Fifteen minutes like that.
It had already been thirty minutes since we came out to the lobby, and these crazy bastards still weren’t tired at all— they were “getting along” while trading insults I’d never even heard in my life.
Is this that famous thing where two idiots keep powering each other up by fighting? I don’t care. I just want you to stop, for fuck’s sake.
[ Condition 13│A kind idol leader also has outstanding patience. ]
What the hell does being kind have to do with patience. Forcing myself to ignore the system that kept ringing, Go Youngin pressed a hand to his forehead and took a small deep breath. Ugh…….
“Seriously… you’re both loud as fuck and annoying as hell, so either leave or shut up. Pick one.”
In the end, Im Sebin— who was completely sick of it— said something. Go Youngin found comfort in the fact that, at least, I wasn’t the only member who was disgusted by what they were doing. Fuck.
Pyo Jaeho just kept watching their fight with a flat expression. Go Youngin tried speaking to him quietly, but—
“I don’t care if they fight or not.”
Pyo Jaeho’s indifferent eyes slid toward Go Youngin for a moment.
“Just don’t get in the way of my music.”
After answering like that, Pyo Jaeho didn’t say another word. It sounded like he was talking to the two fighting, and it also sounded like he was talking straight at Go Youngin.
And in the middle of all this, it was unbelievable enough to be ridiculous that none of them raised their voices. So you do still care about the public image, huh?
You insane bastards, is there seriously no way for you to not fight, even if you die? Do you really have to take it this far?
[ Condition 11│A kind idol leader treats members with broad understanding. ]
Does this look like a situation where the word “understanding” should even come out. You crazy Status Window bastard… how am I supposed to “understand” that— yeah, sure… thanks so much for at least watching the surroundings while you fight…….
[ Condition 23│A kind idol leader must also be able to properly mediate members’ conflicts. ]
How am I supposed to stop that.
[ Condition 23│A kind idol leader must also be able to properly mediate members’ conflicts. ]
‘Fine. I’ll do it. …It’s not like I’m going to jump in and fight with them too, right?’
Go Youngin steeled himself and sat up straighter.
From the start, those two had sat far apart because they didn’t even want to be near each other, so Go Youngin ended up wedged between them like a breakwater. Go Youngin spread his hand on the table, trying to pull their attention.
“Both of you, just a second. Can you at least tell me why you’re fighting before you start? It was clearly me and Sebin talking at first, so why—”
I started talking all bold, but “attention,” my ass. Both of them were obsessed with their staring contest and didn’t even glance this way. Cheon Sayun— who had put on that flower-pretty smile without a second thought— kept his eyes locked where they were and said shamelessly,
“I stated facts, and he’s the one who got mad. I wasn’t trying to fight.”
One corner of Cheon Sayun’s mouth had lifted just a hair. It was obvious he was making even that tiny sneer on purpose, so it would be seen.
Kyeon Inwoo, who had been staring at Cheon Sayun like he wanted to kill him, didn’t answer anymore. Like he’d made up his mind about something, he rubbed the back of his neck and let out a deep sigh.
“Ha… I’m the sucker for even dealing with that.”
“Inwoo, calm down.”
Just this once, you hang in there. Hang in there, okay? If you start again here, we’re completely fucked. Go Youngin desperately tried sending telepathy the way I’d seen on some animal show once.
‘Maybe the real fighting dog isn’t Inwoo. Maybe it’s Sayun.’
“I didn’t start it. You know you’re kind of obviously taking his side, right, Youngin? Is it because you two went to school together?”
“…….”
Kyeon Inwoo opened his mouth like he was about to say something, then shut it. It was obvious he was swallowing anger that was boiling up.
Why is he suddenly dropping some rotten, old-school line about school-tie favoritism.
Yeah, I did go to the same school as Kyeon Inwoo, but we barely had any overlap— to the point we didn’t even know we’d gone to the same school. So why the hell is that coming up now?
And I hadn’t taken anyone’s side either— I was about to open my mouth when—
“Ah…….”
Cheon Sayun suddenly lowered his gaze, dipped his head slightly, and started putting on a pitiful face.
‘F… fuck, what is this.’
The instant mood shift from Cheon Sayun was enough to choke me.
“I’m sorry. Now that I think about it, I was being rude. I’ll stop talking about this.”
His eyelashes trembling in tiny little beats with every word made it clear he wasn’t just some guy who “made it” at acting by accident. God… it’s insane every time I see it.
Seeing that, Kyeon Inwoo let out a hollow chuckle— “Heh”— and turned his head away entirely. It felt like he was dodging it on purpose so he wouldn’t end up swearing again if he kept watching.
“Anyway, I think Youngin’s opinion is pretty good. Change is good. If we get an image of directly participating in album production this time, that benefits us too, and from the company’s side it’s not bad either.”
Cheon Sayun smiled gently.
“Right, Manager?”
‘Right… huh?’
My face turned on its own toward where Cheon Sayun was looking. When I slowly looked back, Do Sajin was walking up— I hadn’t even noticed. Luckily, it looked like he’d just arrived and hadn’t heard the details of what we’d been saying.
“Huh? Uh, yeah, that’s right. I’m coming back from hearing it from the CEO just now, and everyone was pretty positive. He said he’ll match it as much as possible to the direction you want. Congrats, guys. Let’s treat this as practice and do well.”
