Chapter 118: 1st Competition: Rising to the Top Department
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: 1st Competition: Rising to the Top Department
Before proceeding, Yur took the time to encourage each and every cast member who had worked so hard. It didn't feel like a scripted comment; his sincerity shone through, giving a glimpse into the depth of his character.
The announcement of the results that followed was equally crisp. There was no excessive flowery language or unnecessary stalling.
I wasn't sure if he was just relaxed because it wasn't a live broadcast, or if he was keeping his comments concise to give the production team more room to work their editing magic.
Oh, there was one surprise in the middle of it all.
Parte took 5th place. It was a shockingly low rank for such a grand performance, and many people were stunned.
However, there’s something to be said for the "live" feel of a stage.
There’s a reason people pay big money for concerts or go out of their way to be in a studio audience. Focusing solely on visual effects for the sake of the broadcast was a complacent choice. In a way, the result was only natural.
Whether it was because they were still young or simply hadn't expected it, a few of them couldn't keep their expressions under control.
Unless they were prepared to take a hit like we were, they really should have at least forced a smile. It was a pity.
The rankings continued to be announced one after another.
Log is 6th, Parte is 5th, Berion is 4th, All-over is 3rd…
With that, only two teams remained for the 1st place spot: Spark and Sticky.
The result would be exactly as I expected.
None of the other teams had delivered a performance that exceeded my imagination.
But these guys probably hadn't even considered the possibility.
To put it nicely, they were humble; to put it bluntly, they were terrible at gauging their own abilities.
"1st place goes to… Congratulations, Spark!"
"Waaaaagh!"
And that’s why they reacted like this.
With an unidentifiable roar, Lee Cheong-hyeon lunged at the members.
I helped Choi Je-ho steady the guys who were about to be toppled over, and only then did I catch their expressions.
Next to a dazed Kang Gi-yeon, Jeong Seong-bin and Park Ju-woo were wearing massive, beaming smiles.
Yur presented the "Top Scholar" prizes, pinning a Royal Examiner's Flower Badge onto each of their volleyball uniforms. It made for a bizarre overall look, but the boys loved it nonetheless.
I toyed with the crudely painted badge and thought to myself:
A win is a win, but I wonder if they’ll count this as a KPI achievement?
I patted the members' backs and glanced up at the air, but the System did not respond. Man, talk about stingy.
Coming out on top in the 1st Competition was certainly something to celebrate.
It was the first 1st-place finish under the name Spark. From their perspective, it was a moment of pure joy.
However, the good vibes didn't last long.
It was because Spark received the "blessing" of the editing in the second episode of Idol Dynasty Annals, which aired the very next day.
While the other cast members were shown enthusiastically cheering for each other's stages, we—who had watched the performances with serious focus—were slapped with the caption "A somewhat grave expression…" and officially assigned the Brazen Role.
On top of that, the show framed us as having the stance of "Everyone except Berion is a mess!" in the middle of a heartwarming atmosphere, causing the community boards to explode.
≫ (Data Warning) Guys, evaluate this objectively.
A. No stage decorations.
Kept the same concept as before.
All six members wearing the exact same outfit.
B. Built additional temporary sets for the stage.
Redid all the camera blocking in advance.
Gave each member different accent pieces to match their individuality.
Which stage do you think was better?
└ Obviously B, right?
└ B
└ Who evaluates a stage based on photos alone… and if you write it like that, of course the stage they spent more money on looks like the best one.
└ The point is that SPK did the exact same thing they always do, yet they said teams like B were worse than them.
└ Spark changed the lyrics, choreography, and the AR, what are you talking about? lol. What’s actually ridiculous is that Parte brought the same concept they always do, they just changed the clothes from uniforms to Rom-Fan style.
└ FR, Berion was the only one who actually changed their concept significantly. I get why SPK gave them an Up.
≫ Being an idol isn't just about being good at singing.
Some teams focus on vocals, while others focus on performance.
It hurts to see performance skills being so undervalued.
└ Your bias is so transparent lol. So, did Spark fail at dancing? Did they fail at rapping? lol.
└ A team that did raw live vocals while dancing vs. a team that just danced to a full AR track.
└ Spark wasn't on a full MR track either.
└ Can you seriously not tell the difference between back-vocals and AR?;;;
└ My point is that a group doesn't have to be good at live singing to be a good group.
└ ???? Am I the only one who doesn't understand this???
└ Some groups specialize in dance, so it's wrong to put them down just because they don't do live vocals.
└ Whatever; if you aren't going to sing, you should've gone on Dancing Stars instead of Idol Dynasty Annals. You're at the wrong address.
Since we had already agreed as a team to be honest with our reactions, it didn't really matter.
In fact…
≫ It’s not like Kim Peps said anything wrong.
Watching them all praise each other was honestly boring.
At least Spark’s live performance was memorable.
I don't remember a single thing about the other groups' stages.
└ I have to admit, even the groups that brought backup dancers didn't leave an impression… Maybe it’s because the Idol Dynasty Annals set is crappy, but it had less impact than a regular music show and no uniqueness.
