Chapter 370
Chapter 370
The backstage of the awards ceremony was a whirlwind of chaos ahead of the live broadcast.
“Unnie, take this!”
“So-hyun is here!”
As usual, Malang Dalkom was insanely busy. It was practically a daily occurrence for members to arrive late due to individual schedules and have to scramble to get ready.
A staff member helping with the performance preparations nodded to herself.
The girls really are all so pretty.
Though they looked exhausted, as expected of a top-tier idol group, Malang Dalkom possessed that specific aura unique to those who were meticulously cared for.
Well, I suppose they were picked for being pretty in the first place.
One of the reasons for this assumption stood right next to them.
“Let’s do this right.”
“Yes!”
The trainee dancers who had come with them were also striking.
I heard LeTi is betting everything on this next boy group.
While one couldn’t believe all the gossip floating around the entertainment industry, about half of it was usually true.
The group of about seven boys mostly consisted of individuals who were undeniably good-looking.
Hmm.
Taking advantage of a brief lull in her work, the staff member stole a glance at them. She might be seeing them on music programs by next year, after all.
Besides, this kind of one-sided observation and speculation was fun!
Then, she spotted one boy who was exceptionally calm.
…! He’s definitely the LeTi type.
Dressed in black slacks and a shirt, he was a boy with a slightly dark impression. He looked neat, but he possessed a refined, sculpted beauty.
There was also a delicate, understated coolness about him.
Oh.
Just as the staff member was admiring him, the trainee suddenly turned his head toward the staff as if he had something to say.
“…!”
Their eyes met.
Oops.
Just as she was about to hurriedly look away to pretend she hadn't been staring—
Ah, he’s smiling.
The trainee gave a soft, polite bow.
His smile was natural, carrying a smoothness that made it seem like he had done this a thousand times before.
There was no burdensome, obvious pretense to it.
The staff member quickly nodded back, inwardly impressed.
Wow… he must have been trained really well.
He hadn't.
Ryu Gun-woo—the current LeTi trainee who was originally a member of the five-year veteran, Daesang-winning group TeSTAR—was inwardly sighing with relief.
I almost asked for my microphone.
He was so used to this atmosphere that his subconscious had felt a sense of comfort.
Furthermore, the thin glasses perched on his face were a bit bothersome, drawing more of his attention.
I’m wearing contacts, and they put fake glasses without lenses over them…
He couldn't fathom what kind of selling point they were going for. Was he supposed to get cursed at because a trainee dancer’s styling stood out more than the idols themselves?
Didn't people get trashed for doing stuff like this back then, too?
If anything, the criticism would have been more primitive back then, not less.
However, the moment he saw Malang Dalkom’s outfits, that judgment vanished instantly.
…How can they go that far?
Layers of chiffon and glittering artificial crystals were everywhere. They looked like they were headed for a film festival red carpet.
He wondered if they could even dance in those, but after comparing them to his own outfit, Ryu Gun-woo accepted it.
I guess the concept is something like a butler or a servant.
It was cringeworthy, but since this was an era where excessive concepts ran rampant, he just went with it.
As long as my existence is noted, that’s enough.
His part was just a short dance in the intro.
“We’re in your hands~”
“Thank you, Sunbaenim.”
After bowing to So-hyun, with whom he had practiced only once during the in-house rehearsal, he moved in step with the other trainees.
Nearby, he heard hushed whispering.
“Damn, she’s f*cking gorgeous.”
“Yeah. But hey, her personality is a bit…”
Wow.
Thanks to that, Ryu Gun-woo fully understood Cheong-ryeo’s reasoning for picking the VTIC members.
He hadn't just dragged Shin-o and Ju-dan from the back of the lineup for no reason.
It’s a field of unexploded bombs.
It seemed the agency had been so blinded by looks and talent that they’d gathered kids who couldn't distinguish between what should and shouldn't be said in public.
“Hmm?”
“Nothing.”
Cheong-ryeo, who happened to be standing next to him, noticed Ryu Gun-woo’s gaze and even offered a supplementary explanation.
“Ah, that guy. I tried taking him with me once… but three years after debut, his girlfriend posted an exposé about his character.”
“…….”
“Haha, people really don’t change, do they?”
