When I Opened My Eyes I Was a Superstar - Chapter 154
# 155
The one who wants to wear the crown (1)
“What’s going on?”
“What’s wrong?”
Do-wook and Jeong Yoon-gi asked in surprise as they were doing a final check on the song Jeong Yoon-gi wrote and composed at the living room table.
However, Seok Ji-hoon, who was holding a cell phone, was busy conveying the situation to Director Oh Baek-ho, as if he could not hear the two people’s voices.
“I think I need to go to the hospital, Hyungseo. yes yes. I can barely hear my voice. ……yes. All right.”
Do-wook and Jeong Yoon-gi, surprised by Seok Ji-hoon’s words, stood up.
Jung Yoongi quickly opened the door to the room Jihoon and Ahn Hyeongseo were sharing as roommates and entered.
“Ugh!”
Jeong Yoongi made a sound without realizing it due to the rushing moisture. Their room was filled with jungle-like moisture. Dowook also frowned at the damp air.
Ahn Hyeong-seo, who was lying down covered in a blanket, wriggled and woke up at the sound of the door suddenly opening.
“uh! Don’t get up. “Please lie down, brother.”
Do-wook quickly stopped Ahn Hyeong-seo. Ahn Hyeong-seo opened the door with half-closed eyes and confirmed that it was Do-wook and Jeong Yoon-gi who came in, and then laid down again as if he knew.
Jeong Yoon-gi looked around the room and figured out the identity of the moisture. Although it took up a lot of space, a large humidifier occupied the desk where Ahn Hyeong-seo and Seok Ji-hoon never sat, which was far from books.
It seemed like it was turned on because Ahn Hyeong-seo had a cold.
Ahn Hyeong-seo has been suffering from a mild cold for four days, not long after starting choreography practice.
Since I had just started practicing choreography, I was unable to rest properly. As the songs included in the album were decided one after another, we had to handle all the occasional recording schedules.
I took medicine and got an injection at the hospital as soon as possible, but there was no sign of my cold getting better.
Hyeongseo Ahn gulped and coughed.
“I told you not to overdo it.”
Jeong Yoon-gi sighed, scolding Ahn Hyeong-seo as if he was talking to himself. It was a rebuke that came out more like a sigh of worry rather than a reprimand.
Even though he was told not to overexert himself, Jeong Yoon-gi knew best that he had no choice but to overexert himself. The comeback was only about a month and ten days away.
Once the title song recording was completed, jacket filming and music video filming were waiting. The members clearly knew the scheduled schedule, but it was a situation where no one could say they wanted to rest just because it was difficult.
Moreover, Hyungseo Ahn was very satisfied with his part in the title song and was waiting for his comeback more than anyone else.
It was Ahn Hyeong-seo who achieved vocal growth once again while doing a dome tour in Japan and working with LIL in the United States. This song was a song that could embody all that growth.
Ahn Hyeong-seo, who felt that he had an opportunity to properly show his skills to KK fans, tried to somehow leave a strong impression as a vocalist, not as a member of KK, but as an individual Ahn Hyeong-seo.
So I couldn’t take a break from practicing even more. Even after choreography practice was over, Ahn Hyeong-seo continued to practice singing. It was no exaggeration to say that he had sung his part in the title song hundreds of times to find the best voice and best breathing method.
“Hyung…. Can’t you hear my voice?”
Ahn Hyeong-seo, who was looking at Jeong Yoon-gi and Do-wook as if asking why they came in while lying down, slowly nodded.
The members didn’t come out of their rooms all day, so I thought they were sleeping for a long time due to the drug. Seok Ji-hoon, who shared the same room, belatedly noticed Ahn Hyeong-seo’s serious condition and called Director Oh Baek-ho.
“They say it’s not coming out. “I thought it would be bad to use my voice for no reason, so I told him not to say anything.”
Seok Ji-hoon, who had grabbed a glass of warm water after finishing his phone call with Director Oh Baek-ho, spoke from behind the two people standing blankly.
“Didn’t the hospital say it was just a cold the day before yesterday?”
Seok Ji-hoon nodded.
Ahn Hyeong-seo, who went to the hospital with his manager Gu Cheol-min before practice time the day before yesterday, reported that he had a mild cold and devoted himself to practice again.
