NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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“Maybe if there are five people, it could mean the members increased…?”
“There were a few trainees they used to practice with before…”
└ “If they suddenly bring someone we don’t even know as a member, I’m not sure… ;”
└ “Bringing in a trainee seems unlikely. Moncle has been around for six years now…”
└ “Hmm… We’ll have to see to know for sure.”
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***
Haerang and Jun-hae headed to the practice room side by side.
It was morning, and Haerang, feeling tired, yawned and stretched.
“Are you tired?”
“A little.”
“Is Han-yi really that noisy?”
“You know, since you were in the same room.”
Recently, due to various preparations, their exercise time has increased.
Therefore, Han-yi couldn’t be solely blamed for the tiredness, but it wasn’t inaccurate to say he wasn’t noisy either.
“No. I can sleep well even if it’s noisy.”
Jun-hae had teased about the noise when they rearranged the rooms, but other than being disturbed while studying, Han-yi wasn’t that noisy for Jun-hae.
He had just wanted to try moving because there was an empty room.
Maybe Haerang had more sensitive hearing than Jun-hae, or perhaps Han-yi had been holding back his words for the youngest until then.
“If you’re tired, do you want to escape to my room?”
Jun-hae shook his head before Haerang could answer.
“No. Let’s not do that. It’d be pitiful for Han-yi.”
“…….”
Woohyung was sharing a room with Jae Min at Jae Min’s request, so if Haerang gave up being Han-yi’s roommate, Han-yi would be left alone.
Imagining that pitiful scene, they decided against it.
Talking about such trivial things, they encountered a group of trainees in the hallway.
The trainees, who had been noisily chatting among themselves, fell silent when they made eye contact with the two.
Some of the looks seemed disapproving.
As they passed by, the trainees began whispering again.
“Did you see that? I think they glared at me.”
“Well, they’re still seniors. Be quiet.”
“Hehe.”
Whether the whispers were heard because the hallway was quiet or if they were meant to be overheard, the murmurs reached the two’s ears.
Even as they walked by, the trainees continued talking.
“Could you have been a recruitment candidate too? You were a debut team candidate before.”
Rumors among the trainees seemed to suggest that the vacancy left by Yunhwan might be filled.
Although Jae Min, the former member, had returned, some trainees might still have hoped for a chance.
Haerang and Jun-hae didn’t enjoy hearing their group’s business from others but chose to ignore it to avoid causing trouble.
“It’s better to endure as a trainee a bit longer than join a failed group.”
However, one particularly grating comment was heard clearly.
“Hah. Which bastard said that……!”
As Jun-hae turned to confront them, Haerang reached out to block him.
With a fierce look in his eyes, Haerang stood in front of the trainees.
“Hey.”
***
Upon hearing that a fight seemed to be brewing between Monochrome members and trainees, I rushed out of the office.
Apparently, an employee had noticed the tense atmosphere and came to inform me.
It was a good sign that the staff immediately thought of and called for me regarding Monochrome matters, implying they recognized me as the person in charge.
‘What am I, their homeroom teacher?!’
I hadn’t expected to be called for something like this. Fights, like in high school? Really?
I couldn’t physically intervene in an actual fight, so I brought Secretary Choi along.
As we descended to the floor where the members and trainees were reportedly seen, the hallway was unexpectedly quiet.
Wondering if we were in the wrong place, we wandered around until we sensed movement from one of the conference rooms.
Peeking through the glass window of the door, I saw Jun-hae.
“I’m sorry!”
What was happening?
Haerang and Jun-hae were sitting, and a trainee was bending over almost in a 90-degree bow, apologizing to the two.
Being trainees, they were flexible… No, wait!
“What’s going on?”
“Director.”
Haerang and Jun-hae looked troubled as they saw me enter.
Despite rumors of a fight, it seemed the situation had already been resolved.
None of them were hurt, and from the looks of it, there had been an argument rather than a physical fight.
“When the seniors were passing by, I called their group a failed one……. I didn’t mean it. I should have been careful with my words… No, I should have been careful with my thoughts too, but feeling stagnant made me anxious and I ended up blaming others. I’m sorry!”
Before Haerang and Jun-hae could explain, the trainee poured out an explanation of his wrongdoing.
‘Failed group…….’
I was stunned by his confession, but Secretary Choi quietly whispered to me.
“This is trainee Kim Do-han. He was mentioned as a potential member before Monochrome’s debut but was excluded at the last moment.”
“…….”
Ding. My head throbbed.
My misdeeds were endless.
Not just after the group’s formation but even before, I had been causing problems.
When the game started, there were more than five trainees, and Monochrome was formed by selecting five from them.
I had been deliberating over the balance of the group’s abilities, which was the problem.
I had included him, then excluded him, then reconsidered, then excluded him again.
My thoughtless actions had left behind a “trainee who endured false hopes of debut only to never make it.”
