Chapter 190. KING
While the **Desties** were cheering over a piece of unexpected bait, I was enduring a hellish schedule with the **Kairos** members to produce the next bait.
“You guys worked hard. There’s some travel time to the studio, so you can take a nap if you want. If anyone’s hungry, I left some snacks by your seats.”
Half of the members were closing their eyes, and the other half seemed to have lost their souls as they climbed into the van right after finishing dance practice. Even I, whose military service had drained 70% of my stamina, was barely hanging on through the intense schedule.
‘I just wanted to take down the regressor…’
Instead, here I was, unable to take down the regressor or stop the regression, becoming an insanely busy idol.
Was this really okay?
As I pondered the question that no one could answer, I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the window as soon as I sat down. Right now, I needed to sleep more than anything, forget about the regressor.
“…Ah.”
“Go in first.”
Just before I fell asleep, a small commotion at the entrance of the van made me force my heavy eyelids open. I saw our stormy nineteen-year-olds standing awkwardly, facing each other. It looked like they had gotten their steps tangled while trying to get in the van.
‘I should poke at that little couple’s quarrel at the right time…’
However, not even my natural meddlesomeness could overcome exhaustion. I was too tired to deal with anything, not even **Seon-gwija Dan Haru** who was right in front of me, let alone some love quarrel.
In the end, I closed my eyes again, pretending not to notice. **Seo Taehyun**, who had climbed into the van first, looked around the seats and silently sat next to me. I leaned against him and spoke in a playful, yet weary voice.
“Ha. Taehyun-ah. If you keep making it so obvious that you like me, it’s going to be a problem.”
“…This is exactly why I hate you the most.”
“I know. That’s why I do it. …Ah!”
Even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t resist teasing Seo Taehyun, which earned me a punch in the arm. The pain jolted me awake, and as I curled up in agony, Seo Taehyun chuckled, satisfied, and put on his headset, closing his eyes.
“……”
While I was still hurting, my eyes met with **Lee Yugeon** who had climbed into the van late. He glanced at me and Seo Taehyun sitting beside me, then silently moved to take a seat in the back. This caused the youngest members, who had been sleeping with their heads leaned against each other in the back seat, to be forcibly pushed to the sides, waking them up.
“Ah, hyung…”
“Lean on me and sleep.”
“Yes…”
**Joo Eunchan** and **Dan Haru**, who had been about to grumble in their sleep, simply leaned against Lee Yugeon’s shoulder and fell back asleep at his words.
‘What is this, hypnosis?’
He’d said he’d practically raised his twin siblings by himself since they were little, and it showed. His skills at handling the younger members were almost masterful.
Once all the members were seated, the van slowly started moving. I leaned back against the window, watching the scenery change in real time. My sleepiness had already been driven away by the sharp sting of Seo Taehyun’s punch.
“…The weather’s nice.”
The same could be said for **Lee Doha** and the other 19-year-olds.
I thought I had lived enough to know a thing or two, but dealing with people was still difficult.
If I couldn’t even come up with a solution for this level of conflict, how could I possibly handle the situation when I encountered Seon-gwija **Dan Haru**’s other personality?
‘What would **Seo Taeil** have done, someone who’s practically maxed out life’s level?’
Not too long ago, Seo Taeil had impressed me with the way he had effortlessly brought **Lee Doha**’s wandering mind back home.
I’d been seeing him more often due to the recording of our debut song since that day. Every time I saw him, it became clearer that his insight into people was no ordinary skill. It was as if he would carefully assess a person’s character and tendencies before tailoring his direction style to fit them.
‘It could be because he’s been surviving in this brutal entertainment industry for 13 years, but still…’
If someone like him were in my shoes now, how would he deal with Seon-gwija and the regressor? And what did he see in me that made him say we were alike?
‘…Like Seo Taeil.’
Could I become someone like Seo Taeil?
With another question blossoming in my mind, I eventually succumbed to sleep, unable to fight off the exhaustion.
* * *
And a few hours later.
I realized that this was no time to be thinking about **Lee Yugeon** or **Seo Taeil**.
“…Today is the day we’re taking profile pictures?”
“…? Yes.”
At my dumbfounded question, **Joo Eunchan**, who was drinking a swelling-reducing tea while massaging his face with a face roller, nodded his head.
‘I’m screwed.’
The glaring studio lights and reflectors only added to my despair.
Dancing, singing, rapping, acting.
I could do everything well except for taking pictures. I still hadn’t discovered even a speck of talent for it! To make matters worse, **Thirteen** was currently unavailable, so I was restricted from using any of his skills.
‘During **Tumi**, I didn’t care if it turned out well or not, but this is my livelihood now.’
It’s like taking a photo for your resume when you’re applying for a job.
But what happens if you can’t take that photo?
What do you mean, what happens? You don’t get the job!
Following the manager hyung’s lead, we were dragged into the waiting room to get our makeup and styling done, one by one, in front of the mirrors.
“Hajin-ah. Can you step out for a moment?”
“Yes? Me?”
As there were only three makeup stations available, I was sitting on the sofa at the back, racking my brain over how to deal with today’s profile shoot. **Ji Suho** walked into the waiting room and quietly called me out.