Then it was clear that my physical condition had worsened.
“Ugh…”
Ahn Hyeong-seo groaned in frustration. When I made a sound, I grabbed my neck and closed my eyes, probably because my throat hurt.
If my throat hurt like this and I couldn’t hear my voice, it definitely wasn’t something I could just pass off as a cold.
“What did Director Oh say?”
Dowook asked.
“The manager can’t come because he’s in a meeting right now, but Cheol-min is coming. “They say it would be better to go to a big hospital.”
Do-wook and Jeong Yoon-gi nodded to Seok Ji-hoon’s answer.
After some time, Gu Cheol-min came to the dorm and took Ahn Hyeong-seo to the hospital.
The faces of Taehyung Park and Won Kim, who returned to their dorm late and heard the news, were also filled with deep sorrow. Although it was physically tiring, the atmosphere in the dormitory, which was mentally vibrant, quickly became gloomy. This was even more so because it was Ahn Hyeong-seo who was the mood maker of the dorm.
“Recording the day after tomorrow….”
“It seems difficult.”
Do-wook answered Seok Ji-hoon’s question that wasn’t a question.
It was unfortunate that I had to worry about the recording schedule for the day after tomorrow even though my colleague was not feeling well.
“Huh…”
Leader Jeong Yoon-gi’s sigh deepened.
“Even if I get better today after going to the hospital, wouldn’t I need to rest for a day or two more?”
“That’s right… If you get sick during activities…”
Taehyung Park said with concern at Jung Yoon-gi’s words. Just the assumption that they would get sick during the activity made everyone’s complexions become even darker.
‘It’s definitely worse.’
Dowook, who almost collapsed on stage, knew best.
Ahn Hyeong-seo was also excluded from practice in a sports entertainment show after tripping over Seo Kang-jun’s tackle. Fortunately, it wasn’t the right time for me to be active, but even at that time, I was anxious to get back to practice as soon as possible, but this time, it was even more so since my comeback was just around the corner.
‘It would be good if I rested for a few days and got better…’
That’s what Do-wook thought, but his premonition was not good.
***
As expected, Ahn Hyeong-seo’s throat didn’t just hurt because of a cold.
At first, it was just a normal sore throat, but due to constant use of the throat, he was showing early symptoms of vocal cord nodules.
Of course, the symptoms themselves were not serious. The doctor said that if I get enough rest for a while, I will get better quickly.
However, Ahn Hyeong-seo’s occupation was a singer. A singer who is about to make a comeback.
There was no way the phrase ‘taking a break’ was possible.
The members surrounded Koo Cheol-min and Ahn Hyeong-seo, who returned from the hospital. Director Oh Baek-ho, who came back in a hurry after finishing the meeting, was waiting for the two people who had gone to the hospital to return to the dorm.
It was a nice spring day, but Koo Cheol-min delivered the news instead of Ahn Hyeong-seo, who was covering his neck with a muffler and covering his mouth with a mask.
Everyone could not hide their stunned expressions at the word vocal cord nodule. Hyeong-seo Ahn, who looked at the reaction, took out his cell phone and sent a group message.
[I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorryㅠㅠ]
After taking the medicine, I was able to speak a little better, but my throat still hurt when I spoke, and the doctor told me to save my throat as much as possible. In order to get better as quickly as possible, Ahn Hyeong-seo decided not to say anything, but she wanted to express her apologies.
“It’s okay, brother…”
Do-wook couldn’t continue speaking out of sadness. Hyungseo Ahn started writing something on his cell phone. Attention was focused on Ahn Hyeong-seo’s fingers.
[I’ll get better quickly until the recording day]
“What can I say? It’s a shame that a person who likes words can’t talk. “Go and rest.”
Hearing Jung Yoon-gi’s words, Ahn Hyeong-seo burst into tears and trudged into his room.
There was no one who could say anything to Ahn Hyeong-seo. Ahn Hyeong-seo was the one who didn’t manage his condition well, but it wasn’t because he drank, smoked, or enjoyed entertainment outside that he became unwell.
Ahn Hyeong-seo was the person who was most upset about his body deteriorating during practice.
