DPI-08

8. Han Ji-hyuk (2)

“Yes!”

The tall boy sitting on the far right jumped up and came forward. He seemed to be the best dancer in the current club; his eyes were brimming with confidence.

“Teacher, I can do a headspin.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. I’m not sure if it’ll be perfect, but… I’ll give it a try.”

At the words of the club president, Seo-jun, Yoon Hyun-jae quickly brought over a helmet. The headspin is a high-difficulty move where you balance on your head, legs split in the air, and rotate your entire body. Doing this on a bare floor without equipment would set your scalp on fire from the friction.

Seo-jun, looking confident, put on the helmet and skipped around to stretch. After taking a few rhythmic steps to build momentum, he went into a handstand and immediately transitioned into the headspin.

“Whoa!”

With his helmet on the floor, he alternated his hands to support himself as his legs spun dazzlingly. He collapsed after only a few rotations, but everyone gave him a round of applause.

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

“Great job!”

Teacher Hyun-jae couldn’t hide his pride; his smile reached his ears.

“Man, you really are the president. Kim Seo-jun, well done.”

“I’ve been practicing really hard based on what you taught me. I’m trying to learn the Air Track too, but it’s not going well.”

Seo-jun grinned brightly. The Air Track is a truly elite move where you rotate in the air while supporting yourself on your arms. It was impressive passion for someone so young.

“You’re truly carrying on the legacy of the Wings’ presidents. The presidents have always been skilled. You two were presidents back then, right?”

“Ah, I was the vice president…”

“I was the president.”

Teacher Hyun-jae looked back at Han Ji-hyuk and Hwang Jong-woo. He asked casually, but Hwang Jong-woo’s face turned red for a moment. It seemed the teacher had accidentally poked at Jong-woo’s inferiority complex regarding Han Ji-hyuk.

“Hey, didn’t you guys use to do Air Tracks all the time? Why don’t you show your juniors a demonstration?”

“Oh, Teacher. We don’t really do b-boying in the agencies.”

Hwang Jong-woo waved his hand with a laugh. Hyun-jae, feeling a bit shut down, gave an awkward laugh.

“Haha… is that so? I guess you mostly focus on idol dancing now. That’s a shame, you guys were so good at it.”

“Yeah, but the choreography for our debut song is intense enough. They emphasize ‘synchronized dancing’ so much. You’ll see when we’re on TV!”

“Then could you give us a tiny teaser of the debut song you’re preparing?”

“No way, Teacher! You can’t spoil that. You know how it is.”

Hwang Jong-woo’s face hardened instantly at Yoon Hyun-jae’s light suggestion. Hyun-jae’s expression stiffened with embarrassment.

“Ah… sorry. Come to think of it, you’re right. Our Jong-woo has become a real celebrity now.”

As Teacher Hyun-jae tried to laugh it off, Ji-hyuk’s face went stiff. While it’s true you shouldn’t give spoilers, there was no need to be so arrogant about it.

‘He’s crossing the line…’

Perhaps because his debut was confirmed, Hwang Jong-woo was acting like he was above everyone—even the teacher who taught him.

I stepped forward slightly.

“Then instead of the debut song, why don’t you show us a little bit of your skill, Hyung? Your juniors came a long way to see a senior, after all.”

“Right, right! Not the debut song, just show the juniors something impactful! Boom! Show them, Jong-woo.”

“Ah… well then…”

Hwang Jong-woo’s gaze flickered toward Han Ji-hyuk. No matter what he did, he was conscious of Ji-hyuk. He exchanged a look with ‘Tommy’ and stepped forward.

“Let’s do that one.”

As if they had prepared for this, Hwang Jong-woo found a song on his phone and hit play. It was “Higher,” a hit song by ‘Pierce,’ a senior group from his agency, Aden Ent.

The two began their dance as the juniors watched. It was a disciplined performance mixed with decent popping. Their arm angles and the sound of their feet hitting the floor were perfectly synchronized. Since it was a song by a senior group, they had likely practiced it until they could do it in their sleep.

“Wooooow!”

The juniors clapped, looking at them with awe. The fact that the two were dressed in outfits that looked like stage costumes added to the effect. Hwang Jong-woo smiled, satisfied by the reaction.

“As expected, your skills are still alive.”

Hyun-jae nodded and praised them. Hwang Jong-woo crossed his arms proudly and tilted his chin up.

“I’m the main dancer of our team.”

