NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Chapter 26
‘Wow, when he is around me, I can’t think clearly.’
Hyoyoung took a deep breath before entering her classroom. She spotted her best friend Mikyung, so she went straight to her.
“Good morning!”
At Hyoyoung’s energetic greeting, Mikyung looked up, looking tired. She replied, “What happened? Why are you so happy this morning? Are you wearing blush? Why are your cheeks so red?”
“I just had a good sleep last night, that’s all. You know how it is, good days and bad days; up and down; sunny then cloudy. So on and so forth.”
“Are you sure you aren’t bipolar or something? Or have multiple personality disorder? You need to get tested.”
“No need, I’m perfectly fine. So, anything new since I saw you yesterday?”
“Of course something happened! Look at me!”
“What? What’s going on?”
“You… you don’t go online to check The M fan café anymore, do you?”
“Umm… no. I’ve just been very busy lately, with so many things happening…”
“Fine. Look at this.”
Mikyung passed Hyoyoung her cell phone, which had an online post from the fan café on the screen. Hyoyoung looked at it in confusion, but as she read it her face became rigid.
Hyoyoung asked, “And this was written by the stylist?”
“Yeah. The problem is that even though what she claimed is ridiculous, the details of each member are… too accurate. And because of that, people are believing it. The M’s agency isn’t saying anything about it, and the CEO apparently is abroad right now…”
Listening to Mikyung’s explanation, Hyoyoung continued to read it. She became more and more worried.
***
The four guys at home were reading the same post that morning.
“So, this rumor is suggesting that we are… in love with each other?”
“Not all of us. It is saying that Jiwoo and Hyunsuk are together…”
“And Hyojun likes me… but I like someone else. A girl.”
“And that girl is… is saying that Kiwook is in love with Myunghee, right?”
Closing the laptop, Hyunsuk sat down on the sofa as he asked, “What is wrong with that girl Myunghee? And how is that she wrote such a logical and convincing post?”
“Is it possible that someone is behind that girl, orchestrating everything?”
“Yeah, it sounds like there is a professional writer behind this.”
“A writer?”
“Look at it. Read this part. It’s so well written that even I feel convinced that I like Jiwoo.”
“Oh no! I like girls so no, thank you. Never!”
“Oh, come on! That’s not the point!”
“Let’s focus! This post isn’t just a simple fanfic. The details of it… a lot of them are true, and the rest are very close to the truth because they are so vague and well written.”
“Could this be…”
“Hyojun, what is it? Did you figure it out?”
Hyojun turned to Hyunsuk with a suspicious look and accused, “Hey, Hyunsuk Lee! Is it you again?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“You just pulled a strange text prank on us yesterday; you even made it look like the text messages came from our CEO. Are you behind this online post as well?”
“No.”
“Fine, fine. If you say so, I believe you. So if it’s not Hyunsuk, who could it be?”
“Well, we have a live online show today, so we should mention this post and provide an explanation, right?”
“The problem is that there isn’t anything to explain. What do we even say to such ridiculous claims?”
The members argued with each other and they couldn’t come up with a solution. Then suddenly, Jiwoo’s cell phone rang loudly.
“Hello? Hello? Who?”
The three guys were still arguing loudly and Jiwoo gestured to them to be quiet. When they became silent and stared at him, Jiwoo returned to his phone and answered in a serious tone, “Hello, Myunghee.”
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
Jiwoo continued, “How did you find out my phone number?”
Jiwoo placed a finger on his lips, silently gesturing for everyone to remain quiet. He turned on the speaker function and placed his cell on the table. Myunghee’s voice filled Hyojun’s living room.
“Piece of cake. I want to meet you guys. I want to meet all of you without the masks.”
“Why?”
Myunghee hesitated before answering, “I have the right because I am the only one in the world who knows the true identities of you.”
***
The first time Hyojun decided to become an idol was when he was in grade 9.
He had always been interested in music and dance, so he knew his life would involve music in one way or another.
Then, one day he saw Kiwook playing his guitar and singing alone in an empty classroom. Hyojun walked up to him and sang with him, and that was the beginning. The two became popular in the school as a duo, and that was how Hyojun decided that he wanted to live the life of a musician.
When they entered high school, both of them went to audition for one of the top five entertainment agencies in the country. Kiwook and Hyojun had no problems passing the audition and they became trainees for the company.
Both of them kept this a secret from their own families and friends. They lied that they were going to study late at a study club, and this was how their double-life began. After school, Kiwook and Hyojun went to the agency to train their singing, dancing, and even learn foreign languages.
There were 10 trainees in the company, and it was a competitive process. The lessons were intense and those who couldn’t keep up were let go. Thankfully, Kiwook and Hyojun were born to be stars, but many of their peers were fired as time passed.
The trainees ranged from 12 to 21 years old, and the group was a mix of girls and boys. Everyone had big dreams, and some of them even lived in the dorm provided by the agency so they could focus 100% on becoming an idol.
Within this bunch, there was a group of three, one girl and two boys, that was created to make their debut in the near future. These trainees were the envy of everyone in the company.
But… the first problem in this agency started with this group.