Chapter 44. Oh, My Bodhisattva
It was an excellent opportunity.
And if I stepped in as an emergency replacement, Seo Hoe-dong might owe me even more goodwill.
His full support was always sweet.
The only problem was how little time we had.
By the time I'd spoken with Seo Hoe-dong, the members had already woken up before dawn and even gone to a salon they usually didn't use.
And 〈The Sixth Sense〉 was filming the very next morning.
We were going to have to tighten the schedule again.
Part of me wondered whether it would've been better to simply let the broadcasting station handle their makeup like usual.
Still, if we had an all-time great song, choreography, and stage, then the members' condition also needed to be all-time great.
We'd simply done our best.
The members didn't seem upset about it.
Of course, the very first thing I did after confirming the schedule with Seo Hoe-dong was call Serin and order her to sleep immediately.
The sudden schedule threw not only me and the members into chaos, but Dae-hun too.
"Still, it's lucky the members live together. If they all lived separately, sudden schedules like this would be impossible."
Dae-hun said while urgently organizing things from early morning.
Hearing that made me unexpectedly sad.
As idols gain years of experience and become more popular, they grow capable of managing their own schedules.
Eventually, the company's role becomes little more than telling them where and when to go.
That was how they prepared for independence.
They couldn't remain at our company forever.
Would our members eventually become like that too?
Probably.
That was my goal.
If Universe could perfectly support every aspect of their entertainment careers, maybe they could stay forever.
But I'd never heard of an agency capable of doing that.
Every company had strengths and weaknesses depending on the field.
"Sudden schedules only happen because of where we are now. Once they're top tier, we won't need to cling desperately to every little appearance."
"That's true."
"Anyway, I'm leaving. Hold down the company."
I forced the unnecessary thoughts out of my head.
Then I gathered the members waiting in front of the parking lot and headed to the station.
The moment we arrived at the 〈The Sixth Sense〉 set, the CP recognized me from a distance and hurried over looking relieved.
"Ah, you really came. I'm getting saved by PD Seo Hoe-dong again... No, wait. You're Manager Do Jun-hyeok, right? I know this sudden schedule must've been difficult. Thank you so much for coming."
"It's a popular program. Even if you'd told us a few minutes before filming, we'd still come."
Apparently, the celebrity originally booked for the episode had been called in for police questioning.
The production team had spent almost the entire previous day devastated.
Just like PD Jo Gwan-seok from 〈Live Singing Contest〉.
"Only one is fake! Find the real one hidden among the real! The shocking twist quiz show... The Sixth~ Sense~!"
After brief greetings with the directors, filming began almost like routine work.
Yoo Jun-seok and the regular panelists sat together on set and delivered the opening.
After some conversation, Yoo Jun-seok proudly introduced Blue Moon.
The members entered and sat in the four empty chairs.
"Now we'll begin meeting today's guests. Blue Moon, are you ready?"
"Yes!"
The members answered in unison.
Yoo Jun-seok introduced the first guest.
"Our first guest is Master Kim Seong-wan, a fortune scholar who reads your fate through the foods you like!"
The format of 〈The Sixth Sense〉 was roughly like this.
Three people with unusual professions appeared every week and introduced themselves.
They answered questions from the guests.
One of those three professionals was fake.
The guests had to figure out who.
At Yoo Jun-seok's introduction, the cylindrical screen behind the set opened and revealed the fortune scholar.
The panelists and members applauded.
The scholar gave a brief introduction.
He said he researched saju, the traditional Four Pillars of Destiny, and sometimes read people's fortunes using both birth information and food.
"Could you read my fortune?"
Serin raised her hand.
Everyone's attention turned toward the scholar.
The instant Serin finished asking, he took out paper and a pen.
"Do you know what time you were born? Solar calendar, correct? What food do you like?"
He asked surprisingly detailed questions while rapidly writing things down.
"Imsul day pillar. Your middle years are fortunate, and you have several signs connected to official authority, but government work doesn't seem to suit you. Your energy is strong. If you take the wrong path, you could easily become a troublesome person."
"Oh..."
"You're naturally curious and imaginative. So you probably had a princess complex as a child, but because your year pillar is blocked, it's unlikely those desires were properly satisfied."
Serin looked impressed.
Apparently, he'd hit something.
As far as I knew, Serin had grown up poor.
Whether it was a princess complex or simple greed for food, I doubted many of her childhood desires had been fulfilled.
"I-It feels real."
After Kim Seong-wan came Sangcheon Doryeong from a philosophy house.
The last guest was Janggun Bodhisattva, a male shaman from Palbong Shrine.
Aran took responsibility for questioning the shaman.
"Bodhisattva! We just released a new song. Do you think it'll do well?"
"People need to know their place. This one's already doomed."
I had no idea what basis he had for saying that.
Still, the entire set suddenly became awkward.
"Even though we're already inside the top eighty on the chart?"
Aran asked again.
The shaman shook his head.
What did he mean doomed?
Do you know how much we'd poured into this song?
Fake.
He was definitely the fake.
"Then when will things start going well for us?"
Serin asked.
"That Doctor Kim or whatever his name was said someone's natural energy was blocked, right? Every one of you is blocked. How could anything go well?"
"Gasp..."
"Still, you recently met a benefactor. The situation isn't something an ordinary person could solve, though."
Maybe... he wasn't fake?
Every member turned to look at me.
Strong natural energy, but blocked.
That interpretation was disturbingly accurate too.
