| Episode 22. Concept Planning (1)
I thought back on the concepts Spark had digested over the past seven years.
Starting with their debut album, where they sang a ballad in a field of grass all killed off by frost, giving off winter-boy vibes.
All the way to them wearing jumpsuits in an abandoned factory while singing a love song, as if someone had been aiming for an unexpected contrast.
Among them, there had been a few concepts that actually suited Spark themselves quite well. It was just that the sense of season and fashion sense had been thoroughly botched.
‘The moment the cyber warrior concept came out, UA’s planning ability was as good as dead.’
I forcibly pushed the five gray cyber warriors I didn’t even want to remember out of my mind.
Then what kind of concept should Spark be given?
‘We have to make use of their faces and physiques somehow…….’
First, I asked Lee Cheonghyeon, who would have the biggest share in making the song, if there was a concept he wanted. Lee Cheonghyeon answered like this.
“I want something that goes well with a feeling of things bursting open. Exciting!”
“Isn’t that just you saying something that matches the song you’re writing right now?”
The song Lee Cheonghyeon had hummed, saying he was working on something like this, had been included as a track on their debut album in the past.
Since I knew how that song would be completed, I could clearly understand what kind of feeling Lee Cheonghyeon was talking about.
“My life goal is ‘you only live once, so live it excitingly’!”
It wasn’t very helpful, but since it was the precious composer’s words, I did take them to heart.
“Ah! What about a future-oriented concept? It’s cool. Like a movie!”
“Don’t even let such a horrifying phrase leave your mouth.”
Unless you want to become a cyber warrior born from LEDs.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Warm praise for your younger brother struggling for self-improvement?”
“You look cool working hard to grow, Cheonghyeon. Satisfied? Then let’s get back to work.”
As I dragged Lee Cheonghyeon back in front of the laptop, Park Juu poked his head in from outside the door.
I gestured for Park Juu, who had stuck his head in of his own accord, to come inside.
“We were just talking about concepts for a bit. Juu, is there a concept you want to try?”
“If it’s among idol-like concepts…… something a little strong.”
It was still a taste that was the complete opposite of his gentle atmosphere.
“Do you mean you want the lyrics or message of the song to be strong? Or do you mean you want what people see, like the styling or choreography, to feel strong?”
“……Mm.”
As if he hadn’t thought that far, Park Juu pondered.
“Considering Juu-hyung’s taste, don’t you think he wants the song difficulty to be strong? Like powerful high notes and stuff.”
“As long as this group possesses Park Juu and Jeong Seongbin, we can’t avoid high notes anyway.”
“……If I have to choose, I like it when the message is strong.”
It was quite a philosophical preference.
The last time I had thought about philosophy was when I had desperately asked someone to please decide on the management philosophy to put on Hanpyeong Industries’ website.
After that, I asked the rest of the members, including Jeong Seongbin, and was able to roughly figure out what concepts each of them wanted to try.
Choi Jeho: Something with intense choreography.
Jeong Seongbin: I’m fine with anything as long as it suits the members.
Park Juu: Something with a powerful message.
Lee Cheonghyeon: Something exciting that bursts open.
Kang Giyeon: Something that can utilize unique formations, draw attention, and show the group’s color well.
They were like guys who would go to a Chinese restaurant and each order five different dishes. With this little unity, how did they promote together for seven years?
Pushing away the headache that was creeping in, I once again organized the concept I had to come up with in my head.
1. It had to make use of the members’ strengths, their physiques and visuals.
2. It had to suit the song Lee Cheonghyeon would compose.
3. It had to fit the tastes of the members, who had many demands.
4. It had to be sellable in the market.
My vision went dark. The only album concepts for idols that I knew were all the concepts Spark had done over the past seven years.
There was only one solution at times like this.
Entrusting myself to the sea of information, just like when I had searched the internet for personnel document templates right after joining the company.
I squeezed “reference research” into my already airtight daily routine.
To think a day could be this explosively busy. I wanted to bill the system for overtime pay.
* * *
There had been a time when I went around scraping together positive comments to prepare a birthday present for Choi Jeho.
That was probably…… when we said we would gather supportive comments, make them into a book, and give it to him as a gift.
Among the posts I saw while roaming various communities, there was a type of post that appeared whenever Spark made a comeback, as if it had been copied and pasted.
≫ I don’t think there’s any company worse than UA at making use of the kids’ faces
They’re kids you could just dress in matching colors and they’d look fine, but UA goes out of its way to carefully put them in rags
└ >goes out of its way to carefully< is the killing point
└ Officially No. 1 idol group that looks best in their own clothes
Below that, the comments were plastered with photos of Spark wearing Tetris looks, as if all they needed was a top and bottom.