Rather, it was Director Oh Baek-ho and Do-wook Jeong Yoon-gi who were blaming themselves with heavy hearts because of Ahn Hyeong-seo’s condition.
Managing singers was the manager’s job. That’s why there was a manager. Director Oh Baek-ho blamed himself for taking Ahn Hyeong-seo’s condition too lightly.
Jung Yoon-gi blamed himself for not being able to take care of his members as a leader. Even though I knew Ahn Hyeong-seo was having a hard time because I was in a hurry to practice, I thought it would be okay so I left it alone.
It was the same with Dowook.
‘I may have put too much pressure on Ahn Hyeong-seo…’
As Ahn Hyeong-seo has achieved vocal growth since his debut through constant efforts, Do-wook poured those expectations into this song. It was Ahn Hyeong-seo himself who immediately recognized it.
It was an effort to allow Ahn Hyeong-seo to demonstrate all his skills, but it could have been a burden.
‘As a producer, I should have relieved that burden…’
Do-wook thought.
But it was not the time to just blame yourself. In conclusion, no one was at fault and the important thing was what to do next.
***
The KK members, excluding Ahn Hyeong-seo, and the album production team leader Shim Jun and Oh Baek-ho gathered together. Lee Dae-hyung, head of the fan-marketing team who had to adjust the promotion schedule for KK’s album, was also there.
“Right now, we don’t even know when we can record, right?”
When Team Leader Shim Jun asked, Director Oh Baek-ho answered.
It was two days ago that Ahn Hyeong-seo visited the hospital with Gu Cheol-min. Hyungseo Ahn went to the hospital one more time. The cold itself was gone, but it was still best not to put too much strain on the vocal cords.
“The doctor’s opinion is that even if you can’t do it, you should rest for about two weeks without overexerting yourself.”
“Two weeks…”
Team Leader Sim Jun muttered while checking the calendar. Team leader Lee Dae-hyung’s hands also moved quickly.
“There is no disagreement that it would be better for the members to rest for two weeks and fully recover before starting recording or other activities.”
Director Oh Baek-ho also conveyed the members’ opinions. It was a conclusion reached after discussion while Ahn Hyeong-seo was asleep after taking medicine.
Team leader Sim Jun, who had to coordinate the entire album production schedule, narrowed his eyes.
The difficulty level of this choreography was so high that choreography practice took place before recording the title song.
Choreographer Noh Tae-hyun had choreographed the choreography based on the guide version of the song and the part distribution provided by Do-wook.
After recording, it took a considerable amount of time to practice for the full version.
If the recording was delayed, everything else would also be delayed. It was time to make a decision.
“Director Oh, the broadcast schedule hasn’t been set yet, right? “Team Leader Lee’s side too…”
Team Leader Shim Jun asked, looking alternately at Director Oh Baek-ho and Team Leader Lee Dae-hyung.
“We were planning to put out a MyTube ad to coincide with the release of the concept photo and music video… We can just postpone that.”
Fortunately, Team Leader Lee Dae-hyung’s schedule was fully adjustable. Director Oh Baek-ho also nodded and answered.
“There are broadcasters who are discussing a comeback show, but since it was just a discussion, the schedule needs to be re-arranged.”
“I think it would be best to postpone the originally planned comeback date by about a month.”
Team leader Sim Jun said while checking the schedules of other singers.
When making a comeback schedule, we also had to think about comeback schedules with other major singers. Although the timing could not be perfect, there was nothing good about having big singers clash with each other for no reason.
Now, if there was talk that KK’s comeback would be delayed for about a month, it was clear that it would also affect other singers’ comeback schedules.
‘It’s been a month…’
It may have been short, but it could have been a long time.
In the past, there was no problem maintaining popularity with only one album released a year, but not now. Do-wook was a little worried because the timing, which should have been delayed with the album, was delayed.
“I’m worried about the fans. In the meantime, Jihoon has no other activities in the country other than entertainment… so it is impossible to release a unit album or any other album in such a short period of time.”
Coincidentally, team leader Lee Dae-hyung also seemed to have the same thoughts as Do-wook.
‘There has to be something to get us through this period.’
Dowook thought of a way. I needed something to fill the gap.
‘Is that enough?….’