novelraw Chapter 301: 1st Anniversary (2)
Chapter 301: 1st Anniversary (2)
While I was getting my makeup fixed in the waiting room, Lee Cheonghyeon approached me.
“Tell me honestly. You’re my Manito, aren’t you, hyung?”
“I’m not.”
This was already the thirtieth time we’d had this conversation. I was at the point where I would blurt out a ‘no’ even before he finished his question.
Manito was one of Spark’s 1st-anniversary content. It was a simple game where you had to do one thing to make your Manito happy before the Manito was revealed.
Early on, the guys would immediately get suspicious if someone was even a little nice to them.
‘Why are you taking care of my sleep schedule? Are you my Manito?’
‘You’re giving this to me to eat…? Iwol hyung, are you by any chance my Manito?’
Jeong Seongbin and I, who tended to nag, were suspected by almost everyone. In modern society, affection and kindness were only objects of suspicion.
No matter how many times I denied it, Lee Cheonghyeon wouldn’t let it go.“I’m sure it’s you. How can you not be my Manito when you take care of my every move?”
“I’ve always been like this.”
“You’ve been deceiving me for two years. Just for this Manito thing.”
“My brain isn’t that good.”
Two years? I couldn’t even predict two days ahead. Lee Cheonghyeon was saying such carefree things.
“Do you think you know who your Manito is, hyung?”
“Isn’t it Joowoo?”
“Joowoo hyung? Why?”
“He helped me with my challenge.”
“So you’re saying Joowoo hyung is smart enough to fool you for two whole months?”
A useless conversation ensued. Unfortunately, Lee Cheonghyeon’s Manito really wasn’t me. The person I had to make happy was Jeong Seongbin.
Making Jeong Seongbin happy was not an easy task. I’d nearly gotten branded again recently, so the difficulty level was sky-high. The best I could do was avoid making him angry.
Lee Cheonghyeon argued for a long time and then left.
Come to think of it.
My Manito is… who?
Spark members were, in general, pretty kind. We didn’t really hurt each other’s feelings, and everyone tried to be considerate.
Because that was our usual way of life, no one’s kindness really stood out as being aimed at just one person. Everyone was just nice to everyone.
For example, the leader, Jeong Seongbin, was always worrying about my sleep schedule day and night. If I was typing on my laptop in a dark room, he would turn on the light, saying my eyes would get bad, and if I was banging my head against the wall, he would tell me to lie down and think and throw me onto the pillow.
Moreover, he even made me seaweed soup on my birthday. If I hadn’t been Jeong Seongbin’s Manito, I would’ve mistaken all those gestures as proof that he was my Manito.
There wasn’t a single troublemaker in the group. You’d think at least one guy would try some ‘give poison and then the antidote’ strategy, but Spark was quiet.
“Kim Iwol.”
Choi Jeho called me and pointed to the studio with his thumb. It was a signal that filming would resume soon.
“Choi Jeho, did you figure out who your Manito is?”
I asked without any expectation.
“It seems to be Park Joowoo.”
“Joowoo? Why?”
“He told me it’s fine if I sleep with my small lights on.”
“But Joowoo says that every time you go to sleep.”
There was no gain at all. All I did was realize anew how dumb Choi Jeho was.
“What about you?”
Choi Jeho asked, but I had no suitable answer.
Oh Manito, please give me a ray of joy in this arduous day.
* * *
The 1st anniversary arrived in a flash. I quietly watched the clock strike 12, and then waited another 2 hours to watch the uploaded self-produced content. The idol makeup and the clothes, which were clearly styled with great care, gave the impression that the company had spent some money.
In the opening, each of the members came out in turn and showed off the highlights of the choreography of Spark’s main songs so far.
Starting with the leader Jeong Seongbin’s ‘Flowering’, Park Joowoo’s ‘With List’, Kang Kiyeon’s ‘Ballad of the Street’, Lee Cheonghyeon’s ‘The Third Letter’, and Choi Jeho’s ‘MISSION’ unfolded in order. I came out last and performed ‘The Words I Want to Say’. Ugh, I hate solo stages.
“We’ve released a lot of songs, huh?”
“Yeah, really.”
Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Kiyeon said as if it were a new realization. You guys did have a crazy number of comebacks. If not, we wouldn’t have passed the break-even point and it would have been difficult to persuade Lee Cheongyeon’s father. It seemed that all things were connected.
“Is there a song that’s most memorable to you from our promotions over the past year?”
Jeong Seongbin asked. I thought they would all agree on the debut song, but their answers were all different.
“For me, it’s ‘The Words I Want to Say’!”
“Why?”
“Honestly, I think I put my essence into it.”
Lee Cheonghyeon answered with an unnecessarily serious face. The quality of the song was good, so it was understandable.
Jeong Seongbin chose the fan song, The Third Letter. Considering his rough road to debut, I thought he’d pick the debut track, but he said without hesitation that he’d loved writing that fan song most.
“For me too, it’s ‘The Third Letter’.”
“You, hyung? Why?”
At the unexpected answer that came from Choi Jeho’s mouth, Lee Cheonghyeon asked with a look full of doubt.
