15. A Second Beginning (3)
As far as Eunchan knew, there was no reason for Hyeonjuin to have any beef with Sunbae Baek Muyeong.
Come to think of it, maybe he had made it too obvious that he was a fan of the Sonyeomi sunbaenims, but even so, that reaction was unexpected.
"It's a well-known fact among us members that Genesis's Eunchan-sshi likes the Sonyeomi sunbaenims."
"Yes, yes, that's right. Whenever Eunchan-hyung is quiet, odds are he's watching a fancam of Sunbae Baek Muyeong."
"Ha, haha..."
But no matter how much he racked his brain, there was no reason for him to act like that.
If they were connected at all, it was only through the drama Hyeonjuin was filming with Sonyeomi's Byeon Seungchae sunbae... He probably wasn't especially close with Sunbae Baek Muyeong either?
Before the regression and now, he had never heard of any bad blood between those two.
*Does he just dislike him on his own?*
Well, about a year ago from the present point in time, Sunbae Baek Muyeong had filmed a drama, and there had been a slight—very slight—controversy about him acting with nothing but his face. But since the role he took was that of a taciturn killer, acting skills hadn't been particularly important.
*There were even episodes where he didn't have a single line, so that says it all...*
But for a character whose face told the story instead of lines, whose entire being was just that, being handsome was all that mattered—what more could you want? Because of this, he had heard that actors and industry insiders had a somewhat poor perception of Sunbae Baek Muyeong, so if that was the reason, he could roughly understand.
Eunchan quickly regained his composure and stared intently at Hyeonjuin's profile as he continued hosting. Feeling Eunchan's gaze, Hyeonjuin glanced back at him.
*Oops, did I stare too much?*
"Eunchan-sshi, is there something on my face?"
"Ah, sorry. It's just that you're so handsome, Juin-sshi."
Haha. Eunchan forced a laugh and spouted some nonsense.
"Having a handsome face right next to me, I couldn't help myself."
"I didn't know you were someone who could make jokes like this, Eunchan-sshi. I feel very pleased, as though I've heard your true feelings for the first time in a while."
*What is he on about?*
Eunchan genuinely wondered what kind of relationship he'd had with Hyeonjuin around this time. He simply nodded with an ambiguous smile.
*He probably isn't being sarcastic... but isn't that a bit excessive even for empty flattery?*
Hyeonjuin wasn't the type to make this kind of joke. And even when they'd been in the same group activities before the regression, they weren't close enough to speak freely, let alone be sarcastic with each other.
Thinking about it, they hadn't even really talked in the first place. After the debut album, Hyeonjuin had far more days where he didn't come to the dorm than days he did. Even when Eunchan tried to start a conversation, he'd be ignored or answered with a single word.
He remembered trying to get along with him early on, but after he stopped coming to practice, Eunchan had more or less given up. The company didn't particularly call Hyeonjuin out on it either, so there was nothing more Eunchan could say.
When he did participate in practice occasionally, Eunchan would welcome him by asking if he'd come. But he wouldn't interfere beyond that. He was afraid that if he touched a nerve, Hyeonjuin might actually leave the group, just like the rumors going around outside.
Aside from the trouble he had caused, no other memories of Hyeonjuin came to mind.
*I would've actually had to interact with him to remember anything...*
The memories from the very beginning of their debut, when Hyeonjuin hadn't caused any incidents and attended practice fairly well, were hazy. He had been out of his mind preparing for the debut too.
"Chilwol Chilseok sings. Ojakgyo."
Only this ment remained in his brain, leaving no room to store anything else. *You and I who meet on Chilseok cross the Ojakgyo. Babam—Showtime!* ...It was pure muscle memory.
In that sense, he couldn't make heads or tails of Hyeonjuin's honeyed words. Eunchan rolled his eyes slightly and glanced at Hyeonjuin. His favorability was at negative thirty percent, so had it glitched and shown plus thirty percent instead?
*Yeah, that makes more sense.*
"You said Gaeul-sshi is the main vocalist, but the ad-libs in the chorus were truly amazing. Was that directed that way from the start, or did you improvise them on the spot...?"
