Chapter 23
Chapter 23
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Debut Stage (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dawn at 2 a.m. We got up without even four hours of sleep and headed straight out of the dorm.
We looked a bit disheveled, but we'd get our hair and makeup done there anyway, so it didn't matter. Everyone said that's how it usually went.
Our destination, bright and early, was the WM Media Center, where the M-League rehearsals and recordings took place.
The WM Media Center was the headquarters built by the WM Group—the parent company of M-box, the broadcaster airing the M-League—for their media division.
To think I'd actually be performing here. Talk about living long enough to see it all. Well, after dying and coming back to life, anyway.
We got out of the van and entered the center. That's when the manager said,
"Kids. Let's head up to the second floor and greet the PD first."
"Why?"
"It's the custom."
"Custom? What's that?"
"It's like a tradition you have to follow, Teddy."
"Ah, like hanbok?"
"That's a bit different, isn't it?"
The M-League filming took place in a large studio on the second floor. As we followed the manager into the studio, we saw tons of people bustling around preparing for the broadcast.
In the center, one man staring at the monitors stood out. He must've been the main PD.
The manager led us over and greeted him.
"Hello, Director Lee. We're here."
"Oh, Manager Han. Right, these are the kids debuting this time."
"Yes, Director. Please take good care of them. Kids, say hello. This is Director Lee Yong-su."
"Nice to meet you, we're EverPlanet! Please take care of us!"
At the manager's cue, we reflexively bowed and greeted him loudly.
"Got it. Since you're RedBee's juniors, I'll look out for you. See you at rehearsal in a bit."
"Thank you!"
"Manager Han, you haven't forgotten our deal, right?"
"Oh, of course not, Director. Oh, and CEO Oh said to send his regards."
"Come to think of it, it's been a while since I last saw CEO Oh. Tell him to give me a call soon."
"Yes, sir, Director. Thank you. Please take good care of our kids once more."
Watching Manager Han bow and scrape to the PD made my heart ache a little.
It felt like seeing my brother's business dealings up close.
What deal had the manager made with the PD, though? That line earlier stuck with me.
And I wasn't the only one curious. The moment we left the studio, Kim Kwang-myeong asked him,
"Hyung-un hyung. What was that deal you mentioned?"
"Huh?"
"The director just now asked if you'd forgotten the promise."
"Oh, that..."
The manager hesitated before explaining. In short, he'd traded RedBee's first comeback stage—our agency's Sunbae group—for our debut slot.
That explained the pre-recording. Rookie idol debuts weren't usually pre-recorded unless you were from a major agency.
Knowing the backstory made this opportunity feel even more precious.
'He handles this stuff pretty well, UJ.'
Some idols couldn't even snag a live broadcast slot. We had plenty to be grateful for.
We left the studio and followed the manager to the waiting area.
It was in the basement. There were private waiting rooms and a big hall.
We didn't get a private one, though. Those were limited and reserved for popular groups with Sunbaeity.
So where did we wait?
'Whoa, so many people.'
Where else? The hall.
With not enough rooms, rookies like us and lesser-known groups had to share the hall, divided by partitions into sections for each group.
We headed to the one marked 'EverPlanet.'
It wasn't too cramped for seven of us. Being against the wall, it even had outlets.
"Space utilization on point, seriously."
Kim Kwang-myeong whistled.
"It's not that bad."
"But we have to stay here for hours, right?"
"Probably all day. Until the live broadcast ends."
"Whoa. Evande."
Han Tae-hee and Go Eun-young were right. We'd be stuck here from rehearsal until the live show wrapped. All performers gathered on stage at the end for a group bow.
'At least ten hours.'
I'd grab the cushions and mats from the car later.
There were chairs, but sitting all day would numb our butts.
We'd barely settled when hair and makeup staff grabbed us for styling.
Pre-recording started around 5 or 6 a.m., so no choice.
Man, I'm beat. My still-weak body complained the whole time from lack of sleep.
I stifled endless yawns and thought,
'I need to level up my stats or something soon.'
Not that I had any way besides practicing harder.
Speaking of stats, it had been a while. Time to check my status window.
'Status window.'
Calling it in my head brought up a blue window in front of the mirror.
[Name: Ha Jae (Seo Il-hyun)
Level: 5 (Sprout) EXP: 48.20%
Titles: Rookie Negotiator +2 others
Trait: Second Life
Fame: D+
Stamina: 62/100
Passion: 88/100
Strength: C
Agility: D+
Intelligence: C
Luck: D+
Appearance: B
Charm: C
Art: C]
Practice had built up enough EXP to hit level 5.
