Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Flaming Friday.
A fan gathering of the boy group 'Flyde' assembled in some bar.
Fansite Master, GIF Account, Gossip Handler, Video Editor.
Among them, GIF Account raised their glass with solemn bravado.
"Bavengers Assemble."
"Please don't, it's too embarrassing."
"Aight."
They did have a fandom name, 'Flowers'... but they had sworn never to speak it aloud, as it could lead to misunderstandings with the general public.
After throwing back their drinks in one shot, the gathered Flowers finally launched into their full-blown lament.
"Ah, when the hell are our Flyde kids gonna hit Tier 1?"
Flyde, four years in.
Even now, with contract renewal closer than their debut date, they remained the Tier 3 gatekeepers, failing to produce any decent results.
On Wit, when someone called Flyde a flop group, these were the very people who'd jump in and passionately clarify, "They're definitely not flops at this level." But in locked accounts, they were already using the word "flop" with the affection of a pet name.
"We were starting to get a bit of a reaction lately, why the hell is it MAKE100% season again? The world is just maliciously nitpicking us."
"Guess we'll see another mass fan exodus. I hope some staged bullshit gets exposed this time and cancels the show for good."
For fans of mid-tier agency idols, <MAKE100%> was inevitably the number-one target of containment.
The reason Flyde had been shaking like a Jenga tower with all its core blocks pulled out was that Season 5 had aired right in the crucial period when they should have been solidifying their post-debut foundation.
"It's already Season 7, think it'll be a hit this time?"
"They were saying that same thing two years ago."
"Real-time trends are already going nuts. Noejeolkeubaek, AWAKE, Paper Plane...... Why is Paper Plane trending?"
The four, who had been quietly scrolling through Wit's real-time trends, fell silent in an instant.
A moment later, the Fansite Master slowly raised their head and spoke.
"Should we... watch it?"
"Ah, of course! We can't be the only ones left out."
"What an excuse."
In the current Spring and Autumn Warring States era of boy groups, missing out on a big event that unified scattered fans everywhere was impossible for a group of dopamine addicts like them.
Above all, the charm of a survival show was chewing popcorn while watching all kinds of troll bait and the mud-slinging dogfights of the 'legit.'
As long as your ultimate bias wasn't in it, it was simply a delightful fireworks display.
"So, are we doing 'that' again this time?"
"We have to."
'That' referred to a game these four played every time a rookie group appeared.
The Gossip Handler, who always took on the role of moderator among them, solemnly opened her mouth.
"The rules remain the same as before. An exclamation like 'Oh' or 'Huh?' is one shot. 'This guy's pretty good' or 'This one's cute' is two. 'Hold on, pause it' is three."
"Agreed!"
"Let's die fighting!"
It was a so-called Transfer Prevention Drinking Game.
A merciless game where every time you showed a favorable reaction to a rookie idol, you poured alcohol into your stomach.
The goal was to repent for any fleeting feelings for others and solidify your pure devotion to Flyde... was the excuse, but really they just did it because it was fun.
"Shall I play it then?"
The Video Editor plopped a tablet down right in front of everyone.
AWAKE MV. Beneath the simple title, a pitch-black screen appeared, and the Gossip Handler solemnly pressed play.
"Oh oh."
"Uh......? Was that an exclamation?"
"Hey, the only thing that's popped up so far is the logo."
As the paint-themed logo motion of <MAKE100%> ended, a classroom packed with trainees appeared.
The trainees were dressed in charcoal-colored blazer uniforms, the symbol of MAKE, and neat beige neckties.
"Whoa."
"Wow, what's gotten into the production team?"
What surprised them was none other than the neckties.
The color of the neckties changed each season to distinguish the batches, and up until now, there hadn't been a single decent color.
Only after finally causing the infamous 'Trainee Group Tone-gro Incident' with fluorescent orange neckties last season did it seem the production team had at last abandoned their greed for uniqueness.
'Poor kids from the batch with the turd-fly color.' 'I really thought it'd be hot pink this time.' After burning a quick 15 minutes on this kind of small talk, they resumed the video.
Soon, the image of someone sprawled over a desk doodling was slowly zoomed in on.
"This one's a bit cute......."
"Drink up."
"Fine."
The profile of the trainee, basking in sunlight and scribbling away, was suddenly cast in shadow.
As they straightened up in confusion to check outside the window, the tail of a shooting star streaked across their pupils.
"This one already reeks of being PD's pick."
