Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 128

128.

The flower boy scene heated up intensely after the broadcast of the drama ‘The Pomegranate Flower Will Bloom Again.’

[Dong-hwa’s Personal Best Cuts from This Drama]

(Ji Dong-hwa smiling in the ending scene.gif)

(Ji Dong-hwa loosening his tie in the ending scene.gif)

(Ji Dong-hwa’s close-up with eyes standing between reason and madness in the ending scene.gif)

Appeared for 8 minutes during the drama, called a rookie actor, Dong-hwa did Dong-hwa again.

Comments

―Ah ㅅㅂ I’m a Roomnut [fan of Room Service] and I’m crying, seriously…. Room Friends, let’s gather and shed a lot of tears, seriously…

―Considering that his usual character overlapped a lot, making it easy to act, isn’t it legendary for an idol?

―Getting compensated for the years of enduring with self-produced content after the year-end

―Ah Ji Dong-hwa, please be my tutor, I’m confident I can study just by looking at that face… maybe not, but I’ll do my best…

└I wonder how Hyun-jae feels right now… living in the same house as a genius from Korea University during his senior year of high school…?

└Wow, but Hyun-jae studying on W app last time… was so cute…

―I heard that Dong-hwa and Ha-min personally prepared the lines in the behind-the-scenes, isn’t that so cool, Roomnuts…

└No, isn’t there something seriously wrong here? Is it okay for a human to have so much setting [perfect backstory/circumstances]?

[Is Chae Ha-min an Actor?]

(Chae Ha-min making a subtle expression after a short conversation with Ji Dong-hwa, gif)

(Chae Ha-min slightly tearing up while looking at Ji Dong-hwa at the end, then walking away, gif)

All the other members acted well, but Chae Ha-min’s bitter, complicated expression, trying not to show it and trying to cheer up, personally got me so hard…

If you look at articles or other community reactions, it doesn’t seem bad

Comments

―Now, if they continue to be mentioned like this with activities… am I a fan of a top idol fandom…?

└Ah, but the comeback is a bit late for a rookie… It’s not that there are no crumbs [small bits of content], so I’m not too heartbroken, but I also want to see them on stage

└Honestly, looking at the reviews of the kids who became fans now, they say it’s hard to digest the crumbs… so I wish they would make a comeback, but I’m also worried about the kids’ health…

└The comeback cycle is very, very, very slightly long for a rookie

―Ha-min, please always wear a suit… your proportions are so good…

[What’s Good About Ha-min’s Acting]

First of all, according to his own words, he received a lot of acting classes at his previous agency. His vocalization is solid, his gaze is smooth, and he doesn’t miss his emotions when he’s alone. If you watch Dong-hwa and Ha-min practicing acting together, Ha-min seems to be constantly coaching Dong-hwa’s acting. Just ㅅㅂ good…. Ha-min, let’s go as a multi-talented entertainer! You can do anything, even if you’re not an actor!

Comments

―When Dong-hwa learns acting from Ha-min, he nods and listens and corrects with a serious look, which was new…? I was so turned on by Dong-hwa’s student moment…

└Chae Ha-min teaching Ji Dong-hwa… It’s a very precious scene, and I’m already satisfied enough that it’s been captured on camera

―I thought to myself that I pay my subscription fee to watch this.

[Did Nietzsche Entertainment Always Work This Well?]

To keep putting on broadcasts to this extent during their rookie days… The kids are good at it, but it doesn’t make sense if the agency doesn’t support them. I don’t know if they’ve always been this good at marketing

Comments

―I heard that the staff who were in charge of TOT [previous group under the agency] are in charge, so that must be why

└I’ve been digging Nietzsche since TOT, and they’re good at their job… The management of scandals is a bit so-so, so…

└I’d be a little sad if something suddenly happened to the flower boys too

―First of all, it’s certain that they received a lot of investment thanks to the success of TOT and the moderate success of The Next Ni. The album quality is great

The scenery of the fan community talking about Blossom’s drama appearance. Even in the midst of the abundant crumbs of self-produced content released by the agency, the members’ W apps, and other SNS, the desire for the ‘stage’ was slowly sprouting. It was a long hiatus for a rookie, and there were even sightings of members crowded on holidays or specific days.

