Hard Mode Idol

Like hell I’m okay. I was not okay at all. In the end, I had to use the ‘I’ll Die, but FIGHTING! (F)’ skill on the second day of music video filming. I felt conflicted due to the abnormal condition. But on the flip side, there was a good thing.

“What’s going on? Haon is totally energetic.”

Yoochan was amazed. I shrugged my shoulders.

“For some reason, my condition is good.”

My condition was too good. First of all, my concentration improved since I didn’t have to worry about stamina. I also confirmed that my stamina doesn’t recover even if I rest, so I just pushed myself to the fullest. Since I’m going to get an abnormal condition anyway, I should get my money’s worth.

What I recently realized is that my original stamina is actually very good. It’s natural to be out of breath and tired when running a lot. But thanks to the skill, running without limits felt refreshing and good. It was a sense of liberation I hadn’t felt in a long time.

It would have been a luxury I could have enjoyed if I had chosen normal mode. 500 seems enough. But even if I were to choose again, I would still go with hard mode. Otherwise, I would still be at B. Plus, there’s the hard mode group dance feature.

An idol’s lifespan is short. There’s no time to leisurely raise stats.

“Let’s go for the scene with Haon and Ilhan. Get ready.”

“Yes!”

I jumped up from the folding chair and hung my outer clothing on the backrest. Then, I headed to the filming location with Jung Ilhan. Whenever the wind blew, the grass growing in the field flinched in unison.

It was amazing to see it already growing green in late February. That’s probably why we came down to the south. If we were coming down to the south anyway, wouldn’t it have been better to go to the sea on this side? Of course, there must have been a reason, but it was really cold yesterday.

With the field scene with Jung Ilhan and the field shooting, all the outdoor scenes were finished. Thanks to starting early in the morning, all filming was completed by 2 pm.

But there’s no time for us to rest. We headed straight for Seoul. It was to finish the indoor filming. Indoor filming was much easier than outdoor. First of all, there was no running around.

There were five rooms decorated with different concepts for each member. I was a bit surprised at the unexpectedly large scale of the set. It seemed like they poured in a lot of money. Even the flowers scattered on the floor were real.

Seeing this, it hit me anew that the company is determined to promote us no matter what. Otherwise, they wouldn’t invest to this extent.

Indoor filming had many scenes that required emotional acting, which was difficult. It dragged on for a long time, but I managed to pull it off somehow.

When all the filming was over, it was 2 am. The only problem left for me now is the abnormal condition. Since it will end in 30 minutes anyway, I’ll quietly turn off the skill in the early morning and endure it. And if I go to sleep right away and wake up, my stamina will be full, right?

I wanted to keep it on like this since there was no time limit. But experience doesn’t increase while using the skill. It’s a bit unfortunate now, but I can turn it off, and when I raise all my stats, I can keep it on for a long time, right?

Before I knew it, the van had entered our dorm’s parking lot. The manager was slightly surprised to see me awake and woke up the members. One by one, they wriggled and got up.

“You guys have practice from the afternoon tomorrow, so rest well. Since the schedule was a forced march, take medicine in advance so you don’t catch a cold, and I’m talking about getting a vacation before your debut, so let’s endure it a bit more.”

“Ye-es, hyung… Ugh, Haon, you’ll wake up early in the morning again, right?”

Seoho said, rubbing his eyes. Tears welled up due to yawning.

“Probably?”

“I don’t know if you have good stamina or, yawn, if it’s bad.”

“Kids, let’s go in first. Let’s talk tomorrow after going in and sleeping…”

Tears also gathered in the corners of Yoochan’s eyes. Even Kanghyun, who has the best stamina, was busy yawning constantly. Jung Ilhan was dozing off while standing. For now, I returned to the dorm with the members.

No matter how tired we were, we had to remove our makeup and shower because we were sticky with sweat. While deciding the order to wash up, Yoochan brought vitamins and distributed them.

I took the vitamins and watched the members dozing off in front of the bathroom. I volunteered to go last due to the reserved abnormal condition after the skill ended. By the time I finished washing up, everyone had fallen asleep.

After confirming that all the members were asleep, it was the moment I closed the door to my room.

Ah, so this skill had a time limit. Can I keep it on for roughly 50 hours or so? Then, when I raise all my stats, I can keep it on until it automatically ends, spend 30 minutes with an abnormal condition, and then turn it on again.

Before the skill ended, I quickly crawled into bed.

My remaining stamina dropped sharply. In an instant, my whole body felt heavy. It was an immense feeling of exhaustion that couldn’t even be compared to when it gradually decreased.

Six types of abnormal conditions rapidly spun around.

My face felt hot. At the same time, hot breaths rushed out. Wow, this is no joke. The fever was even accompanied by dizziness.

Isn’t dizziness separate? Fever didn’t just mean having a fever. It was accompanied by symptoms caused by the fever. So right now, I was cold, dizzy, and even nauseous.

This is the worst. It was a trap card.

I flipped the blanket over my head and buried my face in the pillow. Groans came out involuntarily, so I had to try my best not to wake up Yoochan.

