Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 138

138.

Shin Min-soo, a reporter from the MMS Entertainment Department, had primarily covered Blossoms’ activities since their debut.

“Looks like I’ll get some views this time too.”

Initially, he was a bit disappointed when assigned to cover a rookie group, but things had changed. They were a rising idol group since winning the Rookie Award. Moreover, the planning and management teams at Nietzsche Entertainment, who managed the group, seemed well-connected, securing frequent appearances on new programs.

“Their growth rate is a bit strange… Even if ‘Pomegranate Whatever’ was a low-budget drama, it’s still unusual for a rookie to appear in it.”

He’d heard rumors that Jane from Detection had strongly recommended them for the drama, but that didn’t explain everything.

“They’re not top-tier yet, but they’ll easily break into the second tier this year.”

As he muttered to himself, fiddling with his laptop, he overheard the reporters next to him.

“They seem to have put some money into the music video this time too.”

“Nietzsche has always been good at that kind of thing. The problem was their slow response to issues.”

“But there are rumors that it’s entirely based on the singers’ opinions.”

“Ha, can’t these guys have any scandals? Even a discord rumor or a dating rumor would get us some juicy clicks.”

Shin barely suppressed a sigh. He was a reporter who had to jump on any issue quickly, but that didn’t mean he should wish for other people’s misfortune.

“About discord rumors… there seems to be some gossip, subtly.”

His ears perked up. It was almost an unavoidable reporter’s instinct.

“Something about the leader and the songwriter fighting for control in this group?”

…That happens even during group projects. Shin quickly lost interest. A minor squabble wasn’t enough; it needed to be a real conflict.

‘I want to see their performance soon. The music video made the song quality sound good.’

In fact, some reporters at the showcase were humming the chorus of ‘Excitement’.

‘They’ll definitely chart… and then maybe they’ll get the public’s pick.’

The previous two songs were good, but “Cloudy Blue” had good public appeal but lacked impact due to them being rookies, and “The Last Beginning” focused on musicality and performance, so it didn’t have much public appeal.

‘This song is definitely good musically… and it sounds good even to tone-deaf people, so maybe…’

Thinking that, Shin was already drafting his article.

* * *

The reporter showcase ended smoothly, and as the fan showcase was about to begin, an event was in full swing in the outdoor waiting area. A coffee truck provided iced coffee and cookies upon showing the showcase ticket.

Hanging on the coffee truck was a sign in calligraphy that read, ‘Wishing endless success to Blossoms, in which my son is a member.’ It was the result of Chaedu-sik Elder’s personal bank account opening on its own upon hearing the news that his son was making a comeback [meaning he enthusiastically funded the coffee truck].

Ji Dong-hwa’s fan was also drinking that coffee and chewing on a cookie, burning with fighting spirit.

‘Showcase, ticketing, successful.’

A season when spring is in full bloom. If it were normal, she would be at peak depression because the midterm results were out, but not now. The adrenaline from Blossoms’ comeback was having a drug-like effect.

Looking at her phone notifications, there was a threatening DM from Chae Ha-min’s fan saying they would find her and strangle her if she didn’t post a review of the showcase. Tok tok, she tapped on her phone to complete a sentence and reply. ‘Ready to write in nano units [meaning she’ll write a very detailed review].’

The music video that came out last night had already been played on repeat all night and on the way here. The morning lecture was easily replaced with sleep time, so she was in excellent condition now. She wouldn’t miss a single moment and would capture it all in her eyes.

“…No matter how I think about it, Ji Dong-hwa seems to have ruined about half of my life.”

As a rational human being, she knew that Ji Dong-hwa wouldn’t take care of her future. But, didn’t Ji Dong-hwa also say that there might be something you want to protect even if you have to risk everything? So, the fact that my grades have collapsed is also beautiful!

Is it abnormal to want to be so terribly entangled with you even like this, she thought as she firmly bit into the cookie.

‘It can’t be abnormal.’

Who would dare point fingers when I’m stanning [supporting/being a fan of] my idol with the money I earned from my part-time job? Move aside, a 덕후 [Deokhu, meaning ‘die-hard fan’] is coming through.

With a triumphant stride, she entered the showcase hall with the released album streaming silently on her phone and her bag filled with official and unofficial merchandise.

* * *

Not long after entering the showcase hall, a countdown appeared on the screen.

