Chapter 153: Checking the Achievers (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: Checking the Achievers (2)
Ever since I had that confrontation with Jang Jun-hu, Jeong Seong-bin had been pouring himself into practice like a man possessed.
Even though school had started right as Idol Dynasty Annals ended, he seemed more vibrant than ever.
‘Aren’t you tired?’
‘Not at all. I’m enjoying every single day lately!’
His smile radiated a brilliance as if someone had switched on a high-powered flashlight.
I asked if there was anything I could do to help, but he turned me down. He said that since he’d received help from everyone up until now, he wanted to handle the finale with his own strength.
As he said that, Jeong Seong-bin looked genuinely happy. I realized that this was the face of someone doing what they truly loved.
Watching Seong-bin head into the vocal practice room with a spring in his step, Lee Cheong-hyeon grumbled.
“I want to go to the My.Singer's.Genre recording too.”
“Do you think just anyone can go into the audience?”
“We’re on the same team! I can’t even watch my own member’s stage?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon cried out as if he’d been deeply wronged. Anyone listening would think I’d stolen a reserved seat from him.
“It would be unfair if we went. Seong-bin would basically get five free votes.”
“Hyung, were you always the type to look out for your own like this?”
“Of course. I’m a total ‘hedgehog’ member when it comes to us.”
While Lee Cheong-hyeon and I were having this unproductive conversation, Park Ju-woo was focused intently on his laptop screen.
“Ju-woo, what are you doing?”
I rested my chin on Park Ju-woo’s shoulder and looked down at the screen to see a familiar online mall.
It was the place where we’d bought the materials for the headbands we wore during our radio appearance. This time, the category was filled with fluorescent colored paper instead of headbands.
“Since we can’t go to the venue, we can at least cheer for him together while watching the broadcast… so I thought I’d try making some cheering gear.”
“Yourself? You’re going to cheer for Seong-bin?”
“Yeah… There’s a saying about having the ‘front row of the living room,’ after all.”
Where did you learn such high-level fan terminology? It seemed the kids had spent way too much time monitoring the internet while I was laid up.
As the three of us huddled around the monitor, Kang Gi-yeon slunk over as well. He began to meticulously review every item Park Ju-woo had placed in his cart.
“I think we have some foam board left over. It should be in the veranda storage.”
“Didn’t we use that for the last self-produced content…?”
“We used the white side then, so the black side is still clean. We should be able to make at least two slogans, right?”
Since the company had taken over most of the official work, the kids had started finding work for themselves to do. It was quite a sight.
“What are you guys all gathered here for?”
Just then, Choi Je-ho, who had just returned from action school, saw us and asked.
“They’re making cheering gear for Seong-bin.”
“Ah, for that Genre Departure thing?”
Choi Je-ho trudged over to the living room.
He stood there silently, looking down at the guys who were currently debating whether to make Jeong Seong-bin’s name out of neon green or hot pink paper.
After a brief silence, Choi Je-ho asked, “Don’t you think these kids are acting a bit strange?”
“They’re just passionate.”
“Right…”
“What are you trying to say?”
While I was pestering Choi Je-ho, the others started pulling out albums from the dorm, saying they needed to stick a photo of Jeong Seong-bin onto the foam board.
Lee Cheong-hyeon picked up a copy of the With List album. I guess he couldn’t bring himself to mess with their debut album.
“Let’s be brave and cut one out. It’s his first solo stage; we have to go this far.”
“But Cheong-hyeon, your face is on the back of that page…? Are you okay with your face getting cut?”
“For the sake of our leader, I can endure it.”
“Fine. I’ll buy you a separate one later.”
“Don’t buy With List; buy the new album coming out soon. Let’s contribute to the first-week sales.”
After getting a promise from Kang Gi-yeon to receive the new album within the first-week tracking period, Lee Cheong-hyeon picked up the scissors.
I watched the members with a proud smile for a moment before I hurriedly stopped them a beat too late.
“Everyone, freeze.”
“Why?”
“You punks, you should have thought about filming this for self-produced content!”
“Oh, right…!”
Park Ju-woo looked like he’d just reached enlightenment and began tidying the albums back up. Choi Je-ho, watching us unite in our goal, shook his head and went back to his room.
Until the day of the My.Singer's.Genre recording, Jeong Seong-bin was incredibly busy. It was partly because the second semester of his senior year had started, overlapping with his preparations for college entrance practical exams.
‘When is the practical?’
‘Next January. Usually, schedules get packed toward the end of the year, so I’m planning to prepare in advance while I have some breathing room.’
Or so he said. Since Park Ju-woo was helping him in various ways regarding the practicals, the rest of us, myself included, decided to just listen to whatever the leader said for the time being.
What was truly impressive was that despite the grueling schedule, Jeong Seong-bin never lost his bright and positive attitude.
‘Um, Hyung. You really don’t have to go this far for me…!’
‘What are you talking about? Your voice is the pride of Spark. Choi Je-ho, is that quince tea ready yet?’
‘Coming now.’
Of course, we were treating him like an emperor.
And wasn’t I a pro at serving others? I attended to his every need.
As a result of our devoted care, Jeong Seong-bin looked radiant from head to toe. I couldn’t say for sure since I couldn’t see them, but his vocal cords were probably glowing too.
When it was time to send the polished Jeong Seong-bin out on his own, all the members of Spark went out to the dorm elevator to see him off.
