“Eh? O Ah-ra, what do you mean by that?”
“Oh, nothing….”
O Ah-ra tried to brush it off, but Kanna heard her clearly.
She had just muttered, “Why are Rookies still doing well?”
Kanna tilted her head in confusion.
Come to think of it, O Ah-ra tended to overreact about Rookies all the time.
“Why is O Ah-ra so sensitive about Rookies?”
Is it simply because Rookies and Python are rival groups?
Is she worried that Python’s popularity will overshadow Rookies’?
Kanna was a personal fan of Rookies, especially Ha Ye-rin, but before that, she was a member of Python.
In an effort to comfort O Ah-ra, Kanna patted her shoulder and said, “O Ah-ra, don’t worry too much about Rookies. We just need to focus on our own path.”
“……”
“To put it bluntly, Rookies is going to disband in six months anyway. In the idol world, it’s not the strong who survive but the survivors who are strong.”
Kanna’s words were all true.
No matter how popular Rookies might be, they couldn’t escape disbandment in six months.
And if Rookies was on a downward trend since debut, then Python was a group on the rise.
Besides, with YW backing Python and their impressive skills, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they would be at the summit of the entertainment industry in a year or two.
Maybe Kanna’s persuasion had worked?
“…Yeah, thanks, Kanna.”
“No problem. But O Ah-ra, don’t be too anxious.”
O Ah-ra nodded to Kanna’s words, her face breaking into a small smile.
Seeing O Ah-ra smile for the first time in a while made Kanna feel proud that her comfort had worked.
But at that moment, O Ah-ra was actually thinking something completely different.
“No, that’s not right, Kanna. Rookies shouldn’t be at their peak right now….”
At this point, they should have been stumbling and considering an early disbandment….
In her past life, Rookies were struggling around this time.
Due to a drug scandal, Seo Yoo-jin faced school violence accusations, and Park Yoo-jung withdrew.
Thinking that there would be a blow to their image, NAS viewed Rookies as a nuisance and didn’t provide any support or schedule.
The leader, Yoo Seol, tried everything to save Rookies, but it was like trying to hit a rock with an egg.
From that point onward, Rookies were already a dead group.
“O Ah-ra, you should find your own path now.”
…….
Throb.
O Ah-ra felt a headache from the nostalgic thoughts surfacing after a long time, thinking about the differences between the past life’s Rookies and this lifetime’s Rookies.
First, Han Si-woo.
In her past life, Han Si-woo had ignored Rookies as soon as Na Ah Ah ended, not even glancing their way.
Only when Rookies disbanded did he suddenly appear and take Yoo Seol to his company.
The mega-hits “Secret Girl” and “Breaking Bad!” that dominate music streaming sites were all songs that the past life’s Rookies never had.
And then there was Lee Hye-jeong.
In her past life, Lee Hye-jeong had outstanding skills but lacked popularity and couldn’t debut with Rookies.
However, in this life, she proudly supports Rookies with her solid vocals.
Finally, the biggest difference between past and present Rookies.
In her past life, Rookies weren’t directly managed by NAS Entertainment.
They were carelessly handed off to a small subsidiary company and left to their own devices.
The overwhelming support from NAS Entertainment for Rookies now? That was something unimaginable for past Rookies.
Thus, there were significant differences between past Rookies and present Rookies.
And this was because of one new member…
“Ha Ye-rin….”
Ha Ye-rin is also a returner, just like O Ah-ra.
But just because she’s a returner doesn’t mean she’s utilizing future knowledge.
If she had known exactly what would happen, she wouldn’t have made the foolish choice of debuting in a doomed Rookies group.
Moreover, she reportedly didn’t even dream of becoming an idol until she turned 19.
She started her idol journey casually just to repay her parents’ debts.
Still, she achieved so much.
In her past life, she became the champion by surpassing Yoo Seol, who was the stable number one in Na Ah Ah.
In her past life, Seo Yoo-jin and Park Yoo-jung, who had left Rookies, were still part of the team now.
In her past life, Rookies faced a tragic end, but in this life, they transformed into the most successful idol group.
…Ha Ye-rin was truly someone born to be an idol.
Perhaps that’s why…
[Unique Quest]
[Objective: Become the best idol.]
[Penalty for failure: Void]
[Reward for success: Something you deeply desire.]
“No… that’s not right….”
O Ah-ra shook her head, thinking that perhaps Ha Ye-rin truly was the best idol mentioned in the quest.
Sure, she acknowledged Ha Ye-rin’s remarkable talent.
But the best idol had to be her, without a doubt.
And….
“Rookies must defeat them.”
Python had to become a group that excelled over Rookies.
Only then would she stop hating herself.
Only then would she stop foolishly blaming herself for Rookies’ downfall in her past life.
“This season’s activities for Python and Rookies will probably overlap.”
There’s also the end-of-year awards ceremony at the end of their activities.
O Ah-ra decided that during these activities, she’d show who was superior, Rookies or Ha Ye-rin, and become the best idol as the quest had stated.
And then….
“All right, everyone, rested up? Let’s get back to practice.”
“Eh…? Already…?”
