LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 234
Chapter 234
Unlike typical variety shows, the Idol Chuseok Sports Day had a unique characteristic—perhaps it could be called a tradition.
Anyway, there was something unusual about it.
Once a team was decided in the first appearance, that team would remain the same the following year, and the year after that.
So, if we were assigned to the White Team this year, we’d stay in the White Team for years to come.
Because of this characteristic, some teams developed very strong camaraderie over time. I heard this from Joo Yeon-ho, who would be second to none when it came to having a wide social network.
Of course, having the same team of athletic idols winning year after year wouldn’t be much fun for viewers, so…
The production team made efforts to maintain balance by assessing the physical abilities of the new rookies every year and using that information to even out the teams.
Today was the day for that physical ability assessment.
Although it was filmed, it wasn’t considered that important unless someone stood out enough to clearly make a mark during the sports day, in which case most of it would be edited out.
From what I knew, the results of the physical assessments were usually just shown in a summarized table.
“When do we film the main broadcast for this? It’s not before our comeback, right?”
On the way to the center where the physical assessment would take place, Gyeon Seong-ha, dressed in comfortable training clothes, asked the question, and Gwak Sang-hyun shook his head.
“No. They said it would be in September, but the exact date hasn’t been set yet. I think it’ll be around the 10th.”
Gwak Sang-hyun looked worn out again, suffering from overwork due to the absence of Lee Young-min.
They said they’d somehow hire a new manager before the comeback, but who knows if that’ll actually happen.
“That’s somewhat fortunate, then?”
“It’s right when we’ll be busy with music shows and fan signings.”
“Wow. Are we going to end up falling asleep during the recording?”
“If you fall asleep, I’ll pull your ears like this.”
“Ack!”
“Guys, we’re here. It’s great that you’re eager because this is your first appearance at the sports day, but don’t forget you have a very important comeback ahead of you. Got it?”
He was warning us not to get injured by overdoing it.
As we got out of the car in front of the center, the place was already buzzing with fans, apparently having heard early on that the Idol Sports Day would be filmed here today.
Among the rookies making their first appearance this year, our fans and Liftin’s fans were noticeably the most abundant.
“Raon, don’t get hurt…!”
As soon as I got out and greeted those around me, a particularly desperate plea from one of the Aeries reached my ears. I nodded toward the direction the voice had come from.
Though this was supposed to be a private schedule, since the physical assessments for the Idol Sports Day were held at this center every year, it probably wasn’t hard to find out the location and time.
‘Well… at least it’s not in front of our dorm.’
As we entered the center, we saw that many rookie idols were already there, either undergoing physical assessments or preparing for them.
“Please stretch here. Make sure to warm up enough to avoid injuries.”
“Yes!”
Just as we were finishing up our warm-ups, stretching out our limbs and rotating our joints…
We saw some familiar faces approaching us in a group.
It was Liftin.
This was the first time we had all run into each other since the last broadcast, as we had all been busy with no overlapping activities.
“Hello, seniors!”
At a somewhat awkward distance, Kim Jun-woo caught my eye and bowed respectfully with a solemn expression.
Before I could object, realizing it was a silly and mischievous prank, Yoon Myung-soo, Ok Do-yoon, and Jing Xiao, who had also caught on, shouted “Hello, seniors!” and followed Kim Jun-woo’s lead, bowing at a right angle, which drew the attention of nearby staff and idols alike.
Even Bain, a member of Liftin who wasn’t from Pick Heart, hesitated before bowing awkwardly after Yoon Myung-soo and Jing Xiao.
Go Kyung-yoon, who had bowed more politely than anyone else, seemed…
“Hello.”
Knowing the boy’s true nature, I felt slightly uneasy because it seemed like there was some kind of subtle mix of sincerity, pretense, and intent in his greeting.
“Alright.”
I responded casually, jutting my chin out in a joking manner, and the Liftin members burst into laughter.
“As expected, On Raon hasn’t lost his shamelessness.”
“I still can’t believe he first became famous as a soft, melancholic guy.”
“I’m still melancholic. If melancholy were personified, it’d just be me.”
“Wow… He’s become even more shameless since we last met.”
“But I respect Raon-hyung. You’re even more handsome now.”
“What about me, then?”
“Hyung… not only are you not handsome, you’ve got a small heart.”
“Hey!”
After exchanging trivial banter with those we were familiar with, the leaders of each team greeted one another.
“Hello. I’m Yoon Myung-soo from Liftin. Your singing was so amazing during the Celestial Wood series, I’ve been a huge fan of Ji-woo since then. I look forward to working with you.”
“Wow, really? Thank you. I believe you’re older than me, so would it be okay if I called you Myung-soo-hyung?”
“Of course. Should we just speak informally to each other?”
“I’d love that, hyung.”
Since Yoon Myung-soo had a laid-back personality and Kang Ji-woo was sociable, the two quickly hit it off.
Meanwhile, Gyeon Seong-ha was stiffly staring ahead with a tense expression, as if he saw Liftin as rivals, given that they were competing against us for this year’s Rookie of the Year award.
