Chapter 274

“But if I, the least talented one here, take a break, what would happen?”

I slowly moved my legs and stood in front of Lee Danbi.

Then I looked down at him with sunken eyes and said, “If you take a break, you fall behind. That’s the reality.”

Throughout my time working with Lee Danbi in Pantheion, which felt both long and short, I came to a realization.

That it was impossible for Lee Danbi to become like Jay.

When I first brought Lee Danbi into the group, I hoped it wouldn’t turn out this way, but reality, as always, was cruel.

“I’m about to be kicked out, so I guess they thought there was no need to show me.”

When I first met Jay, he had absolutely no talent for dancing and singing.

But he had other talents that were enough to make up for it.

“I can tell without hearing it in words.”

A keen perceptiveness and an ability to judge that were almost disturbing. He was a raw gem of talent.

“I’ll take a look. Give it a try.”

I looked into his bright eyes as he stared back at me, and recognized his potential in an instant.

“…I told you earlier. I’m going to be kicked out soon. I have no talent, so no matter how hard I try, I won’t improve….”

“Then why are you still practicing?”

Jay had the tenacity to chase his dream to the very end, even when faced with someone directly opposing and trying to shatter it before his eyes.

Jay would have undoubtedly reached the top no matter what career he pursued, not just as an idol. With his talent and tenacity, it would have been harder for him not to succeed. It was almost amusing—yet at the same time, admirable—that he insisted on chasing the dream of becoming an idol when so many easier paths lay wide open to him.

“In the end, it was talent that mattered, not effort.”

The presence or absence of that talent was what set Jay apart from Jo Inchan, and it was also what set him apart from Lee Danbi.

Cha Woon must have reprimanded me because he was well aware of that.

In reality, preparing for the final stage of Survive IDOL took far more time than people expected.

‘The production crew who filmed our practice process was left speechless.’

Preparing for just that one performance alone required a lot of time. I had to personally correct every joint position and angle in every movement to ensure Lee Danbi could move exactly like me.

‘Because Lee Danbi couldn’t find his shortcomings on his own…….’

In contrast, Yoo Jay had a keen eye that allowed him to quickly discern which subtle movements enhanced the quality of the dance. And for an uncountable number of years, he stood by my side as we performed together as Prism, endlessly repeating that process.

Just like collecting vast amounts of data to build a system, Jay analyzed all of my performances. In the end, through that process, he was able to create his own unique and attractive style; one that could be loved by the public.

Lee Danbi neither had the same talent as Jay nor the unlimited time and physical capability I shared with him. Just how much time would it take for him to achieve the same thing?

It was practically in the realm of the impossible.

But I didn’t tell Lee Danbi about it outright.

“Are you that scared of falling behind?”

“…Of course, it’s scary. People like me will be completely left behind if we slow down even for a moment.”

“Cha Woon-sunbaenim said you’re doing well. In that practice room … no, among the entire cast on this program, you’re probably the only one who’s ever heard that from Prism-sunbaenims. Do you understand what that means?”

“…It means that no matter how much more I do, nothing’s going to change.”

“Yeah, it means that even if you overwork your mind and body like this, nothing much will change. It means you’re already doing your absolute best. You thought that if you went beyond your best, you could prove your determination, that you could somehow break through this stifling situation, didn’t you?”

“…….”

“But that’s the wrong way to think. The step beyond doing your best is overdoing it .”

Those final words drove home, and Lee Danbi’s face twisted in an instant, shattering the calm expression he had been desperately trying to maintain. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his knees tightly with his hands. He understood my intent, but it seemed like he was overcome with resentment; if even that was taken away from him, what would he have left?

“You wouldn’t want to push yourself so hard that you completely fall down just because you’re scared of falling behind, would you?”

I understand that feeling, a million times over.

Even though I was blessed with talent, I had no choice but to learn by sharing in the pain of those I love.

That’s why I won’t make the same mistake again.

Even if this was nothing more than my own cowardly self-satisfaction, it was fine.

“Tell him to focus on his treatment and get plenty of rest so his condition doesn’t get worse.”

“Otherwise, he’ll end up regretting it later.”

Because that ridiculously foolish brat is surely hoping for that.

“Your legs hurt, don’t they? You’ve been practicing without any breaks. You must be thirsty too since you haven’t even had any water.”

I gently removed Lee Danbi’s rough hand and softly caressed his knee.

As the tension eased from his overworked legs, his muscles began to twitch slightly. Lee Danbi’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he looked at me, then he turned his head away to avoid my gaze.

“You shouldn’t think of injuries caused by accumulated fatigue from daily repetitive movements the same way as injuries from a single accident. Even if you go through treatment and manage to recover, you’ll have to repeat the same movements that caused the injury in the first place, which means the same injury can happen again, twice, three times, or even more. That’s why injuries are so fatal for athletes and dancers. People who have to deliver top-notch performances all the time are the most sensitive to even the smallest differences, so it’s really unfortunate.”

“…….”

“You witnessed Do Yuda’s leg injury, so you already know how much an injury can set someone back. The reason you couldn’t properly see your own condition was because your focus wasn’t on yourself, but on the people running ahead of you.”

Jo Inchan was pushed to that point not because he was weak-willed or incompetent compared to the other members of Prism.

His body was the first to give out.

That was the biggest cause.

“But life is a long race. If you keep running at someone else’s pace, sooner or later, your body will give out, and you’ll fall. And by the time you’re able to get back up, the people who were ahead of you will already be even farther away.”

“…Then am I just meant to keep falling behind like this?”

“Yeah.”

The situation was different from when Do Yuda got injured.

When I affirmed it without hesitation, Lee Danbi pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze to the floor, his eyes welling with tears. Seeing him wear an expression that, for once, suited his age, I couldn’t help but smile faintly. Then, running my fingers through his tousled hair, I spoke.