Ryu Gun-woo felt like he wouldn't be surprised if, in some timeline, that guy had been encased in cement and tossed into the Han River.
Anyway, that was the end of the idle chatter.
“I don’t expect you to overdo it just because it’s your first stage.”
“Yeah. I’ll handle it.”
The trainees, each thinking of their own circumstances, stepped onto the stage with Malang Dalkom.
And that night.
On an internet community dedicated to celebrity talk—specifically idol talk—a post went up.
*
[Additional Candidate Lineup for LeTi’s Next Boy Group]
It’s basically canon that the guys in Malang Dalkom’s Goldie intro earlier are the debut team.
*
The post went on to explain, combining GIF files of the trainee dancers caught briefly on the periphery with previously leaked selfies of them.
Most were people whose names were already whispered among the agency’s long-time fans, but there was one new face.
It was Ryu Gun-woo, who performed a short pair dance with Malang Dalkom’s So-hyun before exiting.
*
Apparently, he was a hidden trainee, but it looks like he joined the debut team this time?
*
This year, Malang Dalkom had performed a so-called "B-grade" concept stage, but the intro itself had realized a dazzling princess concept to an almost excessive degree.
Because the stage was dominated by that atmosphere, the trainee dancers didn't necessarily become a hot topic for their skills or looks, but there was one anomaly.
It was because Ryu Gun-woo had inadvertently located the camera with too much precision.
He had tried not to overdo it, but that much was an unavoidable reflex born from years of experience.
He had made the choice because avoiding the camera would have looked even more awkward.
However, the effect ended up exploding from there.
Along with Cheong-ryeo, who had appropriately adjusted his intensity based on decades of experience, Ryu Gun-woo was mentioned quite a bit in the comments.
Of course, the reaction ended there.
Since it was just a single appearance as a dancer, only idol fans with a deep interest in LeTi took a brief look and moved on. However, for the person involved, it felt quite fresh.
It’s been a while since I’ve done monitoring like this.
Ryu Gun-woo lowered the smartphone screen he was looking at.
It was a relief that he hadn't used any expressions in an attempt to control his pace. He hadn't stood out that much.
However, the fact that he was becoming known anew strangely reminded him of the day the first stage of Idol Inc. was revealed.
“…….”
That state where his mood would strangely improve just by seeing a few supportive comments.
A strange sense of nostalgia washed over him.
[♪♪♫♪♬♪~]
A rerun of the Golden Disc Awards was in full swing on the TV.
Ryu Cheong-woo, who had been mindlessly making a PPT on his laptop in the living room, looked up and was quite surprised.
“…! Hyung, is that person in the back you?”
“Yeah.”
He’d suddenly decided to become an idol trainee, and he’d already made his screen debut.
Wow.
Even though this must have been his first time appearing on a TV screen, his relative didn't show much excitement or nervousness.
Instead…
…Satisfaction?
Yes, he looked closer to that.
To think there was someone who could feel that kind of emotion while watching their own first stage.
Because he was such a calm person, hadn't he even been mistaken for the older one when they were kids?
See, I’m not the weird one.
He shrugged his shoulders. Then, after minimizing his PPT for a moment, he watched the TV screen Ryu Gun-woo was looking at.
“Ah, there you are again.”
“Right.”
He thought about not teasing him just in case, but there was no need for that.
The Ryu Gun-woo caught on screen occasionally looked surprisingly natural.
Ryu Cheong-woo was genuinely impressed.
“Hyung, you didn't decide to become an idol for nothing. You’re good.”
“Whatever.”
However, he failed to see that his hyung was tightly clenching his fists.
It’s here!
I only opened the status window pop-up that finally appeared after the awards ceremony rerun.
[Fame is increasing….]
+Exp 10,000
The settled Fame Exp was a whopping 10,000.
They’re really handing it out.
Even if it was the early stages, to give this much just for being revealed as a trainee? If this were a real game, it would have gone bankrupt.
Whatever.
Though I looked at it skeptically, I was more than willing to spend all the Fame Points.
Especially since something else popped up right after.
[Conditions Met]
: <Recruit Colleague> has been unlocked!
-> Go to
Finally.
A new function had appeared. They’d even made a grand tab with an image banner. It was a picture of dark silhouettes shaking hands.
