Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Debut Countdown (1)
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[1st-Gen Idol 'Turbo Engine' Ex-Manager Indicted for Assaulting Trainee……
Excessive Violence Leading to Memory Loss……]
'As expected, it made the news.'
An employee who used to manage a 1st-gen idol group had assaulted a trainee from his agency, leaving the kid with amnesia.
It was the kind of juicy story that would hook the sensationalist reporters from those clickbait internet outlets.
Just as I'd predicted, they didn't need any prodding from me—they ran the story on Hong Jae-pil.
Once it hits the press, rumors spread like wildfire.
Especially in the tight-knit entertainment world, where everyone knows everyone with just a couple of degrees of separation.
And just like that, Hong Jae-pil vanished from UJ. From the industry altogether.
I probably wouldn't see him again.
The members were stunned when they heard, but thrilled too.
"No way—that bastard beat the kid into that state and then tried to kick him out? What a thug."
"What's wrong with how I look?"
"You've been eating too well lately, Jae-oh. Your belly's all round."
"……."
"No more seeing that jerk's face? Feels good. All that bullshit he spewed was getting on my nerves."
Park Su-rim must've had a lot pent up too. The way he smirked and muttered said it all.
Kim Kwang-myeong nudged my arm and grumbled.
"Hey, you actually pulled it off. ……But if you got your memory back, why didn't you tell us first?"
"Yeah, you should've said something to us, hyung. We could've helped out big time."
"Didn't think that far."
"Well, everything worked out, so that's what matters. Call it paying off all that bad karma from before."
"Things are looking up for us from here."
I nodded with a smile at Lee Jae-oh's words.
That's when a golden crown popped up in front of my eyes.
A new title unlocked.
[New! New Title Acquired!
『Ringleader of the Rebellion』
Successfully ousted a tyrannical superior.
Title Reward: Immunity to 'Abnormal Status: Intimidation' when facing someone of higher rank.]
Ringleader of the Rebellion, huh.
The name was a bit off, but it was a title I could get behind anyway.
And the reward was pretty solid.
Basically, a guts boost.
I grinned, satisfied.
I'd gotten rid of that thorn in my side.
Now, all that was left was debut.
* * *
After Hong Jae-pil got the boot, the woman who stepped in as head manager had a sharp, intellectual vibe.
"Hello. I'm Hwang Jae-in. I'll be taking over from Mr. Hong Jae-pil. We'll be seeing a lot of each other. Just call me Manager Hwang."
With her neat short haircut and tailored suit, she came straight to our practice room to introduce herself.
She'd been hired around the time Red Bee debuted, and word was she'd climbed the ranks fast with her fresh ideas and solid results.
When the manager spot opened up, she'd naturally filled it.
She adjusted her glasses and continued.
"I won't be forcing late-night practices or laying a hand on you like the previous manager, so no need to worry. I'll do my best to accommodate your needs and preferences."
"Whoa! Then can you get rid of our superpowers?"
"That…… won't be possible. They're too ingrained now."
Teddy, who'd shouted excitedly, deflated in an instant.
Manager Hwang gave a faint smile and went on.
"Anyway, let's get along well. Debut's right around the corner—let's prepare hard."
"Yes, looking forward to working with you."
"Please take care of us!"
Not a bad first impression.
Way more trustworthy than Hong Jae-pil, at least.
She seemed like the meticulous type who'd handle things properly.
Though, given how EverPlanet had bombed so spectacularly in the past, maybe not.
Even with the new manager, we kept up our practice routine.
One day, two days passed.
Time flew, and debut was suddenly just a month away.
Park Su-rim tore off the calendar page on the wall by the dining table and muttered.
"Seriously, one month left. Time flies."
"Right? What's your take on it, hyung?"
"Already getting nervous."
"Me too."
"You guys ready? Time to head out for recording."
"Yep."
I'd been leisurely brushing my teeth, listening to Go Eun-young and Park Su-rim chat, but Han Tae-hee's words made me speed up.
Today was for finalizing the recordings on the album tracks.
Instead of the practice room, we had to head to a studio farther out, so no time to waste.
"Kids, time's up. Let's go."
I finished brushing, got dressed, and right on cue, manager hyung showed up to pick us up.
We piled out of the dorm and into the van headed for the studio.
I did a quick web surf on my phone en route. Figured I'd check the news.
While scrolling through some portal site's news feed,
'Huh, a story on us?'
I spotted a familiar name in a headline.
I clicked the link without thinking.
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[Daily Seoul] Red Bee's Label EverPlanet Enters Debut Countdown…… "Please Cheer Us On"
(Reporter Lee Yujin) UJ Entertainment (UJ Ent. hereafter), home to digital chart powerhouse girl group Red Bee, has kicked off the debut countdown for their new 7-member boy group, 'EverPlanet.' UJ Ent. has been teasing EverPlanet's launch since last winter, with active promo on Flitter and other SNS platforms.
Members already revealed include 'Lee Jae-oh,' a promising fencer who was pegged as a potential youngest national team member before retiring due to injury; 'Go Eun-young,' who shone on TVM's hit audition show 'My Singing's Grown'; and rapper 'B-light,' whose energetic rap battle racked up 5 million views on L-Tube. The remaining four are expected to be unveiled soon.
UJ Ent. CEO Oh Woong-jae said, "This is a group we've poured our hearts into for a long time," adding, "Please send lots of support to these seven boys who've trained so hard."
