Episode 125: Collaboration (2)
The schedule came together quickly.
INDEX on AZ was now one of the very few platforms where Lee Ahjeong—who no longer appeared on TV—could still show herself to her fans.
She didn’t dislike showing her face to fans; she just hated being forced onto programs that didn’t suit her taste. So she had the same desire as me: the sooner the filming, the better.
Our mutual needs aligned perfectly, and the shoot was booked just four days later.
There was only one thing I hadn’t accounted for.
“I’m really sorry, Yujin-ssi.”
Assistant Manager Shim bowed his head, looking genuinely apologetic.
The reason for his apology was that he couldn’t keep the promise he’d so confidently made.
MyWay trainees being allowed to attend as gallery members had unfortunately been rejected by BNW.
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Assistant Manager Shim. It couldn’t be helped.”
He really wasn’t at fault.
Even the BNW staff who had to refuse had looked visibly uncomfortable—it was a completely unavoidable situation.
The reason BNW turned it down was simple:
“I didn’t realize the filming space would be that small.”
The studio for INDEX wasn’t large enough.
The biggest studio in BNW’s headquarters was currently unusable due to interior work.
The next largest one, after accounting for staff movement and camera paths, didn’t have enough remaining space to accommodate all the trainees.
MyWay’s own studios were already booked for their artists’ shoots, and trying to rent an external studio on short notice hadn’t turned up any suitable options.
We’d briefly considered selecting trainees based on grades, but rather than create fairness issues or resentment, we decided it was better to bring none at all.
I hadn’t told the kids in advance because I didn’t want their excitement to disrupt practice.
The only exceptions were Chaekyung, Nari, and Soyoung—the three who were actually going to participate in Trinity.
‘That was the original purpose anyway—to let those three see it.’
They had already been selected for the special curriculum, so they were outside the fairness equation from the start.
“It would’ve been such a good opportunity for the kids.”
Still, just like Assistant Manager Shim said, it was impossible not to feel regret.
‘I’d even deliberately prepared a whole idol-oriented repertoire.’
I’d arranged a bunch of songs from my previous life’s catalog—ones I’d used to broaden trainees’ horizons—plus new arrangements that could only be done now, all to give them a wide range of exposure.
‘But still…’
You can’t exactly sing or shoot in a space that isn’t even properly soundproofed. There was no way around it.
“At least I can tell the others to make sure they watch the video.”
Even without me saying anything, they’d probably watch a collab between me and Lee Ahjeong on their own.
The regret could end here.
“Ah, the kids are coming.”
Because I saw Chaekyung, Nari, and Soyoung walking in together through BNW’s building entrance.
I called them “kids,” but they were old enough to understand everything.
If I showed any disappointment, they might pick up that something was off.
“What’s this? Why are all three of you together?”
“Ah, we… ran into each other on the way.”
“Really?”
Nari stepped forward to answer my deliberately casual question.
As I turned around nonchalantly, our eyes met.
‘Nari… you’re not great at lying.’
Well, even if she were, the lie was obvious.
‘Ran into each other on the way? Sure.’
Just from their casual clothes, it was clear.
They’d definitely stopped by MyWay first and done a light run before coming here.
‘Wanting to work hard on your own is obviously something to praise.’
But the fact that they were telling a lie that wouldn’t fool anyone probably meant they didn’t want me to know they’d exercised when I’d told them to rest today.
They probably didn’t want it to feel like they were showing off.
There was no need to call them out and ruin their intention.
“Let’s head up. Shall we go, Assistant Manager Shim?”
“Yes.”
With Assistant Manager Shim smiling warmly—clearly having noticed the same thing—I led the way to the elevator.
“As you already know, I’ll say it again just to be sure. Please keep applause and gasps to a minimum. And…”
While Assistant Manager Shim was going over the precautions with the girls one more time,
“Wait—!”
A voice slipped through the slowly closing elevator doors.
My finger instinctively shot out to stop the doors from shutting completely—probably driven by the pure instinct that I wanted to see the owner of that husky voice with my own eyes.
