I'M A GENIUS IDOL BUT MY PASSIVE IS SUNFISH: Chapter 16

 TL by Miru

 

I'm a Genius Idol but My Passive is Sunfish: Episode 16

DASE was thrown into the salon at dawn by the manager. Because there were many members, they got dolled up in the order of age, and before they knew it, it was already past 8 o'clock.

Nam-Kyung hurriedly got into the car again and stepped on the accelerator.

Where to, you ask?

 

"…Imjingak Haneul Nuri Park?"

 

Min-Sung, who had just woken up, looked out the window to see where they were, and then read the sign out loud.

 

"…Isn't this Paju?"

 

It was the place he had visited with his parents when he was a child.

Meanwhile, the members, who dozed off at every opportunity, were knocked out immediately after getting in the car. Therefore, Min-Sung was the only one who still felt uneasy.

 

"Hyung. Nam-Kyung hyung."

"Oh, Min-Sung-ah. Did you wake up? We're almost there. Wake the kids up and get ready to get off."

 

The staff, who had left first, received a call from him saying they had arrived 10 minutes ago. As Nam-Kyung entered the parking lot, he made a phone call to another team.

 

[Manager-nim. Have you arrived?]

"Yes. We've just parked. Where should we go?"

[Do you see multiple tents set up? That's the waiting room.]

"Ah! I think I got it. We will go there."

 

'…Am I the only one who thinks this is weird?'

 

Contrary to the puzzled Min-Sung, Nam-Kyung's phone conversation was natural. Min-Sung hesitated for a moment. However, shortly after, he followed in an urgent voice.

 

"Hyung, isn't this Paju? Weren't we supposed to be at Mstation?"

 

Surprisingly, it was Nam-Kyung who was taken aback.

 

"Yeah? You're right, it's Mstation. Your debut stage…"

 

At that moment, Nam-Kyung felt a sense of unease. The end of his words slowly trailed off as an unsettling foreboding struck him.

 

"That's here? Why?"

"Yeah. …Did you not hear about it?"

"Hear what?"

"…Ey, no way."

 

After parking the car, Nam-Kyung pulled the handbrake and looked back. As the car came to a stop, one by one, the members who were still half-asleep started waking up.

 

"…Did we arrive? That was quick."

 

Yu-Yeon spoke in a drowsy voice. It was the end of the year and the snow that had fallen early in the morning had added two hours to the trip, but this was not the time for Nam-Kyung to calmly inform such things.

It was because Min-Sung's expression looked quite serious.

 

"Your debut stage, in Imjingak… My god. Did no one really tell you?"

 

The only thing DASE was guilty of was believing the company's words when they were told, 'You guys just have to practice hard! We will take care of the rest!'

The members inadvertently fell victim to a hidden camera prank even before their debut. Min-Sung looked out the window with a delirious expression.

Do you see this land covered in white? This land full of dreams and love…

As the members slowly regained their senses, they too began to react to the word 'Imjingak.'

 

"I-isn't Imjingak an outdoor stage?"

 

Baek-Ya, who was the first to malfunction, started to stutter.

 

"Today's cold wave is the coldest of all time…"

 

Yu-Yeon muttered as he looked at the weather app. The white snow made even the most advanced window sun tinting look futile, as it reflected from the window.

 

"Why are we told about this now?"

 

Ji-Han gritted his teeth as he looked and smiled at the manager.

 

"We're doing it outside? I like it!"

 

Chung was the only one who found joy in this situation. A genuinely happy Californian boy, who had grown up basking in the sunlight, surely was of a different breed.

On the other hand, Nam-Kyung, who thought that the company would have naturally informed them, was taken aback. This wasn't just any stage; it was their debut stage!

Of course, as a manager, he couldn't completely absolve himself of responsibility.

 

'I should have told them once more this morning.'

 

However, what's done is done, so there was nothing he could do about it. Nam-Kyung resolved to comfort the members with nice words, at least for now.

 

"Uh… guys. High risk, high return, right? So, even if the weather is cold and it's a live broadcast on an outdoor stage…"

 

However, with every word he uttered, there were numerous drawbacks: The freezing weather that could be fatal for a singer who had to perform live. An outdoor stage where you never know what kind of unforeseen situation could occur. A live broadcast that would be transmitted nationwide without any editing process.

