-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: MV Teaser Release
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Sub Quest]
- Will you accept 'Debut Showcase Safely!'?
- YES / NO
The moment I saw the system window, I couldn't help but get serious. How long had it been since I cleared the last quest, and now another one popped up?
The title alone was enough to piss me off.
'Debut Showcase Safely?'
That meant something was going to go down on debut showcase day...
'Not even giving me a single day of peace.'
Every damn day, some incident or accident. It was so relentless that I'd believe it if someone said it was God screwing with me. I was starting to doubt whether anyone's life could be this chaotic.
Something happening on the debut showcase day I'd wanted so badly? I didn't even want to imagine it.
But floating right in front of me was that familiar X-like quest alert.
'Fucking hell.'
That's when it happened.
"Eun-ho. You okay?"
The director asked, eyeing my expression.
I forced my emotions down and flashed a bright smile at the camera in front of me.
"I'm fine."
I chewed the last of the squid jerky in my mouth and thought.
'No matter how bullshit it is, there's nothing I can't stop.'
After surviving seven years as a trainee, meeting all sorts of people, I'd gotten used to even the most garbage situations.
'You think there's something I can't handle?'
Even as I thought that, the whirlwind of anxiety in my chest kept spinning wildly without stopping.
* * *
"Goodbye!"
"Yeah! Thanks for your hard work."
Slam—
The dorm fell deathly quiet after the production crew left, like a storm had just blown through.
In the silence, Baek Si-woo spoke up first.
"Wow. Never dreamed they'd barge in like that."
"Right? How long were they hiding?"
While everyone was still dazed from the surprise visit, Eun Hae-sol brushed past us toward his room.
"Where you going?"
"To unpack."
"Oh, right. Let's unpack too."
Everyone grabbed their bags and headed to their rooms. I spotted Baek Si-woo and Song Yu-bin heading in together, arms slung around each other.
I was left alone in the living room, staring into space. Sharing a room with Eun Hae-sol? Unreal.
'Why him of all people?'
Unless we switched rooms on purpose, I'd be stuck rooming with Eun Hae-sol until move-out day.
A sudden thought hit me.
'Can I really get along with him?'
Like glimpsing the future, scenes flashed through my mind: fighting with Eun Hae-sol, yelling, sleeping in a tense atmosphere.
It felt like that was my future.
"Ha..."
I shook my head.
'He said he'd help me get my shit together, so no bad thoughts.'
With that, I dragged my suitcase into the room where Eun Hae-sol was.
The moment I opened the door, there he was, sitting on the floor tapping away on his smartphone.
"You're here."
"Yeah."
I slowly looked around the room. Pink wallpaper, white window frames. Cute double bunk bed. A potted plant on the shelf next to it.
I glanced down at the pot and asked.
"Who brought this?"
Eun Hae-sol, who'd been tapping his phone, turned his head. He answered in his usual flat tone.
"...It's mine."
"You're growing a plant?"
Something was scribbled on the pot in marker.
"Sofia? That's its name?"
Eun Hae-sol nodded without a word.
"My plants keep dying... Thought giving it a name might make me take better care of it."
"Fair enough. Things grow on you when they have names. My best friend in elementary school used to name all his stationery..."
"That's different. This is a living thing."
He sounded genuinely pissed.
"Okay."
I shrugged it off and sat on the bunk bed. I wanted to flop right onto it, but we hadn't settled one thing yet.
"You want top or bottom?"
Eun Hae-sol shrugged.
"Don't care."
Was that nonchalance his personality? Or just laziness?
"Honestly, I prefer bottom. Climbing up and down those steps every day is annoying."
"Then you take bottom, hyung."
"Cool. Thanks."
No sooner had I finished speaking than I lay down. The moment I did, my mind flashed back to the quest I'd gotten during filming.
No telling how long this quest hell would last, but my choice was always the same.
[Sub Quest]
- Will you accept 'Debut Showcase Safely!'?
- YES / NO
I pressed and held YES, glancing at Eun Hae-sol.
He didn't give a damn what I was doing, just glued to his phone.
Ignoring him, I read the quest window.
[Sub Quest]
- On debut showcase day, during the performance, member ○○○ will go off-pitch. Make sure no one notices.
- Reward: ???
Deep irritation bubbled up the second I saw it.
'Who? Don't tell me it's Eun Hae-sol again?'
I turned my head silently, and he set his phone down, giving me a what's-up look.
Couldn't snap at him over something that hadn't happened yet. The real issue wasn't who—it was...
'How the hell do I stop it?'
So, how?
Off-pitch isn't something I can control. What do they expect me to do?
I nearly yelled at the damn quest window—fuck off—but shut my mouth.
I closed my eyes and racked my brain. Which member goes off-pitch often? Everyone sings well, so hard to guess.
Think about causes instead.
Common causes: one, throat's in bad shape.
Two, didn't warm up enough.
No idiot skips warm-ups before a showcase, so probably not that. Throat issues?
But only the person knows their throat, and if they don't say, you're clueless.
'Too many variables. This might actually fail.'
It's not like going off-pitch kills you. Maybe just let it go.
But then I'd desperately brainstorm ways to stop it.
No telling the fallout if the debut showcase flops.
A cute little off-note? Could spin it into a funny story on variety later. But serious?
It'd be meme'd on communities forever, anti-fans milking it endlessly.
'Above all, I don't want our first stage ruined.'
That's when it happened. A cough echoed from outside the room. Harsh one—Eun Hae-sol turned his head.
