Chapter 138: Get a Grip

At the same time, the meeting room at Doubles was busy from the early morning.

From preparing the full album to the reality show, there was a long list of things to discuss.

Of course, before that…

“Seohan, congratulations on winning!”

Clap, clap, clap—

As soon as I sat down, the A&R team staff welcomed me with applause.

“Waaaaaah!”

“It’s the stage genius, Do Seohan!”

“Wow, you’re so handsome!”

Th-this much?

My ears turned red, as if I could crawl into a mouse hole any second.

Because I was flustered, I stuttered a little.

As always, the youngest of Stardust was extremely weak to compliments.

“Wh-why are you all like this….”

“You’re glowing today!”

“…Please.”

Even the members joined in teasing me, and my already red face felt like it was about to explode.

Seo Haim covered her mouth dramatically.

“How can our youngest even be amazing on stage, it’s so shocking!”

“Don’t say that….”

Ha Junseo chuckled as he patted my shoulder.

“Let’s stop here. Seohan looks like he’s about to die.”

And so, the next target was chosen.

“Next, our genius composer who worked on the arrangement, Cha Seongbin!”

Clap, clap, clap—

The A&R team staff seemed determined to tease us from the early morning.

Manager Kim Seyoung even raised his thumbs and fussed over it.

“Ahh, thank you~.”

“…….”

“Not working on this one.”

Only in moments like these did Cha Seongbin enjoy it 100 percent without taking any damage.

Director Song Jinha laughed along with the staff before tapping the table with his hand.

“Alright, let’s stop and start the meeting now.”

The first topic Director Song Jinha brought up was about selecting the title track.

With the comeback quickly approaching in four months, the title track still hadn’t been decided.

He laced his fingers together and started the discussion.

“I’d like to hear everyone’s opinions first….”

At this point, there were two songs being considered as the title track.

One was <Mayday>, composed by Cha Seongbin, and the other was “Check time,” composed by Blue.D.

We had already listened to both in their nearly finished guide recording versions.

Both songs were scheduled to be filmed for music videos, but now it was time to finalize the title track.

Even within the A&R team, opinions seemed to be somewhat divided.

Manager Kim Seyoung spoke honestly.

“Personally, <Mayday> resonated with me more.”

<Mayday> was a song where Cha Seongbin clenched his teeth and pulled out a truly public-friendly beat.

When he had previously joined as a co-composer, it had felt like his style was blended into another composer’s mainstream elements…

But <Mayday> had a beat from the very start that instantly hooked into the ears.

“The only concern is… the style is a little different?”

“It’s definitely different from what Stardust has done so far.”

With its sirens and breathless beats from the very beginning, it was captivating.

It was a style that would work well overseas, so the A&R team clearly wanted it.

“The song is addictive. I think fans will respond well too. Opinions are a little split though….”

I nodded along as I listened to Manager Kim Seyoung’s thoughts.

But from higher up, it seemed like they wanted to push Blue.D’s “Check time” as the title track.

Blue.D was such a trusted composer that people said you could believe in his songs without even listening.

He had also collaborated quite a lot with Doubles.

Especially “Check time,” which had been well received during last year’s song camp.

They wanted a proven song from a proven composer.

Both sides had a point.

At this rate, it seemed like we’d never reach a conclusion, so another method was needed.

“Should we hold a vote?”

At a staff member’s suggestion, all the members turned to look at Cha Seongbin.

He cleared his throat and leaned back against his chair.

“Ah, don’t mind me, vote comfortably~.”

“We should isolate that Ocean Sunfish.”

“Agreed.”

Jin Sehyun clicked his tongue as he spoke.

“Hyung, you’re not going to storm out crying if you lose the vote, are you?”

“…Do I really have that image?”

“That’s basically the case, isn’t it?”

Honestly, it was.

I nodded in agreement with Jin Sehyun.

“He might not storm out crying, but… I think he’d quietly leave and cry in the bathroom.”

“…….”

“Huh?”

Ah. That had actually happened before.

I realized belatedly that I was feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.

Number 1, the person who had cried in the bathroom after his secret account got exposed.

Cha Seongbin’s face started swelling up as if it was about to burst.

He seemed to suddenly remember that moment.

“Th-that’s….”

Hyung, who was usually immune to teasing, was really getting hit this time?

“Wow.”

Seo Ian, who had been quietly watching, let out a soft exclamation.

“Do Seohan just landed a strike….”

I didn’t mean to!

It just happened by accident.

But why was this hyung so vulnerable in moments like this?

Not knowing the context, Director Song Jinha tilted his head.

“Why, did something happen?”

“Ah, nothing happened.”

“Of course. Nothing happened at all.”

Cha Seongbin cleared his throat and covered his flushed ears with his hands.

Jin Sehyun and Seo Haim muttered together.

“Let’s pretend we didn’t see.”

“Let’s protect his image.”

Barely holding back his laughter, Ha Junseo quickly changed the subject.

“Shall we vote first?”

“Good. Those who want Blue.D’s ‘Check time,’ please raise your hands.”

“Alright, then hands for <Mayday>?”

The result was 5 to 7.

By a narrow margin, <Mayday> came out ahead in the vote.

This didn’t mean it was finalized, but the chances of it being selected as the title track were higher now.

“We’ll report the results to the higher-ups.”

“Thank you!”

“Great work, everyone!”