‘And that trainee is him.’
In the game, trainees didn’t stay permanently once they joined the company; they left after a while or were automatically replenished. I hadn’t paid attention because of that.
But I never imagined… that a trainee from Monochrome’s formation days would still be here.
“Because of my inferiority complex, I harbored ill feelings. I’m sorry. I’ll be careful with my words and actions from now on.”
“Well, if you’ve realized it, I don’t have anything more to say…….”
Jun-hae’s expression softened a bit in response to the repeated apologies.
It seemed Do-han’s heart had been unsettled due to the recent changes in Monochrome’s lineup.
Haerang and Jun-hae, having gone through their trainee periods and debut themselves, understood his feelings and couldn’t bring themselves to criticize him further.
“Are you guys okay now? Did you feel properly apologized to?”
“Yes.”
Although there were things left unsaid, it seemed they decided to accept the apology given the sincerity of Do-han’s remorse.
“That’s good, then. Haerang and Jun-hae, you can leave if you have things to do. I have something to discuss for a moment.”
Do-han bowed his head again towards the two as they left.
I also sent Secretary Choi back to his post, leaving just the two of us in the conference room.
“I’m sorry……”
Do-han apologized to me as well. How many times had I heard him say sorry in this short period?
He was wrong to say such things in the first place, but his constant apologies made it hard to scold him.
Besides, I hadn’t kept him behind to scold him.
“How long have you been with this company?”
“A little over six and a half years.”
As I expected, it had been a long time……
“I’m sorry, but we currently have no plans to launch a new boy group. And it will likely remain that way for some time.”
“Yes……”
Do-han visibly drooped at my words.
I was too busy managing Monochrome to launch a new boy group, and there were no signs from the production team either.
Even our subsidiary label Newrain was focused on Iris, so it seemed there would be no new boy group for a while.
I couldn’t have him waste his youth here without any promise.
“If it’s okay with you, I can help you find another agency.”
“Am I being kicked out because I did something wrong?”
“No. If you genuinely reflect on this incident, let’s consider it forgotten.”
From the way he spoke, it seemed he understood his mistake clearly.
“I’m not kicking you out. I’m looking for a place where you’ll have better opportunities.”
Having been with one company for so long, he seemed not to fully grasp this.
Fearing he might think I was just saying this to get rid of him, I added more.
“You’ll do well wherever you go. Truly.”
Though I hadn’t seen his skills firsthand, he had been the longest-standing trainee at Newma.
His perseverance to endure so long in such a company was truly commendable. With that grit, he could achieve anything.
I noticed Do-han’s lips twitching, trying to hide his expression.
“Why?”
“It’s just the first time I’ve heard something like that.”
He scratched his cheek, smiling shyly. Seeing him smile……
‘What have I done to such a young kid…….’
He was indeed young by societal standards. Moreover, despite his previously rigid expression, he looked like a student when he smiled.
I had probably been conflicted over the younger members when forming Monochrome. He was likely Jun-hae’s age.
He hadn’t heard such words even once during his long time as a trainee.
This environment could indeed erode confidence, both for the members and trainees like him.
“……I mean it sincerely.”
Though my thinking was game-centered, even if I couldn’t directly train him, his abilities would still improve with effort.
After our conversation, he bowed deeply again, saying, “Thank you!”
Later, I asked Secretary Choi to help find him another agency, and soon, Do-han transferred.
Before he left the company, he came to see me again to say goodbye.
I don’t know if what I did deserves such gratitude since I was merely cleaning up my past mistakes……
I hoped this would be the end of my past misdeeds. Please!
***
(Epilogue)
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“Did you guys see this? I found it while searching.”
“It’s a group that debuted recently, and one of them mentioned Monochrome in an interview. I got the snippet from SNS.”
[Q. Who is the senior you respect the most?
A. The members of Monochrome.
There was a time when I felt despair due to my prolonged trainee period. I even strayed, thinking maybe being a singer wasn’t my path. At that time, the seniors gave me sincere advice with great tolerance, which made me feel ashamed and helped me refocus.
Thanks to their guidance and support from the company, I gained the courage to continue pursuing my dream. I want to emulate their unwavering presence despite difficulties. I even bought the seniors’ recent album, and I got Haerang’s photocard, which I keep like a charm…… (Editor’s note: More praise followed, but due to space constraints, we had to cut it short.)]
└ “Haha, he must have been a Newma trainee.”
└ “What’s with keeping Haerang’s photocard as a charm? Haha.”
└ “Our guys gave advice ㅠㅠ”
└ “Even the cut part is long? Haha.”
└ “I think the person who was in front of me at the album event recently was this guy. He was wearing a hat and mask, but his hair color was exactly like in the picture; it’s so unique, I’m sure it wasn’t a regular person.”
└ “Really?”
└ “For real;”