Episode 4. The Condescending System (3)
Being nagged at in turns by the Spark bastards was an experience that felt quite like death.
First were Choe Jeho and Gang Giyeon, who seemed like the very embodiment of dance.
These guys seemed to view me as some sort of interesting extraterrestrial lifeform.
The bastards showed me, a beginner, a dance full of all sorts of flashy moves, then unleashed a shocking lesson by asking, “You get it?”
To show them that such a teaching method was insufficient for teaching me, I diligently clunked around for them. Both of their faces turned pale.
But what could I do? I had been a dyed-in-the-wool office worker my whole life.
My mind was so jumbled that I nearly asked Choe Jeho right then and there, “Center Emperor Choe Jeho, am I moving properly right now?”
After running a simulation of receiving a scorn-filled gaze from him, I was also secretly practicing calling him by his real name instead of nicknames in my head.
The ones who sank next after the Two Stoic Boys were Jeong Seongbin and Bak Juu.
The two luxury vocalists, unlike the preceding artists, tried to pass on knowledge to me in a more human way as I displayed movements of a severely broken machine.
Unfortunately, my stamina was better than theirs, so they gave out first.
I Cheonghyeon, who had watched the whole disaster, met my eyes and raised his thumb.
“Hyung, you’re really amazing! Fighting!”
Then he even threw a wink. A personality perfectly optimized for being an idol.
He should’ve done plenty of those winks on his own content. If he had, I would’ve been able to make a compilation of your winks in a single day.
Thanks to my efforts while receiving I Cheonghyeon’s sparkling support, I became able to stretch my arm straight out to the side while facing forward. It had taken a full four hours.
When I looked to the side, Gang Giyeon was clapping with his lips bitten tight.
That was exactly the expression I once wore while looking at the boss’s son who came to work part-time. My second life really wasn’t easy.
At this point, I couldn’t help but be curious.
Just what did the casting director see to cast me into UA?
The Spark guys were probably just as curious about this as I was.
If a kid who joined as a trainee just days ago out of the blue couldn’t even control his left and right feet, wouldn’t that be suspicious?
Everyone hid it, but I could tell. One of my few talents was reading the room.
Still, it couldn’t be helped. For an office worker whose whole life had been about handling web spreadsheets, dancing well in a single day was a remote possibility.
Especially when the EXP they gave as rewards was only 20 at a time.
I had experienced a situation similar to this one before.
That is…the situation where Manager Nam handed me five years’ worth of unorganized documents and told me to sort them out by that day.
When you can’t believe the current situation and no matter what you do there’s no clean way out, there’s something you must do.
That is…
‘Simple repetition.’
I felt the corners of my eyes growing moist. It was as if the sweat I’d shed back then was syncing with my eyes.
Still, there was definitely something better. At least Manager Nam wasn’t here.
If there were even people helping me, I should be grateful.
Even if it was the legion of enemies from my first life.
Since there was sincerity in their teaching, it seemed unreasonable not to even try to learn it. I took anger as my driving force and vigorously rolled around as they told me to.
Since I thought of it as a 20% annual salary increase, it was a pretty big percentage. As expected, mental victories depended on how you framed them.
* * *
How long had I been moving in a trance?
Hearing rough breathing around me, I looked and saw the Spark guys sitting down one by one in the corners of the practice room.
Weaklings. With that level of stamina, they couldn’t even climb Bugak Mountain while holding the executives’ thermoses.
Taking advantage of the lull in their teaching, I grabbed a water bottle and quenched my thirst.
That was when it happened. The practice room door opened, and someone familiar walked in.
At the same time, the Spark guys who had been sprawled out like office workers who’d pulled an all-nighter sprang to their feet.
Their tightly disciplined appearance was exactly like Spark from their early debut days. My stomach churned.
“Everyone’s working hard practicing, aren’t you?”
“We’re fine!”
“‘Fine’ my foot. I Wori, it’s my first time seeing you since casting. Did you greet the kids?”
Clean business casual that didn’t look like a trainer’s, and a kind tone.
And above all, that line turned my suspicion into certainty.
So it was you, the one who cast me into this pit of evil?
I wanted to grab him right then and ask just what about me looked like I’d be an idol. To say, were there really so few talents in Hongdae that day?
“Yes, everyone is helping me a lot.”
