-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: A Surprise Teacher
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“How’s practice going?”
“We’re working hard.”
“I’d love to watch you practice while I’m here, but since this isn’t for the show, it might seem unfair. I’m sorry.”
“Just the thought is more than enough, thank you!”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
“Well, if you say you’re fine… what should I do? I already brought another teacher.”
When Minty exclaimed, “Ta-da!” and pulled on an arm, a figure who had been hiding outside the door popped out, covering their face with their hands.
“Huh? Another teacher?”
“Who could it be?”
Even with their face hidden, their celebrity aura was unmistakable. Hye-sung recognized the extraordinary figure in an instant.
“Aaaaaaah!!!”
She suddenly let out a piercing scream.
*Han-seol-eonni!*
The new teacher who had appeared so suddenly was Kim Han-seol, a member of Lunesta.
“Whoa, that’s quite a welcome. Your name is Hye-sung, right?”
Startled by the ear-splitting scream, Kim Han-seol lowered her hands and asked.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes! That’s me! It’s me!”
“And we have Ju-ha, Seong-bin, Yeon-woo, Ju-yeon, Rurika, Ga-young, and Hyun-a!”
Kim Han-seol had received the profiles from Minty just a moment ago and had already memorized the team members’ faces and names.
“She knows all our names!”
“Of course, I had to. I’m here as your teacher, even if it’s just for a little while.”
Although Kim Han-seol had recently cultivated a strong image as the visual member who also acted, her official positions were lead vocalist and lead dancer.
If Minty was a director-type ace, Kim Han-seol was a player-type all-rounder. Whenever the question of who the “real” center of Lunesta was came up—a group where every member was considered the center—she was always the one vying with Minty for the top spot.
“And this. I figured you’d all be practicing without eating, so I brought something.”
Kim Han-seol lifted a heavy bag she had set down by the door. The eyes of the starving team members were glued to the bag.
“Shall we eat together?”
“Yes!”
“Alright, I’ll get going then. Han-seol, you take care of the girls.”
“Okay. I’ll stop by your studio later, Eonni.”
“Thank you!”
Opening the bags revealed a feast of sushi, hamburgers, tteokbokki, fried snacks, and blood sausage.
“Make yourselves comfortable. Let’s talk while we eat.”
“Okay!”
“The competition is tomorrow, right?”
As the team members satisfied their hunger and answered Kim Han-seol’s questions, Hye-sung suddenly wondered why she was at the company when she was in the middle of filming a drama.
“Um, Han-seol-eon… I mean, Seonbaenim! You must be busy filming your drama… Is it really okay for us to take up your time?”
“Oh, it’s fine. I don’t have any filming today. And I had some business at the company anyway.”
“So it was your day off. If it’s not too much to ask, could I ask something I’m personally curious about?”
“What is it?”
“Um, by any chance… are you preparing for a… comeback?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
*No way. A comeback.*
With the world having been reset, the situation had changed once again.
If Lunesta had been active as a full group before the cataclysm, Hye-sung would never have fallen so hard for Na Yeon-woo.
*Honestly, I’m really looking forward to it. I miss the other members, too…*
“Was it obvious we’re preparing for a comeback?”
“Ah… you mentioned you were going to Ha-hyun-eonni’s studio earlier…”
“Ha-hyun-eonni?”
Hye-sung had inadvertently let Minty’s real name slip.
She quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. Kim Han-seol and the other team members looked at her with curiosity.
“Is Ha-hyun-eonni what you call Minty-ssaem?”
“Oh, right! Minty-ssaem’s real name is Park Ha-hyun!”
“Ah! So she chose the stage name Minty because her name is ‘Park-ha’! Wow, I never knew that.”
The team members clapped their hands as if they had made a groundbreaking discovery.
“But Hye-sung-eonni, why do you call her Eonni instead of Ssaem?”
“Hye-sung said before that she was a big fan of groups. I bet she was a fan of Lunesta.”
