-★ The Second Life Idols Lucky Plan – Chapter 139

"Se-rim, come over here."

During the next day's schedule, I called Cheon Se-rim, who shared the same room as Yu Chanhee. Cheon Se-rim was glancing at Yu Chan-hee, who was squatting on a sofa in the corner of the waiting room.

I asked him only after I left the waiting room and entered a less crowded area.

"Did Chan-hee say anything to you last night?"

"Nothing at all. No matter what I asked, he just didn't listen and said he would sleep first, then he covered himself with a blanket and couldn't sleep, just sighing."

"... Then, I went to the practice room early in the morning."

This morning, when I woke up, Yu Chan-hee was not at the dorm. Everyone was confused and didn't answer the phone, so everyone was disoriented when he entered the dorm with a gaunt face.

When asked where he had been...

-... I just feel like I don't have enough practice.

That was all he said.

Looking at the situation roughly, it seemed that after lying down to sleep, he left the dorm alone in the early morning while the members, including Se-rim Cheon, were asleep and practiced hard in the company's practice room.

In the first place, it is not strange that Yu Chan-hee came to practice early in the morning at the company in a daily life where the company, accommodations, and schedules are repeated.

"He's gone out of his mind now, that's for sure. It is true that something needs to be done."

The members, including Cheon Se-rim, who shares the same room, all feel strange toward Yu Chan-hee. It was clear that he had to do something.

However, what you need to know before doing anything is 'how' Yu Chan-hee's trauma was stimulated.

"Do you know anything more about why Yu Chan-hee failed in the Hiers debut group?"

More precisely, about why he doesn't show his usual self to Kim Jin-woo.

'It's strange.'

If it were the usual Yu Chan-hee, it would have been right for him to point the finger at a guy like Kim Jin-woo. From the beginning, when he met me on <Design Your Idol>, he saw Kim Jin-woo in me and was hostile to me.

But when he actually comes face to face with Kim Jin-woo, he relents rather than resisting. It was clearly uncharacteristic of Yu Chan-hee.

"I don't know much. I just heard that the reason Chanhee was pushed out of the debut group among trainees was because he 'didn't fit the group's style.'"

"What about Jinwoo Kim?"

"Kim Jin-woo? Hmm, he's the nephew of one of the DIO directors? It is said that he began his trainee life not long after he started rapping and then became part of his debut group after only three months. It's a typical connection."

Se-rim Cheon spoke with a mocking grin. Judging by his slightly disdainful attitude, it seemed like he had also seen Jinwoo Kim's stage the day before.

I also watched Jinwoo Kim's performance yesterday before going to sleep. Hiers, like DIO's senior group Breakdown, was releasing a lot of hip-hop-based songs, and rappers played a large part in it.

The members' training periods varied from 1 year to 4 years, but they were reasonably skilled, and the chemistry between the members seemed good. Jinwoo Kim also seemed to fit the group's style well.

But.

'I didn't think he had the skills to push Yu Chan-hee out.'

He's only been rapping for a short time, and he's pretty good at it. However, it wasn't enough for him to push Yu Chan-hee out.

That wasn't all. The known reason why DIO chose Kim Jin-woo over Yu Chan-hee was the growth of the group's color and skills, but it seemed that none of the Hiers members, including Kim Jinwoo, could come close to Yu Chan-hee in the area of ​​such 'talent.'

In other words, the information known about why Chan-hee was dropped from the Hiers debut group is probably just justification.

'It must have been a lie made up to give Jinwoo Kim a position.'

Chan-hee probably doesn't know that either. But why does he react like that to Kim Jin-woo?

It wasn't long before I found out the answer to the question that came to mind.

"Hyung, please be honest. You didn't originally want to debut with me, right?"

"... What?"

That day, Yu Chan-hee said something unexpected.

* * *

"Hyung Yoo-ha, can you give me some time?"

That night, I finished all my schedules and headed to the practice room. he looked at the mirror in the practice room and seemed to be thinking deeply about something alone. It was when the members dispersed for a short break that Yu Chan-hee spoke.

"It's a bit different here... Somewhere else. I want to ask you something."

"... Okay."

I couldn't help but be surprised that he spoke to me like that when the members' gazes had dropped to some extent, as if he was trying to find the right moment, so I immediately followed him out of the practice room.

'I thought you would keep your mouth shut until the end like you did during the second contest of <Design Your Idol>.'

Because I never dreamed that Yu Chan-hee would ask me something directly.

Even in the second contest, Yu Chan-hee accepted my proposal only at the very end. Unlike what I had thought about what to do if he behaved similarly this time, I couldn't help but be surprised that he spoke to me sooner than expected.

"Hyung, do you think my attitude is trash?"

... I didn't know that the request for 'help' would go in a completely different direction than I thought.

"What are you talking about?"

I had no choice but to answer that question when Yu Chan-hee suddenly asked me that question. This was because Yu Chan-hee brought up a topic that I had never thought of.

"Oh, so... ... ."

Yu Chan-hee seemed to have missed my reaction, which was clearly embarrassing. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that, without any hint, he seemed to realize that he had said something that could only be absurd to others.

"... When I first met you, my attitude wasn't that good... You know, right?"

"... ... ."

And I couldn't answer right away and hesitated for a moment.

'... It was like that.'

It was true that there were days when I was troubled by Yu Chan-hee. 

