Save a Failed Idol’s Life - Chapter 97
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Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: NicoleTempest
Chapter 97 There’s Always a Way Out
The streets of Hongdae were crowded with people in the early evening.
Maybe it was because it was the peak time for college students to go to classes.
Restaurants and bars were also opening their doors wide and doing business.
Even though five men in black raincoats got out of the car, no one gave us a suspicious look. It was a neighborhood full of weird people, after all.
“Make sure the speaker is connected well.”
Yi-jun brought out his wireless speaker from his studio and set it up.
It was not a product for home use, but for stage use, so the volume was different.
We placed the speaker at a height that wouldn’t hit our feet and moved to a spot that looked good for dancing.
Only then did the passers-by throw a word or two at us.
“What are they doing? A performance?”
“They’re all so tall. Are they idols?”
“Street dance? What is it? Busking?”
Then Yi-jun played the music on his phone. The beat that echoed from the speaker caught the attention of a pedestrian who asked his friend.
“I’ve never heard this song before. Are they rookies?”
“Isn’t it just busking? They do it a lot at this time.”
“No, look at them. They’re too well-proportioned to be ordinary people.”
And at that moment, the five of us threw off our hats and raincoats that covered our faces up to our chins.
[The siren rings in my ear ring ring]
Seon-woo went to the edge of the stage and waved his hand at the people passing by.
“Who is that? He looks familiar…”
“Hey, isn’t that the guy who came second in the contest during Chuseok?”
“Right, he’s an idol, right? What’s he doing here?”
As everyone was confused, more and more people gathered around. He felt embarrassed to stand in front of them in a military-like outfit, like a comic book hero, but it was better than being unrecognized.
[Can’t breathe, no place to hide]
Seon-woo moved his body gracefully, shaking his soft black hair. His dance moves were not very clean, but they were still Seon-woo-like.
And it didn’t matter much if he couldn’t dance well. Everyone who saw him was mesmerized by his face, which smiled from above to below.
“Wow… Isn’t he Na Seon-young’s brother? He’s so freaking pretty. I thought his face was crazy on the Music Safe stage, but he’s even more amazing in real life.”
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“Damn, why is the picture so shaky? I should have changed my phone to a new one yesterday. I can’t take a good shot of this.”
“He’s not just pretty, you know? He’s 100 times more handsome in person.”
Spin, Seon-woo jumped lightly as he moved to switch places with Kyunghwa, the next performer.
He was wearing shorts that came up to his knees, so his white legs shone under the light from the opposite building.
“What? I was so busy looking at his face that I didn’t notice his shorts. I must be crazy!”
Seon-woo’s reaction was so hot that Kyunghwa felt a bit pressured and came forward with a slightly nervous expression.
Kyunghwa’s part in the front had a lot of hand gestures.
[Drink me, swallow me]
[One more time, like a whirlwind]
He reached out his hand towards the audience, gently clenched and opened it, then brought it back to his face and made a motion as if he was drinking something.
It looked like he was praying to a virtual god.
[Don’t let go of our hands]
Thud, the other members spread out like wings on both sides, and Kyunghwa knelt down in the middle.
“Wow, this must be the Climax. They said they released a new song today, but are they doing this instead of a showcase? Isn’t a showcase better?”
We were also dissatisfied with that. The crowd that was not much at first had grown to over a hundred people in no time.
[You’ll hurt me again]
[And then you’ll drift away]
The first verse was slowly coming to an end. We all got up at the same time and formed a circle, bending down and then rising up.
There were no backup dancers, only the five of us, but each of us had such a strong presence that it didn’t look empty at all.
As the five of us lined up next to Seon-woo, our faces and outfits that had been hidden until then were finally revealed.
“Quick, take a picture, quick!”
“Wow, look at Oh Yi-jun’s physique. Holy shit. Did you see his abs?”
“Oh shit, I think I just lost my vocabulary. Oh, what do I do? I really like him so much.”
“He was really handsome. The kind of handsome that rappers would want to bite, suck, and take away. If they wanted to raise the average visual of their crew, that is.”
Seon-woo wore a long top that looked like a sweatshirt, and short shorts. He had skater pads on his knees.
It was an outfit that accentuated his boyish charm to the extreme.
He felt embarrassed every time he had to spread his legs for the choreography, thinking that his thighs were exposed by his too-short pants…
“That’s the point.”
I could see the flashes and screams going crazy in the audience. It seemed like the effect was certain.
[I can’t stop myself]
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[I keep circling around the same spot for you]
We all sang the last line of the first verse together. Then we collapsed to the floor as if we were addicted, pushing ourselves up with our hands.
I quickly got up and stood straight, using the recoil.
Now, Oh Yi-jun was ready to jump out.
Was it because he was the most famous guy among the five of us in Hongdae?
As soon as Oh Yi-jun stepped forward, the cheers erupted even louder. The response was different from when the other members came out.
“Oh Yi-jun is so handsome!”
“Yi-jun!!!”
Then Yi-jun grinned and made an OK sign with his hand, as if to say he knew it too.
“Did you just answer me?”
“Really? You said I’m handsome?”
“Oh Yi-jun, you’re so good at figuring out what the ladies like.”
The last person was almost sobbing as he shouted.
[You know you can call me from the edge of the cliff]
[My heart only calls your name]
And at that moment, Yi-jun acted impulsively according to the lyrics.
“Aaaah!!!”
