Chapter 322 : When Ordinary Talent Faces a Genius (3)
Chapter 322: When Ordinary Talent Faces a Genius (3)
“Seohan, can we talk for a minute?”
Ha Junseo came looking for me that evening.
Ordering delivery food and eating together alone wasn't unusual, so I followed him into his room without complaint.
Still, it wasn't as though I hadn't noticed something was off.
His eyes looked unusually resolute.
I had a feeling there was a very high chance he'd bring up that topic today.
“…….”
Silence briefly filled the room.
We weren't usually this awkward around each other, yet just now, it felt a little suffocating.
It was me who broke the heavy atmosphere first.
“About acting. I don't think you should do that project.”
Ha Junseo's eyes darkened.
His gaze slowly settled on me before shifting to the stack of papers in my hand.
His lower lip twitched as though he was about to say something, but what came out was completely different.
“Uh, I actually came to talk about something similar. I was going to send you this script.”
“Huh?”
I was so caught off guard by how readily he answered that I asked again.
The script I'd barely managed to obtain after pestering Do Seojun fluttered in my hand.
I'd come here intending to show it to him and persuade him.
Getting his approval in three seconds was completely unexpected.
Thinking he might have misunderstood, I hurriedly added,
“I'm not against acting itself.”
“Mhm.”
“It's just that the timing isn't great, and more specifically... I don't like that project....”
It would've been natural for him to ask why.
“Okay.”
But...
Ha Junseo simply smiled faintly and accepted what I said.
“You must have your reasons. You're good at judging projects like these.”
It wasn't like I was some script expert.
The conversation was going so smoothly that it almost felt strange.
Looking at him suspiciously, I handed him the drooping stack of papers.
“Take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
“A script I barely managed to get from SBC. It's scheduled to air in the first half of next year, and considering both the schedule and the quality, it seemed like a better choice.”
At that, Ha Junseo shook his head.
“No. I don't need a script.”
A sense of unease suddenly hit me.
Even if he wasn't as emotionally fragile as Cha Seongbin, he was still more sensitive than he appeared.
I carefully watched his expression, worried I'd accidentally hurt him.
Surprisingly, he looked perfectly fine.
No...
He even looked relieved.
Still, just in case, I cautiously brought it up.
“Hyung... if you're thinking of giving up acting....”
“No. I still plan to challenge it someday.”
“Then?”
“I just think it's too early.”
That was the conclusion Junseo-hyung had reached over the past few days.
It must have taken tremendous resolve to let go of such a wonderful opportunity right in front of him.
Ha Junseo had chosen...
The team.
His lips slowly parted.
Perhaps this was the real reason he'd called me into his room.
“I really did want to try acting. But I wasn't desperate enough to do it.”
Without saying anything, I quietly listened.
“But do you know why I kept insisting?”
Probably because of what Cha Seongbin had mentioned.
Just as I'd expected, Ha Junseo smiled faintly before confessing,
“In this team... I felt like I was kind of an ambiguous person.”
Honestly, I still couldn't agree with that statement.
Back then and even now, Ha Junseo was Stardust's identity in my mind...
One of the members the team absolutely couldn't do without.
Even so, instead of denying it, I simply nodded quietly.
Because I respected the reason he felt that way.
Ha Junseo swallowed dryly before continuing,
“I'm not an amazing singer, and my rap isn't anywhere near Siwoo's or Seongbin's.”
Well, Cha Seongbin was just an abnormal exception.
But if they were in the same rapper position, I could understand why he'd see it that way.
“So I thought maybe if I tried acting... I'd finally find something I was truly good at....”
As if the thoughts that had been clouding his mind had finally settled, Ha Junseo's eyes became serious.
“But then I finally realized what my position in this team really is.”
His words were filled with certainty.
Without realizing it, I nodded in complete agreement.
The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.
“Hyung is an important Sub Rapper in our team....”
But then—
What came out of Ha Junseo's mouth was completely unexpected.
“I think I'm the Visual of our team.”
His melancholy eyes said it all.
Those were the words of Ha Junseo, the face of our team who had captivated countless fans with his looks.
For a moment, the room fell silent.
“…….”
I simply blinked.
The ears attached to my head still didn't seem capable of processing what I'd just heard.
So...
If I'd heard him correctly...
“Huh?”
Ha Junseo's position was the Visual.
He wasn't wrong...
No, I agreed with that statement one hundred percent...
But...
Why?
Why would you say it yourself?!
The corners of my mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Then—
Breaking the silence, I inhaled sharply.
“...Pfft!”
“Hey! Why are you laughing?!”
In the end...
I couldn't hold it in anymore.