Manager Kim Seyoung ended the meeting with a smile.

And then.

With a drained face, Cha Seongbin muttered.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry….”

“Laugh, hyung.”

“But the emotional damage is too much, what should I do?”

“Or you could just cry in the bathroom.”

“Hey!”

Jin Sehyun pushed it even further, continuing to tease him.

Well.

It was a small ball I had thrown up, but….

“Pffft….”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

“Hey, Do Seohan, don’t laugh!”

Cha Seongbin shouted angrily.

‘You guys have a reality show filming schedule next week.’

Besides deciding the title track, there had been another topic during the meeting.

It was about the summer reality show filming schedule.

By now, it was already September, so it was awkward to still call it summer, but the plan was to film the reality show before it got any later.

The weather was nice and cool, perfect for camping.

The idea of the reality show was to relax and recharge before the comeback anyway….

‘A glamping reality show?’

It was the first time we were going on a trip together as members.

No one showed it too much, but their faces clearly carried some excitement.

‘This sounds fun. I’m really looking forward to it.’

Even during the meeting, Seo Haim had been whispering in my ear about going grocery shopping as soon as possible.

So, right after the meeting, we all stopped by a mart.

Ha Junseo’s cheerful voice cut in suddenly.

“Seohan, are you filming with the camera?”

“Yes, is this angle okay?”

I raised the selfie stick high to check if our faces were properly in the frame.

We were planning to shop again near the campsite, but we decided to buy the basics in advance.

The self-content team had told us to film the grocery shopping as a self-cam.

Ha Junseo stared wide-eyed into the camera.

“So how do you film this?”

“This is Do Seohan’s self-cam! We’re here to do some grocery shopping.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure either, but it was probably something like a vlog.

I pulled out a pack of sausages from the cart and held it out in my palm.

Was I doing this right?

“These are sausages we’ll grill for dinner.”

“Herb salt! Herb salt!”

“Yes, and this is MSG. We’ll buy kimchi and meat on the day, right?”

“Yeah, I think we just need to grab instant rice separately.”

As we kept tossing things in, the cart quickly filled with food.

We decided to buy the heavy water and drinks near the glamping site….

“Doesn’t look like we need anything else.”

Since this wasn’t meant to be long content but just a short self-cam, this should be enough, right?

I smiled awkwardly and got ready to put away the selfie stick.

Actually, I had been feeling some obvious stares for a while now.

Elderly people, who probably didn’t know much about idols, were peeking curiously in our direction.

We weren’t being particularly noisy, but walking around with a selfie stick did make us stand out.

It was a bit embarrassing.

My introverted nature was starting to creep up again.

Feeling awkward, I leaned in and whispered quietly into Ha Junseo’s ear.

“Hyung, but the elders keep looking at us weirdly.”

“Enjoy it.”

“…What?”

I should probably ditch him and run.

.

.

.

.

On the way out of the mart.

Carrying a heavy plastic bag in one hand, I walked down the alley.

Even though I had pulled down my mask and black cap low, we could still run into someone who recognized us.

“Let’s head in now~.”

Following our manager hyung, we trailed back toward the company.

Just then, Seo Haim, munching on an ice bar, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Huh?”

What was it?

I followed her gaze and saw a familiar silhouette in the distance.

A man stepped out of a shopping mall entrance.

“Isn’t that senior Jeong Wonjae?”

A black cap pulled low enough to only show his eyes.

His outfit looked carefully put together, but that sharp gaze made him instantly recognizable.

It really was Jeong Wonjae.

As I debated whether to greet him or pretend not to notice since we’d met on the street….

“…….”

Swoosh—

Seo Haim suddenly blocked my path.

“Seohan, step aside with me for a second.”

“Why?”

Hearing my voice, Jeong Wonjae quickly turned his head.

Now I had no choice but to acknowledge him.

I was about to force myself to greet him when Seo Haim spoke up first.

“Hello, sunbae-nim.”

“Ah… yes.”

He didn’t look particularly pleased, but the stranger one was Seo Haim.

Why was the hyung who always smiled so brightly acting like this today?

While I was trying to figure out if something had happened between them, my eyes happened to drop downward.

“……?”

The moment my gaze landed on the business card in Jeong Wonjae’s hand, he hastily hid it behind his back.

Trying to hide it that obviously only made it more suspicious.

I lifted my head to read the sign of the building Jeong Wonjae had come out from.

[Park Hanseok Plastic Surgery Clinic]

Naturally, one word connected in my mind.

Probably an issue of Jeong Wonjae’s that would blow up someday.

Propofol….

I forced an awkward smile at the corner of my lips and spoke.

“Fancy meeting you here. What brings you?”

“Uh, I just stopped by since I was nearby.”

As far as I knew, this neighborhood was quite a distance from Jeong Wonjae’s company.

His voice trembled slightly, as if my words had hit the mark.

They say a guilty conscience needs no accuser.

Could it be.

Had he already started using drugs?

Jeong Wonjae swallowed dryly before speaking.

“Then I’ll be on my way since I have a schedule. Let’s meet again next time.”

Just as he tried to hurriedly leave, he nearly tripped on his own foot.

“Whoa!”

Instinctively, I grabbed his wrist to keep him from falling.

How distracted must he have been to stumble over a stone right in front of him?

Our eyes met directly.

“Get a grip.”

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