Chapter 16: Keyword (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16: Keyword (2)
Excluding Lee Cheong-hyeon, the members of Spark were generally men of few words.
Furthermore, their volume wasn't particularly high either. Naturally, the way the members' personalities were portrayed on broadcasts made them all seem more or less the same.
There was a limit to how much Lee Cheong-hyeon could lift the subdued atmosphere on his own.
As a result, the shows Spark appeared on felt like nature documentaries, to put it nicely.
I won't bother saying what they felt like if I were to put it bluntly.
‘This is why it’s so hard to get people to join the fandom.’
It was a situation where even pitching them by saying, "Surely one of these guys is your type," wouldn't be enough.
If you take kids who look like they were stamped out of the same mold and say, "Look! There are this many identical ones, so it must be several times better, right?" who on earth would come to watch?
Marketing is only possible when there’s something to sell.
To get fans to dig into the members' A to Z like excavators, it seemed wise to at least dig a few small holes in the barren ground first.
‘At the very least, I have to make sure they can reveal their individuality to some extent.’
That way, I can at least give them one more perfectly suited prop for their debut album.
I let out a deep sigh, cleared my search history, and returned the phone to the manager.
Then, I watched the members closely during every break in their group practice.
I recalled the email I received from Department Head Nam’s daughter, which mentioned that a perfect character analysis comes from affection and obsession.
There was nothing more convenient for defining something than using refined language.
So, I began to codify these guys' personalities using keywords I’d seen in web novels.
For instance, for Park Ju-woo, who sat blankly in the corner during every break, I set "Indifferent Puppy" as his default image.
As for Choi Je-ho, the one who had monopolized the daughter’s love and was destined to be Spark’s shining center...
"So, you... are a cool-type, indifferent, clueless genius."
...I gave him a particularly flashy one.
However, Choi Je-ho responded with utter indifference.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"The 'indifferent' attribute overlaps with Ju-woo. What do you think about changing your personality a bit?"
Despite my rational suggestion, the scowl on Choi Je-ho’s face didn't fade.
It’s not ideal for more than half the team to achieve the triple crown of being indifferent, blunt, and stoic. What a shame.
"Hyung! What about me?!"
As if he thought I was saying something interesting, Lee Cheong-hyeon ditched Kang Gi-yeon in front of the mirror and came running over.
"I think there was a term like 'Sunshine' something. Do that."
"Wait, why am I a compromise?!"
"I'm just leaving room to change it if a better expression comes up."
Just as I was attaching the third attribute to each member, the practice room door opened.
It was Min Ju-gyeong.
"Sorry for interrupting your practice!"
Min Ju-gyeong walked in with a smile, holding a sheet of paper.
She taped the paper to the whiteboard on one wall of the practice room.
Then, she looked at me and said, "I'm posting the evaluation results like this. There are no special issues, so everyone check it when you have time!"
There was no way she didn't know that it’s human nature to look at a report card the moment you receive it.
She was likely speaking as casually as possible out of consideration for the trainees.
I probably had that same face whenever I told people around me, "The performance review results have been entered, so you can go ahead and check them."
More importantly, seeing as there were "no special issues," it seemed I hadn't been fired.
Good job, Kim I-wol. You managed to survive even under these harsh conditions.
Having achieved my minimum goal, I headed straight for the whiteboard.
Since I’d avoided being cut, I could readily accept whatever the rest of the results were.
February Monthly Evaluation (Ranked by Grade)
※ Details will be provided as feedback during class!
Even though it was expected, ranking 6th out of six people left me with complicated feelings.
Maybe it’s because I’ve never been last in my life. I suppose this is why people say you need to experience everything.
+
[SYSTEM] ‘Quest’ completed.
▷ Reward: Experience Points (30) granted
▷ Cumulative Experience: 40
▷ Cumulative Points: 0
+
Right on cue, the experience points for obtaining a passing grade in the monthly evaluation arrived.
But that wasn't all.
+
[SYSTEM] ‘Additional Experience’ has been granted.
▷ Reason: Obtained a high evaluation from a ‘close teammate’
▷ Reward: Experience Points (10) granted
▷ Cumulative Experience: 50
▷ Cumulative Points: 0
+
I don't know who it was, but someone must have thought very highly of me, as an extra 10 experience points dropped.
Thank you. May your family be blessed for three generations.
I turned around, vowing to grow at least into a "6th place who fought hard despite losing" by the time we debuted.
As I did, I locked eyes with Jeong Seong-bin, who was turning away after calmly checking the paper.
At that moment, I remembered what Jeong Seong-bin had said a few days ago.
‘It’s not like there are many trainees in the company, but at some point, the rankings stopped changing.’
The current Jeong Seong-bin... I couldn't say he looked completely refreshed, but his expression seemed better than before.
A face that held regret but no darkness.
The moment I saw that face, for some reason, I felt as though the shame I’d felt that day had been somewhat compensated.
The advantage of being a beginner was that even taking a single step made it look like you’d made leaps and bounds.
Though, from a beginner's perspective, that one step really is a massive leap.
Perhaps because I’d laid a solid foundation during the initial work, the subsequent classes weren't so daunting as to feel hopeless.
Furthermore, UA was a company that didn't skimp on praise in these areas.
"I-wol, you've really improved a lot."
"Really?"
The vocal teacher nodded. It was a great environment for a novice to grow.
Although I still had a long way to go in dance class, where I was working until my legs felt like they would explode, there was still progress.
The biggest help was that once I learned a move, I at least didn't forget it. I didn't want to be the reason the music stopped during group practice.
With a desperate heart, I faithfully invested the welfare points I’d earned—now that my accumulated experience points had surpassed 100—into my proficiency.
