Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 178

―It’s a bit disappointing that it ended after the Vlossom activities… but I guess it’s good that it didn’t completely overlap…

―So, who gave you the title track this time? D.O.N.E [a fictional entertainment company], seriously, why aren’t they scouting talents like that? Blue Jack is coming out this time, so tell them to take care of our hyungs’ [older brothers or male seniors in Korean] songs too.
―Fan Theory) The probability of D.O.N.E coming up with this kind of concept is too low, so the composer’s opinion must have been significant.

[Did you guys see Jinhan’s W app? [likely referring to a social media platform]]

There’s a story about the composer being incredibly kind and nice, can we take this as a positive sign?

Comments:

―Our leader is so innocent, so it’s highly likely that he’s just saying the person is genuinely nice…?

―For real… Jinhan is too kind to hide any intentions in his words ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ [Korean emoticon representing crying]

[This Hopin’s hidden key player who’s been the talk of the town.jpg]

(A photo where the image file is corrupted, leaving only a checkered pattern)

Sinclair.

Comments:

―Ah… PTSD like this… feels like I just lost all my work….

―But it’s so fascinating, lololol [laughing sound]. How much resentment do we have towards composers that the composer is being mentioned like this, lololololol. And here, the team leader of Planning Team 3 at D.O.N.E Entertainment nodded, seeing those reactions.

“That’s right, that’s right.”

In fact, even he doesn’t know who it is. The A&R [Artists and Repertoire] team leader said they were introduced to a good composer, and he was surprised that they brought in a rookie, and even more surprised that the song felt like a title track no matter how many times he listened to it.

“Ah, if we could only bring in someone like that, I’d ask for a huge raise and squeeze songs out of them……”

No, why not? As a team leader who’s very fond of the Hopin kids, considering the past when he swore at the initial state of the song, he feels a sense of duty to step up, get on his knees, and bring them in.

“We made such a fuss about writing overseas songs… those higher-ups, really……”

But now, the story is different! Here, we have someone who can capture the essence of K-pop while composing domestically and even analyze the kids’ characteristics!

‘I need to report this to the higher-ups quickly and bring them in!’

…His dream was shattered miserably. The composer named Sinclair sent a short reply that was too firm: ‘I have no intention of signing a contract at all.’

* * *

As the ‘Time Waiting for You’ activities ended, I spent a very leisurely life―of course, with radio shows, W app, events, etc.―and spent many days locked up in my studio.

Then, strangely enough, I received an email from D.O.N.E Entertainment.

What on earth are these people doing? Is reducing the competition like this the way big companies operate? Logically, who would respond to this? Even though I didn’t use my real name, they must have known it was me.

Hmm, I’m tired, should I take a break?

Click, click. While surfing the internet, I suddenly came across a post titled ‘Summary of Vlossom Universe Plot.’

‘…I’m curious.’

How did other people interpret it? I wondered how similar it would be to what Lee Hyunjae and I did for fun during tutoring sessions.

In my estimation, Lee Hyunjae seemed like a mental patient, and I felt like a psychiatrist.

It feels like a long time ago, but everything started when Lee Hyunjae closed his eyes during ‘Cloudy Blue.’ Moreover, the background and era changed every time I composed. In ‘Heung,’ it was suddenly Joseon [Korean Dynasty from 1392 to 1897], and this time, the music video was set in a place that looked like medieval Western Europe.

To weave that into a rational narrative, it would be best to see it as a world of fantasy or delusion. Lee Hyunjae wouldn’t be some kind of god.

If that’s the case, it’s quite plausible to assume that Lee Hyunjae is trapped in his own fantasy, and I’m trying to get him out of there.

Unlike the other members who are always smiling, I always received guidance and encouragement like ‘No expression!’, ‘Sadness!’ when I went to the filming set. That means I’m the one who knows something different in that space.

So, it’s better to see that I’m aware of Lee Hyunjae’s fantasy or delusion.

But I still don’t understand why there was a scene of someone collapsing in this teaser. Did I kill them? Or did Lee Hyunjae kill them? I don’t know, really.

So, let’s check it out now. How did they interpret it?

Knock, knock.

Oh, I’ll have to look at it later.

“Hyung [older brother or male senior], can I come in?”

“You don’t have to knock.”

Squeak, Lee Hyunjae peeked his head in.

“Still, there’s such a thing as manners.”

That’s right. Tell Chae Hamin to keep it a little too.

“Ah……. You’re surprisingly busy.”

“So, your goal hasn’t changed?”

“I’m tasting the bitterness of reality. I don’t think it’s going to work.”

That means his goal hasn’t changed. Lee Hyunjae’s determination to study while working as an idol is amazing from the start.

“They say it’s a win if you aim for Korea University and go lower.”

That’s also true. The idol profession is one of the few professions in Korea where academic background is significantly less important.

Being seriously stupid can get you a barrage of public criticism, but moderate stupidity can even be an element of cuteness.

“So, Chae Hamin……”

“What about Hamin hyung [older brother or male senior]?”

“Never mind.”

I took a sip of coffee. Lee Hyunjae lay down on the sofa in a comfortable position.

Recently, he’s been showing a crazy will to keep studying amidst his constant busy schedule. He’s a crazy younger brother who’s putting himself out there, doing his best at his main job, because he’s afraid that someone might say it’s meaningless and tell him to focus on his main job.

