Chapter 96: Event Promotion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: Event Promotion (1)
The next day, Spark wrapped up filming on a warm note, looking a bit closer than before.
Except for the fact that I was the only one left feeling a bit more embarrassed.
It felt like I’d written a long message in the employee suggestion box, only to have it posted for everyone to see with my name still attached.
Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was already prone to piggybacking on me at the slightest provocation, wouldn't let go of my back. I barely resisted the urge to strip off my T-shirt and shout, "Forget the NDA, I’m going shirtless today!" just to get him off.
After returning and finishing off a hearty breakfast of ramen—the guys looked a bit dejected when the PD asked if five packs would be enough for six people—a welcome gift was waiting for us.
"Guys, the final plan for the next album has been approved!"
"Sweet!"
While we were busy bickering in the mountains filming two episodes' worth of self-produced content, UA had completed all the groundwork for the comeback.
It seemed the staff, unable to watch Spark fret any longer, had miraculously met a deadline that seemed almost impossible.
Thank you. We’ll repay this kindness with success. Well, the Spark guys will, not me.
It wasn't just the successfully completed work that welcomed my return so fervently.
[You.think you'll be safe.. after getting on the bad side of an industry professional? I've never seen an arrogant.punk succeed. That's your.future]
[You're anxious because you have no talent, right? It's pathetic.. watching you pull stunts behind people who don't know any better. What a miserable life.. don't live like that]
[You.better work hard on your image.. you can't imagine how small this industry is.. but rumors are already spreading. Do you even know.. the status of veteran singers and directors?]
[Remember that the company has many eyes. Jang Jun-hu's juniors and my acquaintances.. everyone is watching.]
Yu Han-su had sent a barrage of texts in just two days.
The grammar was such a mess it was hard to even read. He sent texts exactly like Department Head Nam; they must have gone to the same school for "How to Text Like a Total Jerk."
More importantly, was this man always this stupid?
At least when he hit me, he had the intelligence to call me somewhere without CCTV.
It seems this man hasn't been reported by someone with less than him very often in his life. Seeing how he boldly leaves behind records that could serve as blatant evidence.
To reward his pathetic behavior, I carefully screenshotted and backed up all the texts Yu Han-su sent.
Aside from the Yu Han-su spam issue, all preparations proceeded smoothly.
Except for one thing: the recording.
Lee Cheong-hyeon, whose rap skills had skyrocketed after the OJT, was as ruthless with his directing as his own elevated standards.
"I-wol hyung, should we try layering some harmonies here?! Imagine we're doing it live! Make it super exciting!"
"Seong-bin hyung, is there any way you could hit that high note a bit more stably? I know you can do it!"
Excluding the vocal genius Park Ju-woo, the other four had to endure a grueling recording session under Lee Cheong-hyeon's thumb.
The once-close youngest members would sing one line and then argue for three minutes.
They say children grow through fighting. If that’s true, these guys will probably hit 190cm by the end of the week.
That wasn't all. I, too, was forced into a position where I had to direct alongside Lee Cheong-hyeon, having to nitpick the recordings of the great Spark members.
"Me? Directing?"
"You passed on all the feedback through the A&R team during 『Flowering』, didn't you? Communicating through a middleman is inefficient, so I think it'd be better for you, I-wol, to direct personally and get in sync with the guys."
...And that’s how it happened. Thanks to that, I spent some time acting as a human pitch-checker, a role I never asked for. I also had a mountain of new musical knowledge shoved into my brain.
Still, under the baton of the musical maestro Lee Cheong-hyeon, the second track, 『With List』, was completed perfectly.
"Lee Cheong-hyeon, when you wrote the song like this, you were prepared to sing it live while dancing, right?"
"Of course. You didn't think I'd split the beats without considering the choreography just because I was focused on the song, did you?"
Then came the storm of bloody revenge from Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon.
It was an incredibly productive period. So much so that I’m starting to forget if I was ever actually a regular office worker.
I finished checking my phone for the day while sipping an ionic drink that Nyuri-ssi had sent to the practice room as a token of gratitude.
Now, all I had to do was hand it back to the manager as usual.
Once I finished my conversation with Polo-ssi, that is.
Hellas Polo Sunbae
[I-wol-ssi]
[Is Spark having a comeback??]
[I heard they contacted Moonlit Night Crew]
Me
[Hello, Sunbae-nim!
The exact schedule hasn't been set yet,
but a press release will be out soon!]
Hellas Polo Sunbae
[Oh]
[Working hard, I see]
[Well, the debut period is always hectic lol]
While my brain was thinking, 'Why is this person contacting me?' my fingers were already sending a thank-you for the compliment and expressing what an honor it was to participate in the last radio show.
As we exchanged a few more words, Polo-ssi said:
Hellas Polo Sunbae
[Are you going to wear a headband next time too?]
[If you're going to wear one, let me know so I can prepare myself mentally]
As expected of an idol who once reached the top. He doesn't miss a single thing that once became a hot topic.
A radio appearance might be a special event for a guest, but not for the main DJ. It’s a recurring job.
Naturally, it’s not easy to generate buzz through the job itself.
He must have seen a clip somewhere titled "The Moment a DJ Gets Sold on a Handmade Headband During a Live Broadcast."
