Chapter 29: The Appearance of a Competitor (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 29: The Appearance of a Competitor (1)
Even after hearing Jeong Seong-bin’s story, our lives didn’t change all that much.
The most we could really do was for me to pull another "resignation fiasco" and scream, "That bastard is the one who deserves to die!"
Though I certainly have enough confidence to raise hell.
Instead, we decided to take turns once a week, going in order of age, to give the next person a compliment.
The goal was to encourage one another, as our self-esteem had been whittled away.
Impressively, it was "the" Park Ju-woo who suggested it first.
I’m a bit worried that the person complimenting Jeong Seong-bin is Choi Je-ho, though...
If he has any sense, he’ll just watch what I do and follow suit.
Oh, and I did make a point to mention something at the office when I went to hand in my phone to the manager.
"Manager, there’s no such thing as 'trickle-down harassment' in our company, right?"
"Of course not. There’d be hell to pay if there was!"
"Really?"
"Naturally. It’s not like that among the trainees either, is it?"
"No, it’s not. I just wondered if there were certain boundaries between seniors and juniors that needed to be kept."
"Basic etiquette is important, but bullying and things like that don't happen. You’d be buried if you tried that."
The office where we had this conversation was the one used by the Management Headquarters. This meant I had spoken in a space with more than ten pairs of ears listening.
And on the topic of power trips, a very sensitive issue in the entertainment industry.
Jeong Seong-bin’s face had turned pale, perhaps fearing I was about to snitch on Jang Jun-hu right then and there.
But since I didn't end up saying anything, Seong-bin let it slide without a word.
It might seem like nothing now. But someday, someone might come along who understands the context of these random words I threw out.
If it never blows up, so be it, but if it does, it’s all for the better. I took it out as a sort of insurance policy.
While I hadn't exactly wished for it, the series of events led to the group’s membership training happening naturally. Amidst this, the first group interview for all trainees since I joined the company was scheduled.
The project to cultivate the debut team had officially begun.
UA’s meetings were much more lenient than those at Hanpyeong Industry.
For starters, shouting and pens flying across desks were non-existent.
What did the meeting rooms look like at the company I belonged to until just recently?
‘Who said I wanted to know a perfectly legal and moral method? Bring me loopholes, loopholes!’
‘All the kids who said they aren't coming to the hiking club are rookies, right? Compile a list of their names. No, wait, tell them all to come to my desk right now.’
‘The executives told us to do it, so what are you going to do? Do you all hate working? If you hate it, write your resignation letters and get out.’
No matter how much I thought about it, I should have quit back then.
If I had left then, I wouldn't have had to light Department Head Nam’s cigarettes every fifteen minutes afterward.
Even though the entire UA building was a non-smoking zone, just thinking about those times made me feel like I could smell the acrid scent of tobacco on my clothes.
In an atmosphere far more fragrant than my previous life, I listened once again to the group’s initial concept—something I had heard until I was sick of it while being forced to stan Spark.
"The management team says you all have that 'cool-headed handsome' look. So, we’re planning to go with a 'Winter Boy' vibe for the overall album and group logo."
And that’s why the debut music video was filmed in a field where all the grass had frozen to death.
Wait a minute.
Then why did they name the group Spark?
Don't people usually choose a name that reflects the team’s image?
Not that I, who was renamed Kim I-wol just because I was born in February, have much room to talk.
Regardless, calling the team "Flame" while going for a "Winter Boy" vibe felt like a bit of a contradiction.
"The group name candidates the company has in mind are Spark, Flake, Glint, and Flame—these four. Ideas are always welcome, so if you think of anything, feel free to speak up."
The candidates were all simple and flashy. Just hearing the names made my eyes sting and my face flush with embarrassment.
I almost forgot. This was a company obsessed with textbook idols.
In those incredibly extravagant names, the desire to include symbols and public appeal was glaringly obvious—they were just throwing everything in and planning to sort it out later.
This is why a proposal should be written by one person. If there are multiple authors, the content ends up all over the place.
Personally, I wanted to keep the original team name. It was only polite to preserve Spark’s path as much as possible.
However, the conversation didn't flow exactly as I hoped.
"If we’re going with a flame theme anyway, wouldn't Flame be better than Spark? It has a stronger feel."
"If we want to go strong, shouldn't it be something like Blaze?"
The employees' passion for the rookie group burned brightly through the group names.
Of course, there were rational people among them.
"Um, didn't you say we were going with a Winter Boy concept...?"
But the intellectual is always lonely in a crowd.
The trainees, myself included, could only watch in silence as the group name turned into a towering pillar of fire.
"We’re discussing these options. Do you have any opinions?"
The Representative asked.
I replied with a bright smile.
"We’ll discuss it at the dorm and share our thoughts through the manager immediately!"
First... let’s just end this useless discussion!
When the Representative gave me the okay, Jeong Seong-bin, sitting across from me, let out a small sigh of relief.
Yeah, you probably thought a fire show for a group name was a bit much too.
After that, the usual cautionary instructions followed.
"I know you’re all diligent, so I won’t say 'practice hard' too much. Instead, you have to be much more careful with every single action than before."
On this point, I completely agreed with the Representative.
Especially considering how Park Ju-woo was torn to shreds for not watching his expression when greeting a senior group.
