NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45
“If we can’t resolve this… it might be better to change the team center.”
“……”
“……”
Changing the center, huh…
Zing-
Even while Han Si-woo was saying that, the camera was still rolling.
Crack.
‘…Damn it.’
I couldn’t help but clench my fist.
It wasn’t because of any unavoidable circumstances. It was because I lacked the ability that the center needed to be changed.
This would be a huge strike against me on broadcast as well.
“Haah…”
Seeing my head down, Han Si-woo sighed once and continued.
“Of course, I’m not saying we have to change the center unconditionally. The team will come again tomorrow.”
“……!”
“If we can find a solution by then… we’ll keep the center. If not, we will change it.”
For now, I was given one more chance.
“With this, today’s midterm evaluation will conclude. Let’s meet at this time tomorrow.”
Could I really make the most of this opportunity? The ticking time limit had begun.
“……”
“……”
After Han Si-woo left, the atmosphere in our team turned grim.
As the other members checked the points he raised, I couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
‘How am I supposed to solve this?’
I desperately forced a smile at the mirror.
But the smile on my face in the mirror was always awkward.
Sometimes, a small smile showed up during really enjoyable moments, but…
‘That’s not something I can control.’
Even if I could manage a small smile, it wouldn’t be enough.
Where is my first love! needed a big smile that could bring happiness to the viewer.
‘There’s no way I can find a way to create that smile in just one day.’
“Haah…”
In a situation where no answers surfaced, a sigh escaped me.
“…I’ve seen everything.”
In the meantime, the other members must have finished watching the choreography practice video because they lowered their tablets.
As expected, everyone’s expressions were not that great.
The first to speak up was Seo Yoo-jin.
“…Han Si-woo is definitely right. If our unni is looking like this in the center, the original mood doesn’t come through.”
“…….”
Then she continued as if there was no need to say anything more.
“Let’s change the center.”
“……!”
Even if everyone was thinking it, they probably wouldn’t dare voice it, considering my reaction.
Talk of changing the center.
But Seo Yoo-jin spoke without any worry.
“Come on, we only have three days until the competition, what are we going to do?”
“…….”
“Are you suggesting we arrange the whole song again?”
“……!”
At her comment, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
Arranging the song to fit a mood that didn’t require laughter.
That was the very first thought I had and I thought it was the only feasible option.
Maybe sensing my expression, Park Yoo-jung started to defend me.
“Hey, Yoo-jin. It’s not just three days, we still have three days left! We’ve already mastered the choreography and song, so adding a bit of arrangement shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Haah…, yeah, well, it shouldn’t be an issue. But do you have any arranging ideas?”
“…….”
When asked if she had any arranging ideas, Park Yoo-jung fell silent.
Seo Yoo-jin, viewing her reaction, took her turn again, raising her voice.
“How can we arrange a song with such a clear original concept? If we mess with it, it’ll be even worse, don’t you know?”
“…….”
Her point was valid too.
Where is my first love! is a song with a very distinct original concept.
No matter how it gets arranged, people are going to remember the mood of the original.
For such songs, the best method is to maintain the concept of the original as much as possible.
“Everything I’ve said until now is correct, right? So let’s keep the original vibe but just change the center!”
Yeah… what Seo Yoo-jin said was absolutely reasonable given the situation.
But….
“Ugh, I seriously wish I had been the center from the start!”
Her way of saying it was definitely irritating.
There’s some decorum between people after all.
“Um… that’s a bit too aggressive to say right now…”
Even Park Yoo-jung seemed to get fed up with Seo Yoo-jin’s bluntness and tried to call her out.
“Yoo-jung, wait a minute.”
“…Unni.”
I intervened.
Only three days left until the competition.
Fighting amongst ourselves in a situation like this would only produce negative effects… Surely, there must be a way for everyone to be happy if I took a step back.
“I’ll give up my position as center.”
“Unni…!”
“I’m sorry for bothering you because of my greed. It’s probably better for someone else to take center for this stage.”
Swish-.
As I said that, I unconsciously glanced towards the camera.
Zing-.
As expected, the camera was still running.
‘Can I clear the nuisance image with this….’
I couldn’t think of an immediate resolution.
In this situation, all I could do was to maintain my image and prepare for the next competition.
Although it hurt to feel like I was being stripped of my position, it was unavoidable.
