LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: Rxel
Chapter 4
Dance.
What if he could conquer dance, which he never improved at even after six years of being a trainee, because of his terrible motor skills?
Seon Woojoo missed countless debut opportunities while he was a trainee. Some of his friends who joined later than me debuted before him.
He was even kicked out of the debut group after barely making it.
It was all because of dance.
The main reason why Seon Woojoo gave up on his idol dream, and why TNT fired him, was dance.
But what if he could overcome dance…
To find out, he repeated the same experiment as before.
He danced the way he knew how.
Then he watched the original choreographer on YouTube and followed along for a second recording.
When he looked at the result, he couldn’t close his mouth.
Oh my god. It worked?
It was a thought he had just in case, but it was really possible.
The gap between the two videos was less than a minute, but Seon Woojoo’s movements were amazingly different.
“…”
He was speechless.
It felt like the stars in the night sky were falling on him.
It was distant and unreal.
The cause of his lifelong regret, and why he was cut from the debut group, was solved so easily.
Was it a dream?
Seon Woojoo collapsed on the ground.
The coldness of the winter sand seeped through his jeans, but he sat there blankly and looked at the sky.
The stars scattered in the night sky.
The moon half-hidden by the clouds.
He recalled what happened today, while taking in all of that.
From saving the old man and watching an action movie at the hospital.
To doing an interview and going to the playground to test his ability.
None of this was a dream.
At first, Seon Woojoo denied reality, thinking it was impossible. But the more he experimented, the more certain he became.
He didn’t know why, but he clearly gained some ability.
A kind of superpower.
Seon Woojoo laughed out of disbelief.
“Haha…”
As if he had gone crazy, he laughed for a long time. Then he brushed off his butt and got up.
Now… dance was not a problem.
Seon Woojoo told Seokhwan Hyung that he would give up on being an idol, but in fact, he auditioned several times after leaving TJ Entertainment.
And he failed every time.
The judges who were happy at his visuals and vocals frowned when they saw his wooden dance moves. And when they heard how long he was a trainee, they shook their heads.
They meant that if he couldn’t do better after six years, there was no point in trying more.
But now it was different.
Dance was no longer an obstacle for him.
Then, he could walk again.
He could dream again.
The path that he had given up on.
Idol.
Maybe it was possible now.
***
“Eat quickly. The meat will burn.”
“Huh? Oh.”
Seon Woojoo snapped out of it at Seokhwan Hyung’s urging.
The meat restaurant that Seokhwan Hyung took him to was a famous place in Eunpyeong-gu.
Seon Woojoo used to drool over it when he was a trainee, wishing he could go there once. But he knew Seon Woojoo’s grudge and chose this place.
He put a piece of well-cooked flower sirloin in his mouth.
The savory and fatty flavor of the charcoal-grilled beef.
He looked at Seon Woojoo with a sour expression, as he made a blissful face.
“People would think you haven’t eaten for three days. Eat slowly. Who’s going to take it away from you?”
“Wasn’t it you?”
“What?”
“Weren’t you going to take me away?”
“Why do you think that?”
“You ordered five servings of snow sirloin for 50,000 won each, and you’re not even flinching. That means it’s not your personal card, right? And you said you were going to get the corporate card earlier. Doesn’t that mean it’s not a personal matter, but a business matter?”
“Wow, you’re a Sherlock Holmes.”
“Ah, try it, Hyung.”
As a thank-you for the drink, Seon Woojoo fed him a carefully wrapped lettuce wrap.
He smiled and said, “So if I catch you, will you go with me?”
“See for yourself.” Seon Woojoo glanced at the menu and answered. “If you add one more steamed egg, my heart might waver.”
Yoon Seokhwan smiled and added the steamed egg.
While they were eating meat, the hot steamed egg came out.
Seon Woojoo scooped a spoonful of steamed egg and blew on it, then brought it to his mouth. Yoon Seokhwan looked at him and cautiously opened his mouth.
“By the way, are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“The college entrance exam. I saw the article that said you prepared for two years since you left the army. Your mock test scores were also in the top tier.”
“It’s a shame, but what can I do? I can’t change what happened.”
“You must be upset.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to this kind of thing now.”
Seon Woojoo answered with a smile.
“When did my life ever go the way I wanted? If I had achieved everything I wanted, I would have been the star of Asia by now. I think it’s a waste of time to be emotional about something I can’t change. It’s only a loss for me.”
“You have a diamond-like mentality as always.”
“Not a diamond, maybe gold. But not pure gold, the kind that has some impurities mixed in.”
At Seon Woojoo’s joke, Yoon Seokhwan laughed uncontrollably.
“What did your grandmother say?”
“What do you mean?”
Seon Woojoo shivered as he recalled the phone call he had a few hours ago.
“She cursed at me with every word a primate can use. Do you know what a chinchilla is, Hyung?”
“She even brought up a chinchilla?”
