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Chapter 43: Team D’s Hangout

"I\'ve been constantly sleepy lately. It feels like I\'m in a cycle of sleeping and waking every three hours," Goh Yoo-Joon commented lazily from the couch.

I couldn\'t help but agree. "Exactly. I\'m still tired, even after sleeping the whole day."

"Try not to sleep too much though. It can turn into a habit," Joo-Han cautioned, making his way to the kitchen.

"Hyung, when\'s our next shoot? I’m in so much pain. Starting practice now feels like a death sentence."

"In about a week, we have a meeting scheduled," Joo-Han responded, settling himself on the floor near the couch.

"A meeting?"

"The final competition is going to be live. They will announce the theme soon, and we need to be ready by the time all the pre-recorded content is aired."

‘They are really giving us ample time.’ However, this made sense, given the magnitude of the final competition.

"We will soon be back to all-day practices, so rest up while you can. Just don\'t oversleep," Joo-Han advised, turning on the TV. The television had been tuned to UNET for the past month and was replaying the first episode of Pick We Up. Initially, watching ourselves on screen was a novelty, but now, the novelty had worn off with the frequent reruns.

Lying across from Goh Yoo-Joon, I felt aimless, restricted from seeing the audience\'s reactions by our manager\'s rules.

Ding!

The sound of a notification from my flip phone echoed.

- Hyun-Woo, how are you? Want to grab lunch with the Team D members?

It was a message from Ji-Hyuk. Goh Yoo-Joon cast a quick glance at me before returning his attention to the TV. "Ji-Hyuk hyung again? You and Team D seem to get along well."

"Isn\'t it the same with you guys? I\'ve seen you keeping in touch," I answered.

"Yeah, but I thought your team wouldn\'t hang out after the competition. You didn\'t seem all that close with each other."

I actually had the same impression. Unlike other teams who were noisy during breaks, we mostly talked about performances and didn\'t engage in much-lighthearted banter. Hence, I didn’t expect much interaction post-competition despite us having exchanged our contact details.

Surprisingly, Team D’s group chat had been buzzing with conversation for the past three days. It seemed that the bonds formed during those two weeks of intense training couldn\'t be easily dismissed. Without the looming pressure of performances, our conversations had become more relaxed and genuine.

- Yes, I\'ll be there. Where should I meet you?

After sending the message, Ji-Hyuk quickly replied with details.

- Where\'s your dorm? I\'ll pick you up. Already met On-Sae.

I sent the dorm location to Ji-Hyuk and rose from the couch. Though I still found crowded places daunting, I trusted that Ji-Hyuk would arrange a comfortable setting for our get-together.

Heading toward the bathroom, Joo-Han reminded me, "It\'s okay to go out, but make sure you answer calls and return before manager hyung arrives."

"When will manager hyung be back?" I asked.

"By 8 PM."

"Got it. I\'ll be back after lunch."

Once ready, I got a text from Ji-Hyuk saying he was outside. Then, the sight of a luxurious car gleaming under the sunlight caught my eye. It was clearly out of a trainee\'s league. Pondering whose expensive car it could be, I simply walked past it, only to be stopped by its horn.

"Hyun-Woo! Why aren’t you getting in?"

"Hyung?" I wondered, bewildered by his presence in such a car.

Approaching the car with a puzzled look, I hesitated before Ji-Hyuk gestured toward the back seat, prompting me to get in quickly.

"Is this your car, hyung?" I asked.

"No, it\'s my father\'s. He used it to come to the company today, so I borrowed it."

‘Father, company, borrowed?’ My expression had likely conveyed my confusion.

“My dad is the CEO of YU.”

“...Oh.”

When I was a trainer at YU, I never met their CEO. Now, it dawned on me that Ji-Hyuk was really the CEO’s son. That explained the nonchalant discussions about recruiting Kim Jin-Wook into the company. Before this, it had struck me as odd for a mere trainee to wield such influence, but now everything clicked into place.

When I thought about it, On-Sae had also moved to YU back then, attending my training session post-competition. It was likely that Ji-Hyuk had introduced him through the same channels.

“So, that is the story behind it...”

“Oh, right. Speaking of which, did Jin-Wook take the audition? I thought hyung was giving him a chance for an audition at YU.” On-Sae’s question broke the silence.

Ji-Hyuk responded with a laugh. "Jin-Wook should be the first to hear the results. Actually, that was the main reason I called everyone together." From the looks of it, Jin-Wook had passed, which wasn’t surprising considering his exceptional dedication and performance.

Upon arriving at the Air Senior dormitory, we spotted Kim Jin-Wook. He was clad in black and stood outside with his arms crossed. Failing to recognize Ji-Hyuk\'s car, he slowly looked up when the horn honked. He then lingered near the window, seemingly verifying if it was indeed Ji-Hyuk’s vehicle.

Ji-Hyuk rolled down the window’s glass, gesturing for him to hop in. “Take the front seat. On-Sae and Hyun-Woo are in the back.”

“Okay.” Kim Jin-Wook got into the car. After gaining freedom from Ji-Hyuk, the scent of cigarettes no longer lingered around him.

“The dorm seems unusually quiet, doesn’t it?” Ji-Hyuk mused.

“What do you mean?” On-Sae asked, “Did any fans show up at your dorm?”

We simultaneously shook our heads. When I thought about it, Chronos members were too grappled with fans visiting their dorm post-debut, but it appeared High Tension had dealt with such issues even before their official debut.

“I assumed there would be some fans given Chronos’s rising popularity.”

