Chapter 34: Survival Entertainment Show - Unit (2)

[You will all be staying at the same accommodation for a while. Please create an amazing performance together!]

The meeting room fell silent as the message filled the television screen. We had yet to engage in any real dialogue, but we already had to share a living space among us.

“Living together...” I murmured. The concept took us all by surprise, shown by the blank stares of all the team members.

The composition of our new team seemed to be a gathering of individualists. However, there seemed to be a natural leader in this group.

Being the icebreaker, Woo Ji-Hyuk said, “Well, we’ve seen such a concept during

Pick Me Up

’s unit stages, so I expected as much. We don’t have to rush. We can take our time to decide on the song and concept, is that alright?”

“Yes, that sounds good! Let’s decide on our positions for now and talk about the song or concept later,” remarked the duo from Street Center.

These two seemed to be quite accommodating. Now, it looked like the only ones still feeling shy were me and Kim Jin-Wook, so I tried to relax my slightly tense expression as I spoke, “That sounds like a plan. After all, we are a group for the next two weeks.”

“Right, let’s decide on the leader first. Personally, I would like Ji-Hyuk to do it, as he is already a leader,” commented one of the Street Center members.

“Me? Well, wouldn’t it be better if someone who picked us take the role?”

Woo Ji-Hyuk and Street Center continued the conversation as if they had rehearsed it. I could feel they were trying to break the silence of Kim Jin-Wook and me.

“I also think Woo Ji-Hyuk would be a good choice. He seems very reliable on TV.” I chimed in, agreeing with their suggestion. These people probably thought they had ended up in a difficult team.

Meanwhile, I could hear noises and voices, including those of Goh Yoo-Joon and the excited Lee Jin-Sung from the next meeting rooms. They were quite sociable, so they were probably already calling each other brothers.

Joo-Han, undoubtedly, would be the leader of his team, and Park Yoon-Chan was probably the only other person struggling to fit in.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Woo Ji-Hyuk lightly placed his hand on my shoulder. “Since everyone trusts me, I will be the leader. And since we have members who are not familiar with each other, I would like to appoint a vice-leader.”

“Vice-leader? Oh, that’s a good idea.” The Street Center duo nodded vigorously. Given the size of Street Center, they likely had a well-established vice-leader system. But why did Woo Ji-Hyuk put his hand on my shoulder?

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I looked at Woo Ji-Hyuk who was grinning.

“I’d like Hyun-Woo to be the vice-leader. Didn’t you come up with the Cha-Cha concept? I heard you pitched it, envisioning a performance that would turn your image on its head right at the finale.”

Hearing this, I cursed inwardly. Our manager had been a bit too open about our strategies with those from other agencies.

As I nodded, albeit rigidly, sounds of approval came from Street Center.

“Yeah, many of your ideas were instrumental in the past, and we could use some of your ideas. What does everyone think?”

“...I will do my best if you entrust me with the responsibility.” My voice wasn't full of confidence, but I raised my hand to clearly show my willingness. If the votes of the team members also affected the scores, it would be good to contribute to this team in any way.

Of course, it wouldn’t be as much as the leader, but I should still be able to appeal that I was working hard.

“Wow, we’d really appreciate it if you could take on the role. What do you think, Jin-Wook?” asked Cha Woo-Jeong from Street Center. Kim Jin-Wook had been looking at the floor disinterestedly throughout the meeting. But upon hearing this, he raised his head and said, “Yeah, fine.”

“...So you agree? Then, Hyun-Woo, please take care of us.”

The duo of Street Center seemed somewhat relieved. Finally, conversations started to flow in the meeting room.

“We have to decide on the concept and plan everything without consulting our agencies.”

“It might be a bit challenging for us, but the fans will really love it.”

When people of similar ages came together, a bit of conversation quickly led to a friendly atmosphere. Despite my quiet nature, I even started participating more in the conversation.

As we went on, the discussion about the concept was postponed, and we focused on getting to know each other.

“By the way, how old is everyone? We did a roll call, so we should know each other’s ages too. I’m twenty-two.”

Hearing Woo-Jeong's words, Woo Ji-Hyuk couldn’t hide his enthusiasm. “Oh my gosh, me too! What about you, Ha-Yoon?”

“I just turned twenty not too long ago,” Shin Ha-Yoon answered and then looked at me as soon as he did. Caught off guard, I hesitated, momentarily forgetting my real age.

I replied, "I am nineteen years old." Somehow, it felt like I was lying about my age, and a sense of guilt overcame me.

"Huh? Nineteen years old?" probed Woo Ji-Hyuk with an expression of surprise and confusion.

"Yes, I'm nineteen years old."

Of course, I looked nineteen by appearance. However, Woo Ji-Hyuk wasn’t the only one surprised here. Everyone from the Street Center was making a fuss, and even Kim Jin-Wook, who seemed uninterested in the competition, was staring at me.

"Oh, do I look older?" I had never been told that I looked older than my age.

Then, Woo Ji-Hyuk and the Street Center duos quickly shook their heads. “No, not at all. It’s just that you contributed so many substantial thoughts, so I had assumed you were closer to my age.”

"That's right. Sometimes, the Chronos members seem to listen to Mr. Hyun-Woo well."

Woo Ji-Hyuk and Cha Woo-Jeong took turns speaking. Now, I had to set the record straight. “My words alone don't hold much sway. It’s only with Joo-Han hyung’s backing that they resonate with the others.”

Without Joo-Han’s support, even my suggestions—like Cha-Cha and the concept of having Park Yoon-Chan as the center—would have been brushed off lightly.

