Top Idol Band - Would you like to subscribe? - Chapter 8

If someone asked who in the world had gotten angry in the most ridiculous way possible, they should say it was me.

“Why are you suddenly getting so worked up? Did you hear me wrong?”

“No, I misunderstood. Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. So anyway, how late do you practice?”

Right—there was no way he’d suddenly say something like that to me in this situation.

They say the basics of social skills are reading the time, place, and mood. That’s what Director Seo Hyunju had taught me during the one-on-one human-relationship training she’d given me.

Personality wasn’t something you could fix with W-Tube headbutts. It seemed only the skills domain worked. Even when I headbutted videos where some kind of human-relations sage appeared, I failed every time.

The videos you could learn through W-Tube headbutts were technical in nature. No matter how much I headbutted professional drummer performance videos, I couldn’t learn everything. It only worked with videos that explained techniques.

That old video I headbutted—“Escape Loserhood! How to Become Popular at Your First Meeting”—must’ve worked because it was about interpersonal techniques. I hadn’t realized that at the time and had only sacrificed my forehead for nothing.

I still had a long way to go. Next time, maybe I should headbutt a video about reading lip movements properly.

I discreetly nudged the drumsticks I’d flung onto the floor under the drum with my foot, hiding them from sight.

“Wh—whatever. Anyway, how late do you practice? I know you do it late at night too.”

It wasn’t just Elliot. The old dorm, with its poor soundproofing, spread practice noise throughout the entire place.

Either way, showing that I practiced hard was a good thing. That was exactly what I wanted.

“It’s not fixed. I just play until I feel like stopping.”

“But can you really play like this already?”

Han Sunwoo raised one eyebrow, clearly doubtful.

“You definitely weren’t this good at the last group rehearsal.”

“I’m a genius.”

“Bullshit.”

A W-Tube Life subscriber deserved to be treated like a genius. On top of that, I’d recently stacked up a lot of Headbutt Passes from nonstop debut-song rehearsals.

Headbutting my phone every day in the dorm, it was only natural that my skills had skyrocketed. In short, I really was a genius.

“For a second I thought the Kim Daehyun who ran away was gone and some other Kim Daehyun had taken his place. If not, never mind.”

“Han Sunwoo, say it properly. At this point, don’t you actually want me to run away?”

“…….”

Han Sunwoo turned his head away like it wasn’t even worth answering. Then he started playing bass again. Maybe it was my imagination, but he seemed even more focused than before.

Saying whatever he wanted and never listening to anyone else. Impressive. Even putting it nicely, this guy wasn’t exactly normal.

And the one who had to be on the same team as this not-normal guy was pitiful too. Yeah—me. Kim Daehyun.

“What would I even want.”

Grumbling, I picked up my drumsticks again.

My hypothesis about Han Sunwoo needed a complete overhaul. He wasn’t someone who felt awkward around me or hated me. If anything, he was closer to someone burning with competitiveness.

As soon as the conversation ended, Han Sunwoo’s eyes lit up like it was debut day tomorrow, and he threw himself into intense practice.

Whether Han Sunwoo pushed his bass practice harder or not, I wasn’t exactly free either. I needed to try out the new techniques I’d learned from yesterday’s headbutts.

I naturally took up my drumsticks and started playing.

I didn’t time how long we practiced like that. Han Sunwoo and I stayed in the same room but existed in completely separate worlds, practicing in silence.

It was nice not having to pay attention to Han Sunwoo. The only downside was that since this wasn’t a group rehearsal, my Headbutt Passes didn’t increase.

Creeeak—clack.

After Han Sunwoo left, I ended my practice too and loosened the hi-hat screw.

“Today’s practice was solid.”

I nodded in satisfaction and was about to leave the practice room when I spotted something at Han Sunwoo’s seat—a phone case with a cute yellow character on it.

“What the… why is this here…?”

It was a character I was already familiar with. Naturally—I’d seen it a lot before I started studying for the civil service exam.

‘Sunwoo hyung likes games.’

Something Elliot had said while attempting small talk suddenly crossed my mind.

The fact that a phone case with that character was at Han Sunwoo’s seat, and Elliot’s comment that Han Sunwoo liked games.

I slipped the phone case into my pocket and smiled.

A new hypothesis formed in my mind.

[W-Tube Life]

• • Goal: Reach 100 million fans worldwide [9/100,000,000]

• • Status: 13 Headbutt Passes

• • Special Note: +1 fan gained this week

Nice. Another successful day.

First of all, I’d gathered plenty of Headbutt Passes. As of today, I’d basically made the rounds of every convenience store near the company.

Squeezing time out wherever I could, I’d even gone out this morning wearing a cap and mask to do a one-man show, acting like a trainee anxiously waiting to debut.

