Chapter 20: Clashing Opinions (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20: Clashing Opinions (2)
“Why are you both so quiet? Don’t tell me you were actually going to throw punches when you’re supposed to be idols?”
A heavy silence instantly fell over the practice room.
“…….”
“Did you want to start your career with a controversy before you even debut? Are you both the type to take high risks for the sake of high returns?”
If that were the case, they shouldn't be fighting each other; they should be having a long talk with me first.
I was debating whether I needed to straighten their heads out until common sense and manners were engraved into their spines when Choi Je-ho spoke up.
“If you weren't going to stop us, why did you jump in?”
“I’m saying I want you to change the way you communicate. You’re both old enough to express yourselves politely.”
At that, both of them shut their mouths tight.
Considering their personalities—the type to snap back immediately if they disagreed—it seemed they both conceded to my point, at least a little bit.
“I want you two to have a healthy conversation. Not use a fight as an excuse to vent your rage.”
“…….”
“That goes for you too, Choi Je-ho. Now that you know you have a problem with Gi-yeon, shouldn't you just ask him what the issue is? Let’s not let what we learned in ethics class go to waste, okay?”
The two of them sighed, looking like they’d just been doused with a bucket of cold water mixed with a bit of a preachy lecture. It was a sign that their will to fight had evaporated.
I’d stop here if just ending the fight was enough, but…
≫ Look at our Seong-bin, he’s so exhausted from trying to fix the mood that he’s just sipping through a straw in a cup with Ju-woo where there isn't even any cola left ㅠㅠ Main dancer line, get a clue. Actually, don't.
└ These Spark-cool-os are really living up to their names lol. The live broadcast atmosphere went to sh*t, but they’re still over here trying to squeeze content out of it and acting like they’re so chill.
└ If they don't rely on delusional coping, how else are they gonna stan those guys? lol. It was suffocating to watch the whole time.
└ You said it was suffocating, but you watched the whole live? Welcome to the fandom.
└ Their delusional coping is seriously legendary.
Even if I only aimed for a successful debut, I had to be with Spark for at least the next year.
In this situation, burying the hatchet and feigning ignorance was the same as agreeing to live every day like I was walking on thin ice that could crack at any moment.
Moreover, the ones engaged in this psychological warfare were the two who fought the most within Spark. It was difficult to wrap this up by just pretending nothing happened.
“If it’s hard to talk while you’re cooling off, get help from a third party. Having someone else involved might help you keep a level head.”
“…….”
“You guys have been living the group life much longer than I have, so it must be harder for you, and I’m sure you’ve both put up with a lot. But you don't want the other kids walking on eggshells around you, do you?”
Only then did Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon’s gazes turn toward Jeong Seong-bin, whose face had gone pale.
This probably wasn't the first or second time this had happened, and every time, Jeong Seong-bin must have jumped in somehow to mediate. I didn't even need to see it to know.
“Then, I hope you two reach an amicable agreement. I’m heading back in.”
“You can't go in.”
“Huh?”
Choi Je-ho, arms crossed, looked directly at me and spoke.
“You do it. Be the third party.”
No. In this situation, shouldn't you, as the eldest, step up and say, ‘I’ll do it, I’m the honorary mediator of Spark’?
I didn't have the slightest desire to get involved in a fight between the two of them.
My social battery was already at its limit just from seeing their faces, talking, and practicing with Spark every day.
Still, I tried to calm myself and suggest they solve their own problems proactively when the System popped up in front of my eyes.
+
[SYSTEM] A ‘New Task’ has been assigned.
▷ Resolve the conflict between members to nip the controversy in the bud. (Stick function can be used once.)
▷ Reward: Experience Points (20), Stick function activation.
+
No, for f*ck’s sake, you want me to settle a squabble between grown-ass men?
When you have multiple sentient beings together, there are bound to be clashes of opinion.
However, the part about ‘nipping the controversy in the bud’ bothered me.
I quickly scanned through the history of Spark in my head.
Controversies that could have happened between Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon… The attitude controversy was only about Choi Je-ho, so exclude that. They both had personality controversies, but they weren't linked together, so exclude those too…
Good grief, the controversies just kept coming the more I dug. No matter how much of a mess I was in the team, this was a total shipwreck.
I felt a newfound respect for Jeong Seong-bin, who had led this chaotic group project for seven years, and for Department Head Nam’s daughter, who had passionately stanned the tumultuous Spark for seven years.
If it were me, I might have left the fandom the moment the controversy about ignoring members broke out…
That’s it!
It was a controversy that started about two years after their debut when an awkward vibe between Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon was caught on camera.
If it were office workers fighting, it would have ended with a few rounds of gossip, but…
The distance between Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon, who looked awkward despite being in the same group, snowballed into something much worse as it passed through various posts.
Eventually, it spiraled into a personality controversy, claiming that Choi Je-ho, the elder, was creating a sharp atmosphere within the team by ignoring Kang Gi-yeon, who was younger and hadn't even become the center.
≫ If they’re like that even when the cameras are on, I can't even imagine what they’re like when the cameras are off;;; The chill is insane.
≫ No matter what, they’re members of the same group, not strangers. Can he really ignore him that openly? I feel embarrassed for him.
