Chapter 292: The Young Lords' Party Preparations
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 292: The Young Lords' Party Preparations
Spark spent the rest of their holiday week at the dorm, each tending to their own business.
Choi Je-ho frequented the gym or action school, while Jeong Seong-bin and Kang Gi-yeon spent all day watching stage videos of other idols who had recently made comebacks. Park Ju-woo bought a backpack and other supplies to prepare for his return to school after a long hiatus.
Lee Cheong-hyeon spent his days more quietly than usual. Sometimes he stayed holed up in his room reading all day; other times, he’d head to the studio and return at 11:59 PM. Once, he even grabbed Park Ju-woo and declared, "Introduce me to the world of rock!"—a statement he regretted just three minutes later.
As for me... I spent my time playing around, constantly refreshing Dotion. No matter which page I visited, my profile icon sparkled at the top of the active user list. Then, I spotted something interesting.
'Joint self-produced content?'
New text was being typed into a section labeled with a Planning Team staff member's name.
"Hyung, what are you doing?"
"I'm checking to see if we're filming new self-produced content."
At my words, Jeong Seong-bin approached and sat on the bed. I moved further inward to give him plenty of room.
Seong-bin let out a sigh. "Do the company people know you're lurking on Dotion in real-time like this?"
"There's no way they don't. The login status shows up live. And if possible, call it a hobby rather than lurking."
"That makes it even scarier."
Despite his words, Seong-bin didn't leave my side. He seemed quite curious about the nature of this first-ever joint content.
At that moment, the staff member placed their cursor in one spot and pasted a block of text they seemed to have prepared in advance.
After reading the contents carefully, I asked, "Seong-bin, is this kind of joint content common?"
"In the past, rookie groups used to do it a lot to build recognition. But back then, promotion through MeTube wasn't as developed as it is now, so I remember them doing regular broadcasts on cable channels, usually around six episodes long."
"So you're saying it's not a format used much lately. What about inviting another group as guests?"
"That's common. Usually, they invite seniors or juniors from the same agency, or they do it once they've been in the industry for a few years. Between rookies, there's always a bit of rivalry between fandoms."
I see. I roughly understood the situation.
To summarize: Spark would appear on Berion's self-produced variety show as guests. We had to perform our roles without acting so submissively that it would upset Sparklers, but we also couldn't provoke Berion's fandom, since they were the owners of the channel. On top of that, we had to find a way to survive and stand out in a large-group program.
Since we weren't on bad terms with Berion and they were providing the sets and content, it wasn't a bad deal for Spark. We just had to carry ourselves well.
"Does Green Line have that much money? Enough to go out of their way for content like this?"
"Probably more than UA?"
I almost had a heart attack at Seong-bin's sudden black joke. Now that he was an adult, it felt like he had shed some kind of shell.
I tapped the laptop trackpad a few times and added a row to the bottom of the proposal table. In the leftmost column, I wrote 'Other Opinions (Kim I-wol)' and quickly typed out my thoughts.
Other Opinions (Kim I-wol)
- Proposal: If hiring a filming team is possible, deploy them alongside existing staff so that both Spark and Berion can film their own versions (maintaining one master wide shot).
- Important Suggestion: Film the content simultaneously, but focus the base footage on each respective group. Upload the videos to each group's MeTube channel with a one-week interval (to encourage both Berion's fandom and Sparklers to visit both channels).
Immediately, a new row appeared at the bottom. The staff member quickly typed a message.
[I-wol, why are you logged in?]
[I am always watching.]
[;;;;;;;;;]
Seong-bin sighed over my shoulder. Seong-bin, you're going to burn a hole in the top of my head at this rate.
[We're all just cleaning the dorm, so please feel free to relay the details once the discussion is over!]
Joint content with the Berion guys, huh?
I was looking forward to it. I wondered what content made with the capital of a mid-sized company would feel like.
The joint content began with a scripted scene of mail being delivered to Spark while we were gathered in the practice room.
"An invitation? For us?"
Jeong Seong-bin accepted the mail, showcasing his impressive acting skills. The elegant envelope was sealed with wax stamped with Berion's group logo.
"Are the Berion sunbaenims holding a concert?"
"Whoa, is it really a concert ticket?"
Since we hadn't been told the specific details of the content, Kang Gi-yeon and Lee Cheong-hyeon were able to act quite naturally as well.
Seong-bin broke the seal and pulled out the invitation. He read the contents aloud, step by step.
"Hello, Spark. To celebrate the New Year, you are invited to a potluck party held at Berion House!"
"What's a potluck party?" Choi Je-ho asked. For the record, it was a first for me, too.
Kang Gi-yeon, who was well-versed in various international cultures, took over the explanation.
"It's a party where everyone brings food or drinks they've made to share. Usually, you bring a dish you're confident in or prepare something the host assigns."
"Then what should we prepare...?"
"Wait, let me keep reading."
Seong-bin focused on the invitation again.
"Please show off your culinary skills to your heart's content! No matter what you bring, Berion House welcomes you. We hope you will attend and grace the party with your presence! P.S. The dress code is 'Medieval Nobility.'"