“My grandmother could make the twelve zodiacs with the animals she cursed at me. If she wasn’t my grandmother, I would have sued her.”
“She must have said that out of concern.”
“I know.”
That was why Seon Woojoo felt sorry and worried.
“Hyung, can we talk about something else? It’s ruining my mood.”
“What are you talking about? You’re drinking cola right now.”
“Cola is alcohol too.”
“Since when is cola alcohol?”
“It’s bad for your body and it makes you feel good when you drink it, so it’s alcohol.”
“I drank the soju, why are you talking nonsense?”
Seon Woojoo gulped down the cola and made a ‘kya’ sound.
“I can’t drink alcohol.”
Seon Woojoo’s face would turn red as soon as he drank, so much so that people would think he was drunk.
“Let’s toast.”
They clinked glasses and he picked up a piece of meat.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“What’s the reason you asked me to meet?”
Seon Woojoo liked Yoon Seokhwan as a person.
But business was a different matter.
No matter how much Seon Woojoo liked him, Yoon Seokhwan was a fiercely living social being.
He didn’t call Seon Woojoo to eat beef and reminisce.
“There must be a reason why you asked me to meet today. Honestly, you saw my face on the internet and asked me to meet, that’s an excuse.”
“That’s true.”
“What?”
“You’re more famous than you think.”
“Hey.”
“Just look at your popularity today. You’re like a mid-tier idol.”
“Stop flying me.”
Seon Woojoo waved his hand.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
Seon Woojoo turned his head and saw a woman approaching our table.
She was in her twenties.
Her eyes sparkled as if she wanted something.
“Are you the hero of Galhyeon-dong?”
The hero of Galhyeon-dong.
Seon Woojoo was indifferent when he saw it in print, but he felt embarrassed when he heard it directly. Seokhwan Hyung chuckled at his expression that was gradually turning red.
“Yes, I am, but what’s the matter?”
“Wow, awesome!”
The other person burst into a hearty laugh.
“I saw it on the internet today. It’s really amazing.”
“Ah, yes…”
“You look even better in person.”
“Thank you.”
“Can I take a picture with you?”
“A picture? Sure, that’s fine.”
Seon Woojoo felt like he had become a celebrity.
Before turning on the camera app, Seon Woojoo saw the famous idol group Sixty Seconds’ pictorial photo that decorated the background screen of her smartphone.
Was she an idol fan?
After taking the picture, she asked, ‘Can I post it on Facebook?’ and left gracefully.
She seemed to have come out for a meal with her family, and when Seon Woojoo glanced at their table, her younger brother looked like a test taker.
He muttered to himself as he watched the happy family, “I guess I really sold my face.”
“Do you believe it now?”
“A little bit.”
“You asked me why I wanted to meet you, right? What’s the matter?”
Seon Woojoo nodded.
“You’re an entertainer…”
“No.”
Seon Woojoo answered before he could finish his sentence, and he blinked his eyes.
“Listen to me, you brat.”
“You’re going to tell me to be an actor. It’s obvious.”
Seon Woojoo dipped the flower sirloin, which was grilled medium rare, in the oil sauce, and a little bit of blood oozed out and floated in the oil.
Seon Woojoo enjoyed the taste of the 1++ grade beef, which was greasy and chewy, and opened his lips.
“You didn’t like being an actor?”
“No.”
Seon Woojoo picked up the soju bottle and filled Yoon Seokhwan’s glass.
“I don’t care if I’m an actor or an idol now. Actually, something special happened today.”
Seon Woojoo saved an old man who was driving a rear car and fell on the ice, and he got a strange ability.
The ability to copy any action he saw.
Seon Woojoo figured it out when he tried various things at the school playground.
There was no limit to the actions he could copy.
Not only martial arts skills such as punches and kicks, but also gymnastics, b-boying, idol dances, and even dancing.
The dance, which had been a headache for six years, was solved, which meant that he didn’t have to be an actor.
“I’m thinking of trying to be an idol again.”
“Now?”
“There are people who debut at twenty-five, what’s the big deal? I’m a little late at twenty-one, but I’m still young enough to try.”
“Are you going to give up on the college entrance exam?”
“I’m not sure.”
Seon Woojoo scratched his cheek with a somewhat awkward feeling.
“I told you, being an idol is not confirmed yet. I haven’t decided what to do with the college entrance exam yet.”
“So you want to be an idol, right?”
“Huh?”
Yoon Seokhwan’s reaction was strange.
Seon Woojoo tilted his head as he looked at him, who was sparkling his eyes.
“That’s great, Woojoo.”
“What is?”
“If you want to be an idol, come to our company.”
“Wait a minute.”
Seon Woojoo raised his hand to interrupt Yoon Seokhwan’s words.
“Why is the story going that way? Weren’t you here to tell me to be an actor?”
“When did I?”
“Huh?”
“You misunderstood it yourself. That’s why you should listen to people’s stories until the end.”
“Sorry, I got it wrong.”