"Ah, that was me..."
While Eunchan was briefly lost in other thoughts, the questions shifted from Gaeul, Byeol, and Rion to Juhyeok and Iseon. Even Iseon, who always smoothly glossed over situations with a sly air, seemed nervous today. In contrast, Juhyeok, who had experience appearing on audition programs, looked completely at ease.
But more than that, Hyeonjuin's performance was going remarkably well—so much so that it was embarrassing to have worried.
*As expected, not just anyone can be an actor.*
Well, even before the regression, Hyeonjuin had been competent when he actually worked. Of course, from the third year onward, the tension he had now had loosened, but the reason his popularity remained convincing despite the string of incidents was right here.
"Ah, I have a question I'm curious about here, too. Has it already been three years? Iseon-sshi and Juhyeok-sshi, who are famous for being close! I heard you two are roommates... How is it, do you get along with each other?"
"Yes!"
"No."
The moment Hyeonjuin finished his question, both answers rang out at once. Juhyeok, who had maintained a calm composure throughout the showcase, raised his voice as loud as Iseon at this question, causing Eunchan to turn his head and look.
"Wow—seeing you answer in unison, it seems like you already get along incredibly well. I'm jealous of that friendship."
"Yes, Juhyeokie is just too shy to show it~ We'll show you our friendship that has aged for three years!"
Do Iseon, he's acting up again. He's going to get punched by Juhyeokie at this rate.
Hyeonjuin's expression also twisted slightly upon hearing the answers. He seemed to be holding back laughter. Juhyeok was gritting his teeth.
*It's going to be loud back at the dorm tonight...*
Thanks to the showcase proceeding far more smoothly than expected, his mind was at ease. He moistened his throat with bottled water for a moment and glanced at the sparkling lights on the stage. He wished this happiness could continue.
"Ah, the showcase is already ending. Leader Eunchan-sshi, would you give us some closing remarks?"
"Yes, first of all, thank you so much to everyone who came to our showcase! Since it's our first time, there must have been clumsy and awkward moments, but please watch over us kindly. Moving forward, we will become Genesis that improves little by little. Finally, we'll wrap things up with a b-side track. Please get home safely!"
"Then, with Genesis's 'Moonlight Walk' as our finale, I will take my leave as well."
***
['Genesis' Successfully Wraps Up Debut Showcase... Fires Opening Salvo as Next-Generation Group]
[Six-Member Boy Group 'Genesis' Successfully Concludes Showcase]
['Already Ranked #1 in Visual Interest'—Genesis's Debut Showcase Concludes Successfully with Notable Marketing]
*They got really good articles... Wasn't the PR team just the team leader and two staff members?*
Unlike before, the company seemed to be promoting Genesis through a standard idol route rather than chasing cheap attention, which put him considerably more at ease. Good... with this, they should avoid becoming a mockery like last time.
Basking in the positive articles that came up after the showcase, Eunchan logged into his SNS subscription account.
...But the first thing he saw upon entering was this, of all things.
-----
Shining Moment
@shiningmoment1111
20XX0707
The MC-nim who looks good in a three-piece suit...♥
#Hyeonjuin #hyunjuin
-----
It was today's photo from the journalist (a fansite master in disguise) who had been photographing Hyeonjuin at the showcase earlier. And it wasn't even a preview—it was an edited version.
*How is this a topic I'd be interested in...*
SNS definitely had no redeeming functions whatsoever. Were they really this bad at big data collection? He wasn't interested. He was sure he had set word mutes; he couldn't understand why this kept happening.
*Come to think of it, this person's fansite name is the same as before the regression.*
He was already familiar with it, having seen it for six years, memorizing their face and account.
Truly a devoted fan. They still took great photos, too.
*...He really does shine.*
The moment he saw Hyeonjuin's photo, he could instantly understand why this fansite was called 'Shining Moment.' He truly radiated light.
***
-----
Shining Moment
@shiningmoment1111
20XX0707
The trio from Miji Arts High School
#Hyeonjuin #HYUNJUIN
#SeoJuhyeok #SEOJOOHYEOK
#DoIseon #DOISEON
-----
ㄴ Nori @norriiea
wow all three are fcking handsome crazyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ StillWaitingForHyeonjuinDebut @Rskdfod2dka
F*ck... Juin-ah, why are you looking at the MC...
