A rich aroma of coffee spread throughout the luxurious practice room.
For those sensitive to caffeine and unable to drink regular coffee, decaffeinated coffee was provided.
Roy’s eyelashes slowly fluttered up and down.
He had quickly learned the method Han Jihoo taught him and brewed the coffee himself.
It took a while to choose among nearly ten kinds of beans.
In the end, he picked one with a subtle fruity aroma.
“..This is really good.”
As the cool coffee slid down his throat, Roy’s tense expression relaxed little by little.
“Alright, then let’s start dividing the parts. The company could do it for us, but I told them I want us to split them ourselves.”
Soon, Han Jihoo brought out paper sheet music and handed it to the members.
The sheets were neatly tucked into a file folder along with pens, making them easy to examine.
“No matter how I think about it, I believe Chan should be our main vocal. What do you all think?”
At Han Jihoo’s words, Kim Chan’s face flushed bright red.
He wanted to say that he hoped to take the main vocal part, but felt too shy to say it himself.
It was as if Han Jihoo saw right through his feelings and spoke first, which he was grateful for. Then,
“Agreed.”
“I also think Chan hyung suits the main vocal part the best.”
Contrary to the worry that someone might contest the main vocal position, the other members also seemed to agree with Kim Chan taking the lead vocal. Chan’s eyes shimmered with emotion.
“I like how everyone’s so enthusiastic. Alright, the main vocal part is settled then…”
Roy looked around at the members, reluctantly watching the coffee level drop.
Under Han Jihoo’s leadership, the part division was progressing quickly.
Lee Doha was assigned as the main dancer, and Song Doyoon took the main rapper spot.
The rest had similar levels of dance and singing skills, so parts were reallocated to suit each person’s charm.
“Roy hyung, how do you feel about the parts?”
“Good!”
Han Jihoo had carefully ensured that everyone got a fairly even share of parts.
He even planned the stage movements so each member could stand in the center at least once and get the spotlight.
From Roy’s point of view, it was like not having to lift a finger.
He was worried the meeting might drag on, but Han Jihoo was handling his role like a competent leader.
“I took a quick look, is there anyone who objects to Han Jihoo being the leader?”
As the part division was wrapping up, Roy suddenly asked the members this question.
Han Jihoo seemed surprised that Roy brought it up directly.
His eyes widened.
“Huh? Wasn’t Jihoo hyung already decided as our leader? Do we have to decide again?”
Song Doyoon, who was crunching a large ice cube in his mouth after finishing his coffee, spoke with curiosity.
“Then it’s settled. Han Jihoo will be the leader.”
Roy quickly ended the discussion before anyone suggested choosing the leader by age order or anything else.
Fortunately, no one voiced opposition, and everyone nodded in agreement.
“Uh… I didn’t expect this to be decided like this. I’ll do my best from now on. Thanks for choosing me as leader.”
Han Jihoo stood up and bowed politely from the waist.
Even his usual casual tone turned formal as he thanked everyone, which looked amusing.
“Now that the leader’s set, shall we start practice? Not much time left until the midterm evaluation.”
Kim Jaewoo was the first to get up from the sofa and lightly stretch.
The other members loosened their muscles and headed toward the space with walls covered entirely in mirrors.
“Ugh… this is really tough…”
***
Lee Hajun swayed and leaned against Kim Chan’s shoulder.
Kim Chan’s face was pale and exhausted.
“I never thought recording would be this hard…”
Kim Chan had never found singing difficult in his life.
Thanks to his innate talent and a vocal range that freely spanned three octaves, he could handle any song.
Although today’s schedule was tight, it was a song they had practiced to the point of memorization.
He believed he could deliver the main vocal part better than anyone.
‘Maybe one more time? I think I can make it sound even better.’
However, from the moment Kim Chan started singing in the recording booth, the producer overseeing the session kept furrowing his brows and demanding endless retakes.
As a result, cold sweat continuously trickled down Kim Chan’s back throughout the recording.
“But the final product will be amazing. Even I felt your skill improving as I listened to you today. I thought you had already reached your peak.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Kim Chan’s face brightened at Han Jihoo’s words.
He had been sulking, feeling like the prolonged recording was his fault.
“Sometimes, I don’t know who’s the older brother and who’s the younger.”
Watching Han Jihoo skillfully comfort Kim Chan, Song Doyoon lightly clicked his tongue.
“You were biting your lips wanting to cheer for Kim Chan while he was in the recording booth earlier. I saw it all.”
“When did I?”
“You kept wiggling your fingers and puckering your lips.”
Han Jihoo smiled slyly and playfully ruffled Song Doyoon’s hair.
The flustered reaction was like a puppy caught doing something wrong.
“Guys, hurry up and get in.”
***
Meanwhile, Roy and the other members had finished recording and were waiting by the entrance for the car.
A large van stopped in front, and Hwang Guman got out of the passenger seat.
Gi Yonghyeon sat behind the wheel.
