127 - Upki Girl

< Defeating Pramiushu12 > "They say excess is as bad as deficiency. Words are no different. Our tongues have great power; positive words can become seeds of positivity, but gossip and backbiting can turn into poison that harms people. However, it's easier and more pleasurable to speak negatively than positively. If you choose your words carefully, you'll make fewer such mistakes." Upon hearing this, Sowon raised her hand and asked, "What if I'm just minding my own business and someone else talks bad about me? Do I just let it go then too?" The monk smiled warmly, as if commending her for a particularly insightful question. "Naturally, hearing such things makes you angry." "Yes." "But when you think about it, there's no real reason to be angry. If the gossip is true, you can accept it and correct yourself. If it's made up, you can simply let it go in one ear and out the other." "How can you ignore it when they're badmouthing you?" "If I called you 'a man,' would you suddenly become one?" "No." "It's the same. If someone insults you by calling you 'a dog,' it doesn’t make you one unless you believe it. If you did something to deserve those words, you should reflect and change. Admitting it might be hard, but considering what's beneficial to you, the answer is simple. Getting angry only harms you—your health suffers, and your mood deteriorates. It's not about never showing anger; it's about acknowledging what's true." "Hmm..." Sowon nodded thoughtfully, contemplating the monk's words, though she seemed only partially convinced. It seemed the other children, apart from Sowon, gained some enlightenment from this exchange. I, too, felt a sense of clarity I hadn't possessed before. According to the monk's teaching, at least words would no longer be able to hurt me. "Liya, you're nothing but an utterly useless loser." Perhaps to test this out, Liya provoked me with a serene expression. How adorable. "I'm neither useless nor a loser, so I don't feel angry." I responded as I had been taught and proceeded to counter. "Liya is a dummy." "Liya is not a dummy, so that doesn’t make me angry." "Really? But you actually are a dummy." "Nope, you fool." "Even I think Liya is a dummy." Starting with Hong, the other kids joined in teasing the youngest. "Admit it, Liya, you're a dummy." "I agree." "You're definitely a dummy, Liya." Even knowing it was a joke, I thought she might get annoyed being teased by her seniors, but Liya responded with surprising maturity. "Alright, alright. If you all insist, I'll act like a dummy for you. Happy now?" She then shifted over next to me, nudging me with her arm. "Move over! I want to sit here!" Chuckling, I obliged, answering cheekily. "As our esteemed dummy demands, I must comply, of course." "Oh, you're annoying. Jangwoo, can't you get back at him for me?" "What kind of power do I have..." "You're all useless!" To my surprise, the monk cut in scolding. "See, when you talk too much, these things happen. You said unnecessary things and upset each other. It was fun to a point, but now it's hurt Alya." What started in jest turned into an awkward situation. The monk called Alya and me to the front and told us to face each other and join hands. We complied. Liya pressed her nail into my palm, staring with a grumpy look. "Yunho, apologize to Alya." "Sorry for calling you a dummy. You're not a dummy. I teased you because I think you're cute." "Really?" "Yes, really. It's the truth, so believe me." "Now, hug and promise not to do it again." This felt like preschool... Everyone snickered at how I was being treated like a child. "I won't call you a dummy again." "Fine, Alya forgives you. Grow up a little this year, won't you, Mune-mune?" Liya patted my back like a manager encouraging an employee. Good grief, honestly... The next activity was threading prayer beads. We were to string 108 beads and pass them to the person next to us. I received a string made by Eunbi. As I turned each bead, reflecting for a moment, I noticed... There were 109 beads. "Eunbi, you added an extra." She shamelessly responded. "Yep, I did it on purpose. Think of me on the 109th bead. After 108 worries, one good thought is okay, right?" Sounded convincing. The others' eyes also sparkled with newfound understanding. "Give me your bracelet, manager." Eunbi's bead was soon joined by Sowon's, Yona's, Hong's, and Liya's. Everyone added five beads to their own strings. It became the unique Opki Girl 113 Bead Bracelet. The monk added no more, just smiled with a