Seo-Yu @HW_YK00: This is it! This is it!!!!!
baby, run – 2Planet – Listen to this.
by SOOBAK
[1 Retweet] [9 Likes]
Cinnamon @woogieloversclub
Crazy Baby Run ** Good The choreography is insane
ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[2 Likes]
Cinnamon @woogieloversclub:
I was blown away watching their pre-debut dance videos T_T But after debut, they didn’t do dances that intense anymore, which was such a shame. I’m so thrilled right now!!!!!
冬 @** I’m following you back. I pressed the heart button.
baby, run – 2Planet – Give it a listen.
by SOOBAK
[1 Like]
Seo-Yu @HW_YK00
@2_planet_official This new song is amazing. So my style! T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T T #HeeWookLetter
Cinnamon @woogieloversclub: #HeeWookLetter Wook, this choreography is amazing but T_T3_T it looks dangerous! Make sure to wear knee pads on stage! T_T Also, did you see the news? Be careful with pneumonia!
“It’s that pneumonia that came from overseas.”
Before they knew it, they were already in the third week of promotions for their new song “baby, run”.
After finishing a music show, Heewook stopped abruptly while checking his SNS during a schedule transfer, reacting to Eunseong’s words.
Eunseong was sitting in the passenger seat, so he couldn’t see Heewook’s phone screen, but it was surprising that he recited the exact words displayed on it.
“It’s probably nothing, right?”
“Why pneumonia all of a sudden?”
Jaegyu, who had only one earbud in, asked back with a bewildered look. Eun-sung clicked his tongue.
“Haven’t you seen the news?”
“Oh, well. I tend to forget stuff that doesn’t concern me.”
“It’s not exactly unrelated—fans keep mentioning it in every letter.”
“Ah, fans always worry about everything. It can’t be that serious, right?”
After finishing his sentence, Jaegyu stretched his arms wide. Eunseong shrugged his shoulders.
Heewook, who had been listening to Eunseong and Jaegyu’s conversation, shifted his gaze back to the screen.
He searched for articles about the ‘overseas pneumonia’ and found some pretty alarming content, but it still didn’t feel like something that would directly affect him.
It was more like thinking, ‘It’s winter, so I should be careful not to catch a cold.’
The new song promotions proceeded much like usual. They took the stage for the ending of music shows, applauding the day’s number one artist from behind, and met fans through public broadcast viewings, outdoor mini fan meetings, and fan signings.
Heewook worked harder than ever before. His singing, his dancing, his physical conditioning, his conversations with fans. He gave his all, hoping fans wouldn’t feel Yoonmin’s absence.
The crack in his ordinary daily life appeared after both the “baby run” domestic promotions and the album release event tour in Japan had ended.
“Everything canceled?”
The moment he returned from Japan, Jaegyu jumped to his feet upon hearing that all the events packed into his schedule for the next month had been canceled. His chair toppled over with a crash.
Among the canceled events was a domestic fan club meeting. He-wook took a deep breath inside his mask.
Things had changed drastically right before leaving for Japan. Mask-wearing became mandatory, music shows stopped accepting live audiences, and gatherings of multiple people were banned in places like restaurants and cafes.
Still, he thought things would soon improve.
After entering Korea, he saw an article about a famous idol group’s year-end concert being temporarily postponed, and a corner of his heart felt uneasy. But he never dreamed their entire offline schedule would be canceled.
“So what are we supposed to do now?”
“We should just rest while we can. What else can we do?”
The members looked at each other in flustered silence at their manager’s sighing words. Though album promotions had ended and an official hiatus had begun, they hadn’t expected it to literally become a ‘blank space’.
＊＊＊
“Is it okay for each day to pass by this emptily? I haven’t done anything, and they say spring is already over.”
Jaegyu, sprawled out in the practice room, muttered to himself.
“Can you even call it flowing? It feels like it’s standing still.”
Youngwoo, the youngest, replied while sitting with his back to the mirror. He had a workbook between his legs and was solving problems. Heewook stood leaning against the wall with earbuds in, but no music was playing.
