Chapter 70

"I'll take good care of you."

Being dedicated to one's job, regardless of the profession, was an attractive trait. It inspired respect and, if one became a fan, instilled a sense of pride in the object of their admiration.

I could understand that much. But having many sins? I couldn't comprehend it at all, so I looked at Green with a request for a detailed explanation.

"There are such things. Only fans know them."

If only fans know them, why does Green know? When I asked again, Green just smiled with his mouth closed. The other members also didn't say a word.

"Could you have planned this without me?"

"Would I? Such a pointless thing?"

When not in front of the camera, honest Oran's words were trustworthy. Then why do you have to know and I don't?

"Is there a reason I shouldn't know?"

"Of course! There is! I can't tell you! Hehe."

"Trust me, Won, it's not bad at all."

"Can't we trust you?"

From Green's meaningful smile to Peppermint's shrug, Jion's suggestion to let it go, and Oran's classic lines, they all seemed suspicious, but I decided to let it go because Seohun didn't stop them.

"Seohun, read the next comment."

Right, we were reading comments. With six members, even one word each would make six sentences, and straying from the topic was a daily occurrence.

"I experienced a visual shock on the day of the busking! And a second shock when I saw my boyfriend next to me…"

Her expression, which was filled with the joy of discovering a new world, suddenly stiffened and was enveloped in agony. She even captured the detail of her words trailing off as if she had a sudden realization.

"In the reply, I was also there as a busking audience, and I realized that not just anyone can be an idol. Even in the rain, they looked almost bare-faced, yet they were still amazing. By the way, I'm a guy. Ha ha, the replies are overflowing with encouragement."

Now I understand why he read it in a low tone. It was a comment from a guy.

As male idols, having a high percentage of female fans is inevitable. But I secretly hoped to be popular among guys as well. More accurately, I wanted to make fans regardless of gender, age, or anything else.

"Male fans! Thanks, bro!"

"But he could be younger than you?"

"Thanks, bro!"

Peppermint answered straightforwardly with a big smile. To me, it seemed like he was completely taken in by the compliment about his face. Peppermint's face pride is growing day by day.

"The lesson is that you should never take idols lightly. Even with a face that could easily live a comfortable life, they can be so passionate."

The next comment was read in a solemn tone, making me think of a middle-aged uncle. Seohun's voice alone made me think a professional had been brought in. He could even work as a voice actor.

"Hmm, that's not wrong."

Not everyone can become an actor or singer, and even if they enter this world, not everyone can succeed.

Many people now know this fact, but there are still those who look down on idols.

"Our father is one of those people who should read this comment."

One of those people is Green's father, actor Nam Kyung-wook.

"We also have comments calling us 'desperate idols' or 'earnest idols.'"

"…Is that good?"

In terms of leaving an impression, it was a successful strategy. It's a bit disappointing that we couldn't appeal through Theora's album or performance first.

"Our Theora seniors are geniuses in their main job. They produced their own title song, and their singing and dancing are perfect! Everyone, please listen to 'Imprinting' once!"

Seohun's sudden laughter while reading the comment in a lively tone made me wonder if he was reading it too realistically. If he reads listener stories on the radio in the future, he'll do a great job. He might even become a master at it.

Seohun seemed to have entered acting mode, not feeling the slightest bit awkward. This must be what method acting is.

"Promoting us on NewTube, I feel like crying!"

"As long as fans exist, we can always be strong."

I agree with Green. Even if they are few, the existence of fans is the driving force that sustains idols.

"We also have comments about our songs. 'It perfectly matches my taste. I was listening to it in a cafe and was surprised to find out it was a new idol song. I was even more surprised to learn that the main vocalist composed it. With such talent at a young age, success is guaranteed.'"

"Your taste is quite sophisticated?"

Seohun seemed to deliberately choose a comment related to composition. I had heard harsh words from a company-affiliated composer before, and my confidence in my own songs had wavered.

"I think the judgment of the song should be left to those who listen to it. Won, what do you think?"

"Listen to Seohun. Got it?"

As I suspected, he deliberately chose to read it.

That doesn't mean Seohun's words are wrong. The fundamental reason I wanted to share my music was to tell a story to someone. The evaluation of the listener is more important than anything.

Seohun's intention to boost my confidence was somewhat evident, but the goal was achieved. I felt better.

"Ha ha, this comment is so funny."

"What is it?"

"Comedy idol Theora, recommended when you're feeling down! After fighting with my dad, we watched TV and laughed, so we made up, like that."

"Sounds like you watched 'The Last Worker' or 'Today's Live Information.' Right?"

If we can make people reconcile, we can willingly be the source of laughter. In fact, our members can emit a joyful energy just by being together!

After reading the comments for a while, Seohun hesitated and then handed the tablet back to the manager.