“Jong-woo is the best dancer in our agency,” the other member added, giving a thumbs up.

But the moment was short-lived. Yoon Hyun-jae, who had been nodding, suddenly made a serious face.

“Hmm, since you’re the main dancer and you’ll be dancing for a long time, let’s fix just one thing.”

“Pardon…?”

“I’ve told you since the old days that it’s a bad habit when you’re popping—you put too much tension in your elbow joints. If you keep doing that, your joints will give out.”

Hyun-jae then gestured toward Han Ji-hyuk, who was standing in the corner.

“Han Ji-hyuk, come here.”

“Me?”

Confused, Han Ji-hyuk walked over to the teacher. Hyun-jae clapped to get the juniors’ attention.

“Listen up, everyone. You have to set good habits for popping from the start. Ji-hyuk, show them.”

“…Okay.”

Han Ji-hyuk performed popping movements that flowed as naturally as water. He was a textbook dancer who performed every move with perfect form. He had great natural sense, but more than that, he was a dancer who fully digested what he learned and made it his own.

His movements were literally flawless. It was a stark contrast to Hwang Jong-woo’s performance just moments ago.

“Look, the way Ji-hyuk does it is the standard.”

The juniors now clearly understood what “popping with too much tension in the elbows” looked like. They had seen the difference firsthand.

Hwang Jong-woo’s face was beet red, likely from the shame of the comparison. Noticing this, Hyun-jae patted his shoulder to comfort him.

“Jong-woo, I’m telling you this because you’re debuting soon. You have to take care of your body to stay on stage for a long time.”

“…Yes, I’m debuting soon. I should do it properly.”

Hwang Jong-woo still seemed fuming, but he managed to calm down using the magic word: “debut.”

“Alright, let’s stop with the dancing. Shall we taste the snacks your seniors brought?”

“Yes!”

The kids, who had been focused on the dancing, shouted even louder at the mention of snacks. Cute. Snacks really are the best.

Hwang Jong-woo dragged the box in front of the kids with his teammate and shouted triumphantly.

“Guys, try these one by one. You wouldn’t even see these in a place like Daejeon.”

“Whoa, what are they?”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard of them. They’re famous bagels from ‘New York Bagel Library.'”

‘Bagels…?’

The kids, who were about to take the paper bags with excitement, hesitated. They looked confused. Their faces said:

‘What on earth is a bagel?’

They opened the bags to find… admittedly delicious-looking bagels and organic milk that looked healthy just by looking at it.

“Since you came from the countryside, you have to eat something like this to say you’ve been to Seoul. You have to wait in line for almost an hour for these.”

Hwang Jong-woo looked confident that they would be a hit. He had gone through a lot of trouble to get these trendy snacks, and they must have been expensive.

But… it was a shame, despite his effort. All the kids had faces that said, “What is this?”

‘To these kids, a bagel is just a bagel. If it’s bread, something with a sausage inside is king.’

Anyway, it was a pity. Especially considering what was about to happen.

‘It’s about time.’

I looked at my phone and answered a call that just came in.

“Hello? Yeah, Basement 1. It says Yoon Hyun-jae Dance Studio.”

“Is the food here?”

“Yeah! They’re bringing it in now.”

At the word “snacks,” Hwang Jong-woo and the kids, who were handing out bagels, looked over. A moment later:

Kang Su-woo and Ga Du-in entered, carrying large paper bags in both hands. They were today’s delivery team.

Everything was a pre-arranged plan. Instead of buying something in advance, I had the snacks delivered to the studio to match the time. Nothing beats snacks that are freshly prepared and warm.

Han Ji-hyuk was impressed that snacks could even be delivered here and pulled out his wallet. Even back then, delivery systems were common, but as trainees, we rarely had snacks delivered to us.

‘My nephews’ weekend snacks were always delivered.’

There was no way you could take eight young boys out. The moment you stepped outside, hell began.

Since it was awkward for us to leave in the middle, I borrowed the help of the Hyungs whose Likability had been unlocked. Even Ga Du-in, who grumbled at first, came along after I explained the situation to help Han Ji-hyuk.

— Ding!

[Friend List: Interaction with Han Ji-hyuk has unlocked his Likability!]

Han Ji-hyuk’s Likability unlocked out of nowhere. Hahaha… look at this thorough Hyung, only opening up his Likability once he felt relieved that the snacks arrived.

— Ding!

