Tae Eun-gyeom: I made sure to watch it live~ Here's my proof shot!
A photo was uploaded showing Eun-gyeom, with hair clips still in his hair as if he was in the middle of preparing for makeup while the broadcast was airing, making a 'V' sign in front of the screen showing Sol. He was pressing his fingers, spread out like scissors, against his lips and raising the corners of his mouth in a very relaxed smirk.
Looking at the selfie Eun-gyeom had sent, Sol found himself admiring his, thinking, 'Celebrities really are celebrities.' Although the photo was taken not just for the simple purpose of showing Sol, but also with the intention of posting it on social media to show off their friendship, Sol couldn't gauge Eun-gyeom's thoughts to that extent. He just looked at the photo and admired how, even though he wasn't perfectly done up, there wasn't a single flaw in his appearance.
As Sol was staring intently at Eun-gyeom's photo, almost observing it, Deuk-yong suddenly butted in from beside him. Gesturing with his chin towards Eun-gyeom on the phone screen, Deuk-yong wiggled his eyebrows while twitching his lips.
"That's right. That hyung... he said we're close friends he treasures, but he posted it on his Instagram."
"Eun-gyeom hyung did?"
"The other D-Block members posted it too, though. It's suspicious how much interest he's been showing in us lately."
Deuk-yong narrowed his eyes and glared at Eun-gyeom's photo. Then he clicked his tongue once, 'Tsk', and alternated looking between Sol and Eun-gyeom's photo before shaking his head.
"I mean, the support from a popular senior is a big help, but still... it's just a bit..."
As Deuk-yong trailed off, Ga-ram finished his sentence.
"Suspicious."
"Right! It's suspicious. He's got an ulterior motive."
"He must want something."
Although Sol had subtly gathered from Ji-ho at the last music video filming location that his relationship with Eun-gyeom wasn't as good as he had thought, now that even Ga-ram was chiming in, Sol was starting to find it difficult to suppress his curiosity.
Still, whenever they actually met face-to-face, all the members treated Eun-gyeom politely as a senior, and Eun-gyeom would smile and greet them well without any noticeable issues. Thinking he might as well ask Ga-ram to clarify things since it had come up, Sol was stopped by his phone vibrating again.
Tae Eun-gyeom: The cover you did of our song was so good! For a moment, I thought it was the original by you guys, Sol. It was so good that I told the other members they absolutely had to watch it.
Me: I'm glad to hear you say that. I was just about to watch it with the members now.
It was D-Block's song that they had performed at the showcase meeting. Hearing it again made Sol realize anew that Eun-gyeom really was a popular idol with a hit song. He felt a bit anxious inside knowing that the original artist had seen them completely rework the song, from the choreography to the arrangement, to suit their own taste. But Sol felt relieved when Eun-gyeom soon showered them with compliments. When Sol said he was just about to watch the broadcast now, Eun-gyeom replied sharply.
Tae Eun-gyeom: It was the first broadcast and you haven't seen it?
Me: We just got back from a meeting and filming an interview.
Tae Eun-gyeom: You must be tired, tsk tsk.
Me: How about you, hyung?
Tae Eun-gyeom: I just got home too.
Sol thought the replies were coming back unusually quickly; it seemed like Eun-gyeom didn't have any early morning travel or crazy early/late schedules today. Usually, Eun-gyeom would always reply saying he was in the car heading to the provinces even in the early morning, so hearing that he was finally washed up and lying in bed, rewatching the broadcast Sol was in, made Sol feel relieved but also embarrassed. He wondered how he looked on screen to others. He hoped he didn't look clumsy or foolish.
Hoping secretly that Eun-gyeom would praise him again, Sol was looking at his phone screen when the reply that came was actually a question directed at him. The question was enough to make Sol, beyond just being embarrassed, bury his face deep into a cushion.
Tae Eun-gyeom: By the way, you kept making a face on stage. Was something uncomfortable?
Reading Eun-gyeom's message, Sol slightly wrinkled his nose. He recalled the incident caused by his wink. The fact that it had been broadcast in full made Sol so unbelievably embarrassed that he couldn't easily reply to Eun-gyeom. What should he say? If he said something was uncomfortable, Eun-gyeom would worry, and lying about it didn't sit right with him. But saying it was because he winked was just too mortifying.
As Sol was hesitating for a moment, Deuk-yong, holding the remote, boomed in a loud voice, drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, gather around. Hyung, hurry up, hurry up."
With a serious expression, Deuk-yong swung the remote control and pressed play on the first episode of My Idol Stars. He quickly climbed onto the sofa and plopped down right next to Sol. Then, Ga-ram squeezed himself in between them. Despite there being plenty of space elsewhere, Ga-ram insisted on sitting by Sol's side.
"Move over a bit."
When the already large Deuk-yong held his ground and didn't budge an inch, Ga-ram grumbled in annoyance. Pushed by Ga-ram, Deuk-yong pouted, muttering that he was always the one left out, before reluctantly shifting his position. Having secured the spot next to Sol, Ga-ram smiled in satisfaction. Seeing this, a disgruntled Deuk-yong quickly tried to get up and move to the other side, but Ji-ho was faster.