You should be dancing with them!!!!!!!!
ㄴ AnyoneIsFine @efdzcji8
This combo works... it works...
Ah just taste it first, everyone
ㄴ MultiStan @iamjobdeok
Seems like Hyeonjuin is just going to be an actor entirelyㄷㄷ
But if this was going to happen, why did Kim Gwangchun even reveal him as part of Minutes?
ㄴ HyeonjuinDebuted...AsAnActor @hyundebutplz
Hyeonjuin did debut...
but as an actor...? Ah, I'm not crying. I'm not crying!!
ㄴ He debuted as a child actor over 10 years ago though
ㄴㄴ F*ck it's not like I don't know that, you tactless bastards with not even as much sense as Kim Gwangchun's toenails
-----
Watching the followers with familiar nicknames chatter the moment the photo went up, his brain sent out a signal.
He needed to raise his blood alcohol concentration quickly. If he looked at this while sober, he wouldn't be able to resist writing a post about Hyeonjuin. Where was the alcohol? Calm him down now!
[...Hello everyone? ...I'm not doing well...
You probably want to open with profanity mixed with frustration rather than greetings, right......?
For your information, I haven't had a single drop of alcohol...
To be honest, I'm the same as all of you...
...I've thought about it day and night, but I still believe Juin-ie suits being an idol...
I too wanted and longed for idol Hyeonjuin...
But actor Juin-ie is still good too... nobutthesedaystheydobothKimGwangchun youcrazybastard
...Ah... please don't misunderstand... it means I like Juin-ie no matter what form he takes...
The more it is like this, the more we must remember Minutes Hyeonjuin...
That being who exists only within our memories.......
I hope you can feel my sincerity even if only through this...
Lastly, Gwangchun-ah... Give up on the entertainment business lol...]
As he wrote, it exceeded one hundred and eighty characters, so he simply canceled and saved it to his drafts.
About fifty posts had accumulated in his draft box like this. The more he dwelled on it, the more bitter his mouth tasted.
*Juin-ah... are you happy...*
Shining Moment.
Her hobby, as a journalist affiliated with KM Media, was going around taking photos of Hyeonjuin. That is, a so-called "fansite master."
Unlike in the past, these days you didn't need to create a dot-homepage or fansite; you could just upload photos directly to SNS, so she wondered if "fansite master" was even the right term anymore.
*I'm just a photo fan... but whatever, if it's good, it's good.*
The idol group she had liked madly for five years since high school ended with her bias getting caught in a dating scandal and her second bias getting arrested for drugs.
After that, despite vowing to everyone around her that she would never look at another celebrity, she had fallen for Hyeonjuin at first sight when he came to her university campus for a drama filming, and she had already been fanning for two years.
She hadn't been this serious from the start.
*He was just... f*cking handsome.*
It was because of her belief that "a subject this perfect must have as much material made and preserved while beautiful." A face like that needed to be passed down for generations with fond "those were the days" reminiscing. If you don't get it, get lost.
And when she was hired as a journalist after graduation, thinking she would also gain access to information through work—feeling it would be a waste to just let it pass—she began going to photograph Hyeonjuin at every opportunity.
From production presentations to press previews, outdoor filming, stage greetings, and so on... before she knew it, she was seriously stanning Hyeonjuin.
*I only ever liked idols for years, and now I'm into an actor?*
Shining Moment's preference was for idols, whom she could see up close and communicate with, rather than actors who were relatively distant.
But before being an idol fan, she was an extreme face-biased fan, and with Hyeonjuin's looks, she would have liked him even if he were modeling across the ocean, so she gave up thinking too deeply about it.
Handsome is the best. I love beautiful men so much. It's electrifying every time I see him.
How long had the days continued where she wrapped up each day with Hyeonjuin's handsome-man therapy?
The day Hyeonjuin was revealed as part of "Minutes" without any warning, she had no choice but to cover her mouth and collapse to her knees. As expected of her eye for talent.
