Chapter 9: The Techniques of an Idol Who Never Fails

It was the first time I saw President Park Hee-taek sober. As soon as I sat down in the seat he offered, he blurted out, "I pushed for Firstlight's debut. I just had a good feeling about them. They all look good, don't they?"

"…Ah."

"If this team fails, I'll have to take responsibility."

President Park Hee-taek, who had started as an unknown actor and worked as a manager for a senior actor, seemed to know nothing about singers, let alone idols. He was an alumnus of the same school as the CEO of TRV, who had placed him in the CEO position, saying that the professionals would handle the practical work, and he just needed to sit in the office. But in reality, it wasn't like that. The pressure to perform was overwhelming.

TRV was a company run by the CEO and his son, the vice president, so he was just a lackey.

But why was he telling me this…?

I couldn't bring myself to ask and just listened to the end, making sympathetic sounds like "Ah…" all the while.

After pouring out his grievances, President Park Hee-taek said, "I've put my job on the line, so I'm willing to do everything the Firstlight kids ask for. But Hwang Saebi… this guy is the leader, right? He should gather everyone's opinions and come talk to me, right? But whenever he comes to the office, he just clams up and doesn't say a word. When I ask what he needs, he just says everything is fine."

President Park Hee-taek looked like he had swallowed a couple of sweet potatoes and continued, "I don't understand how someone with that personality can even think about being an idol."

Not all idols dream of being idols from a young age.

Some, like me, go to the company and audition, while others, like Hwang Saebi, receive so many casting offers that they decide to give it a try and end up as trainees. Another member of Firstlight, Han Hyo-seok, was in the same boat, with his former agency repeatedly visiting his house to ask for a contract.

After a long talk, President Park Hee-taek got to the point.

"So."

"Yes."

"Jae-il has stage fright, right?"

Straight to the point.

"Yes, it's severe."

I spoke bluntly, and President Park Hee-taek nodded in understanding.

"Right, right. Then standing on stage right away might be a bit much. He should go around with the others and try to overcome it."

"Wait, I…"

"Whatever, if it's needed, I'll kneel down and beg him or something."

He laughed heartily.

Sometimes, there are people who become sober when they drink. President Park Hee-taek was the opposite, a madman when sober.

"No, I'm really serious…"

"We'll talk about it later, later. Ah, I have a business call, so please go out."

He gestured with his hand and picked up his phone, so I had no choice but to leave the office.

As Park Hee-yeong had said, the atmosphere suggested that I either join Firstlight or quit.

No matter how much President Park Hee-taek claimed he didn't know about idols, he must have known one thing: external enemies can strengthen a fandom.

It seems he wants to make me the external enemy. Despite his friendly smile, the only reason he's trying to get me, with my bad image, to join is to create conflict. Just the rumor of my joining would make Firstlight fans see me as an enemy.

Feeling frustrated, I left the office and met Park Jung-un, Firstlight's manager, who was waiting outside. After giving me the necessary information, Park Manager said, "They're filming a variety show at the café on the first floor right now. Once that's done, today's schedule is over, so you can take the members to the dorm with me."

"Really? Ah."

Park Manager seemed a bit embarrassed as he said, "We're splitting into two Carnival vans. The president said to start driving you from today."

Driving the van for the idol I had trained with didn't feel good.

It wasn't about the job of being a manager but about the dream I had.

President Park Hee-taek must know how I feel, having chosen the manager's job over his own dream. He must understand the feeling of supporting friends who are pursuing the dream I once had.

After parting ways with Park Manager, I wandered around looking for the elevator to go to the first floor and passed by the control room inside TRV.

Through the transparent glass, I could see expensive music equipment.

And I recognized a familiar face inside.

"Ah, it's Yang Yi-hyung."

Yang Yi-hyung, one of the composers who arranged and directed the songs we received during Kukseon-a, opened the door when I knocked, looking like he hadn't been home for a month.

"…Hae-won, did I die from overwork?"

Yang Yi-hyung asked seriously, so I replied, "If you ask if I died from overwork, it means you're dead too."

"I felt like I wouldn't see you alive again."

"Snap out of it and come back to reality."

Yang Yi-hyung was twenty-five during Kukseon-a, and now he looked much older at twenty-seven. He must be working a lot at TRV.

I poked around the control room and quickly got to the point.

"Yi-hyung, can I use the recording studio to record a guide? Just for one pro (about 3 hours 30 minutes)?"

"Are you composing?"

"Yeah, I want to."

"But you can't sing for beans. One pro won't be enough, will it?"

"Man, I'm really motivated."

I said sarcastically and gestured for him to go back to sleep. As he was about to go in, he glanced back at me, hesitated, and said, "I'm sorry I didn't take your side during Kukseon-a. I was a coward."

"Even if you weren't, no one else took my side, so don't worry about it."

I said and pushed him back in, closing the door.

Throughout Kukseon-a, my image was that of a lazy slacker.

Scenes of me practicing never made it to the air, and the times I stayed up all night re-recording songs with Yang Yi-hyung also never aired.

Yang Yi-hyung knew it wouldn't air, so he took pictures of me re-recording at 3 AM, but they never made it to the public.

