Chapter 50

As we looked at the laptop screen, our expressions stiffened.

Silence filled the studio.

On the monitor, the Street Boys were energetically performing their debut stage.

"Ah, I'm so pissed off."

Lee Hyuk said.

"Sure, companies can fight, but this is different. What harm did we do to them to deserve this diss?"

"We don't know what their situation is."

Biju calmed the main vocalist with a steady voice, though his own expression wasn't good either.

Everyone felt the same.

The youngest member was biting his lip, staring at the monitor, and Jung-hyun stopped eating his snack, gazing intently at the screen.

No matter how much competition there is, this is crossing the line.

We weren't angry just because they dissed us.

It was more like a sense of betrayal.

We had always thought of DNS and the Street Boys as separate entities.

Or rather, we had tried to think of them that way.

The Street Boys were just following orders from their company, and the company's tactics were despicable, but what wrong had the Street Boys done?

Of course, I had also contributed to creating that atmosphere.

Healthy competition can be helpful in group activities, but it's not good if it leads to hatred or jealousy.

So I had suggested treating the Street Boys as colleagues in the entertainment industry.

Let's not hate each other when we're all in a tough position.

The kids understood, and until just now, we had been praising the Street Boys' performance.

Until Hanjo's rap came on.

- "We don't have a 'Something.' But what's the big deal?"

Honestly, it felt like we had been hit with a solid punch.

I had thought of them as fair competitors, but they had been thinking of us this way all along.

"Let's just watch the showcase until the end. During the Q&A, the reporters will definitely bring it up."

I tried to calm the others and decided to watch for now.

Since the question about the rap would definitely come up during the Q&A, we would listen to their response and judge accordingly.

The debut performance ended, and the showcase proceeded smoothly.

The famous comedian MC was hosting, and the Street Boys, being rookies, were nervous and awkward.

Finally, the Q&A session began.

As expected, the first question was about the rap.

- "I'm Oh So-hee from Entertainment IN. Congratulations on your debut. First, I have a question about the lyrics of your debut title track 'Hunger.'"

The Street Boys, looking tense, grabbed the microphone as the reporter's voice echoed.

- "In the song, there's a part where Hanjo's original rap says, 'People say we don't have a 'Something.' But what's the big deal?' When I heard it, I personally thought of New Black's 'Something.'"

It was exactly the question I wanted to hear.

- "Given that New Black and the Street Boys are in competition, I wonder if this was intentional. Could the person who produced the song, Hanjo, share his thoughts on this?"

A member wearing a leather jacket picked up the microphone.

He was tall and had a kind face.

Hanjo, the leader, smiled at the reporter.

- "I want to clarify that it's not about that at all. The context of that rap is related to personal issues of our members. People around us have always said, 'You won't make it,' 'You're not good-looking,' 'You don't have the talent to be an entertainer.' So, the lyrics are about not caring what those people say."

It was laughable.

Listening to Hanjo's response, I realized it was completely intentional.

Usually, when asked about unexpected controversies, people are initially taken aback and think for a moment.

But this response seemed like it was prepared in advance.

It meant that they knew such a question would come up, whether from the company or from themselves.

"Unbelievable. If you're going to diss, do it to our face."

Lee Hyuk muttered, clearly displeased, while Hanjo smiled and said,

- "And when you say we're in competition with New Black, actually, we don't consider them competitors."

Huh?

- "They debuted before us, so in a way, they're our seniors in the music industry, and we respect them."

- "You respect them?"

- "When we made 'Hunger' as an original song, I learned how much effort goes into creating a single song. I received a lot of help from professional composers, but I heard that the leader of New Black composed the song alone. Honestly, I wouldn't have had the courage to do that."

It felt off.

The way he was stacking compliments seemed like a buildup to something.

- "Not only did he compose 'Something' with Seo Won, but I also heard him play the piano on Music Cafe. I think he's incredibly talented and amazing."

Hanjo smiled on the screen.

- "It's like looking at a real genius."

The moment I saw that smile, I realized that a much bigger bomb had been dropped than the diss in the lyrics.

* * *

- "Street Boys' 'Hanjo': 'New Black's Woo is a Genius'"

- "Street Boys: 'New Black Isn't a Competitor, They're Genius Seniors'"

- "Fueled by Hunger and Determination, Street Boys Successfully Complete Showcase"

Articles kept pouring in during and after the showcase.

Even though it was a competitor's showcase, our company was the busiest.

As soon as the live broadcast ended, Yoon Seok-hwan was called to a meeting by the producer.

It was because of the bomb Hanjo had dropped.

On the surface, there was no problem.

After all, he had called me a 'genius' and praised me.

But looking deeper, there was a hidden agenda.

A high-level provocation.

Honestly, when an idol releases an original title track, the public tends to view it with skepticism.

How much can an idol really compose?

So, if the quality is just a bit good, people think, "Hmm, it's better than I expected," and give positive feedback.

But what if someone praises them by saying, "He's a real genius"?

Naturally, people would feel resistant.

What did they do to deserve being called a genius?

Or, "Wow, they must be really amazing."

Either way, it's not good.

The expectations that were already there would become unrealistically high, and unless the song was incredibly good, it wouldn't sound good.

"The fans' reactions are intense."

Jung-hyun said, looking at his phone with a serious expression.

"Everyone can see it's a direct hit, but they slipped away like eels. They're getting good reviews, and they're setting up New Black to fail. Everyone is really angry."

The most upset were our few fans.

They had been eagerly waiting for their favorite singer to debut, but some jerk had dissed them in front of everyone.

When asked if he was dissing, he said, "No, I respect them," and slipped away cunningly.

"There's no talk about it on idol fan sites. They're just saying the Street Boys' song is good."

Ji-ho showed his phone.

[Group photo of DNS's new group, Street Boys, after the showcase]

- "What's up with the outfits;; They look a bit tacky."

- "Finally, they debuted. Nice."

- "I like the one in the middle and the second from the right."

- "Is that the one in the middle? The one who composed the title track."

- "I didn't expect much from an idol's original song, but it's better than I thought."

- "They lack charisma.."

- "Did they not spend money on styling? Did they put all the money into the song?"

- "Yeah, the song is good."

- "I was disappointed by the lack of hip-hop concepts after Sixty, but I hope they do well."

- "They have a strong concept and fit it well. I hope they succeed."

The reactions were as indifferent as usual for a debut.

There were many positive comments about the song.

- "The song is good, but isn't there a problem with the lyrics? It seems like they're directly targeting New Black."

- "?? What do you mean?"

- "It's probably something like, 'We don't need a 'Something.' What's the big deal?' Didn't an article come out about it?"

- "Haha, that's why the reporter asked during the Q&A, and they said it wasn't true."

- "Yeah, they even praised them, calling them geniuses. It's too calculated."

- "222 They even praised them, what more do they need to explain?"

- "It's so creepy. It's clearly a diss, right?"

- "Creepy? Haha, it's already a mess with newbies trying to pull each other down."

- "He's been getting more attention since the New Black concept shot came out."

- "I don't care about either group, but I've never seen such a noisy debut before. They should calm down. They're not like T-ara or Sixty, just debut groups."

The comments suggesting the lyrics targeted New Black didn't get much traction.

- "But is New Black's 'Something' really that amazing? Why call him a genius?"

- "It's just lip service."

- "Genius? Haha, they're just patting each other on the back."

- "I'm really curious about the song."

- "Yeah, haha, I might listen to it out of curiosity."

- "Aren't they competitors? The Street Boys seem to be promoting New Black. I'm curious."

Most people were curious about the song, now that I was suddenly called a