Chapter 150: Establishing Recurrence Prevention Measures (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 150: Establishing Recurrence Prevention Measures (3)
≫ A Collection of Pro Idol Kim I-wol’s Best Quotes
I was so impressed by how hard my idol works that I gathered some of Kim I-wol’s "Pro Idol" moments.
※ Warning: Extreme bias ahead. Very subjective. ※
『Cheong-hyeon: No way! Am I really that okay? Specifically, how much?
I-wol: About 850,000 won per unit area?
Cheong-hyeon: Why specifically 850,000 won?
I-wol: That’s the current market price of gold.』
『What’s with this backlight? Do you want to cast a shadow over the fans' hearts? Is the blessing of natural light a joke to you?』
『If you ate high-calorie food, you should be running. Are you planning to grease your throat with oil while dragging our career through the mud?』
『Is that aegyo the best you can do? Are you getting complacent and self-satisfied just because Sparklers keep calling you cute? Since when did we start working with such a lazy mindset?』
『I-wol: You are pretty when seen through a blur.
I-wol: You are the same.
Je-ho: What did I do now?
I-wol: If you have a conscience, think about it. Do you really think you’d look pretty to my eyes?
Je-ho: You’re doing this because I posted three selfies, aren't you?
I-wol: You could have posted up to four, but the moment you posted one less, you were out.』
『Gi-yeon: Won’t Lee Cheong-hyeon stand out too much if he dyes his hair?
I-wol: What are you talking about? A handsome man must dye his hair for the sake of the nation’s economy.
Ju-woo: Hyung, where do you even hear things like that...?』
In my eyes, Kim I-wol is the best idol ever, so I’m not taking any counterarguments. If you have something to say, write it in your diary. ㅇㅇ
└ 850,000 won hahahahaha Korea’s first idol whose face is literally at market price.
└ His way of speaking is f-ing hilarious. His vocabulary is elegant like a nobleman’s, but his words cut like a knife.
└ Looking at the way he talks, he’s spitting fire, but since he actually seems to be living a God-tier life himself, I can’t even say anything... hahaha I heard he only sleeps three or four hours a day.
└ According to the members, he’s the idol who practices the most and does all the work...
≫ Even the haters admit Kim Peps’ fan service is top-tier.
Setting aside the Bubble Pop fan café since many idols do that, he remembers almost every fan who comes to the fan signs and continues their previous conversations.
He says he wants to look good for the fans who come to see them on the way to and from work, so even for dawn pre-recordings, he’s always fully styled with hair and makeup.
He resizes the photos fans like into wallpaper dimensions and re-uploads them.
He watches all the fan vlogs and mentions them regularly.
There are so many anecdotes where you can feel how much effort he puts into every single detail.
Personally, I find it funniest that he says he can’t disrespectfully give a heart with one hand to a fan, so he always does it with both hands. Legend-tier Confucian values.
└ He’s definitely something else. ㅇㅇ Even if they haven't done many fan signs yet, remembering every single detail about the fans isn't easy.
└ Eh? Sometimes the self-produced content shows him getting his hair and makeup done in the waiting room. What’s that about?
└ They said he gets the first layer done at the salon and then supplements it in the waiting room to get that stage makeup feel.
└ What’s with the two-handed heart hahahahahaha
≫ They say you should row when the tide is coming in, but what do you do when the dam bursts?
└ Calm down and just eat up the content first.
└ I’m about to burst from being overfed right now.
There were countless other similar posts. Most of them were posts asking people to recognize how hard Kim I-wol was working.
In the early hours of the morning, Spark and I seemed to have trended simultaneously.
My face grew hot. It had been a long time since I felt this kind of embarrassment.
‘Is this what it feels like to be praised?’
My stomach churned.
It wasn't a bad feeling. Just uncomfortable.
I didn't have the courage to click on every post. Just seeing the favorable titles was overwhelming.
My hands twitched. I tried to press the back button, but I hesitated, my momentum stalling. My gaze lingered aimlessly over the small phone screen.
The experience of having one's efforts recognized—something that cannot be replaced by any other reward.
It was the first incentive of my life.
After finishing several hours of monitoring, I wandered around the empty dorm.
It’s not that I was playing around idly; I did do a few things in my own way.
First, to ensure Lee Cheong-hyeon wouldn't easily become addicted to medication, I removed all but a small amount of the medicine from the first-aid kit and moved them elsewhere.
If I knew exactly which drug he’d get addicted to, I would have only taken that one out. Since I didn't remember, I had to separate all the medicine one by one.
Since there was no proper place to put them, I hid them in my small suitcase for now. If necessary, I might have to buy a small safe.
I also lightly ran the vacuum, hoping that not a single speck of dust would touch the voices of my Spark friends.
Once we get settled, I should put an air purifier in the dorm... No, wait. Doesn't the company provide air purifiers? I’ll have to ask later.
I also played air bass while listening to the album Park Ju-woo had handed me. My hands were itching to play the real thing at the company, but I held back because I couldn't just call the manager to take me there for that one thing.
I was pacing the living room like that before sitting on the sofa, and then...
