Chapter 32: A Long-Awaited Face App Live

“Hyung.”

– Yeah, Eun-chan.

“Shouldn’t you be filming right now?”

Before anything else, Shim Eun-chan wanted to make sure Kim Hyuin was actually in a position where he could talk.

Kim Hyuin laughed at the question.

– If I were filming, I wouldn’t have answered.
– Eun-chan, I miss you.
– The set feels so empty without you.

The sudden comment caught him off guard, and Eun-chan hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond.

Kim Hyuin was such a naturally sociable person that things like this happened quite often.

From the other end of the phone, he could hear people teasing Kim Hyuin and telling him to knock it off again.

Well, even on set, Kim Hyuin had always taken especially good care of him.

Even the staff had joked about whether they were secretly brothers.

Judging by the noise in the background, he seemed to be with other people.

Maybe filming preparations had been delayed and everyone was taking a short break.

For a brief moment, Eun-chan found himself missing that atmosphere.

It was different from being with B the 1, yet equally warm.

When he asked how everyone else was doing, Kim Hyuin told him to talk to them directly and handed his phone around one person at a time.

Without any prior warning, Eun-chan ended up exchanging greetings with several lead and supporting cast members.

Eventually, it seemed Kim Hyuin got the phone back.

– Hello?
– It’s me again, Eun-chan—

Eun-chan let out a helpless laugh.

“When’s the final shoot?”
“I should come that day too.”

– Ah.
– I’ll check and let you know.
– I think the schedule might change a little.

“Really?”
“Then you have to tell me once it’s finalized.”

Kim Hyuin laughed as he listened to Eun-chan practically demanding a promise.

– Got it.
– I was worried I’d bothered someone who was supposed to be resting, but that’s a relief.
– Get some rest now.
– You’ve worked hard.

“Come on, that’s not right.”
“If it’s a call from you, hyung, it’s always welcome.”
“Shouldn’t you be getting back to filming now?”

After exchanging a few more words, Eun-chan ended the call and sat up.

He had to start preparing for their comeback.

His body was exhausted and aching, but there was no time to rest.

And honestly, being too busy to rest was a blessing.

It was several times better than lying around all day counting the patterns on the ceiling wallpaper because he had nothing to do.

Just spending each day meaningfully felt wonderful.

“…Ugh.”

Even so, muscle soreness was unavoidable.

A groan escaped him as he rubbed his arm.

Just as he was heading out of his room, the door opened and he came face-to-face with Do Jun-seo.

“You woke up at the perfect time.”
“I was coming to wake you.”
“Eat first, then let’s go practice.”

After breakfast, the members headed straight to the practice room.

Since Eun-chan hadn’t been able to properly participate in group practice for quite a while, the members first ran through the choreography themselves so he could check it.

Everyone’s movements matched perfectly.

And Hyun Woo-young, despite joining later than everyone else, displayed an astonishing ability to master choreography.

Even though he was doing the exact same arm movements and steps, something felt different.

Watching him, Eun-chan found himself silently impressed.

His gaze shifted toward Moon Se-byeol.

Woo-young was undoubtedly comparable to Se-byeol, the best dancer in the team.

But the feeling they gave off was completely different.

If Se-byeol’s style was powerful and precise, Woo-young danced with relaxed confidence, riding the rhythm naturally.

Either way, both of them were exceptionally good.

Eun-chan watched almost entranced until Se-byeol finished performing the entire song and approached him.

Se-byeol placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Then shall we try running through the choreography together now, Eun-chan?”

The bright smile on Se-byeol’s face didn’t seem quite as innocent as it appeared.

And that definitely wasn’t his imagination.

“Good work today, Eun-chan.”

Moon Se-byeol patted his shoulder.

It seemed he still felt bad about all the corrections he’d made during practice.

“You worked hard too, hyung.”

Eun-chan smiled.

Se-byeol smiled back and ruffled his hair.

Correcting someone every single time instead of simply letting things slide required effort too.

After leaving the practice room, the members began heading back to the dorm.

As Eun-chan turned toward the company building instead, Jung Min-yu called out to him from behind.

“I’m going to do a Face App live today.”

“Got it.”
“Go let them know.”
“I’ll wait.”

“No.”
“You must be tired too, hyung.”
“Go ahead first.”
“I’ll catch up soon.”

The members didn’t argue further.

After telling him to be careful, they continued on their way.

Eun-chan headed to the company and informed them that he would do a Face App broadcast after dinner.

In return, he received the company tablet.

Since debut, they had always been told never to use personal phones for Face App broadcasts and to use company devices instead.

For famous groups, concerns about hacking made sense.

But B the 1 hardly had that problem.

He had always wondered why the company was so strict about it.

Still, it wasn’t particularly inconvenient, so he followed the rule without complaint.

After handing over the tablet, the manager asked,

“What are you planning to do on Face App?”

“Nothing special.”
“Just a life update, I guess.”
“The drama promotions seem to have started too.”

“Hmm.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“I’m sure you’ll handle it well.”

Eun-chan knew exactly what the manager was worried about.

Lee Hae-min’s withdrawal.