I was worried because the part-timer looked uninterested, but later on, my fan count went up by one.

I sent a grateful wink in my heart.

“One week left until the debut stage.”

Still, just thinking about the debut stage made me nervous. The debut track would be released in just a few days too.

There really wasn’t any time left now.

Since it was a debut, the company had created official SNS accounts and started promotions, and we members were being called in every day for final checks. Even just practicing felt like there weren’t enough hours.

It got to the point where even individual drum practice time was scarce. Of course, it wasn’t just me.

Elliot, who’d been eating salads and going to the gym, skipped the gym for days at a time. For me, even sneaking out to a convenience store during all this wasn’t easy.

“And then there’s….”

Even though things seemed fine now, I still remembered how my hands had shaken uncontrollably during the civil service exam. It probably wouldn’t happen, but it was better to prevent accidents in advance.

“Uhwang Cheongsimhwan?”

“Oh! You scared me!”

At some point, Shin Jiwon had come out into the dorm living room and suddenly spoken to me. His eyes were fixed on my phone, where I was searching for Uhwang Cheongsimhwan.

“You’re going to buy Uhwang Cheongsimhwan?”

“Well, just in case… in case I get nervous at debut.”

“Ohhh….”

What I was planning to buy with the allowance the company gave us, little by little, was Uhwang Cheongsimhwan—a traditional remedy said to help calm nerves. I couldn’t afford to mess up the debut stage because of nerves. I wanted to lean on something, at least.

Shin Jiwon listened intently to what I said, then slowly lifted one corner of his mouth. For some reason, his eyes seemed to sparkle more and more as time passed.

After staring at me with those shining eyes for a while, Shin Jiwon finally broke into a bright smile.

“Daehyun, you really know your stuff. I’m seeing you in a new light.”

“…?”

“Uhwang Cheongsimhwan, that is. I’ve got some—so I’ll give you some. I’ve got a lot.”

Shin Jiwon smiled more brightly than I’d ever seen him smile before. His eyes were shining more than anyone else’s. There was a warmth there I’d never felt from him until now.

After finishing his sentence, Shin Jiwon went into his room for a moment.

Soon, I heard rustling sounds—plastic bags and various odds and ends being moved around. The sound of rummaging echoed throughout the dorm, and just as I started worrying about the noise, Shin Jiwon came back out.

In his hands was a white plastic bag, and he was covered in dust.

“Here.”

“Oh—th—thanks… no, thanks.”

“If you use honorifics one more time, I won’t give you the Uhwang Cheongsimhwan. The only reason I’m even giving this is because you’re a member.”

“Thanks, Jiwon hyung.”

Even as he said that, Shin Jiwon handed me the white plastic bag he was holding without any hesitation. Inside were several boxes of Uhwang Cheongsimhwan.

When we’d first met, Shin Jiwon had been the one who looked after me the most among the members—but even then, there’d still been a bit of distance.

Now, though, he was treating me fully like a member.

The trust built through all those intense practices in a poorly soundproofed dorm, plus my sterling personality. I’d finally done it.

“Hyung, this is too much.”

“Give some to Elliot and Sunwoo too. I was planning to anyway. Though I’m not sure they’ll accept it.”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“Right? That’s what I thought. See, we really did pick a good drummer.”

Whatever had put him in such a good mood, Shin Jiwon smiled brightly and patted my back.

From our first meeting up until now—just one week before debut—this was the happiest I’d ever seen him.

His suddenly affectionate attitude caught me off guard, but I was confident in the trust and humanity I’d built up. There was no doubt my efforts were finally paying off.

It had been a tough journey.

I wiped away imaginary tears in my heart. I wasn’t actually sad—these were tears of pride.

“Then I’m off to vocal practice. See you tonight.”

“See you later, hyung.”

A rare moment of free time.

After quickly finishing my individual drum practice and stopping by the convenience store, I casually said goodbye to Shin Jiwon as he headed off to vocal practice. We’d see each other again soon at the evening group rehearsal anyway.

Once Shin Jiwon left, I opened the white plastic bag again.

‘The nation’s number one tension reliever.’
Just looking at it, the Uhwang Cheongsimhwan seemed incredibly effective.

“But… all of this was just sitting in his room?”

The thought crossed my mind, but it wasn’t important enough to dwell on.

I brushed the question aside and headed toward the rooms. I still needed to return Han Sunwoo’s phone case—the one I’d found in the practice room.

He hadn’t shown his face for days, probably buried in practice, but judging by the noise, he seemed to be in the dorm now. Same with Elliot.

I picked up one box of Uhwang Cheongsimhwan and the phone case.

Knock, knock.

“Come in. Oh—Daehyun hyung.”

Inside the room, Elliot was lifting a dumbbell with one hand. Beads of sweat dotted his face. Apparently, he worked out in his room as well as at the gym.

