Chapter 130: 3rd Competition: Wrapping Up the Event
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 130: 3rd Competition: Wrapping Up the Event
The position stage ended in a resounding success.
Everything was great, right down to the warm, friendly greetings we exchanged with the Berion members before heading back.
But then, what do you know? As soon as I stepped into the waiting room, Park Ju-woo refused to even look me in the eye.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m seriously disappointed in you…”
Park Ju-woo finally dropped a bombshell that left me stunned.
As expected, was my vocal performance not enough to satisfy the great Master Singer Park Ju-woo, the world’s finest?
Did he want to go as a five-member group from now on rather than be in a team with a sub-vocal like me…?
“How could you sing a New World song and not include me?”
“Huh?”
“You said we’d start a band together… I love that song too…”
I forgot. This guy was a total rock fanatic.
But this was unfair. This song was just a band song; it didn’t even have that much of a rock style.
However, I didn’t rush to make excuses.
Park Ju-woo’s expression looked genuinely sorrowful…
“I only needed to convince Je-ho hyung, and we could have formed a six-member band…”
“Wait, what about the others?”
“I already talked to them. They all said they’d do it…”
To think the team’s main vocal was carrying out such shady maneuvering behind the scenes. I was shocked.
More than that, you were planning to convince Choi Je-ho? I applaud your guts.
Because Park Ju-woo was making a face like a melted marshmallow, I had to break a sweat trying to soothe him.
A guy like Lee Cheong-hyeon would snap out of it immediately if I said, ‘Cheong-hyeon! Your talent shines as bright as your face!’ but Ju-woo wasn’t the type to get sulky often, which made this harder. Lord, give me strength.
Fortunately, Han Ga-un from Parte showed off some incredible high notes, and Ju-woo’s attention finally drifted elsewhere for a moment.
“Ga-un sunbaenim is a really good singer.”
Jeong Seong-bin marveled from beside me.
He hadn’t stood out much before because he was buried among the other Parte guys, but Han Ga-un was a legitimate main vocal. One hand-picked and strictly vetted by a major agency, at that.
Imagine how excited a person like that would be to encounter a talent show stage. He was like a fish in water.
The audience seemed to agree with us, as Han Ga-un’s team took 1st place in the vocal position competition. Berion and I took 2nd.
Choi Je-ho’s unit took 3rd among the dance units. He, however, seemed just happy that the competition was over.
And Lee Cheong-hyeon…
“Thanks for believing in me, my members!”
…He took 1st place by an overwhelming margin of votes.
You’re working hard on behalf of your incompetent hyungs. Keep up the hard work.
To celebrate the end of the 3rd Competition, we decided to watch this week’s Idol Dynasty Annals live.
I wanted to tell them to use that time to practice instead, but since the suggestion came from Lee Cheong-hyeon, who had just snatched 1st place, I couldn’t just brush it off.
It also happened to be the episode featuring Spark’s 2nd Competition stage.
And so, we huddled together around a laptop set up on a chair in the practice room.
“…Wouldn’t it be better to just go to the dorm and watch it on TV?”
“We’re going to practice after watching it anyway.”
“We can just come back. The dorm is close.”
“I’d rather work overtime than walk the commute twice.”
I gave Choi Je-ho a piece of my mind—he clearly didn't understand the misery of someone returning to the office after having already left.
“Gasp, only five minutes left!”
“Don’t worry. There’ll be about seven minutes of commercials even after it starts.”
I calmly soothed Lee Cheong-hyeon and focused on the real-time chat on my spare phone.
Compared to when we monitored Episode 1, the speed at which new chats were appearing was incomparable.
“Hyung, we have Coke Zero and ion drinks. What do you want to drink?”
“Me? Water.”
“Lukewarm?”
“That’d be great.”
A moment later, just as Kang Gi-yeon brought over the lukewarm water, the broadcast began.
The meeting scenes and stages of the other groups who performed before us were shown in turns.
As they watched, the expressions of the Spark members gradually turned subtle.
“…Hyung.”
Park Ju-woo, who was sipping lukewarm milk right next to me, called out.
“What?”
“Don’t you think our team is going to look really weird…?”
“It’s not that I think so; I’m willing to bet the password to our team’s shared drive that we’re going to look incredibly weird.”
“Hey, do you know how important that is? How can you bet it so recklessly?”
When is the next UA mandatory legal training? I feel like Choi Je-ho needs to take the cyber security lecture as soon as it’s available.
“Our team was doomed the moment we even had a shared drive password.”
Kang Gi-yeon muttered from a distance. Dammit, you’re added to the cyber security training list too.
Just as I was about to ask the manager to add Spark to the training completion list, the stage for Log, the fifth group, came to an end.
≫ Please give Log lots of love ♥
≫ You guys did so well ㅠㅠㅠ
≫ How long has it been since the broadcast started?
≫ The overall stage quality seems better than the 1st Competition.
The chat window was buzzing with excitement.
At this rate, the viewership ratings should be pretty good. The production team must be proud.
“Is it just us left now?”
“Yes. But the timing is awkward, so it’ll probably come on after the commercials, right?”
Jeong Seong-bin answered after checking the time.
It would be nice if the editing cut off at an interesting point. Like right before the stage starts, or when an interview targeting a rival team comes out.