But I barely held back. Thanks to my patience trained to the extreme.
“Hey. We have high expectations for you too, I Wori!”
This person should have seen the Spark members’ eyes that had lost their luster earlier.
If they had, those words wouldn’t have come out. Even me, who had nothing but ill will toward Spark, had started to pity them.
If the so-called System friend would only permit it, I was ready to write up a new resume right now and apply to be Spark’s new manager.
But the System gave no answer. Quiet only at times like this, as always.
The visitor who had suddenly arrived took out his phone, saying he had come to film a group dance video of the five Spark members.
“Since we’ve gained a trainee, we need to re-examine the formations. Once you finish memorizing the choreography, we’ll film again with you included, I Wori.”
When you don’t know what you’re doing, you must at least answer promptly.
I answered that I understood for now. Though I didn’t know if such a day would ever come.
While Spark prepared to film the video, I moved to the mirror on the opposite side and stood next to the staff member.
Soon, the scene unfolding before my eyes was quite incredible.
The sight of five trainees dancing with knife-sharp synchronization looked pretty amazing even to my ignorant eyes.
‘When I made cross-edits, I just thought kids my age had healthy joints.’
Seeing it up close, I definitely understood.
These guys—at least when doing their jobs—had real presence.
I felt the public’s opinion was right—that this group had survived for seven years despite controversies outnumbering agency staff was thanks to their faces and skills.
For the first time, freed from the obligation of video editing, I savored their flashy movement patterns to my heart’s content.
Instead, I didn’t even look above their necks. Because seeing their faces made my anger flare up.
For reference, the move that took me hours to learn and earned me 1 welfare point passed by in an instant.
Felt like…about 1.8 seconds?
‘To finish one song, I’ll probably have to roll around for a solid two weeks.’
Whether rolling around would produce that kind of power was another matter entirely.
Perhaps because it was truly a simple monitoring video, filming ended in a single take.
“I Wori, how does it look to you?”
“Yes?”
“The kids, I mean. They’re good, right?”
To ask such a difficult question.
The answer was set in stone. The only thing I could say here was, “Yes, they’re freaking amazing.”
The problem was that even if I praised them all day, it probably wouldn’t reach Spark since I was the one saying it.
“Yes, I think they’re incredible.”
I answered with as much soul as possible, sincerely and respectfully, while staying within bounds so as not to seem boastful.
Thanks to that, I was reminded of when I had first joined Hanpyeong Industries.
That era when I had eaten humble pie for every meal and learned the ways of society. Of course, I didn’t miss it one bit.
Fortunately, my safe answer seemed to leave no impression whatsoever.
It was thanks to the conversational art I had honed for 29 years, containing a heart that had never wanted to stand out even once in my life.
However, there was one thing that bothered me. I hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly opened my mouth.
“But…”
All eyes gathered on me. Eyes wondering if this clueless newbie was about to find fault with this awesome dance.
I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.
“Giyeon, are you okay to dance?”
“Huh?”
“You just looked a little strained.”
With a clumsy oaf who couldn’t even take care of his own body adding words on top of it, even Choe Jeho’s gaze fixed entirely on me. It was a gaze I’d only seen at fansign fan cams from time to time.
I hadn’t wanted to say anything because I was going to stand out regardless.
If I were to make an excuse, the situation was a bit much to pretend ignorance and keep my mouth shut.
Ignoring someone who looked like they were in pain would go against reason, if nothing else.
When they taught me choreography one-on-one, I had been uncertain, but watching several people dance the same dance, I couldn’t miss it.
Since no one told him to rest, I had wondered if everyone just didn’t know.
As if my guess had been correct, the gazes that had been directed at me immediately shifted to Gang Giyeon.
“Giyeon, are you hurt somewhere?”
“No, I’m not hurt anywhere.”
To the staff member’s question, Gang Giyeon answered with a face no different from usual.
But my eyes couldn’t be deceived.
That bastard was 100% lying.
Even before I came back through time, Gang Giyeon had made that expression and said, “We will continue to work hard in our activities.”
You said that at the New Year’s concert and then disbanded in less than a year? You conscienceless bastards.
“Giyeon says he’s fine, though?”
“He doesn’t seem fine. It’s his left ankle.”
My mind a tangled mess, I latched onto his words and pressed on with a face full of endearing concern.
