Damn Idol, Episode 37
The comments calling it M Show viral marketing were the most numerous, followed by comments asking why the scores were so generous.
Still, it seemed people were taking at least a little interest.
They said that if the two teams really were exactly as the poster had evaluated them, then it would be worth watching.
“But what’s a yang vibe?”
“A delinquent vibe.”
“Gu Taehwan?”
Han Sion made a thoughtful hmm and looked at Gu Taehwan, then tilted his head.
Gu Taehwan was curious what that head tilt meant, but he didn’t ask.
He was afraid some unexpected answer might come flying back.
In truth, the members of Sedalbaegil couldn’t have known this, but the delinquents Han Sion had been meeting for over a hundred years were American-style.
Guys who did drugs, shot guns, and easily got caught up in crime.
So he didn’t really understand.
Unaware of that fact, Gu Taehwan opened his mouth.
“It’s kind of fascinating. That someone would look at us, evaluate us, and post it like this.”
“This person wrote only good things, but someday there’ll be malicious comments too.”
“That’s true, but honestly, it doesn’t feel real. They say hate comments make people suffer that much.”
“Jaeseong said this earlier too, but Sion, you’re really good at dealing with people. I felt a bit awkward and embarrassed.”
At Lee Ion’s words, Han Sion answered as if it were nothing.
“Fans are people we should be grateful to because they buy albums.”
“Albums?”
“Yes. Some guy said this. Buying an album means possessing a moment of someone’s life with something of value that can be exchanged for anything in the world.”
“That sounds like a nice thing to say, so why are you calling him ‘some guy’?”
“Just because.”
Han Sion said that, shrugged, and rose from his seat.
“Shall we get going? I have plans this evening.”
“Sure. Let’s all get up.”
As Gu Taehwan tidied up, he felt puzzled inside.
Because Han Sion’s mood, which had seemed good until just a few minutes ago, seemed to have sunk again.
* * *
The time I spent with Sedalbaegil was more comfortable than I’d expected.
On Saemiro had shown a strangely negative emotion in the middle of it, but it wasn’t directed at me.
It didn’t seem like he was really worried I might leave the show, but it didn’t seem like he wanted me to leave either.
I don’t really know what kind of emotion it was.
No matter how long I’ve lived, it’s impossible to see completely through a person.
In any case, I got lulled by that comfortable atmosphere and ended up saying more than I’d meant to.
What I said to Lee Ion was something the devil had said to me.
I’ve met the devil three times in total so far.
The first meeting was when we made the contract.
When it stopped time at the scene of the car accident, postponed my parents’ deaths, and threw me into a closed timeline.
The only explanation I heard from the devil that day was that I had to sell two hundred million copies, and that if I achieved the goal, it would send me to the point in the timeline I wanted.
Everything else, I figured out by smashing my head against it.
That only physical albums were counted, that albums bought with my own money—even if I asked someone else to buy them—weren’t counted, and that albums I produced were counted according to my level of contribution.
And that wasn’t all.
I also had to figure out on my own the damned rule of regression, where the moment I gave up, I regressed.
It was unfriendly to an absurd degree.
The second meeting was when my mind had completely broken.
My memories from that time are so jumbled that I can’t organize them well, but I think it was probably when I was trying to break into EDM.
Back then, my mind was completely gone, and I was unconsciously repeating regressions over and over.
I would be meeting Attorney Choi Jiwon, then open my eyes and find myself at the intersection; I would be passing through the arrivals gate, then open my eyes and find myself at the intersection.
At my worst, I had even been transported from my parents’ wrecked car into an ambulance, but when I closed and opened my eyes, I was back inside the car.
I was trapped in the negative thought that it wouldn’t work out anyway.
That was when the devil appeared.
Just like when we first met, the devil forcibly activated my reason and intellect and spoke.
No, it conveyed its meaning.
It asked why such a problem was occurring when not even a thousand years had passed, let alone ten thousand.
It said my chances of success were continuing to rise with each regression.
I think I was a little flustered then.
