Chapter 327
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 327
[Title: Summary of The Dawn’s latest self-produced content!! I’ll do an acrostic poem with Seo Ho-yun.
Seo... Seo Ho-yun was acting all cute so naturally,
Ho... I thought he was a tough guy who wouldn't be a pushover,
Yun... But he was just a little bunny.
└ That’s not even an acrostic poem.
└└ I’m trying to live with some backbone here.
└└ LOL, damn, that’s so like a Noeul girl.
└ But seriously, that was so unexpected. LOL. To think I’d see him getting embarrassed like that again, just like when Kang Yi-chae exposed him two years ago.
└└ I guess he still has a conscience left. LOL. So freaking cute.]
[Title: People were saying Kang Yi-chae and Seo Ho-yun fought.
Hurry up and watch the self-produced content. LOL.
They’re bickering and teasing each other, but they’re playing together so well. What are you guys even talking about? ㅠㅠ
└ Yeah, it’s hilarious, damn.
But doesn't it feel like it was edited a lot?
└└ I felt that too. The flow feels a bit choppy.
└ I guess that’s what happens when you move to a major agency. LOL. All that "junk food" flavor from the Daepasung days is gone. Looks like they cut out anything that could even remotely cause a controversy.]
[Title: You can really tell The Dawn is under a major label now.
They only promoted for two weeks.
Fuck. ㅠㅠ
└ Still, I liked it because you could tell they poured a ton of money into the stages... They set a new legendary record this time.
└ It’s seriously infuriating. The Dawn is a group that always promoted for a solid four weeks. ㅠㅠ If they’d done three weeks, they would’ve swept even more #1 wins.
└└ You Noeuls... You’ve been spoon-fed for so long you don't know how good you have it... They even gave them a flashy comeback show. My former main group didn't even get a showcase.
└ I think the promotions were cut short because of High Five.
└└ High Five only did two weeks too, though? LOL.
└└ OP) No, wait, I wasn't trying to start a fight.
└└ Then you shouldn't have brought up the "major label" thing. LOL. Your intentions are transparent.
└└ Guys, I agree, but... let’s use nice words... It’s still pretty good that our Dawnies went to a major label. Capital was invested... Although they said they’d set up an independent label system, it feels like the scent of WH is starting to rub off on them... The management team also tried hard to coordinate so they wouldn't overlap with High Five... or they tried to, but it ended up being only two weeks of promotions. Fuck. It’s also annoying how they’re suddenly interfering, editing the self-produced content, and swinging things however they want. Now that I’ve said it out loud, it feels like total bullshit.
└└ Ah, that mounting rage. LOL.
└└ Just be glad they aren't sending them on a world tour yet. LOL.]
* * *
【Let us dive till the end】
About a week had passed since I set a new record for the most cringeworthy moment of my life and finished all promotions for "Yeondeunghoe."
Taking advantage of a brief lull in my schedule, I borrowed a company car and was heading to Blue Tiger’s studio to check on the progress of the B-side tracks for the next album.
【Let us dive till the end
Until I rise to the surface of the sea to breathe…】
The song "Dive" from the album Wish was playing on the radio.
Driving wasn't that difficult for me anymore.
I had slipped out without telling the members. If I hadn't, they would have surely made a fuss about me taking a manager along.
Thinking that most problems could be solved with time (or money), I pulled into the familiar building's underground parking lot.
I took the elevator up with a leisurely stride, pressed the button with practiced ease, and marched toward the studio, swinging the door wide open.
"I'm here."
The place, which usually reeked of acrid smoke and stale cigarettes, now gave off a faint woody scent.
"Whoa! Look at you, black from head to toe!"
"Did you quit smoking?"
"No, I bought a top-of-the-line air purifier."
Im Hyeon-su replied, taking her legs off the table. Kim Hee-yeong, who was already there, waved warmly, and Ju Woo-seong gave a half-hearted nod.
"Oh, hello, Ho-yun!"
The "Hate Ho-yun" Club.
It was amazing that people who were considered some of the busiest in the industry consistently maintained this gathering. It wasn't like they were doing anything productive.
"Are you guys seriously still meeting up? Aren't you bored?"
"Nah, time flies when we're bashing you."
"Wow, thanks for inviting the target of your gossip."
As I spoke sarcastically, Ju Woo-seong grumbled while scooting over to make room on the sofa.
"Whatever. We're ordering sashimi, and they only deliver for four people or more, so we just threw you in."
"Ah, I see."
Where on earth only sells sashimi for four people these days?
Being the good junior that I am, I sat down quietly, pretending to fall for his obvious lie.
Im Hyeon-su was watching High Five’s comeback video. Kim Hee-yeong showed interest and asked, "Oh, is that High Five’s new song? These kids are really polished."
In all honesty, High Five’s new album was incredible.
To be frank, I had judged that we would overwhelmingly surpass them. However, as soon as High Five’s new release, New Rhythm, came out, the tide completely turned.