Then Gang Giyeon’s expression turned strange. Having been struck in a vital spot, it seemed he had taken a proper hit.
“Giyeon, is your ankle hurt?”
“Since when!”
The staff member and I Cheonghyeon shouted simultaneously. Then Gang Giyeon flustered.
“No, it’s not to the point where I need to go to the hospital…”
“What are you talking about, Giyeon. If it hurts, of course you should go to the hospital.”
Now even Jeong Seongbin chimed in. Except unlike detestable me, he truly looked full of worry.
Since I’d spoken openly, those around him and he himself would take care of it now.
Having fulfilled my duty, I turned my back on Gang Giyeon with a lighter heart.
Then a scene suddenly came to mind.
It was the image of Gang Giyeon sitting alone on a chair at the Imjingak outdoor stage, singing.
It was because of a chronically established ankle injury from ceaselessly practicing high-difficulty choreography since his trainee days.
That the period had been dark for Gang Giyeon was evident just from seeing his lifeless face piercing through the low quality of the public radio broadcast.
Thinking that as an adult who knew the future, I should help him once out of a sense of duty, I endured the pain of speaking with Gang Giyeon once more.
“Go to the hospital, for sure.”
“Huh?”
“I had a friend who ignored his ankle pain and suffered for it. It becomes a chronic illness, and that’s a headache.”
My conscience stung as I tried to pass off a classmate I’d merely shared a class with as a friend.
But seeing Gang Giyeon’s eyes waver as if my words had gotten through, I felt relieved. It seemed this guy’s stubbornness would break.
Since it was about sending a patient to the hospital, my classmate would understand too.
Thanks, friend. You saved a future dance genius.
After that, well, it concluded with a heartwarming ending where Gang Giyeon took a taxi to the hospital with a manager who showed up after receiving a late call.
A quiet bout of reality set in as I saw off Gang Giyeon leaving for the hospital.
Half of me thought, Did I worry about those guys because they’re pretty? Half thought, But you can’t ignore someone in pain, right? The two thoughts clashed fiercely in my head.
If something happens again next time, I shouldn’t care then.
Still, if I poked around a few more times like this, maybe I could see all five members standing and dancing at Imjingak.
That is, if I don’t fail to control my surging anger and die from a stress-induced illness before then.
* * *
Despite the commotion, practice continued until 10 PM.
‘An episode from when we were trainees?’
‘What was there…was…was there any?’
‘I think we really just practiced… Sorry, Sparklers. We’re boring, aren’t we?’
When the live broadcast recording transcripts dropped, my mindset had been “I need to write 10 summary threads to sleep, so say something,” but now I understood. If you practice all day, you have nothing to talk about.
When all you do after eating is dance and sing, how could there be any episodes?
Still, now I could probably tell the story of when I Cheonghyeon tried to carry Gang Giyeon, whose ankle hurt, and they fell together. It was a touching friendship.
My first practice in life was certainly quite grueling. But it wasn’t hard enough to collapse.
Besides, if I just kept clunking around endlessly, my debut would be out the window, so though tears came, I decided to practice a bit more.
Fortunately, there were no members trying to stop me. My dynamic movements seemed to have been quite a shock to them too.
In three years after debut, those guys were scheduled to rise to the ranks of South Korea’s skilled idols like regulars.
Which meant, in this group project, I only needed to do well.
It felt like being assigned to research rather than being the group leader for the first time in a group project.
This feeling of tagging along…it was full of guilt, but it was a fresh experience.
I was confident in mastering skills through continuous repetition of the same task.
My ancestors had given me, in exchange for a lack of special talent, a tenacious persistence that didn’t easily tire of ordinary tasks.
Watching two hours fly by even though I was only repeating basic moves, I realized once again that a person’s nature doesn’t change easily.
‘Will they not give EXP this time?’
I smacked my lips in regret.
Who knows. Maybe if I gather 1,000 points, they’ll give me a free ice cream.
As if reading my thoughts, the System appeared again after a full half-day.
However, this time the source of the EXP was a bit different.
+
[SYSTEM] ‘Hidden Task (First All-Nighter)’ has been completed.
▷ Reward: EXP (20)
▷ Accumulated EXP: 40
▷ Accumulated Points: 0
+
“Fuck….”
What can I do even if I don’t want to curse?
It’s a situation where I can’t help but curse.