"That dress code is no joke."
"Seriously."
Gi-yeon and Cheong-hyeon couldn't hide their bewilderment.
More than that, our cooking skills were the problem. Spark's cooking classes had been progressing at a snail's pace, and now we were suddenly facing a Michelin-level evaluation.
"Guys."
"Yes?"
"Let's book a meeting room."
We stormed out of the practice room in search of a large whiteboard. We had a mountain of work to do.
Understanding what one is capable of is the most basic of basics. Trying to do something beyond one's means without knowing one's own limits is a recipe for disaster.
Thus, we earnestly listed the dishes we could actually make ourselves.
Inari sushi, egg soup, butter cookies, plain rice porridge, chicken breast salad, French toast, kimchi pancakes, seasoned vegetables, skewered pancakes, pollack pancakes, meat and vegetable patties, skewered meat and vegetables, pan-fried tofu...
Choi Je-ho, who had been staring blankly at the board, spoke up.
"Doesn't this just look like a ritual offerings table from the middle onwards?"
I know. If you're unhappy about it, you should have gotten a culinary technician license.
"We're going to end up showing up to a potluck party carrying LocknLock containers..." Lee Cheong-hyeon muttered with a look of pity.
This wouldn't do. I turned to Kang Gi-yeon, who was researching party foods.
"Gi-yeon, what do people usually bring to parties?"
"Finger foods like canapés, sandwiches, or muffins. There's also pasta or fried food, but noodles would probably get soggy on the way."
Gi-yeon quickly captured a photo of cracker canapés, which looked relatively easy to make, and displayed it on the screen.
Park Ju-woo used his 'phone-a-friend' chance to call his older sister, the self-proclaimed Queen of Parties. She didn't hold back on her precious advice.
— Don't try to challenge yourself with something difficult just because you want to try something new. Stick to what's familiar. Like kimbap or sweet and sour chicken. Since you're idols, you can make keto kimbap. Low carb, high fat. If you know how to cook a bit, gambas is good too. Oh, and fruit is a must! You need it to cleanse the palate.
Since there were six of us invited, the prevailing opinion was that we should bring at least six dishes. Ultimately, we decided to prepare the following:
Muffins, apple crumble pie, keto kimbap, cracker canapés, deviled eggs, Shine Muscat grapes.
"Wow, it actually feels like a party now."
"It better. The sunbaenims will be watching."
While Kang Gi-yeon saved the recipe links to the Web Cell, Jeong Seong-bin divided the whiteboard into three large sections. He then wrote the roles at the top of the table in neat, beautiful handwriting: 'Baking,' 'Cooking,' and 'Shopping & Party Prep.'
"Before we assign roles, I'll take volunteers first. Anyone have a field they want?"
"I'll take party prep," Lee Cheong-hyeon said solemnly. No one opposed him.
"I'll do cooking..." Park Ju-woo also quickly found his role. From what I could see, he was starting to develop a taste for cooking.
"What about you hyungs?" Gi-yeon asked, looking at me, Choi Je-ho, and Jeong Seong-bin after finishing the Web Cell organization.
I didn't really care what I did, but...
"How about we put Choi Je-ho on shopping?"
"Why?"
"You almost exploded the piping bag when we were making cookies last time."
Park Ju-woo was already a mess of powder; if this guy turned into a Slushy Dough-mon too, we'd be in big trouble. Je-ho submissively accepted his fate. Go help Lee Cheong-hyeon carry the bags.
"Seong-bin, Gi-yeon, what do you guys want to do?"
"Since I looked up the recipes, should I join the cooking team?"
With Gi-yeon's suggestion, the baking duty naturally fell to me and Seong-bin.
Baking teacher, have you been well? Your disciples are coming. We'll see you soon.
The day before the potluck party, the filming team split into two. One followed us to the baking class, and the other followed the shopping team. Since cooking couldn't start without ingredients, the other four moved together until they secured the goods.
Seong-bin and I had a heartwarming reunion with the baking teacher. And then, we immediately fell into the hell of kneading dough.
"A lot of sugar goes into this."
"We can just go to the gym right after the party."
"Are we doing a Cinderella concept...?" Seong-bin mashed the butter with a dubious expression.
"Are you two going to add toppings or make other flavors of muffins?"
"No!"
Through prior research, we knew that none of the Berion members had specific allergies, but we made the most basic muffins just in case. Party food should be something everyone can enjoy together.
Unlike muffins, where one batter does it all, the apple crumble pie was labor-intensive. It was my mistake to choose it just because it was the dessert my sister always ordered at cafes.
Slicing apples for 50 servings of apple crumble and making the streusel was no small task. We ended up making enough for the staff as well. Halfway through, I couldn't tell if I was simmering the apples or if I was being simmered along with them.
"Are you going to do the packaging today too?" the teacher asked.
When we said yes, she brought out a mountain of packaging containers from a remote storage room. Memories of preparing for 'Adan-un' came flooding back.