“I’m going to sue you, Oh Yi-jun!!!”
He bit down on his shirt as if his heart was there.
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He wore a black innerwear that only covered his lower abdomen, leaving his bare skin exposed. His muscular body could not be hidden by the thin fabric.
The sweat that had flowed in the meantime made the innerwear slightly wet, revealing the bumpy curves underneath.
The so-called noona fans who had been screaming until a moment ago now started to lose their minds as if they were about to faint.
“Oh, I have no regrets even if I die, no regrets…”
“Get up… Don’t die, you have to stream this, you can’t watch this for free.”
“I have to pay for this, I need to open the Fine Music app quickly.”
In the heated atmosphere, it was my turn. I can’t do that. Of course, if I had to choose between dying or showing my abs, I would choose the latter.
But I was worried that my back might be exposed, too, because the scars from the surgery were too obvious.
Unlike what I saw in my fantasy, Cheon Ise’s accident and suicide attempt were a secret that was not known to the public.
[Rescue you, hold you in this moment]
[Bite you hard]
As I came forward and clenched my fist as if to bite, they all seemed to like it.
“He’s really handsome.”
“Is that Cheon Ise? From today, my dream is to be the daughter-in-law of Cheon Soo Group.”
“Are you aiming for Cheon Soo Group or Cheon Ise?”
“Of course, both.”
The voice from the crowd was so loud that laughter erupted around him.
“Oh, what do I do, I think Ise heard it,”
“I’m so embarrassed, ahh.”
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[Call your name like a prayer every day]
The rap part ended with the choreography of the five of us kneeling and clasping our hands.
Now it was time for Seong-won, the main vocalist, to come out.
[You probably know this too]
As soon as I said that, everyone turned on their video cameras as if they had been waiting for it.
“Wow, he has an amazing voice.”
“He didn’t get second place in Star Discovery for nothing.”
Seong-won sighed lowly and lifted his head, his ponytail sticking out from under his neck swaying.
[We keep going around and around the same place]
Seong-won wore a black leather jacket that felt like a suit and had a lot of belts on top of it.
Every time he moved, the leather wrinkled and sparkled under the light.
He was tall and had a slender figure that didn’t look bulky, so he pulled off the rather imposing outfit without any trouble.
[But I won’t give up on you trust me]
Seong-won dragged out a high note and at the same time, the rest of the members came forward.
[You hurt me again]
[And you’ll drift away again]
With Seong-won’s ad-lib, Seon-woo stood in the center again and the other members knelt down as if he was a god.
[I can’t stop]
[I keep circling the same spot for you]
With the lyrics, we got up and changed positions, and I stood in the center.
[Drink me, you can use me.]
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[The pain you give me makes me lean on you.]
A shower of flashes poured down again and we all stretched out our arms as if shooting at the sky.
[It feels like poison, about to break me down, but it’s sweeter, this feeling.]
Bang, I shot a bullet with a gesture and then crossed my arms to choke my neck.
As soon as the accompaniment ended, I collapsed on the floor, limp.
Applause and cheers erupted.
“You’re so handsome!”
“I’ll stream this!”
“I love your song so much!”
My heart was tingling. How I longed to hear this story. I felt like a fool, my mouth curling up into a wide grin. I covered my face with the back of my hand.
“That was the Climax! Thank you!”
Under my lead, everyone bowed and thanked the audience. Then we quickly got into the minivan.
We were all out of breath from performing the intense choreography live without microphones.
“Where are we going next?”
“We’re close by, so let’s go to Sinchon.”
That’s when my phone started ringing.
Someone must have already posted it on the internet. It was a call from the manager.
“Are you going to answer it?”
Kyunghwa looked at me with worried eyes. I started the car and carefully made my way through the crowd, smiling slyly.
“If I was going to answer it, I wouldn’t have come out in the first place.”
It was time to use what I had said when I first started working with Cheon Ise.
I did it because Cheon Ise asked me to.
“Everyone, drink some water.”
I turned off my phone completely and put it in the console box.
Puhaha, Yi-jun burst out laughing.
“Hyung, I really like it when you go wild like that sometimes.”
“Shut up.”
I wasn’t grateful at all. I might as well do whatever I want and die.
As we moved to the next place, I wondered if our car number had been sold. People started to swarm us as soon as we stood in the middle of the square.
“Wow, isn’t that Son Seong-won?”
“I think so.”
“He just did a busking at Hongdae with Climax!”
And this time, too, as soon as I threw off my raincoat and hat, people flocked to us as if they had been waiting.
I was a bit worried about safety accidents since we came here by ourselves without a manager or a staff.
Fortunately, it seemed that we didn’t have any extreme fans yet.
[Drink me, you can use me.]
[The pain you give me makes me anticipate.]
[You’re about to break me down, poison, this feeling is sweeter.]
As we finished the stage in the same way, I felt my body heat up and sweat dripped from my forehead.
“Thank you! Please listen to our new song a lot!”
I greeted them as if I was running away and got on the van. I checked the music chart and saw that we had risen from 37th to 33rd in real time.
The TOP 200 chart was up to around 130th.
“Oh, we went up a bit?”
I didn’t know if it was the effect of busking or our fans were giving us strength.
We still had three more places to go.
On the internet, there was a story that ‘Climax is doing a busking tour around the downtown’. I hoped that it would have some promotional effect.
I wondered if the countdown had stopped by now. I felt a slight expectation and called the system.
‘System.’
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