Chapter 37

Crazy, crazy!

A college student who was once a fan of SEED, with the nickname SeedHotdogHoney, had been under a lot of stress due to the recent controversy surrounding SEED. This time, for some reason, Hanul Entertainment's attitude was particularly strong, but all the fans of SEED knew that SEED was currently in a decline.

The five-member male idol group SEED had a very good start when they debuted with their title track. They were the first idol group ambitiously launched by an agency that previously only managed actors and solo singers. Despite being the agency's first foray into the idol market, they received a lot of expectations due to the agency's solid reputation. Hanul Entertainment, being a mid-sized agency, had aggressively invested in the group.

Many people expected SEED to become a top-tier group. However, the main vocalist member left the country on a whim, causing SEED to start to wobble.

The company was in turmoil due to the lawsuit, and it was impossible to immediately fill the main vocalist's position with the remaining four members.

Still, the fans believed. They thought that if the remaining four members could just improve their skills a bit, they would be competitive. The group excelled in dance and rap, so if their vocals were polished, there was hope.

However, another trial came. One of the members began to make a series of scandals, which became a topic of discussion among the fans. Hanul Entertainment handled the scandals ambiguously, and SEED suffered a significant blow.

The fans gradually noticed that the relationships among SEED's members were not as close as they thought. SeedHotdogHoney also noticed this and gradually lost interest, eventually becoming a former fan.

Every time he saw SEED's reputation deteriorate, from "seed" to "q" and finally to "curse," he felt a deep sense of frustration.

Still, one of the SEED members, Danwoo, remained endearing. So when the school violence controversy arose, he kept a close eye on social media. When Hanul Entertainment quickly responded with a strong stance, he was elated.

"That's the way to do it! Sue them all! They're just jealous because SEED is doing well!"

He felt a great sense of relief.

While browsing social media, he learned that Hanul Entertainment was launching a new male idol group. He carefully examined the photos of the members as they were revealed one by one.

"Is there such a face in Hanul? If they had this, they should have shown it earlier. Maybe they were still kids?"

If the debut date is next year, it would be a considerable time after SEED's debut, making it a good time for a new boy group to emerge.

After all, their first idol was successful, and the second girl group they launched was a definite hit. If they invested and succeeded, it was worth trying consistently.

And this attempt might be a success. Just from the photos, he had a good feeling. Of course, the photos were likely edited, but the boys were incredibly handsome. They had distinct personalities that fit well as a team. Judging from the photos, they all seemed to be tall.

Thinking about SEED, he believed they had a high chance of performing well in their main roles. Since they were the first idol group, more attention was paid to their development, and the members of SEED all clearly fulfilled their roles.

"It's just that the main vocalist left for abroad…"

Moreover, rumors circulated that SEED would be more selective about the members' personalities this time. Even though it was just a rumor, given Hanul Entertainment's track record, it seemed plausible.

If that were true, it meant that an idol with good looks, skills, and personality would emerge. He thought that if he liked Theora, he could have a happy fandom.

"Is it time to start my fandom again after a break?"

SeedHotdogHoney decided to wait. After all, the album might not be good when it's released. To gain fans, they needed to have good songs and performances. While looks alone could attract attention, he personally found it hard to like someone based solely on their appearance for a long time. The better they performed, the more he would be drawn in.

After waiting for a while, Theora's debut album teaser was simultaneously released on Theora's official SNS, Newtube, and various music sites.

He clicked on the teaser, almost in a trance.

A black screen appeared with Theora's white logo, and the dark screen gradually brightened. The screen felt somewhat cinematic. The sound that echoed felt like a heartbeat.

Against the backdrop of a desolate future city, the members extended their arms one by one, blocking the sky, which was a slightly grayish blue. The song started with a refreshing opening.

The world I see when I open my eyes is so amazing

"Listen to that voice... It's amazing."

He closed his mouth, realizing he had spoken out loud. He needed to focus on the song.

But it's scary, yet thrilling

Will you find me? I'm waiting for you

Each line was a plea. They were saying, "We're here, find us."

The boys, who had their eyes closed, opened them and stared out of the screen. When their eyes met, SeedHotdogHoney felt his heart stop.

"I'm not SeedHotdogHoney anymore."

From now on, I will withdraw my support for Theora. I will stand with Theora, and any attack on Theora will be an attack on me...

"What's going on! How can they look so good? What is this boyish charm? Crazy! Why is the styling so on point? Did the Theora stylist pour their soul into this? Are they okay?"

The teaser was short, but the aftertaste was long.

'休学生21号' (休学生21号) repeatedly watched the teaser, scrutinizing the faces.

The boys were still young, so their faces retained a boyish charm. In the concept photos, they seemed to be wearing modified school uniforms, but in the teaser video, the SF atmosphere made their outfits look light.

Light clothing meant that their silhouettes were visible. Theora, wearing pastel-toned outfits that revealed their silhouettes, explored the desolate city.