“Do you think we can make a comeback?”
Jaegyu asked into the air. Youngwoo didn’t answer this time. Heewook also clenched his fist tightly without a word.
The pneumonia that everyone initially thought was no big deal gradually spread far and wide, now bearing the name ‘COVID-19’. The virus grew uncontrollably, sealing off people’s movements.
Audiences vanished, and performance venues shut their doors. With air routes blocked, preventing travel abroad, popular idols who had regularly left for overseas tours each season turned their attention to domestic music broadcasts.
Since the number of performers per broadcast was limited, opportunities for relatively less famous groups to take the stage inevitably dwindled further.
“The stage… I miss it.” Eunseong muttered.
Heewook opened his lips to agree, but the overwhelming sense of hopelessness made him clamp them shut again.
They had believed that if they just kept running hard, no matter the hardship, they would soon see the light. But as the situation showed no sign of improving, their once eager strides gradually slowed.
Everything felt bleak.
Time stood still for the unpopular idol, but the world’s clock kept ticking fast.
Without accomplishing anything, winter passed and spring ended. Even when cherry blossoms bloomed and during Family Month, they were always busy with events, but this season was wasted away in the basement practice room.
There were limits to how much they could hold onto fans with content filmed inside the company. The number of posts on the fan cafe and mentions of Two Planet on social media gradually decreased.
The number of live broadcast viewers also dwindled day by day. As the weather grew hotter, the members’ morale only sank further each day.
Then one day, at the start of summer, the agency’s CEO called Heewook in.
“Heewook.”
“Yes?”
“How old are you this year?”
Though taken aback by the sudden question, Heewook answered calmly.
“Twenty-seven.”
“Right, you’re already in your late twenties.”
CEO Kim pushed open the window and slipped a fresh cigarette between his lips. Leaning against the window, he lit the tip of the stick.
Heewook just watched silently. He drew the smoke deep into his lungs and exhaled a puff into the air.
“You know, since you have to go anyway, wouldn’t it be better to go early while you’re still in good shape?”
“Huh?”
“Rather than going when you’re older, finishing it all while you’re still in your twenties might actually be much better.”
“What do you mean…?”
Seeing Heewook’s bewildered expression, CEO Kim clicked his tongue.
“The army. The army.”
The word dropped like a bolt of lightning, making Heewook sit up straight. Eyes wide, he asked if he’d heard correctly.
“The army?”
“Yeah, what do you think about going early? If you go now, by the time you finish, everything will be back to normal, right?”
Twenty-seven. It was a bit early for an idol to enlist.
Most entertainers continued their activities throughout their twenties and only enlisted once they hit thirty. But if he weren’t an entertainer, he would have already served and then some by now.
Heewook’s mind became tangled in confusion.
Huff.
CEO Kim exhaled a puff of white smoke mixed with his sigh and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
“To be honest, the company is struggling too. Yoonmin’s heart’s set on leaving, you guys don’t have a single event to send him out to, and even if we borrow money to put out another album, it’ll just be a loss. Forget about preparing for a comeback anytime soon.“
CEO Kim continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
“You won’t be able to do anything for a while. How unfair would it be to waste all your time as an unemployed person, avoiding the military, only to enlist later when you could be actively working normally?”
“…I guess so.”
“Right. Heewook’s smart, so he knows what I mean, right? You get the situation?”
Heewook, who had been looking at CEO Kim as he stepped closer, slowly lowered his head.
“Yes, I understand…”
“…Alright, let’s get this over with soon.”
CEO Kim reached out and placed his hand on Heewook’s shoulder. Tap, tap. The heavy hand patted his shoulder a couple of times.
“Anyway, with COVID, the army won’t be as tough. Things will be better when you come back. At least better than now.”
Heewook blinked slowly. He had no words to counter, no other choice to make.
He had no option but to accept the only card offered.
It was the best he could do.
Leave a Reply