And Nagase Ritsu seemed a bit intimidated by Gyeon Seong-ha, which amused me, knowing the full story.
Ban Yo-han and I caught up with some of our peers with whom we had taken evaluations together.
“It’s been a while!”
“Yeah, it really has. How have you been?”
“We’ve been doing well. How about you guys?”
“We’re good too. Did you just arrive?”
“Yeah. Have you guys finished already?”
“Yeah. We were almost the first ones here. We’re about to leave.”
“How did it go? Are you guys good at sports?”
“Haha, that’s a secret.”
“What? Are you already trying to outmaneuver us?”
“No way. Outmaneuvering?”
“I hope we end up on the same team.”
Nagase Ritsu, who now looked much more like a Korean idol compared to when we first met, said shyly.
“We definitely won’t be on the same team.”
But Go Kyung-yoon dashed his hopes.
“Yeah. We’re definitely going to be on different teams.”
Ban Yo-han hammered the point home.
“!”
Nagase Ritsu’s eyes widened.
I agreed.
As I mentioned earlier, the standout rookies this year were us and Liftin, so there was no way the production team would put us on the same team.
“[But let’s do our best together.]”
“Yeah!”
Nagase Ritsu, who had been visibly disappointed, brightened up and nodded at my words.
“Orca members, please come over here to have your height and weight measured first.”
At that moment, a staff member called us over.
“We’ll head out then. See you next time.”
“Sure. Take care and do well.”
“See you!”
“Goodbye.”
After parting ways with Liftin, we followed the staff to the area with the body measurement machines.
Though usually, they wouldn’t take the time to measure each person’s height one by one, given how busy idols were, this time it seemed they were following all procedures properly, as the filming was also intended to promote the national life sports welfare service offered by regional centers.
“What’s your height?”
“It’s 177 cm.”
Having just barely avoided being the shortest in the group, I clenched my fist in triumph.
“No way!”
Kang Ji-woo, who had been the first to measure in at about 176 cm, let out a despairing cry.
His reaction seemed genuine, not just for the cameras.
“Please, don’t leave out the decimal places!”
At my fervent request, the staff member assisting us with the measurements barely managed to suppress a smile that had been creeping onto her face ever since she first saw me.
“I didn’t leave anything out. It’s exactly 177 cm.”
“No way! Why is it the same as before?”
Seeing the measurement results for myself on the screen, I jumped up in frustration.
Kang Ji-woo, who had been ecstatic, grabbed my shoulders and shouted.
“Maknae, 0.3 cm is nothing when you measure again. Let’s do it again! Miss, could we measure one more time? If there’s a line, we’ll stay back and do it later!”
“I’m not measuring again! I’m satisfied! Well, not really, but I’ll take it! Don’t you know that insoles come in 0.1 cm increments these days? 0.3 cm is a huge deal. Just accept your defeat, hyung.”
“There’s no such thing as 0.1 cm insoles!”
As we waited for the next measurement, still bickering over the significance of 0.3 cm, we noticed Gyeon Seong-ha, who had grown another centimeter since a few
months ago, reaching a staggering 186 cm, looking gloomy about getting taller again. Seo Moon-gyeol, standing at the upper end of 182 cm, was trying to comfort him.
“……”
“……”
“It’s all pointless……”
“Maknae, remember, height and age are just numbers.”
“Of course. What’s far more important is the face…”
“The inner self…”
“……”
“……”
“Puhahaha!”
Seeing us, Ban Yo-han burst into laughter, then struggled to catch his breath and said,
“But you’ve really grown a lot since I first saw you. You were tiny last year.”
Seeing Ban Yo-han, who had nearly reached 179 cm after growing about 3 cm since last summer, bring his hand up to his chin, I was taken aback and retorted.
“Hey, I wasn’t that short, okay? And I can still grow more.”
“From what I can tell, you’re done growing. You measured the same a few months ago, too.”
Unfortunately, he was right.
“Ah, if only I could grow a little more.”
I had nearly caught up to Ban Yo-han’s height during my growth spurt last year.
But while I couldn’t sleep properly, missing out on milk, and failing to get good sleep, Ban Yo-han, who leisurely polished off a carton of milk every two days and enjoyed quality sleep, had grown taller again.
When I was On Hae-jae, I grew to a solid 182 cm by the time I went to the military, perhaps thanks to eating well-prepared meals by the housekeeper.
But this body, which should’ve been growing taller by eating and sleeping well, had suffered abroad during the crucial period, so it showed no sign of further growth.
Given that I’d eaten a lot of meat since childhood like a Westerner, shouldn’t I have grown taller than On Hae-jae?
But I was only 19…
‘It’s not over yet.’
Holding onto hope, I decided to get a growth plate test done soon.
* * *
In the early days of August, when the summer sun was still blazing hot…
The Orca official SNS suddenly posted a new logo designed by Joo Yeol-eum to match the concept of the upcoming album.