touch of resignation... "Wow, our first team bracelet." Wearing the beads on her wrist, Yona gazed sentimentally. "If we ever hurt or feel upset with each other, let's turn these beads and talk it out. How does that sound?" "Cheesy." "Uh, Sowon unnie’s words just hurt me. Hurry, turn the beads." "What do you mean." "Let’s all do it. We're a team, together!" Reluctantly, Sowon began turning a bead. The others also turned their beads, each making a wish. "Buddha, please let us be number one this year." "Buddha, I wish to shoot a commercial at a water park. Now that I'm a grown-up, I can wear a bikini as much as I want. I want to show the world my figure that I've been hiding until now." "Alya doesn't need much; I just wish for everyone's good health. Health is the best thing." "Guys, you should calm your minds, not make wishes..." "Fulfilling our wishes helps to calm our minds. It's okay to make wishes, right, monk?" The monk's wry smile grew deeper. Even so, I felt it was a good decision to come here. After the evening prayer and dinner, there was a tea ceremony with the head monk, which turned out to be a beneficial time for the kids, as well as for me and Jangwoo. Waking up at 3:30 a.m. for the morning prayer was a bit tough, and except for Hong getting a warning for unconsciously rapping freestyle to the rhythm of the wooden fish, everything went smoothly. Despite it being less than 24 hours, by the time we left the temple after lunch the next day, the kids' expressions had noticeably become more peaceful. Even when the gatekeeper goose honked aggressively at them, they passed by with a calm smile. "Wasn't it good?" "Yeah, I could stay a day." "The food was delicious." "Maybe it's just me, but I feel more at ease." "Do you know why I signed you guys up for this?" "Why?" "I was worried you'd get into fights with other teams during the Replay Girl shoot. I wanted you to have a bit of Buddha in you." "There's nothing to fight about. If I'm wrong, I'll admit it, and if not, I'll just let it pass." That was a response from Sowon, who had been the most worrying before. On the way back to the dorm, Sowon stopped by a bookstore to buy books by famous monks, including 'Things You Can See Only When You Stop' by Hyemin Sunim. During the tea ceremony, she engaged actively in the discussion, seemingly gaining a lot from this temple stay. For two days, Sowon carried books around, spoke less, and her expressions and actions became gentler. That wasn't all. Text from Device 2: [Manager, I think I've been too possessive of you. Love isn't supposed to confine...] Startled. Me: [Don't change too suddenly haha, it's scarier.] Device 2: [I'm thinking of learning yoga.] Seeing Sowon in a different light was good, but now I worried she might shave her head and join the monastic life. Come to think of it, she had already once turned her back on the world and confined herself to a room. While not as dramatic as Sowon, the others showed changes too. Eunbi kept chanting the Heart Sutra, repeating 'Mahaprajnaparamita Heart Sutra...'. Hong, who was learning media production, was composing a song using the wooden fish's sound as a basic beat. Liya noticeably complained less and made efforts to handle tasks herself. Yona simply spoke less. What’s with these kids? It's a bit scary... *** “Hello, we are Apple Soda!” “Yes, we are Upki-Girl!” “Hello, we are Love One! Nice to meet you!” “We are Upki-Girl, pleased to meet you too!” “Hello...” The Replay Girl teaser shoot set at Yangpyeong. Today was the first gathering of 15 teams, ranging from those we greeted several times during music shows overlapping with Upki-Girl's album promotion, to teams whose names we barely recognized, making it draining just exchanging greetings. Because of the large number of people, we had to use a shared space as a waiting and makeup room, and though divided by tents and curtains, the booming greetings echoed through it, making our ears ring. Since we arrived early, we were in the position of receiving greetings from newly arriving teams. ―Knock, knock! Someone knocked on our partition. It seemed another group had just arrived. “Yes?” Jangwoo opened the curtain functioning as a door, and standing there was none other than... "Hello, we are Pramiushu Twelve, a 12-member rookie group! Nice to meet you!" They had finally arrived, Pramiushu12! Pramiushu12, meaning 'a promise of sweetness like a tiramisu from twelve girls!' They were the dream team of trainees selected for the ambitious project 'Girl Group