“Sol, you look amazing.”
At Ga-ram’s compliment, Sol blushed deeply, even to the back of his neck. Tae-oh and Ga-ram, who didn’t need much fixing up, were already looking neat and were peeking behind Sol. It wasn’t a drastic transformation. From the beginning, the requirement was to be ‘natural without looking too made-up,’ so they didn’t have the dazzling hair colors commonly seen on TV idols.
Simply cutting the neglected hair neatly made a significant difference. When the fine, calm black hair was trimmed to a suitable length, it added a cold yet delicate atmosphere.
Ga-ram said he looked cool, but in truth, Sol’s appearance was more strikingly pretty at first glance. Everyone’s eyes turned to Sol at Ga-ram’s words. As if waiting for someone to say that, the stylist who had been styling Sol’s hair beamed broadly.
“Right? His skin is so fair, and his face is small. Even though he has black hair now, he would look great with very light hair colors, too.”
Indeed, the touch of a professional was different. Normally, Sol didn’t even blow-dry his hair; he would just roughly comb it and leave. Even in childhood, when his mother took care of him, his hair had never been this neat and tidy.
The simple makeup, done with the intention of being touched up again at the studio, was also quite refreshing. It was different from the stage makeup Sol had worn while performing. The ghostly, pale look that had often made people ask if he was ill was gone. Instead, a slight pinkish hue gave his face a healthy glow, hiding Sol’s usual gloomy vibe.
Sol, having finished being styled with the professional's touch, felt awkward looking at his reflection in the mirror. It felt like a different person was inside the mirror. The cool feeling from the shorter hair made Sol lightly touch the back of his neck with his palm.
“Let me see, let me see too.”
Deuk-yong and Ji-ho, who had towels wrapped around their heads, came over belatedly to check out Sol’s appearance.
“...Wow. It’s amazing that people left you alone all this time.”
“You must have been really popular at school, right, Sol-ah?”
“No... not really. I didn’t have many friends.”
“If I had gone to school with you, even if you had a terrible personality, I would have liked you. I would have done your homework before you even asked.”
“Me too. But I just like Sol as he is.”
At Deuk-yong’s words, Ga-ram nodded in agreement. Sol couldn’t help but laugh out loud because Deuk-yong’s words were so absurd. Since the accident, Sol had hated going to school, but listening to Deuk-yong made school life seem quite fun. If Sol had gone to school with a friend like Deuk-yong, even the tough times might not have felt so depressing.
“Kim Deuk-yong, Kang Ga-ram. That’s a dangerous statement.”
Ji-ho, who had been watching Sol’s reflection in the mirror with his arms crossed, shook his head at Deuk-yong and Ga-ram. When Sol looked at him, puzzled as to what was so dangerous, Ji-ho winked at him.
“Ah, hyung, I told you not to call me Deuk-yong anymore.”
“I can’t even call Deuk-yong ‘Deuk-yong’ anymore?”
“Hyung, you’re the biggest problem.”
“What’s wrong with calling you Deuk-yong?”
“I don’t like it. It sounds old-fashioned.”
“From now on, we don’t know which parts will be recorded and used, so it’s better to always act as if we’re being filmed.”
Deuk-yong pouted. Although he had the stage name DK, he was often called by his real name, Deuk-yong, in everyday life. He had also asked Sol to call him DK, but he rarely did. The name Deuk-yong was much more familiar and rolled off the tongue better than DK.
When Ji-ho teased Deuk-yong, Tae-oh stepped in to mediate. Agreeing with Tae-oh, both Sol and Ga-ram nodded. Most of all, Sol thought it was right to be considerate if Deuk-yong disliked being called by his name.
“Okay. Deuk-yong- no, I’m calling you DK now.”
“Ji-ho hyung!”
“Go quickly. They’re calling you.”
Although everyone agreed, old habits were hard to break. When the staff in charge of Deuk-yong called him, Ji-ho unconsciously called him Deuk-yong again before quickly correcting himself. Deuk-yong clenched his fist and lightly tapped Ji-ho’s back, glaring at him. Seeing the youngest sulking so obviously, Ji-ho laughed, gently soothing him and pushing him forward.
“Ga-ram-ah.”
“Okay.”
When Ji-ho and Deuk-yong were called to finish their makeup and hairstyling, Yeong-ho called Ga-ram over. Since the stalking incident, Yeong-ho and Ga-ram had more opportunities to talk alone. It seemed to be about the investigation of the incident.
As Sol’s hair was finished being styled, only Sol and Taeo were left behind. Sol thought they had become close enough to share their inner thoughts, but being alone like this felt awkward. Sol kept rubbing the nape of his neck, feeling the unfamiliar coolness as his hair no longer touched his neck and shoulders. He felt slightly chilly. Sol quietly sat next to Tae-oh, watching from a distance as Deuk-yong’s hair was styled.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Yeah. I feel better after some rest.”
“That’s good. I’m glad.”
