Chapter 76: Unexpected Luck (1)
76. Unexpected Luck (1)
During the week-long break where Miro Entertainment, the production company, and even Hajin himself were all busy with their own tasks, many events unfolded online.
First, Miro Maze's first teaser was released.
— Wow, just another generic K-pop boy group survival show debut.
This meant that Miro's set, already grandiose (unnecessarily so) with expensive CG and flashy editing, had been unveiled to the world.
— Why are they filming a survival show when they're already debuting;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
The unexpectedly high-scale teaser briefly became a hot topic across various SNS and communities. Shorts and viral ads with keywords like <Today's Most Overfunded Boy Group Survival Show> were everywhere.
The first to react were the fandoms of Miro's senior artists, who automatically got updates thanks to every post being flooded with hashtags about "their kids."
[U_pia_zip] (Miro Maze Seo Tae-il interview clip)
Senior vibes from our hoobaenims' debut survival show ♡
Shares: 3,821 | Quotes: 4,409 | Hearts: 5,081
[Park Woong being genuinely excited about finally having hoobaenims]
(Endway members mentioning Miro Maze during a live broadcast)
— Woong is so cute preparing a list of broadcast station must-eat spots for the hoobaenims when they debut.
— That list was passed down to him by his own sunbaenims too lolololololol.
— Are the kids appearing on broadcasts too? Honestly, there's no way they wouldn't.
└ Yup, 100%.
└ Rumor has it they're doing missions with the hoobaenims' songs! Teacher J.Y. spoiled it.
└ Is that teacher still dropping spoilers without hesitation? LMAOOOOOOOOOO.
└ Spoiling without hesitation is just a Miro family trait... Did you see Choi Yeon-woo upload a one-star review after meeting Teacher Tae-il again after so long? Lol.
— Sorry to change the subject, but why do the hoobaenims call their sunbaenims "teachers"? ;; I'm a late fan, so...
└ It's okay! The age gap is huge, and the sunbaenims actually trained them when they were trainees, so they call them "teachers"!
└ Wow, thank you ;; Can I ask one more thing? So the sunbaenims kept training them even after debut?
└ Yeah ;; The company... It's better now, but back then, it was practically a hole-in-the-wall... ;; Things have improved so much since then...
└ Ah... I see ;; Thanks for explaining so kindly!!
Being an ultra-small agency with only two artists, Miro had an unusually close relationship between senior and junior fandoms. This was largely thanks to I.dea, U.pia's fandom, showering the rookie group with overwhelming love from the very beginning, calling them "our first hoobaenims."
The massive age gap also played a role—they were too far apart in seniority to even consider rivalry.
— Let's cheer for our hoobaenims!
— What songs will they do? Mood Night or Sparkle Day?
— Wait, does this mean we get to see Seo Tae-il's "Crocodile PD" mode in different outfits every week? That's a win.
— Cheong Hansol went live and said the hoobaenims are cute and talented, so just cheer for them and don't stray lol. A 13-year veteran idol scolding fans for straying? Adorable ♡
The deeply ingrained atmosphere of "Miro is one family" meant most reactions from senior fandoms toward <Miro Maze> were positive.
Having already witnessed the birth of one junior group, I.dea watched calmly, as if observing their grandchildren at play. In contrast, And With U (Endway's fandom) couldn't hide their excitement about their first-ever hoobaenims.
Of course, not everyone felt the same.
— Why the hell is Han Ilseop suddenly going crazy over some dried-up survival show? Just flexing how much money they've made? That money was all earned by our oppas, you bastards. Why are you wasting it like this?
— For the love of god, stop with the "they're just like them" crap. They're NOT alike!!! I'm so sick of the "Miro standard" talk. The company only has two groups, what "standard" are you even talking about?
— I did think a new group would come soon... But isn't it too early? Feels kinda off... We're only in our fourth year too ;;.
The negative voices mostly came from newer And With U fans.
Most of them had only heard the tearful rookie stories of Endway—the second son of a small company (whose first son was the legendary idol U.pia)—as passed-down legends.
They'd only heard about the "descending love" like I.dea's but had never experienced it firsthand. They just kept quiet because the fandom atmosphere demanded it, knowing they'd be the ones getting backlash for going against the mainstream.
To them, <Miro Maze> was just some annoying newbies stealing their oppas' rice bowl in an already tiny company.
— To those bringing up the junior group on Tamla, I'll be muting you for a while~ Don't wanna see other groups.
— Stop forcing the "family frame" down our throats. I like Endway, not ㅗMiroㅗ.
— Ugh, so stressed. Stop using the kids' names already;;;; Every time my notifications go off, it's about those hoobaenims.
— They're like this even before debut? Once they debut, how much more will they leech off our oppas? Tf. It was bad enough having to deal with old sunbaenim stories everywhere, now we gotta deal with these fresh-faced brats too.
As these voices grew louder, even long-time fans who vividly remembered the kindness they'd received from their sunbaenims began to split into factions.
— Lol, are the people asking "why debut them now" new to fandom? Don't you know most companies debut new groups every 3 years? We're the abnormal ones for debuting so late, what...
— Wait, is the fandom turning against the hoobaenims? I'm happy for them lol. The kids are finally becoming sunbaenims.
