Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 47

47.

Thanks to Ryu Iden’s antics, I ended up delivering a ridiculous line.

“…I’m sorry, but could you please die?”

The members and fans cheered enthusiastically, but Ryu Iden was the only one doubled over with laughter.

…Ha, that guy. Now that he’s the leader, I can’t even poison him.

…But, is my way of speaking really that funny?

“Yes, well done. I heard Blossence has prepared something special for their next stage?”

“Yes! We’re going to show you two songs! One is ‘Our Hour,’ a track from our album!”

Ryu Iden said confidently, and Seokjun opened his mouth as scripted.

“And― the se―cond stage, we’re going to show you ‘You,’ a song Donghwa *hyung* [older brother/male friend] composed because he was bore―d.”

…Well, it’s true that I wrote it because I was bored, but isn’t that different from what the script says, Jun?

The original script should say, ‘A song Donghwa wrote to show to the fans.’

“…It’s not that I wrote it because I was bored, but primarily, it’s a song I wrote to show to the fans.”

For now… I should say it according to the script.

* * *

The moderately sized showcase hall was filled with cheers. It was like a scene where starving beasts were feasting, a strange heat pulsating through the air.

From the debut song stage, seen for the first time, to the members’ talent show and talk show, and even the cheerful dance song ‘Our Hour’ from the album, Blossence’s fans were satisfied.

Lee Hyunjae’s fan is new to idol fandom, but surprisingly, she adapted quickly and even came to the showcase. The final exam… she decided to think about it later.

‘So, Ji Donghwa made what they call a fan song?’

Lee Hyunjae’s fan was quite excited now.

Her friend, a veteran idol fan, said that the happiest time is when her *faves* [favorites] prepare something for the fans.

At first, she started her fan life looking only at Lee Hyunjae, but after going through the reality show, each of the members gradually started to catch her eye.

‘…A fan song, I’m a little excited.’

Lee Hyunjae is an idol who always expresses his gratitude, but receiving such feelings through a song would be different.

After finishing the B-side stage, the members pick up their microphones.

“Now, before we start in earnest, shall we take a moment to hear why this song came about?”

Ryu Iden carefully asks Ji Donghwa.

“I was inspired after appearing on ‘Detection.’ When I listened, the fans seemed to like ‘Detection,’ which we appeared on……”

…A fan song and ‘Detection’?

After a brief explanation, Seokjun and Ryu Iden bring out their guitars, while the remaining members sit around and put on glasses without lenses.

Then, the two guitars resonate, creating a landscape like a foggy London city. Lee Hyunjae is the first to open his mouth. The hook comes first.

I know who did it, The body in the alley

This clear evidence is pointing at you

But I didn’t say it, I didn’t want to believe it

Your pale hands are shining crimson

And the hook is repeated once. Ji Donghwa adds harmonies, enriching the sound.

A story is formed in the following verse.

‘I’ who discovers a person with a knife and a person collapsing in front of them in a dark alley, accidentally discovers it.

A bracelet shining on the hand holding the knife.

At the same time, the atmosphere of the song contains both gloom and sadness, and the sound of the guitar resonates rhythmically.

The pre-chorus flows out, and Ji Donghwa puts his mouth to the microphone.

My beloved, it’s not you, is it?

My beloved, it can’t be you, right?

My beloved, do whatever you want

My beloved, I’m closing my eyes

A story about a person who witnesses their beloved committing murder and struggles between guilt and love.

Shocked by the lyrics, Lee Hyunjae’s fan slowly opens her mouth.

‘…This isn’t a fan song!’

Looking back, he had never directly said it was a fan song.

She just assumed it was a fan song because the title was ‘You’ and it was prepared for the fans.

‘Besides, the song is good…….’

In fact, ‘You’ was briefly mentioned during the album meeting, but it was dropped because it didn’t fit the overall color of the album.

However, because the fans’ reaction to ‘Detection’ was significant, it was decided to release it at the fan showcase and then upload a rough recording to the official account.

‘…I guess I didn’t know idol culture very well. There are songs with lyrics like this.’

Although there is no direct mention, the lyrics subtly describe the psychology of a person who witnessed a murder.

…Amazing.

She murmured quietly.

* * *

‘…Well, the lyrics are just based on the basic framework from a novel I wrote a long time ago.’

After the showcase, I tried to make eye contact with each and every person who came to support us and bowed my head in greeting.

I heard the sound of a camera clicking in one place, so I turned my head and greeted them as well.

As I kept greeting, my back started to ache subtly.

‘…Still, these are people who took the time to come all the way here, so I should greet them as much as possible.’

As I continued to greet them, the other members also greeted them on stage.

Ryu Iden and Chae Hamin jumped and waved their hands, and Seokjun spoke softly into the microphone, telling them to have a good trip back. Lee Hyunjae came up to me and bowed his head with me.

Then, a slight laugh flowed from the fans, and they waved their hands together.

‘…How do I look to these people?’

According to research, like many broadcasters, idols are a profession that is established by the attention they receive from fans.

An idol with not a single fan is not an idol in terms of conceptual definition.

Just as the words perpetrator and victim necessarily require each other, just as Hegel evaluated the master and slave, a fan is a fan of ‘someone,’ and an idol is someone who is loved by ‘someone.’

I heard the staff telling me to come down and raised the microphone.

“…Lastly, thank you so much for coming.”

I bowed my head 90 degrees for the last time and came down from the stage.

