I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed Chapter 69

Chapter 69

 

Kang I-yul was glad to see Yoo Seong-woo.

It had been a sudden addition, but Yoo Seong-woo was practically the team’s relief pitcher. Someone had arrived to fill the gap left when the main vocalist, Jung Eungyu, was eliminated.

“Welcome to our team, Seong-woo!”

Ji Dong-seok gave him an uproarious welcome.

“Crazy. You ended up coming to My girl after all.”

Kang I-yul’s ears perked up at Han Sang-yoon’s words.

“After all…?”

“Ah, we showed each other the choreography at the dorm.”

“Ah.”

As Kang I-yul nodded, a question suddenly crossed his mind.

‘Why did he show it to Sang-yoon hyung instead of me?’

He was the one who had practiced with him on the Adolescence team. He was also the one who had taught him the most choreography during that time.

Surely…

‘Does he feel uncomfortable around me?’

The thought suddenly occurred to him.

Ever since the accident, he kept worrying about him, feeling unnecessarily sorry and grateful. Had he unconsciously been putting pressure on him because of that?

After thinking for a moment, Kang I-yul reached a conclusion.

‘I should treat him even better.’

A debt had to be properly repaid. It was a vow not to become a burden to his benefactor, but to be someone who could help him.

“Should we start practicing right away?”

“Yeah. Oh, right, Seong-woo. Are you okay with being the main vocalist?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. No need to redistribute the parts, then…”

Ji Dong-seok let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah, but hyung. I want to suggest something.”

Just then, Yoo Seong-woo raised his hand.

“There’s a lyric that goes, ‘I’ll be your boy, will you be my girl.’”

“Yeah.”

“Campus boyfriend is nice too, but what if we went with something like a dating simulation game?”

“A dating simulation?”

“Each of us could take on a different type of boyfriend, and you get to choose them one by one.”

As expected, it was an unconventional idea.

“Oh~”

“That’s really good.”

“The concept is more distinct than just a campus boyfriend.”

Kang I-yul nodded once again.

As expected, there was no way to lose when you were on the same team as this hyung.

“Sounds good. Then we’ll go with that concept.”

Han Sang-yoon clapped his hands.

“Let’s start with choreography practice first. Seong-woo needs to learn the choreography too, so…”

Kang I-yul raised his hand high as if he had been waiting for this.

“I will! I’ll teach him.”

“I-yul?”

“Yes.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Good. This time, he would teach him properly.

“Please take care of me.”

“Yes, hyung. Ask me anything!”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes. Of course.”

But something was strange.

‘This hyung… why is he so skilled?’

“So like this… and then this?”

“Yes.”

“Okay~”

……That’s it?

The first movement was over in an instant. Kang I-yul blinked in confusion.

“Shall we move on to the next movement?”

“Ah…… yes.”

He couldn’t exactly force him to keep practicing it. He would only end up wasting practice time for no reason.

“Boom, da-da—boom-da—”

“Like this?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

He finished it in one go?

“And then turn here.”

“Like this?”

“Yes.”

“Ah-ha.”

Kang I-yul grew increasingly anxious.

‘Why is he so fast?’

Before, or rather, even just a little while ago.

He would have to explain something twenty times before he might succeed once.

“Hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“Did you really understand?”

“Yeah.”

“Already?”

“Yeah.”

‘This isn’t right…’

At this rate, they would finish quickly. Without him even getting a chance to repay his debt.

“Ah!”

Kang I-yul’s eyes lit up.

“This part is difficult.”

“Where?”

“Here.”

He knew perfectly well that it wasn’t difficult. Even so, he said it.

“Your arms and legs are on different beats.”

“Ahh.”

“It can be confusing.”

“I see.”

‘This time, I might be able to keep him here for a little longer.’

Kang I-yul immediately placed his hand on Yoo Seong-woo’s shoulder.

“Boom—da-da.”

He moved his arms.

“Boom-da-da—boom.”

He adjusted his legs too.

“Like this.”

Trying to force himself to stay close while teaching him made their reflection in the mirror look ridiculous.

Like a puppet with strings attached.

“Pfft.”

Yoo Seong-woo burst out laughing first.

“We look like Pinocchio and Geppetto right now.”

Kang I-yul ended up laughing too.

The anxiety from just a moment ago disappeared as if it had never existed.

“I guess you really did turn me into a person, I-yul.”

For some reason, those words sounded embarrassingly intimate.

“I’ll try dancing again.”

Yoo Seong-woo immediately started dancing.

He checked every single movement with hawk-like eyes, ready to correct him the moment he made even the slightest mistake.

But……

‘I’m screwed.’

He was even better than before.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Um….”

Kang I-yul desperately searched for something he had done wrong.

His arms? No.