"It has strong public appeal. People are saying it’s a generational shift."
"The era of Black Call is finally coming to an end..."
As I spoke while soothing my bitterness with a fried shrimp, Ju Woo-seong’s eyebrows twitched.
"Excuse me, but could you not compare us? You and I are playing in different leagues."
I wanted to dismiss it as nonsense, but Kim Hee-yeong chimed in with a harmless smile.
"Black Call is always the top priority for casting. Even overseas, foreigners are always asking, 'Do you know Black Call?'"
'Damn it...'
I crunched down on the shrimp tail.
Setting aside Black Call, who hadn't promoted yet this year...
I thought it would be fine as long as our dates didn't overlap, but High Five’s fandom power was more immense than I had expected.
"Ah, my stomach hurts. Seriously."
As I leaned back against the sofa with an annoyed sigh, Im Hyeon-su waved her chopsticks around.
"Good grief, look at all that greed. Why are you so worked up when your team has a cheat code?"
"Who? Kim Seong-hyeon? Jeong Da-jun? Seong Ji-won? Kang Yi-chae?"
"Who else? I’m talking about Kang Yi-chae."
Perhaps she couldn't easily withdraw the affection she once gave, but Im Hyeon-su still cared for Kang Yi-chae a great deal. As I looked at her with narrowed eyes, she shrugged and said nonchalantly, "I’m being serious. His work on the B-sides this time is insane."
I scratched my head and looked away.
That was true. If you ignored the parts where he was bashing me, it was almost chillingly good.
Come to think of it, on the day we filmed the self-produced content, he seemed to have loosened up a bit. He grumbled a little, but his expression was much softer.
'I can never tell what’s going on in those kids' heads.'
Did he like seeing me create a "dark history" for myself that much?
It seemed I was still a long way from fully winning over Kang Yi-chae.
"Anyway, I’ve decided to participate in the B-sides for your next album too, so bring the files next time you come."
"They’re probably on the dorm computer. I’ll ask Kang Yi-chae."
While I was busy pondering "how to handle Kang Yi-chae," Ju Woo-seong suddenly clicked his tongue.
"The doooorm? Aren't you sick of seeing the members' faces? You’re still living in a dorm?"
"Yes, I’ve heard your opinion, Mr. Ju Woo-seong, who isn't close with his members."
"Hey!"
For a male idol in their third year—fourth year by The Dawn’s standards—dorm life was the default. There was no real reason to move out, and being apart would only make managing the members harder.
I ignored Ju Woo-seong, who was barking in my ear, while Kim Hee-yeong tilted her head and asked him a question.
"Then when did you move out, Woo-seong?"
"Me? In my second year."
"......"
That was an exceptionally fast exit.
Ju Woo-seong seemed to realize his mistake after answering and quickly made an excuse.
"I-I mean! I did move out early for an idol... but actually, the other guys didn't care much for the dorm either, so we all moved out and became independent at the same time! ...What’s with those looks!"
"...Right, right. Of course, everything our Woo-seong says is absolutely correct."
"Oh, for crying out loud."
When I nodded exaggeratedly in response, he pounded his chest with his fist, looking aggrieved.
However, I felt a bit of a sting too.
The fact that they could move out so quickly was synonymous with the fact that Black Call had achieved unprecedented success.
"Mr. Ju Woo-seong, do you have any intention of appearing on I Live Alone..."
"I do not."
At Ju Woo-seong’s mention of living alone for a long time, Kim Hee-yeong, who was always thirsty for casting guests, had her eyes sparkling. But Ju Woo-seong cut her off immediately.
"And I’m busy lately. I have individual schedules overseas, so I have to head out again soon."
Even though Black Call’s activities were on a temporary hiatus due to Chae Jeong-woo’s throat condition, he seemed busy with solo preparations and attending events for the high-end brands he modeled for.
Just then, Im Hyeon-su cut in, chewing on two pieces of sashimi as if bored.
"Wow, look at Ju Woo-seong living such a diligent life. If I were you, I’d be dating a ton of women~. Or just spending money like crazy and playing with my pets at home."
In reality, if he hadn't strayed from the path of delinquency, that’s exactly what Ju Woo-seong would have been doing.
"Why are you being like that to someone who’s living well?"
Im Hyeon-su, who was about to pick up another piece of sashimi, looked at me in bewilderment.
"Wh-what?"
"Instead of cheering him on for getting his act together and working hard?"
"Why is this brat Seo Ho-yun suddenly snapping?"
Im Hyeon-su grumbled, asking why I was taking it so seriously.
Beside her, Ju Woo-seong covered his mouth slightly with his hand and muttered, "Wh-what’s this?"
"Don't say things like that from now on."
"I’m a little touched..."
"You’re both being ridiculous, seriously..."
