Chapter 87: Level Up (7)

A mini-album typically contains 4 to 8 songs.

So, we thought our album would have around 5 or 6 songs.

However, the company decided to include only 4 songs, saying there was no need to add more.

Following recent trends, releasing many songs doesn't necessarily increase popularity.

We selected the songs that had already been released, and now it was time to focus on them.

"This might sound obvious, but do guys like this even exist these days?"

"Guys like what?"

"The guy in 'Girlfriend.'"

On our comeback day, we were scheduled to perform our title track and show 'Girlfriend' to our fans. So, we were putting a lot of effort into the details of the 'Girlfriend' stage along with the title track.

Dyeing our hair takes a long time because we need to bleach it first.

To kill time, we talk about all sorts of things.

And Eungyu said something silly.

"Maybe. It's every girl's dream."

"I never imagined Jackie hyung would write such cheesy lyrics. He's definitely a romantic."

"Shut up."

Jackie, despite writing cheesy lyrics, had a nonchalant expression as he brushed off the members' excitement.

The lyrics of 'Girlfriend' describe a man's pure love for a woman.

He boasts a bit childishly to those around him about how pretty and lovely his girlfriend is.

And we planned to sing 'Girlfriend' thinking of our fans as the girlfriend.

"Practicing the song feels like confessing freely. Now, all that's left is the real performance."

"Ugh, I want to date!"

"Whoa, hyung! That's a dangerous thing to say."

"There's no one else here, so what's the big deal?"

The members are going through puberty, a time when interest in the opposite sex peaks.

There are plenty of pretty girls around, and they would gladly hold our hands if we reached out.

But our manager sisters keep a tight watch, and even if we're interested in girls, we try to hold back.

"Are you rebelling against the pain of dyeing your hair?"

"I didn't want to dye my hair green. I'm not a weed, so why green?"

"Isn't it a summer-themed style?"

"What does summer have to do with grass? Besides, I'm not you, so will this green hair even suit me?"

Eungyu looked enviously at Kang Jun's face, which would definitely look good with green hair.

"Why are you so unsure about your looks?"

"Honestly, I'm not that good-looking. If that's the case, wouldn't it have been better for Hae-sol hyung to do it? He looks good with any hairstyle."

I imagined myself with green hair, looking at my reflection in the morning mirror.

'Not bad.'

But I shook my head and said,

"The stylist knows your face better than you do. She said it would be fine, so don't worry. It will suit you."

After bleaching our hair several times, the color finally faded, and the dyeing began in earnest.

Finally, as the sun set, our colorful hair was complete.

Kang Jun: Silver

Eungyu: Green

Hae-sol: Blue-black

Jackie: Brown

Gyeong-tae: Gold

Woo-yeon: Pink

Looking at each other's colorful hair, we couldn't help but laugh.

"I can't get used to it."

"Am I really a weed?"

"Um… it's not as bad as I thought. Actually, it looks pretty good."

Eungyu's hair, which he was very worried about, didn't look as bad as he thought.

Of course, it still resembled grass, but not as much.

"Isn't my hair too hot pink? The color is too bright."

"The color will fade a bit after one wash. From what I've seen, the color came out really nicely. It suits you much better than I expected."

"Really?"

Woo-yeon's fluffy, cotton-candy-like pink hair surprisingly suited his face well.

All of us gave him a thumbs up, it suited him so well.

"Hehehehe!"

Hearing that his new hair color suited him, Woo-yeon couldn't hide his joy and laughed happily.

Then, he suddenly exclaimed,

"Hyung, hyung, hyung, hyung!"

"What, what, what, what."

"Look over there!!"

"Where?"

Turning to look where Woo-yeon was pointing, we saw unfamiliar people entering the salon.

"Who are they?"

"Hyung, don't you recognize them? It's Jellynyang !"

"Jelly what?"

"JellyNyang!"

"Wow! It really is!"

"Whoa!"

"We should greet them, right?"

"Of course!"

I was confused because I didn't know who they were, but the members lined up nervously and bowed 90 degrees.

I followed their lead.

""Hello!!! We are S.K.Y !!""

"Oh my? We have other customers here."

"Wow~ Are you our juniors? Your colorful hair gives it away."

"Who is this? He's really handsome."

"Ah! I know. You're from Honey Entertainment, right?"

It was the appearance of a refreshing female idol group.

Jellynyang.

A famous female idol group with 4 members: Ria, Ayeoung, Semin, and Sujin.

'Wow~ The female idol scene is really competitive. Their presence is no joke.'

Just the entrance of these four women brightened the atmosphere in the salon.

Even compared to Joo-ah, their faces were not lacking.

'Honestly, they look even prettier because they're managed.'

But seeing them, I was sure of one thing.

Jua noona's beauty is too good to be buried in obscurity.

With their relaxed demeanor and unique presence, it was clear that Jellynyang was a very popular idol group.

