Chapter 131: Customer Evaluation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 131: Customer Evaluation
Jeong Seong-bin was the first to walk out. His light brown hair had been styled with waves, giving him a softer impression than usual.
He wore a short, deep burgundy scarf tied around his neck—where they had found such a cute accessory was a mystery—making him look like a boy straight out of an old animation.
But more importantly, pink glitter parts were sprinkled across Jeong Seong-bin’s face like delicate jewels.
Kim I-wol was the aesthetician of Spark, a fact officially recognized by the Sparklers.
The same Kim I-wol who always preached that "the ultimate form of customization is the original look" had just made the destructive decision to smear glitter all over a face worth 850,000 won per square inch. Right now!
‘Is there anyone who still doesn't use a sheet mask before bed? Do I have to come to your house every night and put one on for you?’
‘Are you really trying to choose from just three photos? Gi-yeon, I’m starting to feel disappointed in you.’
‘Ju-woo, let’s go with a round-neck tee instead of a turtleneck. That way, people can see the veins in your neck when you hit the high notes.’
How much effort had Kim I-wol put into meticulously caring for the members' faces?
As the saying goes, "No pain, no gain." Today, the faces of Spark were nothing short of paradise.
Park Ju-woo appeared wearing a gothic monocle complete with a chain. Baek Hae-won, a lover of classic beauty, nearly fainted on the spot.
He wore a shirt with billowing sleeves, shorts, and a casual fabric belt—an unusual combination that created a striking sense of novelty. His hair had been straightened perfectly, giving him the aura of a pure, innocent country boy.
Choi Je-ho, whose skin tone was slightly darker than the others, wore black glitter instead.
It paired breathtakingly well with his black hair. One could easily believe that the specks on his face were shards of obsidian rather than mere bits of plastic.
Lee Cheong-hyeon and Kang Gi-yeon had the audacity to wear coordinated looks. Using such shallow tactics to make a fan’s heart flutter was nothing short of deception—a felony, even.
How dare they be so bold as to wear matching sailor shirts with only the colors swapped? And to balance it out with one in long pants and the other in shorts? To have the nerve to pair shorts with knee-high socks? Since it was all so lovely, she decided to forgive them.
And then there was Kim I-wol—her brother’s former classmate, the oldest member of Spark, and Baek Hae-won’s brand-new bias.
“Fuck, Kim I-wol!”
He had styled his hair into the "comma" look that every idol tries at least once, slightly revealing his forehead. As if that wasn't enough, he wore a shirt with ruffled sleeves. He was the personification of a languid young master.
Weren't high-waisted trousers with a shirt like that cheating? Baek Hae-won couldn't contain her overwhelming emotions.
And I-wol, who told you to just expose your chest in this harsh world? Seeing a man older than her with his shirt unlaced about five centimeters down, Baek Hae-won let out a beastly wail.
Her fingers danced and leaped across the keyboard.
≫ Seong-bin, the world is a dangerous place. Why are you wearing such a cute newsboy cap? What if someone kidnaps you?
└ Excuse me, but I think you’re the one who’s going to kidnap him.
≫ Whoever put star glitter on both of Park Ju-woo’s cheeks, please accept my deep bow of gratitude.
≫ Suspenders and shorts on Choi Je-ho? I admit the Awangsil crew are people of culture.
≫ Is Lee Cheong-hyeon’s face for real? I’m not even sorry. You don't need clickbait to see this; if you're human, you should just look at this face. How can the secrets of all creation be contained in a face the size of a palm??
≫ Everyone, please look at our Gi-yeon’s thighs. Our boy might have the face of a sharp-featured youth, but his muscles are all MAN.
└ His face isn't exactly a "youth's" either.
└ Shut up, the ID card doesn't lie.
└ Well, it shouldn't.
≫ Ah, Kim I-wol #@%^%&^*@#@ I decided to live a virtuous life, but don't make me curse!!!!!!
└ [Breaking] Mr. Kim has officially been selected as Mi-heon’s bias. Congrats.
└ Congratulations to Mi-heon for ending her period of bias-denial~~
Until now, Spark had competed with their natural good looks and incredible physiques. That had stimulated a fresh nostalgia for youth.
But the current Spark stimulated a nostalgia for something much more distant…
Specifically, they evoked the feeling of late-modern Britain, even though Baek Hae-won had never lived through that era.
≫ 1st place… They’re getting 1st place.
For the first time, Baek Hae-won was glad that viewers like her didn't have the right to vote.
If she had a vote, she would have cast it for Spark before even seeing the performance. However, she wouldn't forgive the live audience if they tried any funny business.
The stage lights dimmed. The song title appeared and vanished alongside a music site logo, and a piano melody began to flow.
『A windy field
A cozy sky』
A soft voice drifted through the speakers.
It was a vocal tone quite different from the solid, firm sound Lee Cheong-hyeon usually delivered.
‘Is Lee Cheong-hyeon singing this time? This is insane.’
『I am standing there
Waiting for the stars to rise』
‘He’s even good at singing… I’m so proud…’
Baek Hae-won pounded her cushion with the heart of a parent watching their child’s first kindergarten recital.
