Chapter 309: Variety Show Circuit (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 309: Variety Show Circuit (1)
Once they became somewhat well-known, Spark began to be mentioned frequently even during their off-season. People who stumbled upon social media clips, word-of-mouth rumors, or rediscovered moments from their self-produced content were joining the fandom even while the group wasn't active.
≫ If I knew it’d be like this, I would’ve started stanning at the end of last year.
My denial phase lasted way too long...
└ Ugh, T_T I feel for you... The end of the year was a total feast of content.
└ I’m currently catching up on clips with both hands and feet, lol.
└ That was me last year, haha. I joined thinking there wouldn't be much content since they were rookies who debuted this year, but I didn't expect them to have had four comebacks already...
≫ Is the white-haired guy from the Music Grand Festival always this wacky?
I thought he was a noble prince, but why does he turn into a nagging chatterbox every time they film their own content?
└ He’s actually even wackier.
└ The comment above, lol.
└ But the comment above isn't exactly wrong.
└ Hahaha, I agree. That guy is naturally eccentric... But calling it a "character" feels a bit rude to describe I-wol’s strangeness. I-wol is... just a naturally wacky gentleman.
≫ When is Ember making a comeback?
As a Sparkler who’s been here since debut, I’ve been raised in such luxury.
If the hiatus lasts more than three months, life loses its meaning.
└ This is all Spark’s fault for spoiling us.
└ Spark needs to take responsibility with a comeback.
≫ So when is Lee Cheong-hyeon becoming an ambassador?
Honestly, looking at his potential right now, it wouldn't be weird if he had Molex on one arm and Hermes on the other, right?
└ Lol, those brands don't pick idols as ambassadors, though.
└ Even if it’s just Gucci, please do something. I might not be able to buy it, but at least I can look at the pictorials.
Naturally, not all reactions were positive. The gatekeeping and rivalry, which they rarely faced as "nugu" rookies, had intensified significantly after they won the Rookie Award.
≫ These kinds of kids always have a reverse glow-up later.
Tall kids with slim faces like LCH or PJW are especially prone to that.
└ Stop raining on their parade and just go away~
└ It’s not entirely wrong, lol. Enjoy your peak while it lasts, Sparklers.
└ The first person tried to let it slide, but you just had to be sarcastic, huh? Lol. Go worry about managing your own faves. We at least have something to lose; looking at your faves' live vocals, it's a goddamn tragedy. Why do I have to drag you for you to listen?
└ How do you know who I stan? I don't even follow idols.
└ Is there anyone who doesn't know that Naos fans swarm in to bash Spark whenever they're mentioned? Lol. You guys have been at it since the Idol Dynasty Annals. It’s exhausting.
└ If you don't follow idols, why are you even reading this post? Muggles don't even know places like this exist, lol.
...And so on. Because of this, I further tightened the internal regulation against monitoring within Spark. I had no intention of showing them this kind of mudslinging.
"I-wol, you should cut back on searching yourself up, too."
"Pardon?"
"I don't think it's good for your mental health. If there’s feedback I think you need to hear, I’ll filter it and pass it on. Don't go looking at hate comments or posts directly yourself."
At the same time, I also received a monitoring ban from Min Ju-gyeong. Even though nothing is more important for an idol than keeping up with public sentiment.
I suspected Kang Gi-yeon had snitched by bringing her the hate comment file, so I questioned him, but to no avail. The fellow pleaded his innocence, looking extremely wronged.
However, there was little time to wallow in boredom. Thankfully, we received offers to appear on several variety shows.
Most programs scheduled their filming around the comeback for promotional purposes, but for shows where album promotion didn't quite fit, we decided to appear during the hiatus to fill the gap.
The program we decided to do this time, Worry Sharing Meeting, was a simple show that took stories from viewers, listened to their worries, and suggested solutions, just as the title suggested. It wasn't a show that aimed for big laughs, but it had been loved for a long time for its relatable content. Plus, it was on a major network!
For a program like this, I thought it would be better to show a sincere attitude rather than just pushing promotions, so I moved the schedule up to show more of our conversational side.
"Is this the first time the two of us are going on a variety show together?"
Jeong Seong-bin, who had just returned from his morning lectures, asked as he swapped his bag.
The dedicated team had selected Seong-bin and me as the lineup that best suited the format of listening to worries. I thought Kang Gi-yeon would have been a good fit instead of me, but he ended up having to go to a deserted island with Choi Je-ho.
'Is sending you two really the right choice?'
'So what? You want us not to go?'
It was total chaos while Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon were packing their bags. Choi Je-ho was too busy packing T-shirts to notice my sincere concern.
'I'm just saying, make me feel at ease.'
'Don't worry, Hyung. I even packed sunblock for Je-ho Hyung.'
