Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 55

“I understand how you feel, so let’s take a breath first.”

Following Day’s advice, I took a deep breath in and out.

Talking without pause had left me breathless.

This wasn’t what I intended.

As I spoke, memories of Seo Moon-gyeol’s frustrating actions flooded my mind.

[The proficiency of skill 《Breathing (Beginner)》 has reached 50%.]

Whenever I felt that I was breathing properly, consciously or unconsciously, the proficiency of the breathing skill would increase.

‘It looks like I’ll reach the intermediate level soon.’

There were many times when I would just sit or lie down alone with the skill window open, staring blankly and just breathing.

It wasn’t for training the skill; I simply found the increasing proficiency numbers amusing. Moreover, the rate of improvement was quite fast.

People find joy and satisfaction in surprisingly trivial things.

There’s a reason why there are so many phone games where all you need to do is tap.

While I was breathing calmly.

Jing Xiao, who had remained silent, curiously asked Seo Moon-gyeol, who exuded an aura that made it as hard to approach him as it was the first time we met.

“Hyung, will you really give up the part if I ask for it?”

“If you do well.”

At Seo Moon-gyeol’s straightforward answer, the team members’ serious expressions momentarily brightened with excitement.

Being the center, and thanks to my subtle help for a better stage, Seo Moon-gyeol had the most parts among the six members.

Although he had the most parts, it wasn’t to the extent that anyone would say it was unfair, and everyone accepted it as reasonable.

If I hadn’t supported him, Seo Moon-gyeol would have only performed a short rap part and left the stage.

Of course, I made sure to secure enough parts for myself before looking out for Seo Moon-gyeol.

I’m not a pushover.

But…

Even after I gave him parts like bus fare?!

“See, this hyung is just someone who gives without holding back! He sets the arrangement direction, makes choreography, reviews the choreography, and even looks at the rap! What do you mean he gives parts?!”

“Wow. That rhyme was amazing.”

Nagase Ritsu bit his lip, trying hard to suppress his laughter at the second outburst.

“Whoa, whoa. Raon-ah, calm down.”

“Okay.”

“…But don’t calm down too suddenly.”

What am I supposed to do?

Anyway, because of my mouth, which spouted both necessary and unnecessary words, the atmosphere was much better than when Kyle had closed the door and left.

The practice room became quiet again.

Seo Moon-gyeol wore a calm expression, as if he hadn’t fought a moment ago, and Nagase Ritsu and Day had their heads down. Jing Xiao just rolled his eyes as if pondering something.

Seeing that everyone seemed somewhat calmed down, I spoke.

“I think the two of you were too exhausted from practice to have a proper conversation. I don’t think this is something worth fighting over.”

“Then, Raon, can you go after him and try to talk it out?”

A staff member who had stayed behind to watch after coming to install cameras gently suggested.

“Me?”

“Yes. If this is considered desertion, it could look very bad.”

“I’ll go bring him back right away.”

I carefully closed the door behind me to avoid making a loud noise and stepped out.

A staff member I recognized was checking equipment outside.

“Did you happen to see where Kyle went, nuna?”

“Kyle? He headed towards the vocal practice room over there.”

“Thank you!”

As I walked in the direction the staff pointed out, I thought about what to say to Kyle when I met him.

I had noticed that Kyle seemed a bit off lately, but I didn’t realize it was bothering him enough to fight openly in front of the camera.

‘Was it the concentrated distribution of positions like leader Seo Moon-gyeol, center Seo Moon-gyeol, and main rapper Seo Moon-gyeol that caused the problem?’

Yeah. It could have caused some dissatisfaction.

It’s only natural for people to feel that way.

But being the center doesn’t mean standing in the middle for three minutes like island idols, and Seo Moon-gyeol didn’t have an unfairly large number of parts, and everyone got parts they could make the most of based on their abilities.

So, fighting over this issue now, to the extent that it affects practice, is that even human?

“No… Calm down….”

I spoke to myself, consciously trying to quell my rising anger.

Wanting to believe in my team members as decent people, I searched for other reasons.

And then, as if in recovery mode from fatigue, my foggy mind presented a possibility.

‘Is this a hidden camera prank?’

Surprised by my own sharpness, I stopped in my tracks and covered my open mouth with both hands.

That’s it! This is a hidden camera prank!

But it’s a disaster!

I sensed a passing dormitory staff member pausing to observe my diverse range of expressions, but I ignored it and continued my thoughts.

Hidden camera pranks that create baffling situations for an unknown person are common in variety shows.

If the fabricated incident proceeds as if it’s real, the unsuspecting victim often ends up bewildered, and sometimes even sheds tears.

Pranks that go too far often draw public criticism, but the more sensational they are, the higher the viewership and clicks.

This fight was likely part of a hidden camera prank.

No wonder Seo Moon-gyeol, of all people, was fighting. I thought someone might have possessed him.