Of course. So that was why he suddenly put on that pathetic face. Cheon Sayun was really something, in a lot of ways. So that’s what it takes to not get ripped apart even when you act completely different depending on the situation.
“He said you don’t have to come back to the meeting room. You guys have to go in for a live broadcast soon anyway, so let’s head up now. I booked the studio.”
‘It got resolved somehow, so let’s just think of it as a good thing…….’
Everyone quietly followed Do Sajin toward the studio. I guess we all felt the same way about wanting to get out of that space as fast as possible.
We haven’t even started yet, and thanks to these guys, I’m already drained…….
***
What is this one now.
On the table where the cake for the broadcast should’ve been, there was something else instead of a cake. It looked kind of like a cake, but it wasn’t one.
Looking at the layers, it seemed like some kind of pie, but it was a pie I’d never seen before. There was whipped cream slathered all over it— no, even saying “slathered” felt too generous. It was more like a lump of whipped cream had been plopped on top without thought, and a cheap cake topper stuck into it that said “ZER01’S 2ND BIRTHDAY” in cursive English. Everything about it— the finish, the shape— was flimsy. Anyone could see it was thrown together fast.
‘What’s wrong with it?’
Go Youngin blinked slowly. It felt like something like this had happened before. I hadn’t cared much then, but because of that “kind leader” clause— because I had to stay on edge about when the members might pull something— even things like this started catching my eye, one by one.
Wondering if I was just being sensitive, I glanced at the members. Since staff were around, nobody showed it, but they all looked irritated.
“It’s getting cheaper and cheaper,” I heard Cheon Sayun mutter under his breath. I was going to pretend I didn’t hear, but just in case, I nudged his side lightly. Sayun, enough.
Next to him, Im Sebin— who had been subtly knitting his brows— spoke quietly.
“I can’t eat whipped cream……. Is it okay?”
“Ah……! I’m sorry! Um, what do we do… the cake we had prepared originally got ruined, so we threw this together in a hurry……. There wasn’t a proper bakery nearby. I’m really sorry. You can just cut it and not eat it, so please don’t worry about that.”
Im Sebin looked at a staff member— probably the one in charge of the live broadcast— and spoke, but maybe it really had been sudden, because the staff member’s expression wasn’t bright at all. Whatever the staff member was thinking inside, nothing would change either way, so Im Sebin only nodded politely on the outside and stepped back.
Watching the situation, I could feel it clearly.
Up to now, we’d somehow pushed through, but this kind of sudden problem didn’t have an obvious way to fix it. When we got back to the dorm later, it seemed like I’d have to start writing things down again for the first time in a while.
‘I should organize everything I can remember in a notes app, as far as I can. This time, it’ll actually mean something.’
For now, the most important thing was the 2nd anniversary live that was about to start.
Go Youngin, at least in my head, went over today’s goal first.
Finish the 2nd anniversary comeback live without an incident.
Since I’d decided I’d start writing things down again, I figured I might as well use this to hold onto my motivation— the way it kept fading every time I looked at the members— however I could.
Using fans to steady myself… would work best, sure, but thinking about the previous run, it felt like something my conscience couldn’t let me do.
It was a pretty vague goal, and depending on how you looked at it, even a flimsy one. Maybe later I’d end up with a more long-winded goal. Right now, I could barely keep up with what was about to happen.
And as for the member bastards……
For now, nothing sharp came to mind.
‘You assholes… can you even be fixed.’
No matter how I looked at it, this was a long-term project. Or maybe it was an impossible mission. At a glance, it was obvious they weren’t the kind of people who’d obediently listen.
Either way, maybe because it was our first time meeting fans live in a while, this moment was the most nerve-wracking today. Ha, haha… why am I shaking like this? Fuck. Calm down, Go Youngin. You’re not an amateur— what are you doing.
[ Condition 7│A kind idol leader does not spare encouraging words for members. ]
‘Encouragement, my ass. I feel like I’m the most nervous one here right now, what are you talking about.’
A dirty life where I have to do it if the Status Window tells me to. Swallowing hard, Go Youngin put on the most casual expression possible.
“Seriously, let’s not mess up.”
Of course, no answer came back, but it didn’t matter. I could treat it like self-hypnosis.
In front of the long table, we lined up side by side in this order from the left: “Kyeon Inwoo – Im Sebin – Go Youngin – Pyo Jaeho – Cheon Sayun.”
It might’ve looked like we just stood wherever, but Go Youngin had my own calculations. Maybe because they knew people would be watching, thankfully, none of the members picked a fight over it.
Thinking back to what happened in the lobby, it felt like Kyeon Inwoo and Cheon Sayun would fight just from seeing each other’s faces, so I put them as far apart as possible. Luckily, those two were the type to talk at least some, so wouldn’t they handle their own parts on their own? Then it’d be fine even if they were far apart.
Pyo Jaeho— I didn’t know what kind of verbal bomb he might set off, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to block it, but I put him next to me anyway. And Im Sebin seemed like he barely talked, so I kept him close. If he’s close, I can cover his part to some extent.
It was Go Youngin’s tear-stained effort at a seating arrangement meant to prevent a broadcast accident at all costs. Whether it would help, I didn’t know.
No broadcast accidents. Don’t mess up. Absolutely do not mess up. Please let the members get through it safely too. Let it end without anything going wrong, please.
And like that, Zero One’s 2nd anniversary live broadcast— sure to be full of talk and full of trouble— began.