Damn Idol
Episode 94
* * *
Following Choi Jaeseong's stage, Sedalbaegil's opening continued.
Until now, the stages where Sedalbaegil appeared as special guests had mostly been impromptu bookings.
CEO Lee Hyeonseok would tap his indie scene connections to find performances, and then they would reach out to appear as guests.
But Baekmanwon's solo concert was a bit different.
The stage had been booked ever since Han Sion planned the indie scene excursion.
So they had time to prepare the stage, and they could raise the quality of the performance.
Moreover, since it wasn't a small venue, they could dance to their heart's content.
They could reproduce Coming Up Next's group choreography perfectly, which was impossible to show in small-scale venues.
"Hey, that's sick!"
"Why are they so good?"
In fact, there were those among the general public who harbored vague rejection toward idols.
And this rejection wasn't without reason.
Early-generation idols weren't particularly outstanding in musical achievement.
Appearance and talent were far more important than music, and one or two members who could sing well were enough.
But the situation gradually changed.
As competition in the idol industry intensified, idols' inherent abilities as singers became important.
Entertainment companies changed their training direction, and idols' skills improved day by day.
But the problem was that these changes didn't reach the public who already held prejudices.
If they had rejected the culture itself, how would they know it had changed?
But now, people had no choice but to cast aside their prejudices.
Through Sedalbaegil's stage.
"Wow, kids these days are good."
"Right."
Even the members of the band Baekmanwon were the same.
This change in perception wasn't something that had happened only at this performance.
It was just that Sedalbaegil hadn't felt it; there had definitely been people sending sharp gazes when they took the stage.
But even those people had no choice but to acknowledge Sedalbaegil when the performance ended.
It wasn't necessarily just because of Han Sion.
All of Sedalbaegil, who had each experienced their own events, was like that.
Today was the day Choi Jaeseong cast aside his limits.
"Thank you!"
"We were Sedalbaegil!"
"We hope you enjoyed today's performance!"
Just as the Sedalbaegil crew was about to leave the stage after finishing their performance like that,
the members of the band Baekmanwon came up on stage faster than scheduled.
And they high-fived the Sedalbaegil members one by one.
It was respect for the performers who had shown a great opening performance.
"Is there any song of ours you like? Other than the one from earlier?"
"Uh, Fortune Cookie! I like Fortune Cookie."
"Okay!"
When Baekmanwon suddenly started playing
And then he passed the mic to Choi Jaeseong.
Then the concert hall began to fill with sing-alongs.
The opening show was a place to heat up the unfamiliar atmosphere of the concert hall and introduce the main character of today's performance.
In that sense, Sedalbaegil crew's opening was perfect.
Amidst the music filling the concert hall, Sedalbaegil's fandom felt great emotion.
The reason they were moved wasn't because Sedalbaegil earned Baekmanwon's recognition, or because they witnessed Sedalbaegil in person.
There was such a reason too, but there was a more important part.
That was, Sedalbaegil really felt like one team.
Even the fans could feel it.
That Choi Jaeseong, who had been in a backup role all this time, had tried to become the protagonist today.
In fact, it was understandable.
Within Sedalbaegil, Choi Jaeseong wasn't a noticeable member, but looking at personal stats alone, he was a member who would have become an ace in another group.
Singing, dancing, looks, talent.
Not a single thing was lacking.
He was only eighteen.
Since Sedalbaegil had debuted on Coming Up Next, where competition with other groups was the content, group fans had become the dominant trend.
Because when there's an external enemy, the internals unite.
But that didn't mean there were no individual fans.
Among Choi Jaeseong's individual fans, there were many who disliked other members.
That they had never given him highlight parts, and that they only forced sacrifices under the name of team balance.
When such a Choi Jaeseong tried to become the protagonist, what kind of reaction would the other members show?
There could be various possibilities, and there was a possibility they wouldn't be pleased.
But it wasn't like that at all.
After the stage ended....
No, it could be felt even before the stage ended.
That the Sedalbaegil members were sincerely happy about Choi Jaeseong's performance.
\-ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠCrazy here. Jaeseong was really freaking amazingㅠㅠㅠㅠ
\-(Photo) See this? Look at them rushing over to fuss over him the moment the stage ended.
\-Baekmanwon must have liked our kids tooㅠㅠ
So the fans who were lucky enough to find the scene had no choice but to share emotional posts on SNS.
\-Ah, I was going to go to Baekmanwon's concert but didn't!!!!
\-I heard they move in a van driven by Han Sion after the concert. Can't we just follow in a taxi? Please tell us where they're going!
\-That's sasaeng behavior.
\-Huh? We're just following them to the next concert though, why?
\-How do you know if they're going to the next concert or a private schedule?
\-Stop pretending to be nice;;
\-But why isn't Han Sion in the photos?
\-Han Sion always acted like he wanted to go solo. Looks like they're promoting without Han Sionㅎㅎ
\-I don't think this post was made for that.
Of course, the comments on SNS were chaotic as always.
* * *
After filming that took a whopping 3 hours, the recording of
Of course, 3 hours was extremely short for a variety show recording.
But having done nothing but answer questions that entire time, I was mentally tired.
And they weren't questions I could answer comfortably either.
Still, it wouldn't do for a rookie idol to slack off here complaining they're tired.
"Good work!"
I went around the filming set greeting the MCs and production crew I'd filmed with.
"Ah, Sion. If there's a new song you want to put in the opening, send it over."
"Really? Is that okay?"
"I can't say I'll definitely put it in, but I'll review it."
"Thank you. I'll compile a few songs and send them to you."
Around the time I'd finished greeting every person in sight, Jo Taehun, who had been the MC, took me outside the filming set.
