NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 92
After finishing breakfast, the team practice began right away.
I immediately shared the idea I thought of yesterday with the team members.
“How about combining an animal concept with our song ‘Cheer up my friends’ this time?”
“Animal… concept?”
“Honestly, I thought about it and realized my expressions are too cold for a cheerleading concept, so I came up with this…”
I continued explaining to the team members who were tilting their heads while showing them the tablet PC.
“Originally, the music video for ‘Cheer up my friends’ is about learning cheerleading to support a tired lover… Do you want to watch the video?”
“What kind of video is it?”
Swipe-
As all the team members’ eyes gathered, I played the video on the tablet PC.
[Want to go see the cat at our house, oppa?]
[Huh? I love cats! Let’s go!]
….
[Hmm? But I don’t see the cat?]
[Nyawn♡]
“……”
The content of the somewhat cringy video made the team members smile awkwardly.
I also found it a bit hard to watch the first time, but anyway, all idol concepts have their cringe factors.
“The title of this video is ‘A Cat’s Aegyo That Relieves a Tired Boyfriend’s Fatigue.’ Cute animals usually make people feel good, right? So I thought it would relate to the concept of ‘Cheer up my friends’ cheering for people’s tired lives and relieving fatigue. What do you think?”
“Oh, so we’d dress up as animals instead of cheerleader outfits on stage?”
“If we dress up too much, then maybe just attach ears and tails and draw whiskers on our faces?”
“Then are all the animal costumes going to be cats…?”
“Not really. Different animals pop into mind when we look at each other. For example, I see myself as a cat, and Yoo-jung as a golden retriever, so each person can pick an animal they want to dress up as.”
“……”
As I finished speaking, the team members fell silent, as if deep in thought.
And breaking that silence, the first one to express agreement was…
“I’m in! This sounds super fun!”
As expected, it was Park Yoo-jung.
“Definitely, sticking to the cheerleader concept was getting a bit stale, and people absolutely love cute things! Hehe, just thinking about cat ears on Ye-rin’s head gets me excited!”
“…Yoo-jung, maybe ‘excited’ isn’t the best word…”
“Hehe, I just want to pet and play with her!”
“……”
As Park Yoo-jung grinned with a perverted smile, Seo Yoo-jin made a surprised expression and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“I-I agree too! I’m all for Ye-rin’s idea!”
With the leader being me, and Park Yoo-jung and Seo Yoo-jin on board, the other team members had almost no choice.
But since my idea was pretty good, other members also smiled and voiced their approval in a row.
“I’m in.”
“Me too! If we do it right, we can make the stage really cute!”
“I think it’s a great idea, Ye-rin! I’m in!”
“I want to be a hamster!”
And so all my team members agreed to my idea….
“So our concept will be animals as Ye-rin said!”
“Wow—!”
With Park Yoo-jung taking the lead in concluding the meeting like this.
And such a scene from a boy’s manga… Zing.
As always, the camera was diligently filming.
No, today was different from usual.
There were more cameras capturing us compared to yesterday.
Had I not had a clue, I might have thought the production team had some scheme, but right before entering the team meeting, I checked SNS on the tablet PC and understood the reason.
Na Ah Ah’s official SNS had posted a notice of apology from the production team.
It seemed like the Na Ah Ah team decided to back down from the public’s opinion and SAV this time.
From the production team’s perspective, they would try their best to show Seo Yoo-jin in a good light to lighten the mood.
It was clear that the many cameras around our team were there to capture as many wholesome moments as possible.
And maybe Seo Yoo-jin sensed this too…
[Status Abnormality: Mild Depression, Mild Anxiety Disorder, Severe Separation Anxiety.]
Seo Yoo-jin’s status window looked significantly better compared to before.
‘…But why is her separation anxiety still severe?’
Isn’t separation anxiety something mostly experienced by babies or pets?
I tilted my head at Seo Yoo-jin’s severe separation anxiety but…
Snug.
“Hehe.”
…Seeing Seo Yoo-jin’s happy expression wrapped around my waist, I decided not to worry too much.
‘Yeah, as long as we’re smiling, it’s fine.’
I affectionately patted the head of Seo Yoo-jin, who seemed genuinely happy.
The bleak start of week 4 for Na Ah Ah was now beginning to see some light.
The production team’s intention to somehow wrap this competition in warmth could also be confirmed during the mid-term evaluation.
“Oh, this idea is really good!”
“The choreography is well done too…! This team seems good to go!”
This time, the trainers, who had always given us a hard time during previous mid-term evaluations, turned surprisingly friendly.
Of course, our team had really prepared well.
Unlike the first and second team competitions, we quickly settled on a concept and created choreography without any lazy team members like Na Han-na before her transformation, completing a rather high-quality performance for the mid-term evaluation.
However, even taking that into account…
“This team seems to have amazing synergy among the members.”
“Haha, I’m really looking forward to the main competition!”
…the trainers’ kindness was so unexpected that it felt like an adjustment.
Looking around, it seemed the trainers’ attitude towards all the teams was gentle, not just ours.
