Chapter 203. Kairos (2)
This was the rehearsal site for Kairos’ debut showcase.
“Kim Gun-ah, go and tell the members to start standing by.”
“Ah, yes! Should I inform the manager?”
“Yeah. They should be in front of the waiting room; you know who it is, right?”
“Yep!”
Kim Gun (his nickname), who had joined as part of the showcase staff, swiftly exited the performance hall after his senior’s instruction. However, upon arriving at the entrance of Kairos’ waiting room after navigating through the large crowd, he found no one there.
Even the door to the waiting room was tightly closed, which made the socially inexperienced Kim Gun momentarily panic.
‘Huh? Wh-where did the manager go?’
He thought he heard voices coming from inside the waiting room. Perhaps if he knocked on the door and asked them to stand by directly…
At that moment, he recalled the advice his seniors had drilled into the heads of the juniors over the past few days.
– If possible, don’t talk to the artists directly. Always go through the manager.
– Some of them can be really picky and will throw a fit if they get sensitive about these things. There have been cases where complaints were filed because the message was conveyed differently.
– These guys are still rookies, so I’m not sure how they’ll be… but they’ve done really well in the survival shows, so they’re probably being treated like royalty.
– Don’t create any unnecessary trouble by talking to them directly. Always relay messages through the staff associated with the artist. Got it?
That advice was actually meant to scare the newbies who were too eager and excited to see celebrities, preventing them from causing trouble by getting too carried away.
But our socially inexperienced Kim Gun didn’t know any better.
‘But if I’m late, I’ll get scolded by my seniors….’
As Kim Gun hesitated at the door, shifting nervously, someone approached him.
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, um….”
Kim Gun quickly turned his gaze, thinking the manager had returned, but when he saw the person standing in front of him, his throat tightened.
The man had a tall stature, bright red hair, a scratch on one eyebrow, and a sharp gaze that exuded an intimidating presence as he stared at Kim Gun.
Even though Kim Gun was a total outsider who had never even seen Miro Maze, let alone Kairos, he could immediately tell that this person was one of the group members debuting today.
“Well, uh… isn’t the manager here?”
“Ah. Hyung Wook went to get something from the car. What’s the issue?”
Senior, what should I do if an artist speaks to me first?
Kim Gun, who had only ever moved equipment backstage, found his mind going blank as he faced an unexpected encounter with an artist. He couldn’t easily find his words and just darted his eyes around nervously. Once again, the man spoke first.
“Are we supposed to be on standby now?”
“Yes? Ah, y-yes. You need to move now, so…”
“Hold on, I’ll take care of it. Hyung told us to follow if the standby signal came when he wasn’t around.”
“Ah. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. You’ve been working hard since early morning.”
What? He’s actually nice?
Contrary to the scary stories his seniors had shared, the man spoke in a friendly voice, asking them to wait a moment before opening the door to the waiting room. Through the gap in the door, Kim Gun caught a glimpse of other members with a similar aura to the man inside.
“Our standby call just came. Let’s move.”
“Yes!”
“Taehyun-ah, wake Eunchan next to you.”
“I’m already awake….”
“You should open your eyes when you say that.”
There was a lively chatter, and soon the members, one by one, began to leave the waiting room, ready for the stage. With each person who exited, Kim Gun felt an increasing sense of nervousness and pressure.
‘Wow, they’re really good-looking.’
Kim Gun admired the first guy who came out, a handsome man, and the boy leaning on his shoulder with half-closed, sleepy eyes.
Behind them, he saw a blond boy who looked like the youngest, chatting energetically with the tallest, most muscular man.
Finally, after a boy with silver hair who gave off a rebellious vibe and another boy who looked more pretty than handsome exited, the red-haired man who had spoken to him earlier closed the door.
“We’re all out now. Should we move right away?”
“…Ah, yes! Please follow me.”
The extremely nervous Kim Gun stiffly led the Kairos members toward the performance hall. Although they were still in comfortable casual clothes since they hadn’t changed yet, the men following behind him exuded an undeniable aura of “idols.”
But work was work.
Kim Gun could only quicken his pace, worried about arriving late and getting scolded by his seniors.
“Senior, Kairos has arrived backstage, and they’re putting on their in-ear packs now.”
– Okay, send them up as soon as they’re ready.
“Roger.”
After arriving backstage with Kairos, Kim Gun turned around again after hearing his senior’s command over the radio. The members were fitting their in-ear packs and receiving handheld mics at one end of the stage.
As Kim Gun took a step forward to relay the message that it was time to go on stage, he had to stop again when he saw the red-haired man gathering the members before him.