The numbers in Gothic font, starting from 10, approached 1, and then a VCR filmed for the showcase was played.

As soon as silver-haired Ji Dong-hwa appeared, she held her breath due to her still insufficient immunity [meaning she’s still easily overwhelmed by his presence] and slowly turned her eyes to the colors of the screen. Lee Hyun-jae blinked a few times in front of a perfect ruin. Then he closes his eyes completely and falls asleep. When he opens his eyes again, the scenery is completely different. Inside a house with a strong oriental feel.

‘…Ah, seriously, the lore is so difficult. What is that?’

She’s not the type to get into lore [complex backstories and world-building], but her 덕질 [Deokjil, meaning ‘fandom activities’] doesn’t allow her to miss such detailed details. The current accepted theory is that Ji Dong-hwa visited Lee Hyun-jae’s dreams and unconscious world. Lee Hyun-jae opens a world by dreaming, and Ji Dong-hwa can visit that place. And the rest of the members have some deep relationship with Lee Hyun-jae and always appear in his unconsciousness.

So, that place must be a kind of another world.

But the problem is that no one knows why an oriental space appears in his unconsciousness.

It’s a headache. In the history of 덕질 [Deokjil, meaning ‘fandom activities’], the lore throws the fun of figuring it out, but at the same time, it also drains your energy. However, her quick mind was checking how to organize and upload it to SNS [social networking services].

Lee Hyun-jae, who opened his eyes, leaves the house with a faint expression and runs somewhere without hesitation.

—Hyung [older brother/male friend].

And finally arrives in front of Ryu I-deun, who is sitting sadly under a tree on a hill, and calls his name.

—Hyun-jae, you came?

Ryu I-deun, who is trying to smile, becomes depressed again.

After that short meeting, the VCR unfolds the story at a rapid pace. To comfort Ryu I-deun, who continues to fall into the past, all the young masters of the neighborhood gather and stroll through the night streets. Ryu I-deun plays with the members and gradually cheers up, but suddenly becomes depressed at the thought of whether it’s okay to be like this.

—I-deun hyung. Just think about the present, the present!

Chae Ha-min slaps Ryu I-deun hard on the back to awaken him. Chae Ha-min’s words, ‘Today is just a day of leisure!’ and Ryu I-deun’s smiling face again are shown.

And, Lee Hyun-jae, who is looking at it faintly, and Ji Dong-hwa, who is looking at Lee Hyun-jae sharply, and Seok-jun, who is riding the rhythm without thinking, are shown.

On the hill where the moonlight is subtly rising, the members walk through the grass and hum a song. It’s the main melody I heard in yesterday’s music video. And the sound of the geomungo [Korean zither] slowly rings. The VCR stops. It means the stage is about to begin.

She pauses organizing the contents of the VCR and takes a deep breath. It was as if she might collapse from hyperventilation if she didn’t. It’s a touching moment to be able to see the real silver-haired Ji Dong-hwa.

The lights turn on with the sound of the geomungo [Korean zither], and she felt like she was going to faint halfway.

Only, here, moment, excitement.

A cheerful rhythm that starts with a short sentence. And silver-haired Ji Dong-hwa, who is looking at the stage expressionlessly below it. The sight of him wearing something similar to a black dopo [Korean traditional overcoat] makes her breathless.

And from that moment until the end of the stage, she held her breath and stubbornly tried not to scream – she almost went crazy when Ji Dong-hwa did a cute solo dance – she captured the appearance on the stage in her eyes, and as soon as the stage ended, she let out a crazy roar.

‘This is the right use of money, this is welfare, this is utopia! This is the country of God that Augustine was looking for!’

Her reaction, which started studying philosophy because of Ji Dong-hwa, was the kind that Ji Dong-hwa would smile happily if he saw it.

* * *

It feels more familiar because it’s been a while since I’ve been up here. Being able to check the reactions of those who like our results in real time is one of the privileges of being an idol, isn’t it?

I tried to calm my heart, which was burning because of the rough choreography, and took a breath.

There are a few events left, such as a simple talk and a b-side stage, but I feel somewhat relieved just by being able to finish the most important stage without making any mistakes.

“We’ll greet you, two, three.”

“To be bloomig [sic, should be ‘blooming’], we are Blossoms!”

At the same time, the fans cheer. What kind of image do we project to those people, and what kind of existence are we? What value does our success have for those people? In moments like this when we receive ‘love’, unresolvable questions often follow. There is still so much to learn.

