LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 198
Chapter 198
—
Noticing Lee Se-jun’s ears turning noticeably red, I found myself more flustered than I had been in recent times.
Hey, no way, right?
Seriously, it can’t be, right?
Putting everything else aside.
You’re 22 years old, and he’s 19.
Sure, a three-year age difference might not seem like a big deal to some, but we need to remember that Gyeon Ha-ram hasn’t even graduated high school yet.
Although Gyeon Ha-ram, who has been working as a child actor from a young age, has much more social experience than most people in their early twenties…
He might even be more mature than I am, who has lived without proper experience…
But that’s that, and this is this!
Moreover, it’s too much to cheer them on for a beautiful love in their prime when there’s so much at stake for both Gyeon Ha-ram and Lee Se-jun individually.
And what about my position as a co-host?
I shook my head vigorously, trying to dismiss the thought of the various inhumane restrictions on the emotions of celebrities (especially idols).
No, it’s wrong for Lee Se-jun to see a high schooler as a romantic interest.
I wanted to believe that Lee Se-jun wouldn’t bring his emotions to the workplace professionally, but I couldn’t shake this bad feeling.
Curious about how the other party felt, I observed Gyeon Ha-ram’s reaction when we gathered as MCs to coordinate before the live broadcast.
“You and Raon seem to speak casually to each other, you can speak comfortably with me too.”
“Ah, I usually don’t speak casually to those older than me…”
It seemed Gyeon Ha-ram had already sensed Lee Se-jun’s feelings.
Should I consider this a relief? Gyeon Ha-ram didn’t seem particularly interested in Lee Se-jun.
In fact, he seemed to dislike him.
Since he seemed to handle it well, there was no need to consult Gyeon Seong-ha, who didn’t seem to get along well with him anyway.
—
About an hour before the live broadcast began, I contacted someone to ask for a guide recording.
Me [Can we meet for a moment?]
After waiting for a while, a reply came.
Him [In front of the green painting in 20 minutes.]
Me [Okay.]
By the way, his messenger nickname never failed to make me laugh, which was a blow to my pride.
Fifteen minutes later.
I got up from the sofa where I had been sitting.
“Hyung, I’m going to meet someone for a bit.”
Lee Young-min, who had been sitting next to me staring blankly ahead, turned to me and nodded slowly with a slight smile.
“Sure. See you later.”
If it were Gwak Sang-hyun, he would have asked where I was going and told me to come back by a certain time.
I wasn’t sure if he trusted me to handle it well or if he didn’t care at all, given his indifferent attitude.
Though his work was good, despite his lack of enthusiasm, which made him a better colleague than someone who worked hard but couldn’t perform well.
Other staff members were whispering among themselves as they watched this scene, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
It didn’t seem like good things, somehow.
Though imposing to most people, with his tall stature and peculiar atmosphere, he didn’t stand out much but had a rather decent appearance.
Initially, he seemed to attract positive attention among female employees and staff, but once it became known that his gloomy personality matched his looks, the early interest faded significantly.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Raon.”
As I greeted the familiar faces at MBS every Saturday, I quickly reached the meeting spot.
The green painting before me was a large piece wider than my outstretched arms. It was a notable landmark and a quiet spot often used for meetings since there wasn’t much around except some rarely used stairs.
There was even a large pillar to hide behind, making it a popular spot for secret meetings between celebrity couples appearing on music shows, as Joo Yeon-ho had once shared as a tip.
I could see someone talking in the distance, but they wouldn’t come closer to check who was behind the pillar.
“Long time no see.”
Go Kyung-yoon, who had been leaning against the unseen side of the pillar, straightened up and greeted me with his characteristic clear voice.
“Long time.”
“I watched your last activity and broadcast. So, what’s the matter? You didn’t call just to say hello, did you?”
“Thanks. I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
When I handed him the earphones connected to my phone, Go Kyung-yoon took them without hesitation and put them in his ears.
“Just listen for a moment.”
I played the audio file with the temporary completed lyrics and my voice recorded. After about a minute, I stopped the playback.
Go Kyung-yoon, who had taken out the earphones, looked at me with intrigued eyes and gave a straightforward compliment.
“It’s good. Is it Orca’s new song?”
“I’m not sure yet. But can you do a guide recording for this?”
The lyrics were almost complete when I was holed up in the studio. The details could be refined gradually.
“A guide? But your voice was all recorded on the one you just played.”
“It’s not a big deal, but I don’t want it known that I composed it for personal reasons.”
“You composed it?”
“Yeah, that’s how it turned out.”