Kang Gi-yeon said sensibly. I told Choi Je-ho to follow Gi-yeon’s example and nagged him about why he was only packing shorts when he might get bitten by bugs.
It was only yesterday that the two of them left for the airport with empty backpacks—they decided not to bring much from the start, saying everything would be confiscated anyway.
"I just hope the deserted island team doesn't fight..."
"Oh, come on. Je-ho Hyung and Gi-yeon don't fight anymore."
Jeong Seong-bin smiled good-naturedly. They have softened up a lot.
Lee Cheong-hyeon and Park Ju-woo were given as much time as possible to work on the title track. In a way, there were no other options.
Still, Seong-bin is a kind soul, so he’ll handle things well. I should also make sure to read each viewer's story with kindness, a smile, and gentle words.
I made a firm resolution. And then, three hours into filming, I completely abandoned my initial intentions.
The theme of today’s worries was "I want to speak up confidently! Words, words, words!" It was a collection of stories from people who wanted to say something refreshing in awkward situations but couldn't.
No matter how much the media portrays provocative and cathartic revenge, it’s hard to achieve in reality. In that sense, the theme felt quite appropriate.
That was my impression—right up until Jeong Seong-bin read his assigned story.
"Hello. I am an employee who just entered my second year at the company. I had just finished adjusting and felt like I was finding my place, so I was starting to feel at ease."
The hosts nodded, saying that was a relief. Some were even jotting down short notes about the sender's situation.
"But then, something like a bolt from the blue happened to me. Out of my colleague and me, I was the only one whose salary was frozen."
"Excuse me?"
As I was listening quietly, a rough voice escaped my lips before I knew it. Seeing me hurriedly cover my mouth, Jeong Seong-bin continued reading the story with trembling hands.
"Sharing salary information among employees is prohibited, but since we had relied on each other since we joined, we were close friends who hung out after work and often discussed things inside and outside the company. During a conversation about this year's salary negotiation season, my colleague, naturally assuming my salary would also be increased, mentioned their own raise, and that's how I found out."
Sighs erupted from all over. Everyone felt even worse because the colleague hadn't said it with any ill intent.
Waiting for the room to settle, Jeong Seong-bin read the rest of the story.
"In my hollow state of mind, I tried to convey my desired salary to the HR team before the negotiation period ended, but the response I got was negative. Instead, a colleague from the HR team I was close with started asking probing questions like, 'How much of a raise would it take for you not to leave the company?'"
"Ha..."
A sigh rose from deep within my gut. If you’re not going to give a raise, then don't. Why test the waters? Are you trying to make someone feel miserable on purpose?
"I-wol, you look really angry."
"Yes. I’m certain if you measured my temperature right now, it would be 39 degrees Celsius."
I desperately needed a headache pill. I felt like I could smell trash inside my head.
"I also inquired about which areas I received poor evaluations in this year. The company cited the fact that my workload was lower than my colleague's as the reason for the freeze. Since our team only has two members, we split the practical work and the reporting, and they claimed they thought the colleague who handled more reporting was doing more work. I organized and submitted the daily work logs we are required to report to prove our workloads were similar, but it was no use."
No, then why do you make them report work logs if you’re not even going to look at them?
And shouldn't this have been looked into by the Team Leader beforehand? Is the boss sleeping?
"I’m so angry at the HR team for constantly asking if I wouldn't quit if they gave me about 100 more, or how I’d feel if the company gave me a refresh leave. How can I express my feelings calmly?"
The long and sad story came to an end. The MC asked Jeong Seong-bin, who had read the story.
"Seong-bin, what do you think about this?"
"I... I thought the sender must be going through a very hard time emotionally in many ways."
Everyone wiped their eyes at Jeong Seong-bin’s innocent reaction. It was a story that revealed a reality far too cold for an idol who had just turned twenty.
"Other things are problems too, but the HR team is the worst. They’re poking at someone who’s already distressed."
"Exactly. Looking at the story, it seems they don't want the sender to leave, so they’re trying to hold onto them with as little money as possible."
The MCs began to break down the sender's situation step by step.
But even without breaking it down, I could see it clearly. It was as vivid as if a video were playing in front of me. The sender's suffocating feelings. Why do all the shitty small-time companies in the world share such foul environments?
"But actually, we’ve only seen and heard this situation from the sender's perspective. No one knows what the sender might be like from the company's point of view."
I heard a comment from somewhere that made my blood pressure skyrocket.
Of course, that could be the case. But if that’s how you’re going to be, why would viewers even send their stories to this program? And why are we listening to stories when we don't even know if they’re true or false? Don't you know how much a single comment like that can erode a person's self-esteem?
"I-wol, your expression...!"
One of the MCs pointed at me. I must have done a terrible job of controlling my facial expression.