Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: NicoleTempest
Chapter 213 What You Have to Overcome by Yourself
âGood job, everyone!â
âGo inside and get some rest!â
The meeting lasted for six hours, except for a brief snack break in the middle, and finally ended.
Everyone left the conference room with a drained and blank expression.
We had set a rough direction, but it was still too early to relax.
As soon as the press conference for the disbandment of Floss ended this afternoon, we had to bring them to the office and stamp the contract.
I had to wait patiently and hope that Shim Naru wouldnât drag it out any longer.
âIâll see you again in the afternoon.â
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I sent the staff members back to the parking lot and slammed the driverâs seat door shut. Kyunghwa, who was in the passenger seat, stared at me intently.
âWhat, what is itâŠâ
I looked at Kyunghwa with a flustered expression and he muttered for a while.
âYou looked like a totally different person earlier.â
âWhat do you mean?â
We had been stuck together for half a year already. What was he talking about? I put on my seat belt and started the car.
âJust⊠like you were living in a different world.â
I didnât know what had pushed Kyunghwaâs button. I didnât answer and looked at the dashboard in front of me. Kyunghwa added awkwardly.
âForget it. Just think I was talking nonsense.â
âWhat are you talking about, really.â
What should I say?
If it was someone like Yi-jun, he would have brushed it off with a boastful remark like âWhy? Wasnât I so cool when I was working?â.
âBut that suits him, not me.â
I wondered why he was saying such a silly thing after participating well in the meeting.
The conversation ended without a proper conclusion, along with an awkward silence.
I stepped on the accelerator and the car arrived at the dormitory parking lot without delay.
âAre you going to tell the kids right away?â
Kyunghwa looked at me and the clock alternately and asked.
âNo. Letâs sleep first and tell them in the afternoon.â
âOkay.â
It was already 2 a.m., so it was better to sleep first and talk in the daytime.
When we returned to the dormitory, Yi-jun and Seong-won were awake, and Seon-woo was asleep with Pposili in his arms.
âLetâs sleep first and talk again tomorrow.â
I sent the members to their rooms and came out after washing up. I felt a bit more relaxed and remembered Kyunghwaâs vague attitude earlier.
âWhy did he act like that after the meeting?â
He had expressed his dislike for Kang Yu-geon with his whole body on the way to the office. But as soon as the meeting started, he caught on to how to use Kang Yu-geon very rationally and surprised me.
He knew how to maximize other peopleâs strengths and cover their weaknesses.
He had a good sense overall. He was so good at catching on to other peopleâs work that I wondered how much better he would do if it was his own.
âThis was actually the same within the group.â
He had willingly given up his part to Seon-woo in the part competition. That was because he knew that it was more strategically advantageous in the end.
Maybe I should say that he was the opposite of Naru, who shouted âI want to be the most noticed!â without considering the strategic advantages and disadvantages.
Kyunghwa was not without ambition, but he was willing to give up his share willingly if it conflicted with the overall benefit.
âI wonder if thatâs why he had so few parts during the Bobbyam.â
He could have asserted himself more⊠Thatâs what I thought.
But he was the type to give up easily if he saw that it would be better not to do so in his own eyes.
He had a tiring personality, but I couldnât say anything bad about him since he was doing me a favor.
âIs that why heâs so wary⊠or jealous of Yu-geon?â
Yu-geon knew what he was good at better than anyone, and he knew how to bet on the areas where he had confidence.
I can do that better? Give it to me. He was good at claiming things and actually snatching parts from others, and he would produce the best output to the point of splitting the opponent.
As someone who always took the role of conceding, Kyunghwa must have felt uncomfortable being constantly provoked by him.
âButâŠâ
That was also a problem that Kyunghwa had to overcome in order to survive as an entertainer.
In the future, Climax would do more work, and since there were members with overflowing talent, there would be countless times when Kyunghwa would be pushed back.
He could either change his mindset.
Or even if he knew that other members would do better, he could still say, I want to do it, so give me a chance, and demand it confidently.
It was a problem that he had to choose for himself.
I thought I shouldnât leave him alone like this for my sake.
âHow do I solve thisâŠâ
As I stared at the ceiling blankly, thinking, I heard a panting sound, and Pposili was lurking under the bed.
âWhat is it?â
I lifted him up on the bed as if I was annoyed, and he slipped into the blanket.
Youâre not even a real dog. I wasnât very angry, so I gave him a side of the bed with a snicker, and a warm ball of fur dug into my side.
A cozy, solid, and soft lump gave me a drowsy sense of security. And then my eyes naturally closed.
âUhâŠâ
As I woke up from my sleep with a feeling of being pressed on my chest, a brown lump blocked my sight.
ââŠ?â
I rubbed my eyes, avoiding the fur, and
âWoof!â
Pposiliâs cheerful bark made my eyes open wide.
âWow, youâre heavy.â
I stroked his head a few times and put him down on the floor. Sunwoo was still in deep sleep. Itâs good that he sleeps well anytime. Kyunghwa was in the living room.