His feet? Not that either.

His gaze? Nope.

Everything was correct. That was the problem.

“……I’ll teach you again.”

But he simply forced the issue.

“Oh, was I wrong?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

Where was it……?

“Um, the angle of your arm.”

His mouth moved before his brain could stop it. He regretted it the moment he said it.

“The angle of my arm?”

The angle of his arm? Wasn’t that an incredibly half-assed excuse?

“It needs to be bent a little more. Like this.”

“Hmm…”

When he adjusted his posture himself, Yoo Seong-woo stared intently at the mirror.

Had he figured it out?

“I guess you’re right.”

“Huh?”

“It’s definitely different.”

Kang I-yul was momentarily stunned.

……Really? Did he really fall for it? That pathetic lie?

“So I’m supposed to do it like this?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“…….”

“Thanks! I’ll practice a little more.”

Yoo Seong-woo walked over to the mirror alone.

“You should practice your part too.”

“I already did.”

The words came out reflexively.

“Still, practice it by yourself too.”

Kang I-yul obediently nodded.

“Show me just the second verse one last time before you go.”

“Yes…”

He watched for any sign that there was something else he could teach him, something he found difficult, or some chance that Yoo Seong-woo might ask him to explain it again.

He kept reading the situation over and over.

“Thanks.”

It was really over.

“Then I’ll practice too.”

“Okay.”

Kang I-yul swallowed his disappointment and returned to his spot.

But there was one thing he failed to notice.

Cheeks raised into round mounds, with a smile that looked ready to burst out at any moment.

Kang I-yul never realized.

That the person enjoying himself the most right now was Yoo Seong-woo.

 

***

 

Now that the concept had been decided as a dating simulation game, it was time to decide on each person’s character.

“Hyung is definitely the athletic boyfriend type.”

I pointed at Han Sang-yoon.

“Oh.”

“Like the captain of the university basketball team?”

“Yeah, I can see it.”

Ji Dong-seok immediately nodded.

“He has that senior vibe.”

“Like the type who gets confessed to in front of the gym.”

Han Sang-yoon also looked satisfied.

“Nice. Next.”

“I-yul is the pure type.”

“Pure……?”

Kang I-yul looked genuinely unable to understand.

“Your face is like that.”

“True.”

“Exactly first-love material.”

“The type who would rank first in a popularity poll if he sat by the window wearing a school uniform.”

“That’s a little…”

Kang I-yul’s ears turned slightly red.

‘Definitely the pure type.’

“Then what about me?”

Ji Dong-seok asked with a face full of anticipation.

I thought for a moment before answering.

“The comedy type.”

“Hey!”

“Why?”

“I’m an idol trainee too!”

“A boyfriend who makes you laugh is nice.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Men who make you laugh are the best.”

“That is true.”

He was convinced in five seconds. As expected, he was simple.

“Fine. I’ll go with comedy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re quick to admit things.”

“You should acknowledge your strengths quickly.”

Naturally, the arrow turned back toward me.

“Then, Seong-woo?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Kind type.”

“Come on. That’s too ordinary.”

Ji Dong-seok immediately objected.

“But isn’t being kind the bare minimum?”

Unexpectedly, even Han Sang-yoon joined in.

“Right.”

“He’s your boyfriend. It’d be a problem if he wasn’t kind.”

“No, why…”

I felt strangely wronged. I had actually put some thought into this.

“Isn’t there anything else?”

“Something else?”

“Isn’t there anything people say you resemble? Like a nickname or something.”

“Other than braces, I don’t know.”

Ji Dong-seok shook his head.

“When you’re not smiling, you look kind of cold, right? Then how about the cold handsome type?”

Hearing the word “handsome” among a group of handsome guys made my face feel hot.

“Come on, how am I handsome?”

That was also why I had chosen to emphasize my kindness rather than anything related to my appearance.

“Seong-woo, sometimes when I look at you, I feel like you don’t know what your own face looks like.”

I was already embarrassed, and now even Han Sang-yoon was joining in.

“Huh?”

“Seriously, do you ever look in a mirror?”

“Me?”

Ji Dong-seok chimed in.

“But normally, aren’t you kind of puppy-faced? Maybe?”

“Then should I go with the puppy type?”

“You’re disqualified from the comedy category, Dong-seok.”

“Whoa.”

Leaving me dumbfounded, Han Sang-yoon and Ji Dong-seok continued analyzing.

“How about the smile type?”

At that moment, Kang I-yul, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.

“Huh?”

Everyone’s attention immediately turned toward him.

“Seong-woo hyung smiles a lot.”

Silence passed.

“He does?”

Ji Dong-seok asked in a trembling voice.

“Seong-woo does?”

Han Sang-yoon also looked puzzled.

“Ah, no?”