Of all things, why did the commercials have to come on right before a boring idea meeting? Everyone’s going to change the channel before the ads are over.
I vented my frustrations internally while gulping down the water in my mug.
But as they say, things in life rarely go as planned.
『Today’s agenda, as shared beforehand, is ‘Item Planning for the Idol Dynasty Annals 2nd Competition.’ I assume everyone has checked the notice?』
Following a shot of a neatly dressed Jeong Seong-bin starting the meeting in a perfectly normal manner, a cut of the whispering writers appeared with the caption ‘The Whispering Production Staff.’
≫ ?
≫ Manager?
≫ What’s an agenda?
The chat window was filled with question marks. Looking to my side, I saw Jeong Seong-bin downing an ion drink with an expression of total resignation.
Before I could even process the situation, the screen cut to a commercial.
It was an ad featuring the MC, Yur, sitting in a high-end, grey-toned studio on an expensive-looking armchair, wearing a stylish headset.
『The best way to listen to the best music, Hallenka.』
MYTH must have a lot of money. This slot must have been expensive.
‘Did Spark start filming commercials from their third year?’
Choi Je-ho or Lee Cheong-hyeon occasionally filmed solo ads, but group commercials came much later. Even then, half of those three years before the ads started coming in were hiatus periods.
But now that we were working without rest, it wouldn’t be strange for an offer to come in at any time.
Does this mean I have to start thinking about commercial work now? My head hurt.
I knew most people would react with, ‘A rookie idol getting a commercial? They should be grateful!’
But that only applies when the commercials are normal.
‘Do they really think female fans are going to buy a 200,000-won electric shaver that doesn't even come with a photocard…?’
Setting aside whether it suits Spark or not, shouldn't they promote something consumers actually want to buy while thinking of their idol? This company has zero consideration for the fans.
Look at Yur. The ad visuals are great, he’s selling a headset that a singer’s fan would actually use, and they’re airing an audio equipment ad in the middle of a music program. The trifecta is perfectly aligned.
If a commercial offer comes in while I’m with Spark, I’m going to reject every single shitty one. For the first time in a while, a sense of duty flared up within me.
While I was pondering the history, present, and future of Spark’s commercials, the ads ended. The screen returned to the UA meeting room.
After that, all sorts of captions appeared.
An idol suspiciously well-versed in meeting culture, a heightening atmosphere, a fierce battle of words, is this an idea meeting or an office drama…
Every time the members spoke, supplementary explanations constantly popped up in the captions. Despite that, the chat window was a scene of utter chaos.
≫ Guys, we’re all Korean, right?
I can’t understand a word you’re saying.
≫ Is Spark filming a skit by themselves?
≫ LOLOLOLOL
≫ Why do I feel like I haven’t clocked out even though I’m home?
≫ I guess I have a couple’s diary with Park Ju-woo.
≫ This is a bit much;; they went too far.
≫ Team Leader, the schedule is too tight.
≫ A legendary social-life idol who learns business language when others are learning foreign languages.
≫ I wanted to see you guys film an office drama, I didn't want to work in an office with you.
The reactions were split 2:6:2 between people laughing uncontrollably, people who felt like they were being tortured after work, and people who thought it was too staged.
Oh, and there were occasional posts mentioning me.
≫ I guess not just anyone gets into S University.
≫ The team atmosphere looks good though, haha. Doesn't look like there’s a strict hierarchy.
≫ Iwol-ah, it’s not too late. Let’s go to university. You can be an elite.
≫ A talent stolen by the corporate world.
Rather than mentioning Kim I-wol the human, the focus was on ‘the weird kid who got into S University but dropped out to be an idol’… but either way, that would all count toward my Self-PR score. I’d take it gladly.
However, there was one thing that puzzled me.
“How else are you supposed to have a meeting if not like that?”
“What were you doing when the meeting room scenes for Parte and Log sunbaenims came on, hyung?”
“I was looking at the chat.”
At my answer, Lee Cheong-hyeon sighed. I already knew they couldn't plan for shit just by looking at their stages, so why would I bother watching that?
“Fine. I’ll watch the replay later.”
“You probably shouldn't. I feel like your blood pressure will just skyrocket if you see it.”
“Gyeon is right. Hyung, just keep living like this.”
“You guys have completely given up on me, haven't you?”
Despite my words, Kang Gi-yeon and Lee Cheong-hyeon did not retract their statements.
Baek Hae-won’s SNS was blowing up with bizarre idol viewing reviews.
≫ The captions LOLOLOLOL
‘The production staff did not interfere with Spark’s meeting at all’ LMAO
└ Our boys are professional office workers? What does that even mean?
└ Even if it’s a skit, the quality is insane hahahaha
└ They were more ‘sincere’ than anyone else.
≫ Since it’s come to this, let’s go for an office-themed self-produced content.
Everyone gather under Manager Jeong!!!
└ But it has to be the team next door, not our team.
└ Please… just don’t let them come to my department…
Office-themed content. Our boys in suits!
The mere imagination set Baek Hae-won’s heart ablaze.
‘I’m counting on you, UA…!’
Placing a ray of hope in UA, which at least hadn't disappointed her with concepts yet, Baek Hae-won watched closely as Spark took the stage.