While staring at Deuk-yong, Sol suddenly heard Tae-oh’s deep, soothing voice beside him. Almost reflexively, Sol nodded in response to Tae-oh’s question. Tae-oh’s face showed a slight expression of relief. Sol widened his eyes in surprise.
Perhaps it was because he was looking at him up close right now, but he always thought Tae-oh’s expression was calm and indifferent. Seeing him like this, he realized he was subtly relieved by his words. Feeling that he had caused him worry, Sol smiled slightly. Tae-oh quickly turned his head to look straight ahead. Sol rolled his big eyes at Tae-oh’s awkward and strange reaction. Once again, an awkward silence settled between them.
They were sitting side by side, close enough for their arms to touch, but the situation felt so awkward that Sol tapped his toes nervously.
“Because of the makeup... it’s hard to tell.”
“Oh. Really, I’m fine. I kept sitting and was given warm water earlier... I feel better.”
At Tae-oh’s sudden comment, Sol tilted his head. Realizing the context of Tae-oh’s words a moment later, Sol nodded vigorously. Normally, Tae-oh, who was sensitive to Sol’s changes even when he said he was fine or said nothing, had made the comment because he wasn’t used to seeing Sol with makeup.
If Sol had his bare face, Tae-oh would have noticed from his pale complexion that he wasn’t fine despite his words. But today, the makeup made him look unnaturally flushed, making it hard to tell, so he asked.
“With makeup on, you look a little different... you look different.”
“Really? You too. You look even cooler. You were always cool, but...”
Though Tae-oh seemed gruff, his attentive manner made Sol smile as he lightly swung his legs. Sol had the feeling that Tae-oh’s comment wasn’t out of concern for him, but rather an attempt to break the awkward silence and engage him in conversation. Sol laughed and shrugged his shoulders slightly, a gesture of small but genuine friendliness. At Sol’s compliment, Tae-oh’s ears turned bright red and twitched as if they were about to fall off.
“Tae-oh, your ears just…”
“Ears?”
“Your ears are red.”
“Oh.”
Sol, who had witnessed this up close, slightly opened his mouth and pointed at Tae-oh’s crimson ears. At Sol’s remark, Tae-oh quickly grasped his ears with his hands. The ears in his large hands radiated heat. His expression remained calm, but his ears betrayed his embarrassment.
For quite some time after that, Tae-oh sat quietly beside Sol, clutching his ears. They didn’t say a word to each other until Ga-ram finished his conversation with Yeong-ho and returned. Once everyone was ready, a familiar-looking woman, who had been bustling around the shop, taking care of various things, approached the members. At first glance, Sol thought she was just another company staff member, but on closer inspection, he realized it was the short-haired woman he often saw during weekend evaluations. Sol vaguely remembered hearing her name but couldn’t recall it, so he just observed quietly.
“Hello, I’m Chae Min-ju. I’ll be following you around for a week, filming various things. You shouldn’t look too staged, but also not too relaxed. Please pay moderate attention to your appearance.”
Introducing herself as Chae Min-ju, the woman began to briefly outline what they would be doing and the precautions to take.
“We’ll be filming your practice sessions and covering songs by senior artists. There will also be various missions, questions, and short interviews. The company is trialing this project and if the results are good, we might run a separate YouTube channel.”
“YouTube... So, like when Tae-oh was a public trainee?”
“Think of it as a new type of debut evaluation. We’re gauging the public’s reaction in advance.”
When Deuk-yong raised his hand and asked, Chae Min-ju seemed to ponder for a moment before mentioning “debut evaluation.” Essentially, it meant testing the waters first. They wanted to see if the trainees could generate buzz and gauge the public’s reaction through the relatively low-risk medium of the internet. Sol glanced at the faces of his fellow members. Their eyes, filled with determination, shone brightly, a testament to their resolve after several failed debut attempts.
“Even within the team, the expectations are high, and since the representative gave direct orders, everyone, please show your best.”
“Alright, then let’s get in the van quickly. We’ll move to the studio, and the initial profile photos will be taken by Chae Min-ju.”
“Yes!”
“We look forward to working with you.”
As Deuk-yong enthusiastically responded like an excited child, Tae-oh followed suit and bowed deeply to Chae Min-ju like a parent, greeting her respectfully. Sol naturally shifted his gaze from Tae-oh to Chae Min-ju and Yeong-ho. Not only the members but also Chae Min-ju and Yeong-ho’s eyes were shining excessively. Their eyes were brimming with enthusiasm, making Sol somewhat uncomfortable to look at them directly. The intensity of their passion made Sol lower his head and stare at the ground. It suddenly felt like everything was really starting in earnest. At that moment, a system window appeared right in front of Sol’s eyes.
<Captivate with your First Impression!>
Your first profile photo that will represent you! Successfully complete the profile photo shoot!
Upon success, update the information of ‘Sung Sol’ and receive a Low-level Health Recovery Potion X1
Upon failure, system shutdown (or experience equivalent suffering)