“Really? Why didn’t you say anything?”
The team members, especially Cha Ju-yeon, looked at Hye-sung as if interrogating her.
“Ah, well…”
*Can’t you just let it go? It’s rude to ask what fandom someone used to be in, you guys. Minus 100 points.*
Although no one had actually asked which fandom she was in, Hye-sung mentally checked them off according to her own fan etiquette.
“I’m curious about that, too.”
Kim Han-seol also waited for Hye-sung’s answer with an expectant look.
*Ugh. Han-seol-eonni, too.*
Only Na Yeon-woo, who already knew Hye-sung was a former Lunesta fan, stared at her face with a blank expression, saying nothing.
“You’re right. I was too embarrassed to tell Minty-ssaem, but I’m actually a fan…”
Glancing around nervously, Hye-sung hesitantly confessed her origins—leaving out the part about how she had left the fandom because they hadn’t released an album in over two years.
“Oh, is that so? I had no idea you were a fan. In that case, you can just call me Eonni, too.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Of course~ You all can just call me Eonni.”
“Okay, Eonni!”
“So, Hye-sung, who’s your bias?”
Kim Han-seol rested her chin on her hand and gazed at Hye-sung.
*She’s devastatingly beautiful. It’s been a while, so it’s even harder to get used to. My heart feels like it’s going to explode.*
“Uh, I… I don’t have one? I love them all equally…”
“Really?”
“O-Of course.”
Hye-sung stammered, flustered by Kim Han-seol’s playful, expectant gaze.
“But isn’t there usually one member you like just a little bit more? Ah, you can’t say because it’s not me, right?”
“No! I really like everyone. Having to choose just one of you would be too difficult and cruel.”
“My, you’ve got a way with words. Alright, I get it.”
Kim Han-seol smiled and nodded at Hye-sung, who was frantically waving her hands in embarrassment.
Her harmless, puppy-dog eye-smile was enough to make one’s heart melt. As her eyes curved into pretty half-moons, Hye-sung was startled to see a familiar face overlapping with hers.
*Huh. They really do look alike.*
In Kim Han-seol’s smiling face, Hye-sung could faintly see Na Yeon-woo. There had been some comments online yesterday about their resemblance, but she had denied it, not liking the comparison for some reason. But now, feeling it herself, even if just a little, she had no choice but to admit they were similar.
*So my type really is consistent.*
Hye-sung couldn’t help but reveal her unwavering type.
“The food’s getting cold. Hurry up and eat.”
“Okay!”
After the meal ended in a warm atmosphere, practice resumed in earnest.
“Everyone.”
Kim Han-seol, who had been standing in front and observing the Fun&Cool team, spoke up hesitantly.
“I’m sorry to say this with the competition just a day away, but…”
With just one look, she had identified what the Fun&Cool team was lacking.
***
On the day of the competition.
The Fun&Cool team, having finished their rehearsal first, watched the opposing team’s rehearsal with grim expressions.
“They’ve really been grinding. They’re dead set on this.”
“Guys, let’s give it our all, as if we’re going to be stretchered off to the hospital when this stage is over.”
The opposing team’s song was inherently more intense, so the Fun&Cool members were anxious, feeling they might be outmatched in terms of power.
*I don’t think this puts us at a disadvantage.*
The performances before and after them were dark and powerful songs.
In terms of lineup, it was like a mint-colored song sandwiched between navy and black.
Hye-sung thought their refreshing concept might actually stand out more.
*It’s not like we’re far behind in skill. Our rankings from the first round were similar, and our team even has the first-place contestant. Even if one of us falls, the votes won’t completely swing to the other team.*
At its core, it was a popularity contest. In a situation like this, where the skill gap wasn't significant, what mattered more wasn't which team performed better, but which team could capture the hearts of more of the audience.
