Chapter 68: The Techniques of an Idol Who Never Fails

Oh, worries, worries.

In the end, I got up and woke up my roommate, Shin Jiwoon.

"Jiwoon. Hey, Jiwoon. Wake up. Something big has happened."

"Why?"

I was still half-asleep when I said,

"Remember the post I made on XBus earlier? Can it be edited?"

"…You said something big happened?"

"I wanted to wake you up."

"Are you crazy, really?"

Muttering, Shin Jiwoon pulled the blanket back over himself and turned over. I didn’t give up and turned on the flashlight on my phone, then shook him.

"I didn’t write 'I love' to the Hae-sun. Should I write it now? Or is it worse? What do you think?"

Shin Jiwoon, who was born eight months after me, got up with a curse. I showed him the XBus post and said,

"Didn’t I tell you earlier that Minjo said to write 'I love'? But I wrote 'love me' instead. I didn’t think it meant anything different at the time, but after lying down and thinking about it, it’s completely different."

"…Bro, can I just curse once?"

"No."

"Five seconds. I’ll finish my cursing in five seconds."

"No, you can’t. If you want to go back to sleep, listen to my worries."

"Damn…."

"Did you curse me?"

"Of course not."

Shin Jiwoon took the phone with a sigh and asked,

"Didn’t you read the comments?"

"Huh?"

"So, you woke me up for this? I’m going to go crazy."

"What do you mean?"

"Just go back to sleep."

Shin Jiwoon handed me the phone and pulled the blanket back over himself.

"This guy has no respect for his brother."

I grumbled, but feeling guilty for waking him, I went to the living room to let him sleep without the phone light.

Looking at the living room where all the clothes were scattered, I started to think that we should move soon. We needed an extra room from the beginning.

Since I’ll be staying here for a while, I should nag the manager to find a bigger place. Hehe.

Just as I was about to go back to my room, Park Sunjae came out, probably woken by the light.

"Bro, you’re at it again."

Park Sunjae mumbled sleepily and pushed me towards the room. Then, with his eyes still half-closed, he laid me down and covered me up to my neck.

I lay down, but it felt strange.

"Sunjae, what are you doing?"

Only then did I ask, and Park Sunjae’s eyes widened.

"Huh? You were awake?"

"…Of course I was."

"Damn. Sleep well."

Park Sunjae said casually and left the room.

I was so frustrated that I couldn’t fall asleep.

* * *

At the VMC headquarters, on the 8th floor where TYT is located, a cold atmosphere prevailed.

PD Park Kyungseok felt that, just like the last manipulation incident, this time the company was trying to cut him loose and move towards recovery.

If the manipulation of Kuk Sun-a hadn’t been exposed, he would have had the connections to handle it behind the scenes. But now, those connections were severed, and he had no way to grab the line.

Ultimately, all the provocative edits were for the company’s benefit. When they pressured him to boost ratings, they didn’t care; now that there’s a problem, they expect him to solve it on his own. PD Park Kyungseok was disgusted by the company’s attempt to quickly clean up the mess.

'I can’t let this end like this.'

He couldn’t take full responsibility and leave. Not only was his livelihood at stake, but his honor was also involved. It was infuriating to bear all the blame.

VMC’s increased attention to First Light’s public opinion was due to their desire to use the two debut members still under their own agency in conjunction with First Light. As First Light showed an upward trend, this plan became even more clear.

'What about the other one?'

Out of the nine debut members, three were not part of First Light. Two were active or preparing for a comeback, but the third was completely missing. The Music Awards production team was trying to contact him, but the exact progress was unknown.

The other two had been involved in score manipulation, but for the third, it was ambiguous to call it manipulation. It was true that the responsible PD had a secret meeting with the member’s agency manager, and the member’s screen time was overwhelmingly high from the start of the series, but the results were not manipulated.

Another thing that intrigued him was the contract process for Jeong Hae-won. There was no fact that the 'victim was flawless' in the public opinion suppression. PD Park Kyungseok was looking for a good angle.

At the TYT Music Content Department, Director Kim Joocheol, who had landed his position through various connections, felt the pressure to produce results and solidify his position. If there was a good angle, he would listen.

In the industry, TRV’s contract with Jeong Hae-won was seen as nothing more than a way to 'stir up controversy.' Anyone in the entertainment industry could see that Hae-won’s sudden joining was a means to make the name 'First Light' known, even if it was in a negative way.

PD Park Kyungseok mobilized all his connections to desperately find out the process of TRV’s contract with Jeong Hae-won.

Fortunately, he got information about the contract period through a journalist connection.

A six-month contract.

It was almost time for renewal by the end of this year.

Given the current momentum, it seemed like an early renewal was likely. TRV was clearly trying to keep it quiet until the renewal was complete, as revealing it before then might cause fans to have mixed feelings.

Although he didn’t know the exact reason for the six-month contract, it was bound to have some significance.

'This might work.'

PD Park Kyungseok thought as he stood in front of the director’s office.

* * *

As soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, I sat on the sofa and turned on XBus.

"Huh?"

The comments had over 10,000. I had never seen such a number.

Was there a problem? I clicked on the comments with a sinking feeling.

"…Oh. It’s in a foreign language."

When I clicked to translate, most of the comments were supportive.

