Chapter 212
Chapter 212
I hung up the phone with the T1 representative and replayed the conversation in my head.
‘A mentor for a global K-pop survival reality show… huh.’
Of course, there had been plenty of survival shows claiming to be "global" before. Even Idol Inc. had made a fuss about picking global K-pop stars.
However, this format was… a bit unique.
‘It’s not airing on Tnet; it’s a Netplus original production.’
It seemed they’d started production after seeing the modest success Idol Inc. had found on Netplus in English-speaking regions.
The program's structure was quite experimental, but more importantly, the offer was solid.
—As soon as the appearance is confirmed, we’ve already discussed forming a dedicated team for you.
Clean and simple.
A dedicated team in exchange for a variety show appearance? That was a trade-off worth considering.
‘And TeSTAR won’t be the only mentors.’
I wasn't the only one who thought so.
The reactions from the members were unanimous: it was "worth a shot."
"Hmm… sounds good."
"A dedicated team will be established just for appearing? That seems like a huge long-term benefit!"
However, there were concerns as well.
"…But that production crew is a bit much."
"I-I don’t think I’m skilled enough to teach anyone… W-will it be okay?"
These were expected reactions, and most were settled within reasonable bounds.
"You don't need to worry about that. You're good."
"Exactly! And looking at the show's concept, it doesn't seem like the 'mentors' will be the ones getting bashed. Right?"
"Right."
For this show, having rookies as mentors would actually be a selling point. Moreover, the format didn't give the producers any reason to give the mentors the "evil editing" treatment.
What kind of show was it, exactly?
The explanation I heard during the meeting with the production crew after accepting the offer should suffice.
"We’re going to gather K-pop haters and put them through K-pop training. Of course, it’ll be a one-off thing for humor."
"……??"
The members looked a bit taken stunned.
‘Same as ever.’
Still, she was being incredibly blunt.
Writer Ryu Seo-rin, whom I hadn't seen in a while, had a predatory glint in her eyes.
This woman’s attitude had actually gotten rougher, even though TeSTAR had become this successful.
‘Is it because she doesn't feel the need to coax us like she did during the initial casting?’
Keun Se-jin quickly chimed in, perhaps noticing Ryu Cheong-woo’s slight discomfort with the writer.
"Ah~ So it’s a setup where foreigners who don't know much about K-pop grow fond of it as they learn?"
"You could look at it that way."
That meant she was drawing a much larger, more aggressive picture. Of course, we didn't need to know every detail.
The production crew only asked one thing of TeSTAR.
"You just have to be incredibly good."
And that wasn't something I was particularly worried about.
"We’ll do our best to structure the script so that your skills look even more superior."
"…Exactly! The members of TeSTAR are always amazing! We just need to work harder to capture that on screen~"
Another staff member jumped in to flatter TeSTAR, seemingly flustered by Ryu Seo-rin’s unfiltered remarks.
Then, the quiet Ryu Cheong-woo asked calmly, "We won't end up looking unnecessarily arrogant on screen, will we?"
"……!"
"…Of course not."
Writer Ryu Seo-rin answered calmly, but she looked a bit shaken.
‘Aha.’
Her earlier attitude was just a power move.
She probably acted tough because she was afraid TeSTAR, who held a grudge against this crew, would be difficult to work with.
‘I should have guessed from the moment they offered a dedicated team as a trade-off.’
The rumor that TeSTAR wouldn't easily appear in a project by this crew must have already spread among industry insiders.
However, now that we’d expressed our discomfort directly, they couldn't act sly. T1 had clearly exerted considerable influence.
‘Well, I don't have to worry about the editing.’
The production crew weren't idiots; they wouldn't cross their parent company.
"We’ve already recruited various K-pop stars as mentors, including TeSTAR…."
"Yes, yes."
The meeting proceeded smoothly after that and concluded without any major issues.
A few days later, major headlines began to appear.
[K-Pop Joins Forces with Netplus, Large-Scale Survival Variety Show Enters Production]
[‘Guaranteed Star-Studded Cast’… What is the Identity of the Netplus K-Pop Reality Show?]
[Netplus Invests Heavily in K-Pop Variety ‘Know KPOP Now’… Targeting the K-Pop Market?]
It seemed they deliberately avoided mentioning the corporate name T1, likely wanting to build the image of the new production studio independently.
Instead, rumors about the cast spread quickly and widely online, almost as if by design.
If they had known the mentors wouldn't have that much screen time, the hype might have died down, but people who didn't know were losing their minds just at the casting rumors.
‘The strategy of not revealing specifics is working perfectly.’
While all sorts of idols were being mentioned, the first day of filming arrived with the official cast list still under embargo.
And after an eleven-hour flight to LA, I confirmed the identity of the rumor I’d been suspicious of.
"Hello."
‘Fuck.’
VTIC really was there.
Except, it wasn't the whole group—just Cheong-ryeo.
‘He wasn't in the lineup I heard about beforehand.’
I later heard that he’d personally given the okay at the last minute and joined us on a private jet.
I didn't know for sure, but one of the lower-tier mentors probably got cut.
"I didn't expect a senior like you to participate as just one of the mentors in an audition program, rather than a solo guest."