Before the trainer had even arrived, they got back up and began the grueling practice again.
It’s been three weeks since Rookies cut off communication to prepare for their next activity song.
With a sullen expression, Yoo Chang-seon was surfing the internet when he came across a strange post in a community.
[Doesn’t Ha Ye-rin totally look like a heavy smoker?]
[She looks like she must’ve been a total delinquent in school, smoking like crazy lol.]
“…What the heck is this?”
Since a few months ago, malicious posts slandering Rookies had been popping up all over various sites.
Of course, they were all baseless and sensational conjectures, but…
“I need to capture this and send it to NAS.”
As a fan of Ha Ye-rin, he couldn’t help but feel irritated.
Click.
Yoo Chang-seon screenshotted the malicious posts and reported them to Rookies’ official account.
Of course, since it was an anonymous community, this could be pointless, but… he thought it would be great if his actions could help Rookies even a little.
“Actually, maybe I should resolve this myself.”
Deciding to take a break this season, he was aimlessly browsing the internet doing keyboard warrior stuff.
[Doesn’t Ha Ye-rin totally look like a heavy smoker?]
While about to ask the person who wrote such groundless rumors how their parents were doing—
“Hmm?”
└Did you see it? Did you see it?
└I saw Ye-rin in person and there was no smell of smoke at all!
└Shut up and stop babbling nonsense, you idiot.
“What? Someone else already jumped in before me?”
Before he could even step in, someone else beat him to it and got blasted in the comments.
From how they were responding, it seemed like quite a dedicated fan, so out of curiosity, he checked that person’s profile—
[Ye-rin Su-ho]
“…What kind of person is this? Does he never sleep? How are they talking about Ye-rin all day?”
He was an insane fan of Ha Ye-rin.
Experiencing overwhelming fanaticism for the first time, Yoo Chang-seon scrolled down for quite a while in a daze.
And then….
[Looks like I found Ye-rin’s neighborhood. Maybe I can go over and say hi?]
“…This guy’s insane.”
He also found some spine-chilling posts from Ye-rin Su-ho.
Click.
After leaving that post, Ye-rin Su-ho hadn’t checked back in the Rookies community for two months.
[How much would it cost to remove a scar like this from my face?]
During those two months, he explored other communities looking into scar removal surgery.
“Who did you get beat by…? Huh? Wait a second….”
While staring intently at a strangely familiar scar-face photo, he suddenly thought,
‘What did I do wrong? I was just… for Ha Ye-rin… Dammit.’
“What was that punk…?”
He recalled that the scar in the photo was identical to the one on the guy who had cursed at the Rookies during a signing event.
Whiff.
“Things are getting a bit creepy.”
Is he a stalker…?
Feeling an unsettling vibe from Ye-rin Su-ho, Yoo Chang-seon captured that profile too and sent it to NAS.
“If he’s a real stalker, NAS will handle it.”
Many idols suffer because of obsessive fans.
But NAS is a big company.
He could only hope they would deal well with a stalker like this.
Meanwhile, in Ye-rin Su-ho’s room.
“How dare this punk talk trash about someone?”
After leaving a thorough rant against someone who seemed like Ha Ye-rin’s anti-fan, Ye-rin Su-ho slammed down on his keyboard.
As time passed, Ye-rin Su-ho increasingly felt a deep connection with Ha Ye-rin.
When Ha Ye-rin got slandered, it felt like he was the one getting slandered, and when she succeeded, he felt he was succeeding.
Ye-rin Su-ho expressed it as “Connected hearts.”
Today too, he felt a sense of pride in having protected Ye-rin while rubbing his cheek against a photo card of her on his desk.
“Ha… Ye-rin…”
At that moment, he recalled the first encounter with Ye-rin.
He knew he had been too extreme back then. She was still a trainee at the time…
From Ye-rin’s perspective, it must have been a bit shocking.
So he wanted to apologize.
He wanted to meet Ye-rin again in person and bow his head.
But….
“If I see Ye-rin again and get close… it won’t end like this. I already have all your details: address, job, family background. I’ve got it all figured out.”
“If it weren’t for those damn punks….”
The problem was the thugs hanging around Ha Ye-rin.
Throb.
His chest and facial scar still hurt every now and then.
“Meeting in person seems risky….”
As Ye-rin Su-ho trembled, touching the places where Kang Hyung-man had hit him, his phone suddenly rang.
Ding.
“…Huh?”
Startled by the sudden notification, he checked his phone—
[Rookies ‘Meteor’ Official Teaser (First Reveal)]
The teaser for Rookies’ third activity song and second digital single, “Meteor,” was now live.
And the thumbnail of the video showed a platinum-blonde Ha Ye-rin with sparkling starlit eyes.
“Wow… Hah…”
Seeing Ha Ye-rin in high definition was breathtaking.
Upon witnessing Ha Ye-rin’s beauty, Ye-rin Su-ho made up his mind.
What does it matter about those punks?
As long as he got to see this beautiful Ye-rin again…, if that’s all it took….
“…Anything.”
He felt he could do anything, and with that determination, Ye-rin Su-ho began searching for a way to meet Ye-rin again.
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