Chapter 173:

Chapter 173:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Sometimes you had to do things you didn’t like.

That was why he always tried to enjoy what he had to do anyway.

“Let’s have some fun. Hanjo. It’s embarrassing, but... what can we do?”

“Yes. I’ll do my best to enjoy it.”

As Hanjo and Woojoo exchanged such words, the members around them whispered.

“What are they so serious about?”

“It’s shameful. Well, I would have rolled around in embarrassment.”

“But it’s fun to watch. Hehe.”

Hanjo and Woojoo turned their heads at the same time and gritted their teeth.

“These ungrateful bastards...”

This was all thanks to them that they got this ad! Huh?

They glared at them and they ran away to a corner of the set, saying “Grandpas are angry”.

“...”

Woojoo took a deep breath and looked around.

This was a studio they came to for filming.

Today’s schedule was a 30-second short ad for YouTube.

The advertiser was ‘Hyperstudy’, the largest entrance exam company in the country, who hired them because of the meme from the TBC Year-End Music Festival.

“Hey, guys!”

“Yes, Director!”

Fourteen of them gathered in front of the director. He looked at Hanjo and Woojoo alternately and said, “You two are the main, so you have to do well. Got it?”

“Yes, we’ll do our best with our bones breaking!”

“Then I’ll also do my best with something breaking...”

The Director pointed to the camera movement with his finger.

“I’ll explain, so listen carefully. The basic layout is the same as the VCR you filmed. You’ll walk from both sides like you did then, and then say the lines in the script. The rest of you, just act with your expressions in the back.”

“Yes, we got it!”

“You’re energetic and good. Okay, I’ll call you when you’re ready, so warm up a bit.”

The members started to loosen their necks or shoulders.

As Woojoo rotated his arms and warmed up, Hanjo looked at him with curious eyes.

“Oh, I think I learned that in elementary school. Does that loosen your body?”

“It’s very effective.”

“Then I’ll also...”

They did some national gymnastics and chatted.

It was mostly about the new dorm or the recent schedule. Hanjo said, “Oh, by the way, today is the day, right? Idol Show episode 2.”

“...Yes.”

“I’m looking forward to it. I really enjoyed the first episode. I watched it to monitor how others do, but they were all funny and good.”

“I heard that. Hanjo, you laughed the loudest when I wrote the cat letter.”

“Ah, ah...”

“I’m disappointed. Was our friendship only that much?”

“No, no. That was a joke. Namu laughed the loudest.”

Hanjo pointed to LB, who was far away. He was laughing with Jiho, who was shoulder to shoulder.

“Anyway, our kids and the Street Boys seem to have gotten closer.”

“Yeah. The distance has also shortened.”

Thanks to the influence of Mint Choco-dan, the Street Boys and their New Black kids were very friendly to each other.

They were more friendly than them, but Woojoo didn’t know the exact situation, but it seemed that they got a better position in the company thanks to them.

It was a pretty nice sight.

The first friend they made since they entered the music industry... should he say that?

Well, they were not at the stage of talking freely yet...

“Namu Hyung!”

“Jiho!”

“It’s so nice that we’re talking, right?”

...They are. They are.

As the members who had similar personalities became friends, Hanjo and Woojoo turned their heads and soon met eyes.

“Then we should also...”

“Well...”

After a brief awkward silence, Woojoo suggested, “Shall we take some time?”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

He answered with a sigh on his face.

Just then, the production crew called them.

“Let’s get ready for shooting!”

The staff came over and brushed their hair, sprayed some hairspray to fix it, and made them look neat and clean.

They walked towards the center of the studio, leaving no dust on their clothes.

Hyperstudy’s ‘2015 New Years Package.’

A 30-second YouTube ad preview.

Thump-

The screen went black.

The sound of a pounding heart filled the screen as it lit up again.

Students in uniforms appeared at both ends of the hallway.

On the left, nine science students with blue ties, and on the right, five humanities students with red ties.

The tense BGM intensified and the scene resembled a meme from the internet.

After a dialogue like the one from the year-end music festival.

Woojoo: Great, then do you want to take online classes with me?

Hanjo: Sorry, I’m a humanities student.

Then, Woojoo added something new.

Woojoo: It doesn’t matter if you’re a humanities student.

Hanjo: No way... a unlimited package that doesn’t care about science or humanities?

Woojoo: (Smiling with his eyes) That’s right.

The two groups behind them make surprised faces with smoke effects.

At the top of the screen, the golden words ‘Hyperstudy 2015 New Year’s Unlimited Lecture Package’ appear.

Below them, fourteen idols stand.

With the voices of the two leaders in front, they all raise their thumbs.

Everyone: Students are the future, Hyperstudy!

Lemon Entertainment. Management Team 4 office.

“Why do you look so gloomy? Again.”

“I can’t help but smile when I imagine how happy our Souffles will be when the ad airs.”

“I don’t think so.”

“No, really. I’m sincerely happy.”