[Quest: Tell Me Your Worries!! (3)]

▶ Solve the worry together with the member who has a high worry level: ★ACHIEVED★]

[Reward is being issued]

[Reward: Mother’s Hand is a Healing Hand (lv.1)]

After activation, calling the name of a person in pain reduces their pain by 30%.

I also got the reward for finishing the quest. This skill, “Mother’s Hand is a Healing Hand,” is a healing skill for when someone is sick. This will be quite useful.

“What is this?” the kids asked as the two brought in bags smelling of fried food. I took out small boxes and drinks from the bags.

“This is Sotteok-Sotteok (sausage and rice cake skewers) and hot dogs. And this is Coke Zero.”

“Whoa! Sotteok-Sotteok?”

“Hot dogs! That looks so good!”

The kids swarmed us instantly. As expected, my nephews’ favorite snacks. Yoon Hyun-jae broke a sweat trying to control the crowd, and Ji-hyuk and I got busy handing them out.

Hwang Jong-woo shouted, looking flabbergasted.

“Hey, you can eat Sotteok-Sotteok and hot dogs anytime in Daejeon! Why are you guys acting like that over those? This bagel is the really trendy thing…”

Teacher Yoon Hyun-jae, perhaps feeling bad for Jong-woo, picked up a paper bag—even though his mouth was already covered in Sotteok-Sotteok sauce.

“Looks delicious, Jong-woo. I’ll try one too.”

“Oh, this is a very famous bagel.”

“It must have been expensive. Su-woo Hyung, Du-in Hyung, have some too.”

Of course, our reactions didn’t comfort Hwang Jong-woo. He was clearly annoyed and muttering to himself. The shadow over his face looked particularly dark.

Anyway, some kids even took a second helping of Sotteok-Sotteok, so the 25 boxes we prepared were gone in an instant.

“You said 15 kids were coming. Why order 25 portions?”

“We need to feed the teacher, us, and those guys. Better to have more than not enough.”

The thorough Han Ji-hyuk had ordered 25 portions, including enough for Hwang Jong-woo’s group, but even that sold out in a flash. On the other hand, the sight of the bagel bags, which had barely been touched, made Hwang Jong-woo’s gaze turn cold.

“These are expensive and good, so let’s pack them up and take them to the dorm. Okay?”

“Yes!”

“Jong-woo, I’ll enjoy it. It was really delicious for me. The kids are still young, so they don’t know what’s good.”

Teacher Hyun-jae kept trying to soothe him, but Jong-woo’s face didn’t soften at all. It wasn’t just because of the snacks. He had lost face several times today. He wanted to show off his debut to his old teacher and juniors, but he was leaving after showing only his worst side.

Hwang Jong-woo turned around and whispered to ‘Tommy.’

“Dammit… so embarrassing. I shouldn’t have believed that girl Kang Hyun-ah.”

“Why? Was it her who told you to buy those?”

“She said buying these would definitely humble Han Ji-hyuk. Said they were totally hot on Instagram. Didn’t she just want to eat them herself?”

“Keke… anyway, your girlfriend is no help no matter what. When did you say you’d end it?”

“I’ll wrap it up soon. She’s useless; I gotta end it before debut.”

What? I could faintly hear Hwang Jong-woo’s complaints. Standing a step away biting a bagel, my jaw dropped. A guy who’s about to debut has a girlfriend? And he’s going to “wrap it up” before debut?

I thought he was just a kid acting cool because he was debuting… but is he actually a total piece of trash beyond imagination?

Then, as if he finally noticed my shocked stare, Hwang Jong-woo met my eyes and sputtered in a panic.

“Hey, you… how long have you been standing there?”

“How long?” I hadn’t gone anywhere since the start. But just as I was about to confront him about his girlfriend, Ji-hyuk stepped in.

“Hm? What’s going on?”

Sensing the aggressive atmosphere between me and Jong-woo, Han Ji-hyuk joined us. Hwang Jong-woo, who had been stammering after I caught him talking about his secret, quickly shifted gears to mock Ji-hyuk.

“You, Han Ji-hyuk. You prepared quite a lot today, huh? Plants, deliveries… but too bad. Willow Ent put out a boy group this year, right? Then you’ll be rotting away for a few more years.”

“This jerk…”

Han Ji-hyuk cursed under his breath, unable to take it anymore. Hwang Jong-woo smirked.

