Being a fan of Kim Eumyul meant they had watched <Debut Chart>. During the show, he had built an image of harmless cuteness beside Gowon, whose image and position were his complete opposite. He had also secured votes from people invested in their dynamic.
His fans firmly believed the two were close. As a result, the vague attack aimed at Gowon had somehow transformed into an attack aimed at Yoon Hari.
Ahㅋㅋ but a kid who hasn’t even debuted is already taking shots at a female seniorㅋㅋㅋ Really shows his personality
Even opinions like that were gradually beginning to appear.
Of course, any rational fan would have realized that this turn of events did Kim Eumyul absolutely no good.
But they were fans who had endured a survival competition and two failed debuts. Their resentment had accumulated beyond measure.
Besides, Kim Eumyul himself had often dropped bait like this and guided them in the same direction.
“We went through a lot of fucking awful things to get this far... and had to swallow a lot of shit, you know? We endured it all and made it.”
Shin Saera tilted her head.
“So who the hell are you to start acting like you can’t endure anything already?”
“......”
“You... need to learn how to hold back first.”
Practice was cancelled. Kim Eumyul immediately deleted the post, then started a live broadcast in the meeting room under an employee’s supervision.
“Hello. I’m sorry for causing a misunderstanding with such a sudden post. After seeing so many brilliant senior artists at <Music Sea> today, I felt that I needed to push myself harder, and that was why I posted it. I deeply regret my careless judgment... and I sincerely apologize to Senior Hari of Dearune and... Senior Gowon.”
After returning to the accommodations and trying to digest the humiliation of that mortifying apology, one of the members opened his bedroom door and poked his head inside.
“Hey, Kim Eumyul... are you okay?”
“Get out!”
Fuck. If I’d gone to K-Dom too, I would’ve debuted ages ago and none of this would have happened. These Maybe Entertainment bastards can’t even clean up a mess properly, so why are they ordering me around?
The words he could not shout aloud were buried furiously in his pillow.
***
“Brother!”
“What?”
Kwon Taeyoung’s home was five minutes from the company.
When he bought the place, he had given every Young Ace member the door-lock code. At the same time, the house had become something of a secondary dormitory.
That was why Kwon Taeyoung merely glanced over from the sofa when I opened the door and barged inside.
“Nothing happened to Gowon, right?”
“No. Why are you so worried about a kid who’s diligently getting through his promotions?”
I did not want to worry about him either. But....
Completion Requirement: Music show appearances (14/15)
A one-off quest would have been one thing. Having to spend three full weeks clearing it was far more nerve-racking than I had expected.
“If Gowon doesn’t keep appearing on music shows, the Korean entertainment industry will collapse.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Brother, who has the greatest face ever produced by the Korean male idol ecosystem?”
“Cha Yensu.”
“See?”
Before his debut, I could help by producing his album, but there was nothing else I could do during promotions. I simply had to watch the quest window day after day, feeling like a parent waiting for a child they had sent on an errand.
Still, there was only one music show left now.
“You were right about appearing on Rnet, Hanje.”
“Yeah? Why?”
“Apparently the music-show producer hated the producer who rigged <Debut Chart>. They supposedly even warned him not to live like that while the manipulation was going on. Anyway, they seemed to feel sorry for Gowon and took good care of his stage.”
“Oh, that’s nice.”
“Looks like your instincts were right again.”
“Of course. Listen to the youngest member and good things will come to you even in your sleep.”
“After more than ten years of those good things pouring out endlessly, I’m starting to wonder where this miraculous source is.”
He seemed to be growing suspicious of all my talk about “instinct,” and even I had to admit I had done plenty of things worth questioning.
But what was I supposed to do? It really was an inexplicable phenomenon.
“Brother, I’m bored. Give me a snack.”
So I had to brush it off like this.
Kwon Taeyoung stared at me for a moment, then rose without a word. When he returned, he dumped a pile of snacks onto the sofa.
Chicken-breast chips, beef jerky, mixed nuts....
“Are you insane? If you’re going to live like this, just make a comeback already!”
“There’s nothing wrong with taking care of my health.”
“I’m going to start writing Kwon Taeyoung’s solo song right now.”
“Hmm....”
As though changing the subject the way I had moments earlier, Kwon Taeyoung spoke.
“Gowon will win first place today. Thanks to you.”
“He probably will. Dearune is out of the running now.”
To prevent one song from dominating for ten consecutive weeks as in the old days, music shows no longer allowed a song to win after receiving three trophies.
Dearune had earned its third crown during its final week of promotions. The song remained firmly lodged on the charts, but with their promotions over, they had honorably withdrawn from trophy contention.
