Hard Mode Idol - Chapter 48

“Haon…”

The manager looked at me with a face like the world was ending. Seeing as I’m no longer afraid to face that rugged expression, I guess I’ve fully adapted too.

“What is it?”

“Your complexion is really bad…”

Is it? I looked in the mirror, but there wasn’t much difference from usual. It’s just that I’m pale because I haven’t seen sunlight. My stamina recovery is slower, and it’s not rising much from 50, but…

“What about the other kids?”

“Is Kanghyun hyung not here?”

“No.”

He said he wouldn’t go! He betrayed me! While I was trembling with a sense of betrayal, the manager was anxiously walking around looking for the missing hyungs. I put my emotions aside for a moment and roughly told him what happened yesterday. The manager was shocked and hurriedly grabbed his coat and car keys.

“I’ll bring all the kids back, so don’t go anywhere. Okay? You absolutely can’t go!”

“Yes. I won’t.”

“I took you all back early yesterday, when did you all go again? I really can’t live like this.”

Ahem. I have nothing to say since I’m an accomplice too. I stared blankly at the closed front door and opened the freezer. I’m hungry, so I’ll eat some hot dogs. Are the others hungry too?

I took out the frozen soup from the freezer. I prepared to microwave it while also getting ready to heat up instant rice. The fridge was filled with side dishes that didn’t match our dorm. They were things the members brought back from their homes.

I took out the side dishes and nicely arranged them on a plate. I transferred the defrosted soup to a pot and let it boil, and this time, I put in the instant rice to heat. By the time breakfast preparations were almost done, I felt a familiar commotion.

“Aaah! I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you!”

“…Jeonggon hyung, we were wrong.”

“I kept telling you, didn’t I? To rest early. I told you it’s important to take care of your health, didn’t I? Didn’t I? But you spent the night in the practice room? Kanghyun and Haon walked back to the dorm alone at dawn? And then Kanghyun went to the practice room again? What if something happens! Huh?”

The manager must be really angry. From the kitchen, I peeked out and glanced at the members. My eyes met Seoho’s.

“Hey! Jin Haon, you traitor! How could you blab everything to Jeonggon hyung?!”

“Eat breakfast.”

“…Breakfast?”

“Yeah.”

Simple-minded Seoho took the bait. He sniffed and approached like a fisherman entranced by a siren. Seeing him excited saying he was hungry anyway made me feel proud.

“Did Haon prepare breakfast?”

Yoochan, with a pale face, deliberately used a lively voice. He’s saying it for the manager to hear. I’ll save you, hyung.

“Yes. Hyungs, come quickly and eat breakfast.”

I gestured gently with a smile. In the meantime, Seoho was sitting on a chair, swallowing his saliva. His hand holding the spoon twitched.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“How can I eat alone when the hyungs are here too? Ugh, I’m hungry. You sit down too.”

When it was my birthday, he just tore it open? Ah! He didn’t eat first then either. I newly realized that our country is a country of eastern courtesy. He really received a solid family education. He’s not a bad kid, just immature.

Thanks to preparing breakfast by rummaging through the fridge, which was unlike me, the manager’s nagging bombardment ended earlier than expected. I invited him, saying, “Jeonggon hyung, eat with us,” and he slyly joined our table.

“You guys, today, oh? This is delicious. Absolutely, can’t go out.”

I wish he would either eat or talk, not both. I deliberately pushed more side dishes towards the manager. Have a lot.

A relatively peaceful breakfast ended. Seeing everyone eating well made me feel fulfilled. So this is how you can feel full even without eating. Should I learn to cook? I used to think the time spent eating was the most useless, but that thought changed a bit this morning.

After the peaceful meal, the manager gathered us again and nagged. He scolded us, saying that our debut showcase is just around the corner, but we can’t properly take care of our health. He declared that from now on, he will manage our practice time.

I feel wronged after going through the trouble of feeding them breakfast. I didn’t know there would be a second verse…

April 4th. Two days before the debut showcase, I finally completed the main mission.

<System: Main Mission Complete! 1,600 points will be awarded as a reward!>

I thought I would fail this and was secretly sweating buckets. I kept getting S, so I thought I would have a 2-level grade drop at this rate, and my head was ringing. The members thought I was nervous because of the debut.

<System: With the completion of the Main Mission 5 times, the Weekly Mission has been deleted.>

<System: With the completion of the Main Mission 5 times, the Sub Mission has been activated.>

Huh? The weekly mission disappeared. I was worried because I couldn’t do it continuously, but now that it’s completely gone, I feel a bit sad. It means I can’t even get 40 points when I can. But since a sub mission has been added, I wonder if it’s okay. It might even be better. First, let’s check what the new mission is.

