CHAPTER 84

Lee Ju-Yung laughed, praising my thorough preparation. "Wow, Yoon-Ho. You really got this, huh?"

But I had another reason for bringing these costumes.

"Let me help. I'll help you carry some too."

Han Myung-Ho also joined in carrying the luggage and we headed to the open set. People who were clad in ski wear and carrying skis and boards at the ski resort started talking among themselves as they saw us.

"Isn't that Cherry Blossom?"

"Oh! I heard there's going to be an outdoor stage performance today."

"Wow, their body proportions are great. Their faces are really small. Maybe even smaller than my fist?"

"Right? I'm the complete opposite. Mom, why did you give birth to me like this?"

"Hey. Don't blame me. You take after your dad."

"Their visuals are amazing. I've been seeing them a lot on TV lately."

"It's all thanks to the end-of-year broadcast effect. But it's such a shame though. They would have really made it this time if only their song was better."

Flash! Flash!

People at the ski resort started taking out their phones to snap photos.

Woo Yeon-Hee was shy, Yang Eun-Bi tried to act unbothered, and Sae-Ri waved and greeted everyone around.

"Hello! We are Cherry Blossom. I'm Long Baby Kim Sae-Ri. Oh, what is Long Baby? It's a bit embarrassing to explain my nickname myself, but…people call me that because I have long legs although I am petite! And this is...."

'Wow. She is so approachable. She's good!'

She was certainly the most suited to be a celebrity among the Cherry Blossom members.

'I wish I could take half of that charisma and give it to Eun-Ah.'

Meanwhile, Eun-Ah walked quickly with her head down and drew closer to my side when Yang Eun-Bi was briefly distracted.

"Eun-Ah, just stick behind me. Don't worry."

"Okay, oppa..."

I shielded Eun-Ah with my body and headed toward the temporary waiting room. Upon arriving at the waiting room, I could see that all the staff were busy bustling around.

When Han Myung-Ho and I were greeting everyone, Assistant Director Cha Tae-Hee let out a sigh of relief while she held onto a cue sheet in her hand.

"It's good that at least one team arrived early. Mr. Han, was there a lot of traffic on the Yeongdong Highway?"

"It was fine up till we arrived, but it seemed to be getting congested because of the snow when we exited the IC."

"Ah, what should I do? It looks like there'll be a no-show by several teams today."

Muttering to herself, Cha Tae-Hee informed others of our arrival via her wireless intercom. "Mr. Choi. Cherry Blossom has arrived. Yes, yes."

After checking the site, Cha Tae-Hee consulted with Han Myung-Ho. "Rehearsal will start with Cherry Blossom regardless of the order."

"Yes, Ms.Cha."

Clearly tense, Cha Tae-Hee crumpled the cue sheet in her hand. Even with her five years of experience in music show broadcasts, this was her first time dealing with such a calamity. She couldn't help but constantly mutter a curse under her breath.

Then, she received some instructions via the intercom and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes. I'll do that. Yes~."

After the conversation, Cha Tae-Hee called out to Han Myung-Ho who was heading toward the waiting room.

"Mr. Han, I'm sorry to ask this out of the blue. But can Cherry Blossom also take the first slot for the live show performance?"

"The first performance slot? Doesn't that belong to Pink Diamonds?"

"Yes, but they haven't arrived yet. So Mr. Choi is asking if Cherry Blossom could take both the first and second performances for now. The rehearsal is about to start soon. Can they do two songs?"

In my past life, a snowstorm had caused several teams to be late, resulting in chaos. In the end, the singers who arrived early had to fill in the empty slots with multiple songs—and that was the reason I insisted on arriving early. If a team dropped out, someone else had to fill the stage.

This was another opportunity to score points with Choi Eun-Hyuk, following the idol battle.

Han Myung-Ho's face lit up in an instant. "Of course! We'll do it! Not just two, but three or even four!"

Cha Tae-Hee let out a sigh of relief and updated Choi Eun-Hyuk over the intercom. "Yes, yes. I understand, Mr. Choi."

After receiving a reply from Choi Eun-Hyuk through the intercom, Cha Tae-Hee immediately gave orders.

"Please get ready for the rehearsal right away. And for the live broadcast, we'll give you three minutes to change outfits... Oh right, you probably didn't bring stage costumes, so let's go with what you have."

"No, we have plenty of outfits for Cherry Blossom to change into."

Cha Tae-Hee smiled brightly and playfully tapped Leader Han Myung-Ho's arm. "Huh? Really? Wow. Mr. Han, are you trying to impress me today or what?"

"Hahaha. Are you impressed?"

"Totally. I'd give you a kiss if I didn't have a boyfriend, "

Han Myung-Ho chuckled. "Well, I'm married, so that won't do. Give it to Yoon-Ho here instead. He was the one who suggested bringing extra outfits."

"Then, Mr. Yoon-Ho. Here's a kiss for you!"

I quickly responded to Cha Tae-Hee's wink. "I'm glad you're impressed, but no thanks for the kiss."

My sharp refusal made Cha Tae-Hee laugh. "Tsk. Men who reject women are not that attractive... Anyway! Cherry Blossom has saved me today. I won't forget this favor. Thank you so much."

"Oh, don't mention it. But please keep a lookout for Cherry Blossom's new song when it comes out."

The mention of the new song brightened the expressions of the Cherry Blossom members who were standing next to me. They seemed unaware that their next song was being prepared.

After Cha Tae-Hee left, Han Myung-Ho turned and gave me a big hug. "Yoon-Ho! Whenever you're around, things just seem to go smoothly! Son, what kind of good dream did you have yesterday?"

'It's not a dream, it's just a memory.'

His hug was so tight it felt like I was being crushed.

"Ah, Yoon-Ho. I adore you!"

Han Myung-Ho was like a dad rubbing his stubble chin against a seven-year-old's cheek. His prickly stubble made my skin crawl.

"Uh, Mr. Han. We should get ready."

"Oh, right, yes. Let's get ready, everyone!"

"Okay~."

The members of Cherry Blossom all wore excited expressions.

***

Music Stage staff Jung Eun-Ah rushed into the waiting room, announcing the start of the rehearsal. "The rehearsal starts in five minutes."

Seizing the moment, Han Myung-Ho inquired about the situation on-site. "Excuse me. What's the current situation on-site like?"

Jung Eun-Ah grumbled as if she was exhausted. "It's the worst. The show is about to start and less than 20% of the singers have arrived. The cue sheet order is completely messed up and everything is just chaotic."

'She must be getting a lot of flak.'

Even Golden Road from Hoop Entertainment hadn't arrived on site yet. But since the schedule on the planner hadn't changed, it seemed like they would be arriving before the show.

"Alright, let's go. Yes~. Cherry Blossom is on their way."

Jung Eun-Ah reported over the intercom and led us to the rehearsal stage.

The members of Cherry Blossom, tasked with consecutive performances including the opening stage, were visibly excited.

But we had to be cautious today.

A real chaos would soon unfold.