≫ How many years have fans been shielding him saying he’s just shy? lololol. So this was the result. I’m so disappointed, Je-ho.
└ Can't blame anyone else lol. You guys raised him like that and now you’re like ‘I’m so disappointed’ lmao. Keep stanning your precious Je-ho and his lack of social skills.
Then the cyber wreckers latched onto it…
Videos like ‘Male idol who couldn't handle military culture and staged a mutiny’ and ‘Idol controversial for passing over a member… doing this to a teammate?’ began to run rampant.
The algorithm pushed them so much that the fabricated thumbnail of Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon glaring at each other was still vivid in my mind.
And unfortunately, all these incidents occurred right when Spark’s mentions were noticeably increasing.
In other words, it wasn't time for this to come to the surface yet.
Why is this blowing up already?
It was true that Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon were particularly distant right before their debut.
So, timing-wise, this was a problem that should have surfaced two years later at the earliest, or four years later considering when it became a major issue.
First Jeong Seong-bin suddenly loses his mental stability, and now this.
At that moment, a notice I had seen a while ago came to mind.
+
[SYSTEM] A ‘Notice’ is being issued to ‘Party B’.
▷ Excessive changes to the original schedule may result in corresponding disadvantages.
▷ Even if the schedule is moved forward, the frequency of scheduled events remains valid, and the timing of occurrence will be adjusted to fit the changed schedule.
+
F*ck, it wasn't them—I was the one taking the high risks for high returns.
My stomach churned as I realized all of this was my own karma. My head started to throb a little too.
It sucks, but I can't undo what’s already been done.
If time was already scarce, it was better to spend the time I’d use for regretting on finding the best solution instead.
I racked my brain to find a positive side to the current situation.
As with everything, there was an advantage even to this.
Considering how UA failed to respond properly and set fire to the individual fandoms, it might be better to prevent it in advance.
Wouldn't this be better than watching Choi Je-ho’s fans and Kang Gi-yeon’s fans get torn to shreds?
Assuming, of course, that I could actually prevent the incident.
I really should have applied for a job transfer to manager. Or maybe as the operator of UA’s exclusive confessional booth.
“Guys, I don't think practice is what’s important right now.”
“Pardon?”
“Everyone, sit down. Let’s talk.”
Emergency. This was a total emergency.
Including Park Ju-woo, whom I don't know who brought over or when, we all sat in a circle in the middle of the practice room.
“I don't think this is something that needs to be made into such a big deal.”
Kang Gi-yeon expressed his dissatisfaction.
He had snapped in the heat of the moment but was trying to fix it in his own way. He seemed annoyed because Choi Je-ho had poked at him thoughtlessly and I had seemingly fanned the flames.
“I said let’s have a healthy conversation. Gi-yeon, you’re banned from speaking until you cool your head.”
So, I decided to just shut him up for a bit. When you’re pissed off, even good words come out crooked.
“Choi Je-ho, what part of what Gi-yeon said didn't you like?”
“…It’s not exactly that I didn't like it.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could be honest, if only for the sake of the four of us sitting here to hear your opinion.”
When he tried to brush it off, I made a polite request with a smile, and Choi Je-ho flinched.
Since he didn't have friends, he probably found a friendly conversation with someone his age awkward. I understood.
“He’s acting like a brat toward me.”
“What?”
As soon as Choi Je-ho spoke, Kang Gi-yeon reacted.
Sitting at an angle facing each other, it felt like sparks were flying between their gazes.
The group name really did suit the members perfectly.
I asked in the calmest tone possible to prevent Choi Je-ho from becoming aggressive as well.
“Did Gi-yeon say with his own mouth that you’re annoying?”
“He never did, but…”
“Then why do you think Gi-yeon is acting like a brat toward you?”
“Do I have to hear someone say they hate me to know it?”
In short, it meant he had read Kang Gi-yeon’s non-verbal cues.
This part was unexpected. Choi Je-ho was famous for being a guy who lived his life alone without caring about what others thought.
There was a possibility his personality had changed while being an idol, but from what I’d seen while living and eating with him, the Choi Je-ho in person wasn't much different from his image in the media.
For a guy like that to be so conscious of others… that is unexpected.
Kang Gi-yeon, who had suddenly become someone who went around shouting ‘I hate you’ to his teammate with his whole body, also wore a strange expression.
“I’ve learned something in my life, which might be short to some and long to others.”
“You’ve lived the same amount of time as me.”
I’ve got more mileage than you, kid. About nine years more.
“I’ve found that rather than guessing other people’s feelings based on my own standards, explaining why I’m angry helps keep the conversation going.”
“It looked like he wanted to show he hated me even from a hundred meters away, so I just gave him the floor to say it openly. Happy?”
“It’s not that I hate you.”
Just as the conversation was about to overheat, Kang Gi-yeon clarified.
However, it was hard to trust those words. This was because Kang Gi-yeon’s expression was truly awful.
“We just don't click. And I have no intention of trying to make it click.”
Kang Gi-yeon was firm.
“Can I ask why you’ve come to think that way?”
At my question, Kang Gi-yeon hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Because that hyung has no intention of trying to click with others either.”