Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 53

53.

“Dong-hwa! Is that your phone alarm going off?”

Before drifting off to sleep, Chae Hamin, already washed up and in his room, asks with a sleepy smile.

…Is it Mok-hwa?

I quickly grab my phone to check. It’s a text message from a number saved as ‘Suspected Group Bullying Perpetrator or Bystander.’

—Dong-hwa! I was really impressed with your performance today! Let’s meet up sometime (when you and I are both free) and hang out with the other survival show members!

I reply with a brief ‘Okay’ and start changing my clothes.

Hmm, after our brief conversation yesterday, he didn’t seem like a bad person. But it’s natural for people to hide their true intentions, I guess.

From my ‘current’ perspective, there’s no real reason to view Yoon Seong-ho negatively.

Regardless of whether Seok-joon’s potential experience is true or not, it’s still just a possibility. And Seok-joon is already part of our team, so he won’t have to worry about anything like that.

The other members of God’s A are at high risk of drug use, so I should probably keep my distance, considering the nature of the celebrity world… but Yoon Seong-ho, whether he approaches me or not, it should be okay to leave him alone for now, right?

* * *

Posts were uploaded to the official accounts of God’s A and Blossence with a slight time difference.

Official_God:A 1 hour ago

(Photo of Blossence’s Ji Dong-hwa and God’s A’s Yoon Seong-ho with their arms around each other’s shoulders)

Ace-nims [God’s A fandom name]! This is your cutie Seong-ho! I appeared on Kyun-heon senior’s ‘Two O’Clock Rhythm’ today 🙂 We didn’t get very close during the survival show! But we’ve decided to become friends now! Please support our friendship! I hope you have a comfortable day today! Bye for now!

Blossence Official Account 10 minutes ago

(Photo of Blossence members and Kyun-heon together) (Photo Yoon Seong-ho uploaded)

Hello, this is Blossence’s Ji Dong-hwa. It was an honor to appear on Kyun-heon senior’s radio show. I hope that ‘Cliff and Boy,’ which we sang on the radio today, can also be a comfort to you. I hope tonight will be a comforting end to your day, and I’ll stop writing here. Bye!

Those who had been supporting Blossence since *The Next Niche* and Yoon Seong-ho’s individual fans were surprised by the unexpected combination and started taking screenshots. Even though Yoon Seong-ho’s fans found Ji Dong-hwa annoying, they only posted about supporting the friendship because they knew Yoon Seong-ho was always active on social media.

Of course, separately from that, the Blossence side of social media was in a frenzy the next day.

—Yesterday… I just cried while listening to Cliff and Boy… It was a day when I got chewed out by my boss at work, and I wondered if I should live like this, but I was really comforted.

└ㅜㅜㅠㅜㅜㅠㅠ It was really comforting. I really liked the last lyrics, ‘So that the moment you climb now can be proud’ ㅜㅠㅠㅜㅠㅠㅜㅠㅜ

└I even heard that Ji Dong-hwa made that song after hearing about Ryu Iden’s trainee life and how he overcame it ㅅㅂ ㅈㄴ sweet…

└Where did all the people who gave Ji Dong-hwa a sociopath image go? They’ve all shut their mouths now~

As reviews of those who listened to Ji Dong-hwa’s composition and Ryu Iden’s lyrics, ‘Cliff and Boy,’ dominated social media, those who couldn’t listen to the radio yesterday for some reason began to feel left out.

—Ah, I’m the only one who couldn’t hear it. I’m always missing out like this when I’m stanning [supporting a celebrity]. It’s so unfair. I wish I could go back to yesterday.

—Damn it, what should I do, everyone? I didn’t listen to the radio yesterday? I really want to listen to Cliff and Boy. Should I use a time machine to go back and kill myself for deciding to rest yesterday because I was tired?

└ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ My greatest achievement in life: I endured my tiredness and listened to the radio yesterday.

