217 - Upki Girl

< Seo-won's True Intentions? > ―This is Girls in Groove, GIG! ―Wowwwww! ―Wow, GIG, who barely made it through as the wild card, has really done it! The opponent for Upkey Girl’s ‘Ripple Girl Series’ has been decided as GIG. The faces of the PD and the writing team gathered in the main staff zone are quite bright. Upkey Girl, who never lost their first place once since the start of the competition, and GIG, who barely clawed their way up with help from Lip Balm, are now contenders. It’s a perfect match-up for creating a story, so it’s understandable why they’re happy. "Really, thank you so much! Thank you!" After GIG’s tear-stained victory interview ended, the camera director, aware that Upkey Girl was in the audience, immediately showed our group’s faces on the monitor. There had been a pre-arranged agreement to do an interview regardless of which team made it to the finals. MC Jeon Seong-mo, who had already exchanged greetings before the filming, feigns ignorance and tosses out a fishing comment. ―Ah, so Upkey Girl is here on site! Yoona, you'll be competing against GIG for the ‘Ripple Girl Series’ win. Frankly speaking, which team did you expect to make it through? Receiving the mic from the producers, Yoona gave an exemplary answer. “Both the Teenagers and GIG have their own strengths and charms, so we genuinely didn’t know which team would come up.” ―Still, wasn’t there any team you were hoping to avoid, even a little? “Honestly, we wanted to avoid both. However, on the other hand, we also want to compete against each one of them.” ―Yoona, I've heard you’re quite adept in social settings? You’re really slippery, like an eel! This, coming from the veteran second-generation girl group member, wasn’t for nothing. It was a perfect answer, scoring a full 100 points with the Teenagers, GIG, and their fandoms. ―Oh, and there’s a familiar face next to Yoona. Isn’t this the person who’s been making waves on online communities? Upkey Girl’s manager, Myuno, is here too. Flinch! ―Hahaha! What’s going on? I was genuinely trying to maintain a neutral expression to avoid being caught off guard this time. Now, simply having my face on the monitor was enough to make the audience burst into laughter. An AD handed me a mic while giggling. The PD and writers, witnessing my reaction, also stifle their laughter. Laughing, are you? Jeon Seong-mo attempts to interview me. ―Girl group enthusiast, Manager Myuno? “Uh? No, I’m not a girl group enthusiast…” ―Rumor has it you recently became a fan of GIG’s Hyejin. Is it true? “Me?” ―Yes. During the wild card round, you seemed quite moved when Hyejin cried, didn’t you? They’d already set the narrative and didn’t even bother truly listening to what I said. “No, it’s just that Hyejin cried so sorrowfully... It was touching. I’m sure many others felt the same way, not just me.” Jin mischievously intervenes. ―So, you’ve completely moved on from Prommise’s Haneul? “No, no. That's not it…” ―Between Haneul and Hyejin, who is your ideal type? One, two, three! What an unexpected ideal type world cup. “Hold on, Haneul is still a student, so making her my ideal type is a bit…” ―Ah, so you're saying Hyejin is your ideal type? Haneul might be quite hurt; after cheering for her as a fan, and all. “That’s not what I meant…” ―Oh, so you’re saying Hyejin isn’t your ideal type? You’re just being forced to choose her because Haneul’s still a student? Jin, you little rascal. You shouldn’t be doing this. Remember how well I treated your family’s dog Hammer (Retriever, 3 years old, male)? That time when he wouldn’t stop grabbing my waist, and I ended up bedridden with fatigue for two days. “Sigh... Chief, give me the mic.” It wasn’t a recording but a live broadcast. While I was flustered, not knowing what to do, Seowon snatched the mic from my hand and struck back at Jin. “Jin oppa, who were you rooting for? Teenagers or GIG?” ―Well… the team that wins is my team? A pretty clever response. However, the persistent fangs of the fox had already sunk in deeper. “Oh, so Teenagers lost because they deserved it?” ―No… that’s not what I meant… “And if that’s not what you meant, you’re saying GIG isn't skilled enough to make it, but still made the finals?” ―...Hey! Why are you doing this to me! “You attacked our poor Chief first! He’s already getting older, his wit’s not as sharp anymore, and he can’t answer any questions unless they’re pre-discussed!” I can’t tell if she’s healing me or dealing damage... ―Ah, sorry about that. I didn’t consider it. Finally, amid the audience's laughter and Jin’s surrender, the situation ended. The tenacious fox smiled at me proudly, as if seeking praise. Alright, thank you very much. For broadcasting that I’m old and slow on national TV. Right after the live broadcast ended. Writer Jung