"Right. But I can accept a handsome guy being the PD's pick."
Their surprise at the meteor shower pouring outside the window was brief; the trainees collectively fell into a deep sleep.
They opened their eyes once more in an unreal world.
The song began in earnest, and all manner of scenes flitted rapidly past.
"Ah, what the hell. Is the song this good? This is already no fun."
"Seriously. The real charm of MAKE was watching those KESes getting teary-eyed over some absolute dogshit trot song."
"You need to get tested for sociopathy."
Despite the Fansite Master's cynical remark, the pleasant melody continued on.
After a chorus so catchy you'd be humming it even if you stopped the video right there, the song reached its second verse.
"Hm."
"Isn't 'hm' an exclamation too?"
"This was the 'hm' that means 'there's not a single one worth watching~'."
"I'll let it slide."
The sound of soju-beer being knocked back was heard intermittently, but the GIF Account remained in dead-fish-eye mode right up until the moment the song passed the second chorus and moved into the bridge.
'At this rate, all that's going to be left is a healthy body and no fun.'
Maybe I should just pretend someone is decent and take a drink.
Right before symptoms of alcohol poisoning could manifest in the GIF Account, who could guzzle down three bottles of soju alone like it was water.
Farther than flying through the sky
Just like the pictures I've drawn in my mind
In the music video, someone perched on the rooftop railing threw a paper airplane.
"Huh?"
"Hold on, paus......."
We connected
Another person standing in the middle of the athletic field caught that paper airplane.
"......!"
The Video Editor unconsciously hit pause on the video.
It was a situation that called for strict punishment of three soju-beer shots, but the Flowers, jaws dropped in stunned silence, just stared at each other for a long while.
"......."
And a moment later.
The Gossip Handler, in charge of making the soju-beer, quietly asked.
"......How many glasses should I mix?"
"......Let's let our conscience decide and drink five shots per person."
While the Gossip Handler mixed the golden-ratio soju-beer in silence.
Gazes mixed with attempted containment, worry, and admiration were trained on the screen all at once.
Among them, the GIF Account was frantically creating a Wit account on their own.
'I have to get in early and secure this to be recognized as a famous named fan!'
The GIF Account, who had been thinking they needed to create an ID and hurry home to download the video first, lifted their head.
"What to do? Something suddenly came up at home."
"Ah, is that why you were staring at your phone? I was wondering."
"Wondering what?"
"If you were making a new MAKE account or something."
"That's absolutely ridiculous!"
Having safely escaped the bar with that outstanding performance, the GIF Account clenched a fist tightly and made a resolution.
'Just half a year. I'll just enjoy myself for half a year and then come back.'
Loyalty to Flyde?
It wasn't some... emotional reason like that.
Anyone who's been through it would sympathize. How uniquely torturous it is to stan an idol from a survival show.
Waiting for an unconfirmed official debut was practically closer to torture. If you were lucky, you got a solo gig after a long wait; it was far more common for them to leave the entertainment industry without a word or whisper.
And even if they succeeded in officially debuting, the fandom atmosphere of a group with a survival show alumni mixed in.......
'Which is exactly why I should enjoy this to the max right now.'
Seated in a subway chair and replaying that scene from the music video over and over, the GIF Account suddenly seemed to remember something and hurriedly searched for the official <MAKE100%> account.
'They should be doing it around now, right?'
After checking a notice posted a few hours ago, the GIF Account grinned insidiously.
Perhaps the very day when legendary direct-cam shots that'd be talked about for years to come would be created, and the start of true, deep obsession.
[A Heart-fluttering First Meeting with the Trainees!
Come and visit the <MAKE100% Season 7> Production Presentation!]
[Date: Tomorrow]
* * *
"Hyung, take a picture with me!"
"Just a moment."
I had been dragging Ahn Jiwon, who was clinging to my clothes, around when I hooked the back of Han Neuti's collar as he passed by.
"Uh, uhh?"
"It's for the behind-the-scenes photos. Let's take it together."
"You want to take that with me? Is that okay?"
"Is there any reason it wouldn't be?"
In my mind, it was genuinely a question asking, 'Did you commit some kind of crime?' but without answering, Han Neuti came and stood next to me, looking deeply moved.
Ahn Jiwon clung to my arm, I placed a hand on Han Neuti's shoulder, and right as Han Neuti tried to do some gesture, a rapid succession of shutter sounds rang out.
'This should be fine enough.'
