Damn Idol Episode 102
The reason massive entertainment agencies like Ryan Entertainment can exert dominance over the industry is not because they are fearsome beings.
It is because they are beings that bring in money.
Because there is a belief that if they give up short-term gains, Ryan Entertainment will eventually bring them even larger sums.
When such beliefs gather, they become a cartel, and as time passes, they become the establishment.
Once they become an establishment cartel, they gain one more ability.
Namely…… the power of 'of course.'
Entertainment reporters did not mention Sedalbaekil's name in the articles about Coming Up Next's finale.
This was not the result of media outlets punching away at calculators, clicking abacuses as they calculated profit and loss. It was because there was no one raising the question, 'Why should we do Ryan Entertainment a favor?'
Because it was taken for granted.
Of course, Ryan Entertainment maintained this 'of course' by wining and dining, spending on advertising, and granting requests from media outlets.
Sometimes even at a loss.
Because the profits brought by the cartel were always greater than the cost of maintaining it.
Therefore, Sedalbaekil's current issue was dangerous.
When an issue grows big, people always start thinking more.
Why did Sedalbaekil go independent?
Why did Drop Out appear on Sedalbaekil's self-produced content?
Why do those guys seem close?
And at the end of these 'whys,' one more question might follow.
Why shouldn't we write articles about this?
This was the point where Choi Daeho felt the sense of crisis.
Because the moment 'of course' is no longer taken for granted, the cartel's power weakens. 'What on earth is Double M thinking?' It couldn't have been out of some feeling of justice that they took Sedalbaekil's side.
Because if the same thing happened, Double M was a company that would have done the same.
In other words, Double M was gaining some benefit through the relationship between Drop Out and Han Sion.
However, he had no idea what it was.
Could Double M have signed a contract with Sedalbaekil?
That was absurd.
If they had such intentions, Double M would have contacted Ryan Entertainment long ago.
With an appropriate negotiation offer.
Then did Han Sion give them a good track?
That was also absurd.
They wouldn't pick a fight with a giant like Ryan Entertainment over just one track.
He racked his brains but simply couldn't understand Double M's motive for acting.
He briefly considered contacting Double M but soon gave up on the thought.
Double M wasn't some neighborhood small-to-medium agency, and what was decided couldn't be undone.
Besides, the act of reaching out first was conceding the upper hand.
In times like these, it was better to stay still, survey the situation, and then act.
And so, two days passed. NOP's single was released, and—
-Ah, so when is the self-produced content coming out. Fucking dragging on forever.
-Sedalbaekil's official channel still has nothing.
-Are they just trying to change the mood by posting one picture?
-Does Drop Out look like pushovers? Like they'd agree to that shit.
-Hey guys. NOP's single got released.
-Oh, really? It's out. How's the track?
-It's good? Maybe worth comparing to Selfish?
-Yo, it's up.
-Personally, NOP is better.
-C'mon, Drop Out is way better.
-No, fuck, I said it's up!
-What's up.
-Sedalbaekil's self-produced content! An alert went off saying it premieres in an hour!
-Holy shit.
Sedalbaekil's self-produced content was released too.
* * *
The self-produced content,
A format where pre-recorded video was broadcast live.
Naturally, viewers' complaints pierced the sky.
-Fuck why do I have to watch this.
-When does Drop Out come out.
-My life's legendary watching these fucking boring idol self-produced contents.
What people were curious about was what the relationship between Sedalbaekil and Drop Out was.
Whether Sedalbaekil moved into their dorm, or got excited looking at the dorm they moved into, they didn't care.
If it were an uploaded video, they could skip ahead, but that was impossible with live streaming, which was why the complaints arose.
-Fuck I can't watch this. I'll come back in a few hours when the reposters have sorted it out, bb.
-I'm just gonna leave the sound on and play games, lol.
-Lemme know when Drop Out comes out.
-How would I let you know
-The chat will go crazy, what else
-Wow, 9k people are already watching. They'll surpass 10k soon?
A fair number of people showed this reaction, but not everyone.
-Wow, the dorm is nice. What agency are they from?
-Lmfao Han Sion's telling them to play games without him so damn confidently. Says he's taking the single room, lololol.
-Isn't that kinda rude?
-There seems to be a reason, though? The members are coolly accepting it.
-Does he snore a lot??
-;; Excuse me, our idol doesn't know how to snore, okay?
-??? What are they pulling out?
-It's hwatu, lololol
-What crazy idols assign rooms with sutda on a self-produced show????
-Hwatu. A fight with flowers. Might suit our flowers a bit?
-What are you talking about, you damn otaku.
-Way From Flower: ???
-Wait why are they showing so little of the game scenes; this is fun though.
-This feels more like a Tazza voice impression contest than a game.
-It totally feels like a college MT.
-They seem kinda close? Nice to watch.
-Why is Han Sion going so hard on voice impressions when he's not even playing, lol.
-And he's good at it, lmao.
Coming Up Next was a program that recorded enormous ratings, and most of Sedalbaekil and Han Sion's music had hit number one on the charts.
This meant there were many people who had fond memories of Sedalbaekil and Han Sion.
Especially those who weren't heavily influenced by entertainment articles.
Because what gets packaged as 'the public's reaction' on the internet isn't necessarily the actual public's reaction.
Because of this, there were surprisingly many people watching Sedalbaekil's self-produced content without much thought.
It wasn't a bad way to turn noise into noise marketing rather than letting it end as mere noise.
And the idol community reacted.
