Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Of course, being able to draw attention is a vital talent in the entertainment industry. There were plenty of cases where a single brief moment on stage changed a person's entire career.
However, I couldn't shake the impression that this trait—from its name to its description—was tailor-made for a total clout chaser.
It didn't even specify the exact percentage of the increase. 'Slightly more'?
"Is the status window even allowed to use such vague phrasing?"
Is that why it’s a D-rank trait?
But no miracle occurred where the status window interacted with my complaints. In the end, I accepted reality.
Fine. A trait that draws attention... sure, that’s good. It’d be great if it actually helps me debut.
Vrrrrt!
The moment I dismissed the status window, my smartphone vibrated. I checked it quickly, thinking it might be a message from the production crew.
But it wasn't.
"What is this?"
It was a messenger app notification.
[Keun Sejin: Mundae-Mundae, aren't you checking the group chat? lololol]
[Keun Sejin: Leaving us on read is so cool it’s making me chilly, Mundae-ya.]
"..."
I should have turned off the notifications for my personal messenger too; I hadn't thought of that. Since ignoring a message I’d already read was practically the equivalent of picking a fight with someone I’d have to keep seeing, I had no choice but to reply.
[Me: I don't check my phone often. Sorry.]
[Keun Sejin: Hey, don't apologize, you're making me blush. haha]
[Keun Sejin: Check the group chat ASAP!]
Is there some special news?
I checked the group chat. The room with my teammates from the first team match had over 500 new messages.
Of course, I had no intention of reading them all. I scrolled straight to the bottom to check the latest conversation.
The teammates were sharing screenshots of reviews from the audience of our last performance.
They were busy practicing "social life" skills, exchanging compliments about how handsome everyone was, based on a snippet from a review that said, 'Everyone on this team was so good-looking~'.
[Keun Sejin: Right, speaking of which, I think Mundae washes his face with 'broadcast water' or something. He gets more handsome every time I see him. lol]
[Keun Sejin: In the name of our camaraderie, please share your dermatology clinic with me.]
It’s the level-up, you punk.
Naturally, I couldn't say that, so I just replied that I didn't go to one.
This guy, using words like 'ASAP' just to ask about a skin clinic... what is wrong with him?
Maybe it was just my imagination, but I suddenly felt exhausted.
At that moment, it vibrated again.
[Seon A-hyun: Mundae-ya, how are you doing? Thank you for always being so kind to me during the first team match. I’ll definitely repay you next time... (See More)]
A long, rambling message was posted in the group chat.
As if by magic, everyone suddenly stopped messaging.
It was painfully awkward.
"..."
After giving a brief reply out of basic human decency, I immediately turned off my data.
The next time I saw them at filming... I’d have to tell them I didn't have Wi-Fi at home so I couldn't check the messenger.
There were five days left until the production presentation, the next filming event.
The production presentation. A promotional event held ahead of the first episode's broadcast.
In truth, there wasn't much for the seventy-seven participants to do individually. We just had to perform "Shining Star" once and get our pictures taken.
Of course, the 'getting pictures taken' part was the important bit.
It was a proven fact that the photos taken at this production presentation played a huge role in securing early voting rates.
'Thanks to that, I used to get paid to take these photos myself.'
Since I was commissioned for specific shots rather than just taking them to sell later, the pay had been quite decent.
Anyway, if I had to describe how I felt standing at this production presentation... well.
'I recognize all these faces.'
The faces peeking out from behind personal cameras behind the press corps were familiar.
I felt like more than half of them had sat next to me at an event at least once.
If I were to analyze them... let's see. First, every other person looked like a data seller.
Excluding them, most were fans of existing idols. Half were probably there to scout for new idols, and the other half were just there for fun.
Perhaps that was why few people seemed to be focusing on just one person.
I could see lenses shifting slightly, likely planning to capture three or four participants in one frame and crop them later.
Regardless, there were more people than I expected.
It seemed an atmosphere was secretly building that this program would succeed by using controversy as a buzz-generator.
'It’s a shame, but even if I spent my remaining points on Park Moon-dae’s appearance, it wouldn't get past a B.'
The benefits of the production presentation would likely go to those with an Appearance stat of A- or higher, so I should just focus on the "Shining Star" performance and head back.
