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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Orchestra Conductor's Connection
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The living room fell silent. Seojun dropped the empty baby bottle he was holding.
Unlike the veteran father who had snatched it in an instant, Brown Black couldn't even react.
The empty bottle rolled to a stop.
*Hmm. I guess I shouldn't do this to them.*
Looking at the stunned members of Brown Black and Seo Eunchan, who was grinning about getting good footage for the hidden camera segment, Seojun recalled last night.
* * *
"Let's write down Seojun's daily routine on the first page."
"We have to be precise about his feeding times. He'll cry if we're even a minute late."
Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun took out a sheet of A4 paper and wrote out a daily schedule. Wake up, eat, play, nap.
"Looking at it like this, Seojun lives a pretty simple life."
Seo Eunhye laughed at Lee Minjun's words.
"Even if it's a simple schedule, I have to work so hard to find new ways to play with him every time. Besides, I think Seojun's been getting bored lately. He seems a bit half-hearted when he plays with me."
Seo Eunhye glanced at Seojun, who was playing by grabbing both heads of the Twin-Headed Ogre and pulling them in opposite directions.
Seojun's body flinched, but the couple didn't notice.
*'I have been getting a little bored lately.'*
A normal baby might not have cared, but Seojun, with his many past lives, was growing tired of playing with the same dolls every day. Plus, being a baby meant the number of people he could meet was limited.
*'The babies and their moms, Samchon…'*
He could count them on two hands. But new people were coming tomorrow.
Seojun was excited too. *Gyaaaah!* He twisted the Twin-Headed Ogre's head.
Whether it was because a baby's strength was weak or because Kim Heesang had made it sturdy, not a single stitch on the doll came loose.
As he was writing down points of caution for taking care of Seojun, Lee Minjun spoke.
"If they're idols, they must be good singers."
"Well. From what Eunchan said, they've been trainees for a long time, so they're decent…"
Seo Eunhye recalled her brother's words.
Seo Eunchan had sighed and said:
-He said they're all good kids who can sing, dance, and rap well, but he feels like something is slightly missing. The boys are working hard, and the other staff members say they're great, so he said he's not sure.
Seo Eunchan had confessed his true feelings to his sister, something he couldn't say to the staff or the boys themselves.
"He thinks he's the only one who feels they're lacking something, so he hasn't said anything, thinking it might just be him. But Eunchan really hopes they can fill that gap."
The Cocoa Entertainment staff thought they were excellent. Only Seo Eunchan felt a slight sense of unease.
Lee Minjun tilted his head.
"Isn't it because they lack real-world experience? They can build that up on stage after they debut."
"You think so?"
"Ah, I think this baby food recipe is wrong."
"Oh, you're right!"
Seo Eunhye quickly picked up a pen. Seojun, who had been listening with his ears perked, thought to himself.
*'Lacking something…'*
It was only his uncle's opinion, but for some reason, Seojun felt he was probably right.
Seojun was lost in thought. A four-member male idol group. What could they be lacking?
*'I hope things go well for them, for Samchon's sake and for Mom's.'*
Watching his mom and dad prepare late into the night, Seojun eventually fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes, he was in front of the Library of Life. Right now, only one door was open—the blue one.
"Will this one open next year?"
What kind of book would be behind the door next to the blue one? He had so many books, he couldn't even remember. Seojun crawled through the blue door.
The inside of the library was still a mess. Seojun crawled diligently past open and overturned books.
"I'm sure I read it…"
While searching for [Little Mimic's Coveted Disguise], he remembered reading books about lives related to music.
Seojun flipped through the books one by one, reading the titles. He was sure there was a skill that would be perfect to use on the people coming tomorrow.
[Composition Fairy].
Not it.
[Instrument Slime].
Nope.
[Singing Bug].
Definitely not this one.
"Ah, here it is."
Seojun opened a book. As he read about the life written within, he felt there could be no better skill.
"Perfect!"
The book flashed, and a round orb seeped into each of Seojun's palms.
Seojun opened his hands. A long conductor's baton was engraved on both of his palms.
[Orchestra Conductor's Connection - Lowest Grade]
The musical skills of those connected to the conductor will increase or decrease by up to 1.3 times, depending on their bond.
The bond with the conductor and the bond between the connected individuals are expressed numerically.
Max Connections: 4
* * *
Having regained their composure, the members of Brown Black gave Seojun the only remaining teddy bear and sat in a circle around him.