But even dumping bonus points into stamina and strength from level-ups, I was still wiped out.
More sleep would help, but this job left no time for that.
If only I could borrow Lee Jae-oh's stamina. No such feature?
[Do your own work yourself.]
Ah, yes. Noted. Red-pen teacher has arrived.
I inwardly snarked at the sudden alert.
Then another line popped up.
[Stamina recovery +50% for 1 hour]
Oh, Teacher Si. Thank you.
What's the occasion? Special debut-day mercy?
No reason to refuse a stamina boost.
It let me recover some during hair and makeup.
After styling, while waiting for dry rehearsal, Park Su-rim picked up her phone.
"Hey, guys. Group photo? For Flitter."
"Sure."
"Eun-young, you have the Berry Phone. Take it."
"Always me. Fine. But how? Can't spoil the outfits."
"Oh, right."
Music show rule one: No stage spoilers before live broadcast. Ratings thing, unavoidable.
Lee Jae-oh, who'd been listening quietly, spoke up.
"How about this."
"How?"
"Only our hands. Like this—V signs to make a big star. Then post individual selfies. Avoids outfit spoilers."
"Nice."
"Not Jae-oh, it's Genius-oh."
"Oh, Jae-oh hyung changed his last name?"
"Nah, mashup nickname. Genius Jae-oh, Genius-oh. Garit?"
"Got it."
Sounded good to me. Lee Jae-oh had the sense.
We snapped the photo his way.
About to post on Flitter, I glanced at the time.
4 a.m. Posting now... might wake fans. If any had notifications on.
Worried, I piped up quick.
"Time's iffy. Post later."
"Oh, yeah. Didn't think of that. Later it is."
My quick catch saved us. Phew.
Soon after, a staffer approached our section.
"EverPlanet, rehearsal time. Wear these on your chests."
She handed out black name tags with 'EverPlanet' and our stage names.
We pinned them on and took the elevator to the second floor.
Ding! A fat alert window appeared.
[SUB QUEST GENERATED!
[Debut, First Stage, Success]
▶Your debut stage is finally here. EverPlanet's first chance to shine! Its importance goes without saying. Pull out all the stops for a successful debut.
Rank: D+
Quest Completion Conditions:
1) Successfully complete pre-recording stage
2) Successfully complete live broadcast stage
Rewards on Completion: EXP, SPECIAL ITEM, Random Skill Draw x1
Penalty on Failure: EverPlanet infamy increases]
[Accept Quest? Y/N]
Sub quest after ages.
But that penalty—what?
EverPlanet infamy increase? Fame-related?
'Debut stage has to succeed anyway. No downside.'
I happily clicked Y.
Quest conditions floated in my upper left vision.
'We've practiced to a high level, so it should go fine. And if not, I've got this.'
I opened my skill window, checking my lone active skill under passives.
[Sparkle Sparkle!
: Shine even when hidden—what to do! On activation, +50% attention for 30 seconds on stage (1 use per day)]
Boosted attention for 30 seconds onstage.
Could make for a more impactful show.
One-use-per-day was a bummer, though.
Oh, and this. I opened inventory, spotting the icon amid tiger essence vials.
A small gadget. Tapped for details.
[Performance Amplifier
: Turn meh performances dazzling and beautiful! +50% performance skill effects for 1 hour]
From my first quest reward.
Insane item boosting performance skills by 50%.
Made for times like this.
'If I could use it on Teddy.'
Teddy was our best dancer and performer.
My performance skill was only Beginner 5, so Teddy using it could amp our debut big time.
No point in me wasting it—I'd barely shine. Better for the group's star, who seemed mid-level 5 or higher.
Saving for later wasn't bad, but for debut? Use everything.
Issue: Could I use it on someone else?
Ask when curious. I called the system.
'System. Question.'
[Speak.]
'Items. Can I designate for others?'
[Inventory items can be used on other characters. Note it.]
Okay, got it.
I'd try it on him when the moment's right.
He's great already—what if he used this?
'Of course, we could nail it without the skill or item.'
Immodest, but our kids had skills. Me too. Stick to practice, and PD/staff would approve.
Worry-free, I joined the members on the rehearsal stage.
"Nice to meet you, we're EverPlanet! Please take care of us!"
"Got it. No time, so let's move fast. Title track straight in—stay sharp."
Lee Yong-su PD signaled staff, and our title track intro blared from the speakers.
I hit my well-rehearsed starting pose and launched into the stage.
Hundreds, thousands of practices—we'd nail it. So I thought.
But midway through rehearsal, an unexpected problem cropped up.