“We’re not that popular. Whenever there\'s fan voting in competitions, we tend to fall behind,” I replied.

“Isn’t that a bit too modest?”

“Wow, so the star of popularity is teasing us right in our presence?” On-Sae\'s quip sparked laughter among us. Before we realized it, we had reached our destination.

It was a Korean restaurant with private rooms, and this setting felt somewhat daunting for underaged trainees. However, Ji-Hyuk reassured us and led us inside.

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, it’s under Woo Ji-Hyuk.”

“Ah, right! Part of your group is already here waiting for you.”

We were ushered by the server into the room where Woo-Jeong and Ha-Yoon from Street Center were already seated. “You’re quite punctual for bringing three along,” Woo-Jeong remarked.

“They all live nearby,” Ji-Hyuk replied.

“Then let’s plan to meet up more often, being neighbors and all.”

“That sounds great.”

We all took our seats, and once our orders were placed, the conversation picked up.

“How’s everyone doing?”

“I’ve been resting for three straight days. My muscle soreness just won’t subside.”

“I’ve been sleeping non-stop, barely eating.” Woo-Jeong slumped over the table, mirroring Goh Yoo-Joon’s recent habit of excessive sleeping.

The topic shifted to Jin-Wook. “How are you, Jin-Wook? Your group seemed quite down when you left the other day.”

“Well, we are managing some stuff,” replied Jin-Wook guardedly. Despite Kim Jin-Wook single-handedly propelling Air Senior to fifth place, his team’s response to his efforts was laced with envy and sarcasm.

“Our Jin-Wook became the hero of our group. Nicely done.”

“You\'re giving your all now when we are about to disband. Do you think it might lead to a scouting offer from another company, perhaps?”

“Hey, don’t be harsh on him. He already worked so hard. Why create inner strife? Jin-Wook was simply using his brain to the fullest.”

The air in their dorm was charged with underlying tension, indicative of deep-seated discord. It seemed the imminent disbandment had eroded any sense of team unity.

After a pause, Kim Jin-Wook spoke up hesitantly, “I might need to move out of the dorm soon.”

“What? But the competition isn\'t over yet.”

“Staying there is almost impossible now. It\'s not just about the strained relationship among members. The CEO is also pressuring me.”

Kim Jin-Wook let out a weary sigh, his face reflecting his exhaustion. Ji-Hyuk had been listening in quiet contemplation and just smiled. “Try to endure until the end of the competition. You still need support from your current company for the stage.”

Jin-Wook hesitated, his voice trailing off. “That’s true, but...”

Imbued with an air of assurance, Ji-Hyuk\'s tone was calm yet firm when he said, "The timing couldn’t be better. After you wrap up things with True Entertainment, join us at YU. Our director himself has praised your abilities."

Jin-Wook\'s eyes widened in a mix of surprise and disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes," Ji-Hyuk affirmed. "The director reviewed your training videos alongside your stage performances and was particularly impressed with how quickly you’ve been learning. He mentioned that with your skills in both rapping and singing, you would be an excellent multi-talented asset to the team."

"...Thank you," Jin-Wook replied, his voice tinged with sincere gratitude.

Ji-Hyuk continued, "Make a smooth transition from True Entertainment and then come over to YU. Got it? Let’s be on the same team."

The rest of the members chimed in with their congratulations, genuinely happy for Kim Jin-Wook. This was the first time I witnessed Jin-Wook smiling so broadly, his hand shyly covering his eyes as he wasn’t used to such joy.

"Anyway, don’t stress about it now. Just focus on preparing well for the next competition. Remember, don’t take it easy just because you feel a bit relieved. You are still on your path to debut, so it’s important to show that you can work hard independently."

"Okay." Jin-Wook nodded with newfound determination.

Suddenly, Ha-Yoon\'s unexpected question interrupted the flow of our conversation. "Ah, by the way, has everyone found their songs?"

"What songs?" I asked.

Ha-Yoon gave me a quizzical look. "We should start getting ready for the next competition, right?"

However, how could we prepare when the theme hadn’t been announced yet? Unlike Kim Jin-Wook, Yoo On-Sae, and me—the three who were completely in the dark—Ji-Hyuk and the Street Center members were already discussing this very topic.

"We’ve been diligently scouting songs with the company, but finding the right one is quite challenging." Ji-Hyuk shared his dilemma.

"That’s true." One of the Street Center members agreed. "Thankfully, due to Pick We Up’s popularity, we’ve been receiving a lot of song submissions."

As I listened to their exchange, a realization dawned on me. "Wait, do you guys already know the theme for the next competition?"

They looked at me, their faces etched with confusion. "Of course. Weren’t you informed? They told us right after the last competition."

What...? I was stunned.

"They didn’t tell you?"

"No..." On-Sae’s voice mirrored my shock.

Suddenly, everyone seemed to understand. The frustration our manager had been voicing about the major agencies receiving preferential treatment made perfect sense. They had the advantage of knowing the competition theme in advance, allowing them to prepare more thoroughly, which inevitably enhanced the quality of their performances. This contrasted sharply with our experience, where we were constantly in a rush, planning and preparing at the last minute.

Realizing our surprise, the three of them looked somewhat uneasy. "I suppose we weren’t meant to talk about it," one of them muttered.

"It should be fair," Ji-Hyuk said, his tone laced with displeasure. "We didn\'t know it was information exclusive to us."

"If we had known earlier, we would have shared it with you. The theme for the next competition is original songs by each group."