Chapter 199. First Live (1)
The next day.
After finishing a simple shoot in the morning, I returned to the company as the group’s representative to have a meeting with Ji Suho.
“Unit live?”
“Yes. We also came up with some content ideas yesterday among the members.”
Due to the lack of time, I had quickly prepared a one-page paper using Lee Doha’s laptop last night and handed it to Ji Suho. The paper contained the units we had formed and the content references for each unit.
After checking the paper, Ji Suho looked at me and spoke seriously.
“Hajin.”
“Yes?”
“Even if I tell you that you don’t have to go this far in the future, you’ll still do it like this, right?”
“…This is just how I feel at ease.”
When I quietly averted my gaze with the implied message of “What can I do about my cursed work habits,” Ji Suho pressed his forehead and nodded as if resigning himself to the fact. Then, as if he still couldn’t understand, he leaned forward, clasped his hands together, and asked me again with a voice full of suspicion.
“What did you do to Eunchan hyung…?”
“…Wh-what, all of a sudden?”
“When we had a meeting about the PPL matter this time, he asked if I had any plans to retire you early. I almost lost one of our idols to a furniture company before debuting.”
“…….”
“Didn’t PD Kwon say the same thing? Asking if you were considering learning the business if you failed the survival show.”
Hmm. Had I unintentionally committed too many sins?
As I continued to feign ignorance in response to Ji Suho’s barrage of words, he relaxed and, with a rather desperate look in his eyes, asked again.
“You’re going to keep doing idol stuff, right…?”
“…Gosh, that’s nonsense. If I stop being an idol, it’ll be an endless reset loop. And besides, you’ve already got my signed contract.”
“Right. All we can trust is the contract signature.”
Only then did Ji Suho seem relieved, nodding as he lightly tapped the paper I had prepared.
“This looks good. We can proceed once we finalize the schedule. Yu-geon and Taehyun are on board, right?”
“Yes. They still seemed a bit awkward with each other this morning, but they were talking.”
“Good. I figured you and Siwoo would handle it well, so the company didn’t interfere.”
Should I be thankful that he trusts me?
Feeling slightly awkward in response to his unexpected answer, I just laughed and scratched the back of my neck. Ji Suho coolly ignored my reaction and brought up a concern.
“But running the live won’t be easy. Will you be okay? Taehyun has a lot of experience, so I think he’ll do well, but… being with Yu-geon might give off a different vibe. If the atmosphere feels awkward, it could backfire.”
“Oh, that’s fine.”
I lightly shook my head, flashing a confident smile.
From one to ten, I knew a cheat code that would perfectly unite these two nineteen-year-olds who were similar yet different.
“They won’t have time to fight with each other.”
“…?”
“They’ll be too busy fighting with me.”
“…Huh?”
* * *
On a typical afternoon.
Without any debut teasers, Kiss Day, or today’s Kairos updates, the Desti fans who were enduring a no-fun day suddenly received a new notification.
<First Live Test Broadcast V_V>
It was an announcement for none other than Kairos’ first live broadcast!
‘What? What? They’re doing a live all of a sudden?’
The surprised Desti fans quickly joined the live broadcast. As soon as they connected, they saw Hajin sitting in a practice room, wearing a loose black T-shirt and khaki training pants known as the “HoX Lux.”
– First liveeeeeee
– Hul
– Omggggggg
– Hajinie hiii
– Hello, baby!
– Let’s see… is this working well?
Hajin alternated between looking at the camera broadcasting the live and something beside it while fixing his bangs. He seemed to have a separate monitoring device set up next to him.
– Ah, ah. Can you hear my voice well? If you can, type 1.
– 1111111111111111
– I can hear you!!!
– 1
– 11111
– 111
– Is Hajin alone? I want to see Taehyun
– Oppa, today’s my birthdayㅠㅠㅠ It’s so touching that you came on my birthday…
– ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
– Okay, you can hear me and see me well. How about the song? If you can hear it well, type the song title. Try to guess what it is.
Seeing the comments fly by at lightning speed, Hajin grinned and turned up the volume on the nearby speaker. The sound of someone singing a gentle ballad accompanied by a piano played softly in the background.
– ???
– I don’t know
– HJ, would you marry me?
– I have no ideaㅠㅠ
– Comment blocked due to inappropriate language
– What song is this?
– Could it be a debut ㅅㅍ????
– Isn’t it that song by Daisy?
Hajin read the comments, most of which said they didn’t know the song, and nodded in satisfaction before turning off the music.
-You’re right; you wouldn’t know. It’s a song Siwoo hyung sang randomly in the recording studio. It’s clear now that you can hear it well. Okay, test over.
Once it was revealed that the voice they had just heard belonged to Jung Siwoo, the comments section exploded with excitement. Some fans asked to hear it again, while others wondered if it was a teaser for their debut song. Hajin shook his head firmly, as if to say, “No way,” and absentmindedly tapped his fingers on his leg.
-I just wanted to test things out before our first live broadcast. The real broadcast will start at exactly 7 PM. I won’t be doing it alone….
Hajin narrowed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought, then smiled mischievously and waved at the screen.
-Anyway, it’s going to be fun. See you at 7.
With that, Hajin ended the broadcast cleanly. Although it was only a five-minute live, the Desti fans were thrilled to finally have something to enjoy.
—
**Kanghadi @kang_HD**
There was a live broadcast.
But there wasn’t.
(Live notification screenshot)
(Live ended screen capture)
‖
**Kanghadi @kang_HD**
There wasn’t a live broadcast.
But it’s coming again.
Kang Hajin forever.