Yes... from the first time she saw him, she had thought this face could pull off every concept under dazzling lights with all kinds of styling, that it was a taste-destroyer which destroys every preference—an appearance that makes people cry.
The idol-related DNA she had hidden away briefly came back to life and spoke to her.
Haha, I've been waiting. For the day you return to the idol scene.
*Yeah, for going to offline events, idols are definitely better than actors.*
Managing concerts and events was f*cking exhausting, but if she thought about the results she would gain after enduring that hardship... she could lump it all into memories. More than anything, all her acquaintances only went to see idols, so she had felt a bit awkward asking them to drive her to actor Hyeonjuin's events or requesting proxy favors.
From her years of experience, stanning idols was comparatively more arduous, but it was also much more fun. It was welcome timing since she had been struggling to adapt to the actor fandom.
So that day, she had called her acquaintances over to her studio for the first time in a while, proposing that they all go see him together once Minutes debuted, and had thrown a drinking party.
I'll take Hyeonjuin, you take Yeon Gaeul, she takes Do Iseon, he takes Seo Juhyeok.
That was the plan. They had definitely agreed on it.
*Juin-ah... weren't you going to be an idol...?*
The idol trainee Minutes Hyeonjuin, over whom she and her friends had been running their happiness circuits, did not exist.
There was only actor Hyeonjuin, neatly dressed in a three-piece suit, watching the showcase as the MC. Perhaps because her expectations had been too high, tears blurred her vision even as she looked at handsome Juin's face.
*Look at those Genesis kids. Overalls and berets because they're rookies... crazy... and that one in knee-high socks and a headband. I saw they wore sailor uniforms in the music video too.*
The flashy dyed hair suited them all, and perhaps because their faces were generally handsome, their faces really shone. Though not as much as our Juin-ie, of course.
Anyway, at a glance, Genesis was the perfect example of fresh rookie boy idols in that age group.
*Ha... if our Juin-ie were there, he would have dyed hair, colored lenses, and sailor uniforms too, right?*
The more she thought about it, the more her teeth ground together.
If this was how it was going to be, they shouldn't have revealed him as part of Minutes in the first place. It wasn't even false hope—it felt like they had given her something and snatched it away, which annoyed her even more.
Kim Gwangchun... you crazy bastard. You're definitely going to hell.
Of course, even as she said that, Hyeonjuin in a three-piece suit was a rare sight, so she pressed the camera shutter diligently. Midway through, she made eye contact with security and instinctively flinched, but pretended nothing happened and continued writing her article. Even though she had come as a journalist today rather than as an audience member, old habits died hard.
She'd use the B-cuts roughly for the article and edit the A-cuts to upload as soon as she got home.
It was Genesis's showcase, so she should be photographing them, but her hands kept taking pictures of only Hyeonjuin. What could she do? Her stomach hurt with envy every time she saw those six.
She didn't know if Hyeonjuin had left the debut team of his own volition to become an actor or if he had been eliminated from evaluations, but the point was he hadn't debuted!
*...Still, there's the bond from the Minutes days.*
Thinking she should at least create one legendary meme photo of all six Genesis members at the showcase, she straightened up and started taking photos again.
She thought she made eye contact with a member named Yu Eunchan, who was from a hidden trainee background... Well, he seemed to have adapted quickly to the cameras for a rookie. He was a bit unfamiliar since he hadn't been revealed as part of Minutes, so she took a few shots and then diligently photographed Seo Juhyeok, her friend's bias.
"Ha...."
No matter how much she thought about it, Kim Gwangchun shouldn't be in the idol business—no, the entertainment business.
Why didn't he put Hyeonjuin in here? Couldn't he see that face? It was practically written across his forehead to do both idol and actor work! Her discerning eye, with over ten years of combined idol fandom experience, was saying that if they added Hyeonjuin, they would become a perfect group!
Anyway, the company higher-ups undoubtedly carried their heads around as mere decorations.
In Shining Moment's mind, only the image of Hyeonjuin floated about—bleached hair, colored lenses, sailor uniform collar loosely open, and haphazardly draped over him.