*We need something more than just technical skill.*
***
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl 6 days ago
#SupernovaProject #Ticket
Looking for a ticket to the 1st round competition
Willing to pay a good price (crying emoji)
Please DM me with your price
Supernova Project audience ticket looking to buy
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl 4 days ago
Buying a Supernova Project audience ticket
Please, I’m begging you, you’d be saving a life…
Please help (sobbing emoji)
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl 1 day ago
Please please please
I need to go support my girl…
#SupernovaProject #Ticket
Contrary to Hye-sung’s expectations, Kim Gwang-in hadn’t abandoned the show after the first episode. If anything, blinded by her affection, watching the malicious editing only strengthened her resolve to protect her.
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl 30 minutes ago
Am I really not going to the taping?
For real? No, right? This is a dream, right?
Having failed to win a ticket in the lottery, Kim Gwang-in had been desperately crying out in cyberspace for the past six days, trying to buy a resale ticket. But even up to the day before the competition, she had received no offers, aside from a DM from a lunatic asking for 600,000 won.
“Ugh… I thought it’d be easy to get in since the show’s a flop. What is this.”
Kim Gwang-in let out a ragged laugh as she tapped her screen.
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
I might’ve taken a break, but
I’ve been in this fandom game for years
Who do you think you’re trying to rip off, you crazy bastard
I know the market price is 130~150k
600k my ass… You probably don’t even have a ticket, you scamming piece of shit
You wanna die? I’m already pissed I couldn’t get a ticket
so don’t make me lose my damn mind
(screenshot of DM attached)
|
waegging(🔒) @yrannosaurus
Still haven’t found one?
|
Kim Gwang-in @michingirl
Nope… about to commit murder
|
waegging(🔒) @yrannosaurus
#PrivateAccountSetup
You two should go together
@mabokgim @topsecret
“What’s with the sudden setup?”
A “private account setup” referred to the act of introducing two private accounts to each other through a mutual friend. Usually, the person wanting the setup would write a message and ask for it to be spread, so being summoned out of the blue like this meant one thing.
“Does this person have a ticket?”
Clinging to a sliver of hope, Kim Gwang-in frantically logged into her private account and clicked on the account of the other person who was tagged.
Mareun Boksunga(🔒) @mabokgim
Crazy for girls / Recruiting people for Supernova Project
Location: Skiing on Na Yeon-woo’s nose bridge
58 Following 24 Followers Followed by waegging
gwang-private(🔒) @topsecret
Waegging-ssi
Does this person have a ticket?
|
waegging(🔒) @yrannosaurus
yep
her plus-one canceled on her
I just told her someone was
looking for a ticket… try DMing her~
Looks like you two can go together tomorrow?
As if fated, Kim Gwang-in was able to get in as the plus-one of a mutual follower. Standing in the line for wristbands, she showed Mareun Boksunga the photos she had taken.
“You said your bias is Yeon-woo, right, Mabok-nim? I got a lot of pictures of Yeon-woo thanks to Hye-sung at the Sangam event. I have a lot of unreleased ones, I can send them to you later.”
“Really! Thank you so much.”
As if it were destiny, Kim Gwang-in and Mareun Boksunga’s favorite and second favorite trainees overlapped. Kim Gwang-in’s bias was Hye-sung and her second favorite was Na Yeon-woo, while Mareun Boksunga’s bias was Na Yeon-woo, with Hye-sung being one of the ten candidates for her second favorite.
“But Gwang-in-nim, what’s the account you posted the Sangam photos on? It had quite a few followers.”
“Oh, that’s just a general account where I post photos of any celebrity I shoot. I posted them there for a bit of promotion, but I should probably make a new one just for the girls. But there’s a high chance we won’t be able to take pictures at the competition, so I don’t know if I’ll have anything new to upload…”
Kim Gwang-in’s voice trailed off as she looked at the large sign posted not just at the venue entrance, but also at the wristband booth.
[Cameras are prohibited inside the venue. Metal detectors are in operation. Anyone caught smuggling in and using a camera for photos or videos will be immediately ejected. Re-entry is not permitted.]