“How many seats does this van have? It looks bigger than any I’ve seen.”
“It is. It’s a 16-seater.”
“16 seats? Did they even make vans like that?”
There were eight members.
All were taller than average, so fitting into a regular van would be cramped.
“It’s custom-made.”
Han Jihoo casually shrugged.
They could have split into two cars, but he wanted the members to always move together.
They were still getting to know each other, and increasing the vehicle size was an easy solution.
“No wonder the seats felt so spacious.”
Song Doyoon nodded knowingly and climbed inside.
In the back seats were Song Doyoon, Kim Chan, and Lee Hajun.
In front of them sat Han Jihoo, Lee Doha, and Kim Jaewoo.
Closest to the door were Roy and Min Junyoung.
The members naturally considered the older members’ comfort.
Min Junyoung looked slightly apologetic, but when Roy slouched in his seat comfortably, he quietly settled into his spot.
“That’s it for today’s schedule. But tomorrow, we start moving from 5 a.m. The stylist team will be coming to the practice room.”
Hwang Guman took out a tablet PC and briefly briefed the members on the next day’s schedule after seeing everyone fasten their seat belts.
“We’ll focus on practice until the debut stage. We finished recording safely today too.”
Roy slowly opened and closed his eyes, gently stroking the spirits huddled in his arms.
His body was so exhausted he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep immediately.
His Hunter Level had risen to the point that he could stay awake three nights in a row if needed.
The problem was his mental stamina.
He had been tense throughout the recording to avoid causing trouble for the others, making sleep urgent.
{Hero!}
The urgent voice from Earth snapped him awake from his half-slumber.
“Huh? Doesn’t it look like there’s been some kind of accident up ahead?”
Lee Hajun pressed his face to the window and observed outside.
Hwang Guman and Gi Yonghyeon also stared seriously ahead.
“Looks like something’s definitely going on, just like Hajun said.”
It was already past 10 p.m.
The traffic in downtown Seoul wasn’t bad enough to be rush hour gridlock.
Still, the van with the members hadn’t moved properly even after more than five minutes of trying to cover a short distance.
“Since there are police cars and an association vehicle, could a sudden dungeon have appeared?”
If it were a regular traffic accident, the association wouldn’t have sent someone.
Hwang Guman rolled down the passenger window and craned his neck to see ahead.
Not only him, but drivers of other blocked cars were sticking their heads out too.
“It doesn’t look like a sudden dungeon. The magical power in the air is stable. But…”
Gi Yonghyeon concentrated his hearing, sifting through the noise to find voices carrying meaningful information.
“…It seems like someone’s been kidnapped. Right in the middle of the road.”
The source of the information wasn’t Gi Yonghyeon but the voice from the seat behind him.
Suddenly, Gi Yonghyeon’s head snapped back. He barely caught the word “kidnapping.”
But Roy had apparently assessed the situation even faster than he did.
A flapping turtle came into Roy’s sharp line of sight.
It seemed the Wind Spirit was carrying the voices of people.
‘Is it definitely related to the Continent of As?’
{Yes. There’s an abnormal flow of magical power nearby.}
However, unlike Gi Yonghyeon’s guess, it was Earth who detected the anomaly first, not Ris.
***
While Roy was busy practicing, Earth was patrolling the area to check for any suspicious places.
Recently, one of the fans waiting for Roy got injured in an accident. But Earth still hadn’t found the culprit.
{…I’ve never felt so helpless. Even now, as I get close to the scene, the abnormal flow shows up. If I’d just passed by, I wouldn’t have noticed it at all. It’s barely a trace, as if some barrier has been set up.}
Earth’s voice sank in disappointment.
‘Let’s investigate the kidnapping that just happened first. You said the trace of the person who attacked the fan was completely cut off, right?’
The trail from the crime scene vanished suddenly, as if it had either soared into the sky or sunk into the ground.
‘You all, help me out.’
Roy asked the spirits nestled in his arms.
Ber’s ability specialized in offense, but Aqua, Ris, and Solum were skilled in pursuit as well.
Where there was water, wind, or earth, their eyes and ears could reach.
“Pia-.” (A lot of magical power will drain, contractor.)
The spirits had no choice but to use Roy’s magic power to exert their abilities here.
Although his magic power had greatly increased since surpassing level 300, it still felt somewhat lacking compared to his past strength on the Continent of As.
Roy’s expression turned slightly pale.
Ris closed her eyes softly and stirred the surrounding wind.
“Por.” (Water is everywhere.)
“Uum-.” (The same goes for earth.)
Aqua and Solum began using their abilities as well.
“Hyung, you look really bad…”
Min Junyoung, sitting beside Roy, looked at him with concern.
The traffic in front still hadn’t moved at all.
Seeing Roy’s face gradually turn ghostly white in real time made Junyoung worried.
“Roy, are you feeling sick?”
At Min Junyoung’s voice, Hwang Guman turned his large frame around.
Seeing sweat glisten on Roy, he gently brushed Junyoung’s neck.
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