So-jin, who I encountered in the hallway of the studio while making farewell greetings, beamed at me with a thumbs up. “Hahaha, that was epic!” “Pardon? Why?” “The scene with you at the end had the highest viewership ratings right on the minute.” “Sigh... More embarrassing clips are going to surface now.” “Oh, our Myun-dangdang, doing quite well, huh?” “I don’t need it.” “You might get a fan club at this rate.” “I don’t need it.” “Aren’t you happy?” “It’s all your fault.” That wasn’t the end of it. ‘Upkey Girl manager’ skyrocketed to 4th place on the trending search, and on the official SNS of Promise12, a selfie of Haneul pretending to cry with a comment about me was posted. [Chief Myuno, you haven't really moved on, have you? Whimper. 8ㅠ8] Ah, so cute... The combo image of the photo and comment is so cute I want to set it as my phone's main screen. I can't resist. While getting ready for bed, I ended up, with sleepy eyes, posting a comment. ―kyh0830: No way. I'm eagerly waiting for the release of Promises’ new album^^ ㄴZeroCool: It's real! The real deal has appeared! ㄴDdochiHochi: Whoa.. is this really Manager Myuno’s account??? ㄴBaramDingsiru: It really is Manager Myuno’s account, haha ㄴOnceInALifetime: Yep, he’s been voting with this ID since the Girl Group Bakery days, haha Not long after posting the comment, just as I was about to drift off to sleep, my phone buzzed with a series of KakaoTalk notifications. It was from the Upkey Girl group chat. JunwooSujja [K! Y! H! 0! 8! 3! 0! I want to report you! This isn’t the first time!] JunwooSujja [I want to report you!!!!! Ah!!!!!] Me [What? Why?] SorrySujmahamnida [Oh my, you silly fool. Your comment on Haneul’s SNS was screenshotted and posted on the public forum] Me [Ah... already?] Usuja KingGodBitHong [Manager, this is really embarrassing] MiddleClass [Looks like you are more excited about Promises’ album than ours^^] HappyWith4thPlace [Shaking my head. Did I defend you on live TV for this? I feel so disheartened] Me [That's one thing, but look at your usernames. Have you all gone mad together? Haha] SorrySujmahamnida [Funny, right? Haha, I suggested we use this in the chatroom, didn’t I? Hahaha] HappyWith4thPlace [Are you laughing? Laughing while being last place? You should be ashamed] SorrySujmahamnida [Oh dear, apologize to the 4th place] Usuja KingGodBitHong [Han Seowon, bow down. You hold problems while even the Usuja stays calm?] HappyWith4thPlace [I’m sorry……] Oh, these lunatics, seriously. You guys really make me laugh, heheheh... *** <Live Well, Meongoon Cat, Episode 8: ‘Take a look’> With MTT’s Japan tour, Jen, the visual butler of Live Well Meongoon Cat, temporarily leaves the house. He decides to leave ‘Hammer’ and ‘Kkongnyang’ at the girl group Upkey Girl’s dormitory. ―Ding dong! "Who is it?" The member responding to the doorbell is Eunbyeol. She is often called ‘Shiba Kkobuk’ because her smiling face resembles a Shiba Inu and a turtle character. ―Hello, I’m Jen from MTT. "Eek! Jen oppa is here!" “Kyaaaak!” “Puppy! Puppy!” Upkey Girl agreed to be the one-day sitters for Hammer and Kkongnyang. For animal-loving girls, a visit from Meongoon Cat is just delightful. “This is Hammer, a Labrador Retriever, three years old, and a male.” “Oh my, so cute!” “Hammer, hello. I’m your nuna, Eunbyeol.” “Wow, big and beautiful… when he stands on his hind legs, he’s probably as tall as you, Eunbyeol, right?” “The fur is so soft. Hi, I’m Yoona.” Hammer, perhaps responding to such a warm welcome from the nunas, starts actively exploring the house, a rare display of his energy. However, an unexpected incident occurs when Hammer decides to mount the manager oppa. “What? Whoa, whoa, what’s he doing!” Ah, our manager oppa is flustered, confused by the sudden clinging of the big dog. “Hey, hey, hey, I’m not supposed to appear on camera!” [Hammer: Yes, you are!] “Why is he doing this to me, another guy!” [Hammer: It’s not what you think it is!] “Puhahaha! Hammer thinks Myun-dangdang is his subordinate!” As maknae Lia points out, a pet's mounting behavior, beyond simply relieving sexual tension, serves various purposes such as stress relief, affection, lack of exercise, or showing dominance, so the reasons should be observed and handled accordingly. But, unaware of this, manager oppa is just mortified. “Uh, he doesn’t bite, right…?” “No, retrievers are known to be so gentle that it's harder to make them angry. That’s why they're often used as guide dogs for the blind or therapy dogs.” Jen, after introducing Hammer, also introduced Kkongnyang, who had been quietly hiding in a portable carrier. “And this here is Kkongnyang.” “Awww! A baby kitty!” “Unnies, Aliya will die of cuteness today…” However… ―Hiss! Unlike Hammer, who cheerfully greets, Kkongnyang is hissing from inside the case. Though