└ It’s not about whether he’s right or wrong. The controversy right now is about their attitude.
└ There are still people who believe broadcast edits are 100% real? lol. Who acts like a total dick on TV these days? Use your heads, please.
≫ I thought SPK would obviously get 1st.
Why is the reaction like this??
When I watched it with my family, everyone said they were overwhelmingly the best.
└ People are complaining about the "Youth" concept again, but considering it was a Self-PR stage, it makes sense to do what they’re best at lol. I don't even get why this is a talking point.
└ Facts. And it wasn't even exactly the same… It felt like they were promoting themselves as rookie idols with a Youth concept. I’m surprised there are so many negative reactions.
There were plenty of reactions like these as well. It was thanks to the growing sentiment that "TV is just TV."
However, while Spark had only been getting flak from Parte fans after Episode 1, they were now being attacked from all sides. Especially me.
Those who had stayed neutral after Episode 1 shifted into drive mode immediately after Episode 2. I was getting hit by a full-speed emotional semi-truck.
The soft-hearted Spark members worried about me, but there was no need. Compared to the verbal abuse I’d eventually take from Department Head Nam in the future, this was nothing.
If anything, I was worried about the fans. I felt terrible for making them stressed on my account. That’s why I was practically begging them on the fan café every day not to pay too much attention to the internet's reaction.
And right now…
"Hyung, should I open the snack bags now?"
"Yeah. Otherwise, they won't eat them because they're afraid the sound will be picked up by the mics."
I was setting out refreshments with Kang Gi-yeon in preparation for the meeting room shoot.
This was because Idol Dynasty Annals had announced they would start filming the preparation process from this episode onward.
I had been wondering why they hadn't been filming the prep work. It would have been so much better if they’d started this from the 1st Competition.
I’m glad they’re doing it now, but I can't help but feel a bit of lingering regret. Our team will have to do a separate "Behind-the-Scenes" live stream later.
But first, we have to get through today's meeting.
"Seong-bin is leading the meeting today, right? It’s his official MC debut."
"He was checking the script all night last night."
"He’s already good at it, but he really is meticulous."
I say that, but I’m incredibly proud. Once again, I felt grateful for Jeong Seong-bin’s existence.
"Where’s Cheong-hyeon? He said he was bringing cushions."
"He went to the roof with Je-ho hyung to shake the dust off them."
"Are they wearing masks while they do it? You can shake dust off a cushion, but you can't shake it out of your vocal cords. Has everyone’s discipline slipped just because they aren't hitting the high notes this time?"
"I saw Ju-woo hyung taking care of them."
"Good."
Making guests sit on the floor is an unprecedented disaster for a businessman. But since they said they preferred it, the only thing I could do was try to create the most comfortable environment possible.
Indoor temperature: pleasant. Device connections: good. Meeting room cleanliness: pass.
And so, the preparations to welcome a large group of guests to a meeting room for the first time in UA history were complete.
The final filming location for Team 2 was UA.
Everyone was frazzled due to the suddenly added filming schedule.
They were all soaked in fatigue from notifying the various agencies and drafting additional work schedules.
Sometimes it felt like there was no place more conservative than the broadcast industry, yet at times like this, it was a wonder how anything ever made it to air.
At least the plush cushions were a comfort. After sitting on cold office floors for two consecutive sessions, the writers felt like their very bones were aching.
Kim I-wol, a member of Spark who was moving the remaining chairs and cushions out of the meeting room, looked at the writers and asked:
"Do you have enough to drink? Is there anything else we should clear out?"
In the back of the meeting room, cold drinks, snacks, and hot beverages had already been neatly arranged in order.
The area around the power outlets was also tidy. It had made setting up the lights incredibly easy.
When the writers politely declined, saying they didn't need anything else, Kim I-wol smiled and said, "Then please let us know if you need anything later."
The members are quite pure-hearted, unlike how they look, the writers thought.
Just a while ago, during a shoot with a certain team, a member had suddenly blurted out profanity, forcing the accompanying manager to ask the crew to contact them after finding an edit point.
And what about the team before that?
The writers had been frustrated internally by how no one dared to lead the conversation throughout the entire meeting.
It’s natural for rookie groups to walk on eggshells around their company, but it was also true that they came across as a group that only did what they were told.
In that sense, Spark was self-directed.
Some members had come all the way down to the building entrance upon hearing the production crew was arriving, while others, like I-wol, took diligent care of the staff.
Even the meeting room where the filming was to take place had been cleaned spotlessly.
It wasn't just about cleanliness. It meant there was nothing that would cause brand exposure issues or get in the way of camera angles.
The only things on the table were two laptops, six various diaries, and a few ballpoint pens. There was nothing the production crew had to step in and clear away.
It was a relief that the prep time for the already grueling final shoot was being cut down. Team 2 massaged their tired eyes and found a second wind.
And as soon as the filming began, they rubbed those same eyes and stared at the brightly glowing screen.