Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 8

I’m going to kill Ryu Eden.

I finally made up my mind after seeing Ryu Eden subtly suggesting I go to the gym with him this evening, even though he clearly said he wouldn’t pressure me after our one time together.

Killing humans isn’t something a civilized person should do, but Ryu Eden isn’t human; he’s a machine, so it doesn’t count.

I should persuade Chae Hamin to join me in killing him since he let me sleep at his place.

“Eden, I’m seriously plotting your murder right now.”

I shouted, burying my face in the blanket, trying to fall asleep.

“I think I could survive even if you stabbed me with a knife?”

…Is that even human?

“…Chae Hamin will join too.”

The moment I said his name, Chae Hamin reacted and shot up from the bed. Then, in a drowsy voice still heavy with sleep, even though it was still evening, he said,

“Dong-hwa, why did you call me?”

I looked at Chae Hamin and thought.

‘I wish everyone would just disappear.’

* * *

As I entered the stage rehearsal hall, the set design came into view. A small set in a rented small theater with five seats for the judges in front of the stage.

…To be honest, it feels strange.

I know it in my head. This stage isn’t for ‘me,’ so it’s not that important to me. This isn’t the realization of my dream, but the beginning of ‘my’ dream.

Even so, it was hard to deny the tension and slight excitement in my heart.

Yes, just like the lyrics I sang in the introduction video last time, there was tension and excitement in my heart about entering a completely new world.

How bizarre.

From the age of nine until middle school, I was too busy planning how to survive, and when I was in high school, I was just friendless and terribly busy studying. I needed the scholarship.

In college, I focused on my grades, and I only joined academic study groups without any socializing.

I read books whenever I had free time, and then I found writing fun, so I wrote and became a novelist.

In other words, my life had never been connected to a world like singing or dancing. Especially not idol songs.

But just the fact that I’m standing on a real stage for the first time makes me feel nervous and excited. How bizarre.

“What are you thinking about?”

Chae Hamin approached me as I stared blankly at the stage set.

“…Tomorrow’s stage.”

Chae Hamin looked at me carefully and then squeezed my shoulder.

“Dong-hwa, can I talk to you about something?”

I turned my gaze from the stage and looked at Chae Hamin. With my silent consent, Chae Hamin took a deep breath and said,

“My grandma… she tells fortunes, you know?”

Oh, sudden superstition. I can’t really say anything since it’s his grandma.

“…And?”

“Yesterday, she suddenly called me. So I was wondering what was up, but she said my mom asked her to look at my fortune.”

Please get to the point quickly.

“She said a benefactor will appear at the beginning of this year, and if I hold onto them, I’ll succeed, but if I don’t, I won’t be able to achieve what I want.”

Wow, seriously, if this is the direction the story is going…….

“Could that benefactor be you?”

I almost cursed out loud.

“…What nonsense are you talking about, Hamin.”

“No, but isn’t it true? I started getting close to you at the beginning of this year, and I decided to leave my previous company after meeting you. If it weren’t for you, I probably would have stayed until the end because of my uncle.”

Oh, it has some logical consistency. Except for the fact that the premise, fortune-telling, is illogical.

“Does it make sense that I’m a benefactor, Hamin?”

“No, my grandma is famous for being accurate!”

So Chae Hamin and I started arguing about whether or not I was a benefactor.

Then, I suddenly noticed a camera filming us, and I stopped. Chae Hamin followed my gaze and opened his mouth.

“This person is my benefactor!”

Ugh… how humiliating.

“That… could that be uploaded to YouTube as behind-the-scenes footage?”

“Yes, everyone who supports us will know that you’re my benefactor!”

People are going to hear this stupid conversation. People are going to see me seriously arguing with this idiot.

…It’s okay. This survival show probably won’t be that popular anyway. It’s being produced by a mid-sized agency and broadcast on cable, so I’ll be able to go back to school even if I get eliminated.

And then, a trainee starts running out anxiously beside us.

“Oh, it’s Hyun-jae. He’s been running off somewhere frequently these days.”