Truthfully, we’d considered all piling into the car to go to the broadcast station with him. That plan failed because the manager couldn’t split himself in two.
‘Make sure to greet everyone well when you get there, and if it’s too dry, be sure to turn on a humidifier. Don’t just drink cold things.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll do a great job!’
With a spirited farewell, he departed.
When Choi Je-ho went to film his music video, I at least went with him. This felt like sending a child off to their first day of elementary school alone.
We waited for him, preparing reactions for every scenario—from him hitting a massive home run to him completely bombing the stage.
And a few hours later.
‘I’m back.’
‘What? The chicken isn’t even here yet!’
Jeong Seong-bin returned to the dorm a step ahead of the celebratory chicken we’d ordered.
Perhaps because of security protocols, Seong-bin didn’t show any particular reaction. Even when Lee Cheong-hyeon nudged him, he just silently ate his chicken.
That evening, we decided to find meaning in the fact that he hadn’t cried after finishing his first solo schedule. If the public reaction turned out to be terrible, we could just unplug the router for a while.
And so, the day of the My.Singer's.Genre broadcast—the day the Spark dorm’s router hung in the balance—arrived.
“Seong-bin Hyung.”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“We’re going to watch My.Singer's.Genre tonight. Do you want to watch it too?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon threw the first punch. From a distance, Park Ju-woo swallowed hard.
Wait, is that guy sane? He told me to leave the talking to him, and this was how he was going to say it? If Jeong Seong-bin said no, was he going to tell him to wait in the shoe rack until the show was over?
Unlike me, who was struggling to hide my shock, Jeong Seong-bin was calm.
“Sure.”
He even accepted. Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t suffered a massive pitch deviation or some humiliating disaster on stage.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Lee Cheong-hyeon went at him again.
“Is it okay if we wave slogans during your stage?”
“What slogans?”
“Handmade Spark cheering slogans. we made five of them.”
“You have something like that?”
Jeong Seong-bin looked bewildered.
Since he was diligent by nature and always thought the best of others, he probably assumed we were practicing hard while he was preparing for his stage.
But sorry to disappoint. Just sit back and witness the handcrafted products born of Spark’s blood and sweat.
When Lee Cheong-hyeon clapped twice toward the air, Park Ju-woo and Kang Gi-yeon busily headed for the veranda.
As the two of them pulled the slogans out of a hidden shopping bag, Jeong Seong-bin’s face turned bright red.
The highlights of these slogans were phrases like ‘Spark’s First-Class Vocalist,’ ‘Jeong Seong-bin, Whose Singing is as Great as His Face,’ and ‘UA’s New Talent,’ all pasted in a serious Gungsuh font.
Using the background-clipping skills they’d honed during the Photoplat incident, they had cut out his face from the album so cleanly it looked like a professional sticker.
“Seong-bin, is the members’ sincerity funny to you?”
“I think he’s just embarrassed.”
Kang Gi-yeon grumbled as if talking to himself.
Even though he’d been so excited while making them. His skill at distancing himself was top-tier.
Jeong Seong-bin generously allowed us to wave the slogans with his face plastered all over them. Thanks to that, I got to experience the ‘front row of the living room’ I’d only ever read about.
As the broadcast started, we huddled together in front of the TV, each holding a slogan.
We made the protagonist, Jeong Seong-bin, sit in the center. He didn’t know what to do with himself, but we didn’t care.
“Wow, what is with this lineup?”
“It must have been a total bloodbath.”
As soon as the cast gathered in the studio, Lee Cheong-hyeon and Choi Je-ho each threw in a comment. True to the show’s reputation, the lineup was illustrious.
“I was surprised too. It was nothing but legendary seniors.”
“I can see why.”
The matchup luck certainly wasn’t in his favor. For starters, there wasn’t a single singer whose name I didn’t recognize. There were even two contestants who had appeared on My.Singer's.Genre before.
Even in such a harsh environment, Jeong Seong-bin didn’t lose his smile, boasting a flower-like beauty. The MCs made a comment every time they caught his eye.
『I get startled every time I make eye contact with Seong-bin. Because he’s just so handsome.』
『Thank you for the compliment…!』
The other contestants all chimed in as well. It was a relief to see that they didn’t seem to treat him as just ‘an idol who only has his face going for him.’
After the performance order was decided, the legendary stages began.
It’s a bit awkward for me to say this, having recently filmed a music survival program myself, but…
“It really feels like only pros come on this show.”
“I know, right?”
They weren’t using grand effects or showing off flashy dances; they literally just came out with their voices, yet the stage felt so full.
This was a mistake. My goal was to show ‘Jeong Seong-bin performing a cover so well it sounds like his own song against senior singers among experts,’ but I hadn’t expected everyone to pull out their ultimate trump cards.
‘I’ll have to be satisfied with people evaluating Seong-bin as being better than Jang Jun-hu.’
It was a bit disappointing, but considering Seong-bin’s age, even that would be a huge achievement. I decided to take it easy.
And right on cue, the camera zoomed in on Jeong Seong-bin.
『Next is the singer who will show us a new evolution in K-pop vocals!』
『Let’s watch the stage of Spark’s Seong-bin, who has transformed from a flashy idol into a lyrical ballad singer!』
With that brief introduction serving as his accompaniment, Jeong Seong-bin walked out to the center of the stage.