[Recruit Colleague]
Find colleagues with whom you have a connection.
I knew it.
I’d suspected it ever since they said it was based on Section 127, but this format was exactly that.
Character Gacha.
It meant who would appear as a colleague was random.
The format had just become more like a real mobile game than when I was pulling traits, but the content wasn't much different.
But seeing the wording about finding someone with a connection…….
I glanced at Ryu Cheong-woo sitting next to me.
“Hmm? What?”
“Nothing.”
I wondered if it would be someone who knew my situation as Park Moon-dae, or someone close to me here.
Anyway, let’s give it a spin.
I got up from the living room and went into the room where my bed was. Then I closed the door.
[Hyung! Are you going to do it now? Good luck!]
“Yeah.”
I moved my finger while watching Keun-dal chatter.
A 10-pull… never mind.
I’ll just recruit one for now.
When I pressed the button, along with a motion of the screen spinning, a shining star flew in from the black universe and….
…Went out?
[Failed!]
What.
[Would you like to try again?]
- Use 1,000 Exp
I stared at the status window, speechless, before realizing the reality.
1,000 Fame Points had just vanished into thin air.
“…….”
This… f*cking pay-to-win game.
[I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn't do this! Really!]
“……I know.”
Come to think of it, Section 127… had these god-awful duds with a low probability.
And the ones who set this trashy exchange rate were the BM—the developers who created the game’s revenue model.
T1!
…Now that I think about it, it’s my company.
Well, who cares. I, who contracted with them directly, can guarantee those bastards are crazy for money.
Wait.
Thinking that way opened my eyes. I immediately flipped through the status window to check past pop-ups.
And I found it.
[- Recruit colleagues and awaken them.]
Recruitment and awakening were separate.
Could this be….
“…They’ve set the experience points for recruitment and awakening separately.”
In other words, after recruiting a colleague, it would cost more Fame Points to awaken them….
[Uwaaaaah!]
Exactly.
Awakening is leveling up, and recruitment is the gacha… so of course it costs separate money to pull them and then level them up.
Isn't that… common game sense?
“…Whew.”
I took a deep breath.
[Hy-Hyung, are you okay??]
“Yeah.”
I’m perfectly fine.
Perfectly.
After rubbing my eyes, I tapped the ‘Recruit 1’ button again.
Then, bronze and silver colors swirled through the black universe without much impact, and photos appeared.
It seemed to have worked normally this time…….
[★★ Kim Ik-je / Sub Vocal]
[★ Lee Ha-ram / Sub Dancer]
[Would you like to accept them as they are?]
Who the hell are you guys?
No, I don’t even need an exclamation.
Why are people I don’t know coming out?
It was obvious.
One or two stars? They were definitely dummy characters used to fill the gacha pool.
I covered my face with my hands, suppressing a groan.
And where did the stars come from?
Section 127 doesn't have a star concept; where did you bring this mass-produced gacha game system from, you bastard?
[I-I-I didn't do it.]
“I know.”
It must be the system.
I think I misunderstood something. This bastard didn't want me to settle down here. To pull this kind of crap?
…Or.
Is it interfering?
Is it doing this to make me give up somehow after seeing the explanation added to the awakening?
How funny.
Anyone can dump money into gambling.
It doesn't even require willpower. You just have to press with your finger!
I didn't accept the colleagues I pulled and sent them to the reserve inventory.
Then, out of the remaining 7,000 Exp, I spent 5,000 Exp and tapped the button five times in rapid succession.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
[Uwaah!]
Don’t freak out; I was planning to dump this much anyway!
And once again, the light flashed insincerely.
[★ Choi Dong-ho / Sub Rapper]
[Failed!]
[★★ Jin Yoon-tae / Visual]
[★ Kim Seok-won / Sub Dancer]
More unfamiliar names brushed past. And there was even another failure in the mix.
Fck!*
But finally.
An aurora light flashed.
[~♪♬♪~]
Musical notes passed over the stars.
“…!!”
I swallowed hard.
Could it be?
Is it finally someone who knows the situation? A blindingly brilliant light erupted from the status window, crossing the universe.
And the next text that appeared was….
[WOW!]
[★★★★★ Cha Yu-jin / Center]
“…….”
[…….]
Huh…?