The fans had probably rallied around this opportunity, determined to give Gowon at least one award.
—The frightening rookie who heated up this cold winter, Gowon, is about to present his final stage! The passionate <Unlimited(∞)> and <DRIFT>—Music Play starts now!
Today’s <Unlimited(∞)> outfit was a dark khaki jumpsuit reminiscent of a pilot’s uniform. He had unzipped the front to reveal the T-shirt underneath and rolled the sleeves above his elbows.
Gowon stood in formation behind the dancers. The moment the introductory beat sounded, he strode forward.
—Go one way
Go one more round
“The lyrics are good. They sound exactly like a twenty-year-old. How did you come up with that?”
“You’re praising them now? I originally planned to put ‘Tae-Young Ace’ where ‘Go one way’ is.”
“...This is better.”
Kwon Taeyoung shuddered at the thought of having to recite that lyric. Of course, even if I became his mortal enemy, I would never play that kind of joke in a song.
While we bickered, Gowon swept his hair back, raised his head, and began the rap section.
His unrivaled atmosphere came from the desperation he radiated onstage. That was where people saw something refreshing.
Charging forward without ever looking back, with no room in his eyes for anything else.
God....
It was infuriating how much trouble he put me through.
Gowon
Dance Lv.79 (▲12)
Throughout the promotional cycle, his skills had advanced as though an icebreaker were forcing its way through frozen waters.
Watching him perform with skill impossible to believe from a rookie filled me with pride before I knew it.
That’s the song I made.
I had no choice but to admit it. During these promotions, Gowon had perfectly fulfilled his role as my muse.
“Oh... Don’t you think that was his best music-show stage so far?”
A quiet laugh came from beside me.
“You watched all of them?”
“...No?”
“What did I tell you? There’s nothing wrong with watching because you like him.”
“I said no!”
“You spent more than ten years as the youngest member. It makes sense that you’d like having a younger one around now. Just don’t torment him too much.”
“I said that’s not it.”
It was an unavoidable situation because of the quest... but explaining that would not make him understand.
At the final segment of the music show, Gowon was called forward as a first-place nominee. He must have been told he had a chance of winning, yet his expression remained as impassive as ever. The only sign of emotion was a faint flush that crossed his cheeks whenever he waved toward the fan section.
—First place goes to <Unlimited(∞)>! Congratulations!
It was an expected victory.
Sure enough, he was remarkably calm for someone receiving his first win. Even when his name was announced, he merely blinked once.
Well, these days, people sometimes called it obnoxious when artists jumped around too much after winning first place. Perhaps staying that composed was not a bad thing.
—Gowon, please tell us how you feel after achieving a perfect <Unlimited(∞)>.
A transparent trophy and bouquet were placed in Gowon’s hands.
He looked down at the words engraved on the trophy, then raised his head.
—...This feels more like a dream than an actual dream.... The name “Gowon” that all of you are calling... I can barely believe it’s really mine....
He spoke dazedly, then suddenly came to his senses and bowed several times before lifting his head again.
—I sincerely thank Division Head Kwon Taeyoung, who always looks after me, Chief Manager Park Jonghyeok, Assistant Manager Kim Chayeon, Team Leader Shin Namwon, who gave me such an amazing concept, Manager Lee Seowoo.... And Senior Hanzel, who gave someone as lacking as me a song far beyond what I deserved and made it possible for me to stand here.
Gowon bit his lip once, released it, and continued.
—Grandma, Grandpa, Sua, Suhyeon. My beloved family. And all the fans who supported me—thank you, always.
At that moment, a tear spilled from his bloodshot eye and rolled down his cheek.
—Hng.
A short sound escaped him. While he stood there startled by his own reaction, the tears became a steady stream down his face.
The impassive mask vanished. Just as he had said in his speech, he looked like someone witnessing a miracle with his own eyes.
Apparently, he had not believed the adults who told him he would win today at all.
Or perhaps he still had that little faith... in himself.
The audience erupted into loud cheers at the fresh, honest reaction of a rookie achieving his first win.
—Don’t cry! Don’t cry!
He had no members to pass the microphone to and no one else for the camera to turn toward. The screen showed nothing but Gowon standing alone, tears falling steadily.
Both hands were full with the bouquet, trophy, and microphone, so he clumsily wiped his face with his shoulder while bowing over and over.
—Thank... you. Thank you so much.
Now he finally looks twenty.
Overwhelmed by emotion, unable to control himself, acting without calculation, and incapable of hiding his happiness even through the confusion.
I watched him through the screen and folded my arms.
“That brat. I told him not to make his fans suffer through miserable devotion, so why is he crying like that...?”
“Do you need a tissue?”
“No. Use it yourself.”
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