"Cigarette?"
"I don't smoke."
Jo Taehun, cigarette in hand, patted my back.
"Good work. Ah, can I speak comfortably?"
"Of course. Sunbaenim."
"We finished filming quickly today thanks to you."
This is finishing quickly?
I feel like I answered about 50 questions.
"Do the others get more questions?"
"Not exactly, but usually they don't answer as quickly as you. I think today had the most questions actually."
So if I hadn't given sharp answers, I might have been less mentally tired.
Just as I was feeling slightly wronged, Jo Taehun, exhaling smoke, opened his mouth.
"But are you okay with that answer you gave earlier going on air?"
"It's that kind of program from the start, isn't it?"
"That's true... but your case is a bit different. It's not like you committed a crime and came on."
Since it wasn't something worth responding to, I stood quietly, and Jo Taehun continued.
"Actually, our program was having a hard time because casting was so difficult. We were wondering if we should change the program's nature a bit."
"A softer feel, you mean?"
"Right. Lowering the intensity of the questions to a playful level and going in the direction of casting appropriate guests."
"I'm not sure, but I don't think the program would be as buzzworthy as it is now if it went that way."
"What's this, advice as a devoted viewer?"
Since I just smiled, Jo Taehun nodded too.
"Anyway, that's what I was worried about. So if you want, I could edit that answer from earlier."
"No. I was the one who answered. I'll bear it."
"Yeah? The impact won't be trivial......."
Jo Taehun glanced around and lowered his voice.
"You came on this because of pressure from Ryan Entertainment, right? To create buzz?"
"That's right."
"Hm. We were desperate for casting, so we ignored Daeho-hyung's words completely... but it won't be easy for other programs."
"If The Abyss Detector becomes a hit, wouldn't opportunities arise?"
"It's not impossible, but it won't happen in one or two episodes. Unless several blow up in a row."
"It's not easy."
"You have no intention of yielding?"
Hmm......
The words and tone Jo Taehun uses are a bit ambiguous.
Shall I test the waters?
"I'm not sure. To be honest, things happened so suddenly that there were parts I chose impulsively."
"Daeho-hyung isn't a bad guy. He's a bit of an old fogey, but if you bend first, he'll listen."
"......Do you really think so?"
"Yeah. Let me know if you need a bridge. I can help with that much."
"Thank you. I'll think about it."
Jo Taehun went on with various pleasantries after that, and I silently nodded.
But I had already grasped Jo Taehun's intentions.
He was on Choi Daeho's side.
He had probably been asked by Choi Daeho to probe me once.
So I deliberately gave ambiguous answers.
I can think about it.
There's room for consideration.
I do slightly regret it.
If Jo Taehun delivered these answers to Choi Daeho, I might be able to buy some time.
No matter what kind of war it is, having the opponent let their guard down is always a good thing.
"Sure. Let's have a glass of wine next time."
After exchanging phone numbers with Jo Taehun, I left the filming set.
I got in a taxi and took out my phone; Sedalbaegil seemed to have done quite well even without me.
There were twice as many concert witness accounts posted on SNS as usual.
Of course, it could be because they performed at a popular band's concert, but the reaction was still quite good.
It seemed Choi Jaeseong had hit big too.
While browsing SNS like that, I received a call from Team Leader Seo Seunghyun of BVB Entertainment.
It felt like quite a while since the last time.
Since until now I had only received contact regarding song sales via email.
"Yes, Team Leader."
\-Sion. You saw the music charts, right?
"I saw them."
Just yesterday, Drop Out suddenly released a single and music video.
Right, it's my song.
As a result, the music video recorded 10 million views within 24 hours of release, and shot straight to number one on the music charts.
They said it had the steepest rise in views among idol music videos released in 2017......
Hm. I'm not sure.
If I remember correctly, LMC or Prime Time hit 100 million in 24 hours.
As for me, well, needless to say.
Indeed, there seems to be some generational difference at times like this.
It was still not the time when K-pop's status had fully settled as top-tier content.
"I'm glad it's doing well."
\-It's not just doing well. The song response is insane.
It's a natural reaction.
It's a timeless song, and no matter how it was released, it was a song that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
There might be some merit to my singing it well, but the song's power is strong.
Drop Out utilized that power well.
\-So Double M wants to sign an exclusive contract or a 10-song unit contract.
"Already?"
\-Not already. They've expressed their intentions several times before, but now they're fired up.
Team Leader Seo Seunghyun said this, but he seemed to think I would refuse as a matter of course.
Since that's how it had always been until now.
"Please put it on hold."
\-On hold?
"Yes, I need to think about it."
Until now, the reason I hadn't revealed myself as Drop Out's composer was to live a typical idol life.
But the situation had changed now.
There was no need to be typical anymore, and I planned to go as far as I could reach with Sedalbaegil.
Whether it's Double M or Drop Out, I'll use them if I need to.
\-What kind of hold should I put on it? Positive? Deep consideration?
"Please act like it's about fifty-one to forty-nine on the negative side."
\-Understood.
After hanging up with Team Leader Seo Seunghyun, I checked the music site again.
Still sitting firmly at the very top was Drop Out's track.
My head felt a little clearer.
Until now, I had experienced countless business games in the music industry to sell 200 million albums.
I can't say I won in all those games.
There were definitely times I lost, and times I achieved successes that weren't worth winning.
But if there's something I realized through that process, it's that no game could change the absolute proposition of the music world.
The absolute proposition that good music holds great power.
So no matter what anyone says, my greatest weapon was music.
* * *
Time passed steadily, and finally, Coming Up Next Episode 10 was broadcast.
It was the moment the business game between Sedalbaegil and Ryan Entertainment began.