—Congratulations! Lavilanz!
Our first week of promotions, when there was naturally no way we should have taken first place.
As the MC of Melody Bank, I finished the week by handing the trophy to this week's number one group.
We’ll probably keep winning starting next week.
"Let's gooo."
From pre-recording in the early dawn.
All the way to being a music show MC in high heels.
The fatigue was doubled, but now I just needed to get off work.
"Let me just grab my bag."
"Off you go, then."
After letting the unnies know, I greeted the production staff one by one and headed toward the MC waiting room.
"Thank you for your hard work on today's filming."
"Ah! Dohui, can you spare a moment?"
Just then, the main PD stopped me.
"A special stage?"
"Yeah, you see, Yeeun did a special stage for her last day as a music show MC on Melody Bank too, and the response was really good."
"Ah~ I saw that too."
I even cheered for her in person at the scene.
Unnie Yeeun has been growing day by day.
I'm proud.
"So I wanted to ask early if you might be interested in doing one too. Together with Seungbin. I don't know how many people are sad that the Ijus chemistry is ending—not just our production team."
"I'm sad too... But I'm fine with it, though I don't know if Senior Seungbin would have the time. He must be making a comeback."
"Ah, that's fine. Seungbin already said yes?"
"Aha! Then I'll prepare hard as soon as this promotion cycle ends!"
"Aww, thank you. And I'm sorry for snatching the busiest Dohui and making her find time~"
"Aww, it's not like that. Of course I should make time!"
"Your words are as pretty as your face~ Okay, you must be tired too, Dohui, so hurry along."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work~"
After a warm conversation that grew more familiar,
I headed back to the waiting room, already feeling the regret that I'd be quitting as a music show MC in two months.
"You haven't left yet?"
And the moment I entered, I ran into Joo Seungbin.
"Ah, yeah. I was waiting to ask if you'd do the special stage together, Dohui..."
Joo Seungbin was looking this way, sitting on the sofa as if he'd been waiting.
"Me? I said I'd do it. But I think I can only start preparing after this promotion ends. Is that okay?"
Because the unnies were waiting, I quickly grabbed my things placed next to Joo Seungbin as I answered.
"I'm fine... but don't you have almost a month left in your promotions?"
"Why? Feeling sorry for me?"
Since I was scheduled to promote two title tracks consecutively on my own, things were going to be intense for a while.
"...You're going to have a hard time."
"Thanks for worrying. Anyway, let's set the schedule then. So I just need to come to your company again?"
"I could come to your company too."
"Forget it, our company is small. We need to practice somewhere spacious."
"You're just trying to eat at our company again, aren't you?"
Joo Seungbin shot back with a bright smile.
"...What?"
Every time there was an MC special stage.
Because I went to Repro, Seungbin's agency building, and heartily ate three dishes each for lunch and dinner together with Manager Yeongho, he ended up like that.
The cafeteria aunties at our company are better at that home-cooked feeling, though.
But the chef style is definitely Repro's side...
Anyway.
"My members are waiting for me. You worked hard as MC today too~"
I hurriedly left the waiting room, watching Joo Seungbin say goodbye behind me.
* * *
On the way back to the dorm.
Inside the car where everyone had collapsed from exhaustion.
In the back seat, I was fiddling with my phone, hiding it as I replied to messages in real time.
"Lee Dohui, you."
"...What?"
Unnie Seoyun, who had been doggedly staying awake alone, spouted nonsense.
"Don't tell me you're seeing someone?"
"...What?"
It was so ridiculous that I let out a hollow laugh, set down my phone for a moment, and stared out the window with a sigh.
"...For real?"
"...Dohui, really?"
The two, excluding Naeun unnie, were poking their heads back.
Both of them had messy hair and puffy eyes, as if they'd just woken up.
"What are you talking about again."
Kim Seoyun even went so far as to inform Road Manager Choi Seonyeong unnie, who had only just joined us.
"Manager unnie!!! Lee Dohui is dating!!!"
"S-should I contact Team Leader Yeongho...?"
"Unnie, how can you believe that?"
I'm going crazy, seriously.
"No, and. Do you really know me that little?"
"No, I know you very well. Narciss—..."
"You know a narcissist is a personality disorder? It's completely different from self-love?"
"Narcis s..."
When I glared at her, Unnie Seoyun trailed off.
"Me and the sisters... loving them a lot?"
Yeah, go on.
"Anyway, someone who loves herself so much that if you asked for her ideal type, she'd answer herself—the very incarnation of self-love?"
Well, that much.
I admit it.
