Chapter 101:
Seeing Yooil's dumbfounded face, Director Jang Jaeyi playfully wrinkled her nose.
"It wasn't my decision. It was a private vote held in the fan caf Look here, Yooil."
What Jang Jaeyi handed him was the result of an anonymous poll on the fan caf.
[ Which idol dance do you want Actor Yooil to perform? ]
LEMON CANDY' was the clear winner, with Black Sea's Shining Night' in second place. Yooil's eyes wavered as he saw the result.
"If it's too much pressure, you don't have to do it."
Fans might be a bit disappointed, though.
At Jang Jaeyi's words, Yooil immediately responded.
"I'll do it."
Having seen the poll results, he felt he couldn't refuse.
Even though he wasn't sure why they wanted to see him do that.
After mulling over the two songs, Yooil decided to dance the highlight parts of both tracks, which had received the most votes.
Min Woojin, who had been watching Yooil, spoke up.
"Yooil, how about contacting Harang?"
Jang Jaeyi, who overheard Woojin's whisper, lit up.
And so, Yooil, in need of an expert in idol dancing,' picked up his phone.
Hey, Harang!
A cheerful voice came from the other end. After Yooil explained the situation, Harang seemed surprised.
Huh? You're dancing to our song at the fan meeting? Shining Night'?
"Yeah."
Harang quickly said he would get permission from his manager and invited Yooil to visit his agency's practice room. Black Sea was off-season, so it was possible.
And so, Yooil committed to learning the dance in a crash course, timed for his fan meeting in mid-January.
Before he began learning the dance from Harang, Yooil practiced a bit with Brion's help. Fortunately, due to the conceptual choreography of both songs, following the highlight parts wasn't too difficult at least, that's what Brion said. However, having tried it himself, Yooil couldn't agree.
This is considered not too difficult?'
Once again, Yooil realized that idol dancing was not his forte.
* * *
"Malang~ Auntie is here~"
Jin Hayoung entered the apartment with a bright smile.
She was there to spend the New Year with Yooil. While Yooil was struggling with his dance, the New Year had arrived.
"!"
The puppy, who had been joyfully running around the living room eating snacks, quickly hid under the sofa as Jin Hayoung entered.
"Aigoo."
Jin Hayoung laughed, a mix of frustration and amusement, as she looked at Malang hiding under the sofa. The dog's face, full of wariness, was pitiful yet cute.
"It's better than before, though. Last time, he was drooling and panting, right?"
"Maybe because we go out for walks and he sees other people more often."
Jin Hayoung's lips curved into a smile involuntarily. Yooil, speaking proudly, was quite endearing. Despite being all grown up, when he smiled like that, she could still see the child he once was.
A delicious aroma snapped Jin Hayoung out of her reminiscence.
"Uh, Yooil. Did you cook?"
"I just prepared the sauce. Now we just need to boil the pasta."
"I thought you said you'd order everything"
But Jin Hayoung's reproach trailed off before she could finish. She was pleased with the menu.
Soy cream pasta.
A sauce made not too rich by adding suitable vegetables like mushrooms and broccoli and just the right amount of peperoncino, complemented by the sweet and savory taste of onions sauted for a long time. It was a dish Yooil often made, especially for Jin Hayoung, who didn't eat meat.
"When did you find the time to do all this~ You're so busy."
"Because it's been a while since we had a meal together."
Soon, the pasta was ready. The pasta, garnished with basil leaves, looked quite impressive.
As Jin Hayoung twirled the pasta on her fork and took a generous bite, a look of satisfaction bloomed on her face.
"It tastes even better after so long."
Yooil also nodded after tasting the pasta. He had been worried since he hadn't cooked since his last appearance on a variety show, but this was a decent effort.
After a while of silently enjoying their pasta, Jin Hayoung cautiously started speaking.
"Yooil."
Yooil looked up.
?'