âWhere are the others?â
I asked Kyunghwa, who was sitting in front of the living room table and tapping on his laptop. Kyunghwa answered without taking his eyes off the laptop.
âTheyâre sleeping.â
I went to the kitchen and got some water from the purifier and came back to the living room.
âWhat were you doing?â
I sneaked behind Kyunghwa and looked at the screen. He was making some planning-related materials.
âI canât write songs or make beats like Oh YI-jun. Iâm just trying to come up with some concept ideas.â
He had already made up his mind, judging by the way he had divided the roles and goals of each member according to different scenarios: five-member, three-member, or eight-member groups.
âYouâve made a big decision, Ryu Kyunghwa.â
I playfully turned his laptop screen away from him and patted his shoulder. He quickly slapped my hand away.
âItâs not like itâs up to me to oppose it. You should hurry up and accept it and think about what to do next.â
Even though he had chosen to give in to his stubbornness again, which made me a bit uneasy, it was a positive sign for us.
âThank you.â
I smiled quietly and he snorted, embarrassed.
âDonât act like you came here early in the morning to hear that. Just make me some breakfast. Iâm hungry.â
He continued to type diligently on his keyboard.
âOkay. Today, Iâll give you one extra egg as a special treat.â
âThatâs so touching, I could cry.â
And so another busy day began.
A few minutes later, the press conference for the disbandment of Floss finally started. It was a hellish scene.
âIs it true that there was no ranking manipulation?â
There were two rows of desks prepared on the stage. The front row was occupied by the adults who were responsible for the show: the producer, the broadcasterâs president, and the representative of WePlanet Entertainment.
The back row was where the four Floss members sat. It was their last official activity as Floss, so the agency and the production team had requested them to attend, but five members had skipped it without permission.
The four members who were dragged here were more like they had been struck by lightning than they had come willingly.
Hwijin felt sick as he was bombarded with flashes and taunts disguised as questions.
He knew the atmosphere wouldnât be friendly, but he didnât expect it to be this hostile.
âWe will prove that there was no manipulation in the voting data by cooperating sincerely with the investigation.â
The producer, Na Yoon-jo, looked like he hadnât eaten for a week, with his pale complexion.
âAre you not going to reveal how many participants signed the pre-contract?â
âWe will explain it during the investigation process.â
All his answers were nothing but variations of saying that he would clear his name by undergoing the investigation.
How long did he have to endure this meaningless abuse? Hwijin wanted to run away from this disgusting place as soon as possible. Meanwhile, outside the press conference hall, there was a protest by the fans.
The fans who opposed the disbandment of Floss and the fans who demanded the re-debut of their imaginary ârealâ debut team members clashed with each other.
The current debut team was all fake, according to one side, while the other side insisted that they should perform their activities faithfully until the end if there was no manipulation in the voting results. The fierce confrontation eventually led to the police being dispatched.
It was like watching a war. As time passed and the scheduled press conference came to an end, the protesters sobbed one after another.
They had different opinions, but the conclusion was the same. They felt wronged by the shitty program that ruined their kids.
Nothing could change the outcome now. Powerlessness and loss. Anger frustrated both sides.
âPlease disperse quickly and go home. Your parents must be worried.â
The staff and the police tried hard to persuade them to leave. By the time the press conference ended and the officials and members left the conference hall, most of the crowd had dispersed.
Dozens of reporters followed the members who were heading to the parking lot and getting into the van, showering them with flashes.
âCan you share your thoughts with us?â
âDid you know about the existence of the pre-contract?â
âWhat are your plans for future activities?â
With an anxious expression, Hwijin covered his face to avoid eye contact with the reporters as much as possible. He closed his eyes as soon as he got into the van.
Itâs all over now. Itâs okay. He tried to calm himself, but his heart wouldnât settle.
Outside, he could hear the noise of the angry fans who hadnât left yet, clashing with the security guards.
If there was this much commotion offline, online would be worse. Hwijin had been desperately ignoring the online reactions for his own mental health lately.
He didnât need to check what they were saying. He could guess.
He had already made his decision.
As soon as he arrived at the dorm, he packed up his remaining belongings and headed down to the parking lot. There was a man waiting for him, someone he had worked with several times during his Floss activities.
âHello, Mr. Lee. Itâs been a while.â
He was originally the manager of Climax, but he often came out to support Floss when Climax was inactive.
âOh, yes. Long time no see. Iâll go straight to the office.â
âThank you.â
Hwijin silently sat in the back seat and checked his phone. There was a short message from Ise.
[Climax Cheon Ise] Is it over? 3:26 PM
[Climax Cheon Ise] Weâre all here, including Naru. 3:27 PM
So Naru decided to join them after all.
That was the only good news among the many unpleasant ones. He felt a little relieved.
Hwijin sighed deeply and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes.
Floss Hwijin was over. Would he remain as Hwijin, the âformerâ Floss member? Or would he succeed in his third leap? That was not something he could do alone.
Hwijin felt a deep fatigue as he took his first step towards the Composition office.