<Main Mission>

Enter the top 100 on the music chart with the debut song

O Earn 1,000 points upon success

O The highest stat grade drops by 1 level upon failure

<Sub Mission>

Overcome an unexpected situation at the debut showcase! (0/1)

O Obtain Deus Gift Box x1 upon success

O Debut showcase fails upon failure

What does it say when the sub mission fails? The words “debut showcase failure” caught my eye. It felt like all my nerves and thoughts were narrowing.

Let’s calm down for a moment. Let’s think step by step.

First, the main mission is within the expected range. I’m grateful just for not getting a 1st place mission. The highest stat for me right now is charm, and if I fail, it becomes S-. Okay, got it.

The problem is the sub mission. The sub mission was so shocking that the main mission penalty seemed relatively light in comparison. An unexpected situation at the debut showcase?

Our debut showcase was scheduled to take place in two rounds. One is the press showcase held at 4 pm. And the second is the outdoor showcase held at 8 pm at the Enterroad Plaza. It was a performance to replace the fan showcase, as we had gathered a small fandom before debut.

In which of the two will an unexpected situation occur? What should I do to prevent it? First of all, the fact that it came out as a mission means that I can respond to it, right? Then, among the things I can respond to, an unexpected situation that might occur…

Sound or microphone not working, getting the formation mixed up. Someone falling over. And… what else is there?

In the first place, since we haven’t been revealed, there’s nothing for the reporters to nitpick at. Our popularity is low, so there’s no point in trying to stir up trouble. Then, it’s highly likely that something will happen during the performance on stage…

What could it be…? But in the first place, if I don’t know the cause, no matter what I imagine, it would be the wrong answer.

“Jin Haon, what are you doing? Why are you so serious? Are you so nervous thinking about the debut showcase that you’re about to die?”

“…You’re lucky you have no worries.”

“What? Hey, why are you picking a fight all of a sudden!”

“I’m right, aren’t I? Do you have any worries?”

Seoho closed his mouth tightly and racked his brain. I can hear it rolling around from here. He pretends to think for a moment, going “Hmm. Hmm. Hmmm.” I know there’s nothing anyway.

“I don’t think there is?”

“Then it’s not picking a fight, is it?”

“I… guess so?”

“Yeah. Then go.”

I don’t have time to play with you right now. Seoho muttered that something was strange and tilted his head. Then he quickly ran to Yoochan hyung and clung to him.

I feel like my head is going to explode because of the sub mission.

Can I really respond to it? What if the debut showcase fails? The members aren’t used to it, even if I am.

Honestly, a debut showcase is just officially declaring with a bang, “We’re starting now!” Failing it won’t cause any problems. As long as there’s nothing to be criticized for, it’s just a slight misstep at the start.

But since it’s obvious that the members will be discouraged, I wanted to end it successfully no matter what. I was earnestly pondering over something with no answer.

“Haon, are you having a hard time? Do you want to lie down?”

This time it’s Jung Ilhan. I said I was fine and smiled. Jung Ilhan smiles back at me. Brightly. It was a very pretty smile.

Right. First, let’s think about the positives. It’s better for something to happen at the debut showcase rather than the first music show. The scale is different. And well, I don’t know how to respond, but at least I know that “something will happen.”

There’s a difference between being caught off guard and being mentally prepared in advance, right? No matter what happens, I just need to stay alert.

Let’s believe that it came out as a mission because I can do it. Otherwise, it’s just mocking me. This system said it was a guide to help me. So that means I can solve it. Let’s believe in myself.

Then the only thing I can do right now is… practice, right?

“Kanghyun hyung! Let’s start practicing!”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go!”

Seoho shouted energetically, full of fighting spirit.

April 6th. As soon as we arrived at the press showcase venue, the manager ushered us into the waiting room.

“Alright, kids, rest here. I’ll do a stage check and bring lunch boxes by 12. We’ll have a quick rehearsal after lunch, so don’t go anywhere.”

“…Okay.”

Yoochan, who was stiffly frozen, was acting like a worn-out robot.

“Hah… I’m going crazy. I’m nervous.”

Yoochan sighed deeply while repeatedly washing his face. Fortunately, he hadn’t gotten his makeup done yet. How many sighs is that?

“Aaaargh!”

Seoho was moaning like an itchy puppy and spinning around, while Jung Ilhan was tightly clinging to my side, holding my arm. It was a bit heavy, but I left him be because his hands were cold. Kanghyun hyung seemed indifferent, but he had been repeatedly dancing the same moves since earlier.

The conclusion is that all the members are acting out of their minds. I’m so worried about what unexpected situation will blow up today that I’m going to die. I’ve been on edge the whole time, so my stamina is draining even faster.

“…Hah.”

Another long sigh was heard from Yoochan hyung. This won’t do as it is. I thought that the unexpected situation might be a member’s mistake. If it’s something like that, it can be avoided by maintaining their mentality.

How can I restore their confidence? We practiced for a long time. If I exaggerate a bit by 50%, we can match the formation even with our eyes closed now. We practiced so much that no matter how out of it we are, we should be able to react immediately when the song comes on.

…Ah, that’s right!