Chapter 46
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46
“Wow, there are so many people today.”
“I know, right?”
“Is there a variety show filming or something?”
We were at tvK to film a reaction video for Episode 4, which had already aired. Peering out from the van, I noticed the crowd in front of the broadcasting station was unusually large today.
Even for a variety show shoot, there weren't usually this many people.
I’d rather wait in front of the agency. Standing in front of a broadcasting station when you don’t even know when someone will show up…
If you loitered in front of a station, you were more likely to memorize the faces of haggard PDs and staff members than actual celebrities.
The manager glanced at us through the rearview mirror.
“Do you want to get out now?”
“Ah, yes.”
It didn't really matter whether we entered through the underground parking lot or the main entrance, so I nodded and stepped out of the van.
Suddenly, loud voices calling our names erupted.
“Gasp! It’s The Dawn!”
“Da-jun-ahhh!”
“Ho-yun! Seo Ho-yun!”
“……”
This was unexpected.
“…Should we get back in?”
“Hey, are you joking? We can’t get back in now.”
Kang Yi-chae pushed Jeong Da-jun’s back as he asked his innocent question, and we all disembarked. I quickly grabbed a dazed Kim Seong-hyeon and hurried into the station, bowing my head repeatedly to the crowd.
Only after we had scrambled inside did we stand there, staring blankly at one another.
“What was that?”
“Uh…”
“Wait… what just happened?”
“I’m not sure either…”
We kept repeating the same stupid questions. Honestly, I truly didn't understand it.
Even inside the station, the weight of people's gazes remained the same.
Before the manager could even catch up, the writer for Shining Star came running out to meet us as if she were greeting long-lost family.
“Oh, my little lucky charms!”
“……”
That was a title I still couldn't get used to.
“Welcome, welcome! Was the trip here difficult?”
“It was fine.”
“There were a lot of people outside, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“They’re all here to see The Dawn and the other Shining Star contestants! The ratings for Shining Star have been absolutely explosive lately.”
Explosive, indeed. I’ll give them that.
Thanks to that, it seemed our popularity would hold steady even if we didn't take first place here.
The reason they hadn't mentioned dropping Kim Seong-hyeon despite his bullying controversy was that we were the sacrificial lambs driving those ratings up.
They had been polite on the surface before, but there had always been a subtle line drawn between us. Seeing them act so exceptionally friendly today made me narrow my eyes instinctively. My mind raced. Ah, I see.
They must have confirmed their reward vacation because the ratings were so good.
“I’m jealous.”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“It’s nothing.”
I’m jealous. Truly. I glared at the writer.
By offering us up as sacrifices, the ratings for Episode 4 had hit nearly 6%. If I were in their shoes and had secured a reward vacation like that, I’d cherish The Dawn too.
The tvK building was now completely plastered with Shining Star posters. I could feel the surge in popularity—something I hadn't felt just a few months ago—hitting me all at once.
“Come, sit, sit.”
The writer guided us to a prepared area to film our reactions to Episode 4 and offered us seats. As we sat at a large table in a meeting room and the wall-mounted TV turned on, a pre-set video began to play.
But I couldn't focus on the "reaction." I was too preoccupied with the fact that Kim Hee-yeong was nowhere to be seen.
Where did she go?
“Oh, Ho-yun hyung looks so handsome!”
“You’re coming out great on screen~.”
I couldn't even respond to their nonsense because I was busy wondering about Kim Hee-yeong’s absence. Before I knew it, the Episode 4 footage ended. At that moment, another staff member entered and began the briefing for the 3rd Competition.
“Shall we begin the briefing for the 3rd Competition?”
“Yes!”
“For the 3rd Competition, you can do whatever concept you want!”
“……”
I knew something felt off. I expected as much.
Jeong Da-jun asked tentatively, “Hasn’t it… always been like that?”
“This time is different! This time, you can produce everything exactly how you want, from the concept to the song. However, you cannot use songs that were previously released on your albums!”
I see where this is going.
Today’s side had likely already finished preparing a song with the level of effort usually reserved for a comeback. That was undoubtedly why they gave us "creative freedom"—because they knew they were already ahead. I ran the numbers in my head.
“How much time do we have left…?”
“You have one week until you come to the stage for rehearsals, and ten days until the live broadcast!”
“You want us to make a new song in ten days?”
“Yes!”
