"All right— let's stop here. For those of you with later numbers, just move to the cross-shaped black tape on the floor, like you just saw. We start filming in five minutes."
Guess a rehearsal for all 108 was too much after all.
The staff member counted only about five more teams after us, exchanged a look with the camera director, and stopped the rehearsal. Then, after the announcement, the staff member went back to their own spot.
"Jae-min, you can relax your shoulders now."
Just then, as I stared at the staff member's back disappearing beside the camera director, hyung tapped my shoulder lightly and laughed.
Relax my shoulders.
I'd actually been tensing not just my shoulders but my whole body, so I let out a big breath and loosened my tense muscles.
All I'd done was go up on the stage, walk to where the tape was, and stand there for a moment, yet I never thought I'd get this nervous.
"Phew— it was way more nerve-racking than I thought."
"Right? Honestly, so was I. And I'm glad we even get to go up there like this."
And at hyung's next words, I grinned to show I agreed.
Right now you'll say 'even like this,' but soon you'll be going up on stage so much you'll be sick of it.
All while keeping what I really wanted to say locked up tight.
'Big talk for the one who was the most nervous here.'
Ugh. Hitting right where it hurts. Still, I mean it. Once I get up there, I'm never coming back down.
Besides, that level of sarcasm barely even hurts anymore, you know?
"We'll move in order again."
"Yes!"
At the staff member's shout, I moved behind the stage and made a vow as I looked at the stairs I'd have to climb again.
"Hyung, this time let's make it for sure."
"Yeah. Now that we've come this far, let's definitely debut."
This time, instead of Super Strong Dragon, it was Jun-hyeok hyung beside me who finished the thought.
"Yeah!"
Just getting to see Jun-hyeok hyung like this again was reason enough to be happy, and at the words let's debut together, the answer came out on its own.
Though the fact that the main stage was just three flights up the flimsy-looking iron stairs in front of me felt both anticlimactic and very real.
"......."
Holding back the hollow laugh about to burst out, I just waited quietly below the stage for the long-awaited 'Star Recycle' to begin.
***
"Today, too, we dream of revival. Hello. This is Jeong Gyu-won, Representative of the Star Keepers of Star Recycle!"
With grand BGM overhead, Jeong Gyu-won, the hottest actor around this time, opened the doors of Star Recycle.
Just bringing in Jeong Gyu-won was proof enough that the rumors of a sizable foreign investment weren't a lie.
"About that word 'revival.'"
Just then, one of the trainees waiting behind us muttered.
Gutsy, opening your mouth in this situation. But what's he trying to say?
"They didn't want to call us 'recycled' to our faces, so they said it another way, right?"
Ooh— genius?
I'd been listening without much thought and was so surprised I almost said it out loud.
"Wow......."
"Whoa?"
But it seemed I wasn't the only one surprised by what he said.
Everyone, including hyung, who was waiting next to me, let out exclamations and turned their eyes on the trainee who'd said it.
"Huh? Did I just do something wrong?"
Only then noticing everyone's eyes on him, the trainee blinked and spoke once more.
The only problem, I guess, was that what came out was a question and no one was taking it.
As far as I knew, that trainee was the only one from his agency.
"Wrong? No way. I think you're right."
Besides, if he's the one I've marked as the main dancer of the group I'm going to make, I can back him up that much. Isn't this an unexpected chance to score points?
"Jae-min!"
Of course, Jun-hyeok hyung pulled on my arm as I agreed, trying to stop me. He was clearly acting on the judgment that standing out from the very start would do no good.
But am I really that untrustworthy? Whenever I try to do anything, he stops me first.
'You're only just figuring that out?'
No. I didn't call you, so please stop popping out.
"Right? What a relief. I thought I'd messed up."
Muttering inwardly at Super Strong Dragon, which had suddenly popped out, I shrugged at Kim Se-jun of Gareum Media, who was sighing in relief as he looked at me.
"The mics are still off and there are no cameras. We should be careful from now on, though."
Kim Se-jun nodded as if he understood what I meant, and only then did Jun-hyeok hyung let go of my arm.
I'd already checked all that before stepping in. Would it kill him to trust me a little?
My lips pouted out. I'd heard it so many times it was coming out of my ears that I needed to manage my expression, but anyway, there were no cameras yet, right?