“Why do you work out so much?”

“It’s debut, after all. I want to show my best side. Though my body type doesn’t build muscle easily, so it probably won’t make much difference.”

“You’re eighteen—no, nineteen now. At that age, just being cute should be enough.”

“That’s not enough for me, hyung. My goal is to be a cool guitarist. But what brings you here?”

“Jiwon hyung told me to give this to you and Han Sunwoo.”

I set the box of Uhwang Cheongsimhwan down on the floor.

As Elliot read the text on the box, a soft sigh escaped him.

“I figured.”

“Why?”

“It’s obvious what Jiwon hyung would give. This isn’t the first time. Anyway, thanks for delivering it.”

Elliot picked up the box with one hand and placed it on top of a stack of boxes in the corner of the room. All of them looked suspiciously similar to boxes of Uhwang Cheongsimhwan.

“Well, I’m off.”

“Yes, hyung. See you.”

Leaving Elliot’s room, it was finally Han Sunwoo’s turn.

I took the yellow phone case with the cute character out of my pocket. This was the moment I’d been waiting for ever since I picked it up in the practice room.

Knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Kim Daehyun.”

“Go away.”

“Why? Delivery’s here.”

“What?”

Bang.

The moment Han Sunwoo opened the door, I thrust the box of Uhwang Cheongsimhwan I’d gotten from Shin Jiwon into his hands.

I couldn’t hand over the phone case—the real point—right away. There was always an introduction before the main topic. The introduction was the Uhwang Cheongsimhwan.

Caught off guard, Han Sunwoo stared blankly at the box in his hands.

“Jiwon hyung told me to give it to you.”

“Ah. I was wondering why he hadn’t this time.”

“Does this happen a lot? Elliot said the same thing.”

“Well…”

Without saying much else, Han Sunwoo set the box down beside his bed.

Just like in Elliot’s room, there were stacks of boxes beside the bed that looked almost identical to Uhwang Cheongsimhwan boxes. A bass guitar leaned against a chair, as if he’d been practicing just moments ago.

“If you’re done, get out. I need to practice.”

“Ah, there’s one more thing.”

“What now.”

Han Sunwoo crossed his arms with an irritated look, clearly uninterested in whatever I was about to pull out.

I’d been waiting for this moment—the moment to return the phone case with the cute yellow character on it.

“This phone case. Isn’t it yours?”

I held the case up in front of Han Sunwoo’s eyes. It was the one I’d found at his seat in the practice room.

“It was at your spot in the practice—”

Before I could even finish, Han Sunwoo snatched the case out of my hand.

His eyes, which had looked utterly bored just a moment ago, were now filled with panic.

The scene felt oddly familiar. Not long ago, he’d snatched a package out of my hands too—one light enough to feel like it held a phone case.

There was only one difference.

This time, Han Sunwoo looked even more flustered than before.

“…Why do you have this?”

“I told you, I found it in the practice room. Do you never let people finish talking?”

Of course. I’d expected him to be flustered.

I didn’t know whether he truly disliked me or not, but we were debuting together regardless. Setting his likes and dislikes aside, I had two hypotheses about him.

The first was that Han Sunwoo felt awkward talking to me. As an early hypothesis, it was quickly proven false—no matter how much I tried to start conversations, nothing came back.

So I came up with a second hypothesis after finding his phone case. Now, I planned to judge whether it was true based on his reaction.

If this hypothesis was correct, there was no way he’d stay quiet here. Because I was about to act like I knew exactly what this character was.

“So—did you pull Kooning yet?”

“Kooning.”
That was the character’s name.

“…You know what this is?”

“Of course. It’s ‘Let’s Go! Cherry Village.’”

Seeing the panic on Han Sunwoo’s face, I smiled victoriously to myself.

Just as expected.

I knew the games that were popular around that time well. Right after senior year entrance exams—this wasn’t part of my civilization-blackout period.

Let’s Go! Cherry Village.

A mobile game that stayed popular for years after the CSAT. You lived in Cherry Village, where the currency was cherries, decorating your character and house and going on adventures.

If you wanted a better house or a stronger character, you had to collect cherries and pull the gacha to get new characters. It was infamous for its excellent monetization tactics.

“Kooning,” the cute yellow character on Han Sunwoo’s phone case, was the character with the strongest stats in Let’s Go! Cherry Village.

The fact that he’d bought a phone case with that character on it—and how his pupils dilated the moment I mentioned the game—made my second hypothesis feel more and more correct.

Now, it was time for the final nail in the coffin.

“Hey. You don’t know there’s a hidden map in Cherry Village, do you?”

Han Sunwoo is crazy about Let’s Go! Cherry Village.

That was my second hypothesis.

And it was looking extremely likely.