Yoon Seokhwan took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Seon Woojoo.
[Lemon Entertainment Director Yoon Seokhwan]
Seon Woojoo opened his eyes wide at the words written on Yoon Seokhwan’s new business card.
“Director? You got promoted.”
“Promoted? It’s like moving from a big company as a director to a small company as an executive.”
“Congratulations. You got into a good company.”
Lemon Entertainment was a small planning company, but it was a verified one that was evaluated to have a solid foundation.
It started as an actor-specialized planning company, and now it was expanding its territory to the music industry.
There was also a famous girl group that debuted there recently.
“Scarlet is from Lemon Entertainment, right?”
“Yeah.”
Scarlet was a popular four-member girl group.
Was it last year?
They appeared like a comet and established their image as a talented girl group.
“This time, we’re preparing a boy group after Scarlet. So come and audition.”
“Are you serious?”
Yoon Seokhwan nodded at Seon Woojoo’s question.
“I’m serious. Do you think I’d joke with you while feeding you expensive meat?”
“Do you remember that I was cut off because I can’t dance?”
“Do you think I’d forget that?”
“Then why?”
Seon Woojoo looked at Yoon Seokhwan suspiciously.
Then he let out a sigh-like laugh and shrugged his shoulders.
“When I told you to come and see, the first thing I said was your dancing skills. I didn’t want to discourage another person. But the higher-ups said they didn’t care and told me to bring you in.”
“Higher-ups?”
“Oh, I haven’t told you yet.”
Yoon Seokhwan tilted his glass and sighed.
“Do you know a composer named Jo Gyuhwan?”
“Of course I do. It’s a name you can’t not know if you study composition.”
“Well, he’s famous.”
Jo Gyuhwan.
A genius composer who had many hit songs that you could recognize by just hearing the title.
He was a person who made billions of won in royalties every year at a young age.
“He’s the production director at Lemon Entertainment. He’s the second-in-command after the CEO, and he’s mainly in charge of casting actors and singers, and producing. Scarlet is his work too.”
He continued.
“But he’s a really weird person. His nickname is Fortune-Teller.”
“Fortune-Teller?”
“He knows what will hit and what will flop amazingly well. His accuracy rate is almost 99 percent.”
“Is that possible?”
“It’s true, man.”
Yoon Seokhwan snapped at Seon Woojoo, who was laughing as if it was absurd, and told him a few examples.
He picked a song that everyone said would flop as the title track.
He persuaded the company to put an actor in a minor-themed movie that was sure to fail.
The song that was supposed to flop hit number one on the chart in a day, and the male actor who reluctantly starred in the movie became a 10 million actor.
“Most of them are stories I heard, but I watched Scarlet’s casting myself.”
The casting of Scarlet, who was famous as a talented girl group, was like that.
He picked someone he saw walking around Hongdae.
He handed a business card to a high school student sitting on the subway.
And that was how he made Scarlet, who was picked up like that, the most hit rookie group in 2012.
Yoon Seokhwan shook his head as if he was tired, remembering that time.
“Anyway, that Director Jo Gyuhwan wants you as a new member of Lemon Entertainment’s boy group.”
“What?”
“Just like I said.”
Seon Woojoo stared at Yoon Seokhwan for a moment.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Tell me honestly. The boy group you’re telling me to join right now. It’s not in a good state, right?”
“…Huh? Not in a good state?”
“Why would they suddenly pick a new member for a problem-free group? There must be some internal problem, so they’re picking a new member.”
Yoon Seokhwan’s offer was tempting.
It was a boy group produced by Midas’s Hand, and Midas’s Hand wanted me personally.
But nothing goes well in the world.
When a really amazing opportunity came, you had to think about it.
Why did this opportunity stay until it was his turn?
Especially when he wasn’t even a trainee, but a student.
“What, it’s not a problem per se.” Yoon Seokhwan scratched his nose and said, “It’s just a bit complicated.”
He explained the situation to Seon Woojoo.
Originally, the idol project that Lemon Entertainment was preparing was a boy group.
While Director Jo Gyuhwan was ambitiously producing Scarlet, the company’s management team was independently preparing a boy group.
The goal was seven members.
But there was a problem.
One of the trainees had a bad personality and constantly clashed with other trainees, and eventually he was kicked out of the company.
That alone would not have delayed things so much.
Just when it seemed like the situation was settled with the expulsion, two of the six remaining members left before their debut.
The problem was that they left after taking their debut profile pictures.
The remaining four were mentally broken.
And that was how two years passed.
“After Scarlet settled in earlier this year, Director Jo took over as the boy group producer.”
“So?”
“He decided to drastically revise the original seven-member project and debut with five members. He held a lot of auditions, but unfortunately he didn’t seem to find anyone he liked. Until today, that is.”
Until today, he said.
Could it be…
“When we were having lunch, your face came on the TV at the restaurant and his eyes were looking at you in an unusual way. I asked him why and he said this.”