Bakery' by one of the country’s top music broadcasters, B-Music! They are the group I’ve been most closely watching amongst the new teams. Not as an entertainment worker, but as an uncle fan. I watched all of 'Girl Group Bakery', which aired around the same time as 'Girl Crush', and even participated in the online preliminary voting. Of course, I kept it a secret from the Upki-Girl girls. “Hello, we are Upki-Girl.” Yona greeted them on our behalf. Seeing the twelve girls meticulously selected from 56 trainees standing in a line was quite the spectacle. Among them, Haneul, whom I had persistently voted for since the first episode! Where's our Haneul? Oh, there she is, third from the left! So lovely, truly lovely! An angel! Apart from Haneul, this place, with a dozen of girls I cherished and supported, was heaven. While the girls exchanged autographed CDs and greetings, I shook hands and exchanged introductions with Pramiushu’s manager. "Our members really like Upki-Girl. They all voted for Hong and Yona during Girl Crush. We were on at the same time, right?" “Yes, that’s right. Girl Crush on Friday, Girl Bakery on Thursday. I also voted during Girl Group Bakery.” "Oh, really? For whom?" I couldn’t say. No matter how pure my support was, I couldn’t possibly tell them I voted for Haneul, a 16-year-old girl two years younger than Liya. "Haha, that's a secret." I tried to brush it off casually, but... "You voted for Haneul, didn’t you?" Startled! How did Liya know and blurt it out? "He didn't miss a single vote, did it all 12 times. A super fan of Haneul, indeed." What is with this kid? How in the world did she find out? I voted with my smartphone, not the company PC or the dorm laptop! "Oh, really? Thank you so much!" Haneul, sporting her signature dazzling eye-smile and her hair in twin tails, bowed with appreciation. I tried to maintain a composed and dignified look, nodding as if I were the patriarch greeting family members during the holidays. But to the other kids, it must have come off awkwardly. Sowon and Hong snickered. "Oh, just look at that face. So cheesy." "Just smile more naturally, manager." "Do you want me to take a picture?" "Nah, that's okay." I quickly shook my head at Yona’s offer and changed the subject. "Well, how about we take a group photo with both teams?" "We'd be delighted." Pramiushu's manager clasped his hands and bowed his head. This was evidence of Upki-Girl's rising stature among the rookie ranks. "Can we post it on social media?" "Of course, we’ll be posting it too, hahaha!" In the jovial atmosphere, the photo shoot came to a close. After Pramiushu12 left to greet other teams, Eunbi tilted her head mockingly. "Oh wow, I didn’t know you were a fan of Pramiushu. Didn’t miss a single vote, huh? Is Haneul that pretty?" "How old is Haneul?" Sowon was busy searching on her phone. "Wow. She’s way younger than Liya." "Hey, what's with the 'way younger' remark?" "How old is she?" "If Alya’s 18 in Korean age, then she’s 16." "Sixteen? Oh my gosh..." "Manager, you're 36 this year... she's practically a daughter." "Guys, let’s not taint pure fan dedication with such worldly concerns. You all have older uncle fans too, don’t you? And Liya, how did you know I voted?" I tried to diffuse the situation, but the kids were already looking at me with disdain. They continued their relentless teasing. "If Pramiushu and Upki-Girl compete, who will you root for?" "Should we add another bead to your bracelet with Haneul’s name?" "Sure, liking them young and all... but isn’t this a bit much?" "I guess now that I’m twenty, you won’t even spare me a glance, right?" "Mune-mune, should I get Haneul's phone number for you?" Unified by their newfound enlightenment for just four days. In the interview with the lead writer before the teaser shoot began, the girls collectively expressed that Pramiushu12 was the team they were most concerned about. "Upki-Girl, let’s get started! Please prepare for your performance!" Amid all the other teams watching, Upki-Girl took the third slot for the teaser shoot. It was a three-minute performance video that would be used as part of the preliminary online popularity vote. "Wow, amazing." "They're incredible." "Definitely a top contender..." They showed tremendous skills that drew standing ovations from staff and competitors alike. I hadn’t realized we were considered one of the leading contenders by the other teams. Everyone, except I-Contact and Kim Seokwon, who were visibly envious and showing it. < Defeating Pramiushu12 > End