I had assumed the devil had repeatedly made contracts similar to the one I had experienced.
I had also thought it was trying to corrupt and wear down my soul so it could swallow it whole.
So I’d never expected it to ask about the cause so calmly.
But soon, anger surged up in me and I snapped.
So instead of answering its question, I poured out everything I’d been wondering about.
Why did I have to sell albums, of all things?
If it wasn’t to toy with me, mock me, and despise me, then tell me the reason.
The answer was truly unexpected.
[In ages of ignorance, offerings; in ages of barbarism, slaughter; in ages of conquest, war.]
[They enriched the value of death.]
[But after the age of civilization arrived, the value of death was degraded, and the value of currency was elevated.]
[Now the world is no longer a spinning wheel turned by humans placed before and after death.]
[It is a windmill shaken by those crying out over the heights and depths of wealth.]
[Yes. Money.]
[If one attempts to possess a moment of someone’s life with currency that can be exchanged for anything in the world, then that is an offering, worship, and conquest.]
[I merely stand at the crossroads of value and indulge in the desires bound to it.]
[You were only chosen as an agent.]
I had absolutely nothing to say.
There was no need to ask why it had to be albums.
According to that explanation, fixed arts like paintings or performance arts like dance wouldn’t be appropriate.
Surprisingly, the instant I rationally understood the devil’s intent, I felt my unstable emotional state settle.
Maybe I had been gripped by the fear that all my efforts might simply be something for the devil to laugh at.
After that, I kept asking the devil questions.
I was afraid, but I felt like I would never get another chance like this, and unexpectedly, I also got the sense that the devil wanted me to succeed.
When I asked why only physical albums were counted, it said that things that weren’t tallied were either not truly intended to be possessed, or were not desires bound to value.
I asked whether it had made contracts with musicians other than me, people like Beethoven or Mozart.
The answer that came back was that those were ages of barbarism and conquest.
The last question I asked was roughly what percentage my chance of success was at the time.
And.
[100%.]
It answered that if I could withstand the trial of time, it was 100%.
That was my second meeting with the devil.
The last, third meeting was……
I don’t want to think about it.
It was also something I never want to go through again.
“Damn it.”
I can’t believe I’m reminiscing about this crap.
I shouldn’t have answered Lee Ion’s question like that.
It wasn’t like my usual self.
Did I get too relaxed after coming to Korea for the first time in so long?
While I was thinking that, my phone rang.
—Han Sion? Can you come to the broadcasting station now?
It was Producer Kang Seokwoo.
It seemed he had heard about what happened between me and Fade.
* * *
After listening to Producer Kim Darin’s story, which he told with a serious expression, Kang Seokwoo brightened.
“Han Sion said he was confident he could get Chris Edward to appear?”
“Sorry? Yes.”
“Hmm. How did he know negotiations were running into trouble because of the appearance fee? Did he really just guess?”
“I-I’m not sure.”
“That’s interesting. Did you check whether the arranged version HR mentioned is ready?”
“……
I haven’t asked yet.”
“Why didn’t you ask that?”
“Senior. That isn’t the important thing right now, is it? Contestant Han Sion said he would leave the show if Fade didn’t apologize……”
“Ah, that?”
Kang Seokwoo chuckled.
“You think that means he’s really going to leave? He’s not an idiot.”
“What on earth is Contestant Han Sion’s intention?”
“How would I know? But it seems like he knows which side of the scale is heavier.”
“Pardon?”
“Enough, go on out. I’ll talk to him myself.”
After Producer Kim Darin left, grumbling, Kang Seokwoo picked up the phone.
About forty minutes later, Han Sion visited the broadcasting station.
“Hello.”
“Ah, sit down. Should I get you coffee?”
“Water will be fine.”
After receiving a bottle of water, Han Sion bowed his head to Producer Kang Seokwoo in apology.
“First of all, I’m sorry for causing trouble.”
“It’s fine. I heard the circumstances, and you weren’t the one who caused the conflict first, Sion.”
Inwardly, Kang Seokwoo was thinking that Han Sion might have deliberately provoked Fade.
