Idol of the Heavenly One - Chapter 15.1
Debut was now practically certain.
It hadn’t been long since my parents had come to the company to sign the guardian consent for my trainee contract, yet here they were again to sign the guardian consent for the artist contract.
After completing the contract safely, we were on our way home when my father kept smiling proudly the whole ride, and my mother had been busy calling relatives since earlier. My little sister was no different. I had no idea what an elementary schooler could be doing with her phone that would make it overheat like that.
“Ji Young-hyo.”
“Yeah?”
“Who have you been texting all this time?”
“My friends! I have to brag all I want that my brother’s going to be an idol now!”
Her childish words made me laugh helplessly, but somehow they warmed my heart. Who else in life could be happier about my accomplishments than I was and proudly tell others about them? Maybe it was because I had no family in my previous life, but even these small things gave me a kind of stability that felt almost unbelievable.
“Oppa. Have you seen all your members’ faces?”
“Of course. I’ve seen them all.”
“How are they? Are any of them handsome?”
As my sister’s eyes lit up in excitement, a certain face with the title of “handsome” flashed through my mind.
“No, I’m the most handsome.”
But I couldn’t say what I really thought. If I did, that little kid would definitely pester me to show her that handsome member’s face.
“What? Does that mean your group is purely talent-based?”
Her question stung a little, as if she was implying I wasn’t handsome enough. I didn’t think I was stunning when I looked in the mirror, but at least I thought I looked neat and presentable.
“…Something like that.”
I ended the conversation with that vague answer and didn’t take any more questions from the kid. She kept asking me all sorts of things out of curiosity, but the company had warned us not to mention even small details until we debuted.
Bzzz— bzzz—
While I was looking out the window, my phone suddenly started buzzing like crazy. I wondered who could be messaging me that much and checked the screen.
[Kwon Ji-hak: Hyungs! I had all of your numbers so I made a group chat!]
[Joo I-rip: Ji-hak’s initiative lol. Hello everyone~]
[Lee Soon♡: Hi haha]
[Go Hee-min has left the chat.]
[Kwon Ji-hak: Ah! Hee-min hyung must’ve hit the wrong button!]
[Kwon Ji-hak has invited Go Hee-min to the chat.]
[Go Hee-min: Don’t invite me.]
[Go Hee-min has left the chat.]
[Lee Soon♡: haha;;]
[Joo I-rip: LOLOLOL]
[Baek Jae-heon: lol]
It was a group chat Ji-hak had made. Even in chat, Ji-hak was full of energy, while Go Hee-min had none. But wait—was that “Lee Soon♡” actually Lee Soon-bok? Why did his name look like that? Was it a glitch?
[Ji Myeong-hyeon: Soon-bok, your name’s glitched. It’s showing up with a heart.]
[Lee Soon♡: It’s not a glitch.]
[Joo I-rip: LOL Myeong-hyeon lolol]
[Kwon Ji-hak: LOLLLLL Hyung, you’re too much]
[Ji Myeong-hyeon: What?]
I just told them his name looked wrong, but now they were saying I was “too much.” Why? But then Soon-bok said it wasn’t a glitch. Then why was his name like that?
[Baek Jae-heon: Soon-bok. Your grandpa gave you a good name, don’t try to hide it.]
When I saw Jae-heon’s message, I realized. Oh! So Soon-bok was embarrassed about his name and replaced the “bok” character with a heart.
[Lee Soon♡: How did you know my grandpa gave it to me?ㅠ]
[Joo I-rip: LOL no way, your grandpa really named you that? lololol]
[Kwon Ji-hak: Soon-bok hyung~ you’re so mean~ your grandpa gave you that name~ lolol]
With everyone teasing him, Soon-bok kept sending “ㅠㅠㅠ” over and over before finally changing his name from “Lee Soon♡” back to “Lee Soon-bok.” He really was a gentle kid.
[Baek Jae-heon has invited Go Hee-min to the chat.]
[Go Hee-min: -_- ]
And then Jae-heon forcibly dragged Go Hee-min back in again, completing the group chat with all the members.
“……”
Seeing everyone together like this, it finally felt real. That I was going to be part of YEARZ. That I was about to become an idol, one who would receive so much love.
“From now on, this is top secret. You can’t even tell your family.”
After the debut was confirmed, things changed at the company. The floors we used for dance and vocal practice were different now. I no longer saw the other trainees I used to see in the practice rooms; only the members gathered and used a single practice room exclusively.
Producers, including Yoo Myeong-jin, and a few department heads called us to a conference room on the same floor, collected our phones, and sternly warned us that everything we were about to hear was classified. Then they continued speaking.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