I couldn’t drag the team down because of my poor choices.
“Yeah, of course, that’s how it should be.”
“…….”
It was a tough decision but Seo Yoo-jin merely turned her head away indifferently.
Zing-.
That scene was also being filmed by the camera.
‘She’s going to land into big trouble at this rate….’
Letting go of my jealousy made me worried about Seo Yoo-jin’s behavior too.
If that behavior gives the production team something to work with, it could turn disastrous in an instant.
“Okay, then let’s decide who the new center is going to be. Let’s do this by vote…”
Just as our leader, Seo Yoo-jin, was about to continue, suddenly…
“…Hey, guys, sorry, uh, hold on, I need to use the restroom…”
Lee Hye-jeong, who had been silent until now, suddenly stood up with a pale complexion.
Thump-, thump.
“Whoa? Unni? Unni-!”
“Hye-jeong Unni-!!”
…Suddenly began to lose her balance and fall.
The first to react was me.
I quickly rushed to her and sat her on my thigh to check her condition.
And Lee Hye-jeong…
“Ye-rin Unni! How’s Hye-jeong Unni?”
“…Ambulance.”
“…Huh?”
“Call an ambulance, quickly!”
…She was already unconscious.
In the midst of confusion, I hopped onto the ambulance with Lee Hye-jeong as she was being taken to the hospital.
One of the production team members and a cardiologist also followed us, and that doctor was, of course, Han Si-woo.
While I held Lee Hye-jeong’s hand as she received IV fluids in the emergency room, Han Si-woo, who met with the doctor, approached me.
“Ye-rin.”
“…Producer Han Si-woo. What did the doctor say?”
Haah…
After letting out a sigh, Han Si-woo continued.
“She’s not in life-threatening condition but… it’s temporary shock from malnutrition.”
“…Malnutrition…”
“I have seen many cases like this. It’s clear that Participant Lee Hye-jeong has not eaten enough.”
“…Yeah, that’s right.”
She probably hadn’t eaten properly since after the first week of Na Ah Ah shooting.
‘Did she feel displeased with being a bit plump?’
Hearing that made my heart ache even more for how heartbroken she must have been. I clenched my fists.
“……”
Han Si-woo quietly watched my expression before putting a hand on my shoulder and saying.
“…For now, we’ll have Participant Lee Hye-jeong stay here. The production team will stay, so Ye-rin, you should go back.”
“…But…”
“Ye-rin, this isn’t a time to argue; you need to be rational. You’re in the middle of a competition.”
“……!”
The look in Han Si-woo’s eyes was cold as he said that.
But I could tell it was his true advice for me.
“Please go rest or practice to get your condition sorted out. Holding her hand here is just wasting time.”
“……Yes.”
I nodded, and Han Si-woo sighed once more and said.
“I was harsh earlier today. But I don’t think what I said was wrong.”
“……”
“I believe this incident will help you grow. So, let’s meet tomorrow.”
With that parting shot from Han Si-woo, I left the hospital.
And leaving Lee Hye-jeong behind, I made my way back to the Na Ah Ah set.
When I returned to the Na Ah Ah set, it was already late at night.
I first went to the practice room, but it seemed everyone had already left since there was no one around.
The only thing left was the tablet we were given.
As I took it and stepped out of the practice room, it happened.
“Eh?”
“Unni!”
“Yoo-jung, Yoo-jin.”
It seemed not everyone had left yet, as I ran into Park Yoo-jung and Seo Yoo-jin coming out of the practice room.
As soon as Park Yoo-jung saw me, her voice trembled as she asked.
“Unni! How is Hye-jeong Unni, what happened to her?”
It seemed Park Yoo-jung was genuinely worried about Lee Hye-jeong, her voice was noticeably shaky.
To calm her down, I held her hand and said, “It’s okay, she just fainted for a moment.”
“Ah…”
“She’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Phew… I’m glad it’s not a big problem.”
As Park Yoo-jung nodded, relieved, I turned the tables now and asked, “While we were at the hospital, what were you up to? Did anything happen?”
To which the response was…
“With two core team members missing, what could we do? We just twiddled our thumbs and couldn’t even practice or decide the center!”
Seo Yoo-jin answered in place of Park Yoo-jung.
She sounded irritable in this situation.
I tried to calm her down but slowly continued speaking…
“…I see. Then since we can’t do anything today, how about we wake up early tomorrow? Let’s….”
