Chapter 74
After the CEO's order came down, full-scale comeback preparations began.
The members looked a bit surprised when they heard there might be Japanese activities during this comeback, but.
They seemed more curious about how I had persuaded the CEO.
‘Actually, I didn't persuade him at all.’
A strict focus on results.
It felt like I got to know a little more about what kind of person the CEO is this time.
Including the fact that what the CEO wants most right now is noticeable results overseas.
Anyway, just because the CEO wanted overseas activities didn't mean we would debut in Japan right away.
Even within the company, it seemed like people were saying it was still premature.
I thought that even if we were active, we would start with unofficial activities rather than official ones.
And after my conversation with Eugene Kim, I personally had a change of heart as well.
“Then shall we stop here for today?”
“Yes, thanks hyung.”
At Park Han-hwi's words to stop here for today, I hid my brief disappointment, took my eyes off the monitor, and answered.
I wanted to learn more, but I had already taken up a lot of Park Han-hwi's time.
“Was there any difficult part?”
“No, not yet.”
“Well, it's Rin, what can I say? You digest everything I teach you right away.”
“It's not to that extent.”
Since I started learning about composing and producing from Park Han-hwi.
I still haven't gotten used to Park Han-hwi's natural praise time that always comes after class.
‘It's even more scary that this hyung is 100% sincere.’
Slightly avoiding the burdensome gaze of Park Han-hwi, who was sincerely praising me like that.
Park Han-hwi and I left the studio and walked down the hallway together.
After walking a little, I saw the door to the studio that now seemed to have become Eugene Kim's private room.
Looking inside from outside the glass door, I saw Eugene Kim sitting on a chair with his eyes closed, seemingly meditating.
“It's best not to disturb him when he's like that.”
Just as Park Han-hwi said, Eugene Kim was emitting an aura that made him look quite difficult to approach right now.
‘How many days has he been like that already... Amazing.’
Since comeback preparations began, Eugene Kim had been holed up in that studio without a single day of rest.
The fact that I could spend the comeback preparation period learning composition from Park Han-hwi was actually thanks to Eugene Kim when I thought about it.
The title track of this album, which was being prepared with the company's life on the line along with the CEO's thunderous rebuke.
Because Eugene Kim was practically living in the studio to prepare for that title track, it naturally became difficult for us to proceed with our group schedule.
As a result, the other members except Eugene Kim gained a relatively relaxed comeback preparation period.
‘Of course, it's visible that the moment the song comes out, we'll get busy again.’
Anyway, the current situation was that we had no choice but to wait for Eugene Kim's song.
And the spare time created by that situation became a time that made me think about a lot of things.
Besides learning composition from Park Han-hwi, I was also starting personal practice again, which had been stagnant for a while due to being busy, taking advantage of this opportunity.
“Are you going to work then, hyung?”
“I have to. I had something to talk about with Eugene, but I'll have to leave that for later.”
Eugene Kim wasn't the only one preparing a song for this album.
Park Han-hwi was also consistently working to participate in a b-side track, though not the title track.
Occasionally, he seemed to exchange ideas about the title track while talking with Eugene Kim.
“Then Rin, are you going back to the dance practice room?”
“Yes, I have to.”
After parting ways with Park Han-hwi, I headed to the dance practice room.
Looking inside the practice room, I saw Baek Si-hyun sitting on a chair in the corner, writing something in a notebook.
I carefully opened the door so as not to disturb him, but Baek Si-hyun raised his head and looked at me at once as soon as I entered the practice room.
“You're here, hyung!”
“Were you revising the lyrics?”
“Yes, just a moment.”
Baek Si-hyun was in charge of co-writing the lyrics for the title track composed by Eugene Kim.
Since the two of them talked every day, I thought he was probably the person who knew the current progress of the song best, excluding Eugene Kim.
While Baek Si-hyun was looking at the lyrics, I quickly stretched my stiff body.
What I practiced with Baek Si-hyun was choreography.
Beyond simply dancing well, Baek Si-hyun's choreography creation ability shown during the audition.
I wanted to learn that ability.
‘Still, moving my body directly is more familiar to me than composing.’
It hadn't been long since I started properly.
But it seemed like I was already seeing some results.
Of course, I could acquire abilities more easily by using the status window or traits, but.
‘Clashing directly with my body is also necessary.’
The status window wasn't exactly omnipotent.
It's a convenient ability, but what you gain through direct experience is a different story.
Lately, I felt like I had gone back to my childhood for the first time in a while.
To the time when I worked myself to death for the goal of success, which had only looked vague.
I know that even if I prepare like this now, I can't have a meaningful impact on preparing for this album.
However.
‘Since when did I start thinking about such things?’
Haven't I experienced since I was young that if I keep making an effort, I'll achieve my goal?
‘If I'm the leader, I have to do better than the members.’
This wasn't a goal shown to me by the status window.
It was purely my personal goal.
***
While most of the members, including myself, were busy moving around for comeback preparations with their respective tasks.
There were two people who were busy for a slightly different reason.
[Hello everyone. It's today's visit from Home-cooked Meal Teacher Shim. Next to me is my assistant for today, who is also in charge of the heavy duty of food tasting, Kang A-jin.]
[Hello, I'm Kang A-jin!]
On the phone screen, I could see Shim Sung-ha and Kang A-jin hosting a W-app live broadcast in the dorm kitchen with some strange concept.
[Then today as well, let's prepare a delicious dinner for the health of our WeUs members.]
[I'll help hard too!]