≫ Dressing them like this for every stage is a talent too
One of the members must’ve spilled an iced Americano on the CEO’s face
└ Judging by the state of them, I think all five spilled it at the same time
└ If you told me the shirt the CEO was wearing cost 800,000 won, I’d totally understand
Amid the scathing criticism and flashy photos that alternately drained the soul out of a person, something caught my eye.
‘What is this……?!’
It was a photo of me.
And not just any photo, but one where I was wearing a black T-shirt, a fluorescent yellow vinyl vest, and white cotton shorts.
The post with the shocking photo attached also had a one-line comment.
≫ Kim Iwol’s outfit is seriously insane
He’s basically a Post-it note dropped on piano keys
The outstanding expressiveness was enough to make cold sweat run down my back.
Even that post, which had 3 views, had a comment.
≫ Those pupils with all the light dead in them are XX pitiful
“Hurk……!”
The moment my eyes met the hazy, dead pupils of myself preserved in the comment, my eyes flew open.
It had been a horrible dream.
‘No matter what happens, I will avoid the Post-it concept.’
I steeled my resolve. Every day was already hell as it was, but I had a feeling today would be another day that was no easy match.
When I went out to the living room, Lee Cheonghyeon, who was the first to meet my eyes, greeted me.
“Hyung, did you have a nightmare? You were groaning in your sleep.”
“You have no idea how relieved I am that this is reality.”
“Must’ve been a really awful dream.”
Receiving Lee Cheonghyeon’s sympathy, I was heading to the kitchen when I saw someone standing in front of the induction stove holding a spatula.
It was Jeong Seongbin, completely ready for school.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, hyung! Did you sleep well?”
Then Jeong Seongbin pointed to the dining table.
“I toasted bread today. You should eat too, hyung.”
On the dining table, the bread was neatly laid out.
No wonder there had been a delicious smell since morning.
If he woke up early, he could have just lain around rolling in bed. It was truly diligence that seemed as if someone had breathed life into a moral education textbook.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“It’s nothing.”
Then Jeong Seongbin sat down too and began eating bread.
Even this Jeong Seongbin becomes a representative figure of “male idol leaders full of grit” after seven years of group life, huh.
I really didn’t even want to imagine how idol life would unfold from here on.
* * *
There is a saying that there is no end to learning.
For the past twenty-nine years, I had believed that saying would not apply to me.
Because I myself didn’t particularly like studying. I had studied until I was sick of it as a student, so would I want to study after growing up?
Until high school, the entire reason I studied was because I wanted to get away from home. In college, it was to get a scholarship, graduate quickly, and get a job.
I can say with certainty that not once did I study because I liked it.
On top of that, even at Hanpyeong Industries, there hadn’t been a single handover document, so I had been digging through bare ground with a hand trowel.
I sincerely wanted to stop being forced by someone to newly learn something. If I didn’t bring stupid trouble upon myself, perhaps that would have been the case.
However, old sayings were never wrong.
As I massaged my eyes, which felt like they were about to fall out from organizing the monthly Top 10 rankings from music sites for the past five years, I admitted it inwardly.
That since there could come a day in life when an office worker had to study the idol market, there really was no end to studying.
‘How can work come barging in like this just when monthly evaluation prep is almost over?’
It felt like the sad memories I had steadily accumulated at Hanpyeong Industries were rising up again.
And so, after sleeping three hours a day, practicing during the day, and staring at my laptop at night—
“Hyung. I think your dark circles evolved.”
My face reached the point where Lee Cheonghyeon said that to me. Somehow, I also felt like my dry eye had flared up.
Maybe my complexion really was bad, because even Choi Jeho asked me a question.
“Aren’t you sleepy after sleeping that little?”
“I am.”
But if I didn’t save up sleep now, I was certain I’d suffer disgrace in the future because of a Post-it look.
Just thinking about that made any sleepiness that approached flee.
“But hyung, what do you do at night? Didn’t you say you already picked the monthly evaluation song?”
“Preparing for the future?”
“This hyung really talks strangely.”
Lee Cheonghyeon laughed as he said that.
But I couldn’t exactly tell them, “Be grateful that I’m helping you avoid the fate of gimbap wrapped in aluminum foil,” so I quietly kept my mouth shut.
“……Still, hyung, you really don’t seem nervous.”
“Right. You did well on your first evaluation too, hyung.”
Park Juu and Jeong Seongbin, who had been amicably stretching together, joined in as well.
I preferred not to have attention focused on me, so I hurriedly changed the subject.
“Thanks for the praise, but shouldn’t we start practicing soon?”
Fortunately, Jeong Seongbin, who was by-the-book when it came to practice, immediately entered practice mode.
And so this trivial conversation came to an end…… or so I thought.
“Hyung.”
“Huh?”
Late at night, Kang Giyeon, who had remained alone with me in the practice room, spoke to me, and the insignificant conversation continued.
“Could you spare me a little time?”
Sorry, Giyeon.
At this point, I’m starting to get scared whenever you open your mouth.