Chapter 304: 1st Anniversary (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 304: 1st Anniversary (5)
Image is everything to an idol. From their concept and sales points to advertisements and the projects they choose—image essentially dictates an idol's entire existence.
Spark’s image could be defined by words like youth, vitality, health, energy, and presence. Although their last album had a softer feel, they had mostly promoted as a group of robust, healthy young men.
But what if that image changed? Spark’s "Great Era of Youth" would end, replaced by some unrecognizable, hodgepodge concept. I’d rather work twice as hard than see that happen twice.
Unaware of my inner turmoil, the guys crowded around Lee Cheong-hyeon. They started chatter about whose image had changed the most.
"It’s Seong-bin Hyung. He was total 'plain tofu' at the start of our debut, but now he’s completely 'pan-fried tofu.'"
"No, Seong-bin was already pan-fried tofu when he practiced back then..."
"Now he’s Mapo tofu when he practices."
Lee Cheong-hyeon, Park Ju-woo, and Kang Gi-yeon launched into a heated debate titled 'Jeong Seong-bin: The Evolution of Tofu Cooking Methods.' Jeong Seong-bin, who had suddenly become Mapo tofu, gave a bashful smile.
"Didn't Je-ho Hyung change a lot, too?"
Kang Gi-yeon’s comment brought a new candidate to the floor. Choi Je-ho stared blankly at us.
Choi Je-ho certainly had changed. He’d probably changed more than the landscape does in ten years.
"Didn't Kang Gyeon join UA because he saw Je-ho Hyung?"
Exclamations broke out at this new piece of trivia. Kang Gi-yeon scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Choi Je-ho just blinked with a dazed expression.
"Well, I mean..."
Kang Gi-yeon trailed off. Reading the sincerity in his unfinished sentence, the fans of the dance line went wild.
"Why?"
However, Choi Je-ho wasn't the type of guy to be considerate of other people's feelings.
The verbal heater Je-ho threw slammed right into Kang Gi-yeon’s solar plexus.
Lee Cheong-hyeon stepped in as a substitute to explain on behalf of the red-faced Kang Gi-yeon.
"Kang Gyeon watched so many of your videos when he was in middle school! You guys all know, right? Je-ho Hyung’s past videos!"
"Of course!"
"Is that all?"
Choi Je-ho dumped a bucket of cold water over the heartwarming story. Tonight, I would definitely whisper the Idol Code of Conduct into his ear again.
"Je-ho Hyung’s personality has mellowed out a lot. He takes good care of us younger members, too," Jeong Seong-bin said, trying to settle the nearly exploding Kang Gi-yeon. Perhaps because I’d seen the past data recently, I found myself agreeing with Seong-bin to some extent.
Then, Park Ju-woo, who had been quietly contemplating a Post-it note in the back, spoke up.
"...For me, it’s I-wol Hyung."
"Me?"
"Isn't he exactly the same?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon and I asked almost simultaneously. Park Ju-woo fiddled with the Post-it as he answered.
"I-wol Hyung... hasn't changed since the early debut days, but he’s very different from my first impression of him."
Just what was my first impression like?
I thought back to my first day after returning through time.
I remembered being incredibly angry because of the System, my eyes being unfocused because I was so disoriented, and being a total 'clumsy person' because I was terrible at dancing.
"Hyung was really scary at first..."
"I was?"
Intrigued gazes from the audience fixed on me. Why was I scary? I just ate the chewy cold noodles they gave me and practiced hard when told to.
"When I first saw I-wol Hyung? He was scary then."
"It’s because we didn't know he had this kind of personality. I bet the fans can't even imagine it," Kang Gi-yeon said. I realized belatedly which Kim I-wol they were talking about.
They were talking about the Kim I-wol during that single day between leaving home after receiving the business card and entering UA—the one before the regression.
‘Did Park Ju-woo say he couldn't even eat back then?’
I didn't remember much about how I was right after the CSAT. Hardly anyone remembers themselves objectively. Still, I tried to comfort myself with the thought that people's personalities don't change that much, so I must have been more or less the same...
"Hyung was seriously scary. He barely said a word."
"He’d bow his head whenever we explained something, but his eyes were terrifying."
"Well, Hyung is tall, so...!"
"He seemed like a very exhausted, sharp person..."
...The revelations poured out as if they’d been waiting for this moment. Everyone looked like their mouths had been itching to say this, wondering how they’d held it in all this time.
Choi Je-ho delivered the finishing blow.
"I never imagined he’d have good social skills."
If I was hearing that from Choi Je-ho, my impression must have been the absolute worst. And yet, they managed to accept me. Or was it that they just couldn't kick me out?
"I’m not like that now, right?"
"Not at all."
When I asked anxiously, everyone except Choi Je-ho shook their heads. Even Je-ho just shrugged and said, "Not particularly."
We returned to the company immediately after the fan meeting ended. It was for our evening live stream schedule.
Spark’s first birthday schedule is way too intense. Everyone is celebrating so we grow up healthy, but if they try to disband us after seven years again after all this, I won't let it slide.
In today’s live stream, there was going to be a major announcement to commemorate the 1st anniversary.
"Everyone, thank you for waiting."
"Our official lightstick is finally coming out!"
A year after our debut, the release of Spark’s lightstick had finally been decided.