she’s somewhat familiar with Jen, she still harbors a significant fear of unfamiliar environments and people. “She was found by a sanitation worker after being tossed in a garbage bag.” “Oh no… what a shame…” “That’s really cruel.” Indeed. Barely two months old, the kitten Kkongnyang was rescued from a garbage bag in a residential area. Judging by her position at the very bottom of the bag, there's a high chance someone raised her before abandoning her. When she was found, she was barely alive but was luckily saved thanks to the veterinarian’s quick emergency response. But that was only a temporary respite. If she weren’t adopted during her stay at the shelter, Kkongnyang would face the risk of euthanasia according to animal protection laws. Over 100,000 pets are abandoned annually, with about 20,000 facing euthanasia. This year alone, over 7,000 shelter animals were euthanized without finding new owners, which is truly regrettable. Hearing Kkongnyang’s story, Upkey Girl members couldn’t help but tear up. “Please take good care of them.” “Don’t worry, just have a safe trip.” After Jen’s departure. A fun two-day-and-one-night stay with Hammer & Kkongnyang and the Upkey Girl members (Feat. handsome manager oppa) began. Kkongnyang, still needing to acclimate, remains settled in her enclosed case for comfort, while the excited Hammer busily plays with the girls. "Hammer, come to nuna!" "Kya-ha-ha! Hammer sure has good taste." "Hammer, come here." "Oh no, Yonlee got him!" The dorm is filled with laughter for a while, but wait—there’s one member keeping a distance with an uneasy expression, and that's the main vocalist, Seowon. [Seowon: Feeling uneasy~] "Unnie, I promise he doesn't bite. Trust me and just pet him once. His fur is super soft." Eunbyeol, unable to ignore Seowon’s apprehension, tries to reassure her... "No, no, no, no! Don’t! Seriously, don’t!" Seowon's rejection is more intense than anticipated? [Seowon: Yes, I’m very scared of dogs. I was bitten when I was young. I got bitten while feeding a neighborhood dog back then, and that's why I developed a fear.] Ah, so the fear is rooted in childhood trauma from being bitten by a dog. And that's not all. [Seowon: I'm also afraid of ttekkkeolluk.] *Ttekkkeolluk: An internet slang term for cats, similar to how “dengdeng” is used for dogs. In a game Seowon used to enjoy, a feline race spoke English with a distinctive accent where "Take a look" sounded like "Ttekkkeolluk," hence the term. [Seowon: In horror movies, cats are often depicted in a spooky way, so maybe that's why their cries and eyes are really frightening to me.] [Writer: Then why did you decide to appear on this program, Seowon?] *** ―The members like them. ―Seowon, you’re really kind. People who are afraid of dogs and cats usually tremble just being around them. ―What choice do I have? The members like them so much, and appearing on animal programs is good for the group’s image. ―Oh my, is that part to be edited out? ―No, you can air it. It's true, so it doesn’t matter. I even told our manager, we should row while the tide is in our favor, so let's just do it. ―Hahaha, Seowon, you're so honest! Honestly. At the time of this interview, it seemed like Seowon really was sacrificing for the team. But she had an ulterior motive. Although it was a two-day shoot, the production team left at 10 PM, leaving only 32 observation cameras in the dorm, which were all agreed to be turned off after 2 AM. This was due to the kids' chaotic sleeping habits like Yoona's sleep stripping, Lia's sleep groping, and Hong's volcanic snoring. 2:10 AM. After individually turning off cameras 1 through 32 while checking the setup, I returned to my room. "Huh? Why are you here?" "I'm pretty sure I need to sleep with you, Manager." Seowon had somehow snuggled onto my bed. "What's this about?" "I'm too scared to sleep alone, in case Hammer barges in. You know he can open doors." True enough. Hammer knows how to open and close doors as a party trick. "You can just lock it." "What if a ttekkkeolluk unlocks it with its claws? You see YouTube videos where they open windows and stuff." "...Seowon. If they could unlock doors, do you think they'd just be here? They’d probably be NASA research subjects by now." "You really don’t understand the extent of my fear, Manager. Just being in the same space triggers all sorts of wild imaginations. I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack." "So, you’re saying you want to sleep in this tiny room?" "Unless you join me in my room? The cameras are off anyway, so it doesn’t matter." "Then, I'll sleep with Hammer and ttekkkeolluk instead..." "I don't care. Turn off the lights. I'm exhausted from worrying all day. I think I’m developing a new allergy." This little rascal...? <Seowon's True Intentions?> End