The Dayfly's Resolve
With a viewership of seven million in sight, Episode 70. Following Yeo Hanna’s guidance, Gyeowool walked toward the filming location and asked me cautiously.
“…Then, should I just show an ugly side of myself like Writer Yeo Hanna said?”
“No. Just show the best you can.”
Gyeowool looked flustered at my answer. “Then… won’t the writer and the PD end up hating us?”
“They probably will.”
Yeo Hanna over there seemed to have a slightly different idea, but most people would think that way. We were going to be obstacles in a game that had already been rigged.
“Ugh… So they’ll probably do some terrifying editing on the broadcast, or maybe cut my face out entirely. The judges will have been told I’m that kind of character, so they won’t give me good evaluations either.”
Gyeowool’s pupils trembled as if she were having a panic attack. She slapped her own cheeks and declared, “But if that’s what you say, Taeyang oppa, then I’ll do it. I, Han Gyeowool, will become a mayfly that sticks its head into an electric mosquito net, burns up like a flame, and shines for just a single moment!”
…Was that really something coming out of the mouth of a trainee with A+ looks who was about to debut? If she was that pretty, danced that well, and sang that well, she could afford to have a little confidence. Yet whenever she was left alone, Gyeowool always threw herself to the bottom. Once again, I was reminded of just how paper-thin her self-esteem was.
“What do you mean, a burning mayfly? Even for an idol, that’s a weird metaphor.”
“…Ah, then how about a cicada? I heard cicadas stay underground for years and only fly up for a short time to make their cries. …Now that I think about it, it’s a perfect metaphor! It’s just like me, holed up in my room! Even the part about making cries is the same!”
…Why was she so fixated on insects?
“What part of that is the same… You’re just going to shine. Not for a fleeting moment like some bug, but long enough for the whole world to remember your name.”
“Do you really think that’s possible? Won’t I already have made a bad impression on the writer and the PD? Maybe Autumn unni should…”
“There’s no need to look at the current situation in such a negative light. Let me give you the reasons.”
I had to take care of her before she slipped back into full negative mode.
“First, the judges weren’t given any instructions to use someone as an entertainment character or to give high scores to a specific trainee. Those people are all legends in the industry, the absolute top tier. No matter how powerful a PD’s backing is, in front of them that PD is just one cable-channel director.”
Since Mnet held an extremely strong position in K-pop, calling it “just a cable channel” was a rather aggressive remark, but the evaluators sitting over there were the kind of people who could push back against Mnet if they didn’t like something.
“That’s exactly why they’re looking for obviously funny, incompetent entertainment characters. It’s nearly impossible to order the evaluation team to promote or eliminate someone, but if a trainee clearly has flaws, the expert panel will naturally evaluate them and create laughs on their own.”
Manipulation wasn’t about giving one-sided biased judgments in a free competition. It was achieved by designing the overall structure and laying the board in advance. With the judgment of a single person who knew how to design it properly, everyone became an accomplice.
“Second, the PD will hate it. Even if we claim our skills have improved in the meantime, he’ll probably think we tricked him.”
Gyeowool made a gloomy face. “Then aren’t we doomed?”
She really worried a lot. But what Gyeowool was worried about right now wasn’t whether she herself would fail. She was afraid that because of her actions, she would cause trouble for Autumn, Summer, and everyone at Two Bear.
That was the kind of kid Gyeowool was.
I carefully stroked her hair so as not to ruin the hairstyle that had been set for her. Gyeowool closed her eyes and enjoyed the touch like a cat, even gently pressing her head against my hand as if asking to be petted more. While grooming her like that, I spoke.
“But he won’t be able to completely edit you out. In the end, a PD’s job is to produce entertaining footage.”
Gyeowool’s character and skill were outstanding. There was no way he would throw away such elements just because of a grudge.
“Besides, given the current push for diversified promotion, completely editing out your footage would definitely create controversy. Since every individual’s video is uploaded to AllTube, if only your video gets uploaded and completely edited out, it’ll naturally spark backlash. So he won’t make the stupid choice of creating noise right from the start, which has a decisive impact on inflows.”
Gyeowool nodded as if she understood. “Ah, I see.”
Of course, that didn’t mean the PD had no other ways to get back at us.
“Still, he could do malicious editing. Like splicing in reaction shots from other trainees’ stages to make you look like some shady piece of trash.”
“…Ugh.”