Was there a bad comment? If Seohun wanted to hide it, I decided not to dig it up.

The member most hurt by malicious comments is Seohun. Yet, he is a considerate senior who worries about the other members' feelings first.

"From the comments alone, you can see that the overall reaction is mostly positive. Moreover, Theora is trending on SNS, so we expect the impact to be much greater than you anticipated."

Green took out his phone and launched the music platform app.

"Our debut song barely made it into the top 100… 66th place?"

It seems Green hasn't opened the app in a while. The unexpected ranking made his sentence end in a question.

After debuting, we entered the real-time chart and even made it into the top 100, but that was the end of it.

It's not easy for a new idol without a solid fan base to maintain their ranking. Not appearing on popular variety shows that could promote us made the impact even greater.

Some people say that a new idol making it into the top 100 right after debuting is a good start. But compared to the company's full support, it was a disappointing result.

"If this trend continues, the music chart ranking could rise further. Now that we might receive offers from broadcasting stations, we could gain momentum."

Green's analysis gave us hope. His predictions, based on his thorough knowledge of the entertainment industry, were often accurate.

"We can breathe a sigh of relief. If we can ride the wave, that is."

If we can maintain our current state, the probability of Theora moving in a favorable direction is high. The fickle public's reaction can often create a strong current once a trend is set.

Sometimes a song becomes a hit years later, or a trendy item suddenly becomes popular, or a single movie can change a law. These are all evidence.

If we can ride the strong current, we could become a hot icon in the blink of an eye. Although it's not a perfect fit for our situation as we just debuted, we are essentially experiencing a reverse trend.

"I knew our efforts would pay off, but it's much faster than expected."

We never gave up, so our efforts would eventually be recognized. Just like a rain dance must continue until the rain comes.

"The bad weather and accidents we faced turned out to be lucky in the end. Does Ham Won's luck correction apply to such aspects?"

We thought it was unlucky to have to perform under poor conditions on rare occasions. I even suspected that Oran's words brought a backlash.

But looking back, it wasn't all bad. Because we were with Theora members, we could shake off the setbacks and support each other to get back up.

If I had faced it alone, I might have overcome it once or twice, but I would have become disheartened eventually. No matter how strong one's mental fortitude, it's hard to easily overcome continuous failures.

"Is it really like that? Did Won turn it into luck?"

If so, it would be incredibly joyful, but I don't think that's the case.

Luck is just a pleasant coincidence. No one's life is filled with only luck or only misfortune. So, there must be a more convincing reason than luck.

"I think today's results are more a reward for our hard work than good luck. Even if it's due to luck, I think it's more influenced by Oran than me."

After so much bad luck, perhaps we are about to have a lot of good luck.

"I think it's finally good luck for Oran, who has had abnormal bad luck. To balance out the luck."

"…Damn. Are you trying to charm me?"

"Are you crazy…?"

I was so shocked that I even used rough language, which I don't usually use. Why would I try to charm Oran? I checked my words to see if I had made a slip, but there was no problem.

The problem lies with Oran, who misinterpreted my words. Definitely.

"You said you wanted to learn rapper's spirit, but you're doing well on your own?"

Even Jion is taking Oran's side. I didn't use poetic language. Maybe my words triggered Oran's emotional button?

"Ham Won, what are you? You're erasing old bad luck complexes in an instant. Does that make sense?"

…Was it open to misinterpretation? I had no intention of doing so. I just said what I usually think and got caught in it.

"Those unadorned sincere words. If Won hadn't become an idol, it would have been a disaster. You could have misled innocent people. As a leader, I need to keep an eye on you."

"If I can even bring down the most difficult opponent, Oran, making other people fans should be a piece of cake, right?"

"My pride is hurt! Can natural talent be overcome by effort? Ugh, frustrating!"

I couldn't follow the conversation among the members. I just shared my honest thoughts, but the reactions were too intense.

I'm not a Casanova, and the idea that I could charm anyone was ridiculous. Green and Seohun, who agreed with this, and Peppermint, who was fired up with competitiveness.

"…Just do the first verse."

The intense reaction to something so trivial made me embarrassed. I avoided eye contact, and chuckles echoed from all around. It seemed their playful nature was bubbling up.

"Manager, tell us. Are we overdoing it? Or is Won overdoing it?"

I'm the one overdoing it? Of course, the members are exaggerating.

"Without a doubt, the latter."

"Me? What am I overdoing?"

"The fact that you don't know is the problem."

Why am I the only one being left out?

I was still confused. But since everyone had a contented smile, I was somewhat relieved.

"Stop teasing me."

"Won, you need to stay this way. Got it?"

"I'm already grown…?"

Green pinched my cheek without a word. When I frowned, he let go and patted my head.

"I'll take good care of you. Got it?"

What does he mean by 'take care of'? I don't believe it's about me. I've been grown for a while!