Her voice, usually steady, seemed to waver slightly, causing Yooil to tense up.
"Auntie, is something wrong?"
"No, it's not that"
"Are you not feeling well?"
"No, that's not it either!"
However, Jin Hayoung continued to dart her gaze around, seemingly unsure of what to do. As Yooil kept asking seriously, Jin Hayoung's face suddenly flushed red.
"Well uh, that is I've "
As Yooil's concern grew, Brion's voice echoed in his head.
Analysis of Jin Hayoung's tone indicates 45% nervousness, 34.3% excitement, 18.6% elation, others
A possibility dawned on Yooil.
Could it be?'
"Auntie are you seeing someone?"
"Pfft-!"
Jin Hayoung, who was drinking water, spit it out. After stammering for a while, she finally admitted.
"I've met a kind and nice person. It's been about fifteen days."
Yooil looked at Jin Hayoung with an indescribable feeling.
"Auntie."
"Ugh, why."
Avoiding eye contact, Yooil showed a smile to his auntie.
"Why are you smiling like that, it's funny!"
"Because I'm happy."
"You always say the strangest things."
As Jin Hayoung muttered, feeling embarrassed, Yooil's expression turned serious.
"Honestly, I think I'm happier about this than receiving the award."
"What? Oh my, you're not short of words!"
Jin Hayoung laughed as if it was absurd, but it wasn't a complete lie.
The award was more of a bewildering and somewhat scary event than a purely joyful one.
Yooil watched as Jin Hayoung's cheeks turned warm.
That's a new expression.'
It was the most vibrant face he had seen Jin Hayoung wear so far.
After starting acting, Yooil knew his life had changed. But now, his auntie was also stepping into a new phase of her life.
"Auntie. Please introduce him to me later. I'd like to meet him."
"What?! Oh, um okay."
Jin Hayoung's tone was somewhat uneasy, and as Yooil narrowed his eyes, she readily confessed.
"Actually I haven't told him that you're my nephew yet"
Yooil's hand, holding the fork with pasta, froze mid-air.
"Auntie, am I an embarrassment to you?"
"Oh, don't be ridiculous! Of course not!"
""
"It's just I haven't done much for you, and I didn't want it to seem like I was showing off"
""
"Yooil! I said it's not like that!"
Yooil felt an unexpected sense of hurt from this revelation.
* * *
The next day, after finishing the morning walk with Malang, Yooil headed to NVB's practice studio.
"Harang hyung!"
As soon as he got out of the car, Kim Harang's lively blonde hair was the first thing Yooil saw. Right behind him, a head of black hair also came into view.
"Oh? Ji Eunho is here too?"
"I don't have a schedule this afternoon."
Ji Eunho looked at Yooil with an awkward face. Although they occasionally communicated since their time on <Sing in High School>, they had not met in person.
I didn't expect to meet like this.'
"Come this way! Here! This is our practice studio!"
Kim Harang, more energetic than usual, guided Yooil through his agency, showing him around.
Upon entering Black Sea's practice studio, Yooil was a bit surprised.
It's spacious.'
While JJ Entertainment's practice studio was by no means small, it felt quaint compared to NVB's. Yooil curiously examined the corners of the practice studio, and Harang shouted cheerfully.
"Alright~ shall we start!"
Kim Harang placed a small camera he had received from the staff on the table. It took a while to adjust the angle so that all three of them could be captured well.
The reason for the camera was to document their meeting in a vlog-style video. It was NVB's idea when Yooil first mentioned he was coming for practice.
"Oh! It's on!"
As the camera turned on, the real practice began.
"Let's start~"
Yooil thought that with Kim Harang, the practice might be a bit relaxed.
He turned the music up, but soon realized that relaxed practice' was just his wishful thinking.
"Ouch, your right foot should come out like this at shimmering starlight'! Again!"
"Imagine drawing a circle with your elbow! Stretch out more. Again!"
