Hard Mode Idol

“Hyung.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“You can just look openly. Why are you being so furtive?”

I fluttered my swinging false lashes as I smiled. When Ilhan unconsciously tried to scratch his cheek, I quickly grabbed his hand.

“You can’t touch your face after the makeup.”

“Ah, right. Yeah. But I already finished my shoot……”

“We still need to take the group shots, don’t we?”

“Ah! Got it.”

Ilhan vigorously nodded his head. How cute. I wished I could pat his head, but it was a pity I couldn’t since it might ruin his hairstyle. Instead, I offered my face. Go ahead, look your fill. If two people enjoy it, the happiness doubles.

Leaving Ilhan staring at me, I observed Seoho instead. His personality shone through, creating a rather lively shoot atmosphere. The photographer seemed to find Seoho utterly adorable too. He’s truly someone loved wherever he goes. If Seoho had stats, his charm level would definitely be S+ without a doubt.

Lastly, Kanghyun. He silently waited his turn, then silently did the photoshoot. When told to smile brightly, he forced an awkward grin. Seoho, who had been guffawing moments ago, promptly sealed his lips under Kanghyun’s piercing gaze.

But soon, Kanghyun seemed to realize he couldn’t help being himself during the shoot, as he began openly clowning around. Then, at the moment he accidentally fell, the previously stiff Kanghyun burst into laughter. His face looked so refreshingly handsome. The shutter clicked rapidly. It worked out somehow.

Since Kanghyun finished too, I expected to be called next, but the staff members busily started moving about. The set was being changed.

First, a rug was laid on the floor, then a black iron bed was placed on top of it. As the rail system on the ceiling moved, sheer white fabric cascaded down. Finally, when a large cushion was arranged, the manager called me over.

“Haon, come here.”

Since Polaroid photos were needed, the camera setup remained. The photography industry really is deceptive after all. Well then, Polaroid photos probably can’t fully transform someone into a doll, so the makeup has its limits, huh?

“Lie down and close your eyes, stand up and open them. Keep a neutral expression as the base.”

“Okay.”

Following the instruction to lie down, I did so. The sounds of equipment being hurriedly set up came from the foot of the bed. I raised my right arm when told, and even performed a stunt by hanging half off the bed with my upper body upside down.

At that point, I got confused about whether my eyes should be open or closed. When I opened them halfway, they liked that expression, so I just went with it. As long as they’re satisfied.

After one round of hair and makeup touch-ups, the shoot resumed. This time, a massive fan was newly brought in.

The wind whipped wildly, but of course one of the long false lashes started poking my eye. It stung so much that tears began streaming down.

I’d have to redo this part. Just as I was worriedly glancing around, unsure how to proceed:

“Kyaa! This is perfect! There are lots of boy group fans who love idols’ sweat, blood and tears! Haon looks so pretty crying. Can we release this as a behind-the-scenes cut later?”

In the end, it means these photos are useless, right? During the brief break, I rapidly blinked my eyes. The lash didn’t come off, and I couldn’t touch my face due to the makeup, leaving me distressed. Please help!

“Haon-ah, are your eyes hurting?”

Yoochan closely noticed my situation and asked, quite loudly too.

“The false lash is poking me……”

The makeup artist immediately rushed over. After applying eye drops to my eyes and wiping away the streaming tears, she asked:

“How’s that?”

“I’m okay now. Thank you, noona!”

“You’re welcome.”

I beamed, relieved of the discomfort, causing the noona to blush as she smiled back. After swiftly retouching my makeup, she scrutinized me from various angles before nodding in satisfaction. In between, I lost count of how many times she called me pretty.

Even after that, my one-man show continued. By my perception, I felt like I took far more shots than the concept photos. First a neutral expression version, then a smiling version too. The sheer white fabric had been gradually lowered, turns out they intended to wrap me in it.

Towards the very end, the fabric inevitably got tangled up. Staff rushed over amidst my whines, creating a comical finale before the warm-hearted shoot wrapped up.

“Haon, you did really well. You looked just like a real doll.”

As I was getting my makeup changed, Yoochan came over to praise me.

“Hyung, saying that makes me embarrassed.”

Ilhan, who knows when he arrived, also chimed in.

“Haon was so cool…… Amazing……”

“Why are you like this, Ilhan hyung……”

If it’s a praise shower, I had already received more than enough from the photographer. The continued compliments only made me increasingly flustered. I have no immunity, you see. Feeling the heat rush to my face, I groaned softly.

The coordinator noo

33na removing my makeup let out a small laugh, saying we looked adorable. I’m glad Ilhan’s earnest expression seemed cute to her. I need to divert my thoughts elsewhere. How embarrassing.