“When we go up, make sure to greet everyone properly and loudly. You all know, right? When Siwoo hyung shouts the chant, we all greet together. And don’t mess up the positions that changed for Eunchan and Taehyun yesterday. Make sure to check the cameras with the lights on. If you’re unsure, just look straight ahead. It’s better to look at the audience than at the wrong camera.”
The red-haired man gave encouragement and advice to each member, making eye contact with them. Although Kim Gun hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, he could hear everything because the man’s voice was either naturally loud or intentionally so.
The man, who had seemed somewhat intimidating, suddenly softened his expression into a bright smile.
“This is finally our stage, so let’s do twice as well as we did during Miro Maze.”
With that, the other members’ expressions also relaxed, and laughter filled the air. Seizing the moment, Kim Gun quickly approached the red-haired man. Instinctively, he felt that this person was the leader of the group.
“Um, if all the Kairos members are ready, you can head to the stage now.”
“Sure, we’ll head up right away. Kairos, let’s go!”
“Let’s go~”
“Hyung, I’m a bit nervous!”
“Me too.”
“Watch your step.”
The members passed by Kim Gun in a group, heading up the hidden stairs to the brightly lit stage.
For a moment, Kim Gun watched their backs in a daze as they ascended.
Once the members stood in a line on stage, an extremely handsome man positioned at the center grabbed the microphone.
“Let’s introduce ourselves. Two, three!”
““KICK US OFF! Hello, we are Kairos! Please take care of us!””
The members bowed deeply as they shouted their introduction with spirited energy. The staff, sensing the determination of the rookies, responded with applause. Watching from backstage, Kim Gun also found himself clapping enthusiastically for some reason.
‘…If the song is good, I’ll have to check it out later.’
I hope they do well.
Feeling an unexpected fondness, Kim Gun returned to his assigned position.
* * *
Kairos’ debut showcase was divided into two parts: one for the press and another with fans, making the atmosphere and the showcase’s setup inevitably different between the two.
Rookies who had just debuted were usually overwhelmed with performing on stage alone, so it was typical to hire a veteran MC to fill any gaps and manage various situations.
And now.
Hajin couldn’t hide his slight bewilderment upon discovering the identity of the MC who would host their first showcase.
“Hello, nephews! Or should I say, no longer nephews but youngest members?”
The MC, Nam Tijoo… no, Nam Daun, who had stopped by the waiting room to say hello before the first part of the showcase, greeted them in an overly cheerful voice.
Hajin bowed his head to the 13-year veteran, who had once made him feel an inexplicable sense of defeat.
“Congratulations on your debut, youngest members! It’s our first time meeting since the sports day, right? Let’s have a fun showcase today, okay? Keep your spirits up!”
“Thank you for coming, senior.”
“Siwoo, you’re looking handsome as always~”
“Feel free to speak casually.”
“Shall I? After all, we’re eating from the same pot now. But Siwoo, it’s so unfair that you’re good-looking and can sing well, too. Our Taehyun hyung keeps praising you! I was a bit jealous.”
Mom, I think my ears are going to bleed.
Hajin felt a strange mirror effect as he awkwardly smiled, wondering if this was what he looked like when he was excited and talking too much. Noticing Hajin’s expression, Daun beamed at him and shifted his gaze.
“Oh, Little Seo Taeil.”
“…Sorry?”
“Our boys told me you’re the Little Seo Taeil. They say you resemble our hyung?”
“Please, don’t say such shocking things at a debut showcase….”
Hajin was flustered by the excessive title, which felt far too grand, and Daun chuckled as he patted Hajin’s shoulder. Since it didn’t hurt, Haj
in let him do as he pleased. Daun then withdrew his hand and ended the conversation with a broad smile.
“Just relax and have fun chatting with me later, just like now.”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes the reporters might ask weird questions or ask you to do odd poses. Since we want them to write nice articles, do your best to handle everything with a smile. If someone crosses the line, I’ll cut them off, so don’t worry~”
What’s going on? Was that cheerful persona just an act?
Seeing Daun suddenly become serious and offer sincere advice, Hajin felt a bit impressed, realizing that Daun hadn’t survived 13 years at Utopia for nothing.
After leaving a few more words of wisdom, Nam Daun waved and left the waiting room, saying he had to head up to the stage.
“See you later, guys. Oh, right, right.”
“……?”
“Is there someone among you who’s bad at taking photos? Who is it?”
Just as Daun was about to leave, he paused and poked his head back in to ask. Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to one person. Hajin, feeling the weight of their stares, raised his hand and confessed.
“…That’s me.”
“Ah, our Little Taeil. Okay, got it~”
But why did he ask that out of nowhere…?
A sudden uneasy feeling crept up Hajin’s spine, but he brushed it off, convincing himself it was nothing, and moved to get his makeup touched up.
Little did he know that he would later regret volunteering that information for the rest of his life….