The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut Chapter 44

“Pardon?”

 

What did he mean, what was I going to do….

 

What on earth was he talking about?

 

“W-Wait a moment. Please give me some time to think.”

 

Kim Junwoo readily nodded his head. 

 

‘So… he means if I become the center for Winter Boys, he’ll give me Jiyu’s contact info?’

 

No, what kind of ridiculous—absolutely not. Absolutely.

 

If I were going to be center, I would’ve given it to Han Theo or Yoo Sung instead, or even Kang Haesoo who actually wanted to be center.

 

I had no justification to be the center.

 

Yet, Jiyu’s contact information was also desperately needed.

 

‘Though I bragged in front of Seo Yijae that I’d solve it somehow…’

 

To put it frankly, if Seo Yijae couldn’t overcome his trauma, I’d have to consider another method. 

 

Like changing the person in charge of the arrangement, or changing the center….

 

‘Ah, my head is going to explode.’

 

Phew.

 

I let out a heavy sigh that boiled up from deep within my chest.

 

“Have you decided?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I decided not to overthink it. 

 

I simply decided to act according to what my heart dictated. 

 

“I’m sorry, but I will decline your offer.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Because Yijae Hyung being the center is more important than Composer Jiyu’s contact information.”

 

I could do without Jiyu’s contact info.

 

No, not that I could truly do without it—I really needed it, but… I could give it up.

 

I could somehow get it by asking someone other than Kim Junwoo, or by finding another way.

 

‘I can find a way, right…?’

 

I glared at Kim Junwoo’s trouser pocket where his phone was kept.

 

When Jiyu’s contact info was right before my eyes.

 

I squeezed my eyes shut and barely shook off the temptation.

 

“Please pretend you never heard my request.”

 

I bowed my head and turned around.

 

“Hold on a second.” 

 

Kim Junwoo stopped me as I tried to walk right out of the judges’ lounge.

 

“Catch.”

 

Kim Junwoo tossed something toward me with a flick of his wrist.

 

Flustered, I fumbled around before barely catching it. 

 

What Kim Junwoo had thrown was none other than a phone.

 

The phone he had shown me earlier.

 

“W-Why this….” 

 

I couldn’t grasp the situation immediately.

 

I stared blankly at Kim Junwoo’s phone sitting helplessly on my hand. 

 

“I’ll lend it to you.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“You said you needed it. Jiyu Noona’s contact info is in there. The password is 1125. Nexus’s debut date.”

 

“Wait… what?”

 

“It’s a secondary phone, so it’s fine. Ah, don’t get caught, though. It’ll be troublesome if people find out I lent my phone to a trainee.” 

 

Whether I was flustered or not, Kim Junwoo didn’t care and just rattled off everything he had to say in a rapid burst.

 

“Um… I’m not going to be the center, though?”

 

“I know. Trainee Kim Chowol said you wouldn’t.”

 

“Then why are you lending this to me?”

 

“You don’t want it?”

 

“No, it’s not that I don’t want it, but….”

 

In case he went back on his word later.

 

Of course, it didn’t seem likely Kim Junwoo would pull such a petty trick.

 

Or would he?

 

He had a bit of a mean streak, so you never knew.

 

“Trainee Kim Chowol sure is suspicious.” 

 

“Mm….”

 

I couldn’t exactly deny it.

 

Throughout my dozens of regressions, I had never once seen Kim Junwoo play favorites with a specific trainee.

 

Yet right now, anyone could see that Kim Junwoo was giving me special treatment.

 

Kim Junwoo’s secondary phone sitting on my hand looked just like a poisoned chalice. 

 

“Tattle on me.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Tattle on me, I said. To the PD.”

 

“About what…?”

 

“If I do anything shady to Trainee Kim Chowol under the pretext of lending you this secondary phone, go tattle to PD Jang.”

 

Is he egging me on to snitch on him right now?

 

No, seriously, what kind of ridiculous person is this?

 

“I don’t mean you should actually tattle. It’s just my way of saying don’t worry.”

 

“Ah, yes….”

 

“Anyway, don’t worry too much. I truly lent it to you out of pure intentions.”

 

Kim Junwoo sat back down on the sofa.

