Chapter 355: Preliminary Coordination
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 355: Preliminary Coordination
The moment I regained consciousness at the sound of my alarm, a unique kind of headache greeted me. It felt as if someone were drilling a hole for ice fishing right into my frozen skull. My stomach was churning so badly that I kept hallucinating visions of something hot and spicy.
The broth they give as a side at that snack shop nearby is really good...
As my thoughts reached that point, I realized the true identity of this unfamiliar agony. This was the first hangover of my life.
Now I finally understood why Assistant Manager Hwang used to groan so much the morning after every company dinner. My head felt like it was splitting, and the ceiling was spinning in circles. Assistant Manager, I’m sorry I couldn't truly empathize with you every time...
I was fumbling through my phone's contact list to find the number for the snack shop when my bedroom door opened.
"Hyung, are you up?"
"No, I can't get up."
"Huh?"
"I'm being punished for my reckless and excessive bravado in drinking."
Belatedly understanding my words, Jeong Seong-bin rushed over with a hangover cure drink. From this day forward, I decided to call this beverage the Elixir of Life.
"You should eat something. Do you want some rice?"
"I'm okay. If I eat now, I'll end up creating a new 'dark history' for myself."
"Is it that bad?"
Why? Do you find me pathetic too? Well, I don't really have an excuse.
"Ju-woo made bean sprout soup... Can't you even eat that? Should I order something else for you?"
"What did you say?"
"Ju-woo ordered the ingredients after seeing you drink last night. He said he had to make haejang-guk for you."
"I'll eat it."
I stood up, clutching my aching stomach. As I walked into the living room, the aroma of bean sprout soup filled the air.
"Did you sleep well...? Want some food?"
"I don't need the rice, but I'll take the soup, please."
Park Ju-woo served a steaming bowl of bean sprout soup to me, even though I reeked of alcohol. With just one sip, it felt like a ball of fire was descending, washing the alcohol right out of my system.
"How is it...?"
"I feel like I've been saved."
It was the ultimate flavor. Overnight, the master of soup in my heart had changed from the snack shop owner to Park Ju-woo.
While I had been out of it for the past few days, things had progressed quite a bit on the drama front.
The biggest change was that the title had been decided!
"‘Exclusive Report’?"
"That's what they said."
It was the kind of title that made me wonder if it would even be searchable. Do drama titles not need to consider ease of search or SEO optimization?
Idols have to do their absolute best with group names and stage names just to survive on portal sites. We’ve been fighting with a car for two years, for crying out loud.
"They said they'll be setting the filming start date soon, too."
"I hope it's before the Idol Dynasty Annals meetings start. That might be difficult, though, right?"
"I told them we want the earliest schedule possible."
"Thank you."
The casting, despite reportedly hitting some snags, ended on a luxurious note. I heard that an actor who had a connection with the PD accepted the role after much deliberation.
Once a famous figure was confirmed to join, inquiries for roles apparently came pouring in, putting the production company in the driver's seat.
Perhaps because it was a gathering of people who already knew each other, the atmosphere at the script reading was harmonious every day. It was a 180-degree difference from the icy atmosphere of In My Office. I realized once again that there are so many different variables in the world.
Next, we discussed the filming volume—since my character dies midway through, we needed to review exactly how many episodes I would appear in—and the character settings.
"You mentioned the scar during the audition, right?"
"Yes. I was worried it might be an issue."
"Well, they asked if it would be okay to leave it as is, without tattoos or CG work, as long as you're fine with it. They said they're currently finalizing the scripts for the latter half."
I could understand dropping the dragon tattoo, but they were skipping the touch-up work too?
"Even though the scar will be clearly visible?"
"After looking at the later scripts, they judged that it would suit the character better that way."
The manager double-checked my opinion. I was fine with whatever.
"Oh, and about that assignment you submitted last time."
"The questionnaire?"
"Yeah. The writer apparently loved it. She said she liked it so much and told me to make sure to tell you."
When I went for the audition, I had received one more assignment. It was to write a response to the question: 'If Cheon Yun-seong were in [X] situation, how would he react?' It felt like a situational interview, so I just wrote whatever came to mind, but it seemed that had influenced the final hiring decision.
"I was worried, so that's a relief."
"What's there for a kid who's good at everything to worry about? That's it for the drama news. I'll let you know as soon as more updates come in."
With that, one schedule was wrapped up. The next meeting was waiting for me.
"Sorry I'm late."
"No problem, we were just organizing what we have so far!"
As I entered the meeting room, Jeong Seong-bin greeted me with a smile. We could have asked the dedicated team for ideas, but the consensus was that since we were going on a survival stage through fan votes, it wouldn't be fun if we only showed what others told us to do. Thus, for Idol Dynasty Annals, the members decided to lead the meetings themselves.
Actually, this should have been finished earlier... but the compilation was delayed because I had been so distracted lately. As an apology, I had treated the guys to a meal recently.
"How far have we gotten?"
"Everything except the Self-PR stage is mostly discussed. We've also created contingency plans in case the rules change."
"You guys must have worked hard."
