Episode 3: Baek Saenu Sends Everyone in Chaos
"We’re going to trend for the wrong reasons!” – Manager Kang, going nearly insane
“You what?” Manager Kang said for the third time after hearing what Saenu just told him.
“You heard me,” Saenu said, taking a sip from his bottled water. “You’ve done this before with the others. Why do you look so surprised?”
“Because this is you,” Manager Kang said. He looked so stressed and his hair was sticking up in different directions after running his fingers through them so many times.
“Why are you making it sound so wrong?” Saenu said. “You didn’t have any problems when the others asked you to do it.”
“You think this is like asking for candy?” Manager Kang said. “Baek Saenu, what you’re asking is absolutely dangerous. Not just for yourself but for the other members as well.”
“I really need to talk to her.” Saenu insisted.
“What’s going on here?” Lee Seok said, seeming to pop up out of nowhere.
“The middle child is asking for something near to impossible,” Manager Kang said.
At the middle child comment, Lee Seok smiled. It was a running joke among them that Saenu was the group’s middle child because he was the third eldest/youngest among the five members. Saenu looked at Lee Seok through the mirror in front of him. “It’s not impossible,” He said. “Manager Kang is just being dramatic.”
“Okay. Let me rephrase it, then: It’s something I can do, but I won’t,” Manager Kang said. “That’s it. End of story. I don’t know what has gotten over you. You’ve never been like this.”
“Exactly!” Saenu said, his voice rising. “Which is why it’s so important that I get to talk to her. It won’t even take more than ten minutes!”
“You want to talk to who?” Lee Seok said, giving the chair that Saenu was sitting on a twirl so that he was looking at him. He didn’t even try to hide his disbelief.
“The girl.” Saenu mumbled.
“Say that a little louder?” Lee Seok said. He heard wrong. Saenu would never do this.
“Popcorn girl!” Saenu all but yelled.
“The one in that huge TV screen onstage?” Lee Seok said. “The one you were staring at?”
“Yes, but everyone’s getting it wrong,” Saenu said.
Lee Seok’s eyes widened. Was his friend… pouting? Over a girl? He laughed out loud. “Saenu, I never thought I’d live to see the day this would happen.” He turned to Manager Kang. “He can’t meet her, right?”
“Absolutely not,” Manager Kang said flatly.
“But you can ask for that girl’s number,” Lee Seok said. Before their manager could protest, he went on, “You’ve done that for the others before. Except for Saenu.”
“And you,” Manager Kang said.
“I’m not the topic here,” Lee Seok said. “How about we close this issue by getting the girl’s number and giving it to Saenu?”
Saenu looked at Lee Seok, eyes wide. “I never thought of this!”
“No, because you were always lost in your own little world, hyung,” Lee Seok said teasingly.
“All right. It’s settled,” Saenu said. He looked their manager in the eye. “Please get the girl’s number for me. If it wasn’t so important, I would’ve never asked. You know me, manager-nim.”
“If anyone gets wind of this…” Manager Kang blew a deep breath. “Do you even know how this would look? We’re going to trend for the wrong reasons!”
“Hey, hey!” Kang Hyeon, with Moon Tae in tow behind him, strolled inside their waiting room. He took in the expressions on each of their faces. “Uh-oh. Is there trouble brewing?”
“Did someone mention the word ‘trending’?” Moon Tae said, holding up his mobile phone. “Because we’re already trending, but in a good and funny way.”
Manager Kang looked ready to scream and the boys swore they could practically see steam blowing out of his ears. He snatched Moon Tae’s phone and scrolled through it. “I’m done for.” He said weakly. As if on cue, his own phone rang. He saw that the caller was the CEO himself. Sweat dotted his face and neck. Accepting his fate, he glanced at the boys and gave them a death stare. “You better not make any more mistakes. Not one of you.” With that, he exited the room to take the call in private.
Saenu glanced at Moon Tae’s phone, curious about what they were trending for. Then he saw the hashtags and now he knew exactly what he’d gotten himself into.
#NeonPhantomMysteryGirl
#B’sTypeFinallyRevealed
#BWasSHOOK
#WhoIsSheAndHowDoIBECOMEHer
#StayAwayFromB