No matter how small-scale the N-tube variety show was, it still needed a basic structure.
Together with Seo Eunchan, Brown Black had outlined a rough sequence of events, much like a script.
Now, at the very beginning of the shoot, it was time to introduce Brown Black to the viewers, and to Seojun.
Hwang Yejun, who was acting as the MC, pulled a toy microphone from his luggage.
"Alright. We will now begin the introductions!"
*Clap, clap-!*
Seojun clapped along. New faces had arrived to break up his boring routine.
His heart pounded with excitement.
*Kkyyyaaaak!*
"Looks like our Seojun is already having fun! Now, first up. The star of our show! Let's have an introduction for Seojun!"
Park Seojin read from the paper Seo Eunhye had given him. Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun's voices would be added in during editing.
"Name, Lee Seojun. Born on March 10th. He's already eight months old. He has two bottom teeth, and his favorite activity is playing with dolls."
"Wow! Eight months! He's so young! A total newborn! Next, let's introduce the Brown Black hyungs who will be with Seojun for the next 48 hours!"
Hwang Yejun passed the microphone to Park Seojin. Park Seojin took the mic and waved at Seojun.
The video for the viewers would be filmed separately later.
"Hi, Seojun. I'm Park Seojin hyung. I'm the leader of Brown Black and…"
"Do you think Seojun knows what a leader is?"
Park Seojin paused at Choi Siyoon's question. Right. Would he know? Hwang Yejun shot his hand up.
"By that logic, he probably won't understand any of these introductions!"
"That's true. Then just go ahead."
"I'm the lead... er and main... vocalist of Brown Black."
No matter how he thought about it, leader, main vocalist…
He was at a loss for how to explain it to an eight-month-old baby. As expected, Seojun, who had been listening to Park Seojin, turned his head to the side.
*Tilt?*
Hwang Yejun, Choi Siyoon, and Kevin burst out laughing.
"I don't think he understood a single word!"
"Let's see how well you guys do."
At Park Seojin's remark, Hwang Yejun waved his hand excitedly.
"Hi, Seojun! I'm Hwang Yejun hyung, and I'm the second-best singer in Brown Black!"
"Oh!"
The sub-vocal. As Hwang Yejun spoke cheerfully, Seojun clapped his hands, whether he understood or not. Kevin and Choi Siyoon applauded as well.
"He's smart!"
"Good sense, Yejun hyung!"
Park Seojin also clapped, his mouth shut. *Ahem.* Hwang Yejun passed the microphone to Kevin.
"Hi! I'm Kevin Kim, and I can talk really fast. My hometown is LA, USA, and both my parents are Korean. My favorite artist is D. Ray. My favorite food is galbi-jjim…"
The rapper rattled on and on. The only words that registered in Seojun's ears were the first three. Hi! I'm Kevin!
"Abububu!"
"Bzzz!"
Seojun slapped the floor with his palms. *You can't talk like that. I won't understand, hyung!*
Seeing Seojun's reaction, Hwang Yejun crossed his arms to make an 'X'. Next up was Choi Siyoon.
"Hi! My name is Choi Siyoon. My specialty is dancing, and uh, I want to show you, but…"
"No. If you dance here…"
If Choi Siyoon were to dance, he would surely move around with big, sweeping motions. Dancing in the living room with a table in the middle would undoubtedly result in something getting broken. Choi Siyoon shrugged.
"Then I'll show you next time!"
*Clap, clap-!*
Seojun applauded. Dancing. He'd seen it on television, but he was excited to see what it would be like in person. At Seojun's applause, Hwang Yejun shouted, "Pass!"
*Ding-dong.*
"Oh, it's the alarm."
Choi Siyoon took out his phone. Unable to part with his electronic devices for a moment, he had set alarms for every item on Seojun's daily schedule as soon as he saw it.
"It's time for Seojun's nap."
"Where's the blanket?"
Park Seojin fetched a blanket from the room. Seojun's bedding was laid out in a corner of the living room.
Kevin, who was the second most comfortable holding Seojun, carefully lifted the baby, who was sitting with his teddy bear, and laid him on the blanket.
Legs first, nice and slow. His hands trembled a little, but he safely placed Seojun's head on the pillow.
As soon as he was on the blanket, Seojun saw his chance. He reached out both arms and grabbed the cheeks of Kevin, who was leaning over to lay him down.