I don’t know why everyone is working so hard abnormally. According to the law of bees, about a quarter of them should be lazy to be normal.

“So, it’s a little over a month left now, are you okay?”

“Yes, I think I’ll be okay……. Well, I won’t die. Just seeing that hyung [older brother or male senior] is still alive and talking to me even after working like that, there won’t be any big problems.”

“…What about other people’s opinions?”

I want to ask this question a little more carefully, but I don’t know how.

“Um, you know what……. Is it because the college entrance exam is just around the corner? I’m studying even while walking these days, you know?”

Lee Hyunjae leaned back on the sofa as if he was a little drowsy and smiled.

“So, I don’t know if other people are watching.”

Then he lay down completely on the sofa and closed his eyes. It feels like watching a fox who has eaten its fill and is yawning with satisfaction.

“…Maybe, I want to be like hyung [older brother or male senior].”

Yawn.

“So, I want to go to college…….”

The end of the sentence gradually trailed off.

“So… I want to live without worrying about what other people think, just with self-confidence and self-doubt…….”

Then Lee Hyunjae soon fell asleep. What, cute. Is it because he’s the most like a younger brother among the members?

I felt a little overwhelmed. Mokwha is a cute younger brother, but he’s not the type to want to be like me.

Maybe it’s because I inherited my mother’s pessimism, but my younger brother inherited my father’s optimism―he was an optimistic person even though the title of his book was a ruined life.

Since our goals are different, even if we rely on each other, we don’t seem to have any intention of being alike.

Hmm. Hearing someone say they want to be like me to my face is a little, a lot, embarrassing.

I looked at the hot pink knitted scarf, the black base with white patterned hat and gloves that I had piled up in one corner of my personal drawer.

Anyway, I hope he does well on the exam. The result is more important than the process. The meaning of the process will change depending on how the result turns out, so I hope the result is as good as expected. At least, a result that he won’t regret.

“Donghwa!”

What is it, Hamin. Please be more like our Hyunjae.

“Shh.”

Chae Hamin, seeing a fox sleeping soundly, lowered his voice like a rabbit cowering in front of a predator.

“Lee-deun hyung [older brother or male senior] told me to tell you to come to the conference room for a while.”

“Send a text.”

“You don’t look at your phone when you go into the studio, Donghwa……”

That’s true.

“You need to develop a habit of looking at your phone. Otherwise, I feel like I’m going to die of frustration.”

“…I’ll try.”

Of course, it’s a lie. My conscience hurts, but it’s a utilitarianly correct act because it has the effect of making Chae Hamin feel better.

* * *

“You came.”

“Yeah.”

Ryu Lee-deun shook four bundles of papers that appeared to be synopses. Ah, I already feel like it’s going to be a hassle.

“You know, I have no idea what will be a hit, and I only know who the main characters are in three out of five.”

Then Ryu Lee-deun winked. Oh, what kind of intention is that action? If it means you don’t want to open your eyes again, I can help you now.

“Give me your opinion.”

“…Hyung [older brother or male senior], do you have more lives than other people?”

“Hehehe, the reaction is good, so I can’t quit.”

“What about the members’ opinions?”

“I want to filter out what to filter out before that. It’s hard to say anything when you have all the kids there.”

I sat on the opposite side and handed over a piece of paper that I had prepared in advance.

“List of dramas that will be a hit this time.”

“Oh, as expected. The easiest person in the world. The entertainment industry starts with Ji Donghwa.”

Ryu Lee-deun quickly glanced through the paper while receiving it, and his mouth moved quickly.

“There’s one problem.”

The point that you’re being too cute.

“There are two that came as tentative titles, so I don’t know which one will be a hit and which one will fail. Looking at this time, it says that only one of the dramas in the same time slot is a collection of sane actors, but I don’t know what it is.”

Oh dear. I frowned.

“Um, don’t we have to decide this within this week?”

“Yeah.”

“You wrote down the main characters below, right?”

“There’s a reason why it’s still a tentative title. Casting in progress.”

“Annoying.”

Ryu Lee-deun smiled while holding the paper. What are you smiling about? There’s a 50/50 chance that our OST [Original Soundtrack] will be buried or that we’ll be involved with a controversial person.

“Hey, what does it matter? Just pick one.”

What nonsense.

“Originally, what we’ve been doing so far was absurd. We used future knowledge, right? Just raising it from one-fifth to half is already amazing. And just go out as a cameo and act politely and don’t get close to them privately. If there’s a problem with the OST’s success… um, let’s just accept it because that’s life.”

My brows and lips reflexively pouted. The situation is different from when we chose the script before. One of the two scripts will have a problematic person.

“It’s too low to bet on 50/50.”

“No, you’re saying it’s half?”

What kind of argument is this, like the amount of water left in a glass.

“What’s the fun if life is certain? Betting on probability is the real life.”

Ah, this is where an insurmountable difference in perspective arises. In my opinion, the fun of life comes from making decisions with one’s own will, not from the anxiety that comes from uncertainty.

“Wait one more day. I’ll try to raise it.”

I declared challengingly. There are many reasons why we have to succeed to be satisfied with 50/50. I also made a threat, so we have to work hard so that the name Vlossom is not embarrassing for the rest of our lives.

“I heard that they are preparing a new musical.”

Hwayang elegantly held up her glass, took a sip, and smiled.