For rookies with no stage experience at all, these were the worst possible conditions.

 

'I was trying to mention only the merits, but why did it turn out like this...!'

 

As for the merits, was it the fact that as rookies, they were placed toward the latter part of the performance order? Or perhaps it was that they would be shown again during the live broadcast of the New Year's countdown? Those were the only things.

Nam-Kyung, with a pale complexion, looked at the DASE members. He felt like a sinner, but couldn't find any words to say, even if he had a dozen mouths. However, he had to make amends because it was his responsibility to manage the DASE members' conditions.

 

"Y-you'll do well, guys. You- you can do it!"

 

With clenched fists, Nam-Kyung shouted in a trembling voice.

 

* * *

 

- 2X1231 Imjingak, Gayo Daejeon's rehearsal preview #Baekya #Chung (Baek-Ya Chung.jpg)

- 2X1231 Imjingak rehearsal #DASE (Dase.jpg)

- The kids must be so cold ㅠㅠㅠ. In the meantime, they look so cute wearing their name tags. ㅠㅠ

 

Contrary to the manager's concerns, DASE members quickly accepted reality. Apart from the extreme cold, they acknowledged that this was a reasonably good opportunity.

Their performance order was quite late, and the live broadcast of Imjingak would be shown on the screen for about ten minutes before the New Year's countdown.

Although they would only be seen standing still, it was still a great opportunity to make DASE members' faces known.

 

"Whoa~ Earlier in the rehearsal, my finger got stuck in the zipper. I thought it was going to break."

"Korea is cold…"

 

Yul-Mu and Chung stood motionless in front of the heater. Min-Sung silently watched the two of them and thought,

 

'The temperature is going to drop even more after the sunset.'

 

To make matters worse, there was no heater on the stage.

While Min-Sung was pondering for a moment, the temporary waiting room's tent curtain was lifted, and the manager and Baek-Ya returned. The two were carrying coffee carriers in their hands.

 

"Guys, drink this and warm up your body."

 

Yul-Mu and Chung dashed over like shooting stars and grabbed the warm cups in their hands.

 

"Hyung, thank you so much!"

"I want one too. But why is yours iced? …Aren't you cold?"

 

The iced Americano in Baek-Ya's hand was potent. When Yul-Mu asked, 'Weren't you sensitive to the cold?' Baek-Ya shrugged his shoulders.

 

"But I still like it iced. It's not that cold when you drink it for a while."

"What a persistent guy."

 

Baek-Ya had put two hot packs in his pocket but was still drinking an iced Americano.

 

'Do those hot packs even serve a purpose…?'

 

As Yul-Mu made a face of disapproval, Nam-Kyung weighed in.

 

"He's one of those who'd rather die from the cold than drink something non-iced. Are you trying to control the cold with something cold?"

 

Just as Nam-Kyung was about to launch into a second round of nagging, particularly emphasizing the need to take care of his throat, Min-Sung clapped his hands and cheerfully shouted.

 

"Right! Guys, we shouldn't be just staying here like this. Let's go out!"

"Go out? Where would we go in this cold?"

 

Nam-Kyung looked at Min-Sung as if to say, 'Why even you?'

Regardless, Min-Sung pushed Yul-Mu, Chung, and Baek-Ya's backs, urging them out of the waiting room. He led the remaining members as well, heading towards the parking lot.

 

"You're such a cool guy."

"…Me?"

 

Min-Sung gave Baek-Ya a thumbs up. Regardless of whether Baek-Ya found it strange or not, Min-Sung, who was deeply impressed by Baek-Ya's persistent spirit to control the cold with something cold, divided the members into groups of three without saying a word.

In an instant, members from Room 1 and Room 2 stood face to face in a standoff.

 

"What are we doing? I'm cold…"

 

Chung whined, but the leader paid no heed.

 

"There is no heater on the stage, Chung-ah. Do you want to sing while shivering? Let's warm up our bodies first."

 

Upon hearing those words, Ji-Han also understood Min-Sung's intention. It probably wasn't about practicing choreography here. There was only one thing they could do in this place.

 

'We're going to fight, aren't we?'