Grinning mischievously as if to tease Deuk-yong, Ji-ho plastered himself against Sol's other side and started urging him to eat some snacks. Having lost both seats on either side of Sol, Deuk-yong thrust out his lower lip in a pronounced pout directed at his hyungs and then plopped down on the floor right in front of Sol.
By the time Tae-oh came out to the living room last, the other members were already surrounding Sol on all sides. Each of them, with a triumphant look on their faces for having secured a spot, smirked at Tae-oh. Seeing this, Tae-oh shook his head slightly and reluctantly perched himself on the very edge of the sofa. It was incredibly childish, but honestly, Tae-oh felt a twinge of regret too. Unlike Tae-oh, however, Sol was secretly grateful to be sitting far away from him.
When the broadcast started, the opening video tugged at the members' heartstrings. Comments about the numerous trainees, the long practice hours, and the fact that only a select few succeed... these resonated deeply, especially with Deuk-yong and Ji-ho. In truth, it probably stirred something in all four of them, though it might not have shown on their faces. At the bottom of the screen, information about applying for the live audience and sending text messages to support teams scrolled by frequently.
Sol, who kept sneaking glances at Tae-oh sitting at the edge of the sofa, unlike the other members, couldn't easily focus on the show. Ga-ram shrugged, remarking that if only it were a live broadcast with perfect timing, all five of them could have sent texts and secured five votes. As if hugging a soft stuffed toy, Ga-ram leaned against Sol and wrapped his arms around him. Held in Ga-ram's embrace, Sol just blinked vacantly, his gaze fixed on the screen.
Since a previously aired audition program produced by a famous agency had already swept the fanbase around the same time, this show's direction seemed to focus less on flashy, well-prepared trainees and more on narratives of perseverance through hardship—the so-called "tear-jerking" stories. And this narrative was quite effective in making viewers empathize with and become invested in contestants whose agency names were unfamiliar from the start.
Deuk-yong, like an elementary school student, kept pointing at the TV screen with his finger, exclaiming things like, "Here, here, that's me," and "Here, that's Sol hyung." He seemed thrilled to see himself on screen. Ji-ho was also completely absorbed in spotting himself.
"Why is my hair such a mess? Why am I standing like that? It makes my legs look short?"
Whenever an interview clip of himself was shown, Ji-ho would pour out endless questions to himself. Sol sincerely admired Ji-ho's eye for detail. Short clips of them practicing in the studio or brief interviews were shown sporadically, but Ji-ho didn't even miss the moment Ga-ram casually walked in the background. He even offered advice to Ga-ram, saying, "Don't walk with your neck stuck out and your shoulders hunched; walk with your back straight."
Next, what caught Sol's interest were the interviews with the other contestants. Personal interviews and group interview segments were edited in between, and all the contestants' faces, shocked by YC Entertainment's appearance, were zoomed in on, filling the entire screen. Then Myung-ha's interview followed.
The moment Sol saw his face, he immediately frowned. He knew he'd have to face him during every future filming, but it was hard to smile at Myung-ha as nonchalantly as Ji-ho did. After the other contestants' stages finished, it was finally the turn of YC Entertainment, the team including Sol. Sol unconsciously clenched his fists tightly. He remembered that various things had happened on that day when that scene was filmed, but Team 7, united as one, seemed to shine brighter than any other team.
Then came the parts that made Sol's face flush again. It was himself, squinting his face whenever it was shown in close-up. Whenever Sol frowned, Deuk-yong, who seemed to know the reason behind it, would burst into laughter, holding his stomach. For a moment, he was laughing heartily, but soon Sol was startled to realize he had winked that much.
"They could have edited that out a bit…."
Ga-ram nodded in agreement with Ji-ho's words. Sol nodded along too. It seemed like every single time he made a face, without exception, it was all broadcasted. They even showed the frowning scenes twice in a row, almost as if they were intentionally highlighting those moments. Sensing something ominous about the seemingly deliberate editing, Ji-ho's face fell with pity. Sol, wishing those scenes would just pass quickly, buried his face against Ga-ram to block his view.
Myung-ha's ever-smiling face and Sol's constant frowning were starkly contrasted. Sol had an uneasy feeling that this wouldn't translate into a positive reaction. As the broadcast continued, Sol leaned more and more against Ga-ram. Initially, it was Ga-ram who wrapped his arms around Sol first, but as time passed, it looked like Sol, half-lying on the sofa, was melting into Ga-ram.
Tangled up together, their warm body heat transferred, and the fatigue and energy drained from enduring the broadcasting station and interviews without any potion today made Sol's body feel languid. It was the first broadcast, though… Sol soon began to doze off, his eyelids fluttering. Ga-ram kept stroking Sol's hair as he slept on his thigh. As the first broadcast neared its end, Ji-ho and Tae-oh, who had been continuously noting points for improvement—what to watch out for, what to change—focused their gaze on Sol, whose face was buried in Ga-ram's lap.
"Sol-ah, go to your room and sleep."
As soon as the ending's ending lines was over, Ji-ho's low voice was heard, but Sol kept his eyes tightly shut and didn't open them. Just like on the first night in the dorm, he pretended not to hear the voice waking him up. Because he wanted to avoid sleeping alone in a room with just Tae-oh.