'Is looks really everything these days...?'
A brief moment of regret passed through me again, wishing I had invested in the Appearance stat first.
"We'll start after the reporters have entered!"
As we stood in formation on the outdoor grass as we had rehearsed at dawn, a staff member called for a brief wait.
While I was loosening up my feet during the intermission, someone suddenly spoke to me.
"I saw your stage."
"Pardon?"
It was Cha Yu-jin, standing diagonally in front of me. If my memory served me right, he was the participant who would take first place this season.
'But why is he so out of context?'
Then I remembered. It was like this last time, too.
I think it was during the filming for the "Shining Star" broadcast stage; Cha Yu-jin had abruptly asked if I couldn't dance, and I’d told him to judge for himself after seeing the stage.
Was this comment about the stage a continuation of that conversation?
Given the timing, if participants were talking about stages, it was highly likely he meant the first team match.
If it was that, I had to admit it. Even I thought I did well. But it was still just as random.
It’s not like this is some shonen manga... did he feel a sense of rivalry?
And even more unexpectedly, Cha Yu-jin gave me a thumbs up.
"You did really well!"
"Ah, thanks."
"Let's be on a team together next time."
"If possible, that would be great."
Whatever he was thinking, it would definitely be a benefit to work with him.
I said yes without questioning it. Even if it was just empty talk, there was no need to worry about it.
The conversation with Cha Yu-jin ended abruptly right there.
"D-Do... you want to eat this?"
"Oh, thanks."
"Gasp! A-hyun-nim, is there nothing for me?"
"Wow, Keun Sejin, now that you're not the leader anymore, you sound like a total sycophant."
"H-Here."
I chewed on a jelly I received from Seon A-hyun nearby while finishing loosening up my feet.
As I listened to the chatter of my former Gold-tier teammates, a staff member gave the signal.
"Get ready~"
Soon, the intro I’d heard so many times during the first week of filming began to play.
Anyway, this performance will definitely be uploaded to WeTube, so I must avoid any choreography mistakes.
The moment I finished the "Shining Star" stage and was exiting, I heard someone shout.
"Moon-dae-ya!"
Did they just call Park Moon-dae?
I turned my head to check and saw it was one of the people in the camera brigade.
A woman wearing a hoodie seemed to be clicking her shutter incessantly the moment I looked back.
...Is she only taking pictures of me? When I reflexively pointed to my own face, the woman shouted again.
"Moon-dae-ya! Give us a heart!"
"..."
I never thought the day would come when I’d hear those words directed at me.
But an opportunity was an opportunity, so I managed to make a finger heart and held it up.
It was... a bit embarrassing.
"Cheek poke! Poke your cheek too!"
Beside me, Seon A-hyun was trying to sneak away. It seemed he’d already been tormented by cameras calling his name before the stage.
I caught his eye.
'You do it too.'
It would be less embarrassing if at least one other person did it with me.
Whether he received the signal correctly or not, Seon A-hyun creaked as he returned. And in that gap, Keun Sejin pushed his way in.
"What are you two doing? Ah, photos~"
He really knows how to jump on a bandwagon.
I wished he wouldn't put his arm around my shoulder, but since there were cameras, I decided to endure it.
And so, the three of us ended up taking photos with our arms around each other's shoulders.
'In the end, we're leaving behind a photo of the three of us even before the first episode.'
I’d had a bad feeling ever since the group chat was created.
It felt a bit unpleasant, but since the milk was already spilled starting from the first team match, I decided not to go out of my way to avoid it.
Anyway, the woman finally took her eyes off the camera, looking like she’d caught a good shot.
Uh...
She was someone who used to buy data from me.
In the industry, there were quite a few fansite masters who, if they couldn't attend an event due to their schedule, would buy data, edit it, and post it as if they’d taken it themselves.
Well, she was one of those customers.
Let's see... I remember her snidely commenting that even for a data seller, my prices were unconscionable because I charged according to the market rate.
...Still, I never took photos of their private lives, like at the airport.
And if the data didn't sell, I’d release it for free on fan communities or WeTube.
'Well... anyway, I can't complain even if I get cursed at.'
Even if the companies leave it alone for promotional purposes, it’s true that it’s a business that ignores people's portrait rights.