'If it were you, wouldn't you be scared watching a kid who's never even debuted throw his weight around?'
I wish it would understand that saying only the right things, every single time, is exactly what makes it more infuriating.
"Gyu-won— let's go from the top one more time!"
"Okay."
While I was grumbling, someone gave a direction to MC Jeong Gyu-won. And soon, while Jeong Gyu-won recited the lines from a moment ago word for word, hyung tugged at my clothes.
"Huh?"
"Jae-min, do you know that guy?"
From the way he'd lowered his voice, he didn't seem to want eyes around us turning our way.
Hyung definitely did care a lot about this kind of thing.
"No. It's my first time seeing him today? But I know his name. Kim Se-jun of Gareum Media."
"Hah— anyone with eyes knows that."
Hyung thumped his own chest as if exasperated, and the cloth with his agency and name on it fluttered with a sound.
Ah. Everyone was wearing these.
"But he's not wrong. Revival. If that's what they wanted, they should've just called it Revival instead of Recycle in the first place, but naming it Recycle and then talking around it is kind of off."
While my explanation dragged on, Jun-hyeok hyung scrunched up his brow, then, as if he'd given up, let out another heavy sigh.
Knowing I had to keep my mouth shut when hyung got like this, all I could do was turn my gaze far away.
"......!"
Then my eyes met Kim Se-jun's, who'd been looking my way, and apparently having heard what I said, he gave me a thumbs-up.
As expected. Just what I'd expect from a member I'd picked out.
Honestly, since hyung was right there, I'd softened it to kind of off, but the truth is, talking around the official name like that pisses off the contestants.
"Okay. I get what you're trying to say. Still, let's be a little more careful. You know too, but there's a lot of interest in our agency because of the group we just debuted."
Noticing my attention had wandered, hyung tapped my shoulder and issued a warning.
"Really? New groups pour out every day, so do they really need to bother with us too? Guess everyone's got energy to spare."
"Lee Jae-min!"
"Yep. I'll be careful, extra careful!"
Once my mouth got going, though, I couldn't stop it, and in the end Jun-hyeok hyung raised his voice.
It seems a little over a month wasn't nearly enough to shake off the grumbling and sarcasm that had become a habit right before I came back.
'What's more impressive is that you thought it'd be possible in that little time.'
......It really does have an impressive knack for leaving me speechless.
Letting out a short sigh at Super Strong Dragon's words ringing in my head, I glanced back at the people waiting in roll-call order.
"Um, that's you, right?"
But someone poked my back and spoke to me.
That? Before I knew it, one of my eyes scrunched up hard. Remembering hyung's warning, I found that putting on a forced smile again took a lot more effort than I'd thought.
"'That'?"
"The self-introduction. You're the one who was waving the magic wand in it, right? Magic Boy!"
Whether it was lucky or not, the person who'd spoken to me didn't seem all that interested in my expression.
He brought up the magic wand, see. I knew picking that was a good call. People are recognizing me!
"Yes. That's me. You remember it?"
It was hard to keep the corners of my mouth from dancing.
If contestants, busy keeping tabs on each other, remembered my video, it had to mean it had stuck pretty well in the Star Keepers' minds too.
"No way! Of course. It was harder to watch than any other video!"
"......Sorry?"
But at the next words of the trainee who'd recognized me, I ended up scowling again.
"That's not something just anyone could do, right? Sparkle-sparkle— and all that. I couldn't do it even if you paid me."
"......."
Watching the guy imitate me waving the magic wand in the video and then act like he was holding back a gag, I was sure.
Ahh— so in a word, you're out to screw me over? That's it, right? You little mutt of a bastard—
"Jae-min, we need to start getting ready. We'll be going first."
But the moment I clenched my back teeth and made a fist, Jun-hyeok hyung stepped in.
"Sure, sure. You must have a lot on your plate too. Give it your best."
Of course, the other guy insisted on being rude to the very end.
Park Du-yeong of Vic. A bastard whose name doesn't even ring a bell, throwing his weight around. I'm going to make your life miserable until Recycle is over.
As I turned my back, still gritting my teeth, Super Strong Dragon muttered in my head.
'See? I told you that video was dangerous in more ways than one.'
You never said it was dangerous, though?