Especially in a variety show of this style.
And Cheong-ryeo gave an answer I should have expected.
"Ah, my solo album is coming out soon. So, for global promotion?"
"……."
"Like you said, I’m trying to expand my activities outside the group. Haha."
"Ah, I see."
‘How the hell did you convince your agency?’
That agency, which didn't budge even when fans sent trucks regularly demanding solo activities, actually let him go solo? Did he threaten to leave the group?
…Wait.
‘Was he the one blocking his own solo releases all this time?’
He might have been artificially suppressing it to keep the other members dependent on group activities.
‘Well, it’s none of my business.’
Whether he appeared here or not didn't matter much, aside from it being a bit annoying.
"…Park Moon-dae! Let’s sit!"
"Ah, yes."
I returned to my designated seat in the booth at Bae Se-jin’s loud call.
Bae Se-jin immediately covered his microphone and whispered urgently.
‘W-why does that crazy guy keep talking to you?’
‘I know, right? Maybe he wants his head smashed again.’
‘…….’
It was convenient having guys who knew the truth about the injury incident during the break to back me up like this.
‘Let’s just keep it this way.’
To be honest, I didn't care if this program failed.
If it failed with this lineup, it was the production crew's fault, not TeSTAR's.
Besides, the proposal for the dedicated team had passed at the company just yesterday. Now I just needed to bring in some good people once our current promotions ended.
‘That’s enough.’
Since I’d gotten everything I wanted out of this deal, I just needed to make sure TeSTAR didn't get any hate on the show.
The flight time was a bit of a waste, but the schedule was well-balanced since we were going to handle some US activities while we were here anyway.
‘Well, looking at the script, the participants are going to draw all the aggro.’
I wondered if the Idol Inc. crew had crawled straight out of hell.
"Standing by!"
"Yes~"
The participants were visible on the monitors the mentors were watching.
Their behavior and speech were exactly as scripted.
—I’m ready to be famous!
—You might say it’s not cool, but of course, I lie to get likes on social media. Doesn't everyone?
—I want people to know me, to go wild for me, to be obsessed with everything I do. I’ll do whatever it takes for that.
The helpful Korean subtitles below the English emphasized their identities.
To put it bluntly, they were clout chasers.
They were the perfect targets for criticism, looking like they’d "sell their souls to become celebrities."
And this program had reportedly recruited participants with the pitch: "Celebrities will teach you how to become famous."
But there was one more thing the production crew had secretly filtered for without explicitly stating it.
Their musical taste.
—K-pop? No! I don't, uh… listen to that! Never! (Laughs)
—In school, uh, you know? I’ve seen those kinds of kids listening to it a lot.
Just as Writer Ryu Seo-rin said, these people hated K-pop.
No, "hated" was too mild a word… "disdained" would be more accurate.
They felt exactly like Cha Yu-jin did when he scoffed at the American talk show we appeared on for the game collaboration.
"Ugh~ That’s so mean!"
It was a bit funny seeing the person in question say that while watching the monitor without a care in the world.
Anyway, that was how the show's narrative was established.
The participants appear on a reality show expecting to "become famous worldwide through Netplus," only to get a taste of K-pop boot camp.
‘That’s why they were so desperate for us to be good.’
They wanted to capture the moment these people’s jaws dropped in shock, followed by the declaration: "I will never look down on K-pop again."
‘The national pride angle is definitely there.’
Plus, it would certainly draw attention from international K-pop fans. The problem was how to pull it off without it being cringey and making it universally appealing.
"This is interesting."
"They’re allowed to dislike it!"
The guys seemed relaxed as they commented on the monitor. They already knew these scenes were coming.
‘Honestly, there’s a high chance the participants already know this and are just playing along.’
Well, it wasn't my problem.
We just had to play our roles properly.
The mentors were to appear team by team on stage machinery where the participants were gathered, waiting anxiously to see which "celebrities" would show up.
Accompanied by flashy, "K-pop-style effects" as perceived abroad.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
[Please welcome them with a round of applause! The seven K-pop teams who will teach you how to become famous!]
The voice of an AI MC, sponsored by Osung, rang out in English.
Then, the fabric at the top of the set dropped, revealing the truth on the electronic display.
Naturally, the reaction wasn't great.
[Oh.]
[Oh my god!!]
But the filming immediately moved to the next cut, dragging along the clout chasers who were flustered, bitter, or forcing exaggerated admiration and fake smiles.
‘We don't have time.’
How much time could seven popular idol groups really spare for this show?
Thus, while most of the mentors headed home and only a few went back in to change clothes and prepare, the participants were briefed on the new content.
The so-called "Intro Stage."
[In this stage, you could win this reality show and leave right now. Even before entering the camp!]
In short: "You can't accept them as mentors, right? If you win, we’ll give you the prize money immediately."
And I was the first one assigned to this.
[Our mentors~ please come out!]
It was a cheesy setup, but one that seemed likely to work.
[With 100 randomly selected LA residents as the audience, you will take turns singing the same song as the mentor!]
[Of course, this song isn't K-pop… it’s a pop song you selected in advance! You chose it to show off your skills, right?]
[And the mentor is going to check that song right now!]
We were going to settle this on a level playing field.