Chapter 70 - Because It Will Get Better Soon

“Ga-hee-ya, did something happen?”

As Joo Ga-hee plodded into the waiting room, Seong Hae-won, who had finished her styling first, spoke to her.

“What's with your face?”

“Is my face any of your business?”

“Looks like something bad happened?”

“Mind your own business.”

“Wow, so prickly.”

Joo Ga-hee felt annoyed at Seong Hae-won's relaxed attitude.

If Choux-pop receives the lowest score today, they will be eliminated from 'The Idol'.

They will be reduced to mere extras to make the final round between N.A.N and Newstarz stand out.

Despite being in such a situation, the leader, Seong Hae-won, was the most relaxed.

“Seong Hae-won, aren't you even worried about what will happen today?”

“Why should I worry?”

Seong Hae-won asked back in a relaxed tone.

“It's good if we work hard and advance to the finals, and if we're eliminated, it can't be helped.”

“Are you saying you don't care if we're eliminated?”

“How could I not care? But there's no reason to get stressed by worrying in advance, is there.”

Originally, Seong Hae-won is a leader with a strong competitive spirit.

She desires Choux-pop's success more greedily than anyone.

However, she doesn't explode in anger just because things don't go her way.

She just shrugs and moves on to the next stage.

“It's not like our idol life ends just because we're eliminated here, and there are countless opportunities in the future.”

“I don't think so.”

“Then work hard. So that we can get a good score today.”

“I'll work hard even if you don't tell me to.”

Snapping that, Joo Ga-hee sharply turned her head.

The more they talked, the more annoyed she got.

“Ga-hee-ya, can I ask you something?”

At that moment, Seong Hae-won called for Joo Ga-hee again.

“Us getting eliminated in 3rd place today, and us advancing to the finals and then losing to Newstarz to get second place... which one do you think would be more infuriating?”

Gasp.

The other members who were listening from the side all held their breath at once.

Seong Hae-won's question was one that openly provoked Joo Ga-hee.

“Seong Hae-won, you're asking that for fun, aren't you.”

Joo Ga-hee answered in a low voice, glaring at Seong Hae-won.

“I have no intention of becoming your toy. Don't ask me that crap.”

“Ah, I'm sorry.”

Seong Hae-won made a gesture of apology, bringing her hands together.

“I hope you don't misunderstand, but my goal is for us to advance to the finals and get the final win. To do that, I'll work hard until the very end, so you work hard too, Ga-hee. Got it?”

“I'll work hard even if you don't tell me to, so don't worry.”

“Yeah, I'll be counting on you.”

And yet she doesn't trust anyone but herself.

Thinking that, Joo Ga-hee entrusted her body to the stylist.

……

“Everyone, go and do well.”

“Yes…!”

Finally, the recording for episode 6 of 'The Idol' began.

The ones who had survived until now were the three teams: Newstarz, Choux-pop, and N.A.N.

Today, one of the three will be eliminated, and the remaining two teams will clash for the win in the final episode 7.

During that time, Baek Hyeon-woo had been adjusting the members' conditions in preparation for today.

Because unlike the 4 teams that had been eliminated so far, Choux-pop and N.A.N were groups whose average skill was more outstanding than Newstarz's.

If they didn't face it with their best condition, there was a risk of being eliminated in 3rd place.

‘Today, the members' conditions are all in the high 80% range, so it's definitely worth a shot.’

Haram Entertainment had set a plan to continue their momentum by releasing a new song after achieving good results on 'The Idol'.

For that reason, they had to do their best to advance to the final round.

“Hyeon-woo oppa, just a moment.”

At that moment, Kim So-yeong, who had been heading to the stage, came back to Baek Hyeon-woo.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“There's no problem with us.”

Kim So-yeong lowered her voice, checking her surroundings.

“It seems Na-eun had a little talk with Joo Ga-hee in the restroom earlier.”

“With Joo Ga-hee?”

“When I asked Na-eun, it seems she let her listen to our new song for a bit.”

To think she let Joo Ga-hee listen to the new song.

Why would she do such a thing?

“I'm not sure, but maybe Na-eun was picking a battle of nerves in her own way.”

“Na-eun, a battle of nerves...”

“She said Joo Ga-hee didn't have much of a reaction... but in any case, I thought it would be better for you to know, Hyeon-woo oppa.”

Kim So-yeong plays the role of a sub-leader, assisting the leader, Seo Na-eun.

It seemed she had given him a tip out of her own concern for Seo Na-eun.

“Alright. Thanks for telling me.”

“Yes, I'll be going now.”

Kim So-yeong headed to the stage again.

‘I don't think Joo Ga-hee would cause any harm over something like that, but...’

Baek Hyeon-woo thought he should check on Joo Ga-hee.

He found Joo Ga-hee among the idols on stage and focused his gaze.

————

[Joo Ga-hee]

Vocal: S-

Dance: A-

Visual: A-

Potential: A

Body Condition: 25%

Mental Condition: 15%

– A migraine is occurring due to a blood circulation problem in the head and neck.