“When we meet in the waiting room later, make sure you call me ‘Senior’ and bow properly at 90 degrees, okay? Though I’m not sure if you’ll even be able to debut.”

That brainless provocation. This was bad. Han Ji-hyuk’s face was contorting. “Rotting away for years,” “will you even debut”—these were critical hits to the pride of a trainee whose future wasn’t set.

Ah, I had that. The skill that reduces impact during a conversation. I activated the ‘Shield of the Heart’ skill and spoke to Ji-hyuk.

“Hyung, don’t pay any mind to those words.”

“…”

Ji-hyuk was biting his lip hard. But as the skill took effect, his face gradually began to calm down. He then spoke to Hwang Jong-woo in a low voice.

“Sure, I’ll greet you properly when we meet.”

Ji-hyuk even added a relaxed smile.

“And make sure you practice your popping properly if you want to have a long career.”

He smirked and slightly reenacted the movement he was criticized for earlier—the one where too much tension was in the elbows.

“You little…!”

Hwang Jong-woo flared up and raised his hand, but Teacher Yoon Hyun-jae approached just in time. Sensing the hostile air, he patted both their shoulders.

“Thanks to you guys, the kids had a great time and ate well today. Keep showing us your best!”

“Yes, Teacher.”

“…Yes.”

“Jong-woo, make sure you succeed after you debut. And Ji-hyuk, debut soon. Your dancing is really cool. The juniors must have learned a lot. Right?”

“Yes!”

As he turned and asked, the juniors—with Sotteok-Sotteok still in their mouths—shouted back. With the attention suddenly on them, Hwang Jong-woo couldn’t say anything more and kept his mouth shut.

Looking back, the numbers above Han Ji-hyuk’s head, as he went back to biting his bagel, were slowly dropping. It seemed the ‘Shield of the Heart’ worked perfectly.

Teacher Hyun-jae saw us out to the street. But naturally, Hwang Jong-woo and his teammate ‘Tommy’ left without even looking back after one final glare.

“I guess I won’t be hearing from him again.”

Han Ji-hyuk pulled out his phone and deleted Hwang Jong-woo’s number. Then, he suddenly pointed to a cafe on the way to the dorm.

“Thanks, everyone. Want to grab a coffee?”

“I’ll take a Vanilla Latte.”

“Iced Americano for me.”

“Me too, with an extra shot.”

With a small laugh, Han Ji-hyuk pulled out his wallet and entered the shop. It seemed he wanted to buy us drinks for our hard work, but he also seemed to need a dose of caffeine to calm himself down. After taking a sip of the freshly brewed coffee, he let out a deep breath.

“I would have had a hard time today if it wasn’t for you. That jerk… there was a reason I lived without contacting him until now.”

“I didn’t do much… though I did do a lot. How was the Sotteok-Sotteok?”

“It was great. How did you know they’d like it so much? Is it because you’re the same age?”

Now that I think about it, I’m 17 now. The fact that I’m only a year older than that fluffy-haired club president who was dancing earlier… I felt a sudden shiver at the strange realization. I had been looking at Han Ji-hyuk thinking, “Aigoo, this young guy is going through a lot.”

“Anyway, he’s somehow debuting at Aden Ent… but it doesn’t feel good thinking about having to call him ‘Senior’ later. Who knows what kind of trouble he’ll cause using his seniority…”

“Hyung, with that personality, he might already be buried by the time we debut.”

Then Ga Du-in and Kang Su-woo added their thoughts.

“Just forget about it. It’s a waste to live your life caring about every single guy like that.”

“Exactly. Ji-hyuk, you care about way too many things. Just take it easy.”

“…Yeah. You guys are right.”

Han Ji-hyuk took another long sip of coffee. Then he jumped up.

“Alright, since we wasted our afternoon practice time, let’s go practice now.”

“What? I thought we were off this afternoon…?”

“What do you mean ‘off’? I feel bad enough for taking up your time; we can’t blow our practice time too. I’ll help you out.”

At his words, our plan to end the afternoon leisurely was scrapped, and we ended up soaked in sweat under Han Ji-hyuk’s lead.

He really was consistent. Han Ji-hyuk. The same diligent nagger as he was before the regression.

I watched the backs of the members being dragged away, grumbling. These were friendly sights I could never have seen during Hexad Carmit… I had to make sure Han Ji-hyuk’s good intentions didn’t end in a bad result like they did before the regression.

I felt like my role was gradually growing larger.