"Mash. Go," the person, I assume Han Daniel, left the door open for Mahesha. His voice was surprisingly deep, like in the unexpected way kind of deep.
I said good luck to the latter and got a small wave as a response.
Once the door clicked shut, Han Daniel sat down on the spot Mahesha was sat and openly stared at me.
I smiled awkwardly before deciding to attack this with an annoying and cheery act.
"Hello! I just talked and got to know Mash for a bit while waiting for you. You must be Han Daniel, right? Oh my God, you look so good!"
Even I didn't know I could be this talkative.
Han Daniel didn't answer, though. He continued to stare at me for a longer while before turning his head away and closing his eyes.
Uhm, hello!?
Was this how Kim Dojun felt when I forgot to check for his messages that one time?
Perhaps GYPE teaches its trainees to put on a quiet facade when they first encounter people or something. You know what, I don't mind quiet people. If he ignores me, I'll ignore him back.
I decided on that kind of approach (or not to approach) and also closed my eyes.
A few minutes later, Mahesha exited the same room Han Daniel had left and went to me with a smile.
"You seem to be the last one, Chan."
Han Daniel's eyes widened at that.
"Is that so? This is making me nervous, haha."
"Wait- Chan? Haechan? Jung Haechan?
Han Daniel suddenly stood up and exclaimed such thing. He looked at me with an exasperated face, almost resembling that one Spiderboy meme.
I was surprised at the sudden action but smiled curiously.
Before I could ask, Mahesha explained it to me, "Daniel is actually a big fan of you, I actually knew about you from him."
I raised my eyebrows, glancing back at Han Daniel who looked closer to shy now. Then I smiled, putting my hand forward.
"Then, it's nice to meet you! I guess you were doubting whether I was actually Jumg Haechan or not?"
Han Daniel bowed deeply as he shook my hand with both hands. I figured it was his way of apologizing and chuckled, brushing his earlier actions off.
"I couldn't tell, but I guess you're just really shy, huh."
"Sorry..."
Mahesha and I laughed at that before the former spoke again, "Now that we're clear, we can all be friends, right? Shall we exchange contacts?"
I agreed and pulled out my phone. The two wanted to use PINE, but I didn't have it since there had been no one to use it with before. In the end, we exchanged Instapounds handles while I promised to make a PINE account soon.
"Then I'm going in. Have a safe ride back, you two!"
Mahesha smiled and also waved goodbye. I flashed Han Daniel a cheery smile and he leaned down, hiding behind Mahesha. It's hard to hide such a tall stature, though.
I finally turned the knob, swinging the door open. Now, I don't really remember how Admin-nim looked like, but I was sure that she's not here.
The place looks like an average studio, a white background sheet with a stool in the middle, and cameras in front of that. There were five people at most from what I could glance at, some of them probably taking turns in doing basic jobs.
"Hello! I'm participant Jung Haechan."
I bowed and greeted everyone, propping myself on the stool happily.
The staff seated in front of the stool, I'm guessing the interviewer, was startled for a second before smiling tiredly and greeting me back.
"Hello, participant Jung. It seems you're the last to be interviewed."
The rest of the staff sounded relieved.
Me too, you guys. Me too.
"Then, let us start immediately so you can pack up!"
.
The cameras rolled and the interview started. I smiled as brightly as possible to everyone. We started off with typical questions.
- So why did you decide to join this show?
"I wanted to show the side of me that loves dancing and singing, not just towards Korean fans, but the whole world!"
- How do you feel knowing that you passed the audition?
"I was overjoyed at first, but then realized that it wouldn't be easy to pass through others on my level..."
- Was it though to plan out your first performance?
"Yes, but I've got lo~ts of people to rely on for help!"
All throughout, I smiled an exaggerated my movements—flailing my arms, cheering loudly—I was one heck of a character.
'And I'm supposed to maintain this for the rest of the show,' I thought, starting to become a little hopeless.
My thoughts were cut by the interviewer's voice.
"Then, my last question: participant Jung Haechan, have you completely moved on from acting now?"
So they knew after all.
Well, it would be weirder if the didn't, considering this is GNet we're talking about. I'm sure some participants had questions that made them stand different from the rest.
And I would be stupid to not have been prepared for it.
"I still love acting, but I want to explore what I still have. And if that fails, I might just go into hiding again, haha!"
Perhaps my laugh sounded too real, too careless, that the staff interviewing me felt the need to add one last thing, "Do you have anything to say to your old fans?"
I nodded with a grin.
It was hard to imagine that I actually have any fans at all in these days. The people I've met the past month were probably the only ones who truly knew me, and the fact that they were from the entertainment industry must be part of the reason.
If I truly have people rooting for me, all I wish is to meet them someday—be it on stage or bumping on the streets, I would cherish their feelings and wish them the best.
The thought that they even exist is seriously unexpected.
Which is why, all I want to say to them is,
"Thank you for waiting. I hope you will continue to support me, even here."