We had already prepared for that by giving her a diver’s watch on her wrist and finishing her training, so we had taken precautions. Even so, if the production team was determined, it would still be quite difficult. Usually they wouldn’t go that far, though.
“Then… shouldn’t I just show every single one of my ugly sides like the writer wants?”
I chuckled and looked at Gyeowool. “Gyeowool, do you know this? The video of you dancing will definitely be uploaded to AllTube. And not just any channel—on Mnet’s AllTube channel with around twenty million subscribers.”
Gyeowool’s body went rigid. “If I dance there, it’ll be uploaded to AllTube as is?”
“Yeah. And that video will probably get between two and seven million views.”
“Eek!”
It wasn’t an unedited video where everything was uploaded, only the broadcast footage of the trainees who appeared on air, but this wasn’t an exaggeration. After all, Gyeowool was guaranteed to appear on the broadcast.
“On the contrary, if you show an ugly side in a video that so many people will watch, wouldn’t that be even harder to handle? The comments will pour in like crazy.”
Gyeowool nodded so vigorously it looked like her head was motorized. “If we’re going to get hated and make enemies anyway, let’s just make enemies of the writer and the PD. And let’s try to win over seven million people instead. …I’ll help you clean up afterward. So you’ll never have to be sacrificed to some devil’s editing.”
The preparations for that were already complete. Recalling the image of Gyeowool crying with her makeup smeared in front of the motel, I said, “Trust me, Gyeowool. I’m the one who’s going to make you the greatest idol, aren’t I?”
Gyeowool seemed to remember that scene too. She smiled faintly and replied, “I’ll trust you.”
We shared a laugh. Even if everything else changed, I had a feeling this laughter we drew from each other whenever we looked at one another would never change.
“So what should I do?”
“Just act like you normally do.”
“…Huh?”
I gave a playful smile to Gyeowool, who was tilting her head in confusion. “That alone will be enough to crush everything. Because you’re going to become the greatest idol, Gyeowool.”
***
As expected, as her manager who had accompanied her here, I couldn’t follow Gyeowool all the way. So I returned to the waiting room where Ban Seongcheol was and watched the footage on the monitor installed in the corner.
On the screen, Gyeowool stood awkwardly in front of a panel covered with “Girl 100” and Mnet logos in the hallway leading to the stage. That seemed to be the photo-call location Yeo Hanna had mentioned.
That photo-call zone was where they set up rivalries between trainees and captured awkward or nervous, fresh expressions. Of course, some showed confident and bold sides, but most used the unique cuteness and freshness of girls their age as weapons to make their first impression.
Gyeowool needed to draw screen time there with her own charm. That hallway with a single shabby-looking panel set up was the first battlefield of “Girl 100.”
At the photo-call zone, next to a marker pen, it was written that trainees should decide their own grade from A to F. The blank space above the sticker with Gyeowool’s name on her clothes was probably where she was supposed to write it.
Gyeowool stared at it and fell into deep thought. Then she carefully wrote the letter E.
Oh dear, our resident loser. How could you be an E? It seemed her characteristically low self-esteem had led to that choice. The reason she hadn’t picked F wasn’t because she had that much confidence, but rather a dependent mindset that since Lee Hyerin, Song Yohan, and I had taught her, she at least had to clear E.
Still, even choosing D out of generosity would have been better. For a brief moment, as someone who had participated as a teacher and been called “Teacher Taeyang,” I felt a little frustrated. Even so, it wasn’t a bad choice. Gyeowool hadn’t chosen it with that much thought, but it was similar to the picture the writer wanted.
A brand-new agency whose name wasn’t even known. The level she chose at first was E. An awkward, timid appearance that looked extremely nervous. To anyone, she would seem like Trainee #23 who had gotten an undeserved opportunity. No one would have expectations for Gyeowool like that. Not the evaluation team, not the PD, not the viewers.
And it was from that stage, given without any expectations, that the reversal would begin.
“Oh my, she must be a kid who lacks confidence.”
Ban Seongcheol also seemed to have no expectations. He slightly curled up the corner of his mouth in a sneer as he watched Gyeowool’s footage.
“Yes, she’s a kid who lacks confidence.”
“…Tsk. It must be a burdensome opportunity for a trainee from a new entertainment company.”
Damn it, the more I listened to this bastard talk, the more I wanted to punch him. I decided to give him a little spoiler.
“It is a burdensome opportunity.”
He nodded with a knowing smirk, as if he understood. I lightly mocked him and said, “Not for Gyeowool. For Mnet.”