The Unpredictable Maknae

‘He really is something…’

Choi Seung-beom sat with a posture as rigid as bamboo, his gaze fixed on the empty space before him as his makeup was being touched up. At the sound, he subtly shifted his eyes towards its origin, allowing them to capture the person reflected in the mirror while keeping his posture unchanged.

The voice belonged to Yoon Jihyuk. Choi Seung-beom glanced at the phone in Yoon Jihyuk’s hand before meeting his smiling gaze. Though he clearly understood the unspoken question in Choi Seung-beom’s eyes, Yoon Jihyuk remained silent.

Only after the makeup artist finished the touch-ups and stepped away did Choi Seung-beom speak.

“What is it?”

“It’s about our Maknae.”

Maknae. At that word, Choi Seung-beom’s mind immediately conjured Lee Seon’s face.

Ahead of their new idol group’s debut, UNI-Q had uploaded pre-debut content to video-sharing sites for over a year. This was known as ‘Pre-Debut’.

The participants included members of the debut lineup who were semi-confirmed, along with idols from Team A who earned the opportunity through excellent monthly evaluation scores. It was a comprehensive program, offering opportunities to form units, release digital singles, and even perform on small stages. With edited glimpses into their practice rooms and dorm life, alongside ample entertainment elements, it provided more than enough content for fans to begin their devotion early.

As missions progressed, the outlines of the final debut members gradually became clearer. Some who began in the debut lineup later slipped due to poor performance or were removed following incidents. Conversely, others who started in Team A showed remarkable improvement, moving a step closer to joining the debut group.

Choi Seung-beom was a late addition, having joined the company and been integrated into the pre-debut content filming a couple of months after it began. It was obvious to everyone that he had been brought in as the main vocalist, which naturally drew considerable wariness from the individual fans of the existing members.

While the final number of debut members had not been officially announced, the content subtly implied that not everyone would make it to debut hand-in-hand.

However, the simmering resentment was soon doused.

‘Wow… Didn’t they say they’d never learned to dance? They must have practiced incredibly hard. They’ve improved so much.’

This was thanks to Yoon Jihyuk’s unwavering support.

‘You would’ve done well even as a solo artist.’

With the most likely debut member, who also boasted a solid fanbase, showering him with praise and encouragement, he naturally received an overwhelming amount of goodwill. Seeing that a backlash was imminent if they pushed further, the haters’ fervor eventually subsided.

Before long, Yoon Jihyuk shifted his main role from vocals to rap. Fans watching the pre-debut interpreted this in a particular way.

‘It means they’re meant to debut together!’

Thus, Choi Seung-beom was able to secure his position as a prominent member early on, avoiding many of the scars he would have otherwise incurred had he tried to climb solely by his own efforts.

The content, which had started with nearly twenty participants, gradually saw its numbers dwindle until, by the time winter faded, it was fixed at six members. From then on, Lee Seon was the Maknae. Everyone teased him, yet secretly adored him, a dynamic perfectly suited to the youngest.

Due to various circumstances, two more members left the agency, and ultimately, Kwon Yohan joined as the Maknae.

Choi Seung-beom still hadn’t fully accepted that scrawny kid as the Maknae. And perhaps Yoon Jihyuk, who had spent a longer time with Lee Seon in the debut group, felt it even more acutely.

Was this why the team, which had been running smoothly on track, now felt more disjointed than before?

“He’s truly unpredictable.”

He found himself agreeing with Leader’s muttered words, accompanied by a bitter smile.

The new Maknae had gone through a period of seemingly trying hard but clumsily repeating mistakes, then conspicuously walling himself off from the members and maintaining an insincere attitude. Recently, he had changed once again.

‘It’s a welcome change, but…’

Having already changed his attitude twice, even this new shift only served as another source of instability.

Recalling it now, their relationship hadn’t been strained from the very beginning. The existing members had actually tried to get along well with the new Maknae, who was meant to fill the void left by those who departed. However, it was only after being disappointed and turning away from Kwon Yohan, who consistently fell short of expectations and even acted insincerely, that they belatedly remembered: he hadn’t endured the difficult times with them.

‘It seems he’s not as desperate as we are.’

“We’re going for the two-shot now!”

Choi Seung-beom felt a flicker of unease as he observed Leader, who exuded a subtle chill.

“Shall we go then?”

‘Will this truly be alright?’

Pressing his lips together, he remained silent for a moment before slowly rising from his seat. For now, the task at hand took precedence, and above all, he didn’t want to stir up trouble when nothing had actually happened yet.

‘Stay safe. Stay safe.’

****

The two individuals under the spotlight displayed remarkable immersion. The expensive brand products suited them as if they were born to wear them, and they perfectly embodied the mature, edgy atmosphere the director sought.