Even though I’d only said goodbye to her less than an hour ago.
And that instinct turned out to be absolutely correct.
“…!”
Thanks to that, I got to see a side of Zia I normally never would.
The surprise in her eyes when our gazes met.
It was probably because she hadn’t expected to run into me here.
Of course, I’d told her this morning that I’d be coming to BNW today, but in a building this big, the odds of us actually crossing paths weren’t exactly high.
‘Hmm. My luck’s been pretty good since this morning.’
My finger and wrist stung a little from jamming the button so urgently, but if the price for adding a fresh snapshot of Zia to the mental photo album was this tiny pain, it was nothing.
“Thank you.”
Is this what real talent looks like?
In the blink of an eye, Zia overlaid a soft smile on top of the surprise that had been in her eyes.
If I hadn’t spent so much time staring at her, no one else would’ve noticed the transition—it was that seamless.
Whether she said “You’re welcome,” “No need,” or “Not at all,” any response would’ve made me laugh compared to Nari’s clumsy acting earlier.
“What are you doing? Say hello.”
I gave a light nod to Zia’s greeting, then spoke to the three girls behind me who were still staring blankly at her.
“”Ah—hello!!””
The girls’ loud, unified greeting echoed inside the slowly closing elevator doors. Zia returned it with a light nod, just like I had.
“Um… who…?”
And then Zia asked the obvious question.
Assistant Manager Shim immediately stepped in to answer.
“We’re from MyWay. This is singer Han Yujin-ssi. He’s shooting with AZ-ssi today.”
“Ah, so this is the shoot unnie mentioned this morning. Then the three behind…?”
“No, no—these are MyWay trainees. Yujin-ssi is producing for them now, so it’s kind of like a field trip-slash-lesson… yeah.”
“I see…”
Zia continued the conversation with a perfectly innocent expression.
I genuinely wanted to give her a thumbs-up.
Right now I was biting down hard on the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing—pinching the base of my thumb out of sight so no one would notice.
Meanwhile, the elevator came to a silent stop and the doors opened.
“Good luck with the shoot. Ah—and fighting to the trainees!”
“”Thank you!!””
The girls answered Zia’s parting words as she stepped out first.
And through the narrowing gap of the closing doors, our eyes met one last time.
‘Do well with the shoot.’
‘Zia, watch it when you get home.’
That silent exchange carried those meanings between us.
‘I’m not sure if Zia actually caught my look…’
But I’m pretty sure it got through.
She knows me as well as I know her.
‘Anyway—that aside… I should probably clear the air now.’
The atmosphere inside the elevator was awkward as hell right now.
Assistant Manager Shim, Nari, Soyoung, and Chaekyung were all subtly glancing at me.
The reason was obviously Zia’s performance.
‘She acted like she didn’t know me at all.’
And since I’d been too busy holding back laughter to react properly, they were probably wondering how it looked from their side.
“Wow. Guess I need to work harder. She didn’t even recognize me.”
I tossed out the light joke to shake off the lingering amusement Zia had left behind.
“If anything, maybe she’s just not that into music? Otherwise there’s no way she wouldn’t know Yujin-ssi’s face.”
“R-right! My older brother’s the same. Total gamer—he doesn’t even know who the famous singers are.”
Assistant Manager Shim and Soyoung immediately jumped in to back me up.
The fact that neither of them threw shade at Zia only made it harder to keep a straight face.
Assistant Manager Shim was just being professional, but for Soyoung—considering her age—it was actually pretty impressive maturity.
‘Either way, both of them got lucky.’
I had no intention of keeping my relationship with Zia a secret forever.
When the truth eventually came out someday, this moment could’ve turned into something super awkward—but they’d dodged it perfectly.
‘Chaekyung and Nari are staying quiet, huh.’
That was also a smart choice.
“Stay still and you’ll get through half of it”—that old saying didn’t survive this long for nothing.
As those thoughts passed and I glanced at Nari and Chaekyung’s faces,
‘Hm?’
I couldn’t help but pause for a second.