* * *

The SNS [Social Networking Service] feeds of Blossence fans were filled with fan showcase reviews, or rather, tears.

―Why is Donghwa being polite so charming (collection of photos of Ji Donghwa bowing repeatedly at the end of the showcase)

└The vibe of Cheonghakdong [traditional Korean village] flows from my idol…

―I’m watching SNS reviews on my phone, listening to Blossence’s debut album on my earphones, and analyzing the music video frame by frame on my laptop. (Proof photo)

└A.True.Fan.

―I saw today’s showcase and couldn’t believe they really debuted, so I banged my head against the wall. (Image of ketchup on hand)

―This is the first time I’ve seen lyrics like this while stanning an idol… I was embarrassed but… I liked that you called me your beloved…

RT: Blossence Official Account “You” Rough Audio

└Doesn’t Donghwa seem a bit psycho when you see things like this? The lyrics are a bit chilling ㅠㅠ

└If you’re going to be an attention seeker, please go to your own timeline.

―Collection of anecdotes from the showcase talk show (omitted)

└Is it real that half of the anecdotes were remembered by Ji Donghwa?

└This isn’t very surprising because it’s Ji Donghwa doing Ji Donghwa. I feel like he’ll remember things from 10 years ago vividly.

└No, Ryu Iden lololololol he’s pathetic and cute… And what’s up with Ji Donghwa’s habit lololololol… Ha… He seems like an intellectual himself outside, but he’s pathetic at home…

The fans ran as hard as they could to digest the massive amount of content released at the fan showcase. Those who couldn’t go to the fan showcase scoured the feeds to make sure they didn’t miss any information.

And in the meantime, several retweets brought different news.

―TOT Junseong posted our kids’ album on his Insta [Instagram], so sweet ㅅㅂ [swear word, often used playfully] (Capture of Junseong posting that he’ll listen to it well)

―Wow, Gyeonhwon also posted it on his SNS (capture)

Those who filmed together on ‘Detection’ quickly posted promotional posts as if they hadn’t forgotten.

In particular, Sohui, who was rumored to be picky about music, received attention for her post praising the song as good.

Official.So_H

(‘Cloudy Blue’ playback screen)

A good song I’ve heard in a long time

A song I want to listen to while sitting on the beach, looking at the hazy horizon in the early dawn

#Sohwi #Blossence #Cloudy #Blue #NotKidding

Thanks to the promotion by the ‘Detection’ members, who had considerable experience in the broadcasting industry, and the unique background of their debut album, which had become a kind of meme on the Internet, more and more people were curious and listened to it.

And as a result, the song, which was released at 6 p.m., succeeded in entering the chart at 79th place.

* * *

“Wow! Donghwa! Iden *hyung*! Hyunjae! Juna! We’re 79th!”

Chae Hamin shouted loudly in the car returning to the dorm.

The manager flinched for a moment at the spirit and quietly focused on driving.

Indeed, a bill to prevent rabbits from suddenly accelerating is urgently needed [a humorous reference to sudden, unexpected events].

And the members all cheered, even though they were tired.

‘…Hmm, this seems like a somewhat meaningful statistic.’

I quietly thought while looking at the phone Seokjun handed me.

“Our Donghwa! Long live the cruel lord, really. He really picked a good song!”

“My grandma is right. The noble Ji Donghwa!”

…That damn cruelty.

“…It’s premature excitement.”

“I’m― excited about 79th place.”

Wow, that’s the worst pun I’ve ever heard.

Then Chae Hamin smiles brightly and says.

“Still, it feels good, Donghwa. I can see your lips are turned up.”

…It wouldn’t even show up in a photo, why is your brain only developed in this direction?

Ryu Iden mutters in amazement.

“Wow, Hamin is really good at reading expressions. I don’t know at all.”

Then Chae Hamin becomes even more arrogant and says.

“I’m a master at reading people’s expressions, *hyung*.”

While watching the scene silently, I see a text message coming to my phone.

…Who is it?

―*Hyung*!!!! Congratulations!!!! (Photo capturing ‘Cloudy Blue’ at 89th place)

…It’s Mokhwa.

I quickly picked up my phone and wrote a reply.

“It’s Mokhwa.”

“Look at how fast he’s replying. He doesn’t reply to us at all when we send messages.”

“I’m― sometimes sad.”

The members whispered among themselves, and at the same time, they talked so that I could hear them all. Is it a public secret?

―Mokhwa, thank you.

―*Hyung*!! By the time I debut, I’ll be a superstar! Can I sell you when I debut?!?!

…Ha, his speech is getting worse and worse.

―Yeah.

* * *

The next day, I got up at 5 a.m. to go to the salon for pre-recording for the music show stage, and then entered the broadcasting station.

…Ah, it’s cold.

Even though it was early summer, the cold air unique to the early morning was thickly laid out.

“…We have to record at this early hour and then wait until the live broadcast?”

“That’s right. The fans who are coming must be having a hard time now.”

…Wait a minute. The fans are coming?

“…We’re not just filming and leaving?”

“Yeah, we received audience applications… Haaam, and some people are coming.”

Oh my god, why? Is our stage really worth that much?

“Besides… I heard that the fans are sending us lunch boxes because they say we’re having a hard time this time.”

Well, wouldn’t it be more reasonable for them to buy *samgyetang* [ginseng chicken soup, a restorative dish] for themselves instead of giving us lunch boxes? What hardship are they going through at this early hour?

“…I have to do well on stage.”

I quietly muttered to myself.