Beyond the lens, there was no hint that they were merely young men of twenty-two and twenty-four, nor that their backgrounds were anything but ordinary.

Among HEX, only these two could perfectly embody such an aura, neither overdoing it nor falling short. Han Doyoung suited a more rebellious style, while Lee Seon and Kwon Yohan, still retaining a youthful innocence, were deemed unsuitable.

‘That’s why they’re often paired together, then.’

Yoon Jihyuk, with a good-natured smile, mingled among the staff, subtly suggesting ‘A-cuts’ — the best takes. The shoot was gradually winding down. Spotting Choi Seung-beom, who had emerged late after changing his clothes, the manager called out loudly.

“Great work, everyone!”

Greetings were exchanged with a knowing nod, and the two moved towards the car with their manager.

Before opening the door, Yoon Jihyuk paused briefly, patting Choi Seung-beom’s shoulder. ‘Get some rest on the way,’ he whispered, before climbing into the passenger seat. What was about to unfold was clear.

“Jihyuk. Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

‘Just as I thought.’

“You said you’d talk some sense into Yohan. He was doing well for a while, so what’s going on now? Let’s say today went over well enough. But what if he gets caught taking photos somewhere he shouldn’t and it gets uploaded? Why can’t you even convey such basic things properly?”

Well, it was likely an act of goodwill at first. Or perhaps it was merely a judgment that it was the better course of action.

It was an open secret within UNI-Q that Kwon Yohan came from a wealthy family. This was evident from the CEO’s unilateral decision to abruptly push him into the team, and if the rumors weren’t true, his parents wouldn’t have provided an apartment worth billions of won to be used as their dorm.

It was only natural that the managers found it difficult to deal with Kwon Yohan, having clearly seen even the CEO fawning over him, saying ‘our Yohan, our Yohan.’

‘The kids don’t know anything yet. It’s unnecessarily complicated, so should I handle all communication with the company?’

Yoon Jihyuk, observing the chaotic situation, volunteered for that exhausting role. This was even before a leader had been decided.

As there were no other suitable members to take on the leader’s role at that moment, the company seized the opportunity and appointed Yoon Jihyuk as Leader. Consequently, a significant portion of the team’s management was, quite naturally, shifted onto Yoon Jihyuk’s shoulders.

“…I’ll pay more attention. This won’t happen again.”

Could Yoon Jihyuk have anticipated that things would devolve like this in just a few months?

Feeling a wave of fatigue, Choi Seung-beom idly fiddled with his phone, which he rarely checked for anything other than calls. Just then, a notification popped up at the very top of his screen.

[Han Doyoung has uploaded a new post!]

A single photo appeared, accompanied by the enigmatic caption, ‘I finally did it.’

It was a reflection of two people in the practice room mirror. Han Doyoung stood casually, one hand tucked into his pocket, holding a phone with the other, while Kwon Yohan sat cross-legged, hugging a 1.5-liter drink bottle, half-empty. His posture, on the verge of toppling forward, exuded utter exhaustion.

‘…?”

Feeling perplexed, Choi Seung-beom scrolled through the comment section with his thumb. As if everyone shared the same mind, the fans’ comments were almost entirely filled with question marks.

Among them, he read a comment that at least formed a coherent sentence.

-So Yohan’s dance skills improved so much this time because he got special training from Doyoungㅠㅠ Our boy is so amazing, what are we going to do with this genius cat?

It was a fairly plausible guess, but as far as Seung-beom knew, no such thing had happened. As he slowly tilted his head, a new notification appeared.

[Lee Seon has commented on Han Doyoung’s post!]

-Lee Seon: If you two are still at the practice room, buy some pizza on your way here

-Doyoung: @Lee Seon Ah~ What’s the point of going to the dermatologist~ You eat everything you’re told not to~’

After that, Choi Seung-beom’s phone vibrated incessantly, as if it had become a massage device. Of course, the manager’s and Yoon Jihyuk’s phones were no exception, filling the car with a cacophony of buzzing.

Han Doyoung and Lee Seon engaged in a verbal spat, scattering their private lives for all to see. More accurately, Lee Seon was being relentlessly teased by Han Doyoung.

Unable to watch any longer, Choi Seung-beom asked worriedly,

“Are they using Q-verse like a group chat?”

Yoon Jihyuk replied with a chuckle.

“Hmm. This much is fine. The fans enjoy it too.”

As he spoke, his two thumbs moved rapidly. Then he paused briefly, turning to look at the manager. The manager wore an awkward expression, clearly embarrassed by his earlier reprimand.

“It’s okay for the kids to have a slice or two of pizza, right?”

“Oh? Uh, yeah.”

No sooner had the answer left his lips than his phone vibrated once more.

-Jihyuk: @Lee Seon I’ll get pepperoni^^’

The comment section erupted again.