…Um, Lee Hyun-jae, was it? He resembles a fox. Dog, rabbit, next is a fox, it’s like an animal farm.

* * *

An anonymous idol community. It was buzzing quite a bit.

Most of the major idol groups were in their off-season, so there weren’t many juicy topics to chew on. Then, Nietzsche Entertainment’s debut survival show, which had been boosting the idol business, was revealed.

[Hey, did you guys see this]

(Nietzsche Entertainment Debut Survival Showcase Video)

Just imagining TOT as a judge makes me excited AF [as f*ck]

Comments

―Another survival show? Seriously?

―ikr [I know, right]… Why do they keep doing it when it’s painful for the fans?

―Does TOT even have the experience to be a judge?

―How many years has your fave [favorite] been around… ^^?

―Attention seeker~

―Oh, the third kid there is kinda cute

―The program name is real? LOLOL It’s so bad LOLOL

At first, the fans of the celebrities appearing as judges on the program mainly reacted, but as member introduction videos started being released one by one two weeks before the broadcast, reactions to the members gradually began to appear.

[The dance of The Next Ni trainee makes my heart swell]

(Chae Hamin Member Introduction Video)

They told him to dance, but he’s hitting my heart

Comments

―His dance lines are amazing… His facial expressions are amazing… His face is amazing…

―Just thinking about seeing Chae Hamin as the center in a group dance makes my mouth water…

―What’s with all the ‘kkkktttkkk’ [Korean laughter sounds, similar to ‘lololol’] when they haven’t even debuted yet?

―Doesn’t Hamin look like a bunny?

―22222 [agreement]

―3333333 [agreement]

―4444 His face has delicate features, looks innocent, but also has a subtle sexy vibe.

―Hamin… If I wrote down exactly how I feel right now, I’d probably end up in Cheongju Women’s Prison, so I’m holding back a lot… Aren’t I pretty gentle?

―kkkktttkktkkkk This crazy bastard, seriously.

[The Next Ni’s One and Only Composition Genius]

(Ji Donghwa Member Introduction Video)

Composition genius, my ass. All I could see was his ears turning bright red when he told Chae Hamin to get lost at the very end……

Comments

―About to faint from his cold face melting into a smile, about to faint from his composing skills, but then I saw his ears turning red and I died from happiness.

―What? Seriously, I can’t listen to this good stuff unless I pay? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’m so pissedㅋㅋㅋ Donghwa, tell me your account number right nowㅋㅋㅋㅋ

―Ears… Ears… Ears… Ears… I just want to touch those red ears once… (licks lips)

―PPT [presentation] done~

―Why are you licking your lipsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

―His face makes that cheesy stuff work ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅌㅋ

―ikr [I know, right], at first I was a bit iffy, but after seeing him smile, I was like, “I’ll take your hope!” and went wild.

[The Next Ni’s Top Physical Specimen]

(Ryu Ideun Member Introduction Video)

…….

Although it was just a handful, people who were charmed by each member’s introduction video started writing posts promoting them.

Among them, Ji Donghwa’s introduction video became a minor trending topic.

The broadcasting station edited the video to include the part where he yells at Chae Hamin and Ryu Ideun at the end, and as expected, the contrast with the serious video in the beginning drew attention.

―Ji Donghwa’s name is so romantic…

―Ji Donghwa’s smile has reprogrammed my memories. (Ji Donghwa holding flowers and smiling in the introduction video.gif)

―I remember… The senior [older student] who picked up the paper I was carrying in high school and smiled… I thought he’d be cold, but he was warm to me…

―But he’s shy, so he’s fun to tease once you get close… You’ve been doing well… Donghwa senior… (Ji Donghwa’s ears turning red while yelling.gif)

―Is it real that I’m already looking forward to Ji Donghwa and Chae Hamin’s relationship [shipping them]?