[Go Kyung-yoon reconfirms your potential. Go Kyung-yoon’s favorability +2, current favorability +21]
When did this guy’s favorability rise so much?
After a brief contemplation, Go Kyung-yoon finally asked.
“Can I ask why you’re asking me?”
It wasn’t a difficult question to answer.
“As I said, I don’t want it known that I compose, but not many people know about our acquaintance. Most importantly, I trust you won’t accidentally reveal it’s my song.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because if this gets out by any chance, it would only be good for me, wouldn’t it?”
Although I was trying to keep it hidden for personal reasons, the fact that there were two people in Orca who could compose wouldn’t be particularly beneficial for Liftin, the group Go Kyung-yoon belonged to.
People might start making unreasonable comparisons, asking why Liftin couldn’t perform with their own compositions when Orca could.
And this guy was rational enough not to do anything that would harm himself.
After hearing my story, Go Kyung-yoon blinked a few times behind his glasses and then smiled brightly.
“So basically, you see me as someone who’s just barely worth talking to?”
“Yeah. If you have any complaints, feel free to speak up.”
“It didn’t seem this bad last time.”
“I remembered a bit more about when you were with True.”
Since that day, more of On Raon’s memories had come to me through dreams.
“I recall you being quite grateful to me back then.”
“That was then, and this is now.”
“Well, okay.”
Should I be thankful for that?
Go Kyung-yoon didn’t seem upset.
“So, just how much trash am I?”
“What?”
“Am I the kind you don’t even want to deal with, or at least recyclable? I’d prefer the latter.”
Although it was clearly a silly, meaningless joke, much like how he set his messenger name as ‘Ga.’
Seeing his somewhat serious face made me want to laugh involuntarily.
‘It’s annoying that we’re on the same wavelength…’
Keeping my expression, I asked the question that had been on my mind.
“By the way, didn’t we agree to drop formalities since we’re the same age? Why are you using honorifics?”
“I’m managing my image. There are quite a few adults who like polite students.”
Go Kyung-yoon whispered in such a low voice that it could barely be heard and then greeted someone who was coming out of the stairway door, saying, “Hello, Director.”
Not to be outdone, I stretched my body forward from behind the pillar and bowed as well, slightly brightening the director’s gloomy face.
[Someone who saw your and Go Kyung-yoon’s faces feels it’s worthwhile to keep working at a job that makes them curse every day. ??? Favorability +5, current favorability +33]
‘Hang in there…’
“Geo and Raon, what are you doing here? Isn’t this a place for secret conversations?”
The director was known for being bad with names, but recognizing Go Kyung-yoon’s face showed the guy’s knack for networking.
“We were just asking for a quick favor regarding our new song’s choreography challenge.”
Choreography challenge, really?
It wasn’t too personal and didn’t sound strange, making it a suitable excuse.
I quickly nodded in agreement with Go Kyung-yoon’s words.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Oh, you mean the ones you upload to apps these days? I see them a lot nowadays. Work hard and see you later.”
“Goodbye.”
“Goodbye!”
The director hurried away, seemingly having urgent business.
When it was just the two of us again, Go Kyung-yoon looked back at me as if to ask, “Did you see that?”
Watching him, I let out a sigh, not knowing if it was from frustration or laughter.
“Why do you act like that with me when I’m not even one of those adults you need to impress?”
“You might not be an adult, but I still want to look good to you.”
“I think I know why.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Do people often tell you that you’re opportunistic?”
“I haven’t heard it to my face much, but I’m sure many have thought it once or twice.”
It wasn’t a nice thing to say, but he maintained a peaceful attitude as if it was about someone else.
“And I thought being honest with you would be better than pretending otherwise.”
“What do you call changing your attitude as you please if not pretentious?”
“Well… it’s sincerity, I guess.”
“You’re really annoying.”
“Most people like it when I use honorifics and show respect. Should I stop if you don’t like it?”
“Never mind. It’s not just annoying, it’s really annoying.”
It was like he was telling me how straightforward he was with that unhesitating attitude.
What was scary was that such behavior, which could be perceived as insulting, actually worked quite well.
Not everyone could be attractive doing that, so it must be Go Kyung-yoon’s own ability.
“Anyway, since you told the director about the challenge, we should probably do it for real. Do you have time now?”
“This also feels like a loss for me, which is annoying.”
“If it’s annoying to do it with me, I can call Jun-woo hyung or another member.”
“Wow, really?”
[Go Kyung-yoon feels a bit disappointed. Go Kyung-yoon’s favorability +0, current favorability +21]
Go Kyung-yoon looked a bit sulky, as if asking me to notice, but what could I do about it?