Moreover, the scenes where the boys looked as if they had just emerged from water, with their hair wet, added to the overall feeling of having just come out of water. It seemed that the teaser video was edited from the full music video, with the order of scenes reversed.

Innocent boys wandering. If the theme of the teaser were to be summarized briefly, it would be this.

The music played a significant role. It was hard to properly evaluate the short piece of music that was revealed, but the melody was nostalgic yet bright, whispering in his ear. The music and the visuals matched perfectly, allowing for deep immersion even in that short time.

Especially, the last scene kept lingering in his mind.

The eyelashes fluttered up, revealing silver eyes. The slow-motion effect made the blinking seem slow, and the slight smile as they looked straight ahead made his heart race.

"Ham Euiwon? Is it Ham Euiwon?"

He was a real charmer. It felt like he was making eye contact through the screen, and the vividness kept stimulating his senses.

From today, there will be many people with the same symptoms as me.

休学生21号 thought this while trying to calm his racing heart.

"Is there a Theora fan cafe?"

His hand instinctively searched for the fan cafe. Upon searching, he found that someone had already created one.

As expected. There are always quick-acting people. 休学生21号 entered the fan cafe, which was still small.

"The cafe opening date... How did they know to create a fan cafe?"

Was the cafe manager observing the idol from Hanul Entertainment with a hawk's eye? By reading the posts with high views, he realized this was true. Photos and videos from a small performance Hanul Entertainment held to select the debut lineup were among the initial posts.

According to the posts, Hanul Entertainment had distributed tickets for the debut lineup selection performance as part of an event. Those who received the tickets and attended the performance predicted who would be selected for the debut lineup. They were amazed at how closely their predictions matched the actual lineup.

"That means they showed a clear difference on stage."

There was not much material available yet, as they had not started official activities. However, he learned that there was an official Newtube channel. Excited by the new content, he went to Newtube.

A meager number of videos. But soon, there will be a flood of content. The college student played the videos, hoping for the best. Since the album was not yet released, the background music sounded like an advertisement.

"Is this their bare face? But they look so good? Are they crazy?"

Apart from Ham Euiwon, the other members were also handsome with good skin, emphasizing their youthful appearance. Despite their young age, their faces were well-balanced, making it hard to look away.

The video seemed to show the process of recording the album, and the members of Theora appeared to have a close relationship.

There was a natural, unscripted feel to it. The scenes of them teasing and laughing at each other were heartwarming, and their serious singing performances were impressive.

"This isn't a staged image. I could eat it up."

'Pre-fan 21 of Theora' felt reassured and praised Hanul Entertainment. She thought, "To think of debuting with such members, they must have a good eye."

The most recent video was the official version of the debut evaluation stage. Watching the low-quality, shaky video and then the high-quality, well-angled version made a significant difference.

"The kids are all good. They picked the members well."

Especially, Ham Euiwon's performance was beyond words. Or rather, the words couldn't form properly.

"Crazy. Crazy... Crazy!"

It was hard to believe how such a charming kid could emerge at such a young age.

The college student searched for more articles about Theora. She found an article about the music video.

"What?!"

She let out an involuntary scream and slowly read the article.

"The music video for Theora was directed by Joo Young-won? No wonder! Wow, what's up with Hanul's business acumen?"

The reputation of Joo Young-won, a box office director, alone could have a significant promotional effect. Fans of Joo Young-won would naturally be curious about why he suddenly directed an idol music video.

This choice. She finally understood why the teaser felt cinematic. Since it was directed by a film director, it made sense. The scale of the music video was large, and the director's skills had a significant impact.

No matter how much she thought about it, Theora was a stock that wouldn't fail.

"When is the album release?"

She looked forward to the release of the title track and the music video. Since they were under Hanul Entertainment, they would likely secure spots on music shows quickly.

"I'll show the power of a debut fan. Euiwon."

'Fan 21 of Theora' took out her expensive camera, which she had put aside, vowing not to return to fandom after leaving SEED. But that vow was easily broken.

No, it wasn't easily broken; it was because the opponent was too strong.

Joining a fandom isn't something you seek out; it's something that comes to you. No matter how much you try to resist, it keeps coming to mind, and eventually, you have to make room for it in your brain.

Rationalizing this, Fan 21 of Theora began to maintain her camera.

One day, as Theora's debut approached, a notice appeared on Theora's official homepage. It was a simple notice with a date and the time 7:26 PM on KBC.

Curiosity led her to turn on the TV at the specified time.

"Isn't it time for the evening drama? Are they making a cameo in the drama?"

Since a Hanul Entertainment actor was appearing in the evening drama, it was a plausible assumption. The time was a bit odd, but she interpreted it as a reminder to prepare to watch the drama.

She switched the channel to KBC, and as the scheduled time approached, her pupils dilated.

The TEORRA logo appeared, and the advertisement began.