I bolted up and headed to the living room. There was Cha Jae-hyun in the corner, hacking away nonstop.
"Jae-hyun hyung. You okay?"
"I'm fine... Hack!"
Didn't look fine to anyone.
"Throat hurting?"
He just kept coughing. Cha Jae-hyun, who always managed his health like it was a skill, catching a cold? Of all people?
Unbelievable, but my brain had already crunched the numbers.
Highest chance it's Cha Jae-hyun going off-pitch on showcase day. Colds wreck your throat.
Now that I knew who, clearing the quest was easy.
I already knew how to handle it.
* * *
MV teaser release day.
We all sat in front of laptops, half excited, half nervous, waiting for it to drop.
Click click click—
Baek Si-woo spam-refreshing nonstop. Cha Jae-hyun watched and said in a grandma-worried tone.
"You'll break the keyboard."
That's when it happened.
At exactly noon, the company logo appeared, and the video started playing. Everyone gasped and looked at each other.
"Whoa."
"It's up. It's up."
"Shh! Quiet."
We held our breaths, eyes glued to the screen.
An empty classroom. Cha Jae-hyun enters, breaking the silence. Close-up on his deep blue eyes sparkling.
Standing at the blackboard, he silently writes something with chalk. Chalk snaps and falls, cutting to the blackboard with [Blue Sky Below] written on it.
"Whoa..."
Then, a lyrical piano version of [Blue Sky Below] starts. Right away, Baek Si-woo on the school rooftop.
He launches a paper airplane skyward; the screen fills with planes, his golden hair whipping in the wind.
Cut to Song Yu-bin's profile in the AV room, watching a video. Then Eun Hae-sol painting in the art room, flowing seamlessly.
Toward the end, a loud thunk—me slamming the piano keys.
Total length: 58 seconds.
"Whoa..."
We stared at the black screen, awestruck. Short, but it packed a punch.
Baek Si-woo clapped and yelled.
"Jackpot! We nailed it!"
I agreed.
'Nailed it. Looks great.'
Teaser was fresh, but I couldn't resist checking community reactions.
* * *
Korea's #1 entertainment community 'Dakota'
[Title]
MV Teaser for 'Manwol's Boys,' the new boy group launching from DIEN this time
[Comments]
- O
- O what is this?
- Styling and video are insaneㅠㅠ
- These the super talented junior group?
- Uniform concept is fire
- Who are these guys?
└ Manwol's Boys
└ Lmao group name's Manwol's Boys? Hilarious?
└ DIEN's infamous for weird names
└ This one's decent tho
└ Manwolso for short?
'Early comments aren't bad.'
I scrolled fast.
[Comments]
- Meh
- Just average
- Tired of uniform concepts tbh?
└ Same
└ Blk Dice did it first lol
└ DIEN's planning always...
- Kid in the middle can't act
- Manwolso name is trash^^
└ Trash af lol
└ Harsh muchㅠㅠ
└ What can ya do~
- MV trying too hard to be atmospheric
- MV full of chuunibyou vibes
└ Famous director shot it
The further down, the messier it got.
[Comments]
- Hate incoming lol. DIEN rookies scaring everyone? Afraid of losing pie? Shivering^^
└ What lol not even worth hating
└ Seems like you're the one shivering?
└ You're the one shivering?222
- Manwolso sounds like a noodle shop
└ Oof yeahㅠ
└ Nah that's too much
└ Manwolso? One jjajang please
└ No pickled radish lol
└ Lmao psychos
- Ease up on the harsh words, that's malicious commenting
- Yeah scared me reading these
- Comments this wild means they're about to blow up. Manwolso fighting^^
- MV's got style, looks good
- Ugly
- Who named the group?
I silently turned off my phone. Already 10 p.m.
I got out of bed. That's when I locked eyes with Eun Hae-sol yawning from the top bunk.
"Not sleepy?"
"Gonna sleep?"
"Yeah. Kill the lights."
The second I turned off the light and left, he burrowed under the covers.
Dark living room. Heading to the kitchen for water, I spotted a silhouette on the sofa. I jolted back, but it looked up.
Cha Jae-hyun on his phone. Clutching my chest, I asked.
"Hyung. Up late?"
"Just..."
"Cold any better?"
"Yeah."
His voice cracked at the end. So he's the one off-pitching on showcase day.
I walked over and sat beside him. He hurriedly set his phone down, but I glimpsed the Dakota comments.
"Checking reactions?"
"Nope?"
As if.
Cha Jae-hyun, the meticulous perfectionist— no way he skipped community buzz.
He gave a wry smile.
"Should've pushed to change the group name."
"So you did check."
"...Better than being ignored."
"How far'd you read?"
"All of it?"
He read all that?
What a guy. Or should I call it impressive?
I looked at him worriedly, and he grinned cheekily.
"It's fine. Teaser turned out great anyway."
"Yeah. Let's work harder. Get better soon. Want me to make hot cocoa?"
"Nah. I'll gain weight."
Watching him head back to his room, I stared into space, lost in thought.
First hate comments hitting like a truck, but realizing this was mild made it clear.
I had to succeed in this industry, no matter what.
I clenched my fist.
Whatever this quest means, if it's blocking our path...
"I'll clear it no matter what."
And so, time flew by, and the big showcase day arrived.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Read 168 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
https://noveldex.io/series/i-made-it-with-a-click-but-i-love-it-so-much
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━