It wasn't like a single picture taken together for broadcast could be used to fabricate some rumor, but I had roped Han Neuti in just in case. Even if I were to be misunderstood because of Ahn Jiwon, I could use this hyung as an excuse to slip away.
Anyway.
"......."
'Why's he been glancing over here so much since earlier?'
Right now, 72 trainees were packed en masse into this cramped waiting room of the production presentation.
Since the place could easily be mistaken for an anthropologist's research lab, I was able to observe various types unintentionally.
Whether it was Ahn Jiwon, full of energy and flitting around everywhere as if tension was a foreign concept, or conversely, Han Neuti, who was so tense he looked gloomy like a storm cloud was hanging over him, or that group of contestants who'd been stealing glances this way since earlier.
Right on cue, one from that group came up and spoke to me.
"Chaegyeom, want to take a picture together?"
"I just took one. Sorry."
"Ah, okay."
He whipped his body around as if sulking and immediately grabbed onto other targets, repeating the same line.
"Jiwon, did you take a picture?"
"I took one with Chaegyeom hyung!"
"Hyun-i, what about you?"
"I took one with Yoon-hwan......."
'He's not even pretending to hide it anymore.'
After the music video was released, a subtle class system and the resulting discrimination had emerged among the trainees.
It might have been ambiguous during the grade evaluation, but now that the metrics were blatantly exposed on social media, they'd probably slowly started to sense who would rise and who would fall.
And that's why, like that... even while there were plenty of trainees who couldn't manage a single picture, they were singling out only those who were expected to be in the top ranks.
Ahn Jiwon, who decorated the opening, was a given, and then a few others who had drawn attention for their past history or visuals.
"Gyeonwoo, did you take one? Wanna take one with me?"
Baek Gyeonwoo was, naturally, included among them as well.
I hadn't known at the filming location since they shot it separately, but he turned out to be the one who threw the paper airplane at me in the music video.
Thanks to that, a combined name to pair the two of us together had already popped up on Wit. Airplane-z, Connection-z, Backseat-z, and so on.
'......It seems like we're being pretty thoroughly linked together?'
Well, for now it was just a visual-based pairing, so everything would be turned upside down once the show started.
I watched Baek Gyeonwoo, who was being captured by lenses with an awkward smile, for a moment, then got up from my seat.
"All trainees will enter right now!"
It was a chance to meet the fans for the first time....... No, not yet.
It was a chance to meet the K-Specialists. I resolved to focus from here on out.
* * *
The production presentation was an event where the PD laid on thick, honeyed words in front of the press and prospective viewers.
In the meantime, the participants had to stand on a platform like a display rack of dolls and endlessly strike poses for the cameras.
The spot the production team had assigned me was the very end on the left side of the first platform. A corner seat, but since it was the very front row, this was incredibly satisfactory treatment for me.
"Chaegyeom."
"Yes?"
When I turned my head with my finger still pressed to my cheek, the contestant next to me who had spoken flinched in embarrassment and waved their hand dismissively.
"Ju-just look straight ahead and listen."
"Huh? Okay."
I didn't know their name, but their face was familiar. They were one of the group who'd been sneaking glances at me since the waiting room.
"Since you seem like you don't know, I thought I'd clue you in on something."
"What is it?"
They answered by making rabbit ears with their fingers and placing them on top of their head.
You might wonder what kind of conversation etiquette this was, but let's not forget that there were countless people in front of us holding cameras.
The first competition would take place before the first episode aired, so until then, these photos being taken now would stand in for the broadcast. It was common for the core fanbase formed during this period to stick around until the final episode.
On top of that, unlike similar programs, <MAKE100%> had no pre-show PR content, meaning this was the only opportunity for the trainees to promote themselves directly.
But the contestant talking to me didn't seem to have a single thought in their head. Leaning their body toward me, they whispered quietly.
"Park Hyungtae, you know he's close with the PD, right."
"What?"
By Park Hyungtae... they must have been talking about the dance mentor.
Since he was a figure appearing as a mentor for the first time this season, I didn't have much prior intel on him either.
All I knew was that he used to be the leader of a sizable dance crew and had started making moves as a choreographer a few years ago.
'So what if that guy is close with the PD?'
Seeming to notice my underwhelmed reaction, the contestant cleared their throat once before getting right to the point.
"So, you know, Han Neuti hyung."
"Yes."
"Don't get too chummy with that hyung, okay?"
Ah.......
Was this an elementary school or something?