– Pain and motor impairment are occurring due to problems with the scalene, levator scapulae, and trapezius muscles of the head and neck.

– Motor impairment is occurring due to a problem with the ribs of the trunk.

– Body Condition is greatly decreased.

– Mental Condition is greatly decreased.

– Minus corrections will be applied to Vocal, Dance, and Visual.

————

Her condition was ridiculously serious.

Her Mental Condition in particular had dropped too much.

It was a number he had never seen before, except for when She's On's Yuri had collapsed during a rehearsal.

‘Besides, the problems being displayed right now... are similar to CEO Seol Woo-myeong's from last time?’

Baek Hyeon-woo felt an ominous premonition.

……

“Ga-hee-ya, let's stand in the back a bit.”

During the recording, Joo Ga-hee heard Seong Hae-won's voice.

“I don't think it would be good for you to be in the front right now.”

“……”

Seong Hae-won stealthily moved and stood in front of Joo Ga-hee.

Since Seong Hae-won is taller, Joo Ga-hee's figure was no longer being clearly captured by the camera.

Normally, she would have gotten annoyed and told her not to block the camera, but now was not the time for that.

Because currently, Joo Ga-hee's condition was the worst, and her expression had also stiffened a lot.

‘So annoying.’

Still, thanks to that, she got a little breathing room.

Because being continuously conscious of the camera is also a considerably energy-consuming task.

‘If I just endure a little longer, I can go to the practice space. I should close my eyes and rest there for a bit.’

Anyway, this isn't a part where she has to talk.

She just has to keep her mouth shut and stay still while waiting for this time to end.

Thinking such thoughts, Joo Ga-hee took a deep breath in and out.

‘Idol life... it's really hard. Since I can't rest even in this physical state.’

She had already relayed to Team Leader Jeong Do-woon that her physical condition was poor.

However, because there was no particularly good solution, she had just come to the studio.

Because she couldn't just bail on the recording here.

‘Come to think of it, it's been continuously hard since I debuted with Choux-pop.’

A popular group is always busy.

Because their schedule is always packed, there's no time to rest properly.

‘No, it was hard even before I debuted.’

As she ruminated on the past, only a bitter smile emerged.

‘Because not a single thing went right.’

Originally, Joo Ga-hee was scheduled to debut in a large agency's girl group.

However, due to an internal power struggle, an incident occurred where the debut members were largely replaced, and Joo Ga-hee was demoted back to a trainee.

Joo Ga-hee, who had believed she would be able to debut soon, felt anxious.

Even if she went back to being a trainee and aimed to debut with the next girl group, she might become a victim of the internal power struggle again.

Having judged it to be so, Joo Ga-hee ultimately terminated her contract with her agency, and transferred to the newly created Haram Entertainment by producer Baek Yeon-ah to prepare for her debut.

‘Come to think of it, going to Haram Entertainment back then was a mistake.’

Joo Ga-hee came to be in charge as the main vocalist of the new group 'Newstarz'.

At first, she believed she could become the center of Newstarz.

Because not only in singing, but also in dancing, she was the most outstanding.

On top of that, because Joo Ga-hee had been appealing herself to the world through various routes since her trainee days, she was in a state where she already had a loyal fanbase.

The general director at the time also gave such a Joo Ga-hee special treatment, and Joo Ga-hee believed that everything would proceed centered on her.

However, CEO Baek Yeon-ah put the brakes on.

Saying that giving excessive special favors to one specific member was an act of discriminating against the other members.

Joo Ga-hee continuously argued that she should receive preferential treatment, but Baek Yeon-ah did not accept it.

Saying that at least until debut, all five of them must receive fair treatment.

That was something Joo Ga-hee could not accept.

Newstarz is a group that she has to carry. Therefore, receiving special favors is also a matter of course.

If she continues to receive the same treatment as the other four, she alone would be at a loss.

With such thoughts, Joo Ga-hee protested fiercely, but Baek Yeon-ah did not bend her own ideas.

Even when Joo Ga-hee took hard-line measures such as boycotting practice.

‘She even went as far as to entrust the leader position to Seo Na-eun, not me. Saying she had the strongest sense of responsibility. It was an act of completely screwing me over.’

At that time, DP Entertainment, which had heard the rumors, approached Joo Ga-hee.

Saying that the new girl group they were preparing didn't have a main vocalist, and asking if Joo Ga-hee would take on that role.

Joo Ga-hee was so happy she could jump. If she could debut at DP Entertainment, one of the country's top 3 agencies, there was no reason to refuse.

In the end, Joo Ga-hee terminated her contract with Haram Entertainment, moved to DP Entertainment, and was able to debut with Choux-pop a few months later.

Choux-pop quickly became a popular group.

She had become the popular idol of a large agency, just as she had initially wanted.

However, that's not to say there weren't any hard times.

Above all, the mental stress was severe.

Whenever things got hard like that, Joo Ga-hee would check on the goings-on of Newstarz.