Park Ju-woo stepped toward the center, his back grazing Lee Cheong-hyeon’s. Naturally, the part transitioned from Cheong-hyeon to Ju-woo.
『You don’t know
How much time
Flows along the Milky Way』
His cool, frost-like impression melted away with a single smile.
Ju-woo’s characteristic aura of being detached from the world blended with the melody, creating an even more mystical atmosphere.
Kim I-wol approached from behind Park Ju-woo.
I-wol draped an arm over Ju-woo’s shoulder and used his other hand to mimic observing the sky through a telescope.
『I wonder why the night sky
Is so dazzlingly bright』
‘Yeah, it’s because the light from your face is reflecting off it.’
Kim I-wol was unfair. How could he pull off fantasy-inspired sparkling star glitter while having a face that belonged in a noir film as a young mob boss or in an office drama as a department head? How were other idols supposed to survive?
Baek Hae-won was indignant. But Kim I-wol didn't stop there.
『The darkness shines
So beautifully』
Kim I-wol’s radiant smile filled the screen.
‘Smiling like that is cheating!’
To reiterate, Kim I-wol was indeed a cheater. How could someone who looked colder than anyone else smile so warmly?
Baek Hae-won wanted to sue Kim I-wol immediately. But since suing him would mean she couldn't watch the performance anymore, she had no choice but to endure with a generous heart.
While the original song was a standard love song, Spark made it feel like they were looking at something else.
Rather than approaching someone, they were busy putting their arms around each other, interlacing fingers, or leaning their heads and backs against one another.
‘Is it like… "The beautiful times we spent together"? Something like that.’
As she continued to watch the stage, it felt like looking at a painting.
It wasn't just because they were beautiful.
The coordinated tones of their outfits—none of which stood out too harshly in texture or color—the subtle background, and the fluid choreography made her feel as if she were peering through a picture frame. The fact that the choreography focused on elegance and beautiful lines rather than being dynamic and high-energy also played a part.
And beneath all these thoughts lay the foundation of well-crafted music.
Though Hae-won didn't know much about music, she could tell there were no jarring or unnatural parts.
Yet, it wasn't just simple easy-listening; it was just…
‘The song is really good.’
…A good song. It was a track that felt like it had been carefully selected by a curator in a fine gallery to match the paintings, right down to the lyrics.
Simply put, it was the kind of song that would make people watching a music competition program say, "This is what a music show should be!"
At that moment, the tone of the music shifted from a traditional idol ballad to a classical style.
Lee Cheong-hyeon, standing in the center of the stage, held a small light bulb.
To the sound of a switch, his fingertip lightly brushed the top of the sphere.
The sphere slowly opened, and finely cut gold paper confetti scattered over Cheong-hyeon’s face.
The camera zoomed in on Lee Cheong-hyeon’s face as he smiled with pure joy. Star-shaped paper fragments fluttered over his cheeks and hair.
≫ Cheong-hyeon-ah…
└ Is someone going to find you dead from breathlessness in your room tomorrow?
Simultaneously, constellation patterns of the night sky poured across the entire stage.
It was the moment it was revealed that the entity the six of them wanted to see was the night sky itself!
Orchestral music played over the universe-like stage. A synchronized dance with a slight contemporary feel—different from anything Spark had shown before—unfolded to the melody.
≫ (Crying)
└ The stage photo looks exactly like that. Van Gogh’s Starry Night?
Only then did the shifting background colors and the stars glowing with a pale yellow light catch Baek Hae-won’s eye.
As various instruments layered on top of each other, the voices of Jeong Seong-bin and Park Ju-woo warmly covered them.
『We will shine here
For a long time
Yes, just like a dream…』
The music faded out with Jeong Seong-bin’s voice whispering as if singing a lullaby.
As the lights illuminating the six members sitting and leaning against each other went out, starlight blanketed the dark stage and the members' silhouettes.
Baek Hae-won thwacked her forehead with her palm.
She wanted to scream right then and there, but she couldn't be so uncivilized in a multi-unit house!
Instead, she ran to her spiritual home: social media.
There, she poured out her overflowing heart.
≫ Cheong-hyeon is a composing genius.
The dance line are dance geniuses.
The vocal line are singing geniuses.
And I-wol… you’re just a genius. Go back to university, but don't you dare stop promoting.
Naturally, her proud children took 1st place.
After savoring every beautiful moment, Baek Hae-won quietly turned off the TV. She went to her room, turned on her computer, and searched for the full version of Spark’s 2nd Competition stage, setting it to play on a loop.
Somehow, it felt like it was going to be a very long night.
The stage, where every single star in the Milky Way had been embroidered with money, ended beautifully as expected. As I thought, being pretty is the best.
Thanks to Awangsil pouring a ton of extra money into the sound equipment, the song Lee Cheong-hyeon had poured his soul into mixing came out perfectly.
I was tidying up the cushions we had laid on the practice room floor with a sense of pride when I saw Jeong Seong-bin leaving the room with Park Ju-woo.
“Where are you two going?”
“The manager told us to pick up the camcorder before he leaves for the day. We’re going to get it now!”
Ah, that…
The Awangsil production team wanted behind-the-scenes footage, but they didn't have the staff or time to send a filming crew again. So, they asked each team to film themselves for the "Packing for the Training Camp" video.