Chapter 47: The Techniques of an Idol Who Never Fails

The glittering purple roulette wheel gradually came to a stop.

[Choose your reward (Select one)]

[1. Delete 5% of negative image]

“...Huh?”

I was suddenly wide awake.

In the moment I thought this was the one to choose, without even looking at the other option.

[2. Correct cognitive dissonance regarding appearance]

“What the heck is this supposed to mean?”

I sat up in bed, frowned, and muttered to myself, seriously considering the rewards.

Deleting negative images makes sense, but what does cognitive dissonance regarding appearance even mean?

Anyway, if deleting negative images means erasing existing videos... If that happens, it would be really good for my current situation. But at the same time, I don't like it.

If these things are erased from my mind, I won't know, but it feels unfair that they remain in my head while being erased from others' minds.

[2. Correct cognitive dissonance regarding appearance]

I wonder if this has any significant meaning.

Does it mean correcting the preconceived notions caused by the bad image I have?

I thought about it for a while and decided to postpone the choice again. I wasn't indecisive when I was young, but somehow I've become this weak adult. Sigh...

It took quite a while to think about it, and by the time I was done, Shin Ji-won, who had finished his late-night snack, entered the room.

“What, you haven't slept yet?”

“I'm about to.”

While I was answering, Shin Ji-won lay down on the bed and looked for his earphones. Just before he put them in, I said,

“Ji-won, do you have any friends among the other contestants on the show?”

Shin Ji-won took out his earphones and replied,

“No, our agency didn't send anyone this time. Hyo-seok's agency seems to have sent quite a few. Why?”

“Is there any trainee who needs some attention? Someone who really needs to be in the spotlight.”

“What for?”

“To get them on the show by phone.”

“Huh?”

Shin Ji-won's face showed disbelief as he continued,

“What for? It just boosts their popularity.”

“They also use me to boost their ratings. I should get something out of it too. Anyway, they'll kick me out because of the controversy, no matter what I say. They might even be waiting for me to badmouth VMC on the show.”

Shin Ji-won still looked unconvinced but didn't interfere since it was my decision. He put his earphones back in. He's always so cool.

I asked Hyo-seok if there was any trainee who could be on the show by phone, and about ten minutes later, I got a reply.

[Hyo-seok: It's Seung-ju. He really wants it. He says he has a lot of questions.]

[What kind of questions? Nothing too intense.]

[Hyo-seok: Just a moment.]

[Hyo-seok: How to get more negative screen time.]

[Hyo-seok: Sorry.]

This guy and I really click. He asked exactly what I wanted to know.

[Why are you sorry? Thanks. If the company allows it, let's do it.]

I finished the message and lay down on the bed. I actually fell asleep easily.

* * *

After the Firstlight concept photoshoot, Hee-eun, who had suddenly started fangirling, recently started using her job to create video content. Her high school friend, Seung-joo, subscribed to her channel out of loyalty and said,

“Why would you want to edit videos when you already do it for work?”

“It just happened.”

“Is the guy really that good?”

“He's really good. And in person... Wow. I can't even describe it.”

“I can't trust your judgment in men... Anyway, Jeong Hae-won's fans are really dedicated. The meme and video channels are all professional-level. Actually, you're the real pro.”

“He has a face that makes artists work!”

“...You've really gone off the deep end.”

“By the way, if you're working in video and you meet someone who's still sane, run. They're a real psycho.”

Well, considering how much Hee-eun works, I can understand why she said that. But even with all that, she was still editing videos in her free time.

Seung-joo scolded her but still played the video to boost the views and watch time. It was a clip from Firstlight's new variety show, featuring Jeong Hae-won.

[Firstlight/Hae-won] Not Afraid, But Scared of Thunder

The video started with surprisingly mature scenes for his age, and then it cut to scenes where he flinched and looked back at the window every time there was thunder. Most of the scenes were in the background, caught by the camera.

“Does he really get that scared? This must be some kind of trauma.”

“What do you think? Our guy has more than one trauma.”

Hee-eun, who was editing videos almost mechanically, sighed without realizing it and then continued editing another video.

The cut editing was quick, but the show was shot at night, so it took time to brighten the dark scenes.

After Seung-joo finished the video, she noticed that the 'dislike' count was rising quickly on a video that had been uploaded just an hour ago. She clicked 'like' and said,

“Already, these fan accounts are here to 'dislike.' Is it really worth using your life to make others miserable? What a waste of time.”

“I know, right? And they're doing this to a kid who was only eighteen when he was on the show. He's still young, but back then, he was just a kid.”

Seeing the dedicated anti-fans who came to the fan's video channel to 'dislike' and leave negative comments, it was understandable why the few fans were so combative.

Seung-joo suddenly felt a sense of justice and left a comment.