 

Ji-Han's 'quiet lunatic' switch was turned on. He quickly bent down to his knees and began to gather the snow faster than anyone else.

 

"…What are you doing?"

 

Baek-Ya looked down at his actions. Ji-Han smirked, raising one corner of his mouth while showing off his completed snowballs.

 

"Take a good look, Han Baek-Ya."

 

For a moment, Baek-Ya tilted his head in confusion at those actions. But soon he was stunned by the raining snowballs that were mercilessly thrown at Chung.

 

"What the…!"

"What are you doing right now?"

 

A snowball fight began with Ji-Han taking the lead. This news quickly spread due to a homepage master's camera.

 

- 2X1231 Waiting for the Imjingak rehearsals #DASE (DASE snowball fight.jpg)

- An eoljuk idol drinking iced Americano in Imjingak with the weather being 21 degrees below zero (Baek-Ya.jpg)

//TN: Eoljuk or Eoljukah, is slang that refers to a person who will drink it iced (usually iced Americano) even if they'd die from the cold.

└ I'm getting cold just looking at him ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Wow… that's an authentic Eoljukah

└ The Association of the Eoljukah has emerged.

- Male idols having a snowball fight after being exiled to Imjingak (DASE.jpg)

- A snowball fight? At Imjingak? Isn't it -20 degrees below zero in Paju right now?

- Idols who are going crazy in the extreme cold (DASE having a snowball fight.jpg)

└ These guys are awesomeㅋㅋㅋ Who are they?

└ Even Chung isn't wearing any padding;

└ They are DASE who are making their debut at Imjingak today!

└ I guess it's different when you're young…

- A snowball-fighting idol, who's probably going to be in a cast before he is even going to make his debut (Yul-Mu running.jpg)

- Apparently they ended up being dragged away by the staff ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

* * *

 

With little time left until the New Year, Jae-Hyun and Yu-Kyung sat in front of their living room TVs, waiting for their friend's stage performance.

Being a rookie group, they thought the group would appear early, but over ten groups have passed and there were no mentions of DASE. Their necks were about to fall off from waiting.

 

[Kim Yu-Kyung: Any chance Baek-Ya's stage already passed without us knowing?]

[Shin Jae-Hyun: Maybe the group's name isn't DASE…]

 

Not being on social media, there was no way for them to know about the cue sheet.

At that moment, as they simply waited endlessly for the MC to mention the name, there was finally a change in the monotonous flow.

 

"M Gayo Daejeon! The energy here is amazing! We are currently simultaneously broadcasting live in Imjingak Haneul Nuri Park in Ilsan M Center."

"That's right. Despite the cold weather, Young-Eun-ssi is out at Imjingak Haneul Nuri Park to welcome the New Year. Shall we call for her? Young-Eun-ssi~"

 

[Yes, hello! I am MC Yoo Young-Eun.]

"Nice to meet you! How is the energy over there?"

[Yes, you must be curious about the atmosphere here, right? Despite the sudden cold wave, many people have gathered here to be part of M Gayo Daejeon. Can you hear the excitement?]

"Whoa~ The energy there looks incredible too!"

[That's right. However, to blow away this cold even more, we have four very special groups here at Imjingak Haneul Nuri Park.]

 

Following that, two boy groups and two girl groups, divided into Team Blue and Team White, were introduced, with BB9 and Blossom representing Team Blue, and DASE and Flower Moon representing Team White.

 

[We have gathered the four groups that are expected to be the hottest in the coming year. Among them, there is a very special group in this place today. They are the first boy group of ID in eight years! They are DASE!]

 

Jae-Hyun and Yu-Kyung, who were exchanging messages as DASE was finally mentioned, shouted and threw their phones.

 

"Mom mom mom! Dad! My friend is appearing now!"

 

Jae-Hyun woke up his family who were dozing off on the sofa and turned up the volume.

 

"Oh, my god. I'm nervous. Ah, I'm so nervous. I think I might throw up."

"It's your friend who's going to be on stage so why are you freaking out? Just shut up and watch."

 

Yu-Kyung was so nervous that he couldn't even hear the scathing curses coming from his family member.

 

[Hot debut! Let's check out DASE's 'No Games' right now!]