 

“Honestly, I knew Trainee Kim Chowol would refuse.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Even in my opinion, it’s only right that someone from Winter Boys takes the center for Winter Boys… that song.”

 

If he knew I would refuse and was going to give me the contact info anyway, why did he even make that offer?

 

I grumbled inwardly.

 

“Trainee Kim Chowol probably thought the same as me. That the picture PD Jang wants… is a Winter Boys member becoming the center.”

 

Ugh.

 

Hit right where it hurt, I squeezed my eyes shut.

 

“Anyway, make good use of the burner phone and return it.”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

“I’ll be looking forward to the stage.”

 

Leaning back against the sofa, Kim Junwoo gave me a light wave of his hand.

 

I bowed my head and left the judges’ lounge.

 

*    *    *

 

The place I was in right now was the restroom reserved exclusively for the judges. 

 

With no cameras and hardly anyone using it, it was extremely quiet.

 

“Phew….”

 

Sitting on the toilet, I took a slow, deep breath.

 

Tap, tap, tap.

 

Shaking my leg roughly, I glared at Kim Junwoo’s secondary phone in my hand. 

 

“He said the password was… 1125.”

 

Having made up my mind, I entered the password Kim Junwoo had given me.

 

The phone unlocked immediately.

 

“Seriously a crazy guy….”

 

Not only giving his burner phone to a mere trainee, but casually handing over the password too.

 

Intending to contact Jiyu right away, I scrolled down through the contacts.

 

Names of idols, actors, and entertainers that any Korean would recognize flashed past rapidly.

 

A chill ran down my spine, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

 

‘Doesn’t he realize what I could do with these numbers? No, no… stop thinking about it. How could an ordinary person like me know what a lunatic is thinking?’

 

Without casting so much as a glance at the other contacts, I directly tapped Jiyu’s contact info.

 

—Rrrring, rrrring.

 

The continuous ringing tone cut off abruptly.

 

[“Yes, hello.”]

 

“Hello.”

 

A slightly husky female voice came through.

 

[“Um… who is this? This is Junwoo’s phone, though….”]

 

When I greeted her, the woman on the other end was flustered.

 

“Uh, I borrowed Junwoo Sunbaenim’s phone to contact you. My name is Kim Chowol. I’m an idol trainee.”

 

[“A trainee? Junwoo lent his phone to a trainee?”]

 

“Yes, haha….”

 

Jiyu confirmed once again, as if she couldn’t believe it.

 

[“Now that’s truly bizarre. For Junwoo to lend his phone to a trainee, of all people, when he wouldn’t even lend it to his own members.”]

 

Only after I said “Yes, yes. He lent it to me” about five times did Jiyu finally accept reality.

 

[“Trainee Kim Chowol? I’ll just call you Chowol-ssi. What did you contact me for, Chowol-ssi? Going so far as to borrow your sunbaenim’s phone.”]

 

“Winter Boys… you know them, right?”

 

Because too much time had been delayed already, I got straight to the point.

 

[“Winter Boys… of course I know them.”]

 

“I’m contacting you because I wanted to ask about Winter Boys’ debut song, Winter Boys.”

 

I swallowed hard.

 

It was impossible to predict how Jiyu would react. 

 

She might readily grant my request, or she might call me insolent and hang up immediately.

 

‘As long as it’s not the worst-case scenario, as long as it’s not the worst….’

 

Namely, the case where Jiyu and Hwang Minwoo were accomplices.

 

Jiyu might have actively cooperated in Hwang Minwoo ruining Seo Yijae’s song.

 

[“What is it you want to ask?”]

 

“I’m curious about what happened between the two sunbaenims, Seo Yijae and Hwang Minwoo, when working on Winter Boys.”

 

[“Seo Yijae and Hwang Minwoo… it’s been a while since I heard those names, too.”]

 

Jiyu seemed to reminisce about past memories for a moment.

 

[“Why are you curious about that?”]

 

“That’s….”

 

[“Hard to answer, right? Well, if you could explain the situation, you would have already.”]

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

[“There’s no need to be sorry. It’s just… I’ve kept worrying about it too.”] 

 

“Pardon?”

