NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 56
Chapter 56. Various Ways to Drop a Parachute (3)
The day of the second mission’s reveal had arrived.
‘Wow, I’m dead tired.’
Seeing me half out of it, the makeup artist chuckled and struck up a conversation.
“Hajin, you look like you’re about to faint.”
“If I don’t open my eyes, please call 911. I’ll have passed out.”
As I responded lightly and closed my eyes as directed, the hectic schedule of the past few days flashed before my eyes.
‘Profile, performance video, additional filming….’
Some trainees who needed more background at the beginning or whom the agency wanted to promote had also shot separate reality VCRs to highlight their characters. Naturally, I fell into both categories, so of course, I had additional filming.
…With Kang Hawon.
-Your brother?
-Yes. Hajin, you’re close with your brother, and it makes a good picture. An older brother in music, a younger brother in art.
-An artistic family… wouldn’t Jung Siwoo be a better fit?
-No, not that kind of thing. More like warm brotherly love, supporting each other’s dreams?
-I’ll ask him, but he’ll probably refuse.
I thought he’d refuse since he doesn’t even use social media, let alone appear on TV, but Kang Hawon unexpectedly agreed right away.
-He said yes? Seriously?
-Why are you making such a fuss?
-You hate things like this, don’t you?
-…Well, if you don’t need me, never mind.
-No, please do it. Teacher Hawon, please. Thank you so much.
Thanks to him, I didn’t have to visit his high school and reminisce with his homeroom teacher about how he stood out since his school days. I also got to hang out with Kang Hawon a lot.
“Still, Hajin, you’re quite popular these days, huh?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, because of the profile.”
“Oh.”
A few days ago, profiles of the 18 trainees were uploaded to Miro Maze’s official social media over three days, six per day.
It seemed the production team spread out the top contenders likely to create buzz over the three days to maintain attention.
The impact was clear!
[Summary Post] Summary of the profiles of the next Miro Survival trainees that were released yesterday (with photos)
– Wow, Seo Taehyun got even more handsome
– Miro’s taste is something else, they even got Utopia and Enderway vibes
– How did Jung Siwoo end up at Miro, was he kidnapped?
└ There was a reason they let Cha Minseok go to Renes so easily
– I hate that my taste has matched Han Sewon’s for 10 years;; So when does voting start?
– Joo Eunchan is really handsome, he slightly resembles Seo Taeil
– OMG, Taehyun is finally coming backㅠㅠㅠ
– Are Lee Yugeon and Lee Doha brothers? They look a bit alike (my type)
It was trending all day on social media, and all the communities were buzzing with this news. Still, the most overwhelming reaction was….
Cherry Blossom @ch_blossom
(photo)
From the last Boy’s World concert
A photo of Taehyun crying his heart out.
This time, I won’t let you cry
#MyCherry_SeoTaehyun_Debut
Shares 13K Comments 2,092 Hearts 37K Mentions 159
TaeDay @tae_day
#RT #MiroMaze
#SeoTaehyun broadcast comeback + Miro Maze participation commemorative event!
One winner will receive a perfume from XX brand, Taehyun’s favorite♥
Results after the first broadcast of Miro Maze, at 11:21 Taehyun time 🙂
#MyCherry_SeoTaehyun_Debut
Shares 4,231 Hearts 1,209
Seo Taehyun Info @tadadoo
(photo) (photo)
(photo) (photo)
Miro Maze Seo Taehyun Profile
-A vow: Parted at sixteen, reunited at nineteen. Thank you for waiting.
My precious Taehyun, I support your nineteenth year
#MyCherry_SeoTaehyun_Debut
Shares 2,103 Comments 1,320 Hearts 5,951
…Of course, it was Seo Taehyun who brought back all the big-name fansites and renowned fans.
The initial momentum was on a different level. Despite only having a few concept photos and a self-written interview, a fansite with 20,000 followers had reopened.
‘Well, I expected this much.’
However, considering the situation, I thought my photo, slipped in among the lower-ranked trainees, would quietly fade away….
– Who’s the hoodie guy among these?
└ The third one
└ ????? The third one?
– What’s wrong with the hoodie guy? Did the photographer pour soju on his head?
– (photo) How can this be the same person
└ What the hell is wrong, reallyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Are you kidding me? The same person?
└ What, this one looks fine???? Which one is real?
– Feels like the world is playing a prank on me. If you’re not going to use those features, give them to me.