“So, Hyun-Woo is still a minor. What about you, Jin-Wook?” Woo-Jeong queried. As soon as he did, the others' anticipation could be felt in the suddenly quiet room. After all, Kim Jin-Wook had been silent all along, and his presence was almost like an afterthought. Now, all eyes were cautiously on him. With a subdued air, he looked up and met Woo Ji-Hyuk’s gaze.

Then, he quietly said, "I'm twenty years old."

"...Ah, so we are the same age," Shin Ha-Yoon answered awkwardly, showing no sign of happiness despite being the same age. When the awkward silence prolonged to the extent that the producing staff were uncomfortable, On-Sae tried changing the mood quickly.

"I'm fifteen years old! I'm the youngest in this team!"

"Fifteen? Second year of middle school? Wow..."

"I was surprised at Hyun-Woo’s age, but On-Sae is even younger."

However, the shock on their faces wasn't as strong as when they learned my age. Yoo On-Sae clearly looked, sounded, and seemed younger based on his appearance.

‘Well, this little guy will become the leader of one of South Korea's top idol groups in the future.’

Unlike his younger self, Yoo On-Sae, whom I mentored, was much taller and had lost his chubby cheeks, looking very mature.

"Haha, please treat me like your little brother. Being too formal would make things awkward when living together."

"Is that okay? Alright, we are a team, so let’s be comfortable with each other. You can speak informally, too, if you want."

The room wasn't as noisy as the one next door, but I thought we had become quite close compared to the beginning. I also joined the members’ conversation.

“Please do the same with me. I’m looking forward to collaborating with all of you,” I responded, hoping to contribute to the warming atmosphere.

While Kim Jin-Wook remained reticent, not engaging in the light banter, the room's mood nonetheless started to ease up. Just as we were settling into this new camaraderie, the door swung open, and a staff member stepped in to signal the end of the day's filming.

As I left the meeting room and waited for the members who hadn't come out yet, Joo-Han approached and sat next to me. "Did you get a bit closer to them? You tend to be shy around people other than us."

"Hmm, I think I will get closer. The other members are making me feel comfortable."

"You’ll get closer when you start living together."

"I hope so. But you seem to be in a really good mood, hyung. It looks like you’ve gotten pretty close to them."

Joo-Han shook his head, indicating it wasn’t quite there yet, but he was grinning from ear to ear. "That’s not it. I was appointed as the leader of the team. Everything is going according to plan."

"What plan? Hyung, don’t be too transparent."

"Hey, why would I bother being the leader if it's not for the team vote? What about you?"

I just shrugged my shoulders. I hadn’t achieved anything significant and couldn’t secure much airtime for the broadcast. If the meeting room scene went on air, I would probably get scolded by Joo-Han for not doing anything.

"Everyone else is an adult except for the youngest member of Ash Black and me. How could I be the leader? We have Woo Ji-Hyuk of High Tension in our team."

"You have a lot of excuses."

"Yes, Woo Ji-Hyuk is the leader. But hyung, I did become the vice leader."

I tried to rationalize it by thinking,

'I took on a role, so it's okay,'

but Joo-Han still seemed dissatisfied.

"If you are the vice leader, you won’t really get much benefit. Woo Ji-Hyuk will take it all."

"...I will do my best. It's all about doing well on stage, isn't it?"

I wasn't particularly disappointed by what Joo-Han said, as I didn't really covet the leader position. However, I had to be more ambitious for the center position in the team. After all, this time, we had to compete with other groups within the same team.

Therefore, I didn't plan on easily giving up the center position.

"But hyung, I think I might be able to take the center position."

"Oh? Hyun-Woo, I also think you will be the center."

Joo-Han and I laughed together. It wasn’t like my team members were bad that I would be the center. The team composition was actually impressive.

Woo Ji-Hyuk was skilled in performances, but he was more of a person who led from the back like Joo-Han. As for Kim Jin-Wook, the center of Air Senior, he didn't seem particularly interested in the performance. While the members of Street Center or On-Sae would go for the center position, I was thinking of securing it even if I had to appeal a bit more greedily.

Then, Lee Jin-Sung came over while bouncing. "You guys came out early, huh?"

"You seem really excited," said Joo-Han

"Your room was really noisy earlier," I added.

Hearing Joo-Han and my words, Lee Jin-Sung pulled up a chair and sat down, grinning. "I'm on the same team as the hyungs from my previous dancing group."

"Oh, the Street Center hyungs?"

"Yes, yes! They picked me on purpose to work together after a long time."

Lee Jin-Sung started chattering excitedly about the contents of their meeting. In the end, it seemed like the hyungs adored him a lot, but Joo-Han left a feisty comment, telling Jin-Sung to take the center position while he was at it. Then, Joo-Han disappeared with our manager.

"What about Yoo-Joon hyung? His room was incredibly loud, too."

"Goh Yoo-Joon makes friends wherever he goes. It seemed like he was playing and talking rather than having a meeting."

He probably hadn’t come back yet because he was secretly exchanging numbers behind our manager's back.

"But still, if the competition is two weeks away, we have to be apart for quite a while."

"Being apart this long is probably our first since becoming a trainee, right?"

"That's right."

It was definitely the first time since Lee Jin-Sung joined. Since we were from the same remote region, we had always shared the same dormitory.

"It will feel like going on a school trip."

I thought that he would feel a bit sad, but Lee Jin-Sung was actually excited. It would have been great if it was as fun as a school trip, but I didn’t think so. In a group with the slightly intimidating Woo Ji-Hyuk and Kim Jin-Wook, who didn’t seem to have any intention of trying hard... The best-case scenario would be for me not to run away in the middle of preparation.