―Don’t leave out Ideun~ (Ryu Ideun’s shoulders photoshopped with the Great Wall of China.jpg)

―The combination of puppy-like, bunny-like, and cat-like faces is crazy (Ji Donghwa, Chae Hamin, Ryu Ideun split into thirds.jpg)

Then, some people started pushing Ji Donghwa, Chae Hamin, and Ryu Ideun together, who were mentioned at the end of Ji Donghwa’s video, but their movement was still weaker than those who pushed individual members.

* * *

Team Leader Jang Haejin is receiving a report on ‘The Next Nietzsche’ in the conference room.

“To summarize… Ji Donghwa’s introduction video is getting the best response?”

“That’s right, Team Leader.”

“Where did we find such a treasure trove…….”

“By the way, what about predicting the team composition?”

Even though it’s a survival show, it’s easier to continue activities quickly if we predict the team composition to some extent.

“Let’s scrap what we’ve already done for now. We can’t be sure how much star quality the two new friends who came in have.”

“Then, since this survival show has a total of 8 episodes, should we start predicting and setting the concept by episode 4?”

“Well, by then, we’ll roughly know who will make it, at least two of them. Let’s fix the schedule like that…….”

Team Leader Jang Haejin organized the documents and looked around.

“Tomorrow is the first performance stage filming, right?”

“Yes. If we had known the reaction would be this good, we would have taken some audience.”

Jang Haejin nodded roughly and finished the meeting. Showing the trainees being friendly with each other while also being serious about the competition, that’s the goal of this ‘The Next Ni’ broadcast. So, it’s time to instill a sense of competition in the trainees.

* * *

While everyone was rotting in the practice room even after the rehearsal, Jang Haejin suddenly came and gathered the trainees, and started saying things everyone already knew.

“Do you remember that I told you that the first broadcast stage will be released on YouTube after the broadcast, and that the number of views will be converted into additional points in the second competition, everyone?”

…If they didn’t remember that, would they be humans with normally functioning brains?

“And you also remember that we’ll be gathering fans on-site and including their votes in the score during the second competition, right?”

No, why is the introduction so long.

“Lastly, you also know that the bottom two will be eliminated in that second competition, right?”

Ah, stop it now.

However, it seems I’m the only one who finds it annoying to repeat things, as everyone else’s expression became serious.

“The internet reaction isn’t bad right now. If you make a good impression in the introduction video and the first stage, you’ll likely maintain a good ranking.”

Obvious.

“And right now, the trainee with the best internet reaction is Ji Donghwa, followed by Ryu Ideun.”

…Not obvious.

What, I was aiming for a smooth first elimination. How did they film these guys’ introduction videos?!

“The rest of you should try a little harder.”

Ah, a speech to give passion. However, the big problem is that it’s okay to mention Ryu Ideun, but mentioning me might… instill some resentment.

Look at that, one of those young kids from before is already glaring at me with fierce eyes.

Team Leader Jang Haejin, satisfied with the subtly quieted practice room atmosphere, left after saying a few more words of encouragement, but a slightly cold atmosphere continued.

In the midst of all this, Chae Hamin, oblivious, came up to me and congratulated me. I calmed my almost dazed mind, took a deep breath, and got up to go to the bathroom.

‘Damn it, what should I do.’

It seems the other kids didn’t get as much attention as expected. I didn’t think people would react to someone like me, but if I can’t get eliminated early, it could cause problems in continuing my daily life as a normal person.

‘I have no choice.’

Let’s change the lyrics. Let’s change them to lyrics that will make people lose interest.

Of course, I’m doing my best.

I’m doing my best to fill it with only the things I like.

Anyway, writing lyrics is up to me, right?

I lowered the lid of the toilet seat in the bathroom and sat down, came up with lyrics, and quickly went to the A&R [Artists and Repertoire] room to hand over the changed lyrics.

The A&R team employee roughly read the lyrics and was taken aback, then gave me a look asking if I was really okay with this, but I nodded firmly.

“Are you really okay with changing the lyrics like this the day before?”

I nodded firmly once again.

* * *

And the next day, the day of the first performance stage dawned.