Woojoo gave a bitter smile and Seokhwan Hyung burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, he said abruptly, “Hey, anyone would think you were forced to do it. You were the one who wanted to do it first.”

“Well, yeah... but I always feel a bit of a reality check. The strange sense of defeat that remains when I raise my popularity with a dark history.”

“Just be grateful. Other groups would be dying to film an ad like this.”

“I know that, of course. Our manager.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s awesome.”

For a moment, happiness spread across their faces.

They were the expressions they had when they finished their diet and went to eat meat.

“We have to choose what we like from these, right?”

“I want to see too. Hyung.”

They laughed and took it for a while, but soon their eyes became calm and looked at the proposal.

The sound of turning pages filled the practice room.

Woojoo was about to tell them to look carefully, but they seemed so serious that he felt like he was being too harsh.

He also examined the proposals thoroughly.

He imagined how they would do if they got in, how well they could perform.

Woojoo looked for a good program that matched well with them.

The situation was different from last year.

In 2014, they wanted to go on any TV program to raise their popularity, but now they had to be more careful.

Of course, going on a public broadcast show was still like reaching for the stars, but they could afford to be picky about cable or general service channels.

For example.

“Love and Match...?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a show on a general service channel. Celebrities appear and make couples with love sticks.”

“...Let’s skip this one.”

They also eliminated the programs that were too crazy or would ruin their image.

After they removed the ones that they couldn’t do, only a third of them remained.

And then they chose a program that all five of them could appear on, and another third was left.

It was when they were sorting out the few remaining proposals.

“Uh...!”

Rihyuk shouted like he had found gold.

“This, this is it!”

“What is it?”

“I found something that fits my taste perfectly!”

He swallowed his saliva and clenched his fist, looking excited. They felt rather sour.

“Why do I feel so uneasy when he says it fits his taste?”

“Exactly. It must be something weird. Like a show that cleans your house and asks, ‘Is your home healthy? We have a home doctor.’.”

But they were curious.

What did he see that made him so flushed and excited?

Soon, they all blinked.

“...Sok Sok History Exploration Team?”

The proposal that Rihyuk handed over said ‘Sok Sok! History Exploration Team!’.

They thought the name was a bit childish, and sure enough. The first page of the proposal proudly stated the program category.

“Rihyuk, this is a children’s educational program.”

“I know that. But look at the content. It’s awesome.” Rihyuk explained, “It teaches historical events of our country every episode. But the cast doesn’t just explain the events, they act them out.”

“...Wait, wait! Act them out?”

Their youngest was already 90 percent gone.

“They also do simple makeup.”

“Makeup!”

...He was 100 percent gone.

“They act out the events to explain them. They wear king or servant clothes, and go to folk villages or palaces to film them.”

“Oh, that sounds fun.”

Not only the youngest, but they were also interested.

It was a children’s program, but the format was fresh and appealing.

It was a bit of an awkward time slot, but it was a huge advantage to be aired on HBS, a terrestrial channel.

And most importantly, it was not a one-time appearance, but a regular appearance that lasted for a long time.

They looked at each other.

“This is good, isn’t it?”

“It seems like fun. And promising.”

“Let’s give it a try. We can challenge the president with this.”

They checked out the other proposals, but the one they liked the most was Sok Sok History Expedition.

Woojoo decided to convey their opinion to the management team as the representative.

“Ugh, I’m stiff.”

Was it because they sat for over two hours reading the proposals? They gathered around in a circle and massaged each other’s shoulders one after another.

“Ah, that feels good... But guys, why do I feel like we’re forgetting something?”

“Me too. I feel like something is missing.”

“Did we miss anything?”

“No. Except for watching Idol Show episode 2 later...”

“Huh?”

Starting from Woojoo, the hands that were rubbing the shoulders stopped one by one.

“Huh?”

“Huh.”

“Huh...?”

“Huh!”

The current time was 7 o’clock.

Idol Show, which started at 6 o’clock, was already over.

“We should have monitored it!”

They all ran to the corner of the practice room and looked at the phones connected to the chargers.

They saw the messages that caught their eyes right away.

Kim Deoksoon [You did well today too]

Han Taehyun [Dude ᄏᄏᄏᄏprivate property? ᄏᄏᄏᄏ]

They ignored all the nasty messages and looked for the place where their Souffles were gathered.

As expected.

-Our Jiho, are you okay with your growing pains?

-Jangsoon ᄏᄏᄏᄏ dung beetle ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ

-Daegil, are you watching? Your friend is a dung beetle

-Mom and dad, this is the idol member I like... No, he’s not a cicada, he’s a dung beetle (shy)

-Let’s go to Dung Beetle Day instead of Souffle Day for the next fan meeting

-I laughed so hard I spit bubbles ᄏᄏᄏᄏ

...Something had exploded.

At the same time.

“...”

Yoon Seokhwan stared at the ceiling without a word.

For a long time.

“...”

He felt a headache... coming on.