Han Sion probably knew what he was thinking too.
But neither of them showed it at all, and they exchanged words of comfort and encouragement.
Then they reached the main point.
“I’ll tell Fade to apologize tomorrow. How should we do it, should I have him go to your place?”
“No. I think it’ll be enough if he just records a video and sends it.”
“Then we’ll do that. And I’m just asking because I’m curious, but why did you react that strongly? It didn’t look like you simply snapped because you were angry.”
“Producer, may I be a little honest here?”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
What Han Sion said after that was exactly what Producer Kang Seokwoo had expected.
Han Sion knew that he was a far more important presence to Coming Up Next than Fade was.
He had trusted in that and struck back without hesitation.
What was a little unexpected, however, was Han Sion’s assessment of Fade.
‘He knew it wouldn’t be aired anyway and did it to crush Sedalbaegil’s spirit? Is he the sort of kid who can scheme to that extent?’
If Kang Seokwoo had been on-site, where he could observe even nonverbal elements, he might have noticed, but hearing only the words left him a little uncertain.
It wasn’t important.
Even if all of that was Han Sion’s excuse and he had simply been asserting dominance, it didn’t matter.
“Now, then, if I guarantee Fade’s apology, does that mean we’re exchanging it for your guarantee that Chris Edward will appear, Sion?”
“If Edward doesn’t appear, does the weight tip back toward Fade’s side?”
“You really don’t fall for things easily, do you? Fine. I heard you even talked about the appearance fee with Producer Go. What do you want?”
“Mm……”
Han Sion glanced at him, gauging his reaction, then opened his mouth.
“A close relationship.”
“Us? We’re already close. To be honest, I never thought I’d be able to have this kind of conversation with a twenty-year-old contestant.”
“I mean a closeness beyond that of a program director and a program contestant.”
“Ah…… You want to leave me with a debt.”
“That’s not necessarily it.”
“What do you mean, it’s not?”
Producer Kang Seokwoo smiled affably and opened his mouth.
“But Sion, you know this, right? A debt of conscience only works with someone it feels uncomfortable to ignore.”
It was a warning that if he wanted to collect a debt from him, he would have to keep holding his position in the world of show business.
What if Han Sion went back to being a civilian after the program ended?
Then there would be no reason for Producer Kang Seokwoo to offer even the smallest help.
Kang Seokwoo wasn’t a good person.
He was a good business partner.
Han Sion knew that too.
“Of course.”
“Good. When can you give me the arranged version of Flowers Bloom that HR requested?”
“I’ll send it to you by tomorrow before the end of the workday at the latest.”
“Okay. Ask me directly.”
“There’s one thing I’m curious about as well. When I watched Lion Entertainment’s YouTube, I don’t remember seeing Fade.”
“Ah, that? It’s a bit complicated, but originally Take Scene had seven members, you see. But after this and that happened, it was finalized as five.”
“Did the other two get eliminated?”
“That’s right. So originally, a kid named Action had been confirmed as the fifth member.”
“Yes.”
“But the kid named Action withdrew because of family circumstances, and Fade came back.”
“Ah, so that’s what happened.”
Han Sion nodded.
“Yes. Well, according to CEO Choi Daeho, Fade was also someone they deliberated over until the very, very end, so there shouldn’t be anything lacking in terms of skill.”
“Yes. Even though there was some conflict, objectively speaking, Fade is good.”
“That’s right. Even if you can’t get along, try to remain objective in front of the camera.”
After that, Kang Seokwoo made light conversation with Han Sion, then saw him off.
In the room after Han Sion left, Kang Seokwoo scratched his chin.
“Well, damn.”
No matter how he looked at him, he didn’t seem like a twenty-year-old.
His give-and-take was precise, and his value judgments were cold.
But that was exactly why Kang Seokwoo liked him more.
Even if Han Sion had the exact same skills as now, if he had been a sentimental person, an unstable person, Kang Seokwoo would not have bet on him.
And so Coming Up Next had drifted a little away from its original planning intent, but it was sailing smoothly.