CH36

Go Tae-Hwan knew that he was extremely perceptive.

He would quickly sus out people's secrets or weaknesses that they wanted to hide, and he would quickly catch onto what others were after.

His perceptiveness, however, had been a bit of a hassle in his younger days.

Back in elementary school, he once called out his homeroom teacher for chewing out a friend, not because the friend had done something wrong but because the teacher was in a foul mood. So he asked the teacher why they were taking their anger out on the friend.

"Y-you, you little brat!"

He then was cursed at until the teacher's face turned red.

It did not stop there.

He was once ostracized for asking two friends, "You two do not like each other, so why do you pretend to do so?"

After such repeated incidents, his father instructed him to speak less and think thrice before speaking.

Thanks to this, he was able to live a more ordinary life afterward. He realized that noticing things and vocalizing them out were two different things.

So, Go Tae-Hwan believed he had a solid grasp of understanding people.

However...

'I really don't know.'

He did not understand Han Si-On.

It was the first time he encountered someone with inner thoughts so tough to unravel.

Even now, after the clash with Fade and the calm cafe sit-down, Han Si-On did not exhibit any particular change in expression.

'...Or am I just misreading his happiness?'

Considering the circumstances, he shouldn't be feeling joy.

Ding-dong-

Then, a jingling bell signaled the drinks were ready. As Go Tae-Hwan got up, Choi Jae-Seong quickly followed suit.

"I'll go get it.."

"Ah, let's go together."

Currently, the Three Months, Hundred Day members were in a nearby cafe, with no cameras or staff around—just an informal gathering.

Originally, there was supposed to be more filming after the noraebang mission, but things got derailed with Han Si-On and Fade's face-off.

'But was it even a real fight?'

Han Si-On had responded as if he was waiting for Fade to pick a fight from the start. Then, he ridiculed Fade as much as he could.

'It felt like he was used to doing that.'

Go Tae-Hwan was startled by how Han Si-On seemed accustomed to putting someone down since Tae-Hwan did not peg him as that type...

Fade, who initially sparked the confrontation, also spitted his f in an attempt to mask his surprise. But eventually, Han Si-On unilaterally mocked and ridiculed him until the squabble concluded.

The odd part was the illogicality of the situation.

No doubt Han Si-On was a skilled participant, but if the Coming Up Next agency had to choose between Take Scene members and Han Si-On? They would likely give the boot to Han Si-On.

So, what gave him that confidence?

'Does he have connections at the broadcasting station?'

If so, he should have made a call or sent a message afterward. Instead, Han Si-On sat calmly, observing Fade grumble in anger as if he were evaluating the extent of his agitation.

It was truly peculiar.

Go Tae-Hwan found Han Si-On strange from the very start.

During the Team B selection, while others seemed oblivious, Han Si-On appeared bored. Everything seemed trivial and insignificant to him.

However, once he hit the stage for the preliminary mission, singing "Under the Streetlight," he seemed like a completely different person.

Then, once the stage ended, he transformed into yet another person.

He projected an arrogant aura as he evaluated the judges' critiques before humbly expressing gratitude.

Go Tae-Hwan had never seen someone with such a drastic demeanor shift.

So, he continued to observe Han Si-On.

Seeing that Han Si-On was clearly a future team member, he observed him in case they ended up on the same team.

But no matter how much he observed, he still could not figure him out.

The same was true during the first mission when Han Si-On lent a helping hand.

While Han Si-On undeniably gave his best effort to assist other members, he displayed little interest in the end result they created on stage.

Periodically, he would slump into a melancholic state and get upset with his team members, only to rev up his enthusiasm for the second mission.

During Go Tae-Hwan's fight for the final Team B spot, Han Si-On secretly helped him pass.

It was all utterly perplexing.

Go Tae-Hwan pondered if it was due to Han Si-On's genius, but it also seemed like it was something separate from his musical talent.

'Ah!'

There was one consistent attitude Si-On showed - for some reason, he really enjoyed saying, "I will try my best."

He even did it a few times on purpose.

Han Si-On's certainly an extraordinary friend. Well, even though we aren't quite friends yet - Thought Go Tae-Hwan.

"Hey, Tae-Hwan, should I get them?"

"Ah, I'll grab this one. Can you get that one?"

"Sure."

Returning to their seats with coffee in tow, Lee Ye-On pulled out his smartphone.

"Tae-Hwan and Jae-Seong, give me your numbers. I'll make a group chat and post announcements there."

"Okay!"

"Okayy!"

After saving everyone's numbers, Lee Ye-On created a group chat and started with some light banter.

"What did you all do after the team selection ended? You had a few days off, right?"

"I practiced because I was anxious."

"Same here."

To Go Tae-Hwan, Lee Ye-On was not the type to take the initiative to organize things.

However, it seemed he brought the members to the cafe out of a sense of responsibility as the eldest.

After some casual conversation, Lee Ye-On finally steered the talk to the main issue.

"We all know why we gathered here, right? I was just beating around the bush because I'm not used to these kinds of things."

"It's about the Fade incident, isn't it? But I'm really okay."

All eyes turned to Han Si-On.

"What do you mean I'm okay?"

"Fade's going to apologize tomorrow. And there's no chance of me getting eliminated."

"Are you sure? You told the PD earlier that you'd leave if Fade didn't apologize."

"To be precise, I said I'd leave if he didn't apologize. But an apology is easy, right?"

Lee Ye-On echoed the unspoken thoughts of everyone in the room.

