Chapter 148
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148
While The Dawn was busy filming and uploading their self-produced content, Kim Hee-yeong PD, whose stock had shot up thanks to Shining Star, was spending her days busier than ever.
“PD-nim! When will the cast list be finalized?”
“Kim Hee-yeong-ssi, has the location been booked?”
“Kim Hee-yeong-ssi!”
“Kim Hee-yeong-ssi!!”
“Kim Hee-yeong-ssi!!!”
At first, she’d thought she might finally get a break now that the program was over, but work soon began pouring in from all sides as if a dam had broken.
I get it! Shit, stop calling my name! Kim Hee-yeong, who had been running around all day until her feet were on fire, finally slipped into an empty conference room to catch her breath.
After downing an Americano with three extra shots, she let out a long sigh and leaned back heavily in her chair.
“I’m so busy I could die, seriously….”
She had given up her vacation long ago.
Kim Hee-yeong stared at the proposal in front of her.
<Shining Star Season 2>
From the initial planning stages of Season 1, the program had been designed with the idea of producing a second season with the winner. Although it had managed to wrap up with high viewership ratings, the incident with Today had blown up so badly that it seemed like Season 2 would be quietly shelved.
However, with all the Season 1 contestants doing well and public opinion having calmed down, the production of Season 2 was confirmed.
“I’m a piece of shit.”
It was bitter, having to push kids so much younger than her into the fiery pit of fierce competition.
She tried to console herself by saying it was just a job and that the idols gained as much as they put in, but the more she did, the more she felt her own pettiness burning her heart to a black crisp.
This time, there will be absolutely no trouble.
In the planning stage, everything was perfect.
Since the last incident had been so huge, even large agencies similar to D.go were keeping quiet and tucking their tails between their legs, wary of public opinion.
As Kim Hee-yeong scanned down the list of potential cast members, her eyes stopped on one name: The Dawn.
They were undeniably one of the hottest groups on the list.
Starting from early last year, they’d released a single album, appeared on Shining Star, and churned out self-produced content and variety show appearances. They’d been grinding away on a schedule so packed it made you wonder if it was humanly possible, and in the end, they’d made it.
Just then, a knock sounded, and the conference room door opened to reveal the assistant director.
“Oh, here you are! Have you seen this? Wow, the views on The Dawn’s latest self-produced content are insane!”
“They are?”
“Yes, look at the reactions here.”
Taking the laptop from the assistant director, Kim Hee-yeong quickly skimmed through a few posts.
They were mostly about The Dawn’s self-produced content.
[Title: The Dawn’s self-produced content is fucking hilarious...
They said they were wrapping up the apocalypse concept, so they did this military-themed content where they were super immersed.
I honestly thought it'd be way over the top and cringey.
But.
(GIF of Seong-hyeon/Yi-chae doing a sexy dance)
(GIF of Ji-won, ‘The One Who Turns Back Time,’ self-destructing)
(GIF of a desolate-looking Da-jun)
No, seriously hahahahahahaha why is it so funny?? Hahaha I’m such a sucker for this kind of janky, B-movie vibe, I was laughing the whole time I watched.
The part where they go bungee jumping was especially hilarious.
Ho-yun: You will call out the name of someone you love and descend.
Da-jun: Noeul!!!!
Ho-yun: Louder!!
Da-jun: I love you, Noeul~!!!!
Ji-won: (proud)(proud)
Ji-won, did you raise Da-jun or something?
Just turn back time already...
Anyway, next up is Kang Yi-chae, who’s been getting tormented by Seo Ho-yun all day...
He looks kinda grimy and his eyes are overflowing with madness.
Seo Ho-yun is completely unbothered regardless.
Ho-yun: Proceed.
Yi-chae: (dammit) Why are you being so half-assed? Aren't you going to ask me?
Ho-yun: I don't particularly want to hear it.
Yi-chae: (Pissed off) Can I call out the instructor's name~? ^^!!!
Ho-yun: (Equally pissed off) You will call out Noeul's name before I cause a broadcasting incident.
Kang Yi-chae grinds his teeth, then suddenly shouts the lea-der’s name and jumps.
Yi-chae: Seong-hyeon-sseu, I love you~~!!!!
Seong-hyeon-sseu, eating ice cream: ....?????
The Deonging-i-deul: ?????
Staff: ??????
Kim Seong-hyeon had been exempted from the bungee jump punishment and was just eating ice cream, but he gets hit with this out of nowhere.
Seong-hyeon: ...Is this my punishment? Hearing Kang Yi-chae say he loves me?
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL he must have really fucking hated it LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL when Kang Yi-chae shouted his name and said he loved him, he kept asking over and over if this was his punishment ah hahaha
I swear... I have no idea where these guys will bounce next.
Ah, shit, it’s funny just thinking about it again.
You guys, go watch these weirdo-deongis’ content..
