And so I learned a lot from Admin-nim.
To start with the worst thing, the reason why we couldn't turn the camera off was because of location tracking.
Aside from that, they're also occasionally checking on us through it, so yes, even though Admin-nim didn't say it out loud, I knew she meant they're peeping on us even now.
Who are 'they' exactly?
Not sure. Could be the judges, producers, or even the actual audience. To me, they're all as bad as the other.
Another information: the performance will start in two days, the afternoon after tomorrow, to be exact.
That means whether they succeeded getting the outfit or not, the participants will be brought back right before the performance time and have to dance as they are.
If we found something before the limited time? Someone will pick us up, getting the information from the camera.
Why- why all of this, you may ask?
I...
"I'm so tired."
I don't know.
"Chan, are you not going to sleep?"
"No, I'll keep watch tonight. You know, just in case something is up. Now show some gratefulness and rest."
"We can take turns, though?"
"You can do it tomorrow. I'm not too tired tonight, anyway."
After a few more words in attempt to get both Daniel and Dojun to sleep, they finally closed their eyes and quieted down.
Meanwhile, I shifted the camera, which had lighting equipment attached, just enough so the two guys leaning against the cold wall and just half of my body.
Why, you may ask? This time, I can answer.
I'm still texting Admin-nim.
It's exactly these moments where you can only thank a potato phone for having long lasting battery life.
I had to know the whereabouts of everyone. I need to know what and how they're doing and what exactly is being seen by those cameras.
Judging from the way she texted, it seems Admin-nim had to sneak into some sort of monitoring room, maybe as a crew? Whatever. Her job isn't important right now.
The information I got wasn't much, but it seems most of the other groups stuck with the staff member going with them. Not everyone got to eat much, but thankfully, they all had water on them.
After taking up all night gathering information, especially about those in the line-up, Admin-nim stopped responding to my messages for a while, only to break the silence with:
- Admin-nim: It seems you are trending on social media again.
Huh.
- (You): Huh?
Actually, I'm not that confused. That thing about Hongdae Siren or whatever shit title Dojun made up? It's probably standing again. I sang the same songs, after all.
And more so because Dojun, this legendary trainee, was part of it.
- Admin-nim: People are calling you a siren, for some reason.
Wow, am I a psychic of some sort?
- (You): Please keep sharing it and convince them to come again or smth
- (You): What about the other participants? Are they doing good?
- Admin-nim: About that.
Oh, there is something.
Well, if Admin-nim almost forgot about that, then it must've not been too important.
Right?
- Admin-nim: Someone got away from his crowd.
What?
So...
"How do you forget a whole person!?"
I yelled in exasperation as a participant cried into my arms.
The moment the sky turned bright, I woke Dojun and Daniel up to 'look around different areas' to busk. But of course, the real reason was to find a lost kid.
So, according to Admin-nim's report of this person, he was last seen on a live recording of a big group of participants, far but still in Hongdae Province.
How he got lost, you may ask?
From getting pushed off by a crowd on the streets.
I didn't think that was really possible, but this person..
Is Tobio.
Remember the filming of the first bonus episode, after the blue bus chapter? If you don't, read it again.
Anyway, yeah, it's that Tobio.
The one who worked in the same library as I did when I was younger. Pretty slim, even now, and apparently very light, too.
"They couldn't even look back," Tobio mumbled between sobs, "And it was so dark, so I just wandered around..."
I patted his back repeatedly while Dojun ventured to the nearest minimarket to feed the poor guy with our spare earnings.
Meanwhile, Daniel held the camera and aimed it at me and Tobio, and I just let him be since it could be used as a report, anyway.
After Tobio had more or less calmed down, the four of us ate breakfast in silence around the corner.
"Do you know where your group was headed?"
Tobio shook his head slowly.
"We were all following a staff guy to find somewhere to sleep..."
Ah..
Well, at least that means they all ate before he got lost, right?
"We only ate the snacks we brought form the dorm..."
Motherfucker..
I shouldn't have assumed everyone else got the same opportunity to work like my group. We got them through connections, after all.
I sighed. Tobio's group was most likely not the only one like this, the other four are definitely facing plenty of problems, especially with the language barriers between them.
Suddenly, I heard quiet sobs next to me, then turned my head.
"Why are you crying?"
Dojun, wiping his tears, answered me, "I just realized how lucky we were to have Chan here. And– and that most of the Koreans are in this group..."
Okay...
"And you're crying because...?"
"I'm just so grateful that you're alive!"
..
I had to look at Daniel and make sure this was captured on camera.
This is gonna be a long day...
.
I'm not sure exactly how I managed to forget Kim Dojun's fame as a trainee from Cone Entertainment.
Like I had forced Admin-nim to do yesterday, lots of people came to the same spot we did busking yesterday, as in, mini concert level audience.
It feels ridiculous when you think about it, but hey, this is a fictional story. Anything can happen.
Anyway, we somehow worked out a big crowd, and because everyone wore the named and graded shirts while performing, people could tell we were doing this as part of a contest/show of the sort.
So.. yeah, we made banks.
Has anyone showered? No.
But are we pulling this off? Hell yes.
So now, we got just about enough