These bastards…
The production team beamed at me, seemingly unaware that I was the type of person who would spit on a smiling face.
Still, with the cameras rolling, I couldn't actually spit, so I just clicked my tongue inwardly.
This was a bit problematic. Even if I had laid all the groundwork, if we put on a lackluster performance for the 3rd Competition, the narrative wouldn't be perfect.
Once the production team finished saying what they wanted to say and left, we were given time for our own meeting.
“Ten days means we have to have a song ready within the next two days, right?”
“Does that even make sense?”
“I don’t know. Maybe if we were given a demo…”
“Usually, other agencies would have songs tucked away in a vault, so they could just pull one from there…”
“What do we have in our vault?”
“…Pineapple.”
“Pass!”
We couldn't put out such a trash song for the finale of Shining Star.
Should I pressure Im Hyeon-su? But no matter how much I squeezed her, the timeline was too tight, and there was no guarantee it would turn out well. Moreover, Im Hyeon-su was a card I wanted to save as much as possible since she had many uses.
I ignored Jeong Da-jun, who was muttering "pop-pop-pop" with a hollow expression, and twirled my pen. Then, I locked eyes with Kang Yi-chae.
He had the look of someone who desperately wanted to say something.
“What?”
“…Hehe.”
Kang Yi-chae acted uncharacteristically coy, trying to be cute. This was suspicious.
“What is it, you brat? Just say it.”
“Hyung, we’re at the broadcasting station.”
“Ah, right.”
I was so used to living as a worn-out, exhausted office worker that profanity was practically my second language.
As I made a gesture of zipping my lips, the other members let out light laughter.
“Ho-yun hyung, hyungs, Da-jun-ah. I’m Kang Yi-chae.”
“I know your name is Kang Yi-chae.”
“I… have about five songs I’ve been working on.”
No way!
I almost pumped my fist but held back. No. If I got my hopes up and it didn't work out, I’d be the one who was sad.
“Didn't you only do arrangements?”
“Aww, hyung, that hurts. Of course, I pestered Composer Im Hyeon-su and learned a ton of composing skills. Want to hear?”
Kang Yi-chae held up his phone as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
The fact that he was willing to play them right here meant he was quite confident.
With a mix of anticipation and worry, everyone stared intently at Kang Yi-chae’s phone as the first track began to play. Before the first verse was even over, a look of surprise crossed everyone's faces.
“Yi-chae-ya.”
“Yes.”
“You really are… striking.”
Kang Yi-chae had lived up to his name.
He really pulled this off well.
“Kang Yi-chae, if you could do this, why did you say we should do Pineapple?”
“I only learned this recently. I just watched what the composer was doing, got interested, and dabbled a bit.”
Im Hyeon-su would cry if she heard that.
You "dabbled a bit" and a song this good came out? Did he originally know how to play instruments? I looked at Kang Yi-chae with a suspicious face, but he just mumbled vaguely.
The music finally stopped after we listened to a few more tracks.
“I’ll ask the composer one more time. Just in case.”
“Hey, this is already really, really good as it is.”
Kang Yi-chae scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
In any case, it was good. I took a piece of paper and began checking the songs.
“I like the second one best. It’s grand, and with the orchestra, it feels like a proper finale.”
“Finale… I like that.”
Seong Ji-won nodded. Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been noticeably subdued lately, glanced around tentatively.
“Yes, Mr. Kim Seong-hyeon, who is currently walking on eggshells.”
“Uh…”
“If you have something to say, say it quickly.”
Kim Seong-hyeon hesitated a few more times before finally speaking up.
“…What if our concept was ‘The Birth of a Star’? …The program’s name is Shining Star, after all.”
“True, it’s a term made to help idols shine.”
Hmm…
It wasn't bad, but it was a common concept. The phrase Shining Star itself implied promoting a star.
But.
“Do you have anything else in mind?”
If we add some flavor to it, it changes.
I waited for Kim Seong-hyeon to continue before speaking. He looked like he had something he absolutely wanted to say, despite his anxiety. After a moment of thought, he spoke.
“…We’ve been through a lot, haven't we? Throughout this whole program. We thought we’d be sparkling, but it’s been nothing but friction since we started filming.”
I was inwardly surprised. The other members were the same.
I didn't expect Kim Seong-hyeon to bring up his own situation, even indirectly, in front of the cameras.
