Chapter 76: The Idol's Technique That Never Fails

It's hard to turn down 'The Boys' stage, but since we gave away six-sevenths of the members, we said we also wanted to perform on a stage we desired.

The PD in charge of the VMC Music Awards, who was prepared to take the heat from above, finally agreed to put up the stage after I persuaded him, saying that the best reaction this year was for Matteo, so what should we do?

Before Matteo's stage began, stylist Lee Ye-young hung a necklace around my neck, and I bent down to match my height. Lee Ye-young said,

"You can just stand there, you know."

"Why? This is easier than lifting my feet."

"It's more distracting. If you just stand still, it feels like I'm putting makeup on a doll, and it's more comfortable."

"Why are people so selfish? It's okay for you to be comfortable, but not for me to be uncomfortable?"

"Hey!"

Lee Ye-young firmly said, chuckled, and then lifted my feet to lock the necklace.

It was a necklace from a famous brand. We received it as a sponsorship, and I wondered if all luxury sponsorships were this picky or if this brand was particularly fussy. The companies had several meetings.

Lee Ye-young whispered to me,

"Normally, they don't really sponsor newbies here. They're very particular about their image."

"Really?"

"That means you fit their image, Hae-won. They must think you're a sure thing as a newbie."

I don't think they would think so much just for sponsoring a necklace. Probably, since I became a hot topic as a rising star, they just wanted to give it a try.

Still, I'm grateful that Lee Ye-young is exaggerating it as such a big deal. Well, I did act like a lunatic in front of everyone, breaking a mirror and all, so it's understandable...

Today's performance is Matteo's first proposal.

Matteo was already confirmed, and since it's the biggest stage of the year, I thought we should show something more. I remembered watching the First Light's second mini-album, the first proposal stage, as an outsider.

My first impression was, "These delinquent high schoolers are trying to act like adults."

So, I suggested, "What if we make the suit concept into delinquent high schoolers pretending to be adults?" Shin Ji-won made a weird noise, saying, "Why would you do that when you're so cute?" but the company accepted it smoothly. It seems they agree with my opinion.

* * *

Before Matteo's start, at the VMC Music Awards, which fans call Bemmu, a PD asked the responsible PD,

"Is this really okay?"

"Because... Hae-won brought a proposal that 'The Boys' couldn't refuse."

"What is it?"

"He said he would create a killer stage. He argued that there's enough reason to do one number at the year-end awards, right? Ha, I fell for it."

Apart from getting scolded from above, the success of the year-end awards ultimately depends on whether there's a standout stage or not.

The stage Hae-won presented herself, just by hearing the description, gave the confidence that it would be the highlight of Bemmu. It was impossible to refuse.

Moreover, his personality is like a slippery eel, and he acted as if he didn't know anything about firing a PD from the company, greeting everyone calmly.

I don't know what kind of scolding I'll get behind the scenes, but if I can avoid hearing, "There's nothing to see at Bemmu this year," I can take this risk.

Checking the real-time reactions online, people started to complain about the sound and camera, saying Bemmu was boring. An impactful stage was needed.

Just then, First Light's stage began.

TRV poured a lot of money into this stage. TRV is usually known for being tight with stage budgets, but not today.

A huge screen appeared, displaying a beautiful stained glass window reminiscent of a church. When the stage came into view, six members sitting in chairs appeared, and Min Ji-ho walked over from behind a partition.

"...See, how can you refuse this?"

The responsible PD muttered to himself.

Anyone who has seen The Rising would immediately recognize that this intro starts from the final scene of The Rising's last episode.

After the pre-recorded intro ended, the live broadcast began.

When First Light, dressed in fantastically decorated black suits and wearing colored lenses, appeared, the bored viewers started to react.

[First Light really kills it on stage...]

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