Even I, who was just casually stanning, am getting sucked into The Dawn....
└ After getting flamed to hell and back that one time, Daepasung has been putting out a lot of good content.
They’re supposed to be a small-to-mid-sized company, how are they doing it?
└└ There’s a rumor they hired a lot more staff for their planning team after getting all that hate. And I heard they have some incredible talent there.
└└ Oh... I see, that’s interesting haha. So they're quick with feedback?
└└ lol... I don't think... that's it.....
└ I’m usually just so-so on idol self-produced content, but The Dawn’s stuff is good.
└└ Their content is pretty famous among other fandoms these days.. Maybe because they're so self-destructive...
└ Seo Ho-yun's burns are insane.
└└ It's just that Kim Seong-hyeon is usually on the receiving end.
└└ LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
“...They do seem like a bunch of weirdos.”
Kim Hee-yeong scratched her cheek after reading through it all.
The assistant director chimed in, also showing her the video of the shoe incident from their Japan debut showcase, which was still making the rounds as a popular clip, and Seo Ho-yun’s legendary Japanese fancam.
“I know, right? They’ve gotten really, really popular lately. To the point where people are saying they’re a popular new pick for domestic fans. They’re not the same The Dawn we first cast, you know?”
“Hmm.”
“The Dawn is confirmed, but for the other idol groups with some recognition, they’re playing hard to get, so we don’t know what will happen. Still, considering the balance, we need to pick some other decent groups….”
While Shining Star Season 1 had mostly featured rookies in their first or second year, with the oldest being four years into their careers at most, this time was different.
The average was three to four years.
They planned to gather only idol groups that had fairly solid fanbases, not just in Korea but overseas as well.
When they asked every major agency to send one group each, they all expressed reluctance but didn't outright refuse.
It was because the first-week sales of the Season 1 contestants had completely changed after appearing on the show.
“They’re just playing hard to get out of pride.”
“Pardon?”
“You don’t know last season’s peak viewership? For a cable competition program, that was the best. Haven’t you seen the Shining Star Season 1 poster that’s still hanging right in front of the broadcasting station?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Sure, their recognition isn’t at rock bottom, so they might not be as desperate. But the third tier is different from the second, and the second tier is different from the first. If they’re at a level where they’d pass up a good opportunity to climb higher, then it’s better for us not to have them.”
If they got a big head and started slacking off, it would be bad for them, but it would be the absolute worst for the program.
Besides, even groups with a solid standing as idols couldn't guarantee that every title track they released would be a hit. Even if they poured capital into it, they might not be chosen by the public.
In the end, the most certain way to raise one's own standing and simultaneously confirm the public's pick was a survival program.
That sense of crisis—the fear that if I don't pick them, they'll be eliminated.
That sense of crisis led to a "must protect my baby at all costs" mentality, and the voting would become half-crazed.
In other words, it was a program perfectly suited for a South Korea that had grown accustomed to the intense, ‘mala’ flavor of things.
Though the existing fandoms would absolutely hate it.
...I'm sorry.
But Kim Hee-yeong was, after all, a PD who chased viewership ratings.
“Hey, if I had my way, I’d ask for Black Call to come on the show.”
“...Are you crazy??”
“Of course it’s a joke... You think I’d actually do it?”
After a period of being relatively quiet aside from occasional variety show appearances, Black Call had released their title track "Kings" at the end of last year, rising to the very top of the first-tier idols and creating a huge gap between them and the rest.
They had become so big that broadcasting stations couldn't carelessly ask them to appear on shows anymore, and even if they did, there was no way their agency would put Black Call on a survival program like this.
Her joke having failed, Kim Hee-yeong awkwardly scratched the bridge of her nose and said, “That’s why I’m asking for the other guys.”
“Umm…”
“What is it?”
Kim Hee-yeong asked, noticing the assistant director’s subtle expression.
“No, it’s just… I’m a little worried about The Dawn.”
“What?”
She frowned at the unexpected comment, and the assistant director shrugged.
“It’s true their recognition has gone up a lot, but if they go up against the groups on our list, they could get burned to ashes… We’re used to getting hate, but The Dawn were the biggest contributors to Shining Star’s success.”
“The Dawn will handle that just fine on their own.”
The assistant director inwardly clicked his tongue at Kim Hee-yeong’s indifferent reply.
Even so, she must have grown quite attached to them. Does she feel no guilt?
The assistant director saw Kim Hee-yeong as a cold person, but in reality, she was making a remarkably calm and objective assessment.
“Well, since The Dawn is back from their Japanese promotions, we should be able to coordinate schedules soon. I’ll contact Daepasung’s planning team again…”
Listening to a staff member report something beside her, Kim Hee-yeong became lost in thought.
She knew The Dawn well.
No, to be precise, she knew Seo Ho-yun.
One of a kind, that bastard.
Among idols?
No, just among all the people she had ever met.
