Chapter 21
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21
“Haha, Ho-yun is always full of energy.”
Thanks, Seong Ji-won!
Seong Ji-won stepped in before I even had to speak. Thanks to him, my bratty behavior was reframed as the expression of an assertive personality.
Not stopping there, the ever-upright Seong Ji-won added a sincere comment.
“The team’s atmosphere really brightened up after Ho-yun joined. He suddenly showed up with a song he got from the composer Blue Tiger.”
“Ah, are you saying Seo Ho-yun brought in this single himself?”
“Yes. We were all so shocked. We had absolutely no connection with the composer.”
“Oh, now I’m curious… Seo Ho-yun, how do you know Blue Tiger?”
All eyes turned toward me. I decided to choose my words carefully to avoid any unnecessary complications.
“I was lucky.”
I’d keep it short.
Even before I finished my sentence, the sound of reporters typing away and the flash of cameras erupted in succession, but I didn’t utter another word.
If you’re curious, keep watching.
Kang Yi-chae noticed the atmosphere turning awkward and quickly chimed in.
“He was seriously cool. He just said, ‘Trust me and follow my lead.’ I was just standing there in awe.”
“Seo Ho-yun, you really have a wide network. You’re close with Ju Woo-seong as well, aren’t you?”
“Yes, he’s a senior I’ve known for a while.”
“Ju Woo-seong sunbae even came by this time to give us some tips.”
“Seo Ho-yun, please let me in on your secrets for networking later.”
The MC gave a playful wink and flipped the script card.
After sharing some behind-the-scenes stories about the stage concept and music video interpretation, we finally reached this question.
“You’re also famous for catching a robber a few weeks ago, aren’t you? Could we hear that story?”
As soon as the question was asked, camera flashes went off again. They were looking for anything that might drive clicks.
Kim Seong-hyeon carefully took the microphone.
“We were on our way to the convenience store for a break during practice.”
“Ho-yun hyung noticed it immediately.”
“And then Seong-hyeon hyung started sprinting like a madman. I thought he was an action star.”
Jeong Da-jun and Kang Yi-chae spiced up Kim Seong-hyeon’s plain account. The reporters hammered away at their laptops.
The headlines would probably look something like this:
[The Group That Doesn’t Stand for Injustice, The Dawn… The Full Story of the Robbery Incident]
MC: Weren’t you scared?
Kim Seong-hyeon: Well, I was, but… by the time I snapped out of it, I was already holding him down. (Laughs)
MC: That’s incredible.
I could already guess the rest without looking at the interview sheet. As Kim Seong-hyeon continued the story, the spark suddenly flew my way.
“I heard you almost got seriously hurt….”
“Yes, if Seo Ho-yun hadn’t caught me, I could have been badly injured.”
Look at him. He knows how to work a broadcast.
“I’m just glad no one was seriously hurt,” I replied, making sure not to give them anything to nitpick.
The MC laughed at my response.
“Seo Ho-yun, why are you so calm? If I just listened to your voice, I’d think you were deciding what to have for dinner.”
“Ho-yun is always so composed that it takes something massive to actually surprise him.”
“That’s true. He’s a guy with a lot of guts.”
“Why… are you all ganging up on me all of a sudden?”
When I snatched the mic and asked that, the showcase hall erupted in laughter.
Kim Seong-hyeon suddenly added mischievously, “But he was actually surprised to see the fans today.”
“Oh, why is that?”
“I don’t think he realized he had fans.”
At those words, the fans who had been laughing along with the members let out a chorus of playful protests. I didn’t expect Kim Seong-hyeon to pull this here.
“Jeong Da-jun was the same way.”
I wasn’t going down alone. When I dragged Jeong Da-jun into it like a water ghost, he looked incredibly flustered.
“That’s right! He kept asking if they were really our fans.”
“N-no, everyone was just so flustered, why are you being like this!”
“Hahaha, well, The Dawn’s popularity has been quite something lately.”
As the interview proceeded smoothly under the MC’s witty guidance, I felt a stir coming from one side of the audience.
What is it?
I narrowed my eyes slightly to see what was happening and spotted a staff member by the stairs leading to the stage, frantically waving a sketchbook.
A sudden intuition hit me. Wait, could it be?
The MC, after listening to his earpiece, pretended to be startled.