I was even thinking…
‘…Is there anything to air on the show?’
I was worried about the broadcast time as I thought about that.
Anyway, with the trainers’ praises and good cooperation, our team faced the day of the main competition while raising the quality of our performance as if riding a favorable wind.
And the day before the competition.
I soon learned how the production team planned to make up for the lack of broadcast time.
Murmur, murmur.
“They said everyone gather in the set!”
“What’s going on?”
“Since it’s the night before the competition, they probably want to film our real-time reactions while watching Na Ah Ah together.”
“Oh, I see.”
We casually assembled in the set on the night before the competition.
Naturally, we assumed they wanted to monitor Na Ah Ah together and record our real-time reactions.
‘I’m tired… I hope we can finish the recording soon so I can get some sleep for tomorrow.’
Just then, while stretching and moving to the set, I bumped into someone.
Thud.
“Ah, I’m sorry…”
“……”
When I turned to see who it was…
“…Unnie?”
“……”
It was Yoo Seol.
“…I’m sorry, I stretched and…”
“…It’s fine.”
As I bowed my head, her weary face shook her head and walked away.
Watching her back, which seemed weaker than usual, Park Yoo-jung came closer and whispered to me.
“Is she sick again this week?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Ah, I asked a friend who’s close with Seol unnie from her team, and they said her energy has been low these days.”
Hearing that made me flinch and scan the surroundings. Seo Yoo-jin had just left for the bathroom.
“…Does that mean Seol unnie’s team will face something like last competition?”
Thinking she might be falling into a downward spiral like Seo Yoo-jin did, I reacted strongly, and Park Yoo-jung shook her head and replied.
“I don’t think it’s like that. She’s working hard, but she seems a bit troubled.”
“…Why does she look like someone who’s committed a crime?”
So I headed to the set with Park Yoo-jung and Seo Yoo-jin, who returned from the restroom.
And….
“…Huh?”
I quickly noticed something strange.
The chairs had changed from the usual rickety metal ones to slightly nicer ones.
And the atmosphere around had shifted too, it seemed they were trying to create a warm feeling.
“What’s up? It’s past 10 and why haven’t they turned on the screen?”
“Is Na Ah Ah not airing today?”
Even past 10, the production team still hadn’t turned on the broadcast.
Just as our murmurs reached a climax, Han Si-woo came up to the stage with a microphone.
“Good evening, participants.”
“Wait, they haven’t gone in yet.”
“Wow—.”
As soon as Han Si-woo appeared, the participants clapped instinctively.
Seeing that, Han Si-woo smiled and continued.
“Tomorrow, you will showcase your third team competition stage. You have all worked so hard over the past week and months. Let’s give a round of applause.”
“Wow….”
Clap, clap, clap.
He asked us to clap, so we did, but all of us, including me, tilted our heads in confusion.
Even though Na Ah Ah was already past midterms, it didn’t seem like a wrap-up mood yet.
“Of course, your challenges aren’t over yet. From now on, you will face even greater hardships. To cheer you on, the production team has prepared a small gift.”
“A small… gift?”
“Now, please focus on the screen!”
After saying that, Han Si-woo stepped off the stage.
And soon, the screen lit up….
Boom.
“…Huh?”
…And there were two ordinary-looking middle-aged couples displayed.
“…Who?”
As everyone was bewildered by the appearance of the seemingly ordinary couple…
“Uh, Mom? Dad?!”
Someone among the participants screamed while covering their mouth, and at that moment, the middle-aged couple on the screen began speaking.
[Our daughter, Chae-hyun~ are you doing well?]
“……!”
In that instant, all participants realized what this segment was about.
Family interviews.
‘It seems they want to end this week on a warm note.’
Even after a 3-night, 4-day school trip, when the last day comes and the scoutmaster lights the candle, we can’t help but get emotional thinking about our parents.
In the midst of the tiring competition, girls around our age who are filled with emotion can’t help but cry upon seeing their parents’ faces after just a week.
[Mom and Dad always support our Chae-hyun, you know? We love you~]
“Mom… Dad… Sniff…”
Eventually, the first participant burst into tears, and a touching atmosphere filled the venue.
Everyone was already prepared to cry as soon as their parents’ videos aired, and it was clear this place would soon become a sea of tears.
Zing-.
And it thrilled the cameras as they wildly recorded it all.
I too was about to weep as I looked at the participants who were on the verge of crying…
‘Family interviews are definitely a cheat code. My heart feels so nostalgic… Wait a minute…’
Suddenly, something crossed my mind, causing me to stop.
‘Could it be that our mom and dad will…?’
Common sense suggests that there’s a low chance the Na Ah Ah production team wouldn’t arrange for an interview with my family, as one of the top-ranked participants.
“…….”
Thinking that my mom and dad would appear on that screen sent a chill down my spine.
‘Please…, please don’t show up….’
My parents always managed to pull off the unimaginable.
I could hardly imagine what kind of scene they’d create during the interview.
And so, I held my dizzying head and prayed that there wouldn’t be a video of my parents.