This wasn’t like the Idol Olympics recording where participants had been selected beforehand.

Anyone could enter Face App.

Anyone could type in the chat.

That was probably what worried him.

Still, it was something they would have to face eventually.

They couldn’t avoid Face App forever.

“Our FamFams are nice.”
“You don’t need to worry too much.”

Watching Eun-chan answer so casually, the manager finally laughed.

When he returned to the dorm, a long line of people was waiting to shower.

He wanted to wash up immediately, but being late was his own fault.

So he quietly waited his turn.

His eyes kept closing from fatigue, but there was no way he could go to sleep without showering first.

He pulled out his phone.

Opening Nutube, he started watching a channel run by someone who raised cats.

Apparently Blackie had given birth to kittens.

That seemed to be the big news.

After watching the tiny, barely-furred newborn kittens for a while, he switched to a mukbang channel famous for a host who silently ate enormous amounts of food.

“Eun-chan hyung, it’s your turn.”

Around then, Hyun Woo-young entered the room and informed him that the bathroom was finally free.

As Eun-chan stood up, Woo-young asked,

“What were you watching?”

“Just random stuff.”

“What were you watching just now?”

“Just now?”
“A mukbang.”

Woo-young’s expression immediately became strange.

Wondering what was wrong, Eun-chan looked at him.

Woo-young opened his mouth with a genuinely puzzled expression.

“It’s just…”
“You barely eat.”
“So I was surprised you watch mukbangs.”

“Watching and eating are completely different things.”

“…”

Woo-young still looked unconvinced.

Since there was absolutely no reason to make him understand, Eun-chan headed straight for the bathroom.

After washing off the sweat and shampooing his hair, he finally felt human again.

Drying his wet hair with a towel, he joined the members for dinner before returning to his room.

“Jun-seo.”
“I’m going to do a Face App live.”

“Today?”
“I’m skipping today.”
“Want me to leave?”

“I don’t mind.”
“But it’d probably be uncomfortable for you.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”

“Okay.”

If Eun-chan moved to the living room instead, all the members would end up inconvenienced.

So it was naturally decided that Jun-seo would leave the room.

For a moment, Eun-chan reflected on how long it had been since he’d last done a Face App broadcast.

Taking a deep breath, he launched the app.

He checked his appearance in the mirror and tidied himself up.

After briefly considering a title, he created the room under:

[It’s Been A While, Right? It’s Eun-chan]

Notifications must have gone out because fans immediately began entering.

“Hello.”
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“It’s Eun-chan.”

Eun-chan waved at the camera.

OMG

OMG

No way

Who is that?

Who?

Who is it?

OMG

It’s Eun-chan

ChanChan!

It’s been forever since a Face App liveㅠㅠㅠㅠ

It’s Eun-chan! Long time no see! ♥♥♥♥

Eun-chanㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

The chat was filled with fans happy to see him again after so long.

And mixed among them were fans who clearly disliked seeing him appear.

One person repeatedly posted:

Sending the maknae away and you’re not panicking? lol

They kept posting the same message over and over.

They knew he would see it.

That was exactly why they were doing it.

In the past, every single message like that would have bothered him.

They felt like tiny thorns embedding themselves beneath his skin.

He could never fully hide his reaction.

But now?

He could simply think, ‘I see.’

And move on.

Was that because his Mental stat was now SS-rank?

The feeling was honestly fascinating.

Some fans told the person to stop.

Others ignored them entirely and continued chatting normally.

The chat window scrolled rapidly.

Eun-chan spoke calmly.

“Our FamFams have all been doing well, right?”
“As for me…”
“If I remember correctly, the broadcast schedule announcement should be out by now.”

“Thankfully, I was given a wonderful opportunity and participated in A Summer Night Where Crescent Moons Bloom Like Sky Flowers as Yeonun.”

The chat instantly exploded.

OMG

No way

Seriously?

The screen became flooded with reactions.

Most people were shocked that Eun-chan had challenged himself with acting.

Which made perfect sense.

He had never shown any signs of pursuing acting before.

“It was truly an honor to work with such wonderful people.”
“I learned so much.”

“Mm?”

“You’re congratulating me in advance for becoming an actor-idol?”

“Hahaha.”

“Thank you.”
“That would be wonderful.”

“I really worked hard.”
“Please make sure to watch it.”

Afterward, Eun-chan casually chatted about everyday life.

As the broadcast continued, viewer count rose to just under one thousand people, while the number of hearts reached around three thousand.

Compared to other idols, those numbers were small.

But compared to the past, they were significant for Eun-chan.

It was probably because this was his first Face App broadcast since Lee Hae-min’s departure.

“The other members?”
“We just finished practice and everyone is resting now.”

“I’m in my room.”

“What am I doing in my room?”

“Haha.”

“I’m meeting with our FamFams, of course.”

“Yes, everyone’s eating well.”

“You all need to make sure you eat properly too.”

Since Eun-chan wasn’t responding, most of the people posting insults and sarcastic remarks had either stopped or left.

But there were still a few stubborn individuals who remained and continued posting the same messages repeatedly.