The cameras were filming every second of this, looking quite excited.
Episode 5 would air soon… and by then, it would be time for this kind of talk to come out.
“But I read it in a magazine when I was a kid. They said that for a star to be born, intense friction is necessary from the start. As nebulae clump together, internal pressure increases, and as the heat and temperature rise, a core is formed in the center, and it becomes a baby star!”
“Was that Korean just now?”
As Jeong Da-jun muttered in confusion, Seong Ji-won added a simple explanation.
“You’re saying that for a star to be born, it has to go through that much hardship?”
Kim Seong-hyeon nodded.
“Yeah. And they say a baby star born like that slowly endures gravity, and only after nuclear fusion can it emit light on its own.”
“……”
“So… ah, I don’t really know what I’m saying either.”
I know exactly what you’re saying.
“The hardships we’ve faced so far were inevitable, and now that the hardships are over, we’ve finally become stars that shine on our own. Is that the story you want to go with?”
As I summarized it briefly, Kim Seong-hyeon nodded vigorously. I twirled my pen, thinking about the synergy between the "final" stage and the concept, then locked eyes with him.
I gave him a wide grin.
“…It would be really cool if we took first place with that.”
“……”
“Okay. I’m in.”
It would be touching for the fans, and the narrative was solid.
Seong Ji-won nodded as well.
“I like it too. I think the lyrics will turn out beautifully. Oh, should we layer some doubling here?”
“Wait, planets?! Space?! Then can I arrange it a bit more and make the sound really grand?!”
“Hyung… wait, is Seong-hyeon hyung becoming a star? Then can I make a wish to him?”
Everyone started talking at once about what they wanted to do.
Ding!
[They’ve been influenced by Seo Ho-yun!]
By me? What did I do?
I stopped the pen I was habitually twirling and stood up immediately.
“Let’s head back to the practice room and talk more.”
“We won’t be getting choreography, right?”
“We’ll have to do it ourselves, again…”
“……”
What could one possibly expect from a small agency…
However, the dance line, Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun, were already getting fired up about the choreography.
“So here, it’s like bam-bam!”
“No, it’s not bam-bam, it has to be a swish. You swish-swish and then pow.”
“Ugh, I’m not sure… let’s listen to the song again and talk.”
I wasn't sure if that was Korean either, but I trusted they’d do a good job. Once the other members set the stage, I just had to swoop in and enjoy the results.
The song and concept were roughly decided, and just as the camera director was packing up, thinking he’d captured enough footage—
“Hey there, Handsome Psycho.”
“…Handsome Psycho?”
It was Kim Hee-yeong. She had seemingly regained her composure and was walking toward me with a much clearer expression than before.
“It means a handsome guy who’s a total psycho.”
“Ah.”
Kim Hee-yeong chuckled at my nonchalant reaction.
Since the other members were looking on tentatively at her arrival, I moved slightly to the corner.
“So, Mr. Psycho, are things looking up for you? Even after that devil’s editing?”
“Thanks to you. Thank you for granting my request.”
“Goodness… I really don’t know about you.”
Kim Hee-yeong ran a hand through her hair.
“At least the manipulation controversy died down instantly after you guys got 5th place following that edit. It was the right move. It’s better to silence the controversy like that than to let it linger uncomfortably.”
“Ah, well…”
I shifted my gaze.
Kim Hee-yeong seemed to think I requested the devil’s editing focused on Kim Seong-hyeon specifically as a move to quell our manipulation controversy.
“It’s killing two birds with one stone.”
“…That’s strange. Did I get the meaning wrong? In this case, isn't it more like 'fighting fire with fire'?”
“No, you can interpret it with the meaning you already know.”
Kim Hee-yeong frowned.
“I’ve killed the first bird by silencing the controversy, but I haven't caught the second one yet.”
“I really have no idea what you’re thinking.”
“You’ll find out soon.”
As I smirked, Kim Hee-yeong thumped her chest in frustration.
“Anyway, on your way back, stop by Express Bus Terminal Station. I don’t think they’ve taken it down yet. It was quite spectacular.”
“Pardon?”
“Wait, didn't your company tell you?”
“Tell us what?”
I asked back, genuinely confused. Kim Hee-yeong let out a slightly incredulous laugh.
“I’m one thing, but how exactly does Daepasung handle their business? You didn't know about the digital billboard?”
……A digital billboard?