Meanwhile, EverPlanet will make their official entry next month on the 3rd with their debut album 'BIG BANG,' featuring 6 tracks total.
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Company must've put out the article since debut was a month out.
Pretty standard stuff.
I skimmed it quick and scrolled down to the comments.
- Red Bee's label finally dropping a boy group? Ffs, spend that time on a Red Bee comeback instead, Woong-jae, get your head straight
└ Exactly lmao they should focus on the groups they have, tired of Red Bee's hiatus fr
└ Why push the newbies when you've got gems already~~
└ Saw on Red Bee's Flitter they're prepping a comeback soon tho?
└ Fr?
└ Yup, boy group debut then Red Bee right after looks like
└ Fair enough then
- Challenges are always cool,, cheering on these boys' dreams. Hope they spread their wings and soar,,
- Go Eun-young vanished after that show?? Turns out he was prepping to be an idol??? No idea why idols tho
└Fr…… he could've gone solo no problem, why idols
└ This the same Go Eun-young from MEB?
└ Yup who else, couldn't touch his vocals even back on Noong
└ He got so much hate after Noong and went quiet, was worried Guess Woong-jae took good care of him, sticking with it. Eun-young-ah, only flower roads from here
└ Go Eun-young fan alliance here♥ Cheer for our Eun-young and grab some gifts! (link)
└ But Go Eun-young's personality was trash af, is he good for idols?? Gonna blow up in scandals?
- Everyone and their dog thinks they can be idols these days, sick of it.. mass-produced boy/girl groups suck, just lip-syncing while dancing lol predictable af
- Fencing fan here, really hope Lee Jae-oh makes it, so sad about his injuryㅠㅠ could've medaled at Olympics if not for that, tears just thinking abt it…… glad we get to see him as an idol tho, pls succeed Jae-oh!!
└ Lee Jae-oh was famous? First time hearing
└ Yeah parents both ex-fencers, called a prodigy since kid, top prospect in fencing circles, collapsed mid world champs from injury…… retired afterㅠㅠ Niche sport so non-fans wouldn't know
└ ㅎㅇ athlete life fell thru so idols now ig ok
└ Look at this clown talking
- B-light going idol????? Knew he'd dip into showbiz;;
└ Ngll
└ Fr Kim Kwang-myeong's got that hip-hop prodigy vibe…… from MUCLE looked like he produced most beats himself
└ That's why hip-hop scene flipped when he said idol, debuting now huh hope he kills it
└ But he's cute af, gonna sell well as idol imo taking one
└ Agreed lol Pangding's adorable
└ Hip-hop lost a gem
└ Kim Kwang-myeong debuts idol, hip-hop kids gonna reality diss-rap him lol they'll hate on idols on sight but he ain't taking that shit lying down
Portal site comments, alright—teetering right on the line between love and hate.
Shouldn't have looked. I hit back and closed the tab.
Better not mention the article to the others first.
No good seeing that crap this early.
If scandals pop up later, we'll see plenty whether we want to or not.
We pulled up to the studio soon enough.
CEO Oh and some guy I didn't know were waiting in the control room.
"Hey, you made it."
"Yeah, CEO."
"Jipyeong hyung's here too."
"Like I'd miss your recording."
Who was Jipyeong hyung?
I stared at him curiously.
He'd been chatting with Park Su-rim, but our eyes met.
"Oh, Jae-oh. Been a while. Feeling better?"
"Yeah, all good. But……."
"I'm Hwang Jipyeong. Composer, work with Woong-jae hyung. See you around."
If he worked with Oh Woong-jae, his skills had to be top-notch.
I told him again to take care of us.
"Alright, no time to waste. Su-rim first. Kwang-myeong, sit here."
"Yeah."
This session was layering vocals over the pre-recorded demos.
Adding harmonies for depth, trying variations on the same parts to gather material for mixing.
All to boost the track quality.
I sat on the sofa in the back, warming up my throat and watching the others until my turn.
"Su-rim. That last bit—pitch it higher, more power. 'Finally, into your universe!' Like that."
"Got it."
"Hyung, relax a bit more."
The CEO in the booth was a total pro.
He had that laid-back vibe normally, but here? Pure charisma.
"Tae-hee, again."
"Yep."
"Again."
"Yessir."
"Again!"
"Hyung, watch the beat closer. Dun, dun-dun dun dun."
"Okay."
If it wasn't right, he'd loop till it was.
Kim Kwang-myeong pitched in hard beside him.
No wonder he was killing it as a producer—learning from the best.
Thanks to those perfectionists, recording dragged on.
"Okay, Teddy's good there. Jae-oh, you're up."
Hours later—past lunchtime—my turn finally came.
Practicing parts with the guys while waiting had my throat nice and loose.
Felt like I'd warmed up extra well.
I grabbed the lyric sheet and stepped into the booth.
Headphones on, mic ready, and the CEO's voice came through.
- Jae-oh, uh…… let's start with the title track's first part. Throat good?
"Yep."
- Okay. MR rolling. Catch the beat.
The instrumental hit my headphones right away.
First up: the title track intro I'd heard hundreds of times practicing choreo. Crucial part.
I tapped my foot to the rhythm. Then, right on cue, opened up.
- The moment our eyes met, the first explosion ignited
You spread to me like a scorching wildfire
In that instant, three pairs of eyes beyond the glass went wide.