Chapter 120

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: NicoleTempest

Chapter 120 Jealousy, Not Envy

“I don’t usually talk about this, but...”

There it was.

The prelude to a confession that would make the speaker feel better, but also regretful for saying it out loud. The kind of thing that was better left unsaid.

Hwijin looked around awkwardly and laughed. He ran his fingers through his hair.

“It’s not easy to get along with them. There’s a big age gap, and they all have their own agendas.”

True. Shim Naru, the youngest member of Floss, was only nineteen. Kang Yu-geon was twenty-three, and the rest were somewhere between twenty and twenty-four.

Hwijin, who was twenty-nine and had served in the military while pursuing an acting career, would have a hard time fitting in with the kids who had just graduated from high school or were still attending.

I was also able to mingle with the members without any barriers, but only because I wore a mask of a similar age.

“Yu-geon said something similar, so I was curious.”

I couldn’t just listen without responding, so I said something to show my interest.

“Yu-geon?”

“Yes, he said you all seemed close.”

“Yu-geon probably feels the same way. I don’t think there’s anyone in the group who doesn’t.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just stared blankly at the mountain.

After about five minutes of silence, Hwijin sighed and opened his mouth again.

“When I debuted at Naru’s age, I was really close with my members. We used to hang out at each other’s houses since we were trainees. Our parents even knew each other.”

Yeah, I had seen some self-made content from other idol groups, where they showed their families having meals and socializing.

“Floss... we were all competing for the debut spot, so there was some tension. But I thought, once we became a group, maybe we could get along better... That’s what I hoped for.”

The way he talked, it sounded like things didn’t go as he expected.

“So now...”

I asked cautiously, and Hwijin smiled bitterly.

“To put it nicely, we’re solo players. To be honest, we hate each other, but we have to stick together for the money. Oh, by the way, this doesn’t apply to all project groups. There are some that get along well. It’s just not us.”

Hwijin tried to justify himself, but his face was shadowed by sadness.

“Usually, the ones who did well on the same stage and had good chemistry became friends. Me... I ended up in the same team as Yu-geon for the final mission, and he had some trouble with the previous group performance... He’s more of a loner, I guess. He keeps his distance.”

He seemed to imply that there was some incident, but I didn’t want to pry. It was better to just listen quietly.

“Yu-geon, that bastard... You know, right? He kept messing up his schedule and making things worse. He deserved to be hated, but me... Ah...”

Hwijin rambled on, getting more agitated. He scratched his head furiously.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t say these things to someone else’s leader. Just... take it with a grain of salt.”

“No, no. I understand. I was curious, too... Yu–geon seems to be hiding something, but I didn’t want to ask. You don’t have to worry about me telling anyone.”

I felt a bit overwhelmed by his story.

Should I even listen to this? Why is he telling me all this when we’re not even close?

At first, I was suspicious, but then I noticed how slumped Hwijin’s shoulders were. He looked like he needed to vent to someone, anyone.

I understood the situation, but I needed a safe bamboo forest where I wouldn’t go around blabbering about it.

‘Anyway, I can’t solve it for you... If all I can do is listen.’

I patiently listened to Hwijin without interrupting him. It was easy to say a word or two, but what was so hard about just listening?

As I nodded and comforted him, the moon tilted and went over the mountain.

‘You can’t just spill everything like this when someone listens to you next time.’

‘I’m sorry. Maybe it’s because I trust you, Ise... I keep saying things I can’t say to the members, haha...’

[- There are too many foreign comments, I can’t find any Korean ones]

[- What are they sayingᅲᅲᅲᅲ I wanted to see some funny comments]

It hurt my heart, but... this was not a problem that we could solve.

It was only after a day had passed that I could see the Korean comments that the other fans had upvoted to the top.

[- Hwijin, you came here to have fun, right? ᄏᄏᄏ큐ᅲᅲᅲᅲ I’m sorry, it didn’t look like you were having fun. Our concept was supposed to be healing]

[ᄂ It was so funny to see you fall backwards from the surprise, I’m sorryᅲᅲᅲᅲᅲᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ]

[ᄂ The production team edited that part so hilariouslyᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ]

[- I only saw Hwijin briefly on My Idol and thought he just debuted, but he’s so cuteᄏᄏᄏᄏ When he’s with Seberji, they look like a college club meeting and it’s adorable. I hope he doesn’t get hurt by the malicious commentsᅲᅲᅲ]

[ᄂ Our leader Hwijin is cute, but he also has a lot of cool moments, so please check them out when you have time! (link)]

[ᄂ I saw this on the community, it’s famous thereᄒᄒ! Good luck on the stage!]

[- Yi-jun and Yu-geon look like brothers when they stick together, so cuteᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ The members of Climax and Floss seem to get along well, I hope they don’t get swayed by the weird rumors. I’m rooting for Floss to show us a great stage!]

[ᄂ Thank youᅲᅲᅲᅲᅲᅲ I apologize on behalf of some of the weird fans! Don’t worry, no one believes the NBS rumors, fighting!]

It was fair to say that most of the reactions were positive. Of course, there were not only good things.

There were also negative comments like, are you trying to start a fight by using your brain?

I pressed the report button without any hesitation. As if they would change their minds because of me...

And so another week passed. And the first shooting day of Boys Be Ambitious arrived.

“Wow, what is this building? It looks so interesting!”

When we arrived at the address that the production team had sent us in advance, we saw a strange four-story building that looked like a pool villa.

“They say this is a place that a lot of survival shows use. There’s a hall-like space inside where we can gather and talk, and there are separate waiting rooms for each team?”

Does that mean they’re going to make team-based progress? I thought of the other programs that I had watched as preparation and nodded vaguely at the interior that I couldn’t easily imagine.

We also needed a dedicated stage for the performance, so we moved to a nearby concert hall.

“Well, anyway... let’s just go in.”

According to the script that we had received beforehand, we were the first group to enter the set.

‘What did they base the order on?’

I guess I would find out as I saw the other groups coming in, but... being the first didn’t seem like a positive order.

Even though we were rising stars who were hot on the reverse run... our level was still not that much.

As I cautiously passed through the corridor leading to the underground auditorium and went down to the lower floor, a much darker set than I thought came into my eyes.

[Welcome! The first participating group is, five years after their debut! The rediscovery of the hidden pearl that was buried, we have Climax!]

Along with the loud remark of the MC, whom I had heard his voice sometimes, the view of the set and the seat where we had to sit came into my eyes.

[24-hour highest ranking] [?] th

[24-hour views] [?] times

[24-hour trend index] [?] points

Above the seats divided by teams, there were billboards covered with question marks.

We were rising stars, making a comeback after years of obscurity. But we still had a long way to go.

I followed the dim corridor that led to the underground auditorium. As I descended to the lower floor, I saw a dark and gloomy set that looked worse than I expected.

[Welcome! Our first group for today is Climax! They debuted five years ago and now they’re back with a bang! They’re the hidden gems of the industry!]

The MC’s voice boomed over the speakers. I recognized him from somewhere. I looked around and saw the set and the seats where we were supposed to sit.

[24-hour highest ranking] [?] th

[24-hour views] [?] times

[24-hour trend index] [?] points

Above each team’s seat, there were billboards with question marks.