I Want to Put on a Splendid Show
The next morning after that "I want to put on a splendid show." I was waiting in the lobby for the girls to come down when the elevator dinged to a stop. Unusually for her, Minji stepped out at the front.
"Sleep well?"
"Y-Yeah...."
Her response was the same as always, but the mere fact that the girl who usually hung back at the rear was leading the pack let me glimpse her motivation.
"Good morning."
Im Haeun followed behind in her usual even-keeled state. But...
"...Unnie, sleep okay?"
Shin Soye's face, trailing at the end, looked oddly pallid.
"Yeah, of course."
She smiled and answered my question. Haeun immediately ribbed her for it.
"Sleep okay, huh? You were up at 4 a.m. today."
"It's just... what can I say, it felt like debut all over again...."
"Don't feel too much pressure. You nailed the interview, so just be yourself."
Maybe I'd pumped her up too much last night. From "Finally, unnie's got a big win" onward—I'd rattled off every possibility: this interview would skyrocket her recognition, the photos turned out great so she could leverage them beyond cosplay into straight idol work, and if it went well, we could even repurpose them for pictorials.... I'd meant to fire her up, but maybe I'd overdone it.
"Good morning, everyone. Feeling alright?"
Finally, Yu Ga-hye appeared, handing each of us a water bottle.
"Keep hydrated at all times. We'll head out right away."
"C'mon, unnie, relax and let's go."
"Yeah."
She nodded at my words and headed for the car. The usually composed woman just had a bit more tension than normal—nothing to worry about. She'd ace whatever came her way.
Sure enough, my worries were unfounded. Once we arrived at the venue, Soye powered through the schedule without a hitch.
"Thank you!"
"Kamsahamnida~!"
"Next, please~!"
She greeted each fan at the photo zone with a smile, striking poses for pics and tossing in fan service here and there....
"Great vibe, huh."
"Yes, all three are doing wonderfully."
As Yu Ga-hye said, the atmosphere was electric. It was day three, the final event day with the most activities packed in, yet the crowd at our girls' photo zone was several times bigger than yesterday. Fans flocking to Soye had noticeably surged, and the number snapping her pics seemed double that. Haeun and Minji's popularity hadn't dimmed either, turning the zone into a total crush.
...Hmm, as guests, we might be stealing too much attention—would anyone complain? I was starting to worry.
"Otsukaresama~!"
Sure enough, Nakamura in his mascot costume waddled over to me again. I could spot him by his walk alone now.
"Otsukaresama, Nakamura-san."
"Kuh, The Queens are a hit. I saw those Twitter pics from yesterday—Soye-san's were gorgeous."
"Thank you."
Yu Ga-hye smoothly fielded it for me.
"Thanks to you, the final day's booming. It's not even noon, and we've doubled yesterday's attendance."
"Congratulations. Thrilled to help make the game show a success."
"Stealing customers... too many...?"
Snippets like "The Queens," "customers," "doubled" floated through—enough to make me anxious about what he was saying.
"No, he's thrilled we boosted attendance."
Phew, good.
"Plus that magazine interview—man, you're all lucky cats!"
"Too kind, thank you."
"See you later! Definitely!"
He boomed a laugh and wandered off as soon as he finished.
"Lee Sejin-ssi, about those photos of Shin Soye that got taken.... Did you direct them?"
"Huh? That? Haha, how could I direct something like that? It's not like photos come out on command. She just nailed it."
From her unpopular debut days to now, she'd grinded nonstop. Always giving her all, treating fans right—that's why she seized the opportunity. You can't force it in one moment.
"Hmmm...."
Her serious gaze asking that threw me off. How highly did she rate me in her head?
As we locked eyes for a moment, a staffer approached.
"Sumimasen, manager-san. Interview prep's almost done."
"Lee Sejin-ssi, interview's ready."
"Ah, time flies.... Tell them we're heading over."
"Got it."
And now was the time to milk that opportunity for all it was worth. Yeah, Soye would grab it perfectly.
The Queens' interview, with GPiF's cooperation, went down right in the venue. First up was Idol Magazine, or Ima for short—the go-to idol platform. It kicked off openly for fans to watch, starting with icebreakers and formals.
"...So you've been debuted for a while now~!"
"Yes. We've been active in Korea, and our tie-in with Grand Ragnarok's ad brought us here as invitees."