“Because it was my first time writing lyrics.”
“Ah.”
“Hyung really did agonize over it a lot…”
Park Joowoo muttered, staring at a distant place.
After reminiscing about each song and swapping little stories, we watched a group dance medley titled ‘Spark’s 1st Year, Now with Behind Stories!’ shot in the studio.
As I was looking at the guys’ faces one by one, my eyes met with the me on the screen.
‘My dancing has improved.’
Just during the ‘Flowering’ fancam, I was busy just trying to keep up with the choreography, afraid that I would be told that a squid had entered the aquarium. There was no time to think about refined lines or anything advanced.
Now that I was dancing to ‘Flowering’ again with my current proficiency, the difference was clearly visible. I felt once again that there is nothing you can’t do if you try.
The members also became more natural in their gestures, expressions, and use of their bodies. Choi Jeho was naturally good at showing off, so I didn’t feel a big difference, but the growth of Jeong Seongbin and Kang Kiyeon was prominent.
When their leg angles and footstep sounds matched, it was downright thrilling. As expected, people who were good at their main job were the best. There were no jarring parts. Though the me dancing on the screen was still unfamiliar. You never know what will happen in a person’s life.
After the official year-in-review, there was a corner to reflect on our personal year.
The main goal was to hold each other’s hands and say, ‘I see,’ empathizing with and comforting the other’s hurt or difficult points.
In this corner, the youngest members were given the right to speak first, in order to guarantee their free right to speak.
And so, Spark’s youngest-of-the-youngest, ultimate maknae, the ridiculously cute maknae—who always squinted his eyes into triangle shapes but would forever be the maknae—Kang Kiyeon…
“Jeho hyung, step forward.”
“Me?”
…pointed at Choi Jeho. And he beat up his hyung with gusto.
“You said you’d teach me how to work out, so I followed you, but why didn’t you say anything? Were we supposed to be telepathic?”
“I see.”
“And I want you to actually put out results that match your input.”
“I see.”
“Things like this are exactly the problem! You can’t just keep saying ‘I see’!”
“I see… then what should I do?”
Choi Jeho showed off his lack of intelligence and made Kang Kiyeon explode with frustration.
“Excuse me, but you’re supposed to share a resolution for the future, not just say ‘I see’!”
The situation was expected to improve with Lee Cheonghyeon’s mediation, but.
“I see. But when you’re teaching someone how to work out, isn’t it enough to just show them the form?”
“Never mind.”
It failed miserably. It was difficult for a mere citizen to fathom the heart of His Majesty the Emperor.
Lee Cheonghyeon called on Park Joowoo next.
“What do you think I called you for, hyung?”
“…”
“Hyung.”
Lee Cheonghyeon gave off a rather serious atmosphere.
“You know better than anyone that just because someone know how to play the piano doesn’t mean they can handle a synthesizer.”
“…”
“You have to say ‘I see.’ Are you protesting against the maknae right now?”
“I see…”
“Repeat after me. ‘A pianist and a keyboardist are different things’.”
“I know that a pianist and a keyboardist are different…”
“If you knew and still did it, then it’s even worse.”
Park Joowoo was thoroughly scolded. Nevertheless, they were able to create a harmonious ending with Lee Cheonghyeon’s words, ‘I do want to learn the synth though!’.
Park Joowoo, who had been thoroughly scolded by Lee Cheonghyeon, called me out next.
“…I really enjoyed the song you played on your birthday live the other day.”
“Thank you.”
The beginning was definitely heartwarming. Until Park Joowoo squeezed my hand as if to crush it.
“I can’t forgive the fact that you’ve only been playing rhythm all this time when you can play like that…”
“Joowoo, I think my hand is going to break.”
“Cheonghyeon asked you to do a session, but you refused that too…?”
“Joowoo, my hand.”
“When you told me to put in an ad-lib, I put it in, and when you told me to hit a high note, I hit it, and I even built a tower with Seongbin in harmony…”
His list of grievances wouldn’t end. My palms started sweating.
“…Hyung was in the wrong, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Then tell me what you’re going to do in the future.”
“I will work hard to let Joowoo hear a wonderful song.”
“What about the session?”
“…If necessary, I will actively participate.”
“Thank you…”
Park Joowoo smiled with the most innocent expression in the world. I was the only one who was tattered all over.
Jeong Seongbin pointed at Kang Kiyeon. The hyung’s nagging towards his dongsaeng poured down like a waterfall.
“Kiyeon, what did I say when you ended up sharing a room with Cheonghyeon?”
“To put Lee Cheonghyeon to bed on time.”
“But how is it now?”
“…”
Ever since the two had been caught chatting all night, Jeong Seongbin had shown no mercy.
“Should we do the roommate swap content again? Do you want to share a room with Iwol hyung?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“Why me?”
The spark suddenly flew to me, who had been sitting quietly.
“I don’t make noise in the room. I turn the lights off at bedtime.”
“I see. I’m sorry, Seongbin hyung.”
“So, tell me, why?”
Kang Kiyeon didn’t answer until the end. The two of them, leaving me dumbfounded, shared a deep, reconciliatory hug.