“Ah, it feels like it’s been a really long time, Luminous [Blossoms’ fan name].”

Since this short talk isn’t allocated a long time, it is first led by Ryu I-deun. It is a decision that reflects our desire to show you as many stages as possible.

“Was it an exciting stage?”

“Yes-!”

To have that much volume without a microphone, they are truly proud fans.

“As expected, hearing you guys cheering on stage makes me feel like I’m really on stage. It’s exciting even for me.”

Chae Ha-min took over the microphone.

“That’s right! Dong-hwa hyung-nim [term of respect] is also at the idol factory, eup.”

I can’t let my guard down for even a moment, Jun. It’s a huge spoiler to say it before the teaser is even out.

Fortunately, I blocked Seok-jun’s mouth before he could finish speaking, but I couldn’t stop the fans, who were fully focused on all our words, from understanding.

“…It’s a secret. Please.”

Laughter flowed from various parts of the fan seats at my short words. It could be seen that the staff seats were also in a slight uproar. Seok-jun, whose mouth was still blocked by my hand, finally realized his mistake and became depressed.

“…Jun must have been greedy to let you guys know in advance.”

There is still a long way to go, so let’s finish with these words.

With the talk show starting in such a chaotic state, I don’t know if it will be able to finish well.

* * *

In the first week of music shows, I was called by team leader Jang Hae-jin to attend a meeting.

“Um, I called you because we got a guest casting offer?”

Team leader Jang Hae-jin, whose face looks haggard as if she’s been having a lot of work lately, said.

“…Alone?”

“Yes, alone. Ugh, but this is a bit… very unique and maybe a bit sensitive to Dong-hwa, so I’ll fully consider Dong-hwa’s opinion on whether or not to appear. However, Ha-min and I-deun have appeared on interview radios and video content this time, so it would be good for Dong-hwa to do one too.”

Perhaps because she was quite tired, honorifics in public mode and informal language in private mode were mixed to create a strange mix of honorifics and informal language. Wonderful.

Team leader Jang Hae-jin slowly hands out a plan. The phrase ‘Escape from Daily Life! Exit!’ is written on it.

“We got a casting offer here with your younger sister, Mok-hwa. Actually, it’s the result of me badgering PDs [producers] I know if there’s any place our kid can go, but I didn’t know it would be a condition to appear with my sister.” Jang Hae-jin sighs for a moment.

“Their agency did a reality show, and Mok-hwa had almost 0 screen time in the Parents’ Day episode. She has a decent position in the group, so the fans were a bit angry. Unlike us, they have a slightly stricter personal fan culture? But when you think about it, it couldn’t be helped because the adoptive parents couldn’t appear due to circumstances… and Dong-hwa is an idol, right?”

Um, as expected, every job has its pros and cons. I can’t appear on a reality show to boost my sister’s morale, I’m so bitter.

“After all, it’s very burdensome and a gamble for an idol from another company to appear on their idol’s reality show, right? The people at that agency have edited it out for now, but they’re dying of guilt. Perhaps the lobbying skills of a large agency were added to create this casting offer. Showing it on their own reality show is a bit much, but it’s not a big problem to appear with other group members on an external broadcast.”

I nod. Even though they are family, they are competitors in the business area of idols, and reality shows are made only for the group’s fans, so it would be a problem if a competitor appeared there.

“Anyway, consider that both of you are in the active period, so your schedules may be a bit tight, and then decide!”

Team leader Jang Hae-jin added a few more words and then left. I immediately called Mok-hwa.

—Hyung [older brother/male friend], did you hear?

“Unless your schedule is overly busy, wouldn’t it be good to go out?”

—Hyung, I’m a rookie, so I can’t afford to be picky. Are you okay with it, hyung? You’re super busy these days.

“Anything is possible with the opportunity cost of going out to play with you.”

Because no matter how much the cost is, the utility cannot follow [meaning the joy of spending time with her outweighs any cost].

—Oh, that’s a bit touching? You’re such a fool who can’t live without his sister!

…A fool, I’ve never heard that in my life. I’m not a genius, but I’m not a fool either, I’m in the normal range.

“I’m a fool, so let’s go out.”

—…Ugh, seriously, you’re all talk! Just wait, I’m going to suck your bones dry [meaning she’s going to take advantage of him].”