In fact, he even posted a photo on his social media after the recording, saying he’d been "bewitched" into buying (?) one, showing a stuffed animal he received from a fan wearing a golden headband.
I have to respect it. That "idol instinct" to not miss a single detail.
Me
[I will go beyond anything you can imagine!]
But not a chance.
Do you think I’d let a famous DJ steal even a tiny bit of my press coverage?
A reply came quickly from Polo-ssi.
Hellas Polo Sunbae
[LOL]
[I'll be looking forward to it lololol]
[I still remember the amazing fashion you wore when you were in Parte ^^]
At the same time, I started having second thoughts.
Did I overdo it?
Maybe this person... just wanted to tease me.
"Sigh."
After coming home from school, Baek Hae-won melted onto her bed like a piece of cheese.
"Life is so boring."
Baek Hae-won lamented.
She had gone to the study cafe over the weekend determined to get some studying done, but she was utterly defeated by post-lunch drowsiness and eventually waved the white flag, returning home in broad daylight.
Isn't there anyone out there who can give me something fun?
Isn't there someone who can shove some guaranteed-to-be-delicious content in my face and tell me exactly which minute and second is the most "tasty"...?
With those thoughts, Baek Hae-won aimlessly refreshed her social media feed.
But no new posts appeared.
Where did everyone's passion go—the passion to release at least one piece of "bait" even if the world was ending? The feed was deathly quiet.
Just as Baek Hae-won vowed to play for exactly three more minutes before washing up.
Right after the twenty-seventh refresh, a post she hadn't seen before appeared.
Uploaded 3 seconds ago. It was the official account she had followed recently after admitting to herself that she had joined the Spark fandom, complete with the blue checkmark next to the name.
'Bait is here!'
Baek Hae-won covered her mouth and leaped up like a live fish.
Even though individual content from the members had been uploaded regularly until just last week, Baek Hae-won was always thirsty for new bait. Such was the life of a fan.
'Please a comeback, please a new song...'
Baek Hae-won prayed fervently.
If the agency had been a typical idol agency, she wouldn't have worried so much, but since Spark was the company's first idol group, there were a million things to worry about.
≫ @spArk_official
Guys, can you see it?
And a single photo taken from an angle looking up at the sky from the ground.
Despite it still being April, a date in early May was stamped in the corner of the photo.
Looking at this cryptic caption and the photo that didn't even show a single strand of a member's hair, Baek Hae-won was certain.
It’s bait.
It’s a comeback!
UA is giving me a Children's Day gift that even my mom and dad don't give me anymore. Baek Hae-won thought so with her blackened, faded childhood innocence.
The feeds of Baek Hae-won's acquaintances, who claimed they were too old and tired for social media, began to refresh as well.
Of course. Baek Hae-won began to go wild as she watched her remarkably consistent friends.
≫ @minamhunter
No, I can't see anything.
But I can smell the dirt.
└ LOL when did you get buried?
└ But the angle really looks like someone's being buried alive.
"This is life... this is what living is..."
Baek Hae-won smiled contentedly.
She needed time to focus—enough that she told her sibling, who was nagging her about when she was going to wash up, to "Shut up and either wash up first or go to sleep!"
The blessing of bait didn't end there.
≫ @spArk_official
Does anyone remember what was written here?
The nostalgia bait in the caption was top-tier.
I don't remember, but I remember. Muttering to herself, Baek Hae-won checked the photo attached to the post.
On a piece of old, crumpled paper, there were scribbles in six different colors.
Because the words were all overlapping and the handwriting wasn't neat—as if they had been written with the left hand—it was difficult to make them out immediately.
Baek Hae-won savored the happiness, waiting for the fans whose hobby was deciphering bait to arrive.
And the very next day, the teaser dropped.
Starting with a thumping drum sound, an exciting melody—different from their debut song 『Flowering』—began to play.
Jeong Seong-bin stood in front of a whiteboard that said 'Operation: Have the Most Fun in the World!'
Then, shots appeared one after another from an overhead angle, showing the members sitting across from each other at a conference table.
Due to the camera angle, not all members were captured in one frame, but the angle soon transitioned to another screen.
The screen flickered between shots of a synchronized dance in front of colorful amusement park rides and the members packing supplies while raiding their own homes, before cutting to black.
When the members reappeared after the blackout, they were standing in a line at the entrance of a vast amusement park.
With very solemn expressions, wearing the most gaudy headbands that Park Ju-woo had packed.
Over that, the title was written in shaky letters, as if drawn with white crayon, just like the paper in the bait photo.
『With List』
And after watching the teaser about three times, Baek Hae-won clapped.
The boys' visuals: 100 points.
The cuteness of the helium balloons tied to each of their wrists: 100 points.
Plus, bonus points for the joyful melody that would make any K-pop veteran start grooving.
It was a 300-point teaser out of 100. Baek Hae-won was moved.
Her fellow "Handsome Hunters" also checked in, asking, "Hunter-nim, is your wallet ready?" It was the highest praise, meaning the album was worth spending money on.
But Baek Hae-won didn't stop there.
The most dangerous thing for a fan is rose-colored glasses. So, Baek Hae-won knocked on the door of an entertainment community she hadn't visited in a while.