Maybe that sin is why I’m now in a position where I’ll drop dead if I don't debut.
It’s like I’m being told to experience the feelings of the idols being photographed from the other side.
"Park Moon-dae is so cute!!"
"..."
Wow... I really can't get used to this.
Come to think of it, the male idol that person used to follow had a drunk driving scandal late last year.
'That guy's position was main vocal, wasn't it...?'
It seemed she was planning to... switch over to Park Moon-dae.
Feeling complicated, I waved my hand.
Regardless, the data from the production presentation was precious, so I hoped she’d take a lot of good shots.
'It would be even better if she uploaded the photos before Friday.'
Because this coming Friday, Re-listing! Idol Inc. would finally begin its first broadcast.
Tnet Headquarters. The editing room located in a corner of the 9th floor was filled with office workers who had pulled an all-nighter.
Ryu Seo-rin, who had recruited Park Moon-dae, was one of them.
"Seo-rin, your eyes are bloodshot. Have some coffee."
"No time. Just give me the coffee."
It was her seventh cup today.
The faces of those reviewing the video data while gulping down coffee like water were all haggard.
Ryu Seo-rin's former mentor sighed.
"The editing of the first episode is important, after all."
"...Yes. It sets the direction of the program."
What to show, and what to cut.
"Right, there has to be a story for it to be interesting."
"It’s only interesting if people can get immersed in it without having to think too much."
Even audition programs need a narrative to be fun. And that narrative has to be easy to follow for viewers to get hooked.
This was considered almost an established rule.
"Exactly. That's why we think ahead to, say, episode 4, and start building up from episode 1."
"Right. We need to use the results of the first team match as the climax of an episode... set the flow of the story, and establish the kids' characters."
Of course, Ryu Seo-rin or her mentor didn't have absolute power in deciding that.
'In the end, what the main PD thinks is what matters.'
She took her hands off the video for a moment.
"Taking a break?"
"...I was thinking of making a suggestion."
"Ah, about the editing?"
"Yes."
"Hmm~ That’s good. Even back in Season 1... was it Lee Go-yoon? PD Jung accepted your suggestion about editing that non-celebrity participant."
"Should I try too?" At her former mentor's words, Ryu Seo-rin inwardly scoffed.
'I only did it because I timed it well.'
And now was exactly that kind of time.
People exhausted by fatigue sometimes forgot their sense of authority due to a sense of camaraderie.
"This time, there’s... well, no one we're specifically required to push, so it’s a great time to make a suggestion."
"Yes. We only need to think about the ratings."
Coincidentally, because the previous season had ended early due to controversy, there were almost no requests from major agencies.
In that case, which participants should be shown and how, so that the viewers would feel catharsis by the time the team match aired?
"It's important to pick kids people will like, but we also need kids they'll hate. Why don't you talk about that? You're good at it."
There was a sting behind the playful words. Ryu Seo-rin shrugged.
"Hey, do the producers really make all that up? That's just how people are. They want to keep liking the ones they like, and keep hating the ones they hate."
"Ahem."
When she lumped them in with the producers, her former mentor shut his mouth.
"We're just making it easier for the viewers to get immersed, that's all."
"I suppose so."
The former mentor backed down slightly. It was because Ryu Seo-rin definitely had a good sense for these things.
So, he changed the subject and spoke as if he already knew everything.
"So you chose the underdog this time? Since that gives the editor a lot to work with."
"..."
The Underdog Effect.
It referred to the effect where people cheer for the weak to beat the strong, like David defeating Goliath, and get thrilled by the dramatic reversal.
And it was one of the most interesting narratives an audition program could show.
Of course, for it to be effective, it required a lot of adjustments from the editor. Everything had to be pieced together perfectly.
"You're going to suggest them, right? You've been rewatching their footage."
"Well... we'll see."
Ryu Seo-rin brushed it off, but it was essentially an affirmation.
'No matter how much I think about it... I have to give it to them.'
Recalling the video she had been rewatching, Ryu Seo-rin had already made up her mind.
"Good luck~"
She gave a half-hearted response to her former mentor's insincere encouragement and went to find the main PD.
"Excuse me, PD-nim."
And she was halfway certain that the main PD was probably thinking the same thing.