Second Try Idol

Chapter 208: Joy (45)

Lee Cheol-Min explained that he and On Ki-Hoon had known each other before the shooting started. They were from the same school but different classes, and they were not friends. At first, they had no intention of hanging out with each other. The first week then passed with them remaining distant toward each other. However, On Ki-Hoon started to approach Lee Cheol-Min in the following week as he seemed to be alone.

Lee Cheol-Min said, “He asked if I joined this program by lying to the production team. He even asked them if the interview was carried out properly."

I was puzzled by his words and tilted my head. “What do you mean?"

Then, Lee Cheol-Min hesitated for a moment before starting to curse wildly again.

Goh Yoo-Joon grumbled, “Oh, cut it out with the swearing, you lunatic!"

“Isn't lunatic also a bad word, you bastard?"

Goh Yoo-Joon wanted to say something but then shut up, seemingly shocked by the harsh words.

“They said they wouldn't pick anyone with issues for the shoot, right?" I asked.

“Right."

The cast was composed of numerous young ordinary people, and the team selected them after lots of research and interviews. Hence, anyone with a problematic school life or bullying behavior was rigorously eliminated.

“Do you have issues? Well, it seems like you might," I remarked.

Lee Cheol-Min frowned at my words and opened his mouth again. “You son of a—!"

Before Lee Cheol-Min could finish his swearing, Goh Yoo-Joon covered his mouth, unable to bear it any longer. “Ah, please act like an adult, you fool."

“..."

“Sorry. Don't swear and continue talking," said Goh Yoo-Joon.

“I don't have any problems," Lee Cheol-Min retorted, avoiding my gaze.

‘Why does he look troubled?’

As I stared silently at Lee Cheol-Min, he seemed to take it as a cue to speak up again. “On Ki-Hoon said the production team didn't know about my dad being in prison."

“…What?"

“I didn't know I had to talk about things like that during the interview. I didn't really want to mention it…"

“…"

“Why should I even mention my... On Ki-Hoon told me not to tell the production team and to do as he says. He blackmailed me, that asshole." Lee Cheol-Min clenched his fists and seemed furious.

My silence was an attempt to figure out what kind of issue this was, and all of a sudden, I could envision articles branding him “the criminal's son,” but since it wasn't really Lee Cheol-Min's fault, the production team might see it as a sympathetic backstory.

How could that be used for blackmailing? After a bit of pondering, my question was answered simply by looking at Lee Cheol-Min in his school uniform. After all, the perspective of a third party and that of the person involved were different, weren't they? Lee Cheol-Min must have faced a lot of humiliation and discrimination due to his father's imprisonment, so the existence of his father became something complex for him. As a result, the twenty-year-old Lee Cheol-Min felt that this issue was a significant problem for him.

Furthermore, his vulnerability could seem like powerful blackmail material from On Ki-Hoon's perspective, who was also a young guy in his early twenties. At this point, I started to feel a bit sorry for Lee Cheol-Min.

“So, you've been hanging out with On Ki-Hoon all this time?" I asked.

“Yeah."

“Have you thought about quitting? If you couldn't talk to the production team about it, rather than suffering—"

“If that was possible, wouldn't I have done it already? I need to make money."

“Money."

The pay here was indeed more than what one would make from a typical part-time job.

Lee Cheol-Min continued, “It's been a while since my father was imprisoned, and we have no relatives to take care of us. I've been working part-time jobs to feed my brother and send him to school… Ah, I won't talk about it anymore. It makes me seem pitiful, so annoying."

He then told us that On Ki-Hoon had been using him as a so-called “content shuttle” until now. Throughout the shooting, On Ki-Hoon's kind image contrasted sharply with Lee Cheol-Min's struggles to fit in and his portrayal as a delinquent.

The scenario where On Ki-Hoon took care of Lee Cheol-Min, and Lee Cheol-Min gradually opened up to On Ki-Hoon, would have warmed the hearts of the viewers as a touching story of the show. However, the reality was quite different. On Ki-Hoon ensured that Lee Cheol-Min didn't become close with anyone else from the show and occasionally caused problems within certain limits to create additional drama.

The incident with the stolen allowance and On Ki-Hoon finding out about it, then asking for Lee Cheol-Min's continued appearance, were all part of this scripted manipulation. However, it appeared that things wouldn’t go as On Ki-Hoon intended, especially since stealing was a serious crime that would likely be edited out of the show.

Lee Cheol-Min said, “It seems he's eager to showcase his ‘good’ intentions. He even chuckled and asked if it would be okay to release an article if he gets edited out... But I don't want to become a criminal... So, I was seriously considering quitting the shoot and giving it all up."

“That guy is worse than I thought."

“If On Ki-Hoon really publishes such an article, I will reveal everything on the internet and expose it all."

