After the commotion caused by Baek Kiheon’s NeoTube video had settled down, I began the intensive tutoring sessions with Baek Kiryang. While it was true I had placed a bet on him and didn’t want him to perform poorly in the competition, the
decisive
reason was…..
“What should I do about this hyung’s emotion? I heard people like you would pick up stray cats during the rainy season.”
“Get lost.”
I didn’t know either.
Do Yuda said something, but in any case, I didn’t know.
‘No? I’m doing this because I see potential in that guy. What are you talking about? I’ve picked up stray cats before, but this is a completely different situation. You’re talking nonsense.’
“Hyung, you are here? It’s almost our turn for rehearsal.”
As I opened the waiting room door, grumbling to myself, I saw my team members among the bustling staff and trainees. Lee Danbi, who was the first to greet me, was getting his makeup done while dressed in a full police uniform, complete with a hat.
“You look great.”
“Really? Thank you.”
I nodded in satisfaction as I took a good look at Lee Danbi, who had dressed up quite nicely. He lowered his head slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.
‘They prepared a uniform for the youngest, I see. That’s sensible. Did they have some extra resources because number of trainees decrease?’
I had sent the concept and references the costume team in advance, and it was clear that they had put a lot of effort into it. Since our team had a mature concept, I was worried that the young Lee Danbi might feel out of place on his own, but it seemed that was an unnecessary concern.
“I was worried you might look too young on your own, but it doesn’t feel that way as much as I thought.”
As I muttered with my gaze fixed on Lee Danbi, one of the members standing nearby groaned and spoke in a fed up tone.
“It’s only natural. Seungbeom-hyung, you tend to see Danbi as too young. He might be one of the youngest trainees, but he’s grown up so fast that now he looks completely mature in appearance.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, of course. Look at how tall he is. The way he speaks is very adult-like too. The only one who treats someone that big like a baby is Seungbeom-hyung.”
“…….”
‘In my eyes, he still looks completely like a baby.’
No matter how mature he looked or how adult-like his behavior was, a child was still a child.
How am I supposed to treat someone who’s far below my age group as an adult?
As I stood there with a sullen expression at the nonsense, another member, unable to endure the awkward atmosphere, hurriedly changed the topic.
“That, that’s a holster, right? It looks cool. You’re totally fitting the concept! I guess having a good-looking face really makes everything work, huh?”
I said, glancing down at my outfit at his comment, “It’s prepared by the costume team. All the detectives are wearing it.”
“Wow, I’m envious. Why doesn’t our organization team have any props like that? I’m guessing there’s some sort of resistance to this?”
“This is the power of law enforcement, you villains!”
“We’re wearing suits, you know? Don’t act like you’re not jealous!”
‘Where is Lee Hwayoung?’
I ignored voices of the members who had started a dogfight and looked around, searching for Lee Hwayoung. Without the boss present, no matter how much I dressed up the other members, it wouldn’t have the same impact.
Just then, the door opened and the waiting room fell silent in an instant.
Sensing something was strange, we turned toward the door and couldn’t help but open our mouths.
‘Whoa.’
“Wooow!”
Lee Hwayoung entered the waiting room with his blond hair styled into a pomade look with wax, fully embodying the Young Boss concept. Seeing him dressed in a coat, with transparent sunglasses, leather gloves, and polished shoes, I couldn’t help but exclaim.
Should I say that the elegant aura he naturally possessed met a perfect concept and exploded into brilliance? It was as if they had plucked a mafia boss straight out of a noir film and placed him right in front of me.
‘He totally ate the concept.’
“…So it was just our visuals that were inferior. I was so wrong to think it was because the detective team had all the best props. The important thing was not the props, but the person. Haha!”
The member who had just complained about the props muttered helplessly, filled with self-deprecation. I wanted to say something comforting like, “
That’s not true. You look fine too
“. but with
that
Lee Hwayoung standing right in front of us, I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.
Lee Hwayoung didn’t seem bothered by all the attention he was getting, and walked right up to me and asked, “You’ve made sure everything is ready, right?”
“…Of course. It’s me we’re talking about.”
Barely tearing my gaze away from the gorgeous face, I answered. Lee Hwayoung scaned the waiting room and spoke.
“You said that, but Baek Kiryang is missing.”
“He’s in the break room doing some last-minute cramming. He’ll be here soon. He’s someone who keeps appointments well.”
“Cramming?”
At my answer, Lee Hwayoung tilted his head in slight confusion. His expression seemed to be asking for a proper explanation, but before I could speak, one of the production staff stepped between me and Lee Hwayoung and hurriedly asked.
“Trainee Han Seungbeom, are there no changes? If there are none, we’ll proceed as you relayed to us last time.”
“Ah, yes. I don’t think there will be any issues.”
I tried to recall the face of the production staff who had spoken to me, forcing myself to remain calm as I answered.
‘What should I do if you ask that openly in front of the kids? You’re really making it awkward.’
As a conversation lacking clear information passed back and forth between the production staff and me, Lee Hwayoung frowned as if sensing something strange and took a step closer to me.
“Han Seungbeom, you can’t be……”
“Then, let’s proceed with the rehearsal.”
However, Lee Hwayoung’s questioning could not last long. The production staff, having obtained the answer he wanted, immediately moved on to the next segment, which caused the waiting room to become very chaotic.
“…….”
When the production staff interrupted our conversation twice, Lee Hwayoung frowned in disapproval but didn’t try to to pursue the conversation any further. He knew there was nothing he could do at this point. Backstage was always supposed to be this chaotic.
“One, two, three, four … huh? It seems like one person is missing.”
The production staff, who had been frantically checking the list, scanned our group and looked troubled. He had guessed that Baek Kiryang was absent from this spot.