Composers can't afford to have a bad relationship with the broadcasting company.

Anyway, if I had been a better singer, I would have received less hate, so I can now accept the negative comments about my skills. I guess that's what growing up feels like. Hehe.

After saying goodbye to Yang Yi-hyung, I went to the first floor and found they were still filming their self-produced variety show.

Seeing them spend five hours filming a 30-minute episode during this busy period, it was clear they were struggling to get enough content.

I stood behind the camera with the staff and watched the filming. After experiencing various hobbies, the members were now silently knitting.

Finally, a TRV PD intervened, saying, "You seem too absorbed in knitting. Can you talk while you do it?"

So, Han Hyo-seok said to Min Ji-ho, "You're wasting time making trash."

Min Ji-ho, who has a short temper, retorted, "What? You do better."

As soon as they started talking, it seemed like they were about to fight, but other members chimed in.

"Ji-ho, why are you like this again?"

"He's starting another fight."

Han Hyo-seok started the argument but pushed Min Ji-ho as if it was natural, so Min Ji-ho stopped trying to say more.

These two were responsible for Firstlight's overall performance. Considering the subtle artistic vibe in Firstlight's stage, it seems Han Hyo-seok has taken the lead. This dynamic also extends to their daily lives.

Han Hyo-seok is a ballet major from a prestigious arts middle and high school. Since Firstlight members are generally shy, the energetic Min Ji-ho is less favored compared to the calm Han Hyo-seok.

The three seniors are all extreme individualists and don't try to mediate, leaving the youngest, Park Sun-jae, in a difficult position.

They couldn't film a real fight, so while the PD was trying to break it up, Hwang Saebi noticed me. He ran to me behind the camera and asked, "You really came?"

"I'm here to fill in as a manager."

"Our CEO is stubborn. Once he starts, you can't stop him."

Ignoring Hwang Saebi, I asked, "Why are you all so boring?"

"We're always boring."

"No, you're the boring one."

I corrected Hwang Saebi and took out a pen from my bag. Then I asked the PD, who looked like a recent college graduate, "Can we make the members draw on each other's faces as a punishment for not laughing? We did that a lot during Kukseon-a."

Living with a comedian like Bu Jeong-tae, I have that mindset. If you can't make jokes, at least try physical comedy.

The PD worriedly asked, "Did you get permission from the company to deface the members' faces?"

"I'll beg for forgiveness later."

Editing can't create something from nothing, so I'll deal with the aftermath later. The PD, looking desperate, nodded.

The laughter challenge started, and for a while, no one spoke. Then, Min Ji-ho, who had poor knitting skills, held up a scarf that was narrower at the bottom, forming a reverse triangle.

"Is this right?"

It wasn't funny before, but now it was. As soon as he held it up, a few members closed their eyes tightly.

Trying not to laugh is genuinely painful. When you're told not to laugh, even unfunny things start to seem funny.

The PD and the members couldn't control it, so I said, "Hyo-sik laughed."

Hyo-seok, hearing me, said sternly, "I didn't laugh. And it's Hyo-seok, not Hyo-sik."

"Right, Hyo-sik."

"It's Hyo-seok."

"Okay, Hyo-sik."

"It's Hyo-seok."

We kept repeating the same thing, so An Ju-won, who was in the same grade as me but had a quick temper, said, "They're at it again."

I usually feel less close when I call people by their names, so I tend to give them nicknames. I don't know if it's related, but I'm the youngest in my family.

And every time I called Han Hyo-seok "Hyo-sik," he looked annoyed.

"Anyway, he laughed, Hyo-sik."

"It's Hyo-seok, and I didn't laugh."

Han Hyo-seok insisted, so the PD played back the recording, and it was clear he had laughed. Seeing this, Min Ji-ho immediately drew a cartoon vein on Han Hyo-seok's forehead. When their eyes met, Park Sun-jae almost cried, and Han Hyo-seok approached with a pen.

The physical comedy worked well, and within 15 minutes of the laughter challenge starting, all six faces were defaced. The PD whispered to me, "We've been filming for hours, but these 15 minutes will probably be the only usable footage."

The PD's expression clearly wanted to complain but held back. It must have been a tough day.

Soon, the knitting ended, and the six members presented their creations. Despite the quiet process, the results were terrifying. Hwang Saebi held up a scarf made with fluorescent yarn.

"I made a scarf for the club…"

"Isn't that a sponge?"

"Why would you wear a scarf in a club?"

While the members teased him, the quiet An Ju-won added, "We can cut it and use it as a sponge."

The blunt comment made everyone laugh again, and more faces were defaced.

Then, Min Ji-ho, who had made a scarf that got narrower and was much shorter than the others, made the members clench their teeth to hold back laughter.

"Wow, a reverse triangle."

"Awesome."

Min Ji-ho confidently walked out with the scarf and said, "I think it turned out exactly as I intended."

"What are you talking about?"

Hwang Saebi, confused, asked, and Min Ji-ho, with a shameless face, continued, "I'll make another one, attach them together, and use it as a beanie."

I don't know what's funny, but this baseless joke seemed to hit Han Hyo-seok's funny bone, and he was almost crying. Despite their bad relationship, they share a sense of humor.