"Yes, Ria! That's right."

"As expected from Honey Entertainment. But are you making a comeback? When is it?"

"We're planning to comeback in August."

"Oh no~ It overlaps with ours? That's a problem. With such handsome young men around, will our fans even notice us?"

"No way!! We'll take it as encouragement and work harder!"

"Haha, okay…."

Ria, who was casually chatting with Kang Gyeong-tae, suddenly looked at me and was surprised.

"Is that a person?"

Then she pointed at me and asked, her question quite shocking.

I had no choice but to answer.

Especially since not only her but the other members had been stealing glances at me for a while.

"…I'm a person."

"Pfft!"

"Hyung does look almost too perfect to be human."

"Wow~ Wow~ Oh my~!"

They kept exclaiming in admiration and then said,

"If we meet on stage, please don't come near me."

"I should make a request now."

"Why are you an idol? With that face, you should be an actor."

"I can't act."

"A straightforward reason, I respect that."

I heard their giggles.

What is this feeling? I feel cleansed!

I felt like something long forgotten was awakening.

The fantastic stages of female idols that I was crazy about in the military.

Just their existence was a comfort during difficult times.

It was a rare and precious memory, so it became even more special.

But as time passed, it naturally faded away.

'To think that memory would resurface now….'

This must be what a pro idol feels like. I've seen female idols many times.

Given our similar work environments, it's harder not to run into them.

But right after our debut, with so many women around us already, it was more important to focus on work than to pay attention to girls.

And today, that old memory resurfaced.

Because of the giggling of the 'Jellynyang' members, the pro idols.

'They're so pretty. Incredibly pretty. Is this what healing feels like? I feel increasingly sorry for Joo-ah. I should treat her better from now on.'

The Jellynyang group chatted and laughed with us for a while before coolly heading off to get their hair done when called by the staff.

We were left with racing hearts, trying to calm ourselves down.

"This is the first time I've seen the Jellynyang up close, and they're incredibly pretty."

"My heart feels like it's going to burst."

"Their voices sound like jewels rolling."

"They're so kind even though they're stars. They really do have good personalities, just like the rumors say."

The broadcasting world is a collection of rumors.

All sorts of rumors circulate, and they always mix truth and lies.

Believing all rumors is as foolish as not believing any.

It's a truly contradictory space.

"The fact that they talked to rookies like us so kindly means the rumors are true. Ah! I should have gotten their autograph. Would it be too much to ask now?"

"They're getting their hair done, so it might be a bit much to ask."

Girls often don't like being seen while getting their hair done.

They tend to flip their hair around and expose their foreheads.

"Let's ask when we see them at the broadcasting station."

"Ugh, it's a shame, but we can't help it. We don't have paper or a pen right now."

The members reluctantly let go of their disappointment.

Meanwhile, our manager arrived and loaded us into the van.

I was belatedly searching for information about Jellynyang on my phone.

The members seemed to know them, but I didn't, so I was secretly looking them up.

With our manager present, the members couldn't talk about girls, so they busied themselves with their own tasks.

'What? They're this famous? I've heard their songs before.'

Walking around, you naturally hear songs, and Jellynyang's songs were among those I had heard often.

Every time they released a song, it topped the charts, and their individual activities were also hugely successful.

'If I had said I didn't know them, it would have been a big deal. Not knowing them is strange.'

The idol group Jellynyang, with a name that sounds like a elementary school snack, is so famous in our country that not knowing them is strange!

That's how I became curious about the group Jellynyang and dove into the sea of information.

Their songs, the size of their fandom, concert fancams, music videos, live performances, and more.

'I'm getting hooked!!!! It brings back memories.'

Falling into a fandom is truly scary.

I experienced it in the military and thought I had escaped it on the day I was discharged.

But I was hit by the cold reality of society!

'I should stop now. I might fall into the fandom again.'

If I had lived an ordinary life, I wouldn't have been able to talk to Jellynyang as 'colleagues.'

Being a fan and being a colleague makes a big difference in building relationships.

'Being an idol might not be so bad.'

With people around you saying you're great and showing interest, you can't keep thinking, 'I hate being an idol!'

Being an idol is by no means an easy job, and in some ways, it's even harder than an ordinary office job.

While office jobs also require many skills, the entertainment industry demands even more, and it's a tough environment to survive in.

'Both are hard, but if I had to choose between the two, I think I'd choose being an idol.'

Why?

It's not because being an idol is easier.

'Being an idol offers more opportunities to make a lot of money if you have the skills!!'

Originally, the most important thing in life is money.

In that sense, if you work hard as an idol and manage your money well, you can have a comfortable retirement.

'I have a family to support, so I need to work hard and earn money. If I don't take care of my woman, who will? Besides, there are these little perks.'

Let's work hard, idol!!

With a renewed love for my job, the exciting event at the salon came to an end.

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