Wondering what it was about, I followed him out. Ji Suho looked around briefly before speaking to me in a low voice.
“The photographer today is… well, he’s good at his job, but he’s a bit sensitive. He’s very particular about the poses and the vibes he wants.”
Peeking past Ji Suho, I saw the staff busily setting up the background and equipment in the studio. Among them, a middle-aged man wearing a beret and a scarf was discussing today’s concept with the **A&R team**.
“But today, the making-of team is here too, to capture some behind-the-scenes footage of your debut preparation. There are a lot of people, and a lot of cameras.”
“Ah. No wonder.”
I had wondered why there were so many people and why the studio was so big just for a profile shoot. There were even two or three cameras rolling.
Nodding as I finally understood, Ji Suho gave me a slightly worried look and urged me.
“The members may have gone through the **Miro Maze** once, but this is still their first time, so they’re probably really nervous. It would be great if you could look after them and keep them calm.”
“Ah… Okay, got it.”
I understood what Ji Suho was saying, so I nodded.
The problem was, I was probably the most nervous one among us….
“But is the photographer really that prickly?”
“Huh? Ah, no, not prickly, just… a bit unique? Yeah, unique. But he’s not a bad person.”
Didn’t you just say he was sensitive?
Anyway, after delivering the information about the peculiar photographer, Ji Suho pushed me back into the waiting room. It seemed the first three members had finished their makeup, as three new ones were sitting in front of the dressing tables.
Perhaps because of Ji Suho’s explanation, I noticed there were cameras set up all around the waiting room.
One full cam in the corner, three **Vixias** in front of the dressing tables, and one handycam on the sofa to cover the full cam’s blind spots, making a total of five cameras.
‘…Do they usually use this many cameras for making-of footage?’
Is **Miro** loaded? I mean, seeing the new headquarters, they did look pretty rich….
Usually, only one or two people from the making-of team would film, right?
Just as I was starting to feel puzzled by the number of cameras, **Dan Haru**, who had finished getting ready, trotted over to me.
“Hajin hyung! They said you should wear this later.”
“Ah. Thanks.”
Taking the clothes Dan Haru handed me, my worries about the profile shoot resurfaced. As befitting a profile photo, the first outfit was a basic white short-sleeved t-shirt and jeans.
A basic outfit that doesn’t usually go wrong, but the basics are always the hardest. If the clothes were flashy, at least they could cover things up, but this outfit left me with nothing to rely on but my face and photogenicity!
“Guys, once you’re ready, we’ll start the test shoot in ten minutes. Don’t be nervous, and make sure to relax your facial muscles.”
“Yes!”
“Yes, sir.”
With **Ji Suho’s** announcement, the members and staff began to move about busily. Before long, I had my makeup done and changed into my outfit. Wearing the fitted white short-sleeved t-shirt and dark jeans, a stylist came over to fix the details.
I seemed to be the last one ready, as when I finally put on my shoes, the other members were already sitting in the waiting room, ready for their call. Instinctively, I counted the heads one by one, and including myself, there were six, meaning one was missing. I quickly guessed who was absent and asked **Jung Siwoo** who was nearby.
“Where’s **Seo Taehyun**? Did he go to shoot?”
“Yeah. They called him for a test shoot.”
**Seo Taehyun** was the first? I’m doomed.
“Ah. Everyone, gather around. I have something to say.”
Taking advantage of the time, I gathered the members to relay what Ji Suho had told me. Just as the guys naturally gathered around me and Jung Siwoo, ready to listen to what I had to say—
We heard a loud voice from the studio outside the waiting room.
“Bravo! Gorgeous! Excellent! You’re my muse, baby!”
…What the hell is “baby”?
“Did… that sound come from outside just now…?”
At Joo Eunchan’s words, we hurriedly stepped out of the waiting room.
We saw **Seo Taehyun** in the white chroma-keyed studio photo zone, diligently doing his test shoot.
‘What the heck did he do to make a sensitive and prickly photographer call him perfect?’
All the members, unable to suppress their curiosity, approached the scene. Seo Taehyun’s smooth black hair, which had been styled to match the profile shoot, fluttered in the air-conditioned breeze. As Seo Taehyun, who was standing facing the camera, blinked once, the photographer fired the flash several times and shouted again.
“Perfect! Absolutely perfect! What a flawless straight line!”
“…Wasn’t he just standing still, facing forward?”
Jung Siwoo asked in a bewildered voice. I couldn’t answer because I felt the same way.
At that moment, **Seo Taehyun**, who had noticed us while listening to the photographer’s praises with a dazed expression, looked at us.
‘What did you do?’
I mouthed the words and mimed, asking him what the hell he had done. Seo Taehyun, who understood perfectly, shook his head slightly with a face that looked like he was about to cry and shrugged his shoulders.
‘I don’t know either. He just loves everything.’
And then, our beret-wearing photographer captured even that shrug with his camera and shouted again.
“Gracias! Ah, this expression is truly enchanting.”
Wasn’t he supposed to be sensitive? Prickly?
But you said he was good at his job?
‘…Isn’t he just crazy?’
The members’ eyes wandered aimlessly, unsure where to look.