As a result, my current proficiency looked like this:
+
Performance Evaluation (100)
— Vocal Proficiency: 5(▲)/20
— Dance Proficiency: 4(▲)/20
— Self PR: 12/20
— Attendance Management: 18/20
— Organizational Adaptability: 10/20
Cumulative Experience: 0
+
My Vocal Proficiency had gone up on its own even though I hadn't put any points into it. What a precocious little stat.
Through this, I learned that proficiency isn't only raised through experience points.
It still hurt that the total sum of my proficiencies was in the single digits, but it was absurd to expect massive results after only a month of practice, so I decided to find meaning in the fact that the scores had risen.
A new task also appeared.
+
[SYSTEM] A ‘New Task’ has been assigned.
▷ Raise Dance Proficiency to 5 before the March Monthly Evaluation
▷ Reward: Walk-in-Their-Shoes Ticket for other members' resumes, 3-piece set of standard planning templates for debut album planning
+
The next monthly evaluation would likely be the one to finalize the debut team.
Since I’d moved the debut schedule up by a year, the group had to be finalized soon.
Wait, are they dragging it out until March even though they said they’d form the debut team based on the February evaluation?
This is why, in the past, the debut was delayed by two years, the group failed, society collapsed...
Regardless of the task, the rewards were terrible.
I was interested in viewing the resumes, but the fact that it was just a "trial ticket" felt petty and annoyed me. As for the debut album planning templates... I had a strong feeling they would just lead to more work.
I’ve learned that if you have things like that, you eventually end up using them. Specifically, me.
That made me want the 3-piece planning set even less.
However, since my role was fixed as a producing member, I decided to accept the situation quietly, thinking it would be better for my peace of mind to have them in advance.
If worst comes to worst, I’ll just take the templates and then, in about three months, go with the "Oh right, I totally forgot I had those!" meta.
"Should we tear off the calendar now?"
"Yeah, please!"
With Jeong Seong-bin’s permission, Lee Cheong-hyeon tore the page off the wall calendar hanging in the practice room.
It was the start of March.
An office worker's concept of time was slightly different from when they weren't an office worker.
For example, back in university, my concept of time was like this:
March–June / September–November: During the semester + period for doing minor part-time jobs.
July–August / December–February: Period for working like a dog at part-time jobs.
Then, after joining UA Corporation, the way I perceived time changed to the following:
March–November: Busy months.
December: Months where I can barely breathe.
January: Months where I can't breathe at all.
February: Months where I can't go home.
Because of this, I had briefly forgotten.
That March is the month a new semester begins.
And that the high schoolers in our dorm would be heading to school for the new school year.
I realized this when Lee Cheong-hyeon’s alarm went off earlier than usual.
I woke up thinking the alarm had gone off earlier than normal, only to see Choi Je-ho sleeping soundly across from me without budging.
I was wondering what was up with the guy who usually wakes up the moment the alarm rings, when Lee Cheong-hyeon climbed down from his bed looking like death warmed over.
"Are you sick? What's with your face?"
"I'm just tired... Hyung, set your alarm and sleep more. It's only 7:00."
"7:00?"
I checked the time, and it really was 7:00 AM. It was an hour earlier than our usual wake-up time.
"I should've gone to bed early yesterday... I shouldn't have stayed up late."
With that, Lee Cheong-hyeon opened the closet and pulled out a familiar grey school uniform.
It was the uniform I’d seen when I was scouring for his past photos to make a subway birthday ad.
‘Right. He’s seventeen now.’
That meant Lee Cheong-hyeon was only just entering high school.
Meanwhile, the memory of when I entered university had become a distant blur.
I felt a renewed sense of concern about whether it was morally right for me to debut in a team with these kids.
"Is it the start of the semester today?"
"Hyung-nim, it's not the start of the semester, it's the first day of school! And for me, it's not just the first day, it's my entrance ceremony!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon pounced on my slip of the tongue immediately. Seeing him so energetic only three minutes after opening his eyes, I figured I didn't need to worry about his stamina.
I followed Lee Cheong-hyeon out of the room as he headed to wash up.
In the living room, Jeong Seong-bin and Kang Gi-yeon were hovering around in their school uniforms.
Perhaps because it was an arts high school uniform, the color and design were quite different from Lee Cheong-hyeon’s.
≫ The past photos of the alumni during their blueberry yogurt days are so precious... Fuck, why didn't our boys take selfies with those faces? Not taking 100 selfies a day with that face is a dereliction of duty, I'm so pissed, fuck.
└ This isn't even a gradation of anger, it's just straight-up rage.
Looking at the light purple uniforms, a social media post I’d glimpsed somewhere flashed through my mind.
When I have time, I should tell these three to sit on the dorm sofa and take some selfies.
"Are you guys eating breakfast before you leave?"
"Seong-bin hyung said he’d make toast."
Now that he mentioned it, three slices of bread were on the frying pan.
It looked like they were just heating the bread over the fire without any jam or eggs. The world of idols is so dry, both for the stomach and the heart.
"If you're just toasting it, I'll do it. You guys get ready to leave."
"Huh? You don't have to..."
"I can't sleep anymore anyway. Once I'm awake, I stay awake."
I'm not much of a cook, but I can at least toast some bread.
When I took the spatula from him, Jeong Seong-bin hovered around me anxiously before finally backing off.
"I think there were eggs in the fridge. Want me to fry some?"
"No, hyung! It's really okay!"
"I'm fine too..."
"Put an egg on mine!"
Before Kang Gi-yeon could even finish his sentence, Lee Cheong-hyeon shouted from the bathroom. I wondered what kind of superhuman hearing he possessed.