"Ooh~ Fate's a funny thing. Original songs already? You're pros!"
"Sugoi~"
"Naruhodo~"
Even the formals let The Queens detail their idol history and how they landed here. Knowing the backstory draws people closer. This public interview was imprinting "The Queens" as idols, not just "killer cosplayers," on the spectating fans.
Only...
"By the way, Bak-san speaks great Japanese. Studied up?"
"Just... picked it up gaming...."
Park Minji handled most answers since she was the Japanese whiz.
I should say something too....
I'd crammed conversational Japanese before the trip—less fluent than Minji, but solid enough. Last night and this morning, I'd prepped interview Q&A in Japanese too. I could jump in here.
How to wedge in....
"How about the other two's Japanese?"
Whoosh. The mic swung, and Shin Soye took a deep breath. Her moment had arrived...!
Huuu.
She inhaled big and froze.
Oh no...!
Such a rookie mistake. Soye panicked, but luckily the mic was aimed at Im Haeun.
"Uh... Watashi wa... Nihongo tabemasen (I don't eat Japanese), no no, that's not it. Nihongo shirimasen (I don't know Japanese)."
"Hahaha! You know it plenty! Perfect Japanese. Right, everyone~?"
"Sou sou."
"Haha!"
The fans roared with laughter at the interviewer's lead. Beside them, Soye exhaled in relief and steadied her breath. Phew, calm down and answer right....
"And leader Shin-san?"
Whoosh! Mic straight to Soye post-Haeun, interviewer gleaming with anticipation.
"Ah, h-hai!"
Her uncharacteristic high pitch slipped out as she exhaled in surprise.
"Chotto, I mean... Chotto dake arimasu (a little)!"
Her interview experience saved her—the answer landed clean.
"Ooh~ Simple questions first?"
Nice, nailed the Japanese. Soye nodded, pleased.
"Favorite Grand Ragnarok character?"
Expected Q. Character...
"Uh, um... A-Astraia!"
"Of course it's the one you cosplay. Pro spirit—cool."
"Arigatou gozaimasu~"
"Next: best food since arriving in Japan?"
Expected too, and from my convo drills.
"Uh, that'd be... sushi?"
Post-answer, Soye realized: Haven't had sushi yet—we've been slammed. Textbook reflex.
"Sushi's the best. Love it myself. Wish I could try the kind that doesn't come back!"
Got "suki desu" but the rest? Whatever, nod and it'll be fine.
"Y-Yeah... hai~"
She scanned the fans—warm gazes as ever.
Good so far. Keep it up....
"Next: titles of all your songs so far, and plans for Japan?"
"Huh? Y-Yes?"
Long one. Prepped, but...
"Details, please! No help from Bak-san—Shin-san's answer only!"
Interviewer waved off Minji's assist. Trap question: easy ones to build, then complex to fluster and coo over the cuteness.
But Soye powered through.
"Uh, um, so... first songs... Uta... ah, Shiny Days and, no, Shiny Days to...."
"O?"
"Cute 'n Sexy to... and, um... uta wa konokurai desu (that's about it for songs)."
Interviewer perked—unexpected polish. Manager side said her Japanese was weak.
"Future plans?"
"Uh... keikaku ga... ah, plans. That's...."
But he kept pushing the gag.
"Super detailed—schedule, activities, personal dreams, full course! So we can all cheer~!"
Soye's words jammed, pupils shook. Tension sharpened her senses—every eye on her, even my phone filming far off.
Oh crap, gotta nail this...!
"Activities... katsudou... uh, yes, with our second album, I want to put on a very splendid show!"
Pressure to ace it. Prepped lines. Guessed extras from heard words. Soye hammered a full Japanese answer—boldly.
"Hai?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Splendid show?"
"What's 'performance' mean?"
The crowd murmured.
"Hahaha! Korean-Japanese collab! Adorable! Ambitions received loud and clear!"
Interviewer cracked up; fans followed.
"Uh, wha? Uhhh...."
Soye panicked, hand to face—sparking more laughs.
And I laughed too.
Caught the cutest clip ever.
Filming for potential shorts material, but her adorable flub? Iconic idol who nailed epic shots showing this side—edit tight for YouTube Shorts, views galore.
Perfect.
Yesterday's pics, today's clip—fruits of Soye's constant best. Maximizing them? My job. I grinned, uploading the clip fast.