– Is it bad photography, or did the eyewitness photo just turn out legendary?
└ Probably doesn’t photograph well, judging by other photos. The eyewitness shot is more accurate.
‘Why am I even popular?’
It seemed the favor from that cat was lasting longer than I thought. Damn it.
“They even showed up in OneStargram’s popular posts. But you look like a different person.”
“Do I look that different?”
“Yeah. I thought something was wrong with the editing.”
The response was disastrous.
But what’s done is done, and I couldn’t change it. So, I erased my profile from my mind. There were some negative posts about me, but new gossip would soon bury those.
“Hajin, eyes up.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, when does that music video you filmed come out?”
“I heard it’ll be uploaded next week.”
Like the performance video for the program’s title song.
What’s done is done, so might as well soak up all the attention.
This world thrives on attention. If even one or two out of ten viewers of the performance video…
‘What’s Kang Hajin’s real face like?’
…clicked out of curiosity, it would be a success for me. Because―
[System Notification: ☆★ System update complete! ★☆]
[System Notification: (Fixed) The Regressor’s authority has been upgraded.]
[System Notification: Skill
[System Notification: Skill
The system had updated, and I nailed the performance video. Even I was satisfied with how well it turned out.
Even Lee Doha, who was always nagging about ambition, didn’t say much after monitoring it. I still didn’t understand why I kept caring about his judgment, but anyway.
“Hajin, you were amazing. You were flying.”
“Haha, thank you.”
“Yeah, all done. You’re going with your hair like this?”
“Yes. I still prefer it comfortable.”
“You always finish so quickly.”
After checking my reflection in the mirror, I stood up. My hair, almost untouched and naturally straight, was simply styled. While others were busy bleaching, perming, and styling, I might seem overly relaxed, but there was a reason.
‘Once I debut, I’ll be styled to fit the concept anyway. No need to burn through my image now.’
This wasn’t some 16-episode long-term thing, it’d be over before you knew it with only 8 episodes. Even if I change something, a light transformation around episode 6 or 7 for a twist would suffice.
Viewer reactions? They loved it.
– The real charm of trainee survival is… that raw, unrefined something
– The best tuning is no tuning at all
– Agree. Over-styling ruins the taste. It’s the raw, awkward charm we watch for.
There’s a reason why black hair and natural looks are classics in the idol world.
It’s not beneficial to appear with the same look every episode, so my strategy was to play with details.
“Hyung, you’re wearing glasses today?”
“Playing the model student.”
“…With two piercings in your ears?”
When I showed up with half my face hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, everyone noticed. Seo Taehyun gave me a look that said, “You have no conscience.”
“Hyung, hyung! Do those glasses have lenses?”
“No, they don’t.”
“Why are you poking your eyes then?”
“Can I try them on?”
I handed the glasses to Dan Haru, who had his hair curled, and he and Joo Eunchan started playing with them.
“Ta-da!”
“Dan Haru, stop copying and give them back to Hajin.”
“Yes….”
“What if you poke your eye with your fingernail?”
Dan Haru, mimicking me by poking the empty frames, was eventually stopped by Seo Taehyun. I loosely hung the glasses back on my ears and sat in my chair. Being in the Wings rank, I got a comfortable seat in a good position.
“Hello.”
“…Oh, hello.”
Jung Siwoo and Lee Yugeon were assigned next to me. Jung Siwoo, with his long brown hair neatly combed, greeted me lightly, and I felt a hallucination of flower petals scattering. I still wasn’t used to his face. We hadn’t talked much, so I was just minding my own business when surprisingly, Jung Siwoo spoke first.
“You sing well.”
“…?
Isn’t that what I should be saying to you?”
“I like your singing style.”
A vocal major from an art high school complimenting a non-major?
“I envy your voice, though.”
“Mine?”
“Yes. It’s calm and pretty.”
“…….”
“I always get told I’m loud.”
That’s the feedback I always got from my previous agency too. They scolded me for standing out too much.
“Really? Let’s perform together next time if we get the chance.”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
The conversation ended there. The sign to start filming soon went up. Across from me, Han Sungwoo, all dressed up, took his seat. When our eyes met, he smiled confidently.
The lights went out, and the cameras started rolling. A spotlight lit up the center, and Seo Taeil, in a light suit setup, stepped into the light.
“Those who aim for the sun, rise high.”
“Welcome, everyone, to the second gate of Miro Maze.”
Finally, the second recording began.