It seemed the writer seriously misunderstood the character.

The PD would definitely scold me later.

The PD might have expected negative reactions from me and Jing Xiao watching the team members fight… maybe that’s going too far.

In such a situation, anyone would react negatively, so it wasn’t completely off the mark.

The important thing was that I had ruined the PD’s plan.

No wonder the others had their heads down earlier. They were probably suppressing their laughter.

I was screwed.

That one word explained everything.

“I’m dead… dead….”

I banged my head against the wall repeatedly.

[You are stronger than the wall. HP –6]

Living my life, I’ve ended up comparing my combat power with a wall.

Are there even people stronger than a concrete wall in this world?

‘There are people who can pull trucks with their hair, so it wouldn’t be surprising if someone could break a wall with their head…’

Accepting the mysteries of the world with an open mind, I slid down the cool wall, ending up sitting hunched on the floor.

Suddenly, as if all my motivation had evaporated, all the strength drained from my body at once.

It wasn’t unusual for us to get irritated and fight with each other.

It wasn’t uncommon for staff to consider trainees as mere weeds that could be trampled on. The schedules were beyond tight, the meals were both unappetizing and insufficient, and everyone was increasingly pressured by the rankings.

In short, it was an environment where it was impossible not to get stressed, so even if I got fooled by a prank like that, it wouldn’t be particularly strange….

“What are you doing?”

Suddenly, a face came close, interrupting my thoughts. It was Ban Yo-han.

“I’m thinking about how much I want to go home.”

I replied weakly as I pulled my forehead away from the wall.

Ban Yo-han, who had crouched beside me, straightened his posture.

As he filled a water bottle from the nearby water dispenser, Ban Yo-han asked,

“Why do you look like that? Did something happen?”

“Gyeol hyung and Kyle fought.”

“It’s a hidden camera prank.”

Ban Yo-han asserted without hesitation.

“Right?”

At my words, Ban Yo-han gave me an even more puzzled look.

“Why are you so down when you know it’s not a real fight?”

“Because I want to go home.”

I repeated what I had said earlier in a monotonous tone.

It wasn’t just an excuse; I genuinely wanted to go home. Even a place like that, I wanted to go to.

“No one here isn’t thinking that right now. I also really don’t fit in here.”

Despite saying that, he had a remarkably smooth face.

I had never seen anyone who looked more carefree than this guy.

I said in disbelief,

“Your face is glowing; how can you say that?”

“Oh, this? I used some of Jun-woo hyung’s essence and lotion this morning. It seems to suit me, so I’m thinking of buying it after the training camp ends.”

Patting his cheek with the hand not holding the water bottle, he really looked like a fox disguised as a human.

It was extremely annoying, to say the least.

After closing the lid of the water bottle that was filled to the brim, Ban Yo-han said “I’m off” and walked a few steps before suddenly turning around as if he had remembered something.

“By the way, you might have that.”

“What is it?”

“Homesickness.”

* * *

On the way back to the practice room after preparing Jing Xiao’s birthday cake with the staff in the dark vocal practice room, I pondered Ban Yo-han’s words.

‘Homesickness? Me? Why?’

Ban Yo-han, who had looked like I should already know the answer, seemed to remember my unstable memory and carefully explained after taking a sip of water.

– I asked Gyeol last time, and he said you’ve lived in the U.S. longer than you’ve attended school in Korea. At that point, the U.S. might feel more like home than Korea. Even if it’s not, you said your hometown is Busan. Either way, this is like living away from home, so it’s natural to feel homesick. How are you feeling right now?

– Well, I want to go home… I feel drained, want to quit everything, and wonder what I’m doing here and…

After listening intently to my long ramble, Ban Yo-han nodded.

– Yep, that’s homesickness.

[An overgrown child suffering from homesickness…. Ban Yo-han sympathizes with you and hopes for your elimination. Ban Yo-han’s favorability +0, Current favorability +52]

Ban Yo-han’s diagnosis of homesickness seemed plausible, so I generously ignored the notification about his favorability changing because he mentioned my elimination.

– I’ve been fine until now.

– Even if you were fine yesterday, you might not be today. It’s possible you didn’t realize you weren’t okay. If you’re struggling, talk to the hyungs.

I had declined, saying I was fine, since I couldn’t explain my situation, but the diagnosis of homesickness itself seemed quite plausible coming from Ban Yo-han.

Whether it was America or Busan, I hadn’t been close to either place recently, but still, it was true that I was living away from home… no, away from this world.

Recalling my situation anew made my simple desires, which had been floating around like soap bubbles, become much more concrete.

‘I want to eat fire noodles with an egg on top… I want to watch Roll×Cup while eating Bbur×le… I want to order chocolate bingsu and fish-shaped bread from Seol× and eat it all by myself… I want to listen to So×’s songs… I want to raid with the game chat group while complaining about crappy games and then sleep for 14 hours in my bed…’

They were excessively specific.