“Why would you expose yourself, man? Just calm down."

It seemed like I had gotten a good grasp on the situation. So, what should I do next?

My goal had always been to ensure Graduating concluded without any issues, even if it meant straying from justice. I personally couldn’t stand On Ki-Hoon, but he shouldn't be exposed or embroiled in any controversy.

Lee Cheol-Min also needed protection and should distance himself from On Ki-Hoon without tarnishing his image further. Ultimately, neither Goh Yoo-Joon nor I should suffer any fallout from appearing on Graduating.

For now, we would protect Lee Cheol-Min and give On Ki-Hoon the footage he desired. This would ensure him not to publish any articles.

“Goh Yoo-Joon, what do you think?" I asked.

“About what?"

“It's pretty unfair for him, class president."

Goh Yoo-Joon glared at me with displeasure but eventually nodded reluctantly. He said, “Why do you want to give up? Just stick with us for now. Don't worry about On Ki-Hoon."

Lee Cheol-Min looked quite anxious and responded, "But what about the article? And my dad's situation..."

“We will make sure that doesn't happen," I assured him confidently, and Lee Cheol-Min started to ponder. But after a long pause, he still looked uncertain.

I suggested, “Maybe it's best to hang on till the end since there's not much time left. Just hang out with us for the time being."

Although I didn't like the idea of hanging out with Lee Cheol-Min, I thought of it as part of the job. However, I'd have to apologize separately to Hee-Su, Joon-Hwan, and Daniele.

“Are you sure it will be okay regarding On Ki-Hoon?" asked Lee Cheol-Min.

“Of course, trust me. You need to feed your brother, right? You can't just quit the show," replied Goh Yoo-Joon softly.

Finally, Lee Cheol-Min nodded. Goh Yoo-Joon really seemed like a knight of justice. Hmm, knowing a bit about the future could be pretty annoying at times. Just then, the bell signaling the end of the break rang, so we turned on our mics and quickly headed back to class.

***

I discreetly asked Hee-Su, Joon-Hwan, and Daniele for their understanding through notes. While they weren't thrilled, they agreed to hang out with Lee Cheol-Min after Goh Yoo-Joon and I explained he was bullied.

The only thing left was the ticking time bomb, On Ki-Hoon... There was a lot that could explode there, but I figured he'd quiet down on his own if we just gave him the footage he wanted. Plus, the drama he was in had become well-known enough that I had even heard of it, and it might calm him down from causing any more scandals by blackmailing friends.

“Are Hyun-Woo and Yoo-Joon around? Oh, there you are."

During the break, another student from Memory High came in through the back door, looking for us while we were chatting with friends. I asked, “Why?"

“The teacher wants you two in the office. It was the homeroom teacher." After delivering the message, the student simply returned to his seat.

“What? Are you guys finally doing a mission?"

“Wow, Joon! What did you write? I'm so curious!"

“Come to think of it, you guys are almost graduating but haven't had a mission yet. I thought it was done during the department store group mission."

Goh Yoo-Joon and I chuckled and stood up. “We will be back."

It was good timing as I had something to discuss with Kun-Ho. Upon entering the faculty room, we saw the production staff and Kun-Ho almost dozing off quite comfortably amidst the crowd. Sleeping undisturbed with so many people around was truly professional idol behavior.

“Teacher."

As I called out to Kun-Ho, he lifted his head and looked at me with sleepy eyes. “Ah, right. You are here? I've been so busy, so I just nodded off."

I heard Kun-Ho had been busy preparing for a long-awaited comeback, aligning with the end of Graduating. Therefore, he was definitely lacking sleep these days.

“I called you here for this." Kun-Ho handed us a mission sheet. “It's an individual mission, but you can do it together. Just make sure the 'friend' mentioned here isn't each other since you live together."

[Win a game with a friend]

[Visit a friend's house and have dinner together]

The missions were exactly as we had written on our answer sheets.

“You two can accompany each other if you like. In fact, I’d prefer that. The more friends, the merrier.”

“Okay!”

“I wish you success. You can go back now. It’s nice having shortened classes. It’s already the last period of the day.”

“Thank you!”

I turned to Kun-Ho, who was tidying up his desk. “Umm… Teacher.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you free tonight?”

“...Huh? Are you asking me out for a date?”

“Ah… No, it’s not that. It’s about vocal training…”

Kun-Ho nodded after a moment’s thought. “Sure. But I can’t spend much time tonight. Is that okay?”

“Of course!” I was immensely grateful for him taking the time to teach me during his busy schedule. I bowed politely to him and left the staff office with Goh Yoo-Joon, hoping everything would go as planned.

With the graduation from Memory High approaching, I found myself navigating the final act of this journey alone.