"Hyung, why are you sleeping like this here?"
...I woke up to a familiar voice. Kang Gi-yeon and Lee Cheong-hyeon were standing in front of me.
"I must have fallen asleep while watching TV."
My last memory was watching the rerun of the final episode of Awangsil while flipping through channels. It seemed I had fallen asleep halfway through.
No wonder I dreamed of thousands of idols performing an acrobatic show in front of three million spectators starting from the second act. It was all a dream.
"If you're tired, go inside and sleep more. It's night anyway."
Kang Gi-yeon said as he turned off the TV. The clock was already pointing to 9 o'clock.
"It's fine. But you guys are back early?"
Everyone was home earlier than usual. Seeing as they all came in together, it seemed they had reached an agreement and returned early.
While I pressed my temples to wake myself up, Lee Cheong-hyeon came over and sat at my feet.
"It's an emergency. If you're not sleepy, Hyung, let's have a strategy meeting."
"Why? Did something happen?"
"Something huge happened."
Lee Cheong-hyeon looked quite solemn.
Choi Je-ho, who was the last to enter, said as he took off his shoes.
"Jang Jun-hu showed up."
A name I hadn't even been thinking about popped out. Before my brain could even process it, a question flew out of my mouth.
"Where?"
"The practice room."
In an instant, every swear word I knew flashed through my mind. In the middle of the living room and the entrance, Jeong Seong-bin was wearing an awkward smile.
Right. Yu Han-su wasn't the only piece of trash in this company.
I almost let out a sigh, but I held it in. Taking care of Jeong Seong-bin was the priority right now.
"Seong-bin, are you okay? You must have been surprised."
"I'm okay. I was surprised, but... it's not like the senior did anything."
"If he did something in this situation, he might as well be protesting for them to come arrest him."
While I was being sarcastic, I locked eyes with Lee Cheong-hyeon. He seemed to be thinking the same thing as me.
"He must be feeling the heat, that guy."
"Seems like it, right?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon chimed in with a smirk.
A PD he had worked with had crossed the line because he couldn't handle his inferiority complex while hounding an idol.
This had become headline news, and Jang Jun-hu himself had a history of hounding an idol. In fact, Jang Jun-hu had been doing it for several times longer than Yu Han-su.
The police were coming in and out of the company, and the media was noisy every day.
Moreover, since Idol K had exposed Yu Han-su's atrocities from A to Z, he must be worried about when his own name would come up.
Lee Cheong-hyeon shrugged and said.
"He brought a ton of drinks and snacks."
"It's all a load of crap, obviously."
Choi Je-ho popped the tab of a canned drink. I heard the refreshing sound of carbonation escaping.
"So? There's something more important, isn't there?"
I shifted my posture and asked.
"What did that guy say?"
At my words, Park Ju-woo sighed and answered.
"...He said he wants to talk to Seong-bin. Privately."
"So? Did you tell him we strictly move in pairs?"
"Not quite that far yet...!"
"Seong-bin, what about you? What do you want to do?"
When I asked, Jeong Seong-bin looked troubled with an ambiguous expression.
Last time, he was the one who said he didn't want to make a big deal out of things. In my view, this was a golden opportunity to get a proper apology, but for the party involved, Jeong Seong-bin, even an apology could be uncomfortable.
"Take your time and think about it. He's the one who's desperate, not you. Don't forget that your peace of mind is what matters most."
"Yes, thank you."
Jeong Seong-bin smiled.
And as soon as the next day came, he sought us out in our room.
"Um, Hyung."
"Yeah?"
"I think I'll meet with the senior."
He spoke with a face full of resolve.
"Will you be okay? You don't have to force yourself."
Jeong Seong-bin wasn't the type to give empty words, but I was worried.
Since he was such a polite kid, he might think he couldn't refuse a call from an elder.
As if reading my mind, Jeong Seong-bin smiled and replied.
"I decided after thinking about it a lot. You don't have to worry."
"If you say so, that's a relief, but..."
I wasn't particularly relieved. Isn't Jeong Seong-bin the type of guy who would drink lye if an adult told him to?
It felt like it would be better for my peace of mind if I went along as a guardian.
If Jang Jun-hu started talking nonsense, I could just unleash my temper right then and there.
While I was looking for a chance to jump in, Jeong Seong-bin started to speak.
"So, about that, maybe..."
Jeong Seong-bin swallowed hard and toyed with his fingers.
Yes, go ahead and ask. I'm ready to listen to Jang Jun-hu's confessional talk with you.
"Which of the members should I go with?"
"What?"
Not me? With another member?
Choi Je-ho, who would go head-to-head with Jang Jun-hu and accidentally give him leverage? Park Ju-woo, who talks even less than you? Lee Cheong-hyeon, who has changed a lot lately but still walks on eggshells around adults? Or Kang Gi-yeon, whose face alone screams 'bad attitude'? You're thinking of picking one of them to take along? Are you serious?
Every single one of them is a brilliant choice. Dealing with Jang Jun-hu with these guys? I absolutely object.
"Go with me."
Do you want to go with those innocent kids and get torn apart again?
Shut up and take me!