"This might be a touchy question, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to...but do you have connections at the broadcasting station?"

"No, not at all. Why would I?"

"Then how can you be so sure? Is it because of the 'Under the Streetlight' digital single?"

"I do have a small stake in that. But more than that, I just feel like that's what will happen."

Han Si-On seemed to harbor his own thoughts, and he was unwilling to share them with the members. Perhaps it was too complex or difficult to explain.

A brief silence ensued, and surprisingly, it was On Sae-Miro who broke it.

"Do you think it's okay even if you get eliminated?"

"No, not at all. Why?"

"Life is unpredictable, you know. Your odds aren't 100%, but you don't seem too concerned."

"I believe it's 100%."

"Well...I guess that's good, then."

On Sae-Miro's final remark added a somewhat heartwarming touch to the atmosphere, as if he was genuinely concerned about Han Si-On.

But for Go Tae-Hwan, it felt a bit ambiguous, and their talk seemed to be oddly on the edge. A few changed words could have entirely altered the impression.

'Does On Sae-Miro want to compete with Han Si-On?'

It was possible.

Since Go Tae-Hwan himself had never been as skilled at singing as the two of them, he did not know for sure. But given their abilities, they might feel that way.

"Right. Si-On probably has his reasons, and there might be something he finds difficult to explain to us. Let's leave it at that?"

Lee Ye-On attempted to change the subject, and Choi Jae-Seong subtly added his own inquiry.

"Um, but Ye-On, there's something I've always been curious about."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Have you ever, even once in your life, met someone better-looking than you?"

"Of course I have."

"When and where?"

"At a movie premiere."

"...You mean the actors' stage greetings?"

"Yep."

"..."

"Why?"

"No, it's nothing."

Listening in, Go Tae-Hwan threw in his own comment.

"You really are very handsome."

"Thanks. You too, Tae-Hwan."

The conversation wrapped up with Han Si-On's barely audible mutter.

"By the way, guys..."

"Yeah?"

"You do realize folks at other tables are eavesdropping on us, right?"

It was an expected occurrence.

Even if only Lee Ye-On had walked in, all eyes would be on them, especially with four sufficiently handsome men in tow.

The group exchanged slightly embarrassed expressions and changed the subject.

After that, the Three Months, Hundred Day members engaged in an unexpectedly lengthy casual chat session.

Choi Jae-Seong was undoubtedly the one who took the most credit.

Unusual for the youngest member, he was not the cutesy, teasing type.

Instead, he, in a casual manner, could bring up topics that his older teammates might find awkward to broach.

It felt like it was done on purpose, but it didn't seem to be a calculated move.

It was instinctive.

His social intelligence was evident in gauging the overall atmosphere.

"Ah, guys, while I was on my phone in the restroom, I stumbled upon this."

"What's it?"

"I'll drop the link in the group chat."

The link Choi Jae-Seong shared led to a behind-the-scenes post from one of today's audience members on an idol community forum.

There were quite a few comments already, and surprisingly, the one who seemed most interested in the fans' reactions was Han Si-On.

"Lion's Den...? Oh, is that what they call Lion Entertainment?"

"Yeah, that's what people call it."

"And why is M-Show called 'Raw Show'?"

"Ah, that's because, in the early days, the show was famous for being raw. Not anymore, though." (He is saying that "M Show" was known as a music show where the singers perform live without any backing tracks or autotune. The person says that "M Show" is not known for being a "Raw Show" anymore, but it still has a reputation for being a show where singers can showcase their live singing abilities.)

"Raw...?"

"...Bro, do you never check online communities?"

"Nah, never bothered."

It felt a bit like chatting with an older person when having conversations with Si-On.

Anyway, the titles were not crucial; the content was.

In particular, the writer evaluated both Take Scene and Three Month One Hundred Days, and her evaluation of Three Month, Hundred Days was simple.

Let's skip on Take Scene and just focus on Three Months, Hundred Days.

[Go Tae-Hwan]

Looks: His yangkki style may depend on personal pref, so probably btwn a 6 or 9, I guess?

Skills: He sounded a bit shaky in the higher range. Overall feel is decent, tho, so 7.5?

Vibe: Meek vibe despite his appearance. He seems so demure. Might vibe with those in contrast, but for me, a 6

[On Sae-Miro]

Looks: Appears sloppy with minimal styling effort. But he could def level up with some cam work and grooming. For now, 7.5

Skills: He was paired with Tune.On. I gave him a 10, so even though he's not quite there yet, I'd give him a 9

Vibe: Lacks a particularly captivating vibe. 7

[Lee Ye-On]

Looks: A solid 100 out of 10. The most incredible real-life visuals I've ever witnessed in all my years of dedicated fangirling.

Skills: 7-8? He sang well.

Vibe: Unreadable. Just blinding. No score.

[Han Si-On]

Looks: About 8.5, has a vibe that could suit some tastes, looking at just his visuals.

Skills: Sang a chill, old song. Couldn't show all his skills, but was super nice to hear. Hard to rate tho, maybe 8-8.5?

Vibe: Totally amazing first impression. Super warm and friendly to the audience. Solid 10.

[Choi Jae-Seong]

Looks: A bit young, around 7.5?

Skills: Listening to him left me breathless, yet he seemed so at ease. Maybe an 8?

Vibe: No real vibe tbh. A 7, I guess.

I wanted to dive deep but was typing this up on my phone on the subway, so I kept it short.

Looks pretty interesting, tbh. If they actually air the main show...

Comments below the post leaned more toward the negative.

TL/n - 

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