└They said the edited version of Bora [radio program platform] will be uploaded to the official site soon, so 존버 [존버 = 존X + 버티다, meaning to endure no matter what]!

And that feeling of being left out was a cyclical process that produced more radio review posts, which in turn caused more people to feel deprived. And in the midst of this, Ji Dong-hwa’s novel posted on the fan cafe once again caused a great stir.

—I… what kind of amazing person am I stanning… He writes well, composes well, is a Korea University student, has a handsome face… What… Dong-hwa, you are…

└Iden must have written the lyrics after reading this novel… Ah, I want to listen to the song again after reading the novel, so when will the song be released?

Just as the buzz around ‘Cliff and Boy’ reached its peak, a post began to gain traction at an incredible speed.

—Twitter Day 1: I tried drawing fan art for the first time! It’s Ryu Iden’s ‘Cliff and Boy’ version!

(The drawing depicted a younger-looking Ryu Iden hanging from a cliff, blood dripping from his fingertips, yet desperately clinging on.)

The fan art showcased a puppy-like face, seemingly transitioning from child to adult, with eyes that conveyed only the unwavering desire to climb the cliff, evident from his tightly closed lips. Following this, another drawing was uploaded, showing Ryu Iden lying down and laughing at the bottom of the cliff.

Fans were immediately captivated by the sudden appearance of a ‘gold hand’ [term for a highly talented artist] and began sharing the post widely. This quickly became a minor sensation within the idol community, with ‘Cliff and Boy,’ Ji Dong-hwa’s novel, and Ryu Iden’s fan art all becoming hot topics.

* * *

Team Leader Jang Hae-jin, holding a mixed coffee in one hand, began to carefully assess the situation.

‘…I expected ‘Cliff and Boy’ to be well-received, but I didn’t anticipate it would blow up like this.’

While it might lack some elements of mainstream appeal, she was confident that the song’s quality would ensure it garnered attention in its own right.

However, she hadn’t foreseen it dominating online discussions for so long. Even with Blue Jack still actively promoting, this level of engagement was surprising.

‘The fact that Gyeon-Hwon’s radio show has a broad audience, the touching story between Ji Dong-hwa and Ryu Iden, and the song’s comforting message for those going through tough times—all these factors combined to create this phenomenon.’

Furthermore, the fan art from the incredibly talented artist, whose motivation for creating it remained a mystery, also contributed significantly to the buzz.

‘…The most crucial factor now is the official release date of ‘Cliff and Boy’.’

Currently, the 1st album’s music show promotions are entering their third week. ‘Cloudy Blue’ has climbed to around 7th place on the music charts. Considering they are rookies from an agency survival show, this is a respectable achievement.

But if they can capitalize on this current wave of attention, they could achieve even higher scores in the remaining three weeks.

Jang Hae-jin immediately called a planning team meeting.

* * *

“First of all, I have good news for everyone! Blossoms is joining the W app!”

…What is that, Team Leader? Why does this industry keep throwing new things to learn at us?

“Wow! Does that mean we’ll be doing live broadcasts like TOT [a popular group] hyungs?”

I quickly glanced at Lee Hyun-jae. He’s the most perceptive member of the team after Ryu Iden, so he probably has a general idea.

“…Hyung, sometimes I wonder if you’re really trying to be an idol.”

I readily agreed with the whispered comment. Because I never planned to become an idol in the first place.

“Um, simply put, it’s a platform for interactive broadcasts. Fans can leave comments directly.”

So, it’s a communication channel to spend more time with fans. In the Joseon Dynasty, it would be similar to the Sinmungo [a drum that citizens could beat to petition the king with grievances].

“So, today we’re here to announce the date of our first broadcast on the W app and to gather your ideas for content. You don’t have to tell me right away; you can tell the leader or Iden, and Iden will collect and relay them.”

Jang Hae-jin then flipped over another sheet of paper.

“And, although it’s a bit late due to various internal issues, we’re going to decide on a name for the Blossoms fan club. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. We’re already considering some good names for reference.”