I was shivering due to the chills caused by the fever when I felt something strange. It seemed like 30 minutes had passed, but the abnormal condition didn’t end. No matter how much the perceived time is extended, isn’t this too long?

I exhaled hot breaths and at some point, my consciousness was cut off as if I had fainted.

Park Yoochan forcibly lifted his unusually heavy body today. Thanks to sleeping like the dead, his fatigue was gone, but his whole body was stiff due to the lingering tension from the previous day.

After waking up his body by stretching, he sat on the bed. Only then did he notice that the blanket on the opposite bed was still roundly raised. It seemed like he was lying sideways with the blanket covering him up to the top of his head.

‘What’s up with Haon?’

Park Yoochan sat on the bed and watched Jin Haon sleeping in. This had never happened before, so he wanted to see his face when he woke up.

Park Yoochan chuckled and observed the cute lump. He doesn’t even move while sleeping. He must have had the habit of curling up like that while sleeping.

Jin Haon was an amazing kid in many ways. He worked harder than anyone else, and his skills improved drastically, becoming a stimulus for the members. The recent atmosphere was much better than when Joon Jaehyuk was here.

‘I still don’t know why they let Jaehyuk go, but…’

He thought the choice of the CEO and the director to bring in Jin Haon was right. Even Joon Jaehyuk couldn’t unite all the members as one. Jin Haon brought together even Jung Ilhan and Baek Kanghyun, who always played separately.

In Park Yoochan’s eyes, Jin Haon knew how to keenly observe the inner thoughts of others and was quick-witted. Maybe that’s why the words Jin Haon said always warmly reached deep into his heart.

Whenever he was struggling with self-loathing, Jin Haon would notice it like a ghost and comfort him casually. Joon Jaehyuk was the same, but the feeling was different. While Joon Jaehyuk was the type to awaken alertness and make him come to his senses, Jin Haon made his heart much lighter through consolation.

He says what you want to hear with clean and clear eyes. He didn’t even know if it was what he wanted to hear himself, but after hearing it, he realizes, “Ah, this is what I wanted to hear.”

It was the same when they occasionally met in the vocal room where he shut himself in. Even though he must have been hurt by their attitudes, Jin Haon comforted him instead. He did say it a bit aggressively, saying it was okay to curse him out, but looking back, that was also Jin Haon’s way of consideration.

He is considerate and mature beyond his age. But when he sees him laughing purely, he also seems his age, so he just looks pretty and cute. Why did he dislike a kid like this?

He is admirable and lovable. He was a reliable member who became a support more than anyone else despite being the youngest. I want to be a hyung that Haon can rely on too. It was at that moment when he thought that way.

Knock knock.

There was a sound of knocking on the door. Park Yoochan quietly got up from his seat and opened the door. It was Jung Ilhan.

“Hyung, you’re going to have lunch, right? What about Haon? Did he go to the practice room?”

“Ah, yeah. Let’s have lunch. Haon is still sleeping.”

“Jin Haon is sleeping, you say?”

Seoho’s reaction was faster than Jung Ilhan’s. He jumped over the sofa like a trampoline, his eyes sparkling as if he had found something fun.

“Why is he still sleeping? You’re going to wake him up, right? Should I wake him up?”

Crack, crack.

There was a sound from his finger joints.

“Why are you cracking your fingers?”

“To tickle him and wake him up.”

“He must have been tired, so let’s let him sleep a bit more.”

Jung Ilhan poked his head into the room and looked for Jin Haon. Seeing the small lump that was roundly raised, he asked, “Haon sleeps like that?” Seoho, who was also curious, followed and stuck his head in.

“He sleeps in a really stuffy way. He’s a weird kid, really. Hey! Jin Haon!”

Seoho suddenly shouted. Park Yoochan covered Seoho’s mouth.

“Mmmph! Mmph!”

“Be quiet.”

“Hyung, let’s feed Haon and put him back to sleep.”

Jung Ilhan went in, saying it would be best to wake him up for now. Come to think of it, he should eat. Yeah, it would be better to eat before going back to sleep. When Park Yoochan agreed, only Seoho felt wronged.

“Ha, I used to be the maknae, but the hyungs are doing this?”

“Seoho still seems like the maknae now.”

“Ha, I’m older than him!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Woo.”

Park Yoochan found Seoho, who was pouting, very cute. His hair instantly became a mess.

“Ah! Hyung!”

From beyond the room door, Jung Ilhan’s voice calling “Haon” could be heard. Ah, right. I was going to see his face when he wakes up. As Park Yoochan entered the room again, Seoho followed behind. Jung Ilhan, who had shaken Jin Haon a few times, lifted the blanket.

Jin Haon was curled up on his side, sweating profusely. His trembling body looked unusual.

“Haon?”

Jung Ilhan’s trembling hand touched Jin Haon’s red cheek, then fell away in surprise.

“Hyung! Haon’s body is too hot…!”

At the frightened voice, the color drained from Park Yoochan’s face.