Im Hyeon-su looked back and forth between me and Ju Woo-seong, slowly raised her middle finger, and then focused back on her sashimi. Kim Hee-yeong, who had already finished eating alone due to her PD habits, spoke up while gulping down a triple-shot Americano.
"Oh, but even if Woo-seong doesn't do external activities, he still does internal ones. I heard from a staff member I’m close with that there’s a WH Entertainment workshop coming up soon?"
A workshop?
Come to think of it, I felt like I’d heard that word from the manager in passing... but since I tended to filter out things I wasn't interested in, nothing had stuck in my memory.
However, Ju Woo-seong, who was sitting next to me, jumped like a cat whose paws had touched water.
"Ugh, I seriously, absolutely, freaking hate workshops!"
Then, as if remembering something, Im Hyeon-su snapped her fingers and added, "Ah! Right, right. I heard you guys do it in a really flashy way. I heard even the directors and the CEO come out and dance? That sounds fun."
"Gag—."
Ju Woo-seong grimaced deeply.
"It doesn't even help with our activities. They even do it for Halloween and April Fool's! They should just use that money to give the staff a raise. Why do they keep holding all these events..."
Since when did he care so much about staff welfare?
There was definitely another reason.
"...Anyway, I hate it. I don't even want to think about it."
"What did you do there?"
"Fuck, don't you dare try to look it up."
So sensitive.
It’s not like it makes money; I wouldn't watch it even if you paid me.
While I distracted the huffing Ju Woo-seong by stuffing sashimi into his mouth, Kim Hee-yeong, who was looking through her chat logs with that "close WH staff member," let out a small exclamation.
"Right, right. They said the first-place prize for this WH workshop is a Hawaii travel package."
"Whoa, your information network is insane."
Im Hyeon-su, who had swallowed her mouthful of food in an instant, craned her neck to look at the screen and her eyes suddenly went wide.
"Holy shit!! Hey, what is this?"
Im Hyeon-su let out an ear-splitting shriek, covered her mouth, and bolted upright.
"Th-this is Metal Chemistry Heart Bone!!"
Meta... what?
"Is this for real? MCHB’s first album? And it’s a CD signed by all the members?! You can't even find this on auction sites! Is it a replica?!!"
"What is that?"
"No idea."
My interest in music didn't go much further than K-pop and, occasionally, pop.
Back in my PD days, I used to memorize everything from idol group names down to the names of the plants they grew, but for foreign celebrities, I only knew the truly famous ones.
When the three of us gave lukewarm reactions, Im Hyeon-su was outraged.
"I can't believe you don't know this! If you’re someone who composes music, you can neeeever hate MCHB! I mean, sure... they... weren't exactly... mainstream... but they are a god-tier band!!!"
"You said they're 'acrid'?"
"It’s an abbreviation for Metal Chemistry Heart Bone, you uncultured swines!"
Ah, I see.
Im Hyeon-su, a hardcore fan of whatever-that-was, clutched her head.
"Fuck, so this really exists in the world!"
"Just buy a new one."
"The fans begged them to release more CDs, but they said they couldn't because of copyright issues! Plus, this one has all the members' signatures!"
I wondered who on earth would like it if they gave something like that as a prize, but it turned out there was another person like Lee Ji-hyeon right here.
Im Hyeon-su clung to me and whined.
"Ho-yun, if I go and dance to 'White Cherry,' do you think I could get that limited edition CD? What do you think? A cute dance from a genius composer—sounds like it would generate some buzz, right?"
"Why would you provide something for which there is zero demand?"
"...You bastard...!"
I was about to shake off Im Hyeon-su, who was starting to get annoying, when she started mumbling while biting her thumb.
"Kang Yi-chae would probably kill to have this too..."
At that moment, interest I didn't have before began to surge.
"...Yi-chae likes this too?"
"What were you listening to just now? Kang Yi-chae is a huge fan too. He and I once spent a whole week scouring auction sites trying to get this."
"Do you think he'd want it?"
"Duh! He’d go absolutely crazy for it!"
That guy Kang Yi-chae didn't seem to have any material greed at all...
But come to think of it, when I landed the collaboration with IRIX, he liked it enough to project a letter for me with a beam projector.
'This could work.'
Sensing a good opportunity, I confirmed once more.
"You said this was the prize, right?"
From beside me, I heard a snort.
Ju Woo-seong was mocking me.
"What, are you going to perform? Give it up. The competition for the workshop stage is brutal. Even when the stoic vice president came out and did a girl group dance, he only barely got fourth place. A klutz like you won't even make the rankings, no matter how hard you try."
Aha. Is that so?
"......Why? What’s with that look?"
As I leaned in toward him, Ju Woo-seong flinched and backed away. I grabbed his shoulders firmly with both hands so he couldn't escape.
"Mr. Ju Woo-seong, do you lack confidence?"
"What?"
Then, I flashed him a very sweet smile.
"Senior, we have to do this together."
So I can give Kang Yi-chae a present.
Ju Woo-seong’s expression crumpled instantly.