…The planning team’s naming sense was questionable with Caterpillar, so we need to come up with some good ideas this time. Otherwise, we might end up with suggestions like ‘Seed,’ since ‘Blossom’ is in the group’s name.

“For reference, I think Korean fan club names like ‘Seed’ are good too.”

…Oh, I’m a little surprised she predicted that. Ryu Iden’s smile seemed to tighten slightly, suggesting it was a name that anyone would consider terrible.

“And separately from the W app, we’re considering filming a simple music video for ‘Cliff and Boy.’ Just filming the recording session without a set. However, what I want to ask is, would you like us to have the A&R team arrange it as a 5-member song, or leave it as it is? Please think about it.”

At that, I turned my gaze away from Chae Ha-min, who was dozing off next to me (I wondered how he could sleep in this situation), and looked forward.

“That song won’t be good if it’s not sung in Iden’s voice. It was composed that way from the start.”

I can feel Ryu Iden flinching again next to me, but that’s not important, so let’s ignore it. Jang Hae-jin looked at me and nodded, saying,

“Ah, we’ll proceed according to the original composer’s wishes. You’re a bit like an old craftsman obsessed with his work.”

…It’s not quite a sublime artistic spirit, but it’s something similar.

* * *

After finishing the first recording session, we headed back to the dorm. Since Ryu Iden wanted to finish quickly, the other members were sent ahead, and the two of us recorded ‘Cliff and Boy’ in the studio.

The road manager walked a little behind, considerate enough to let Ryu Iden and me walk comfortably.

Ryu Iden spoke first.

“Dong-hwa, thank you.”

That damn social life. It’s a habit ingrained in his bones.

“…If you’re going to say something cheesy, shut up.”

“Hey, hyung [older brother or male friend]. Dong-hwa hyung, seriously, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have even debuted, and, uh? I wouldn’t have received such a great gift. I’ll really repay your kindness for the rest of my life.”

You can only repay my kindness for life if you become a successful idol, Iden.

“Promising what you can’t do right now is the habit of a cunning swindler.”

I was walking down the street wearing a mask, lost in thought, when suddenly a scream-like shout erupted, and people rushed over, grabbing my hand and taking pictures.

Ryu Iden was also swarmed, grabbed somewhere, and frantically photographed.

Thankfully, the road manager, who was behind us, quickly intervened; otherwise, they would have clung on even more.

…What is this, a disease? Did patients from a mental hospital escape en masse?

I blankly stared at the spot where the people had left, realizing that I, a weak being, couldn’t do anything about this natural disaster, so I just let it be.

‘…Things you can’t understand even if you think about them, just let them pass.’

But as I turned to Ryu Iden to tell him to just move on, I noticed he was trembling slightly.

“…What’s wrong?”

Ryu Iden seemed to snap out of it and smiled awkwardly.

“Ah, well, I’ve only heard about sasaengs [obsessive fans who stalk or invade the privacy of celebrities], so experiencing it for the first time is a bit… yeah.”

…Sasaengs?

“I’m sorry. The previous manager told me that he had never seen sasaengs attached to you, so I followed a little loosely to let you two go comfortably, but I didn’t expect this… I’m really sorry. From now on, it’s better to travel by car.”

The road manager bowed his head deeply and apologized. Hmm, can the unpredictable behavior of the mentally ill be an individual’s responsibility? It’s quite a difficult question. What would Hans Jonas say?

“Dong-hwa, are you okay?”

Ryu Iden checked my body. It was obvious that he was more flustered than I was.

“…Um, so what are sasaengs? According to the Standard Korean Language Dictionary, there are seven homonyms, and I don’t know which one it is.”

Then silence returns. Ryu Iden gives me an incredulous look. I’ve received that kind of look before. When I didn’t know the meaning of the title.

According to Hannah Arendt, ignorance is a sin, so should I apologize?

“…I’m sorry?”