 

[“About Yijae, I mean. Seo Yijae.”]

 

The moment I heard Seo Yijae’s name, I secretly let out a sigh of relief.

 

At the very least, the probability of Jiyu and Hwang Minwoo being accomplices seemed low.

 

[“Seeing as you only mentioned Yijae and Minwoo, just those two, it seems you roughly know what happened.”]

 

“Yes. I understand that Hwang Minwoo Sunbaenim ruined Seo Yijae Sunbaenim’s song.”

 

[“That’s right.”]

 

Jiyu replied firmly.

 

Hearing the confirmation felt somewhat relieving, yet simultaneously unsettling.

 

[“Ruined… yes, that was definitely ruining it. Yes, he ruined it for sure.”]

 

“What exactly happened?”

 

[“Hmm, where should I even begin explaining this….”]

 

After pondering for a moment, Jiyu cautiously began her story.

 

[“Everything… started from Minwoo’s greed.”]

 

*    *    *

 

Hwang Minwoo was full of greed.

 

The reason he became an idol trainee was greed as well.

 

Flawless looks, money, popularity, and prestige.

 

The idols sparkling brightly inside the TV possessed everything Hwang Minwoo wanted. 

 

Yet Hwang Minwoo lacked talent compared to his greed.

 

His face was closer to an actor’s than an idol’s, and his singing and dancing skills weren’t particularly remarkable either.

 

Nor did he possess flair or charm, let alone any extraordinary ability.

 

‘F*ck….’

 

A small-to-mid agency he barely passed an audition for.

 

Through bloody effort, he barely managed to make it into the debut lineup, but Hwang Minwoo was gradually hitting his limit.

 

‘What kind of group name is Winter Boys, seriously, Winter Boys….’

 

How could he even show his face in public with such embarrassment?

 

The agency’s CEO had no sense, and the staff were puppets who only did as the CEO commanded.

 

If the CEO hadn’t gotten involved in practical operations, and if there had been at least a few proper employees. 

 

At least the group’s name and concept wouldn’t have ended up in this state.

 

‘I’m really f*cked, seriously.’

 

He could already see Winter Boys’ future.

 

In order for Hwang Minwoo, whose visuals and skills were both ambiguous, to succeed, his only option was to ride the coattails of the group’s popularity.

 

At this rate, they would undoubtedly sink together.

 

“I hear self-producing idols are popular these days….”

 

With the success of Nexus, self-producing was a raging craze in K-pop right now.

 

The general atmosphere was to give groups a second look as long as they were labeled self-producing.

 

Of course, if the song was mediocre, it would only shine briefly at the start before tumbling straight downhill.

 

‘Is there someone in our debut lineup who can compose… hm, no.’

 

If the group succeeded because another member did well, that would make his stomach churn with jealousy in its own right.

 

Thinking he needed to ride the group’s popularity to succeed, yet hating the thought of the group succeeding thanks to another member.

 

It was a contradictory mindset.

 

Yet Hwang Minwoo didn’t think he was wrong or wicked.

 

‘The group is the group, but me doing well is what matters most.’

 

Still, having the title of a self-producing idol seemed like it would be nice….

 

While he lay on the practice room floor thinking for a long time.

 

An unfamiliar melody drifted in from somewhere.

 

“Huh?”

 

At the charming melody that instantly caught his ear, Hwang Minwoo snapped his eyes open.

 

“Uh… S-Sorry. Minwoo Hyung….”

 

Seo Yijae, sitting with his back pressed flat against the practice room wall, was holding an MP3 player.

 

Because the earphones weren’t plugged in properly, the played song had leaked out.

 

“Did you wake up because of me? I’m so sorry….”

 

“You….”

 

Seo Yijae apologized to Hwang Minwoo, thoroughly flustered.

 

Hwang Minwoo looked back and forth between Seo Yijae and the MP3 player he held.

 

As if Hwang Minwoo was still unfamiliar and awkward to him, Seo Yijae kept watching his expression nervously.

 

“What was that just now?”

 

The corners of Hwang Minwoo’s mouth curled up slowly.

 

Right before a greedy predator, a delicious prey named Seo Yijae had fallen.