Chapter 170
Chapter 170
‘Is he out of his mind at this hour?’
Even if working late into the night was common in this industry, it was already past midnight.
I had thought Gold 1 was a sensible guy, but apparently, I was wrong.
I answered the phone with a sour expression.
“Hello?”
—Ah, Moon-dae.
Gold 1’s voice sounded a bit dazed.
—Um… ah, can you talk right now?
“Yes. Go ahead.”
—Okay. Um…
Gold 1 hesitated for a long time before slowly continuing.
—I heard the news.
“Pardon?”
—I heard our company… treated you guys badly.
“……!”
He was saying it out loud just like that?
His agency must be in a frenzy trying to handle the emergency damage control, so it wasn't strange that he’d grasped the situation, but calling me out of the blue like this was bizarre.
‘What is he trying to do?’
The answer came in the very next moment.
—Listen… I’m sorry.
“…….”
So that was it.
Well, there was only one thing I could really say.
“It’s not like you did it, Hyung. You don’t need to worry about it too much.”
If the company had ordered him to say this, it was a useless gesture. If it was just Gold 1 speaking for himself, it was a small comfort.
‘This should be enough.’
However, Gold 1’s response was unexpected.
—…No, actually, I think I had a rough idea of what was going on. I just looked the other way.
“……!”
—I heard things about you guys at the company sometimes.
I heard Gold 1 sigh over the phone.
—I didn’t know it was to this extent… but anyway, I guess I was just rationalizing it. I thought since you guys were doing so well, it wouldn't be a big deal.
“…I see.”
—But thinking about it again today, if I were in your shoes, I would’ve been really pissed off.
His voice trembled slightly.
—So I called to apologize. Um, I was going to call Cheong-woo first, but I felt like you were the one who suffered the most damage, so I called you first.
Well, this was something.
‘The company must really be turning upside down.’
Guilt doesn't just manifest without a catalyst. The situation over there must be such a disaster that their own artists are reflecting on past actions.
‘Still, it’s impressive that he thought of apologizing before getting defensive.’
There was likely a part of him doing this to ease his own conscience or perhaps to help the company… but what could I do? At the end of the day, he was only around college age.
The fact that he found the courage to apologize showed he was a decent guy.
I accepted the apology readily.
“It’s fine. I was a bit surprised, but it’s all in the past now.”
Since their company was the one getting screwed over now, there was no reason not to accept his apology.
Words are cheap, after all.
—Yeah, thanks.
I could hear Gold 1 let out a sigh of relief.
—Oh, and Seul-hwi told me to tell you he’s sorry and thankful, too. He said you treated him well during the shoot.
“……?”
Who was that… Ah, right. The Korea University student.
‘Should I just call him Gold 3?’
I gave a vague affirmation.
“I didn't really do much… but anyway, I’ll keep that in mind.”
—Right. ……Gasp, wait. Is it 1 AM right now??
“Yes.”
Gold 1 groaned in a strange voice.
The gravity of the conversation vanished in an instant.
—Wow, damn, I’m really sorry. I was monitoring things and…
“I was doing the same. It’s fine.”
They must have had a group viewing of The Past Calls, the show featuring the Korea University student.
“It’s about time to head to bed, though.”
I threw out a closing remark, and Gold 1 took the hint and hung up.
—Ah, right. Um, goodnight. I’ll be rooting for your promotions.
“Yes. Thank you. I hope things go well for you too, Hyung.”
The conversation ended on a peaceful note.
However, I had a feeling that from now on, we wouldn't be greeting each other or acting as friendly as we did during their debut days.
‘It can’t be helped.’
That’s just how it is between competitors. I shrugged and switched my smartphone to silent mode to avoid any further interruptions.
‘Time to sleep.’
I fell into a deep sleep, not even realizing when Seon A-hyun and Bae Se-jin returned to the dorm.
As a result, it wasn't until the next morning that I checked the text message that had arrived at dawn.
[Junior, you put your experience as a civil service exam student to good use. Congratulations! ^^]
What is it with this guy now?
I almost spat out my brunch.
‘When the hell did he send this?’
Checking the timestamp, it was 4 AM.
‘He probably sent it while heading to the salon.’
What a nuisance.
I stared with cold eyes at the name ‘VTIC Shin Cheong-ryeo Sunbae-nim,’ whose profile picture was a golden retriever puppy I’d seen during the insurance commercial.
