighting out of hatred seemed to be true. Lee Yugeon stared silently in the direction where Seo Taehyun was, then quietly stood up. I also stood up, planning to ask more questions, but the shoot resumed, interrupting my plan.
“Alright, Kairos, everyone. Attention, please.”
The photographer clapped his hands, gathering our focus. He addressed us with a serious expression, much like when he had given me advice earlier.
“I understand that your outfits and poses right now are a little bit funny. I can see that maybe you were expecting something fresher and glossier, so this shoot might feel a little overwhelming.”
Oh, come on, is that really necessary…?
I wanted to ask, ‘Can’t you see the kids are having plenty of fun?’ but as a newbie with about 13 weeks until debut, I had no right to speak.
Ignoring my thoughts, the photographer passionately continued with a fiery look in his eyes (or so I imagined).
“However! I believe that as idols, you have a mission to spread fantasy, energy, and happiness to your fans. I heard this is your first profile shoot before your debut. That means, even more so, you should do your best for the Destinies who will enjoy seeing these photos, don’t you think?”
Who are you that you even know about Destinies?
As my suspicion about the photographer’s identity deepened, the members began to be swayed by his strange passion.
“More challenging concepts and powerful directions will await you in the future. I hope you’ll push your potential to the maximum here today. You can do it! You can be more energetic!”
How much more energetic do we need to be while wearing animal pajamas, sir?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, the photographer gestured for a staff member to quickly bring over a tablet.
“In that spirit, how about trying this pose for the final shot?”
“…This?”
On the tablet screen, seven models were striking different bizarre poses, forming one large formation. Calling it a formation was putting it nicely; what immediately came to mind was…
“Oh, this is like X-War Rangers…”
“Shush. Haru, be quiet.”
It was a hero pose you’d expect to see in a magical warrior show.
Is this for real?
I looked at Ji Suho, wondering if this was actually happening, but he just encouraged us with a bright face, saying we’d be done as soon as we finished this.
Well, rookies don’t have a voice. When they say jump, we ask how high.
With a half-resigned face, I quickly claimed my pose.
“Haru, you take the center. I’ll be on the far left.”
“Huh? I’m the center?”
“You just feel like the red one. Everyone else, pick quickly. Let’s get this over with and go home.”
Since I was the loudest among the members, everyone else checked their poses without much resistance and began to move to the photo zone. Just as I suggested, Dan Haru boldly took the center, and Jung Siwoo, wearing a puppy hood, raised one leg and arm, striking an upward diagonal pose.
Though his face was still Jung Siwoo’s, making him look like a well-sculpted statue, I couldn’t help but be curious about why this hyung always took the lead in such things. When he noticed me staring at him, Jung Siwoo turned slightly and spoke to me.
“What? You should get in position, too.”
“Hyung, you really seem to enjoy things like this.”
“If I only did handsome stuff all the time, it’d be boring. I’ve always wanted to try something like this.”
Well, okay then…
His answer, which left me speechless, made me nod in agreement as I performed a handstand in the pose I’d chosen, executing a freeze move. Naturally, Lee Doha, standing next to me, supported my legs on his shoulder, assuming a martial arts stance.
As Joo Eunchan took his place beside Jung Siwoo, only Lee Yugeon and Seo Taehyun were left. And there was only one pose left.
“Uh….”
“…Hey. Step on me.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t step on you. Hurry up.”
Seeing the remaining pose, Lee Yugeon tapped his leg at Seo Taehyun. Seo Taehyun hesitated for a moment but then stepped onto Lee Yugeon’s thigh, striking a pose in midair.
“Okay, let’s shoot. Don’t lose your expressions! You’re pros!”
Not just the photographer, but the staff around us showered us with compliments like ‘cute,’ ‘cool,’ and ‘professional,’ as if trying to encourage us. Just when I thought I was about to snap out of it, seeing everyone genuinely impressed by the results made us start taking it seriously.
“Hm. Let’s move back a little and strike the pose again. Right now, you’re too close to the background.”
After taking a few shots, the photographer asked us to release our poses and stand up. Without a second thought, we obediently stepped back.
…If only we had taken a moment to think it through, we might have wondered what difference it made how close we were to the white chroma key wall. But our eyes and ears were already blinded by the heavy responsibility of being ‘pros.’
“More, more! A little more! Further back!”
“Further back?”
“But there’s a wall here?”
“Yes, good. A little more back. Back, back!”
Following his instructions, we kept moving back until we reached the end of the wall where the white curtain was hung. With no place left to go, the photographer kept checking the camera angle, repeatedly shouting, ‘Just a little more!’
The moment I sensed something was off and touched the wall behind the curtain with my hand…
“Huh?”
Bang!
Crash!
Thud!
Joo Eunchan, who had been diligently moving backward without any suspicion, leaned on the wall (which we thought was solid) beyond the curtain and fell right over. As I heard the sound of something tearing, the curtain we were standing under collapsed and covered us all.
As soon as one person started to trip, the rest of the members tumbled down like dominoes. Instinctively, I shielded Dan Haru’s head as we fell―,
“…Uh?”
Instead of hard ground, we landed on a soft mattress.
What’s going on? I hurriedly pushed the curtain off us and looked around. Where the wall should have been, a bunch of staff and cameras were pointing at us.
“What is this…?”
The other members seemed equally stunned, trying to grasp the situation.
I quickly scanned the surroundings. It looked like a large studio space that had been divided with temporary walls, hastily covered with chroma key fabric. We had fallen into a purposely created gap between those walls.
“Alright, everyone!”
Beyond the space, back at our original photo zone, Ji Suho and the
remaining staff were grinning at us. Sitting there, feeling a mix of betrayal and disbelief, I heard a very familiar voice among the cameras.
“Welcome to Kairos’s debut reality show, ‘Today’s Kairos’!”
It was none other than my former boss, now the main PD of Miro Maze.
The team leader of ‘Studio Q,’ who would be producing all kinds of variety shows with Miro for at least a year, thanks to a deal with Joo Eunchan.
It was PD Kwon Myungeun, known from the show ‘Voluntary Resignation’ (where PD Kwon and Writer Go spend all four seasons at work).
As the members slowly got up and realized what had happened, a fake cannon exploded with a bang! And a banner that had been hanging from the ceiling unfurled with a rustle.
“The theme of ‘Today’s Kairos’ first episode is!”
<☆Can Praise Really Make a Whale Dance?☆>
“A surprise experiment camera to see how far Kairos can go if trapped in a praise prison!”
…These damn broadcasting people are at it again!
When I glanced back, I saw the overzealous, crazed photographer handing the camera back to a staff member and bowing to everyone, thanking them for their hard work. Writer Go Se-eun quickly added an explanation.
“Ah. By the way, the photographer was a real photographer. We wanted to hire an actor, but he thought it would be more fun if he did it himself…. So, all your profile photos are real. Though the animal pajamas you’re wearing now were only for the reality show’s opening….”
Hearing that, the members all showed expressions of betrayal and despair. I also looked at PD Kwon with a hollow expression, and he smiled and said to me in a cheerful voice.
“How much do you think the staff struggled to deceive the sharp Hajin?”
Damn it.
The tough road to being an idol?
No wonder something felt off!