Newstarz, who debuted in an incomplete state after losing Joo Ga-hee, became a mediocre girl group that was neither a success nor a failure.

Every time she saw Newstarz floundering, Joo Ga-hee could get a sense of comfort.

I did the right thing leaving Haram Entertainment and coming to DP Entertainment.

I did the right thing abandoning Newstarz and debuting with Choux-pop.

Every time she had such thoughts, she could forget her hardships.

‘But, now...’

Now, things were different.

The reborn Newstarz suddenly began to shoot up.

At the Night-Bomb Festival, they showed a performance no one had expected and gathered more attention than Choux-pop.

The 'Music World' stage video increased in views at a faster speed than Choux-pop's video.

On 'The Idol', they continuously recorded a higher rank than Choux-pop, with just one exception.

Every time she saw Newstarz's rapid advance, Joo Ga-hee felt like her insides were turning over.

Because it was no different from negating the path she had lived until now.

That's why competing with Newstarz on 'The Idol' was a real ordeal.

A tremendous amount of stress piled up every time Newstarz received a higher score than Choux-pop.

These days on the internet communities, the opinion that 'Yoo Jeong-ah is better than Joo Ga-hee' often comes up.

You could also easily find ridicule in the vein of, 'Joo Ga-hee, who betrayed Newstarz and moved to Choux-pop, was stupid'.

When she saw things like that, the content of the malicious comments would echo in her head all day.

‘If we are pushed out by Newstarz and get eliminated today...’

Perhaps posts saying they were eliminated because of Joo Ga-hee might come up.

What would she feel if she saw posts like that.

‘It's true that my condition is very poor right now, and if I make a big mistake in front of the camera...’

Bad imaginations kept popping up in her head.

From that anxiety, she began to feel suffocated.

‘No, there's no need to think like this. I have to calm down.’

Joo Ga-hee tried to calm her heart by taking deep breaths.

However, no matter how much she breathed, she just felt stuffy inside.

“Hoo, hoo…”

“Ga-hee-ya, your breathing is too loud.”

Seong Hae-won's low voice was heard.

But she couldn't bear it because she was suffocating.

On top of that, it felt like her arms and legs were gradually going numb.

Her head was also getting dizzier.

“Hoo, hah, haaah…”

“Joo Ga-hee?”

The gazes of the members, who realized something was wrong, turned to Joo Ga-hee.

Those gazes maximized Joo Ga-hee's anxiety.

“Haaak...!”

She can't breathe properly.

Joo Ga-hee collapsed on the spot with her mouth open.

“Kyaak!”

“Wh-what's going on?”

“What's wrong?!”

As Joo Ga-hee suddenly collapsed in the middle of the recording, a commotion broke out.

A few people, including N.A.N's Ryu-hwa, got scared and even ran away.

“Joo Ga-hee! What's wrong?”

“Ga-hee-ya!”

Even though the people around her were calling out, Joo Ga-hee couldn't answer.

She was just continuously gasping, her face contorted.

It felt like her breath would stop and she would die.

That sense of fear was making Joo Ga-hee suffer even more.

“Isn't this a panic attack?”

“A panic attack? Joo Ga-hee?”

“What should we do? Should we call an ambulance?”

Right at that moment.

Someone jumped onto the stage.

“It's not a panic attack.”

“Manager-nim…!”

Making his way through the people, someone approached Joo Ga-hee.

“Joo Ga-hee, hold this to your face.”

Rustle.

Someone brought a paper bag to Joo Ga-hee's face.

Like the motion sickness bags provided on airplanes.

“Right now, you're in a state of hyperventilation due to tension and anxiety. The more you breathe, the more labored your breathing is getting.”

“Sob, sob, h-heuk…”

“Just hold the bag to your mouth and breathe. Then you can reabsorb the carbon dioxide you exhaled. Once your blood carbon dioxide level recovers, the symptoms will disappear quickly.”

Joo Ga-hee breathed out into the bag and then inhaled again.

Perhaps because it was a paper bag, she didn't feel suffocated.

“It's okay to lean your body. Let the strength leave your body, and just think about breathing as slowly as possible.”

Hearing those words, Joo Ga-hee let the strength leave her body.

Leaning on someone's shoulder, she just repeated breathing out and in.

“You don't have to worry about anything. Because it will get better soon.”

Listening to the warm voice that soothed her anxiety, Joo Ga-hee shed sorrowful tears.

……

Everyone in the studio held their breath and stared only at Baek Hyeon-woo.

Everyone was in a state of being caught off guard because of Baek Hyeon-woo, who had suddenly jumped onto the stage and started emergency treatment.

Even the staff who were proceeding with the filming were watching Baek Hyeon-woo give emergency treatment with their mouths agape.

It was right at that moment that PD Seo Dong-cheol's low voice was heard.

“What is everyone doing?”

To the staff who had flinched in surprise and turned their heads, Seo Dong-cheol's cool-headed instruction was given.

“Film it all.”