[Don’t let the devilish editing get you down]

[The action you took at sixteen needs to be punished]

Kuk Sun-a was sixteen at the time, so it said 'sixteen,' but it felt strange because the age I recognize is different.

The Korean comments were also all positive. I had never received so many 'I love you' messages in my life.

I read the comments one by one, slowly and carefully.

[Did you sleep well, Hae-won? It’s very cold today, so dress warmly. A puffer jacket is fine!]

[Did you eat breakfast? Don’t skip meals!]

[I’ll be on your side for life]

[We believe in you, Hae-won!]

We believe in you.

I’ll be on your side.

It felt really strange.

While reading the comments, I accidentally clicked on the feed, and the atmosphere there was completely different.

[Please don’t say sorry to Hae-won. It’s hard enough for her as it is]

[Just being angry is a way to help, hahaha]

[The existing fans, who have been with us since Kuk Sun-a, are mentally drained. There’s no reason for the new Hae-sun to hear such things]

[Exactly. What did Hae-won do? Why are you doing this, hahaha]

The existing First Light fans were based on Kuk Sun-a’s C team, but the influx of new fans after The Rising had created a chaotic atmosphere.

"Hmm."

Would I know how to mediate in such situations if I had more experience?

I thought it would be nice to consult with a senior idol.

It would be good to get closer to the seniors at TRV, but since most of them didn’t consider us juniors because First Light didn’t train at TRV, and they didn’t often see us at the company, it was difficult.

The only senior I could talk to about everything, Park Heeyoung, is a trot singer, so her approach to fandom is completely different from ours.

While I was reading the comments, An Joo-won, the second to wake up, came into the living room. He glanced at my phone and asked,

"Why are you reading the comments so carefully?"

"The Hae-sun are fighting. It’s upsetting."

At that, An Joo-won chuckled and said,

"If you just post what you said, they won’t fight."

"Hmm… I can’t do that."

"True. It’s a bit funny."

While talking with An Joo-won, I remembered yesterday’s incident and asked,

"Ah, Joo-won. Do I have sleepwalking?"

"Why?"

"No, I was walking around at night, and Maknae said something."

"Ah… It’s not sleepwalking. A few days ago, when we were eating snacks in the living room, you went to bed, then suddenly got up and curled up on the balcony to sleep again."

"Huh? That’s creepy."

"Really, it was scary. Anyway, just once?"

"Say something."

"It’s nothing much."

Even though he said that, I understood why Shin Jiwoon was so shocked when I said something big happened. I stretched my neck and said,

"Maybe I was just tired."

"You need to exercise. Let’s go to the gym since you’re up early."

"Ah, from tomorrow."

"Hae-won."

An Joo-won said seriously,

"If you don’t exercise, one day you’ll be dragged by Han Hyosuk. I’ve been there."

"…Oh."

"To prevent that from ever happening…"

I could guess why An Joo-won had started exercising on his own. He was trying to avoid being caught by Han Hyosuk.

I could imagine him saying, "Bro, I can do this. I can’t lose. I’ll do everything I can," while flexing his muscles… His concept of endurance is different from ours because he has been doing ballet for a long time.

Completely convinced, I had no choice but to follow An Joo-won to the gym.

And An Joo-won was right. If I hadn’t started exercising, I would have collapsed during the concert. Hehe.

Exercise was the solution to all my worries. After sweating it out, my worries seemed trivial.

Ultimately, the solution is for us to perform well on stage. I know this because I also have favorite idols. After seeing a good performance, fans are too busy talking about the stage to fight.

And I’m confident that we did just that at The Rising Final.

* * *

The final episode of The Rising began amidst high anticipation.

TRV employees gathered in one place, watching the final episode with tense expressions.

This stage was more important than any First Light had ever performed. For idols, the most decisive way to solidify the hearts of fans, whether through controversy or any other means, is through their performance.

The current atmosphere among First Light’s fans was far from good. But at this moment, the stage could also turn the fans’ attention around.

Perhaps because he was at the center of the controversy, Jeong Hae-won’s reactions were captured quite a bit during the final episode. One employee muttered,

"Mr. Hae-won has quite a lot of expressions."

His face clearly showed that he was enjoying the other teams’ performances. He watched the stage with a cold but bright expression.

Then, the second final mission stage began.

On a black screen, the word 'Matthaios' appeared in flashy typography, followed by 'Ma-taeo' in Korean. Then, a VCR of Shin Jiwoon filmed in a church played, accompanied by Park Sunjae’s humming to create an a cappella.

Even at the intro, the real-time reactions on the monitor screen were exploding. Then, the first verse began.

[Like a blooming flower, a pure dance of love]

[When the voice, like an angel’s, is not yours]

[What was the love I promised?]

The stage paused briefly, and an interview with Jeong Hae-won continued.

- 'Matthaios' is a song about a devout man who commits a sin for his lover and then seeks forgiveness from God. It’s not about the sin, but the fact that he loves someone more than God.

Sitting next to him, Shin Jiwoon said with disbelief,

- I made it because it’s ironic that I go to church.

- Yes, it doesn’t fit at all. The image.

As he chuckled, one employee asked his colleague,

"…Why does he look so genius? Is it because he’s biased?"

"I’m biased too, how would I know?"

"Ah, right."

The stage continued.

* * *