Kang I-yul was actually even more flustered.

“When have you ever seen him smile?”

“Huh? Hyung smiles all the time.”

This time, I was the one who was flustered.

All the time?

“He smiles every time I see him.”

“…….”

“…….”

Ji Dong-seok seemed to have lost all words and couldn’t close his mouth.

Well, when I was on the same team as that guy…… I smiled once and scolded him ten times.

‘There wasn’t exactly much reason to smile… was there?’

I cleared my throat to hide my embarrassment. I mean, wouldn’t it be stranger if I couldn’t smile while being around my favorite?

“Sounds good!”

I quickly changed the subject.

“I’ll go with that. The smile type.”

“That quickly?”

“It was the best one among the ones you suggested.”

Ji Dong-seok glared at me with narrowed eyes like a flounder and complained playfully.

“Oh, I see. The youngest rules the roost on our team, huh?”

Fortunately, he had suspected me in a completely different direction.

And so, our final characters were decided: athletic type, pure type, comedy type, and smile type.

The problem came next.

“Hyung.”

Kang I-yul appeared in front of me again.

“Do you understand this movement?”

……No, why do you keep trying to teach only me?

 

***

 

The midterm evaluation was held just one day after the team reshuffle.

The practice room was quiet, but the tension was as thick as the air itself.

Kang I-yul glanced to the side.

Yoo Seong-woo, looking no different from usual.

‘Is that hyung not nervous?’

He had been the same yesterday.

When Yoo Seong-woo said he would practice until dawn, I-yul had wanted to stay with him.

But after hearing him say, ‘Controlling your condition is the most important thing,’ he returned to the dorm.

It made him feel like he was indebted to him all over again.

Why did that hyung know so much about him?

“Teams whose members have been adjusted, have you practiced a lot?”

“……Yes.”

“Yes!”

“Then, which team should we watch first?”

The order of the midterm evaluations had been decided unanimously by the team members the previous day.

“What? Sang-yoon is already raising his hand? My girl first?”

“Yes!”

As he walked forward, Kang I-yul whispered softly.

“It’s only been one day, so it’s okay if we’re not very good.”

It was his way of encouraging them.

But Yoo Seong-woo looked as though he was wondering why I-yul was worried about something like that.

“Seong-woo is the main vocalist here too?”

“The friend who was the main vocalist was eliminated, so I was worried, but Seong-woo has been doing really well.”

“Good.”

The judges nodded at Han Sang-yoon’s concise answer.

“Then let’s see it right away.”

Under Kang I-yul’s direction, the four took their positions.

“Fighting!”

With Han Sang-yoon’s loud cheer, the intro began.

Yoo Seong-woo walked forward over a bouncy 8-bit electronic mechanical sound.

 

♪ With care,

♪ I marked today on the calendar.

 

The moment the first verse began, Kang I-yul sensed something strange.

 

♪ If I happen to meet you,

♪ I prepared

♪ a cool line to say.

 

Why did he look so natural?

His expression, his gaze, his smile, everything. It was as though he had been part of this team from the very beginning.

More than anything…….

‘Why is he so good at dancing too?’

Even the last time he had seen him yesterday, he hadn’t been this good.

‘Could he have stayed up all night? Practicing by himself?’

His mind went blank for a moment.

“The concept is fun.”

“Each character is distinct too.”

The judges’ reactions were also positive.

“Seong-woo, did you keep smiling the whole time because you’re the smile type?”

“I guess so. It feels like this is the first stage where I’ve smiled this much.”

“Ah…”

Yoo Seong-woo scratched his head.

“I’ve done a lot of darker concepts until now.”

The judges thought about it carefully, then all agreed that it was interesting.

“That’s true. He has a cute-looking face, but somehow ended up doing those kinds of concepts?”

“You’re going to have a proper image transformation with this stage.”

The more the compliments continued, the more unsure Kang I-yul became.

‘……Was I just getting in his way?’

If he performed much better when practicing alone, perhaps I-yul had only been a nuisance by holding him back and teaching him.

“By the way, Seong-woo.”

Katin asked with a smile.

“How did you do all this in just one day?”

“Seriously~ if you told me you’d been on this team from the beginning, I’d believe you.”

That was exactly the question Kang I-yul wanted to ask. He genuinely wanted to know how he had done it.

“I-yul stuck with me all day and taught me!”

“……?”

For a moment, Kang I-yul wondered if he had misheard.

“I learned it really quickly thanks to him.”

“Oh? I-yul again?”

“Wasn’t it the same during the Signal Song? You two really work well together…”

The more praise poured out, the more Kang I-yul wanted to cry.

He had clearly intended to help, but once again, he had ended up being the one who received help.

‘This hyung really…….’

He didn’t even give him a chance to repay his debt.