“I’ll tell you straight. You will never be the one running at the front. There are countless geniuses in this world who work just as hard. You can’t dismiss their efforts. You’ll always be chasing after others, and you’ll find yourself feeling like this over and over again.”

The reason this industry I loved seemed so brutally unforgiving, as if talent were everything, was that among those who aimed for the top, not a single one neglected hard work.

At the top of this world, Lee Danbi would always be someone who fell behind, forced to watch from up close as those with immense talent pushed themselves to their limits. Over and over, he would have to face the despair of feeling as if even his only weapon had been taken from him.

But Lee Danbi would not give up.

He feels so resentful right now because he doesn’t want to give up.

“So, you need to work on getting used to it. Focus on yourself, not others, and practice taking care of your body and mind so that you don’t lose yourself when you’re emotionally shaken and feeling chased, like you are now.”

In the end, if he was going to insist on walking this path to the very end, I had to teach him how to endure the hardships that lay ahead. Even if I couldn’t teach him how to overcome them, given the reality this child carried, it didn’t matter.

I won’t allow him to be left to fall, marked by wounds.

“And then, when you come to your senses, you’ll find a version of yourself that’s undeniably better than yesterday, a version that has grown beyond who you are now. Even if it’s slower and fainter than others, the time you put in will steadily build up within you. I can guarantee that, and so can your current skills. Who would have thought that Lee Danbi, who barely made it into the group during the survival program, would make it this far?”

“……”

“The person who stands on stage until the very end is the one who wins. And that’s the strength you possess.”

At the last words I uttered, Lee Danbi suddenly lifted his head.

The sudden movement sent the tears welling in his eyes spilling down his cheeks, and soon after, they flowed uncontrollably. At that, I couldn’t hold back my laughter and let it burst out as I rubbed his face roughly with the back of my hand.

‘Kids whose default expression is always so blank tend to have such soft cheeks … Seo Yuseong was the same.’

“Ugh, uweh, hyeung. My cheeks…….”

As I absentmindedly kneaded Lee Danbi’s soft cheeks, lost in thoughts of Seo Yuseong, my mouth unconsciously opened.

“…People say that Seo Yutae has the greatest talent, but I don’t think any of that has meaning. I’ve been through it myself, and in the end, it’s the ones who endure until the very last who win.”

The moment I spoke my name, I felt as if my chest didn’t just grow cold but froze over entirely.

“The Seo Yutae-sunbaenim you mentioned also ended up not being able to stand on the stage right now.”

I must stop.

That was enough.

Lee Danbi was mature and smart enough to understand the meaning of what I said, even without hearing my personal story. Anything more would be a useless story, so there was no need to tell him about myself.

“The juniors may not know, but even within the notoriously talented Prism, there were members who were told they had no talent. Like Jay, like Jo Inchan-sunbaenim…….”

But, strangely enough, I just couldn’t stop.

“…Hyung?”

I could feel Lee Danbi, who had grabbed my wrist, sensing something unusual as he lowered his posture and tried to meet my gaze. But even so, I couldn’t stop myself from pouring everything out, as if I were under a spell.

“But the ones standing on the stage right now are not Seo Yutae-sunbaenim , but those two people. No matter how hard they’ve had it, how much they suffered in places the public doesn’t see, they endured to the end and are still standing at the top. I really think that’s … amazing. In the end, it doesn’t matter who shines the brightest or who has the greatest talent.”

“Did you get tired of us? Was it because we couldn’t live up to what you expected? Is that why you left us behind?”

“…Because I said those things, you hate me now?”

I hoped that he would never lose courage, no matter what happened.

I hoped he would become someone who could be proud of what he had achieved on his own and cherish himself.

“Let’s stay together as Prism for the rest of our lives!”

I prayed that he would be able to shine on the stage he had so desperately dreamed of, for as long as it took.

The moment that feeling reached its limit, the emotions I couldn’t hold back burst forth.

“No matter what anyone says … you are the stars that shine the longest in my heart.”

“…….”

“So, believe in yourself just a little bit more.”

A faint voice, as if about to break, quietly echoed in the practice room, where only the two of us were.

‘Ah, I’m sure I was speaking well at first.’

You……. 1

At this point, the line between whether I was talking about the members of Pantheion or Prism would have become blurred. With such thoughts swirling in my mind, I lowered my gaze, and suddenly, Lee Danbi, who had been silently staring at my face, wrapped his arms around my head.

And then, he quietly whispered.

“Well, I think I will be okay, even if a time comes when I lose my confidence and can’t love myself again. Because I have someone by my side who can fill the parts of me that are lacking until they overflow.”

“…….”

“…So, please don’t make such a sad face, hyung.”

.

.

.

After having a little more conversation with Lee Danbi, I opened the practice room door and found a cup of coffee hanging on the doorknob, still warm to the touch. Just as I was tilting my head in puzzlement, a message arrived on my phone.

Tiling!

[PRISM’s Lee Chise-sunbaenim: Inchan said he was sorry for missing the kids’ feedback and that he’d make time to bring coffee to the practice room. Did you get it?]

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Translator’s Corner:

T_T I’m already sad, and this just sadder ….

I’m worn out from dealing with people on internet … I already tried to explain everything in the fairest way possible, yet they kept denying and only accepting claim from one side … worse, the side that often changed their claim and did a lot of dirty mediaplay … I’m not going to deal with this anymore … no matter what I say, they won’t believe what they don’t want to believe….

But it’s just so sad. People really won’t believe a claim, especially when made by a woman, until they’re dead. That’s the same thing that happened with Kim Saeron right now. Everyone suddenly believing her, saying “we failed her”, because she’s already on her grave … just when will this Korean industry and its community change ….

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