Chapter 122: Rumors (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: Rumors (1)
The stage began with an elegant piano melody.
Lee Cheong-hyeon moved his hands in the air as if playing an invisible piano.
As the piano notes melted into the original track’s accompaniment, his movements transitioned naturally into the choreography.
“A wind-swept field,
A cozy sky,
I stand there,
Waiting for the stars to rise.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon didn't include a single line of rap in this performance. Instead, he participated as a vocalist.
He was always a decent singer, but he must have known that after practicing rap for so long, this could be a risk. Yet, the guy refused to budge.
When I told him he didn't need to abandon his strengths for the sake of perfection, Lee Cheong-hyeon replied:
‘I don’t want to be afraid of a challenge.’
The faint smile he wore then still lingered on his face now.
If his falsetto hadn't been smooth, I wouldn't have allowed it. I’ll let it slide just this once.
“You don’t know
How much time
Flows along the Milky Way.”
With a gesture of pushing up his glasses, Park Ju-woo also handled his part brilliantly.
“Why is the night sky
So dazzlingly bright?
The darkness shines
So beautifully.”
I draped my arm over his shoulder.
With my other hand, I mimicked a pair of binoculars against my eyes and looked up at the sky.
“So I have no choice
But to dive in
With a deep heart.”
Jeong Seong-bin stared endlessly into the dark audience with sparkling eyes.
The shimmering glitter on his cheeks contrasted with his low-saturation, vintage-style clothing, creating an even more mysterious atmosphere.
While performing the original song, the six of us put our heads together in contemplation and looked up at the sky as one.
And as the second verse came to a close...
A portion of the third movement of Piano Concerto No. 5—the music Lee Cheong-hyeon had personally selected—began to play.
The owner of this part was also Lee Cheong-hyeon.
While he had stepped back to the edge of the stage, he picked up a plastic light bulb he had prepared in advance.
The bulb, designed to open with just a light touch, burst from Lee Cheong-hyeon’s fingertips along with the sound of a switch.
Golden paper confetti, which had filled the bulb, scattered over Lee Cheong-hyeon’s face...
And the stage’s electronic displays and floor were covered in celestial bodies.
A multicolored Milky Way flowed between the white, shining stars.
It was the moment the star we had been searching for so desperately finally revealed itself.
The media art, which had devoured the budget of three entire stages, shone brilliantly. I had seen it several times during simulations, during the confirmation process, and even during rehearsals, but seeing it again was still a spectacle.
Amidst the pouring paper stars, Lee Cheong-hyeon smiled brightly.
That was the expression that made me decide to put Lee Cheong-hyeon in the center.
It was the same smile Lee Cheong-hyeon had worn when he finished this arrangement.
If that isn't joy, if that isn't ecstasy, then what is?
I don't know what he realized, but at least among the members of Spark right now, Lee Cheong-hyeon was the closest to an ‘enthusiastic scientist who discovered an unidentified planet.’
I only hoped that his joy would be conveyed to the audience as well.
Following that, the orchestral accompaniment, which hadn't been part of the original sequence, transitioned exquisitely.
It was time for the dance-like group choreography to begin, led by Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon.
‘I’m a bit cautious because I don’t know much about classical music.’
‘Hmm?’
‘But this song feels quite unique.’
That’s what I had said when I first heard the song Lee Cheong-hyeon chose.
And when Lee Cheong-hyeon asked why, I think I said this, despite my lack of expressive vocabulary:
‘It doesn’t feel like one instrument is the main focus; it feels like they’re conversing with each other. Especially the third movement.’
‘Right?’
What I wanted was splendor and elegance.
However, Lee Cheong-hyeon seemed to want to say something more.
‘That’s why I like this song.’
Lee Cheong-hyeon caressed the corner of the screen where the video was playing, as if he were handling something truly precious.
‘Because it feels like we’re all making the song together.’
I don't know if Lee Cheong-hyeon, who is now performing on stage with us, is feeling that past sense of unity again.
But I hoped he wouldn't regret it.
I sincerely hoped he would enjoy making music.
There were no upsets.
Spark took first place in the 2nd Competition as well. Parte followed closely behind in second.
The atmosphere inside UA was...
Well, needless to say, it was a festival.
The production team members, who had been ground down like millstones, even came to us and told us we did a great job.
Thanks to the overall increase in the quality of the stages, the voting this time was more intense than the previous competition. The gap in votes between the rankings wasn't large.
UA seemed proud that Spark had secured first place even in such an environment.
This would likely be the last first place Spark could achieve in Idol Dynasty Annals. The 4th Competition has a special format, and online voting will be factored into the final round.
Spark didn't have much of a chance in those two stages. Especially in the final round, where online voting would be introduced for the first and last time.
So, it was fine to let them enjoy it until now. I watched with pleasure as the Spark boys were showered with praise by the staff.
Between those guys and me, the System appeared.
+
[SYSTEM] A work directive from the ‘Person in Charge’ has arrived.
▶ Kim I-wol, standing out isn't everything in society.
+
The System’s words were much shorter than usual.
But it was eerie. That single sentence of just a few words was strangely unsettling.
My uneasy premonition was not wrong.
+
[SYSTEM] A ‘Violation of Internal Regulations’ is being notified to ‘Party B.’