It had been a truly long and difficult time. If I were to open the minutes of the meetings leading up to the lightstick’s release, there would be no end to them.
Among the points I emphasized most strongly was...
‘I don’t need anything else. Just guarantee the luminosity.’
...The intensity of the light.
Nobody wants a lightstick that makes you wonder if the stick is defective or the batteries are bad because the light is so dim despite putting in three batteries.
Luminosity that gives the effect of three lightsticks even when holding just one. Visibility that boasts a unique presence even among dozens of other lightsticks because of its high saturation and clarity. A sense of solidarity felt even from a distance. Spark’s lightstick needed that kind of brilliance.
‘For the internal parts, it would be prettiest to make them in the shape of a firework explosion if possible, but a regular flame shape is fine if that’s too difficult. However, the focal point of the light must be clearly established.’
‘When requesting samples, can we ask for both a regular dome lid and a faceted lid? I want to see the difference in light reflection.’
In addition to this, I diligently noted past cases of defects. As a result of pounding on the 'Challenge' board day and night, we were able to obtain a satisfying draft.
"It’s our first time seeing the real thing, too."
Kang Gi-yeon said, leaning toward the center. He acted like he wasn't interested when Jeong Seong-bin and I were posting manifestos on the board, but he must have been quite curious himself.
A black pouch emerged from a box designed with 'Flammable' warning tape all over it. Even before the tip of the lightstick appeared, Lee Cheong-hyeon started making a fuss.
The lightstick Jeong Seong-bin carefully pulled out wasn't much different from those of recent idols. An easy-to-grip handle and a round, spherical head are the standard for lightsticks, after all.
Instead, the body was finished in matte black, and a transparent dome with a brilliant-cut shape was placed over it. I wanted the parts to be clearly visible when the light was off, and for the light to scatter like a fancy lamp when turned on, and it turned out even better than expected.
The realization of the firework shape was also high-quality. It almost became a torch—which I’d considered as a backup plan—but as expected, technology is the best.
While Park Ju-woo put batteries into the lightstick, Choi Je-ho turned off the lights. For the first time since their debut, Spark disappeared into the darkness in front of the camera.
And the moment the light was switched on:
≫ Whoa, what the
≫ LOL is that luminosity for real? Hahaha
≫ You could see that from a satellite LMAO
≫ It’s... bright
≫ My eyes
≫ Hahaha performance approved
The scene was flooded with orange light. We could see the members' expressions, their hairstyles, and even the patterns on the cushions behind us with the naked eye. It was brighter now than when driving through a tunnel.
"It’s so bright! We did it!"
"It actually works."
The guys, checking how the light looked through secondary devices, let out cheers. We turned the lightstick this way and that like primitive humans who had just discovered fire.
"It’s not just because it’s our lightstick, it’s really pretty. Right?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon was delighted, a full smile on his face.
UA decided to sell this incredible artificial sun at a fairly revolutionary price. In a positive sense.
‘I-wol, the specs of our lightstick are better than other groups’, not worse. From a corporate perspective, considering profit, even if we sell it at the market price...’
‘The cost is less than 20,000 won. Even after labor and shipping, the margin is excessive. Unless they’re going to use this one lightstick for the rest of their lives, I’m against setting a high price if there are plans to release different designs later.’
I could have been even more blunt if I wanted to. Could UA ship as fast as other companies that sell expensive lightsticks?—of course, that’s the logistics company’s job, but control is the company’s domain anyway—did they have enough loyal customers who would buy an expensive lightstick no matter what, could they guarantee a schedule where fans could use the lightstick often enough, had they built enough trust to give the impression that they don't view fans as ATMs... and so on.
But I didn't go that far. Perhaps because they hadn't completely ruled out a 'Version 2' lightstick, the company readily agreed to the price. If they try to sell Version 2 for 80,000 won later, I’ll destroy UA and everything else.
After announcing the pre-order date for the lightstick, it was time for well-wishing remarks. To celebrate becoming second-year idols, we decided to encourage each other to work even harder.
"Shall we go around in a circle to the left from where we’re sitting?"
"That’s fine, but can we introduce 'Informal Speech Time'?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon raised his hand and asked.
"It’s supposed to be well-wishing, but a junior can't really give advice to a senior!"
"Since when did you care about being a junior?"
Choi Je-ho grumbled, but Lee Cheong-hyeon wasn't wrong, so we decided to exchange well-wishes under the concept of 'Everyone is a friend!'
Park Ju-woo started. The person receiving his well-wishes was Choi Je-ho. Those two always seemed to end up together when filming this kind of content.
"Je-ho-ya."
"...Yeah."
"Thank you for being a good roommate. I’m having a great time every day thanks to you..."
"Sure."
"Thanks for showing me the Invert, too..."
"Is that what you guys do in the older members' room?"
Kang Gi-yeon couldn't hold back his question. I was wondering the same thing. What on earth are you guys doing in there? No wonder Park Ju-woo was dragging a yoga mat into the room.
The person Choi Je-ho had to give well-wishes to was Jeong Seong-bin. Jeong Seong-bin swallowed hard. He looked fully prepared to accept whatever nonsense Choi Je-ho might spout.
But wasn't Choi Je-ho always the one to defy expectations?
"You’ve worked hard."
At those warm words that struck out of nowhere, Jeong Seong-bin’s lips trembled.