Chapter 5

Holy Idol - Chapter 5 (5/902)

5. The Schedule is Set

“Are the members and I not getting along?”

He hit the mark!

Oh Hitaes' eyes sparkled with interest.

On the contrary, Jongwoo's expression twisted.

It was a dilemma between giving a boring interview and disappearing, or giving an interview that would draw attention and get him criticized.

Neither was a good path, so he was worried.

But Jongwoo decided to stay silent for now.

Given the situation, Ueonwoo was a noise marketing card.

Ueonwoo's image was already tarnished, so the only way to save the group was to use it.

If Ueonwoo knew, he would be hurt, but Jongwoo wasn't his personal manager.

He had to choose the direction that would benefit the group the most.

Without knowing what Jongwoo was thinking, Remble shook his head again.

“No, that’s not it.”

“But you said you don’t get along.”

“Neither good nor bad.”

“So— it’s a purely business relationship?”

“Perhaps.”

Remble nodded, recalling the members he had dragged around without listening to their stories.

If they got along, he would have listened when they said they were sick.

Pushing them on stage even when they were sick?

Clearly, they weren't good friends.

Oh Hitaes, trying to hide his smirking mouth, asked again.

“Can you tell me about your dorm?”

“It’s very small.”

“Is that so?”

“There’s no bathtub in the bathroom. Is a room without a bathtub even a bathroom?”

“Wow... You think so?”

“Yes.”

“By the way, is Ueonwoo from a wealthy family? Your words have a hint of wealth.”

Remble shrugged without a word.

“Maybe.”

He knew nothing about Ueonwoo's past.

Since he was told to keep the memory loss a secret, it was difficult to answer this question.

After that, Oh Hitaes bombarded him with several more questions.

What was difficult about being an idol?

What did he want to say to the fans after this controversy?

What did his teammates say about this incident?

It was a psychological tactic to keep asking questions without giving time to think, to force the truth out.

Each time, Remble answered honestly, and Jongwoo's mouth gaped open as he twisted his body.

* * *

Today, I met Ueonwoo from <Wild Animal>, who became a topic of discussion due to a broadcast accident!

<Wild Animal> is a boy group that debuted three years ago under LLL Entertainment, known for its acting agency, with all members having outstanding appearances, which became a hot topic!

Among them, Ueonwoo boasts a handsome appearance worthy of being the visual center of <Wild Animal>.

However, unfortunately, they didn't get the expected response.

Two days ago, during a live performance on MusicMusic, he shouted, “I don’t know how to dance!” and then fell silent.

Since then, he has been a topic of discussion on SNS and various communities.

There were various opinions about the reason, but I heard it directly from him.

Q. Are you aware of the current controversy?

A. I don’t know. I don’t care.

Q. As an idol, don’t you care about the response?

A. People always pay attention to me. It’s not a new thing, so I don’t get caught up in it.

Q. Your tone is refreshing. Is it part of your concept? (Ueonwoo uses a historical drama tone!)

A. (He didn’t answer!)

Q. Why didn’t you dance on the MusicMusic stage?

A. I wasn’t feeling well.

Q. Before the music started, you shouted, “I don’t know how to dance!” Was there a meaning behind it?

A. A fellow member (Hyejeol) asked if I knew the dance of a famous idol NNC, and I answered.

Q. Do you get along with your teammates?

A. It’s a business relationship. Neither good nor bad.

Q. What is the dorm of <Wild Animal> like?

A. Very small. There’s no bathtub. A room without a bathtub isn’t a bathroom.

Q. Are you from a wealthy family?

A. (He didn’t answer!)

Q. What is difficult about being an idol?

A. I can’t sit in a chair even when I’m sick. (I wanted to hear more, but the manager blocked it! Is there a story behind it?)

Q. What do you want to say to the fans after this controversy?

A. Do I even have fans?

Q. What do your teammates say about this incident?

A. They ask if I’m crazy.

Q. What do you want to say to the readers who are watching this interview?

A. I love you. May God bless you.

* * *

The public’s eyes were sharp.

They quickly distinguished between Ueonwoo’s answers and the ones prepared by the agency.

Representative Im read Ueonwoo’s interview thoroughly and pondered whether to cry or laugh, observing people’s reactions.

The answers were a mess, and people questioned Ueonwoo’s character.

Some said his historical drama tone was artificial, and many criticized his statement about having a business relationship with his teammates.

There were complaints that he was ignoring his fans.

Some even said that a few fans weren’t fans at all.

But, most people agreed.

However, many admired his appearance in the photos.

In this industry, where most idols who become topics quickly fade away, Ueonwoo caused a stir twice.

It seemed like the noise marketing was working.

Representative Im put down his phone and awkwardly smiled, asking Jongwoo.

“Did the kids see this?”

“Yes.”

“What do they think?”

“They seem a bit hurt by the business relationship comment, but not too much.”

Im sighed and asked again.

“What about other reactions?”

“Ueonwoo is getting a lot of criticism.”

“Really? No calls from the broadcast stations or anything?”

“We received a call from SingSingSing saying <Wild Animal> can appear.”

“Good. Any others?”

“MusicIo also said they can appear next week.”

Im nodded.

SingSingSing was a rival music program to MusicMusic, and MusicIo was a highly competitive weekend music program.