-Yo what is this? The dorm looks fucking expensive, and the way they're promoting the self-produced content... it's kinda weird?
-I think they have a company.
-Could it be Double M? Is that why Drop Out is attached to them?
-Really?? Is Sedalbaekil debuting under Double M??
-But if that's the case, shouldn't Double M's PR team have moved when Han Sion was getting hate?
-They might have signed after that. They're announcing the contract through this content.
-That comment fits the context perfectly... but the title 'Independence Diary' throws it off.
Right around when these kinds of stories were circulating in idol-related communities, Han Sion on screen gathered the members into the living room.
And brought up the topic of the self-composed song.
['I've roughly finished the beat draft and vocal lines...... but there are no lyrics. I think we'll need to write them together.']
['How should we write them?']
['I wish you'd write down as much as possible what you want to say, like we did for Seoul Town Funk.']
['What's the theme?']
['A resume.']
['A resume?']
['We need to get jobs in the music industry too. It's a kind of job hunting.']
['Job hunting... okay. I got it.']
['Ion hyung, don't tell me you're gonna write, I'm handsome, or something like that?']
['Jaeseong. What are you talking about.']
['Aren't you?']
['It should be, I am handsome. You can't use casual speech.']
['.......']
Before long, the footage of the members writing lyrics began passing by very quickly.
Beats flowed here and there in the middle of the screen, but they were in pieces, so it was hard to guess the full song.
You could only tell it was an upbeat song.
-Wait, watching this again, it really seems like they don't have a company. There should be at least a trainer or producer showing up.
-Then who got them that dorm.
-Fuck I came to see what they did with Drop Out.
-Me too. But strangely I can't stop watching.
Naturally, viewers thought Sedalbaekil's self-composed song wouldn't be released quickly.
Even when scenes of making songs appeared on self-produced content, it was rare to show the full track.
Usually, they showed bits and pieces before blowing it up on a music show stage or releasing an official music video.
However, in the video, the song was already finished.
['What about the choreography?']
['I dunno. Can't we just freestyle it?']
['No, that's absurd, we should at least match the key moves.']
['Oh, Choi Jaeseong. Is that the main dancer's sense of responsibility?']
['Ah, right. I was the main dancer. Then should I try coming up with a few moves?']
Under Choi Jaeseong's lead, moves began to be created, and viewers were able to hear a proper beat for the first time.
-This beat's pretty good?
-Oh, I like this kind of thing. Feels like Mac DeMarco.
-Wait is it just me or is their stance confusing? It feels like they're making it for fun among themselves, but they're acting like they have to show it to others.
-Yyyeah, I was thinking the same thing.
But the viewers' questions ended quickly.
As the scene of them practicing dance faded out to black.
-Resume(Live Version)
As the title appeared, the intro of the beat began to play.
-Wtf?
-Just like this, out of nowhere???
-What. Is this a new song release?
The brightened screen focused on a bed.
On the bed where sunlight shattered through the window, someone lay with the blanket pulled up over their head.
In that instant, a hand appeared from behind the frame, yanked the blanket off sharply, and Gu Taehwan appeared.
Gu Taehwan, who had been lying curled up on the bed, began the song.
Woo
- Hello
All night, did you have good dreams
A warm feeling
Over a warm melody, Gu Taehwan's song that poured forth was excellent.
Like sunlight shattering through the curtains, it was comfortable, but his presence was definite.
-Kyah, the master of intros, lol.
-Isn't this the best output Han Sion ever pulled out.
-Yyyyyeah, he almost got eliminated in the Team B preliminaries, but Han Sion grabbed him by the collar.
-Fucking groovy.
Gu Taehwan got up from bed and put on slippers as he sang.
However, what he put on were not indoor slippers but bathroom slippers.
The camera, which had been closing up on the bathroom slippers, moved up, and I Ion appeared.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, looking like he had just finished showering.
-Wow fuck, crazy handsome.
-fr if I looked like I Ion, I'd cover my whole house in mirrors.
-Who wears a t-shirt after showering. You should be shirtless.
I Ion, holding a razor, sang.
Woo
- Hello
A little, quickly
Start the day
A refreshing morning
-What, it's a real live, lol.
-It's echoing because it's the bathroom.
The moment I Ion finished singing and brought the razor to his jaw, the camera whipped around again and caught Choi Jaeseong sitting on the sofa.
Choi Jaeseong was reading a paper newspaper with his legs crossed.
Curious
-about everything
what I can
-do
From off-screen, a ding
- was heard.
As if searching for the source of the sound, the whirling camera soon caught On Saemiro standing in front of dozens of toasters.
Ding
-Ding
-Ding- as the loaves of white bread popped up from the toasters.
On Saemiro placed them prettily on a plate and sang.
The things I must do
Not turning away from them
Although it seemed he wasn't using any strength at all, a high note popped out sharply.
As On Saemiro headed to the living room carrying a plate full of bread, the members were huddled together at the dining table.
But Han Sion was the exception.
Han Sion was tapping on an electronic keyboard placed beside the table.
The moment On Saemiro set down the plate of bread, Han Sion sang.
We are
- Here
Earnestly
Wanting what we desire
-The chorus repeated once more.
This time, all members except Han Sion sang in harmony.
Only I Ion tapped the table with both hands as if playing drums.
We are
- Here
Earnestly
Wanting what we desire
-A tranquil yet warm melody that created a hazy atmosphere.
A minimal structure with simple chord progressions and repeating beats.
Bedroom Pop.
It was.