Unlike Assistant Manager Shim and Soyoung—who were looking at me with pretty much the same expression—Chaekyung’s face was… different.
It was the exact expression people make when something feels just on the tip of their tongue—like it’s about to click but hasn’t quite yet.
How did I know?
Because the moment I looked at Chaekyung, the same feeling hit me too.
***
Inside the bustling studio with filming just minutes away.
At this moment, no one could babysit the three MyWay trainees—so they instantly picked up on the atmosphere and glued themselves quietly to the wall.
They had fully entered “awkward scarecrow mode,” simply watching everything with wide eyes.
But teenagers overflowing with passion and talent can only stay that composed for so long—especially when their goal is standing right at the center of this very atmosphere.
“Is every shoot like this…?”
“Probably. Even though it’s for YouTube, these days they go all out like real TV productions.”
Soyoung’s quiet mutter started it, and soon the three trainees were whispering among themselves in hushed voices.
Well—technically just two of them.
The third one,
‘Ah… what is this… it feels like I should remember…’
Han Chaekyung had no room in her head for small talk because of the riddle that had taken root inside her.
Of course, her state didn’t go unnoticed by the other two for long.
“…Unnie. Chaekyung unnie!”
“…Huh?”
Only after Seol Nari called her several times did Chaekyung finally react and meet the two pairs of eyes now fixed on her.
“Chaekyung unnie, you completely zoned out.”
“Did you forget something?”
“No… it’s not that…”
To Soyoung’s innocent curiosity and Nari’s worried question, Chaekyung answered with a shake of her head.
But the hesitation lingering in her denial only fueled more curiosity from Soyoung and more concern from Nari—and Chaekyung quickly realized they were now fully focused on her.
“It’s just… that person from earlier… I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before.”
In the end, Chaekyung spilled the contents of the riddle that had been plaguing her—hoping maybe the other two could solve what she couldn’t.
“That person from earlier… you mean in the elevator?”
“Yeah.”
Chaekyung nodded at Nari’s confirmation, and then—
“…”
“…”
Soyoung and Nari exchanged glances before letting out,
“Pfft.”
“Ah, unnie… of course you’ve seen her…”
They answered with slightly deflated laughter and voices.
Chaekyung tilted her head at their reaction—as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Who is she?”
“She’s the one who appeared in the Love Luck music video. She’s with BNW now. Her name is…”
“Woo Zia. Actress Woo Zia.”
“That was her?”
“She did look a lot softer without makeup… easy to miss.”
“And her visuals in photos and the MV are pretty different too.”
“Hmm…”
Chaekyung had gotten her answer, but her expression didn’t relax.
The gut feeling that this wasn’t the solution to her riddle only grew stronger.
In fact, hearing the name made it worse.
‘Ah… what is it… where have I seen her…?’
Just as the déjà vu tightened its grip on Chaekyung, a voice flew over and caught her ear.
“Aigoo. I wasn’t taking care of my babies properly. Nari, hi~ How’ve you been?”
“Hello, sunbae-nim.”
The main star of today’s stage.
The ultimate role model for every trainee here, including Chaekyung.
Grand senior AZ approached them.
Looking at the three girls like they were precious gems, AZ spoke again.
“What are you doing, Yujin-ssi? Aren’t you going to introduce them? Nari already knows me, but the other two don’t.”
She urged the other main star of the day—Han Yujin—to do the honors.
“This is Baek Soyoung. She came from Jooyul Entertainment as a trainee.”
“Hello, sunbae-nim! I’m Baek Soyoung!”
“Hm. Cute. Nice voice. Nice to meet you. If she’s from Jooyul, then this must be the one…?”
And at the end of Han Yujin’s explanation,
AZ turned her sparkling gaze toward Han Chaekyung.
“Her name… ah, Han Chaekyung, right? The one Yujin-ssi cast from Scarlet.”
The moment those words left her mouth—
“Ah!”
“Ah.”
Two people with the same last name let out almost identical exclamations.
The only difference was one had just realized the secret—and the other had just been caught.
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TL Note:
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[This series is in the “Regressed Idol” collection]
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