Chapter 82: Rookies, Finally

[(Noob) Oh, NUAVE got a newbie board!]

[It’s cute that it’s called a newbie board.>. <]

[Comments]

Crazynyooㅠ Preparation is all done, now the kids just need to debutㅠㅠ

The official account opened and we got a newbie board, so exciting!

I love NUAVE!!

I came from the Wakers board! Congrats on the newbie board~~

↳ Thanks! I saw an article that Wakers is making a comeback too, let’s both hit it big!!

Speaking of the newbie board, what concept do you want for their debut song? Let’s pick from the Please Take Care of My Idol 2 contest songs!

↳ Villain or Time Killer!! Please!!

↳↳ *22* That suits the kids best

↳↳ *333* Definitely something super intense

↳ I want Over the Sky!

↳↳ Me too me tooㅠㅠ Since it’s the debut song, I hope they go for something that also has public appealㅠㅠ

↳↳↠ For public appeal, *222*

↳ ALL Time!!!

↳↳ *22* I’m hoping Randy Kim gives them the debut song lol

***

[Posts from staff who participated in NUAVE’s profile photo shoot, all leaving similar reviews.jpg]

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All posts highly praised all nine members for being very polite

[Comments]

Just from watching the show, you could tell the kids are all niceㅠㅠㅠㅠ

God NUAVEㅠㅠ + All the posts also commonly mention that the K-Stars kids are handsome lol

↳ The K-Stars class where even veteran industry staff are all amazedㄷㄷ

Makes me proud for no reason lol

Good looks house a healthy mind.

Even the show staff posted similar things after the live broadcast ended, saying the debut group kids are all nice and well-mannered and will do even better lol

Since not just one but multiple people posted like this, it must be genuineㅠㅠ The kids must have done really wellㅠㅠ

Wow amazing, I hope NUAVE does well!

Lol what rookie doesn’t act like that on their first schedule?

↳ Fr but the overhyping is excessive, excessive

↳ Lol would a rookie dare act rudely to staff? lol lol lol lol

Ugh, the viral marketing is so obvious.

↳ *22* Would staff really post like that in a row?.. lol

No, why are the comments on a nice post like this so negative?

I’m not a fan, but I can clearly see there are a lot of people trying to drag NUAVE down.

↳ *222* I didn’t watch the show, but I’ve felt it even since the broadcast.

***

[We’ll arrive around 6:30, so please come out and wait in advance~]

6:19 AM, Tuesday, June 20th.

After checking the text message from the K-Dream Entertainment employee and the time on his phone screen alternately, he lifted the bag he had already packed four days ago.

Only after taking one last look around his room in the world of [Please Take Care of My Idol], which now felt as familiar as his own home, did he slowly turn, open the door, and step outside.

“Good morning.”

As he got into the car that arrived exactly on time at 6:30, Kwak Jun-sung, who was already seated, waved and greeted him.

He sat down next to Jun-sung, and before he could even fasten his seatbelt, the car started moving again.

“I’m glad it got resolved quickly.”

Kwak Jun-sung whispered, quietly enough that the driver and front passenger couldn’t hear.

Given the current situation, the only topic that could be brought up like this was the assault rumor surrounding Please Take Care of My Idol PD Muk Sahyeon, so he nodded in agreement.

It was back when they were shooting their profile photos, anxious because of the rumors about PD Muk Sahyeon.

That day, ‘KMBS’, the broadcaster of the show, ‘K-Dream Entertainment’, NUAVE’s agency, and their parent company ‘JH M&E’ all simultaneously released statements denying the assault allegations and suspicions related to the show.

And that night, the writer of the exposé post, intimidated by the statement’s phrase “We will take strict legal action against the rumor spreaders,” posted an apology, admitting that they had fabricated everything as a joke.

Thus, the suspicions clinging to NUAVE were dispelled, and the very next day, the day before yesterday, they received a message from Team Leader Baek Ju-yeong of K-Dream Entertainment that the dorm move-in date had been set.

And that day was today.

“Seo-hu that bastard must be feeling better, right?”

He answered that since it was all proven to be a rumor, he probably was.

However, when they arrived at the designated spot a few tens of minutes later and Park Seo-hu got in the car, he was still deflated.

Kwak Jun-sung looked at him with a flustered expression, but he too had no idea why.

“Park Seo-hu, haven’t you heard the news yet?”

Eventually, Jun-sung spoke first.

When he told him that the Muk Sahyeon assault case had been revealed to be a rumor, Seo-hu answered that he already knew, then turned his gaze out the window.

“So why are you still so down?”

Jun-sung asked, frowning.