“Trainee Han Seungbeom, didn’t you check your members? Where did Trainee Baek Kiryang go?”
And then, as if questioning how this happened, he asked me, the leader, in a reproachful tone.
I answered him calmly, “There he is, Trainee Baek Kiryang.”
“Yes?”
The production staff, who had turned around in confusion at my words, stumbled greatly after bumping into something dark. Then, he barely regained his balance and opened his mouth in disbelief as he looked up at
who
he had just collided with.
“…..Trainee Ba-Baek Kiryang?”
The figure behind the production team was Baek Kiryang, who had returned just in time.
If it were just
Baek Kiryang
, it wouldn’t have been that surprising, but what made him so shocked was….
“Wow, that’s Baek Kiryang.”
“Did Kiryang-hyung always look like that?”
….because Baek Kiryang’s visual had exploded to the point where it was impossible to recall his usual timid appearance. He showed up in a style that I had personally perfected to every corner.
The members, who had their eyes alternating between Baek Kiryang’s and Lee Hwayoung’s appearances, silently gave me a thumbs-up. I nodded in response.
‘As expected, I am amazing.’
Since they were given important roles, I personally took charge of styling Baek Kiryang and Lee Hwayoung.
Well, I basically poured my soul into Lee Hwayoung’s styling, but for Baek Kiryang, I just switched out the color to black and that was it.
‘I intentionally dressed them identically to emphasize that they are the same person, but it’s amazing how different their vibes are.’
Unlike Lee Hwayoung’s sparkling blond hair, his black hair was a deep shade with a bluish tinge, combined with silver-framed glasses and chains. Along with his original gloomy and cold aura, his style gave off a completely different vibe from Lee Hwayoung.
‘If you want to show a dramatic change in something, it will work better if it’s accompanied by an external change.’
This was another moment where my principle was put to the test and proven true.
‘Of course, there are other more important things.’
It was too early to be surprised.
Because what Baek Kiryang gained through me was not just an external change.
***
We moved to the floor where the stage was located, and immediately began preparing for the rehearsal according to the production team’s instructions.
‘Finally, I get to show him off to the trainers.’
After hearing Baek Kiryang’s request for help, we had only twenty hours left. While that time was nowhere near enough to boost Baek Kiryang’s confidence, it was plenty of time to watch a single movie over and over again.
“Here.”
“What is this?”
“Noir movie. I heard the organization boss who appears in it is really cool.”
As soon we started practicing, the first thing I handed to Baek Kiryang was a noir movie file. Baek Kiryang looked up at me with a flustered and uneasy gaze when I unexpectedly gave him a movie, considering our pressing need to improve the situation.
“…Movie?”
That was the reaction I expected. I began to calmly explain to the confused Baek Kiryang.
“Hyung, what kind of behavior in a person makes you feel that they are ‘very confident’?”
“Perhaps, people who are composed or don’t tremble easily….”
“So, does that mean everyone with a poised demeanor and a body that doesn’t tremble is confident?”
“…No, that’s not it. Those behaviors are just the result of confidence, not a condition. Even if you imitate the result, no one can guarantee what that person’s inner self is like.”
“Correct. But you can’t read a person’s inner self. From an outsider’s perspective, whether that person feels like they’re about to throw up inside or wants to crawl into a hole, as long as they put on a confident act, you can’t tell them apart from someone who truly has confidence.”
“…….”
“There are people who don’t get nervous at all when they step onto the stage. Zen falls into that category. Or there are those who actually enjoy the feeling of tension itself. Lee Hwayoung is one of them. That’s closer to the realm of talent. It’s a feeling that only those who are born with it can enjoy. But there’s no need to be discouraged. There are plenty of successful idols who don’t have that kind of talent. What you should think about is how they managed to fool the public and rise to where they are now.”
Baek Kiryang swallowed hard at my question and gave me the correct answer.
“Faking a ‘confident me’…….”
“Yeah, they’re all just ‘faking’ their confidence, And there’s a lot of reference material for that in this movie and character. Memorize every single detail about how that actor portrays the boss. Every movement, the angle of the head, even the blinking speed, nothing should be missed.”
‘Noir movie’s characters are always portrayed as super confident and stylish. It’s an unrealistic glamorization of crime, though.’
Through this mission, Baek Kiryang will learn how to “
fake confidence
“. The character assigned to him was just a guideline for him.
“You’re good at memorizing, right?”
I prepared this stage from the beginning to awaken Baek Kiryang.
“…….”
With the pre-recorded sound of footsteps, Baek Kiryang walked onto the stage. Although a reverb effect had been applied from the start, the sound reverberated even more widely due to the large stage, instantly increasing the stage’s immersion.
Beep. Beep.
The bell rang, and Baek Kiryang stopped at the center of the stage, where the blue lights were set. He took out his phone from his coat pocket and held it to his ear.
On the stage where all sound had disappeared, Baek Kiryang whispered.
“
Hi, it’s been a long time
I was waiting for your call, my friend.”
That single opening line was enough to wipe the boredom off the trainers’ faces.
“…Is this an illusion?”
Naturally, it had to be that way.
The shape of the hand gripping the phone, the gaze deliberately directed downward to appear arrogant, and even the speed at which the eyelids blinked—all of it felt unnatural.
“Is that Baek Kiryang?”
As if to answer that question, Baek Kiryang slowly raised his head and stared at the camera.
Bang!
And then, as if to snap everyone out of their daze, a sharp gunshot rang out.
“Catch me
I won’t run away.”
The person on the stage right now was not Baek Kiryang, but the main character of the movie.
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Translator’s Corner:
This is my favorite stage from the survival arc so far lol
Anyway you guys … shouldnt you start making a wordpress account and log in …. everyone is Anonymous on the reply I can’t tell who is who ….