“From experience, the law is the answer.”

[sooo_1818: I'm collecting PDFs of artist-related hate comments. Please send them to the email below.]

After posting the comment and pinning it, the video only had positive comments. Hee-eun glanced back and asked,

“Is that really your email?”

“Yeah. An unused one. If I get PDFs, I'll send them to the company.”

“TRV? They don't have a legal team.”

“They say you should give work to people who don't work. If I send it individually, they'll just copy and paste a response, so we need to gather multiple submissions and send them with a big fuss.”

“Has your company made you this combative...?”

“Yeah...”

Seung-joo nodded wistfully and checked her old email. The inbox, already at 99+ unread emails, was filling up with new ones.

“What? Emails are already coming in.”

“We're a force to be reckoned with.”

Seung-joo looked bewildered at the rapidly accumulating emails.

Meanwhile, Hee-eun's hands moved quickly. She needed to finish before the highlight medley was uploaded at 12 PM. As she focused on editing, Seung-joo said,

“Hey, the comment says Jeong Hae-won is on 'The Surety'?”

“What? Why?”

Hee-eun's heart sank as she turned around. Seung-joo showed her a video that had just been uploaded on her phone. It was a new variety show by TYT called 'The Surety.'

A trainee in danger of elimination was receiving a phone call. It was a video call to Han Hyo-seok, who was preparing to debut from the same agency.

-Oh, Seung-ju.

-Yeah, Hyo-seok.

The trainee's complex feelings about his junior, who had debuted much earlier despite joining the agency later, were evident on his face. Han Hyo-seok, almost like a former teacher, gave various tips on what to watch out for as a contestant.

-Oh, you said you had a question for Hae-won? I'll put him on.

-Really? Is he there?

-Yes.

Soon, Jeong Hae-won appeared on screen. Seung-ju, fidgeting, said,

-Hello.

-Yes. We're the same age, right? Twenty.

-Oh, yes.

-Next time, just be casual with me.

-Ah, how can I be casual with a senior... But, I have a real question. I want more screen time, even if it's negative.

Seung-ju, seemingly in a hurry, got straight to the point. Jeong Hae-won, with a somewhat cheeky tone, replied,

-Oh, but I feel a bit embarrassed being known as a negative screen time expert.

Jeong Hae-won continued,

-Be ambitious for the center position and keep fighting with the other trainees. Always look angry during the rankings. Oh, and if you fall asleep during others' practice, that scene will appear about ten times. Do that, and you'll get it. Will you do it?

-Oh...

-Why not?

-...Well...

After a brief awkward silence, Jeong Hae-won asked,

-Do you envy me for getting more screen time?

-...

-Actually, you don't want to be like me, right?

-...

-I was the same.

Then, as if trying to lighten the mood, Jeong Hae-won ended the call with a light-hearted joke.

* * *

Before the highlight medley was released, the atmosphere at TRV was quite positive.

The pre-order numbers showed a clear upward trend. 70,000 pre-orders, more than double the previous number.

New fans were coming in from the new variety show, and existing fans, whether positive or negative, were firmly united, significantly boosting album sales.

“Sure, this company may not have much else, but they have a knack for it.”

“It's not the worst, right?”

“True, but I'm still working here...”

Everyone agreed that the new concept and songs fit Firstlight perfectly, and the pre-order numbers confirmed their predictions.

“At first, when Hae-won brought the concept, the reaction wasn't great, honestly.”

“Yeah, even the Jacon team didn't understand it at first.”

Despite the initial doubts, the Firstlight Company series had attracted so many fans that the term 'para-com induction' was coined. Especially the day before the tracklist was revealed, the second part of Firstlight Company was released, revealing the identity of the villains. The speculation that 'Two Villains' on the tracklist was a unit song by Min Ji-ho and Han Hyo-seok heated up the response.

The final hurdle for the pre-order numbers to carry over to the initial sales was Jeong Hae-won's phone call on 'The Surety.'

TRV, being conservative, usually avoided unpredictable attempts right before album release, but this time they followed Jeong Hae-won's advice.

As Jeong Hae-won predicted, even if he said something to his advantage, 'The Surety,' desperate for ratings, couldn't cut the call.

Just before the highlight medley was released, a PR team member said,

“Right now... Hae-won's phone call is trending?”

“...What? Just that?”

Personal birthdays trend, but Firstlight's debut day doesn't. It clearly shows that individual recognition has surpassed the team.

#Negative_Screen_Time_Out

[You don't want to be like me? This is so true :(((]

[People who said Hae-won benefited from negative screen time and editing should really hear this.]

And at exactly 12 PM.

The highlight medley was uploaded, and TRV was in an uproar.

The predicted shipment volume was wrong.