— I don't care, just give us our PLAN comeback properly. But seeing how things are going, that's not happening, so I'm pissed.
— We're just starting to establish ourselves, of course some fans would feel bitter about hoobaenims debuting already. Stop silencing them.
— The teaser looks like they poured money into it... Wish they'd take care of us like that.
— Can we just stop the hoobaenim talk? I'm tired.
What started as interest in <Miro Maze> kept ending in And With U infighting.
Soon, even fans who had come purely for <Miro Maze> or were just curious began quietly reducing their mentions of the topic. They didn't want to get dragged into fan wars before the first episode even aired.
It was a fatal setback at a time when they should've been fueling anticipation.
It was around then that Hajin's sudden quest reward was automatically claimed.
[System Alert: Sudden Quest!]
[Objective: Your greatest ally is yourself.
To believe in yourself, you must first know yourself!
Get to know "Kang Hajin."]
Success Rewards:
- ['Kang Hajin' Comrade Recruitment: 1 Specified Trait Reveal Ticket] (Claimed)
- ['Kang Hajin' Trait Confirmation: Free Skill Upgrade Voucher] (Claimed)
- ['Kang Hajin' Stat Check: Unexpected Luck (Cat's Gratitude 2), (Teacher's Grace)] (Unclaimed)
Unclaimed success rewards will now be automatically distributed.
— OMG Yeonwoo's live!
Choi Yeon-woo, Endway's unchanging center, had started a live broadcast.
— And With U, hi. I was about to eat dinner and thought I'd drop by. Wanted to eat together.
It started as a normal dinner mukbang. He said he couldn't stay long, just wanted to chat while eating. The turning point came around 30 minutes in.
— Huh? How do I feel about the hoobaenims?
— Woong was super excited about getting hoobaenims. Oh, he already made a fuss about it?
Yeon-woo chuckled while relaying his teammate's reaction, then swept his messy bangs back. Leaning his chin on his hand, his gaze grew sentimental.
— Hmm. But it does feel weird. You know how hard we had it when we debuted, right?
— Of course, compared to U.pia sunbaenims, we had it really good. But still... Worry? Pressure? We had a lot of that. Honestly, the sunbaenims were just too amazing.
— Anyway, we were the first hoobaenims.
— But seeing the hoobaenims on that survival show now... The sets are so cool, their stages are so polished, everything's just... perfect. It feels really strange.
Yeon-woo set down his chopsticks, his voice soft and thick.
— It's like... "Ah, we did well, huh?" Felt really proud.
— I think it's because we did well that our hoobaenims could come after us.
— So I felt proud... And thought I should treat them well. Because I remember how much the sunbaenims took care of us when we debuted. I want to be that kind of dependable sunbaenim too...
Yeon-woo's comments about <Miro Maze> lasted barely three minutes in an hour-long live. But those three minutes caused quite a stir.
— I cried listening to Yeon-woo's live today.
The And With U fandom, which had been in chaos all day, was hit with a direct nostalgia bomb from those three minutes. Even fans who had no interest in the hoobaenim talk switched to full "soft stan" mode, and the fandom began self-policing in earnest.
— Rewatching Yeon-woo's live and just... thinking so much. How scared and hard it must've been for them when they debuted.
— When a member says this outright, how are people still setting up hate posts about the hoobaenims? Do they not understand what it means for the kids to have hoobaenims?
As the fandom's mood gradually shifted to "even if you won't cheer for the hoobaenims, don't attack them," a post was uploaded that would fan the flames.
This time, from U.pia's side.
[How are you feeling, I.dea? (Long post warning)]
I became a fan during their Myeongdong busking days.
I saw Tae-il gritting his teeth and performing in the rain even before debut, and I've loved them ever since (though I took breaks during job-hunting ;;).
But you all know how hard it was for them, right...?
With only four staff members in that tiny company, they got ignored so much on broadcasts. The kids had no sunbaenims to guide them, so it was really tough ;;.
Even when they won first place on music shows or went to awards, it was always just them alone. That made me so sad sometimes. Of course, they were close and tight-knit, but still ;;.
So when the first hoobaenims (students) debuted, I was so happy.
Their promotion periods didn't overlap much, but whenever they did, they always cheered for each other.
Honestly, when it was just them, they were like young breadwinners keeping the company afloat, never resting properly. You could see the determination in their eyes. But after the hoobaenims debuted, they seemed to relax more, even taking proper vacations for the first time ;;. I'm tearing up again.
Anyway, seeing the buzz about another hoobaenim group now, I feel so... weird.
Tae-il said he's confident, that he's staking his name on this. It's so touching... and comforting... I don't know lol. Just... Miro is debuting another group???? That thought alone lololol. So I wanted to ask how everyone else feels... I'm in full U.pia Love MAX mode rn lolololol. Let's stay together for a long time... even longer... all the way to the Gayo Daejuns....
Uploaded in the early hours when forum activity was low, this long post wouldn't normally have gained much traction.
— As of this hour, I withdraw my support for the Miro family.
That is... normally.
— From today onward, we are no longer merely supporters.
The Miro family and I are one body, one entity.
Any attack on the Miro family will be treated as an attack on me.
— Who dares bully our nephews?
Unexpected Luck began running wild.