His mind and mental fortitude, which allowed him to find outlandish solutions even in situations full of adverse conditions, were distinctly different from others.
Kim Hee-yeong sank back into her chair, thinking of Seo Ho-yun.
What is he, really?
His face was devastatingly pretty, but his skills were a little lacking.
Yet he was bold and didn't care what others thought.
When he had pushed Today to the very ends of hell, Seo Ho-yun had offered a faint smile in response to her question.
“Do you think other people can’t think of things like that? It’s not that they don’t have the thoughts, it’s that they have a conscience, so they can’t do it.”
“...Then what about you?”
“I don’t have a conscience.”
“Wow, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it now.”
“Huh??”
How the hell can a person be like that?
Kim Hee-yeong twirled her pen.
He was certainly a fascinating character.
His audacity to charge headfirst into things, the sliver of affection he’d let slip unintentionally.
Why is he an idol??
Honestly, no matter how she looked at it, Seo Ho-yun wasn't someone desperate to be an idol like the other kids.
He wasn't the type who wanted unconditional love from fans, nor was he someone who couldn't forget the thrill of the stage.
He was just... forcing himself to move, as if driven by some given duty or mission.
“...No, but for someone like that, he also seems desperate.”
“Pardon??”
“It’s nothing.”
Kim Hee-yeong tilted her head.
One shouldn't make snap judgments about people.
“...Seo Ho-yun is, no... The Dawn is.”
It would be a bit harder for Seo Ho-yun to pull strings behind the scenes this time.
Kim Hee-yeong looked over the list again, drawing lines through it.
Nevertheless, there was one thing she was sure of: anyone who crossed paths with Seo Ho-yun was bound to get terribly entangled with him. Whether for better or for worse.
“Even if I don’t give them special consideration, they’ll do just fine on their own.”
Because he was a strange bastard.
.
.
.
[Achieve 1st place in Shining Star Season 2!
A survival program returns after a long time!
Seize 1st place in Shining Star Season 2.
Success: Vocal Stat Greatly Increased
Failure: Seo Ho-yun's secrets will be leaked]
“Fucking hell…”
The first thing out of my mouth was a curse.
The quests were always tough, but for someone like me with so much to hide, this penalty was the absolute worst.
Even when I grabbed the system and grilled it, it just played dumb, tossed the quest at me, and ran off.
Ha…
And here I was, trying to steel my heart before facing ‘Shining Star Season 2’s PD Kim.’
“Ugh! Our Season 2 is starting!!”
We were at the broadcasting station for the Shining Star Season 2 pre-meeting. I was forcing my reluctant feet forward, taking a roundabout way to the entrance, when I saw Ju Woo-seong talking with a woman. Maybe because it was so early, they were next to the sparsely populated smoking area.
“Oh.”
He noticed me just then and gave a little wave.
As the other members bowed their heads, the woman next to him also returned the greeting with a slight smile.
She was a pretty famous actress who had made a name for herself in a youth drama three years ago.
“Take care.”
“Okay, you too, Woo-seong-ssi~.”
As we got closer, she gave us a light smile and quickly left.
She was a famous person, so of course I knew her, but…
...What was it?
There was something.
I was rubbing the back of my neck, lost in a thought that was right on the tip of my tongue, when I heard Kim Seong-hyeon’s excited voice from beside me as he saw Ju Woo-seong.
“Sunbae-nim! I saw the clip from your last concert!”
“Ah, that video is out already?”
“Yes!!”
Ju Woo-seong patted Kim Seong-hyeon’s shoulder in response before turning his head toward me.
“Hey, but are you still mad?”
“...Hm?”
“This bastard forgot.”
I tilted my head, then remembered.
Right, when I was really sick in Japan, Ju Woo-seong had called me.
Ju Woo-seong looked at me, dumbfounded, and scoffed.
“That’s the first time a junior has ever cursed me out like that. You son of a bitch.”
“A great life experience, isn’t it?”
When I replied with a smirk, Ju Woo-seong gave me a look that had gone completely cold.
I sent the members ahead and turned back to Ju Woo-seong.
“So, you said you were going to be a mentor on Shining Star?”
I wish he’d just hurry up and go to the military.
“Mhm. I’ll probably get flamed to hell for it.”
Ju Woo-seong muttered, scratching his cheek slightly.
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore…”
“...?”
What’s the big deal about being a mentor?
Of course, there might be some talk since Ju Woo-seong wasn't that much older than the participating groups, but no one could ever diss his skills.
More important than that was resolving the slight unease and minor curiosity I felt. I glanced around before asking, “...Were you working on something with that actress from before?”
“Huh? Oh.”
No matter how I thought about it, there was no connection between Ju Woo-seong and the actress.
Perhaps because no one else was around, Ju Woo-seong just rolled his eyes once and said nonchalantly, “Yeah, my ex-girlfriend.”
“……”
He said it so calmly.