(Clip of Hajin announcing the 7 PM live)
—
[Selfie Alert for the Relay Live]
**Kairos @Daily_KIRUS**
**※ Kairos Relay Live Announcement ※**
**TODAY: Hajin, Taehyun, Yugeon**
**Join us on Ivers at 7 PM tonight ♡**
(Selfie of Hajin, Yugeon, and Taehyun in different training outfits)
It seems like only three of them will be there??
From the looks of it, it seems like it’ll be a dance practice room live. I’m so excited ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Oh my god, it’s the grandpas and grandsonsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Grandpa and grandsonsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Omg, I’m really looking forward to this
– With those two next to him, Taehyun really looks small and precious
Although there were a few negative reactions to Hajin’s test broadcast or the lineup for the live, the Desti fans, who didn’t want to spoil the anticipation for the first live, decided to turn a blind eye for today.
After all, how can people constantly worry and criticize everything? Sometimes, you just need to ignore things and enjoy them.
As time passed, 7 PM finally arrived, and as scheduled, Kairos’ first official live broadcast began.
<Do we look like we’re training for a debut challenge?>
The Desti fans who had been briefly startled by the unusual title quickly entered the live.
In the same empty practice room as before, this time, Hajin, Taehyun, and Yugeon were sitting. Hajin, who was sitting in the center, was holding a tablet for monitoring the comments, while Taehyun and Yugeon, sitting on either side of him, were leaning in and glancing at Hajin.
-Is it working? Is it on?
-Yeah. We’re live right now.
-…Shouldn’t we greet them first?
-Let’s wait a bit until more people join.
The three waited for more Desti fans to join the broadcast and, once the numbers seemed sufficient, adjusted their posture to give a proper greeting. Their brisk movements clearly showed how nervous they were for their first broadcast.
-Shall we greet them now?
-I think it’s about time.
-Yeah, let’s start.
-Oh, but….
-……?
Just before greeting, Taehyun glanced at the comment section and leaned toward Hajin and Yugeon, whispering something.
The problem was that the phone’s microphone was so good that every bit of their whispering could be heard.
-Aren’t we supposed to do the group greeting? The one we decided on recently.
-…But is it okay to do that among ourselves? You said it would be better to do it during a group live last time.
-Oh, right. Yeah… Then should we just say “Hello”?
-I’m not sure either. Taehyun, you’ve done
the most broadcasts among us.
-But this is my first time as an idol?
-Okay, guys. They can hear everything you’re saying.
Hajin waved his hands between Yugeon and Taehyun, who were whispering back and forth over him, trying to separate them. Startled by the realization that they had been overheard, Taehyun checked the comments, while Yugeon, looking uncharacteristically shy, seemed awkward and unsure of how to handle the situation, exuding a sense of freshness typical of rookie idols their age.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The high school seniors are so cuteㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– We can hear everything, guys….ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Starting a live is not easy, huh?
-Okay, I’ll greet them first. Hello, Desti fans. This is Kang Hajin of Kairos. Welcome to our first live broadcast!
-Welcome! This is Taehyun!
-…This is Lee Yugeon.
As Hajin smoothly delivered his opening line, Taehyun raised the tension by joining in. Even Yugeon, who wasn’t quite comfortable with this sort of thing, managed to clap along, trying to keep the atmosphere lively.
After successfully delivering their greeting, Hajin quickly moved on to avoid any awkward silences.
-We plan to do unit live broadcasts every Thursday for the next three weeks. We’re the first unit to greet you all.
As if reading from a prepared script, Hajin effortlessly delivered his lines, then pulled a small note from his pocket and held it up in front of the camera.
-Oh, and before we start the broadcast, I jotted down a few announcements. Please take a look and keep them in mind.
Hajin fixed the note with something written on it to the bottom of the screen so it wouldn’t block their bodies or faces. The paper, which slightly covered the practice room floor, had the following written in bold letters:
**<Unit live broadcasts are scheduled every Thursday at 7 PM for the next 3 weeks. Today, it’s just the three of us. The other members are practicing, recording, and working out.>**
**<Happy birthday to everyone who’s celebrating today. We’re studying English diligently, and someday we hope to communicate with you in English too.>**
**<Only we are in this practice room. If you see anything behind us, it’s either a shadow or a ghost, so be sure to capture it and keep a one-of-a-kind ghost photo☆>**
– LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
– What’s thatㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Preemptive trolling to avoid drawing attention
– LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
After securing the note, Hajin continued the broadcast as if nothing had happened.
-So, what are we doing today, Taehyun?
-…? You didn’t tell us. You just told us to show up.
-That’s right. I didn’t tell Yugeon or Taehyun what we’re doing today. They don’t even know the title of the stream. I kept it a secret.
-What are we going to do…? I thought we were just going to dance?
-I didn’t tell you on purpose. If you prepare in advance, it won’t be fun. The key is to dance on the spot without practicing.
The Destis, who had already been spoiled by the stream title, were eagerly posting all sorts of short-form challenges they wanted to see the three of them do. As Hajin quickly scanned the comments, he revealed today’s content.
-Today, we’re going to do challenge training in preparation for our debut. We’re going to master all the trending short-form content today.
-Challenges? Wow, that sounds fun.
-Debut preparation… Is that a rhyme?
The difficulty level didn’t seem too high, so Yugeon and Taehyun reacted calmly. Hajin then added one more mission for them.
-But here’s the thing: I’m not going to watch the original challenge videos.
-……?
-So, you two will have to learn the dance and teach me.
-Us?
-Yeah, you two. I’ll only dance the way you teach me.
Alright, teach me, you little brats.
Hajin declared his plan to coast through the content with confidence, leaving Yugeon and Taehyun to exchange a wordless glance.