‘Come to think of it, I did tell him I studied for the civil service exam.’
Unintentionally, it had become some sort of proof of trust.
I quickly typed ‘Yes, thank you’ and was about to exit the message tab. But a new message arrived before I could.
Vrrr—
[(Image File)]
Out of nowhere… it was a gifticon.
“…??”
I clicked on it; it was a ‘Chocolate Set for Exam Takers’ from a franchise cafe.
Did he seriously send this as a joke?
[I sent it to cheer you on for your promotions. Isn't it about time for a new song?]
That… was true. It was about time to release a repackage album.
And the title track was, as planned, chosen from the candidate songs received from the composer who had worked on Golden Age’s tracks.
‘The arrangement turned out well.’
Kim Rae-bin’s arrangement was passed almost unanimously, but Kim Rae-bin still seemed to lack confidence.
The funny thing was that his concern was more about the environment than his own skills.
—I did choose a genre that clearly stands out on the digital charts, but if a new trend emerges by the time we release the song and the standard for public appeal completely changes…!
—That won't happen, Rae-bin. Calm down.
We’d had variations of this conversation several times lately.
I suppressed a sigh.
‘He should worry about his own foot instead.’
Kim Rae-bin’s foot had recently been declared ‘perfectly healed to the point where no further rest is required.’ Thanks to that, choreography practice was going very smoothly.
‘If he hadn't insisted on doing that indoor climbing, he would’ve been cleared a week earlier.’
I appreciated his passion for fulfilling the schedule, but he was a stubborn one.
“If we aim too much for public appeal and the critics give us terrible reviews…”
“No, Rae-bin~ Don't worry and just eat your food.”
He was still at it even while eating.
Anyway, the point was that album preparations were cruising along.
‘If I had known that company would be muzzled like this, maybe I didn't need to draw such a big picture with the composer.’
I was referring to dragging Young-rin and Cheong-ryeo in to share the same composer.
I thought as I popped a piece of rice wrapped in seaweed into my mouth.
‘Well, Young-rin’s results were good this time, too.’
The new song Young-rin released two weeks ago—using the same Golden Age composer I’d intentionally shared—was currently high on the digital charts.
A few days ago, she’d even reached out again to thank me for the introduction.
‘Ah, is that why they were even more pissed off?’
If Golden Age’s agency had heard somewhere that I was the one who introduced that composer to Young-rin, it made even more sense why they’d been so persistent in attacking me lately.
‘Since emotions got mixed into the business, it must have worked out even better.’
It was quite absurd that they’d get so worked up over me sharing a composer when they were the ones doing reverse viral marketing, though.
‘Well, it’s all over now.’
Since it wasn't a moral issue, those guys—who were currently struggling just to deal with T1—wouldn't be able to hold a grudge for long.
‘Okay, so after Young-rin, it’s us.’
The final runner was Cheong-ryeo’s group, VTIC.
‘Cunning bastard.’
He’d quietly stepped back while talking about tour and comeback schedules, but it was no different from saying he’d place his bets only after seeing the rise and fall and having everything proven.
‘He’s making such a fuss even though he’s only putting it in as a b-side, not the title.’
He truly lived up to his reputation as a perfectionist with Reset Syndrome.
…Well, looking at it from another perspective, the fact that this madman was cooperating at all was a sign of his own brand of cooperation.
‘I can tolerate him as long as things stay like this.’
I sighed and moved my thumb over the smartphone keyboard.
[Yes. We’ll have to work hard. I’ll enjoy the chocolates, Sunbae-nim. Have a great day.]
[You too.]
Yeah. Clean and simple.
This guy must also like that composer’s work, seeing as he’s being more cooperative.
‘And even if Golden Age doesn't pull any more stunts, it’s better not to have any unnecessary talk.’
This setup was good in many ways. I nodded and focused back on my meal.
Or rather, I tried to focus, but the phone vibrated again.
Vrrr—
“…….”
[Oh, my birthday is next month. The 27th.]
So what?
I turned off the phone in disgust.
Let’s just finish eating.
“Everyone put their dishes away, right?”
“Yes!”
Although a cleaner came by, we kept the dishes in the sink to maintain basic human decency.
And then, it was free time.
“Muhahaha!”
Usually, everyone hung out in their own rooms, but today the living room was crowded with members who had come out to watch Cha Yu-jin play some strange dancing game.
