There Are Four Top Idol Uncles - Chapter 199

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Episode 25
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Once all the interviews had concluded, the third-year members of the Film Club gathered in the School Library Conference Room.
Exhausted, they spread application forms across the desk and began their deliberation.
“Wow. Seriously, we don’t have anyone to recruit this year. Nobody.”
“Was it like this in our batch? Were all the applicants just mediocre? I don’t think it was quite this bad when we applied.”
“At least we put effort into our applications. Why are so many kids just applying to catch a glimpse of some celebrity?”
“If they’re just here for the celebrities, that’s actually the best-case scenario. There’s someone who wrote that they applied because they wanted to see Yoo Eunoh.”
“Legendary… What kind of mindset writes that on an application form?”
The third-years grumbled as they began weeding out the half-hearted applications one by one.
“So, how were the interviews?”
One of them nudged a boy who was slumped over the desk, nearly unconscious.
“How were they? Hell.”
He mumbled his answer without lifting his head.
“Nobody asked if you were tired. Were there any decent candidates?”
“What’s the definition of decent? Some slave who throws himself into the club and keeps his mouth shut while working? Or a slave with the sense to handle all the seniors through Perfect Behavior but never overstepping? Or maybe a slave who watches a few films and suddenly thinks he’s a genius with an inflated ego and Excessive Self-Consciousness, but knows to shut up and do what he’s told? Or some legendary prodigy with such overwhelming talent that we hate his guts but can’t actually criticize him because he outclasses us all?”
“He’s lost it.”
“Completely. Passing out after one interview—how’s he going to survive an actual shoot with that pathetic stamina?”
“Nobody asked you to find slaves. Just find someone who doesn’t muddy the waters.”
Most of the third-years laughed mockingly.
But the boy simply raised one finger in response and said nothing more.
“I thought some were decent.”
“!”
At that quiet voice cutting through the ridicule, everyone turned to look at a girl.
She was the Film Club’s vice president—the senior girl that Yewon had thought would be genuinely frightening.
Sung Jiwon.
“There were quite a few who looked like they’d do well. Actually, I think this year’s pool is way better than last year’s.”
“Ooh~”
“Ooh~ Sung Jiwon~ suddenly in senior mode~ ooh~ vice president mode~ so cool, Jiwon!!!”
At that, all the third-years applauded.
If Yoo Eunoh was the president and the object of everyone’s admiration, then Sung Jiwon was the club’s spiritual pillar.
While everyone held back their true feelings around Eunoh and never dared to challenge him, they poured everything out to Jiwon.
Why?
Because only Jiwon could change Eunoh’s mind.
Yoo Eunoh had a habit of politely accepting others’ opinions with a “I see, thank you for the input” while barely hearing them at all.
Yet nobody resented him or rebelled, because in the end, Eunoh’s decisions always proved correct.
Frustrating, yet always right.
That was how everyone saw Yoo Eunoh.
But if they really wanted to push an opinion, they’d go to Jiwon and plead their case.
Jiwon would listen to everything, and if she thought the opinion was truly necessary, she’d relay it to Eunoh.
Then, even if Eunoh had already rejected the idea once, he’d accept it if it came from Jiwon.
So naturally, everyone relied on her.
“Who looked decent?”
“Well, for sound design, there’s a girl named Hee-won from the music department who seems promising. She’s decent at composition and has experience handling equipment. For art…”
As Jiwon spoke, the others nodded and set aside the applications she mentioned.
“…And for acting.”
Finally.
This was the part everyone had been secretly most curious about, so all ears perked up.
“For the male lead, Yoo Baekwoon looked decent. At first, I thought his attitude seemed grumpy, but when I actually conducted the interview, he was fine.”
“He wasn’t bad, actually.”
At Jiwon’s words, Chae-jeong, a third-year who’d looked exhausted, voiced his agreement.
However, Yu-gyeong, a third-year whom Yewon had thought looked fastidious, didn’t seem to agree.
“He’ll probably act fine. But he seemed kind of particular, so I wasn’t impressed.”
“Well, we’re all particular about something.”
“Fair point.”