‘Which number broadcast is this already.’
When the two of them first started broadcasting with this concept, there was no particular intention.
I heard that it started simply because the two who happened to be left in the dorm hit it off and decided to show themselves preparing dinner for the members on a W-app broadcast.
‘The reaction was quite good.’
Since the WeUs W-app channel was created, we had been conducting W-app broadcasts from time to time as well.
But during that time, we hadn't been able to plan a live broadcast that could really be called content.
‘I also broadcasted occasionally during dance practice.’
I had personally conducted W-app broadcasts, but they only consisted of things like dance practice or brief small talk.
I had never done a W-app broadcast by preparing something in earnest.
The other members were in the same state as me.
However, after Shim Sung-ha and Kang A-jin's first cooking live broadcast went out improvisationally.
It seemed like there were many requests in the WeUs fan cafe asking them to continue doing this kind of live broadcast.
-Teacher Shim of Home-cooked Meals, please can't you continue...? I know you're busy preparing for the comeback, but I can't see WeUs these days and life has no joy ㅠㅠ
-I really watched the one-hour live broadcast with a mom smile the whole time ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Ahㅋㅋ Sung-ha really explains better than most cooking broadcast pros, and A-jin asking questions next to him is so cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-The chemistry between the two is really too good ㅠㅠ Please make it a regular content!
So, for the fans who were disappointed that they couldn't see WeUs during the comeback preparation period, the two turned on W-app live broadcasts whenever they had time.
On days when I came back to the dorm early, I also participated in their broadcasts under the pretext of food tasting.
‘It's a relief that the fans like it.’
Even from my perspective, the broadcasts the two conducted were quite fun.
Shim Sung-ha basically had a way with words. Due to his family environment as the eldest of 11 siblings, he knew many strange skills he called 'survival cooking'.
So he explained tips he knew in the middle of cooking, keeping the fans from getting bored.
Kang A-jin, who was stuck next to him, was also playing a very big role.
And that was...
[Munch munch... Mmm! This is really delicious!]
-Kyaaah! A-jin is so cute!!!
-Ahh what about those cheek fat... I want to pinch them ㅠㅠ
-O God, is this really the cuteness of a 20-year-old???
-A-jin, please marry your noona! I'll serve you the foods A-jin likes for three meals a day for the rest of my life ㅠㅠㅠ
The chats in the chat window going up like an explosion as soon as Kang A-jin started eating.
‘Is cuteness itself the content...?’
From my standpoint, I couldn't understand it, but the number of people who liked simply watching Kang A-jin eat seemed enormous.
It wasn't like Kang A-jin ate a lot or ate in a peculiar way.
But Kang A-jin's mukbang was already famous enough to circulate as memes in various communities.
It was quite a remarkable thing that even fans who weren't WeUs fans came to watch the W-app broadcast to see this mukbang scene.
Anyway, the two people's W-app broadcast ended today as well with a huge reaction from fans.
Watching that and returning to the dorm, I could see the devastated kitchen again today.
“You're here, hyung!”
“Do you want to eat this together?”
“Let's clean up first.”
Seeing the two busy cleaning up the messy kitchen after finishing the broadcast today.
I went right over and helped them clean up.
“Hyung, did you see our broadcast today?”
“The reaction was good, right? It seems like the number of people watching the live broadcast is gradually increasing.”
When I said that, Shim Sung-ha looked at me with a slightly disappointed tone and brought up the subject.
“Still, we have to properly prepare for the comeback now, so I don't think we'll be able to do it as often as we do now.”
“I guess so.”
Seeing Shim Sung-ha feel disappointed, it seemed like hosting the W-app broadcast was very enjoyable for him too.
‘Does Sung-ha have a talent for hosting broadcasts?’
I suddenly had that thought, but.
Since it hadn't even been a year since our debut and it was still something I couldn't know for sure, I didn't bother saying it out loud.
However, while cleaning the kitchen together with the two, I saw a strange object.
“Sung-ha, what is this?”
“Ah, that? I'm going to use it for the live broadcast. It's a machine used to make rice cakes.”
“Really?”
“Yes, if you put glutinous rice in here, it automatically kneads it and makes rice cakes.”
“But this looks a bit old? Was it something you originally used?”
“It's from home, I brought it for a bit to use during the broadcast.”
“Ah, I see.”
I answered without much thought to Shim Sung-ha's words and then stopped caring about the machine.
Well, it was amazing that he was even making rice cakes during the broadcast, but it wasn't something for me to interfere with.
And not long after.
The two people's W-app live broadcast, which was proceeding no different from usual today.
Shim Sung-ha was conducting the broadcast using the rice cake making machine he had shown me.
[Now, if you put glutinous rice in here like this...]
[Oh! That's amazing!!]
Clack! Clack! Rattle!
The automatic rice cake machine could be seen operating with a loud noise.
[Umm... but Sung-ha-ssi? The sound is a bit strange.]
[Huh? Ah... I think it's because the machine is a bit old. Still, don't wo...rry..?]
Vrrrrr-
The machine could be seen spinning rapidly all of a sudden.
When Shim Sung-ha was also flustered, as it was his first time experiencing such a case.
The runaway machine finally started spewing out its contents.
[W-wait a minute!]
[Aaaagh!]
Boom-
Along with the sound of Shim Sung-ha and Kang A-jin screaming in surprise.
Finally, the largest lump of rice cake hit the phone camera perfectly.
[The broadcast has ended.]
Only a single message floating on the screen remained emptily on the darkened phone screen.