Apparently, the next shoot is outdoors? It’s bothersome to change clothes again, but I can’t help it. I can’t make them move locations just for me, only to return to the studio again.

Even after the concept photos, our days continued to flow just like usual. If there was any slight change, it was in our practice intensity. I woke up earlier, stayed up later, and diligently accumulated experience points.

For some reason, the other members gradually started following my pattern too, especially Kanghyun, who seemed to compete with me in terms of early rising. For someone who loves sleeping in, it was quite impressive that he managed to wake up so early.

While unexpected from everyone, the most surprising shift came from Ilhan. Instead of holing up in his studio, he started trailing after me constantly.

It felt like he liked me even more than Yoochan now. If I checked the fondness levels right now, it has surely changed to ‘Likes’, given how closely he stuck to me to the point where I naturally got that impression.

Sometimes, Ilhan would take me to his composition studio and play the songs he had been working on. The overall vibe was gradually brightening, and I could sense the rougher edges that had previously vanished were subtly resurfacing. Seeing it as a signal of Ilhan’s recovering self-esteem, I would happily smile while showering him with enthusiastic praise.

Kanghyun was still rather aloof, but he seemed satisfied that all the members were gathered for dance practice together. Of course, he didn’t hesitate to work the members asking for his guidance into a sweaty mess, myself included.

The one who suffered the most was Ilhan. He really should have put in more effort regularly. Our team’s resident hard worker has been singled out.

Seoho grumbled about how my diligence needlessly made him have to work hard too. Isn’t it good for all of us to practice hard together? Why complain?

So, I kindly pointed out that he should reflect on his previous laziness instead. For some reason, Seoho threw a fit. I don’t understand why; I was just gently highlighting his issue out of consideration.

The most excited was Yoochan. Having trained for a combined total of 8 years, he had experienced having his debut fall through twice before transferring agencies. Moreover, at 23 years old this year, it would be touch-and-go for him to debut here.

Perhaps due to that, even after signing the artist contract, he remained just as diligent as before – simply practicing, practicing, and more practicing as usual. I understand that state of mind where reality and dreams blur together.

But it seems the concept photos made it feel real for him. On top of that, with Ilhan gradually teaching him the composing he had wanted to learn, a vibrant glow emanated from his face.

To recover my drained stamina, I sat in a corner drinking water, listening to the squeaking sounds of four pairs of shoes rubbing against the floor as they danced. For some reason, it filled me with a sense of pride, marveling that I too, had a place amongst them.

Thanks to our group practices, I also discovered a new trait. My dancing growth had recently accelerated, and it turned out there was a group choreography bonus in effect. When the alarm for this hardcore mode exclusive trait popped up, I let out a whoop of joy. If I hadn’t known about this, I would have almost wasted points!

Of course, it didn’t last 24/7, instead resetting to normal after a certain period depending on the choreography completion level. But such buffs are like honey – totally free benefits.

I proudly examined the results of my efforts so far. Just looking at them made me spontaneously smile.

[Grade E Jin Haon (19) – Trainee]

Stamina: 120

Charm: S

Vocals: A (1245/2500)

Dance: A- (654/1500)

Acting: E-

Lyric Writing: F-

Composing: F

Remaining Points: 2,020

I want to raise my vocals to S- before our debut, but the road ahead is long. More than anything, raising it from A+ to S- required a whopping 5,000 points. To achieve my goal, I would need to devote even more time to practice than now.

With dance practice time already increased, if I also wanted to accumulate vocal experience points, I would have to forgo sleep. But since I only need enough sleep to recover stamina, I can just wake up earlier instead.

Let’s go. I can do this.

“Hey, Jin Haon. Why are you grinning to yourself like that? Is your stamina still low?”

In response to Seoho’s brazen provocation, I planted my knee on the floor as I stood up.

“No. I’m about to go hard now.”

“You’ll just get more exhausted singing while your stamina is already lacking.”

“I’m going to do live singing practice. I need to prepare in advance. Unless you want to be the only one panting heavily in our live performances while the other members sing cleanly, you should put in more effort too?”

“My stamina is better than yours!”

It really isn’t though. I’m just resting when the system tells me to rest. It’s solely because of the system’s limitations. If not for the stamina restrictions, I’d be soaring effortlessly.

“Haon-ah, wouldn’t it be better if you rested a bit more?”

Ilhan looked at me with a worried expression. But I’m perfectly fine, why is he concerned?

“I’ll do it again. My stamina is fully recovered.”

“But your face is pale……”

“I’m totally fine. Hyung, you focus on your own practice instead of watching me.”

The group choreography bonus hasn’t activated yet today.

“Kanghyun hyung, let’s sync up and do it together!”

At my call, three of them flinched while Kanghyun broadly smiled.

“I’ll start the song from the top.”