*Smack-!*
No, he slapped them.
[Using Orchestra Conductor's Connection. (1/4)]
"Huh?"
The other members of Brown Black turned their gazes to Kevin. Kevin rubbed his slightly reddened cheeks with his palms.
The tiny, soft hands of a baby had touched his face. Kevin rubbed his cheeks for a moment, then grinned.
"I think Seojun really likes me."
At the sight, Hwang Yejun, who had been unpacking, hurried over to Seojun's side.
"Seojun. Hyung. Give hyung a smack, too!"
As Hwang Yejun leaned his face in, Seojun raised both hands again and slapped his cheeks.
[Using Orchestra Conductor's Connection. (2/4)]
*Hmm. I think I hit him harder than Kevin hyung.* Seojun clenched and unclenched his slightly warm hands. *Jam, jam.*
Contrary to Seojun's thoughts, Hwang Yejun was just happy, grinning from ear to ear.
"He likes me more! See? It's completely red, right?"
Choi Siyoon and Park Seojin also came over to the blanket and leaned their faces in. They looked like cat owners eagerly waiting for their kitten to start kneading.
Faced with their expectant gazes, Seojun wondered who to pick first, then decided to slap the cheeks of Choi Siyoon, who had promised to show him his dancing. Next, he slapped Park Seojin's cheeks.
[Using Orchestra Conductor's Connection. (3/4)]
[Using Orchestra Conductor's Connection. (4/4)]
"Looks like Seojun's affection ranking is out!"
Hwang Yejun said, looking at the camera Seo Eunchan was holding. He laughed boisterously and threw his arms in the air, whether to boast to Eunchan or to future viewers.
Seo Eunchan and Kim Hwaryeon, who couldn't be on screen as they were in charge of filming, looked on with envious eyes at Seojun lying on the blanket.
"First place is me, Hwang Yejun!"
"But I was the first one he hit."
Hwang Yejun scoffed at Kevin's words. He shoved his cheek, the redness of which had mostly faded, toward the camera lens set up on the table.
"Look, look, you see this? This red cheek! It's filled with Seojun's love, so I'm redder than you, aren't I?"
"NO! I was first."
Park Seojin, who had been last, was silent as if in despair, while the youngest, Choi Siyoon, patted the tummy of the considerate Seojun who had chosen him before Park Seojin.
Kevin and Hwang Yejun bickered back and forth. Then, the two reached a dramatic compromise. Hwang Yejun and Kevin joined hands and raised them high.
"Then it's a tie for first place! Hwang Yejun and Kevin Kim! Third place, Choi Siyoon! Fourth place, Park Seojin!"
Watching the two members jump around with their hands in the air, Park Seojin, dreaming of a comeback, spoke quietly.
"This is just the first impression."
At Park Seojin's words, the members' gazes turned to him. Park Seojin smiled meaningfully.
"We'll have to see the true affection ranking on the last day."
"I'll still be number one then!"
"Alright, it's a challenge!"
"Now and later, number one is obviously me!"
Park Seojin's challenge ignited a competitive fire in everyone.
Lying under the blanket, Seojun's eyes slowly closed. A smile crept onto his face. It had only been a few hours, but it had been fun.
They were really amusing hyungs. He was looking forward to the evening after his nap, and to tomorrow, and the day after. It was going to be a very exciting two days!
"Ah, Seojun's asleep."
The fired-up members of Brown Black instantly fell silent. They sat around Seojun's blanket without making a sound.
"I think he finds us funny. He keeps smiling."
"I know, right? He's so cute."
Through his blurry vision, Seojun could see the faces of Brown Black. Numbers floated above the members, who occupied all four sides of his blanket.
The two numbers were high.
The number for the 'Conductor's Bond,' representing the connection between Seojun and Brown Black, was high, and so was the number for the 'Connectors' Bond,' representing the connection among the members of Brown Black.
They had only just met, but he could tell how much the members of Brown Black adored him. Plus, it seemed they got along great with each other.
Since both bonds were strong, it was clear that their skills would improve to the skill's maximum limit of 1.3 times.
*This is a good thing.* Having confirmed their affection with his own eyes, Seojun drifted off to sleep.
Seeing Seojun's eyes close, the members of Brown Black looked up at the clock. It was exactly his nap time.
"He's really precise."
Impressed by the accuracy of Seojun's internal clock and his schedule, the members once again studied the daily routine chart with great care.
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