[Sightings of Other Members Have All Come Out One by One]

Eden: Jogging at dawn

Ha-min: Found at a reptile store

Joon Hyun-jae: Movie theater

But why isn’t there any of Dong-hwa…? Dong-hwa… can’t you go out a little…? Get some sunlight… please… The fact that the W app is always conducted in the studio is really… unfortunate and… worrying

Comments

―Hyun-jae will probably search and tell him ㅇㅇ [yes yes]

└Ji Dong-hwa’s computer for authentication statistics

└Hyun-jae is gradually resembling Dong-hwa’s personality, which is so funny ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅌㅌㅋㅋㅋㅋ But if you look closely, the differences are heart-fluttering…

―I heard a rumor that Dong-hwa was seen at the Hoppin showcase venue before

└He says the studio is the most comfortable these days, he was sincere to his family…

└He enjoys the studio more than outside, he stood up for his family history…

―No, Ji Dong-hwa ㅋㅋㅌㅋㅌ A confirmed homebody and a confirmed I type [introvert] ㅋㅌㅋㅌㅋㅋ

└With that face… a homebody… heart-fluttering…

―We need to make a comeback to show Dong-hwa the sunlight for his health.

└I agree.

└That’s right.

└How right it is, worrying about Dong-hwa’s health.

Eventually, based on the fact that there were no sightings of Ji Dong-hwa, a claim emerged that it was right to make a comeback for Ji Dong-hwa’s health. It was inevitable that everything becomes a reason when you want something.

* * *

Our studio. Everyone is sitting on the sofa and looking at me. And I naturally made eye contact with Ryu Eden. No matter how much I lead the work, Ryu Eden is more proficient in these kinds of meetings than I am.

Receiving the signal, Ryu Eden naturally starts talking.

“What kind of concept would be good for our title song this time?”

Our company has come to respect our opinions entirely when it comes to song work. It’s thanks to picking good songs two times in a row, but it’s also terribly burdensome.

“But, Dong-hwa hyung [older brother/male friend] already has about 20 songs sleeping in his work files, right? Wouldn’t it be better to pick a good one from among them?”

The words themselves are right, but there’s an important blind spot. I shook my head at Lee Hyun-jae’s words.

“They’re all inferior, Hyun-jae. Can’t use them as activity songs.”

Then Lee Hyun-jae looks at me with deep eyes as if resigned and nods.

“Satisfying hyung’s standards… isn’t easy, is it.”

Unfortunately, it’s not that my standards are high, but that my skills are lacking, so the songs are inferior. At a level that’s too embarrassing to put out anywhere.

“First of all, I already did what I wanted to do in the last album.”

I need to block this first because there’s a tendency to be excessively swayed by my opinion. Although it was a song that highlighted Chae Ha-min, it’s okay because it’s what I wanted to do anyway.

“I― did something intense― last time, and something dreamy― too, so this time I want to do something exciting―.”

The dinosaur seems to want to be excited. Write a song expressing the feelings of a dinosaur eating while excited right before its extinction……. Damn it, I’ve been infected by the members.

“But if you think about it, Dong-hwa wrote Cliff and Boy, and also wrote a song considering Ha-min’s solo dance, so I think it would be good to use another member as the center.”

It’s reasonable. My head nods on its own. Seok-joon expressed his intention with the last dance before the dinosaur’s extinction, so I should listen to Lee Hyun-jae’s opinion.

Lee Hyun-jae, who received my gaze, looks at me and smiles.

“Actually, I also want to try something exciting like Joon hyung said. That feeling I had at the end of the survival show… I think it’s good.”

Um, an exciting song.

“A little more specific.”

“So…… a feeling of dancing excitedly even on top of a collapsing cliff? The last day of the survival show…… is remembered as that kind of feeling for me.”

Hyun-jae, I never taught you Korean like that. That’s the same as saying you want to discover the philosopher’s stone.

…Wait, isn’t this similar to what I thought of when I saw Seok-joon earlier? The plausibility is okay for a Yubi inference [reasoning based on limited information].

“……Is it the feeling of a dinosaur eating under a meteorite?”

I carefully restore the memory I discarded earlier.

“…Hyung, if you’re having a hard time, wouldn’t it be better to ask the team leader for some time off?”