“—I’ve just received some very good news.”
“Yes?”
Seong Ji-won’s eyes went wide. The MC scanned the audience.
“It looks like the fans already know?”
“Know what?”
“Everyone, shh! Keep it a secret for a second!”
As the members tilted their heads and asked the audience, words came pouring out despite the MC’s hurried attempts to stop them.
From what I could catch, keywords like "chart," "Mango," and "ranking" were flying around.
A sense of 'No way' began to circulate among the members.
“You’re going to be shocked when you hear this!”
The MC, who had been aiming for a bigger surprise, quickly shifted gears and flashed a grin.
“The song ‘Second Chance’ has just entered the charts on all three major platforms!”
“…….”
I looked around at the members’ faces. They all looked like they couldn't believe it.
“It’s entered the charts on Mango, Tinkerbell, and Tab! It’s a re-entry for Tinkerbell and Tab. Currently, it’s at 56 on the Tinkerbell real-time chart, 71 on Tab, and 89 on Mango!”
I didn’t expect to hear such good news right here on the showcase stage.
For rookies who haven't made it yet, climbing the charts is like catching a star in the sky. No matter if a group has members who made a name for themselves on a survival show, it’s common for them to linger at the bottom before vanishing from the charts entirely.
And yet, an unknown idol group from a small agency, coming off a long hiatus without having appeared on a single variety show, had entered the music charts.
Objectively speaking, it was nonsensical.
I guess I won’t have to file for bankruptcy.
Still, it was something I had anticipated.
It’s not every day an unknown idol becomes a hero, makes a comeback with a great song, and then enters the charts right in the middle of their showcase.
The reporters, having caught onto a great story, were firing off their flashes like crazy.
I’d have to analyze later which part contributed the most to this result. Just as I was thinking that, a hand suddenly slammed onto my shoulder. The force nearly knocked me off my chair.
“That hurts, you punks.”
“We charted!”
“Is this… is this a dream?”
“Seo Ho-yun, what are you doing? We have to bow!”
My thoughts were scattered by the bunch of idiots swarming me in their overwhelming joy.
The people who looked like core fans were already crying buckets of tears, shouting at us.
“Don’t cry! Don’t cry!”
I wondered who they were telling not to cry, only to turn around and see Seong Ji-won and Jeong Da-jun in tears.
“We… we really….”
“…….”
Jeong Da-jun was wailing at the top of his lungs, and Seong Ji-won was shedding tears like a broken faucet.
On the other hand, Kang Yi-chae and Kim Seong-hyeon were wearing the brightest smiles I had ever seen on them.
Sigh, these idiots….
Normally, I would have ignored them, but Jeong Da-jun suddenly clung to me as he bowed.
“Hyung, it’s thanks to you. Thank you, really.”
I couldn't exactly not react to that. My shoulder was getting soaked with Jeong Da-jun’s tears, but I figured even the stylist wouldn't nag me for this.
“You’re getting me wet, you brat.”
“Hyung, but… damn, this is embarrassing, but….”
“It’s not like we hit number one. Why all the fuss over just charting?”
“You know how… damn, how much we wanted this.”
It seemed the long years as trainees and the grueling past year had taken a heavy toll on them. To be like this over just charting….
I patted Jeong Da-jun and comforted the members, whispering a joke only they could hear.
“You better cry like this when we hit number one next time. Make sure you look good for the cameras.”
“Seo Ho-yun, seriously….”
“Let’s bow.”
“Ah, right. Bowing.”
Seong Ji-won nodded, and Kim Seong-hyeon set the formation. We bowed 90 degrees toward the crying fans.
“Thank you!”
The MC looked at us warmly. Even so, he tactfully tapped the watch on his wrist. It was likely a signal that it was time for the next cover song.
Noticing this, Seong Ji-won took the microphone.
“Th-thank you. We really couldn't have done this without our fans.”
“…….”
“We, hic, have so much more we want to say… but thank you so much. First of all, we’ve prepared a lot. We will sh-show you the next stage we’ve worked so hard on.”
I lightly took the microphone from the overwhelmed Seong Ji-won. I made eye contact with the fans in the audience one by one.
“It seems it’s time for our next performance. We’ve prepared this with all our gratitude for our fans. Please look forward to it.”