"No! The angle here needs to be sharper! Again!"
Harang seemed more accustomed to a Spartan-style training than expected.
Han Yooil, drenched in sweat, gazed blankly at Kim Harang and Ji Eunho. Even in their loose grey and charcoal-colored training outfits, their dance lines were evident. He thought he knew the choreography, but seeing them dance in person was different. It was fascinating how each movement and angle gave a completely different feel.
But I get why I'm doing this.'
Why was Ji Eunho participating in all this alongside them?
Just then, Ji Eunho spoke up at the perfect timing.
"Let's take a break."
As Ji Eunho suggested, Kim Harang nodded. Ji Eunho looked a bit tired, unlike Harang who seemed to have endless energy regardless of the sweat.
While Harang went to the restroom, Ji Eunho said softly.
"It's tough, right?"
"It's hard, but it's also fun."
Yooil's reply was sincere. Ji Eunho nodded, then suggested.
"Harang is a good teacher, but since he's so skilled himself, it can be overwhelming for beginners."
"That's true."
"Like the choreography earlier, instead of thinking of each movement separately, try to feel them flowing into each other."
Ji Eunho pinpointed parts of the choreography where Yooil had struggled and continued.
"Try to relax your body overall. It seems like your shoulders are a bit tense."
Oh.'
Following his advice, Yooil moved his body and was surprised. The advice was quite helpful.
"I didn't start with dancing either. I had a lot of difficulties due to dance practices initially."
It seemed to be wisdom born out of experience.
"Shall we start again~!" Harang cheerfully shouted as he re-entered the practice studio.
Yooil, having deliberately set Brion to Do Not Disturb' mode, followed Kim Harang and Ji Eunho's lead and moved his body accordingly.
Finally, after three hours in the practice studio, Yooil managed to memorize the highlight choreography.
The trio sat side by side in front of the camera, sipping their vitamin drinks. Although sitting in sweat-soaked clothes wasn't the most pleasant, they had to wrap up with a closing statement for the PPL.
Luckily, the air conditioning was strong enough to provide some relief.
They chatted casually, filling the audio, and soon looked for the right timing to conclude.
"Thanks to Yooil, the practice went smoother than expected."
"It's all thanks to your good teaching."
That should do it.'
Just as Yooil responded to Ji Eunho's comment, aiming for a warm ending, Harang suddenly blurted out while drinking his vitamin drink.
"Hyung, my sister is super jealous of me, you know?"
"Hm?"
Yooil tried to recall.
She's a grad student, right?'
Yooil and Harang had first met when Harang was visiting his sister at Wolmyeong University.
However, what came out of Harang's mouth was unexpected.
"My sister is a huge fan of yours, Yooil hyung."
"?"
"The other day, when I went home after a long time, the first thing she said when she saw my face was that she must go to see the play you're in, Yooil hyung."
Harang began to lament how his fans, who would be watching the video in a few weeks, would react. As Yooil pondered what expression to make, Harang grinned and continued.
"Anyway, the conclusion is, Yooil hyung is the best!"
"Huh?"
Kim Harang started the closing statement by endlessly throwing double thumbs-up and hearts toward the camera. It looked quite bizarre from the side, but somehow it seemed okay on camera. Yooil watched Harang and the camera alternately with curious eyes.
"Please give lots of love to Yooil hyung~!"
"Fighting, Yooil!"
"Thank you, Black Pearl fans!"
Watching Han Yooil and the two Black Sea members energetically wrap up, the staff member smiled contentedly.
They knew the combination of Han Yooil and Kim Harang was good, but the addition of Ji Eunho made the picture even more appealing.
I bet it'll be worth watching when the video is uploaded.'
* * *
Meanwhile, the team of Shadows of Faith decided to take a short break at the start of the year. However, Yooil couldn't fully enjoy even that short break.
Because the first reading and practice session for <Ordinary Family> was scheduled.
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