“Yeah, Dong-hwa hyung. I thought you looked a little tired these days… to the point of saying such nonsense…….”

Ryu Eden looks into my eyes with a pitiful expression and shakes his head. Even Chae Ha-min and Seok-joon agree and look at me.

“…Is there any member who wants to see a big loss in part distribution?”

“Eden hyung, Dong-hwa hyung looks fine, why are you doing this?”

Lee Hyun-jae, who came to his senses at my polite advice, immediately throws a dagger at Ryu Eden. It’s the end of a ruling class that hasn’t seized hegemony.

“Hyung―nim [term of respect], I’m disappointed.”

“Hey! You guys were clearly just now!”

Even in the midst of such a commotion, Chae Ha-min, who seems to not care about the loss in part distribution, catches my eye as he still looks at me worriedly.

“…I’m okay, I’m telling you.”

“You know, I don’t believe you when you say you’re okay, Dong-hwa.”

I don’t know what my usual image was like that they’re so worried with just one word. Since I have a history, I have no choice but to accept it for now.

Ryu Eden changes the atmosphere and proceeds with the meeting again.

“I also think it’s good to do something exciting, but there are so many concepts for exciting things. There could be a party atmosphere… or it could be like a student after finishing an exam.”

That’s for sure. The rhythm composition itself that needs to be used changes depending on the atmosphere.

“Then, let’s think about it until tomorrow?”

When I say that, everyone nods. It’s already the third album preparation, and it feels like time is flowing faster as I get older. Mentally, I’m 30 years old, so time is truly new.

* * *

When I’m working, I often let the members listen. If I keep touching a song, I often lose objectivity at some point. So, when I try to think about what’s ‘exciting’ alone, I feel 막막 [stuck/helpless].

Dancing excitedly even while a cliff is collapsing……. At first, it was a sentence that was too specific, so I didn’t know what it meant, but now I think I have a sense of it to some extent. In the end, it means the portrait of someone smiling humbly in the face of a predetermined result.

It’s a fact that I can only say after Kim Hyun-jin debuted as a group called Hoppin, but I remember struggling to ignore the fact that someone would be eliminated and being excited. ……Um, I think I know more and more.

The subtle anxiety and precariousness that are subtly laid out even when you’re excited are points that are really difficult to express. I don’t know if that’s possible in idol music, where I have no choice but to consider popularity.

While tinkering with a few places like that, I finally realized. I’m much more comfortable when I have material to work with. Like the sea or a snake, I need to have a phrase that is the starting point of the song to be able to do satisfactory work.

I leaned back in my chair and rummaged through my head, listing things that would fit the concept of ‘exciting’ indiscriminately.

An exciting song, when was I excited, and when do humans get excited? More than that, what is the definition of ‘exciting’ in the first place?

While thinking about various things like that, after a short knock, the studio door opens and Chae Ha-min peeks his head through the gap. I always tell him he can just come in, but he always does that.

“Dong-hwa, can I come in for a moment?”

Holding a piece of paper tightly in his hand, I nod to Chae Ha-min, who is looking at me.

“I told you to just come in.”

“Hey, but it’s your studio.”

So what’s the purpose of coming, you rabbit. With that question in mind, I look at him and he holds the paper in his hand in front of my eyes.

“Please sign here, Dong-hwa.”

…A signature? He wouldn’t need my signature. Chae Ha-min isn’t a cunning person, so it wouldn’t be a legally binding document. I took the paper and confirmed that it was completely blank.

“Um, who are you giving it to?”

“My father…… told me to get it.”

Um, that’s a story that suddenly interests me, Ha-min.

“…Did you reconcile?”

“No, not that… My father seems to be enjoying the drama we appeared in a lot. He said he likes you the most out of everyone……. My mother called me. So I was wondering if I should give him a signature.”

Having an entertainer son isn’t so bad, is it, Father. Just the fact that this opportunity to talk to each other has opened up means that the goal I set has been met. If it’s Chae Ha-min, he can solve the story on his own from now on, right? He’s not that young.

“Ah! I have to do it for my mom too… If it’s okay, please do one more, Dong-hwa.”

I nodded and took the paper. It seems like the most joyful signature I can give besides the signature I give to fans.