"And more classes will be added from now on. We’re thinking of foreign languages and fitness, but which one did we say we’d start first?"
"Foreign languages first, Representative."
With fitness as an option, why start with foreign languages?
That’s nonsense. Muscles built during adolescence last for ten years.
It wasn't like Spark was going to debut overseas immediately. They didn't debut in Japan until their fifth year, so what was the point of foreign languages now?
Besides, all the Spark members were in their growth period. If they utilized this time well, they might grow a few centimeters taller than they did in the past. Leaving those frames to waste was a clear loss.
Lee Cheong-hyeon already knows how to speak English, so foreign languages aren't that urgent.
From what I remembered, Jeong Seong-bin was also quite good at Japanese.
He might not have learned it yet, but seeing how fluently he used it during their active years, he might just have a knack for learning languages.
If worst came to worst, I could just present them with "100 Business Sentences for Office Workers."
I thought the last time I’d study English in my life would be for the TOEIC Speaking exam I took to get a score right before graduation.
Just thinking about it was exhausting, but it couldn't be helped.
"Right. For English and Japanese, let’s aim for basic conversation, reading, and writing. Ju-gyeong will give you the details later."
I quickly took about a hundred deep breaths in my mind.
Contradicting a decision made by the higher-ups—at Hanpyeong Industry, a file folder would have come flying at my head instantly.
But...
If it’s just me getting chewed out, I should obviously choose the average height.
When I thought of Kang Gi-yeon, who used to look sunken in compared to the other members when they stood in a line, I couldn't help but feel a sense of duty.
"Representative!"
I took a deep breath and called out to him.
Even if everyone calls me a free-rider in the distant future, you, Kang Gi-yeon, better not.
"Yes?"
"I’m sorry, but could we take the fitness classes first?!"
This isn't a request. Grant it now.
This is all for the growth of your precious children.
Perhaps my solemnity got through to him, as the Representative reacted positively.
"Did you want to do fitness, I-wol? Since he wants it so much, should we start the fitness classes first?"
"There’s only a month’s difference between the start dates, so I don't think starting with fitness will make a big difference, Representative."
"Then let’s do that. Just report the expenses to me later."
"Yes, sir!"
And so, my objection to secure fitness classes ended peacefully without a single object being thrown.
Though I feel like processing the expenses would suit my aptitude better than actually working out.
Along with winning the fitness classes, there was one more piece of good news.
"Hyung! Hyung!"
"What?"
"I finished the song!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon had finished the song he’d been working on for weeks.
I don't know how long it usually takes to compose a song, but for a first original creation, this amount of time seemed impressive.
Even more so because Lee Cheong-hyeon had produced a better result than before, despite having no memory of his past work.
I shouldn't carelessly label someone’s hard work as mere "talent," but it really was an incredible ability.
"Is it a lot different from before?"
"It’s mostly the same, but I fixed the ending a bit."
With that, Lee Cheong-hyeon fumbled to pull out his earphones. Watching him, Kang Gi-yeon asked,
"What? Hyung, have you heard it before?"
"The version before the edits? Yeah. Cheong-hyeon let me listen."
"What the hell, Lee Cheong-hyeon? Why haven't you let me hear it yet?"
"I wanted to let our dear Kang Gi-yeon hear it once it was finished!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon teased, kneading Kang Gi-yeon’s face like dough and asking if he was pouting.
I told him not to touch people's faces because it might cause trouble. He really doesn't listen to a word I say.
Anyway, it was surprising that Kang Gi-yeon hadn't heard the song yet. Given Lee Cheong-hyeon’s personality, I expected him to gather everyone twice a day and tell them to listen to his song.
Has he really not played it for anyone else besides me and the A&R team?
Unaware of my puzzled look, Lee Cheong-hyeon handed the wired earphones plugged into his laptop to Kang Gi-yeon.
"How is it?"
"Wait. It’s only been thirteen seconds."
While Kang Gi-yeon listened to the song with his chin resting on his hand, Lee Cheong-hyeon stood beside him with an incredibly anxious expression, like a child watching someone approach a flock of pigeons.
And after about four minutes.
"It’s good."
"Really?!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon’s face lit up. Kang Gi-yeon replied with his usual indifferent, yet serious, face.
"Yeah. Seriously."
Then, Kang Gi-yeon turned to Choi Je-ho, who was dozing off on the sofa.
"Hyung, do you want to try making a choreography together this evening?"
"To what?"
"To Lee Cheong-hyeon’s song."
They used to glare at each other if even their gazes met in mid-air. This was incredible growth.
I was so moved that I thought about changing their nickname from "Sapodungi" to "Lovely-ies." For about two seconds.
While the two members of the dance line were making constructive practice plans, Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was packing up his laptop for bed, let out a loud exclamation.
"Huh?"
On the laptop screen, I caught a glimpse of a pink entertainment news UI that hadn't changed in years.
"What is it?"
Even Jeong Seong-bin, who was drinking water, walked over to Lee Cheong-hyeon and made a strange face after reading the article.
"...It says MYTH is debuting a boy group."
That was it.
The guaranteed Tier 1 group that would reign as the top rookie boy group for the next three years.
The group that Spark, with their terrible timing for comebacks, would have a grueling battle for rankings with for years.
The debut plans for "Parte"—the group that had snatched victory in every single one of those battles—had been revealed.