Around the time Ha Junseo's worries about acting came to an end, the final episode of Dust Apocalypse, EP.3, was uploaded.
The one person who not only sent Pet Zombie Do Seohan away, but also skillfully manipulated the situation to eliminate Ha Junseo when he tried to argue back.
The community was filled with praise for Jin Sehyun's acting.
Technically, it was acting.
Though in reality, it was closer to everyday acting.
[Our Sehyun Is an Absolute Madman]
He talked his way into eliminating two members....
This grandma sincerely applauds your acting skills.
Victorious Sehyun LOL. He really lives up to his name and wins everything.
After the self-content went up, the post he left on the artist page was unbelievably cute.
Victorious Sehyun: I won again~
Victorious Sehyun: Hyungs are so innocent.
Are the hyungs really... innocent?
I think it's you... YOU!!!
I think the maknaes in this team are insanely smart LOL. Meanwhile the powerful, tough leader was just like, “Huh? Huh?” while guessing completely wrong until the end LOL.
└ Our Siwoo still believes the purest beings in the world are our maknaes.
└ No, that's only when it comes to Do Seohan.
└ LOLLLLLLLLLLLLL.
└ His perfect judgment only breaks down in front of Mam-Seohan.
But I totally fell for it this time too?
└ It's basically an established academic theory that Jin Sehyun acts so well that the Self-content Team keeps giving him the mastermind role.
└ Yeah LOL, I think that's true.
└ The editing team must've been impressed while editing it too.
Bright and cheerful Choco Haim: “I!!! Thought!!! The wandering zombie was the bad guy!!!”
└ LOLLLLLLLLLLLLL.
└ What's a wandering zombie? LOL.
└ Seo Haim definitely misheard Pet Zombie LOL.
Do Seohan became a ghost, couldn't even speak, and just kept going “Wang! Wang!” until it ended.
└ Seriously, when Seohan just sat there making ghost noises, he was so cute I almost smashed my monitor.
└ Ah, damn, same.
└ That's a little too violent;;
└ LOLLLLLLLLLLLLL.
└ Waving his hands around while going “Wang! Wang!”... He looked like a country hamster.
└ I've heard of country puppies before LOL, but what's a country hamster supposed to be? LOL.
Meanwhile, another post inevitably appeared.
[The Most Touching Part of This Self-content]
Junseo's face.
You know what happens if you disagree, right?
Ah LOLLLLLLLLL. So touching.
I wholeheartedly agree with my baby's face....
We played the Son Byeong-ho Game today, and when someone said, “Fold your finger if you think Ha Junseo is handsome,” the Earth practically folded in half, and I ended up dancing Ganggangsullae with people from Argentina.
└ Why are you doing Ganggangsullae with people from Argentina? LOL.
└ With Ha Junseo's face, that's basically cultural diplomacy.
At the same time.
Inside an office at SBC Broadcasting Station.
The script for Return: Secret of Hwarang that Seohan had taken was returned intact to Do Seojun's hands.
Even so, the deal they'd made was still valid.
A guaranteed appearance from his successful younger brother in his next program.
Holding onto that promise, Do Seojun hummed happily to himself.
Strange.
At this hour, he should've been exhausted.
The effects of Do Seohan Therapy were incredible.
“Mmm~.”
“PD, why do you look so happy today?”
The assistant director, who had been watching him from nearby, finally spoke up.
Only then did Do Seojun stop enthusiastically typing away on his keyboard.
He'd been so absorbed in writing the proposal that he hadn't properly heard the question.
“Hm? What did you say?”
“I said you look really happy! I thought you were watching YouTube or something.”
Surprisingly, the only thing displayed on Do Seojun's monitor was a dull-looking ten-page proposal.
“Ah....”
Do Seojun let out a small chuckle as he rubbed his chin.
“Yeah. There's no way writing a proposal should be this fun.”
In truth...
He knew exactly why.
The proposal he was planning.
Challenge Tour: Testing My Own Limits.
He had just added one short sentence to the fifth challenge.
Extreme Job: Work Part-time at a Haunted House
I wanted to include a coal mine too...
But I was a little afraid of all the criticism I'd get later.
Seohan secretly had a lot of fans.
Nodding to himself, Do Seojun muttered,
“A Haunted House should be fine....”
Meanwhile, the assistant director's eyes widened after seeing the far harsher list than expected.
“Huh? But... who's going to appear in this?”
“Oh, that's easy.”
Do Seojun smiled brightly as he answered leisurely,
“Seohan will.”
“Wow... What a spirit of challenge! That's awesome!”
And so...
Do Seohan, fighting!