Everyone nodded.
As if there was anyone here with their head on straight!
“Alright, so for the male lead, let’s put Yoo Baekwoon as a candidate… and for the female lead?”
At someone’s question, the three judges looked at each other, then answered in unison.
“Yewon.”
* * *
A brief recess during the meeting.
Yoo Eunoh arrived late due to other matters, joining the group belatedly.
“Oh, Yoo Eunoh’s here.”
“The chairperson gets to show up late like this?”
“Sung Jiwon, say something to him. Come on.”
Everyone complained good-naturedly while welcoming him.
Yoo Eunoh himself let out a soft laugh—the first genuine one of the day—and took his seat.
He rarely came close to smiling anywhere else, but here in the Film Club, his guard dropped entirely.
A place that felt more like home than home itself.
That was what the Film Club meant to Yoo Eunoh.
“Has everyone decided on anything yet?”
“Yeah. We put the final candidates up on the whiteboard, so take a look, okay?”
His gaze shifted toward the whiteboard.
Among the various applications, one stood out starkly in his field of vision.
“The female lead… there’s only one candidate?”
“Right. That one’s basically confirmed. We might recruit one more depending on how things go, or we might not. What’s urgent right now isn’t the female lead—it’s the male lead.”
“God, why did Park Sang-hyun suddenly quit? This is infuriating. If he was going to prep for entrance exams, he could’ve at least given us a heads-up during break. He didn’t say anything until now—why’s he suddenly making a fuss?”
“Tell me about it.”
“Hey, Jiwon. Is it true Park Sang-hyun really quit? For real?”
“Yeah. He said he’s preparing for entrance exams, so what can we say?”
The others continued grumbling in response to Jiwon’s answer.
But Yoo Eunoh, the one who’d actually triggered this whole situation, wasn’t really listening—he was just skimming through the applications.
Sung Jiwon watched him and sighed quietly to herself.
She was certain of it: Sang-hyun had left because of Yoo Eunoh, despite how he was pretending not to know anything.
Until just recently, Park Sang-hyun had been so passionate about choosing their next project—there’s no way he’d walk out on his own.
The real question was why Yoo Eunoh, who never interferes in anyone else’s business, had suddenly gotten involved….
Why indeed.
Sung Jiwon regarded him with a weary gaze.
“What should we do about Sang-hyun leaving, Eunoh?”
“…What can we do? We cast a new actor.”
At those words—”new actor”—everyone glanced sideways at him.
“Recruit from the freshmen?”
“I mean. The one who left was a senior.”
…
The mood sank. An inexplicable unease rippled through the group.
“So you want to fill the male lead position with another senior? Is there anyone who’d be… oh, Seung-won? Seung-won always wanted to keep doing it—should we ask him?”
“Yeah. Seung-won’s not bad. Good actor. Good face too.”
“If not Seung-won, there’s Hyun-uk. He’s got plenty of free time anyway. He’d jump at the chance.”
“Agreed.”
Everyone was visibly desperate to avoid mentioning a particular name.
Sung Jiwon watched her friends and Yoo Eunoh in silence.
So that was it, wasn’t it, Yoo Eunoh.
“Seung-won and Hyun-uk are both talented, but since we’ve never worked with them before, it’ll take time to build Chemistry. Teaching freshmen from scratch would be enough.”
…
“In other words… you want to bring back a senior we’ve already worked with?”
At someone’s words, the third-years’ expressions hardened visibly.
And then.
“Wait, so… you’re saying you’re thinking of Mun Hyeok right now?”
A boy spoke the name no one else had dared to voice.
At that name, everyone held their breath and looked at Yoo Eunoh. As if asking whether he was serious.
…
Yoo Eunoh didn’t answer immediately.
His response would completely transform his school life going forward.
It would create cracks in the “uneventful” school life he’d worked so hard to maintain.
Why was it that in this moment of all moments, that face kept flashing through his mind.
Those eyes, looking down at him as if passing judgment, holding the strand of beads.
“…Yeah.”
Yoo Eunoh answered, with that gaze in his memory.
“I think bringing in Mun Hyeok is the right call.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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