But Unnie Seoyun still didn't let go of her suspicious gaze, poking my side.
"But love can strike at any time~ and wouldn't someone hunching over and hiding their phone while texting make you suspicious~?"
"No, what. That could happen."
"Eyy~ The Dohui I know is so confident that she never hides anything normally."
The two who had been watching with interest from the front started chiming in.
"Definitely... makes sense. I've never seen her hide anything..."
"They say love is a hurricane..."
"Hoo... Love is a tempest?"
Now they were even reciting lyrics softly without the tune.
"Uh uh uh uh hurri-cane?"
"uh uh uh uh Venus."
"Sigh..."
Perhaps woken by the commotion, Naeun unnie finally lifted her head and looked back.
Her clear eyes were asking.
'Really?'
I finally turned on my phone and slightly covered just the conversation, showing the screen.
And seeing the three simultaneously turn their heads and close their eyes again, I could only feel absurdity.
"Ugh... It was nothing. Lee Dohui is such a bore."
"Ugh, woke up for nothing..."
"Yawn..."
Even then, Kim Seoyun in the seat next to me blamed me.
"You made me suspicious... Why are you texting while hiding it... We shouldn't have secrets between us..."
Should I hit her?
* * *
The person I'd been messaging while hiding the screen just now was:
[Sohyun: Dohui, are you thinking of appearing on this?]
[Sohyun: An offer came in]
And the title of the program the director suggested was:
An entertainment show on a cable channel that had started only recently, with music as its theme.
Even so, the ratings seemed quite high.
It wasn't about performing on stage.
Nor was it about playing instruments.
[Sohyun: They want you to come out for a composer special]
[Sohyun: If you go out and just talk lightly, it could prove that you wrote the song yourself, and it would be good for supplementing your self-producing image]
A talk show where four guests appear with two singer-turned-MCs to introduce their own stories and their life songs.
[Me: By myself... as a composer?]
But I could count on one hand the times I'd been on a talk show.
In particular, I'd never gone out without my members even once.
[Sohyun: It's okay, this time you can go without feeling burdened]
[Sohyun: You're going as a rookie composer too]
The director might have thought I was reluctant to appear alone because I felt burdened.
[Sohyun: Since it's talk about music rather than variety]
[Sohyun: The guests are all people familiar with the media, so just doing as you usually do is enough]
Because even though personal talk show offers had been overflowing all this time, I'd rejected them as much as possible.
[Me: Hmm...]
At most, personal talks had been limited to paragraph-long interviews in pictorial magazines.
[Sohyun: If it's burdensome, you don't have to go]
[Sohyun: If you're tired, it's okay to rest]
Honestly, I wasn't burdened at all.
If anything, my true feelings were the opposite.
[Me: Then may I rest a bit?]
[Me: I'm still a bit burdened by it...]
I was worried about receiving too much attention.
Ever since debuting with Seven.
It had always been a concern while continuing group life.
I had seen more than once or twice how a group falls apart when one person monopolizes the attention alone.
Of course, looking at the members, it might have been a truly useless worry.
Each and every one of them has lovely and charming personalities and visuals.
Just as I cherish and like the unnies in my heart,
the public and fans would naturally fall for them too.
Even so, I kept worrying.
Was it because of my personality...?
Maybe it was.
With such strong self-love, if I think of myself as the sun,
I might worry about the stars that can't be seen during the day.
Even while calling it a useless, somewhat arrogant worry.
And even while feeling that this interpretation wasn't quite the correct answer either...
[Me: And since a behind-the-scenes of the producing process is coming out tomorrow anyway, I think the self-producing image is already sufficient]
Anyway, that was also why I'd been messaging while covering the screen.
Because the unnies I know would probably tell me to just go without a second thought.
[Sohyun: OK OK, got it]
[Sohyun: You must be tired from the pre-recording today, so hurry up and rest~ (basic fighting emoticon)]
As if that wasn't enough, it was already a time when things that would put me in the spotlight alone were approaching.
Aside from the recording studio behind-the-scenes.
[Sohyun: Ah, and you have to come to the office tomorrow]
[Sohyun: You know we have to look over the documents together?]
Model contracts with luxury fashion and beauty brands.
Something good for drawing the public's attention.
So rather than becoming heavier, I wanted to become a bit lighter.
[Me: Yes, ma'am!!!]
[Sohyun: Come to think of it, you've been copying Chiyo's speech a lot these days haha]
Uh, wait.
[Sohyun: It looks like you two are close, so that's nice (basic thumbs-up emoticon)]
Being frivolous and being light are different, though.