The ideas weren't bad at all. Seeing 'Ju-woo's 1st Choice!!!' written in the position battle column, it seemed everyone had worked quite hard to appease our main vocal.
"Was there nothing you wanted to do for the Self-PR stage?"
"Since this stage is the first impression, it feels difficult. I'm worried about the performance order, too..."
Jeong Seong-bin trailed off. Even if we wanted to try something new, if a group that was added in a hurry was placed in an awkward spot in the lineup, there was a high chance we'd stand out in a bad way. He seemed worried about that.
"We can just do something traditional. Using a star member of Idol Dynasty Annals."
"A star member?"
Kang Gi-yeon asked.
"We have one in our team. A golden boy of Idol Dynasty Annals who fits the program perfectly and is suitable to handle the intro."
"Was there a member like that...?"
Kang Gi-yeon asked back, almost to himself. I looked at him and said:
"Gi-yeon, you learned Korean dance, didn't you?"
Kang Gi-yeon's eyes widened.
"You're not suggesting... me?"
"If not you, then who?"
Kang Gi-yeon's mouth seemed to forget how to close. Lee Cheong-hyeon kindly closed his friend's mouth with both hands.
Kang Gi-yeon wasn't exactly thrilled about being the centerpiece of the Self-PR stage. His reason was that there must be someone more suitable than him.
"The center is Je-ho Hyung."
"Choi Je-ho's features don't have that 'Eastern beauty.' People would believe it even if you said he just came back from catching salmon in Russia yesterday."
"Because you say things like that, Je-ho Hyung keeps looking like a brown bear to me!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon protested, but I didn't listen.
"It's already been a few years since I did dance..."
"Are you the type of person to completely forget something just because you stepped away for a few years?"
"It's not like I'm a member with high buzz-worthiness."
"Among the Idol Dynasty Annals clips, the only one with steadily rising views is the random play dance video. People who watched it watch it again, and people who saw the short version look for the full version. You're the one who gained the most individual buzz."
After a fierce back-and-forth, Kang Gi-yeon declared defeat. In the keyword column of the shared sheet labeled 'Self-PR Stage,' the words 'Korean Dance' were entered.
It had been a while since I met the production crew of Idol Dynasty Annals. While only a few writers had come for the broadcast profile photos, this time I could see everyone from the PD to the main writer and the camera directors.
"Ah, Spark..."
The PD offered a handshake with an awkward expression.
"Has everyone been doing well?"
"Yes!"
Everyone in this room probably knew. Spark couldn't have been doing well because of you bastards.
Still, it was decent of the production crew to act this way. In the relationship with celebrities, broadcasting stations are always 'Party A.'
There's a reason why, in the decades-long history of the idol market, agencies might boycott a specific company, but they never boycott a broadcasting station.
For a celebrity who needs to be on air, having one of the few available markets blocked is a huge blow.
The fact that a production crew in such a position was even pretending to be sorry suggested a lot. It meant they felt indebted to Spark enough for people who didn't need to be humble to take a low posture.
Thanks to that, we were able to avoid receiving provocative questions even in the preliminary interviews. In the past, they would have asked things like, 'Which group do you think you can definitely beat?' just to stir the pot.
"What would you say has changed since Season 1?"
"In a way, Spark might be the seniors in terms of experience on Idol Dynasty Annals. Could you give one piece of advice to the groups appearing on the show for the first time?"
"It must not have been an easy decision to appear..."
They were trying to draw out somewhat substantial answers. It was a move unlike most broadcasts that remain silent even when the viewer message boards are on fire.
Except for the occasional assassin-like question. Are we really in a position to give advice to anyone? We're the youngest again this time. And did we even have the right to decide whether to appear or not?
I smiled, but my insides were boiling. I vowed that if they tried to use the other contestants as props to boost Parte again, I wouldn't stay quiet.
I'm not unaware of why they're acting like this, though.
While Exclusive Report had secured a good lineup through the influence of its director, Idol Dynasty Annals was exactly the opposite.
Agencies weren't willing to hand over their idols easily to a show known for crude planning that would have been buried if other survival programs hadn't failed on their own, and for the immaturity of forcing competition among low-profile rookies who are terrified of being disliked.
Spark had jumped in because there was something to gain even from the mess that was Season 1, but other groups wouldn't want to take on such a demerit. So, they must have opened the voting booths again with easy-to-handle rookies.
That's why the talent pool for Season 2 had become broader. I don't know why they keep insisting on 'removing the rank insignias,' but this time, under the pretext of doing so, the years of experience among the participating groups varied wildly. I'm not sure which is more pathetic: claiming to remove ranks but only pitting rookies against each other, or this.
This was the background behind the gathering of groups that had debuted long ago but had almost zero recognition, groups that had reorganized after some members left due to scandals or discord, rookies from large agencies, and rising digital chart-toppers.
"What kind of image do you want to show in Idol Dynasty Annals Season 2?"
In this jungle, what had Spark decided to do?
"Our goal is to give our fans as much joy as possible."
Because that's the best we can do for them.
We're going to have a blast, do everything we want to do, and show them us enjoying ourselves. Then, we'll become 'my boys' that they can be proud of anywhere.