However, even though what I wanted to say was clear, I wasn't sure if I could say it directly, so I couldn't answer right away and ended up avoiding his gaze.

"Just answer honestly... I called you because I wanted to know what I was like from other people's perspective rather than just thinking about it for myself."

Yu Chan-hee looked as if he had already heard the answer to my reaction.

"It wasn't a good one."

"I wasn't very cooperative during the second contest either."

"... You were like that too."

I answered like that and looked at Yu Chan-hee's expression. As I continued, Yu Chan-hee's face became darker.

Yu Chan-hee, who was silent for a moment after hearing my words, slowly opened his mouth. However, the voice was different from before.

"During the second contest, if it weren't for my Hyung, I would have failed, right?"

"What?"

"I wouldn't know if my skills were good then, but my attitude was bad... Hyung had a really hard time at that time."

At that moment, the story seemed to take a strange turn, and I was momentarily taken aback. However, despite my hesitation, Yu Chan-hee did not stop talking.

"Honestly, I'm very dissatisfied with my actions. Even when my Hyungs or Cheon Se-rim do something for me, I just... There is no such thing as quietly accepting it."

"Yu Chan-hee."

"From your perspective as a member, that is, as a leader... Am I disrupting the group atmosphere a lot? I mean, you're a member with enough skill and merit even while putting up with that kind of attitude... ... ."

"Yu Chan-hee!"

Yu Chan-hee, who spoke quickly at my call as if he was scared of something, stopped talking only when I raised my voice stronger.

As I watched, I noticed that the endless digging made him stop talking, but Yu Chan-hee seemed to think I stopped talking to reprimand him.

"S-sorry."

"Yu Chan-hee, just a moment."

"Oh, you shouldn't do it like this... I really need to do well... ... . I'm really sorry."

Yu Chan-hee, whose face was white as if he was panicking, was about to leave, so I hurriedly stopped him. Yu Chan-hee raised his head and looked at me, ashamed.

"Listen to me. Why are you doing this?"

"... ... ."

Yu Chan-hee was silent for a moment in response to my question. And then.

"... I think if I had done a little better, it wouldn't have been like this."

He said something incomprehensible.

However, I could tell that Yu Chan-hee had no intention of saying anything more because he stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

'I don't know what you're thinking.'

But one thing is certain, I said.

"Yu Chan-hee, I'll tell you straight. I never thought that you would ruin the group atmosphere. Do not misunderstand."

"... ... ."

"You asked me about my first impression during <Design Your Idol>, not what happened after that. It's true that the first impression you and I had on each other wasn't good. I just gave an answer to that. The same goes for skills."

"... ... ... ."

When the topic of skill arose, Yu Chan-hee's shoulders became tense. I spoke slowly while looking at that figure.

"... What you did then was the reverse position. It was a task that not only you but Jihyuk and I all had a hard time with. You did well back then, and that's why you're here. What are you thinking?"

"I made a mistake this time, and I... It's true that I worked hard. It's true that I was arrogant and that I disrupted the team atmosphere."

Yu Chan-hee raised his head as if he was angry at my words and responded like that.

"If I had done well enough that other people couldn't say anything, I would have just undermined the team. It seems to be the same even after debut... ... ."

Finally, he asked me this.

"Hyung, please be honest. You didn't originally want to debut with me, right?"

"What?"

I asked without hiding my bewilderment at the question that felt like a slap to the head.

"Why on earth do you think that?"

Yu Chan-hee gulped as if observing my answer. However, he did not stop talking as if he was finally saying something he had been thinking about.

"If you could choose a member, you wouldn't have chosen me. After all, wouldn't everyone want a better trainee, that is, a member who can blend in easily with the team and boost morale?"

"What?"

"... That's the role that the youngest member of the team plays."

Chanhee Yu seemed to be completely mistaken about something, I placed my hand on my pounding head.

"There is no such role. You're just the youngest because you're young, and you didn't become the youngest to do anything. More than anything, I never thought that."

Even during <Design Your Idol>, I just thought he was a pain in the ass, and I never hoped that he would get eliminated. Rather, I dreamed of a day when I would be the first to go out and not waste my mental energy anymore.

"But."

Chan-hee still did not give up and tried to refute. I could see that if the conversation continued like this, Chan-hee would only dig deeper into the ground.

'No matter what I say in the first place, he won't listen.'

To be precise, Chanhee didn't seem to be trying to ask me for help. Rather, he probably called me out to drive a wedge into his negative thoughts.

'Because I was the one who caused direct friction during <Design Your Idol>.'

At that time, I was probably the only one who said out loud that he was doing something wrong.

No one will benefit if his negative thoughts continue like this. I thought so and continued.

"Yu Chan-hee, for the last time. You didn't survive to the end in <Design Your Idol> out of frustration; you became a member because you had the skills to do so. You're doing your job well, and you're not ruining the mood. Above all, we don't expect more from you than you can do."

"... ... ."

"So tell me, why are you doing this?"

Chanhee quietly lowered his head instead of answering. Looking at his still grim face, it seemed he didn't take my words seriously.

'Okay, that's it.'

That was the end of my patience.

「Yu Chan-hee」

Status: Uneasy (verifiable)

→Trigger (CHECK)

Without further delay, I called up Yu Chan-hee's status window.

-I'm sorry, Chanhee.

Once again, someone else's 'trigger' unfolded before my eyes.