Seo-hu glanced at the back seat where they were sitting and muttered in a low voice.

“Only the PD’s rumor got resolved.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There are still plenty of people saying we’re the problem.”

At Seo-hu’s persistent words, Jun-sung pressed his fingers to his temple as if getting a headache.

Then he looked at him as if to ask, “What should we do?”

This time too, he shook his head, meaning he didn’t know.

“Those people who say that would have hated whatever we do anyway.

Just ignore it.”

It was a sentiment he agreed with, but it didn’t seem to get through to Seo-hu.

With his gaze still fixed out the window, Seo-hu muttered “Yeah” in a voice that felt utterly devoid of soul.

As a heavy silence fell between them, even the staff member in the front passenger seat glanced back at them.

They each stared quietly out the window for a long time until the car stopped in front of a certain apartment building.

“Hello.”

Soon the car door opened, and Yeo Hyun-tae got in with a greeting.

He sat down in the seat in front of him, then immediately turned his head and asked him if he had slept well.

He nodded in reply, but couldn’t help feeling self-conscious about Kwak Jun-sung sitting next to him.

Fortunately, Jun-sung seemed completely absorbed in Park Seo-hu’s issue and showed no interest in them.

“Is your body okay?”

Soon the car started moving again, and during the awkwardly heavy silence, Hyun-tae subtly leaned his head back and whispered to him.

“I’m fine.”

He answered immediately that he was fine, but truthfully, he wasn’t.

Having done such things with both Seo Jun-jae and Yeo Hyun-tae over the past few days, his waist and lower body were still sore.

Thank goodness there were no physically demanding schedules right now; if there had been a dance lesson, he would have been in serious trouble.

…Of course, that didn’t mean he could openly say he wasn’t fine.

It wasn’t a problem that could be solved by talking about it, and more than anything, it would only bring back memories of those days, which was even more embarrassing.

Ring ring-

Whether it was Park Seo-hu maintaining his heavy silence, Kwak Jun-sung watching Seo-hu’s mood, or Yeo Hyun-tae constantly checking on his physical condition, the situation was unbearably uncomfortable and awkward.

Fortunately, his phone rang at just the right moment.

Thinking he could naturally escape the current predicament, he hurriedly pressed the answer button.

[–Jae-seo hyung, we just arrived.

When are you guys coming?]

Had Lee Woo-rim’s loud voice ever been so welcome?

The voice, booming through the phone speaker and resonating even inside their car, broke the awkward, heavy silence.

“Not long.

About five or ten minutes?

I think we’ll be there by then.”

Judging by the way the K-Dream Entertainment staff member in the front passenger seat quickly answered the question before Woo-rim had even finished, it seemed the silence they had created was quite awkward for him as well, even if he hadn’t been able to say anything.

“He said we’ll arrive in about 5 to 10 minutes.”

As he relayed the staff’s answer to Woo-rim, a thought occurred to him.

“What about Seo Jun-jae?”

Both during the profile shoot the other day and today, they had split into two cars for convenience, grouping people whose homes were close together.

He, Kwak Jun-sung, Park Seo-hu, Yeo Hyun-tae, and Seo Jun-jae were supposed to be in this car, but Jun-jae hadn’t gotten in yet.

If they had to stop by his place first, it would definitely take much longer than 10 minutes, so the estimated arrival time would be different.

[–I’m already here.]

The answer to the question he had implicitly asked the staff member came from the other end of the line.

[–The dorm is close to my place.

So I came first.]

Ah, I see, he thought, nodding slightly.

But then an utterly bizarre comment followed.

[–Why?

Are you disappointed I came separately first?]

Unfortunately, the call volume was set quite high, so Jun-jae’s laugh-filled voice leaked out at a volume audible to everyone in the car.

As he belatedly pressed the button on the side of his phone to lower the volume,

[–Jae-seo, I miss you, so hurry up.]

Jun-jae’s voice was even louder than before.

Instead of pressing the lower button, he had mistakenly pressed the upper one.

[–Jun-jae hyung, don’t flirt with Jae-seo hyung on my phone!]

While the sounds of laughter from the other end of the line, following Woo-rim’s immediate joke, filled the phone, everyone on this side remained in a terrifying silence.

“Haha.”

Soon, an awkward laugh broke the silence.

Following the sound, he turned his head and met eyes with Kwak Jun-sung, who was forcing an awkward smile.

‘What’s your relationship with Seo Jun-jae?’

He had the illusion of hearing the same question Jun-sung had asked him before, as Jun-sung looked at him with a strange expression.

He slightly turned his head and let out a deep sigh, careful not to be noticed.

…He felt like he had one more problem to deal with.