.
.
.
▷ If actions significantly different from existing history are discovered, ‘Party B’ will be considered to have violated the Duty of Fairness.
▷ Depending on the extent to which ‘Party B’s’ actions have changed history, sanctions using ‘Party B’s’ environment are possible.
[SYSTEM] Sanctions due to ‘Violation of Internal Regulations’ are being notified to ‘Party B.’
▷ Content: Reputation Score report processing
▷ Reason: Appearance and performance in ‘Idol Dynasty Annals’
+
That night, my name began to plaster every online community.
Alongside dishonorable terms like "team hazing" and "corporate power tripping."
It seems every human has something called a Reputation Score. Like a star rating on Occupation Planet. That must be why the message about giving a good evaluation because of high attendance points appeared before.
And the System, like a business entity, seemed able to file reports against the reputation a human had built, putting reviews into a hidden state.
Up until now, I had never done anything to be criticized for. Therefore, my reputation shouldn't have been bad.
However, after that ‘Reputation Score report processing,’ just like a company’s review section where all the good feedback has vanished, only negative posts about me began to surface.
≫ Am I the only one who feels Kim I-wol is a bully?
1. Even during interviews, the kids look at I-wol and fix their posture (constantly walking on eggshells).
2. The composing member once said on a live stream that his progress is checked every time.
3. When giving points for the Self-PR stage on Idol Dynasty Annals, he was the only one who spoke up.
└ No. 1 lol. It’s not like I-wol was pressuring them; the kids just saw him and fixed themselves. Why drag I-wol into this?
└ Then how do you explain No. 3? lololol
└ Typical mindless stan: runs away when the truth comes out.
≫ But I’ve had a bad vibe since before the senior-disrespect controversy.
Maybe it’s because he’s the oldest and a producing member.
Even though Jeong Seong-bin is the actual leader, he uses his influence to manipulate the team atmosphere.
└ For real. You don’t know how fucking shitty it is unless you’ve experienced it.
└ He even checks Je-ho, who’s in the same oldest line lol. He’s been a total jerk to Je-ho on purpose, so I’ve disliked him for a long time.
≫ The members always say he’s the brother who nags the most.
But honestly, does he even have the skills to nag anyone? ㅠㅠ
I-wol, look at your fancam view counts...
└ The kids were actually sending out SOS signals.
└ Is the difference in fancam views that big?
└ They’re similar, but Kim Peps is always at the bottom.
└ Unless you’re a dance member or the center, don’t fancam views usually stay low?
└ No, it doesn't matter.
└ Fancams are for watching the dancing, so how does it not matter? lololol Are you a dumbass?
The reaction was disastrous. There was enough truth in it that even I was somewhat convinced.
That’s why I was trying to get out quickly, but the System really isn't helping me...
Still, it was okay when these were the only reactions. I had been prepared to hear some unpleasant things from the moment someone like me became an idol.
But this was only the beginning.
The situation worsened rapidly starting that night.
While I was brainstorming the lineup for the 3rd Competition—the position battle—as instructed by the Idol Dynasty Annals staff, the dorm phone rang, which was rare.
The person calling at 4:00 AM was the manager.
— I-wol, have you been looking at the internet? Public opinion is bad right now... I think you need to check it.
I told him I would check and get back to him, then hung up.
Social media was a literal dumpster fire.
≫ Within UA, K.G.Y.’s personality is already famous.
There’s been a lot of talk about him ignoring staff and doing whatever he wants, and it finally blew up.
I heard the CEO pushes him a lot.
└ I heard rumors that he had a lot of friction with the PD too.
└ Seeing how he debuted after only one year as a trainee, it’s obvious he’s being pushed.
≫ Why do you think he got a solo variety appearance before the center or the leader, you dumbasses?
It’s true he’s getting special treatment, and it’s a fact that your bias is being sidelined because he’s hogging all the push;; Please look at reality.
└ Every time I see stuff like this, my heart breaks for the other kids... It’s so upsetting that they’ve prepared much longer and have the skills, but they’re being discriminated against because of political scheming.
└ That’s what I’m saying ㅠㅠ My baby says he likes the members so much that I can’t say anything, but I wish he’d work while making sure he gets his fair share... ㅠㅠㅠ
From internal agency stories that were close to the truth to the actual solo variety show I filmed, adding flesh to the facts greatly increased the credibility of the hypotheses.
I shouldn't have gone on that solo drinking show just to raise my Self-PR score.
Wait, then Choi Je-ho should have gone instead, fuck...
I clutched my head and read a few more posts.
The controversy over my recklessness was a big problem, but the manager wouldn't have called at dawn for just this.
After digging for a few more minutes, I faced a type of issue I hadn't even considered.
≫ Fans praise Kim I-wol for his model student image.
But the funny part is that he acted like a total thug in school lol.
He was exempt from all group activities like field trips, and even though his rank wasn't high enough, he got a spot in the self-study room only for top students. There was a lot of talk about special treatment.
His family was well-off, so the teachers took great care of him.
He knew he was hot shit and had no manners at all, so he didn't even talk to his classmates.
+ Graduation album proof attached.
It was a controversy over special treatment, something I had never received in my life.