I flinched at Seo Yoo-jin’s next words.
“What’s the point in waking up early? With one person missing, the gap is going to be huge! Ugh, why did that Unni have to collapse today!”
“…What?”
I understand Seo Yoo-jin could feel frustrated about the situation. It may seem tangled to her.
But…
“Is that really something you should be saying right now?”
How can she say that when someone just collapsed?
I’d held myself back until now.
Even if Seo Yoo-jin was somewhat rude, I thought she was just immature.
But this was hard to swallow.
“Hey.”
“…What, what is it!”
“Say that again. What did you just say?”
Thud,
As I moved closer, Seo Yoo-jin’s eyes grew wide, and she took a step back.
But she didn’t stop speaking.
“It’s true! It’s so frustrating that she collapsed right now and only brings a burden to the team!”
“……!”
Swish-.
Hearing the word ‘burden’ made it hard for me to keep my composure.
It felt like something snapped inside my head.
In that moment, my body seemed to move on its own without my control.
Thud.
“…Unni, stop…”
Park Yoo-jung approached from behind and hugged me tightly, whispering.
“There are cameras around… It’s dangerous to go any further…”
“……”
Her words made me look again into the corner.
Zing-.
Although the production team was absent, the hidden cameras were still rolling.
“Yoo-jin will be fine; I’ll handle the talk. So just go back for today, okay?”
“……Haah.”
Park Yoo-jung’s words slowly eased my tension.
Definitely, I was on edge.
But…
Shock.
Looking at Seo Yoo-jin’s face reignited my anger, and my gaze sharpened.
So, I quickly turned away and said,
“…Sorry for getting so worked up. I’ll head back first.”
I almost made a huge mistake.
If it wasn’t for Yoo-jung, who knows what could have happened.
“Haah…”
I let out a sigh and turned back, apologizing to the two again.
“…I’m sorry once more. Let’s meet in the morning tomorrow.”
With that, I headed back to my room, tablet PC in hand.
After Ha Ye-rin returned to the dorm, Seo Yoo-jin looked at her back and muttered under her breath.
“…Geez, did I say something wrong?”
Of course, her voice was low enough that Ha Ye-rin wouldn’t hear it.
Ha Ye-rin’s angry expression from earlier…
“Hey.”
“Say that again. What did you just say?”
…Had scared her enough to make her legs buckle.
Seo Yoo-jin, who was already sensitive to being scolded by anyone, almost broke down in tears.
But, in the end, Ha Ye-rin held back her anger and left, and now it was just her and Park Yoo-jung left.
After a long time, Seo Yoo-jin decided to head back too.
But just then…
Thud.
“Yoo-jin.”
“…What do you want now?”
Park Yoo-jung stopped Seo Yoo-jin, who was about to return to her room.
“Can we talk for a bit?”
“Ugh, I’m dead tired, what’s there to talk about?”
“Just for a moment.”
Maybe it was just a comparison to Ha Ye-rin’s angry demeanor earlier, but Park Yoo-jung’s demeanor felt harmless to Seo Yoo-jin.
So she folded her arms and replied, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Let’s move somewhere else; this isn’t the place.”
“No, it’s not like anyone else is in this building. Ugh, what a bother.”
Although it was bothersome, out of curiosity about what Park Yoo-jung had to say, Seo Yoo-jin followed her.
And where Park Yoo-jung took her was…
‘…The restroom?’
…Right to the restroom.
“…No way. What could we possibly talk about in the restroom—… whoa!”
Seo Yoo-jin tilted her head, but before she could finish, Park Yoo-jung pulled her in and…
Bam!
“Ahh—!”
She drove her head into the wall.
Seo Yoo-jin couldn’t understand the situation as pain hit her from behind.
‘What the hell is happening….’
With a bright smile, Park Yoo-jung lowered her head and said.
“Did you know, Yoo-jin? There aren’t any cameras in the restroom.”
“T-Then why suddenly bring up cameras…! H-Hiick…!”
Bang.
As Park Yoo-jung slammed her fist on the wall trapping Seo Yoo-jin, she sank down to the floor.
And Park Yoo-jung looked down at her.
“Hey, you little punk.”
“…….”
“Say what you said earlier again.”
Her expression was now cold, incomparable to before when she was with Ha Ye-rin.