When I gave a bright smile, the fans, laughing through their tears, nodded vigorously. These fans are pretty cute, no matter how you look at it.
Along with Kim Seong-hyeon, I encouraged the members and prepared the formation for the next cover song.
“Can you guys even sing?”
“This is a performance by charting singers. Let’s stay sharp.”
Kang Yi-chae chuckled. He talked big, but I was just as pumped up. I clicked my tongue at the members whose eyes were already swollen.
I told you it would work out, you idiots.
Even though it was the expected result, seeing their pathetic state brought a smile to my face.
* * *
[Title: Today…. Today’s The Dawn showcase…. They killed it.
Why are the kids so heartbreaking??????? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I was there too, I cried when Seong Ji-won cried
└ ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ Why??? What happened???
└ They charted during the showcase!! The kids found out on stage ㅠㅠ The fans were crying, it was a mess..
└ Seems like there’s some muggle pick too ㅋㅋ Since it was a hot topic in the communities
└ There’s a lot of hardcore fan picks too.. It was retweeted like crazy on SNS]
[Title: I cried too ㅠ
Ah, I’m so relieved.. Honestly, The Dawn kids suffered way too much ㅠㅠ The robbery, the leak incident…
└ But they got a ton of noise marketing ㅋㅋ In the end, they made a fuss and even charted, they played their cards well
└ What’s with this comment? Are you being sarcastic?
└ Don’t feed the troll]
[Title: Meanwhile, Seo Ho-yun
He’s so damn calm ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ‘I’m glad no one was hurt’ ‘We prepared hard’
I thought I was at a shareholders’ meeting ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah, but the point is Seo Ho-yun isn't used to fans… that gap moe ㅠ So cute ㅠㅠ
└ Give it a few years and he’ll treat them like ATMs and have dead eyes.. ㅋㅋ
└ Why is this guy picking a fight in every post?]
[Title: Seong Ji-won just got lucky
What’s with the crying after charting? Anyone would think they hit number one. They’re still nobodies.. I heard he trained for years at a big agency but his skills are mediocre.. Seems like he’s just riding the Seo Ho-yun bus carried by Ju Woo-seong and Im Hyeon-su
└ Riding.. the.. Seo Ho-yun bus.. carried by.. Ju.. Woo-seong.. Im Hyeon-su.. (Ah, look at me.. so cold and cool.. so objective ㅋㅋ)
Tappity tap tap tap!!
└└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Holy shit, what is that meme ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Nice inferiority complex ㅋㅋ Ji-won is a charting singer now~]
After the showcase ended and everyone was heading back to rest, I alone was summoned by the CEO. I gave the members a vague excuse and searched for reactions to the showcase while traveling in the car with the manager. But….
The fans’ mentalities are… pretty strong?
I thought the fans wouldn't be able to handle the sudden surge in recognition, but it was beyond my expectations.
Of course, there were cases where they took the bait when malicious comments were posted, but for the most part, it was fine.
Thinking about it, the answer came easily. The Dawn had been debuted for a year, so while small, there was a core fandom, and you could say they were carrying the group by the collar after quickly reading the early atmosphere.
Besides, since the planning targeted the "otaku pick" rather than the general public, a lot of people who had experience stanning K-pop had joined.
…I’m grateful.
The feeling of making a plan I was confident would succeed was truly different from the feeling of confirming that I had fans who liked me.
Wrapped in a strange sensation, I put down my phone and checked the quest success.
[Quest Success!
Cheer for Seong Ji-won 1/1
Successfully complete the showcase 1/1
Success. Charm +30, Dance +10, Singing +10. ]
[A special gift is provided as a reward for the first stage.]
[You can now view other people's stats.]
“Hey, you should’ve told me sooner.”
“What’s wrong?”
No, if there was something like this, you should have told me. Dammit….
They’re just doing this to mess with me. I muttered while glaring into the air in disbelief, and the manager looked back. I shook my head.
“It’s nothing.”
Every time I succeeded in a quest, my charm or dance stats went up, and although I couldn't tell clearly, I could feel it reflecting in reality. Because of that, I figured there would be some general evaluation criteria for others' skills as well.
But if you could show me, you should have shown me right away!
I vowed to use it on The Dawn members and Ju Woo-seong as I asked.
This is the reward for the first stage? Does that mean there’s a reward for the next one too?