<Wild Animal>, who had been unknown for three years, could barely appear on these programs, even for their debut stage.

They had to make dozens of calls and buy meals to get another appearance.

After messing up the MusicMusic stage, he thought they wouldn’t even get that.

But if the other side contacted them first, it was a step forward.

They must be expecting the controversy to draw attention, and even those criticizing Ueonwoo would likely watch out of curiosity.

Or, they would watch with even more fire in their eyes out of criticism.

This was also an opportunity for them.

“Dress the kids nicely and ask ‘Marna’ to do their makeup.”

Marna was a famous makeup shop known for recreating people’s appearances.

Famous idols and actors all got their makeup done there, but LLL Entertainment had never worked with them before due to the high prices.

“But their schedule for next week is full.”

“Ask them to do it as a favor.”

It meant paying several times more and scheduling it for the early morning.

“Even if they keep refusing, just this stage, twice.”

Jongwoo nodded.

“Yes.”

“Dress them well, especially Ueonwoo.”

“Yes.”

“Since we’re having trouble with character, at least highlight their appearance.”

“Yes.”

“Also, ask them to make Ueonwoo’s eyes more lifted for a stronger image, and the others to look kinder.”

“Yes.”

Im pondered for a moment and then exclaimed.

“The biggest problem is left.”

“Ueonwoo needs to learn the dance!”

“You’re right!”

“And the song. Even if we give up on live performance, at least make him move his lips. Got it?”

“Yes. Yes!”

* * *

At the time of the controversy.

Remble was learning about the internet from the members.

Since such things didn’t exist in his original world, Remble was completely absorbed in the internet.

The next day.

When Jongwoo arrived at the dorm, Remble was still glued to his phone, exploring the internet.

“Don’t you have a schedule today?”

The members, all in sweatpants, greeted Jongwoo with yawns.

“You need to learn the dance. Get up, all of you.”

“But even if we learn the dance… Is there a next stage?”

“Did you see the interview that came out?”

“…Yes.”

“After seeing it, SingSingSing and MusicIo contacted us. We have two stages next week.”

The members’ eyes widened at Jongwoo’s words.

Jongwoo patted their backs, encouraging them.

“This time, we’ll get a lot of attention. We need to show our best. Got it?”

Seeing the members cheer, Jongwoo bit his lip without realizing it.

They had fought and scolded each other for three years, but they were still a team.

Seeing the kids who had worked hard despite being unknown and called no-names so happy, he felt energized.

“We can make it. Let’s do our best. Got it?”

After encouraging the members again, Jongwoo hurriedly told them to change their clothes and took them to the agency.

He then instructed the other members to practice the dance and took Ueonwoo to another room.

It was a viewing room with a large TV that took up an entire wall.

Jongwoo sat Remble in the center and played the broadcast of <Wild Animal>’s comeback stage on TV.

“What do you think?”

“It’s chaotic.”

At Ueonwoo’s sharp criticism, Jongwoo sighed and said.

“You need to memorize this in three days.”

What kind of dance is this… Remble, who was thinking, was surprised and looked at Jongwoo.

“What?”

He had never danced before. And—

“Memorize this?”

“Yes. You have stages on Friday and Sunday next week. You need to dance there.”

“!”

“This time, you can’t just stand there. People get tired of the same issues. Even if we become a topic, it won’t be noise marketing.”

“I’ve never danced before!”

“No, you’ve danced a lot. Since you were a trainee, you’ve danced a lot.”

“But—”

“Even if you lose your memory, the muscle memory will remain. Let’s memorize it. No, you have to. Absolutely.”

Despite feeling troubled, Remble nodded.

Before Jongwoo arrived.

In fact, Remble had asked the members how much money he had.

He knew Ueonwoo was an idol and that idols were singers.

But Remble himself wasn’t a singer and wanted to quit.

He wanted to find a way to return to his original body.

However, the members’ answer was shocking.

“Where would you have money? We’ve never received any payments.”

Ueonwoo didn’t even have money to live on!

Given his lack of knowledge about this world, it would be difficult for Remble to earn money through other means.

So, Remble decided to continue Ueonwoo’s job until he could adapt to this world and earn money.

Thus, he could only answer Jongwoo’s request to dance.

“I understand. I’ll try.”

“And you need to memorize the song.”

“The song?”

“You don’t have to sing. At least do the lip-sync.”

“What is lip-sync?”

“Just move your lips to the lyrics. Got it?”

“…I understand.”

After showing the stage ten times, Jongwoo said.

“Stand up.”

Then he went back to the practice room where the members were and instructed.

“Do you remember where you stand at the start?”

When Remble roughly found his position and stood, Jongwoo felt relieved.

The kid might be strange, but he understands well.

Ueonwoo wasn’t the dance leader, but he wasn’t a bad dancer.

Even if he lost his memory, his sense wouldn’t have disappeared, so he thought he could make him memorize the dance in three days.

Just then, the dance instructor arrived.

“I heard. He lost his memory?”

Before going to get the members, Jongwoo had contacted him and explained the situation.

“Yes. But he has to be on stage. Please teach him well.”

Jongwoo repeatedly asked the instructor and stepped back, and the instructor loudly declared.

“Many students who have never danced before come to dance schools.”

The class started, and the dance instructor and Jongwoo realized something surprising.

Ueonwoo, who had lost his memory, had become a bad dancer.