‘Should I go in?’
I’d come out because I didn't want to stay in my room all the time, but it was too noisy.
However, I was too lazy to move, so I found something else to focus on.
‘…It’s about time I opened it.’
It might actually be better to do this while it was noisy so I wouldn't get distracted by other thoughts.
‘Status Window.’
For the first time in a long while, I began the settlement.
*
[Name: Park Moon-dae (Ryu Gun-woo)]
Level: 17
Title: None
Singing: S-
Dance: B
Appearance: A-
Star Quality: B+
Traits: Infinite Potential, International Student (A), Bacchus 500 (B), Catchy Ear (A)
!Status Effect: Death if Not an Audience
Remaining Points: 2
*
First, the Singing stat, which had entered the S-tier, caught my eye.
‘That’s quite satisfying.’
It was a good investment. I’d used it effectively in everything from variety shows to promotions.
After that, the points gained from leveling up were visible, but something else bothered me more.
‘Why that?’
For some reason, Star Quality had naturally increased from B to B+.
‘I don't think I did anything… that would specifically raise my Star Quality.’
Since I hadn't opened the window in a while, I didn't even know when it had increased.
“Hmm.”
Regardless, an increase was a good thing.
I calmly crossed my arms.
Now I just needed to distribute the points and close it.
Since it was right before the new album release, now was the perfect time.
‘The standard choice would be… Star Quality.’
It was the most efficient option since I could reach the A-grade by spending just one point.
“Good.”
“What is?”
“……!”
Oops.
I must have been so focused on maintaining the status window that I spoke out loud.
Cha Yu-jin, who had just finished his game, was looking at me with wide, curious eyes.
‘Well, I didn't say anything else.’
It wasn't a problem. I was about to give a vague answer when a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Why not see what these guys think?
“Um, I’m just asking.”
“Yes!”
“What do you think is the most necessary ability for an idol?”
“Hmm? It’s like—personality?”
Individuality.
‘Can that be roughly translated to Star Quality?’
It was exactly the kind of thing someone whose Star Quality was so high it was rare in the industry would say.
But Kim Rae-bin cut in from right beside him.
“You should give a more professional answer! Hyung! In my opinion, it’s the ability to interpret a song. I believe expressiveness is important.”
Right. In the end, it was the same thing as Cha Yu-jin, just translated into the ‘Star Quality’ stat.
“I am a pro! You’re bland!”
“No! Your answer was half-hearted!”
As I watched the two of them bicker, a gloomy voice chimed in from the side.
“…The basics.”
It was Bae Se-jin. It seemed he was speaking from what he felt he lacked.
In the meantime, Keun Se-jin was also adding his two cents to Cha Yu-jin and Kim Rae-bin’s argument.
“You have to be good at everything~ Why are you even picking one?”
“But if we had to choose the most important one…”
It was a mess.
‘Maybe I shouldn't have asked.’
I’d just leave them be until they reached a conclusion. I shook my head and decided to check something else in the meantime.
It was the event pop-up.
*
[The True Taste of Fame!]
10,000,000 people have remembered your existence!
: Legendary Trait Draw ☜ Click!
*
Ten million people.
At this point, it was impossible to even imagine that many people gathered in reality.
What was even scarier was that this had popped up quite a while ago. By now… it was probably racing toward fifty million.
‘Whew.’
I felt a sense of accomplishment and chills at the same time.
Anyway, I clicked on the Trait Draw.
Drumroll—
Along with the familiar slot machine graphic, the slots began to spin.
‘Since the Heroic grade started at B… does Legendary mean it starts at A?’
Well, if ten million people knew me, it was only fair to get something of that level.
However, the slots were mixed with gold.
‘What?’
It seemed that now, only the probability of getting a higher grade was generated, and an A-grade wasn't guaranteed.
‘It’s like a generic shitty game.’
I glared at the slot machine as it spun with a mix of gold, platinum, and rainbow colors.
‘Anything is fine, I just hope something useful for promotions comes out.’
I felt like it was about time to ditch ‘International Student’ and switch to something else. I hoped for something that would help with concept digestion, or at the very least, something that would make my hair stronger.
The slots slowed down and finally came to a stop.
Fortunately, it was platinum.
Pop!
*
[Trait]
‘That sounds right (A)’ acquired!
*
“……!”
But there… was a trait name I’d seen somewhere before.
Only the grade had changed.