Manager Oh Hyunsoo, who had been told by the production staff to prepare the stage, went around waking the members in the waiting room one by one.
Kim Seoyoon came up to me, pointed at her eyes, and asked,
“Dohee, my eyes aren’t puffy, are they?”
“Boom.”
“Seriously?”
“Shakaraka.”
“I’m seriously going to kill you.”
“Gasp. There’s a camera rolling over there!”
When Kim Seoyoon turned to look at the nonexistent camera I pointed at, I quickly slipped out of the waiting room.
The puffiness tea we drank at the salon must really work.
Just look at how she can sleep like that without getting puffy.
I should sleep while waiting next time, too.
A brief rehearsal proceeded quickly before the pre-recording.
On a set lavishly decorated with the image of a night view.
The cameraman looked at the name tags attached to our chests and gave each of us instructions.
“For this part, only Dohee will look at Camera One. The rest of you, Camera Three!”
Of course, it was mostly about camera movement and where to direct our gazes.
Still, since everyone was an idol who had come from an audition program, they were accustomed to finding their positions and handling the camera work and stage formations.
“Good! You’re doing great!”
***
After the camera rehearsal ended, the actual pre-recording began.
Four hundred fans were packed into the standing section in front of our stage.
Thanks to them, the studio was buzzing with noise.
The PD spoke through the microphone.
“Seven, since this is your first time meeting your fans in person, why don’t you come forward and greet them first?”
It seemed they were even making sure we had time to greet them in person.
“Hello~ It’s so, so nice to meet you today—”
“Thank you for coming even though it must have been really cold! Everyone, be careful not to catch a cold! And—”
“Did you eat before coming? You have to make sure you eat! Me? I haven’t eaten either. Ha!”
“It’s our first recording… but… we’ll work hard! Please give us lots of—”
The members chatted with the fans before filming began.
It was their first time having a conversation this close, and their first time filming a music show as well, so they all still showed some awkwardness.
Even so, the fans seemed to like them just as they were, cheering at every single word the members said.
I felt like I should say something, too.
But I still wasn’t sure what.
Maybe because I felt like I would only say some conventional words, and that seemed embarrassing.
Was I supposed to flirt with them or something?
‘Unnies, oppas~ Look only at me!’ Something like that…
Aaaah…
“I’ll work hard at our first recording today! Please cheer us on!”
Even at my conventional words, the fans seemed happy.
—Dohee! You’re so pretty!
—So kyoot!!! Lee Dohee!!!
“…Heh.”
Soon, the production staff gave us the signal.
“We’re going on standby now.”
At the same time, the members finished their brief fan service and took their positions.
As the center, I stepped forward to the middle.
The fans, who had been screaming and cheering throughout our conversation, quieted down under the direction of the staff and security.
Then the familiar intro began to play.
—Dng Dng
And then the fans’ shouts rose from below the stage.
—Gong Chaerin! Kwon Hana! Kim Seoyoon! Eun Sera! Lee Dohee! Jeon Harang! Park Yeeun! Always together, Se!i!ven!
‘It’s a fan chant.’
“Someday, we’ll reach seven gift.”
—Gift!
I wasn’t supposed to laugh, but I couldn’t stop myself.
It was fun.
***
Once the pre-recording ended, we had to go around the waiting rooms.
We had to hand CDs to the singers who arrived one after another and greet them.
“Oh! Seven!”
Standing before us were today’s first-place candidates.
Paramax, a popular six-member boy group that had debuted last year.
They were the boy group from JS, Sera’s agency.
“Congratulations on your debut! Your song was really good!”
“Ah~ So you’re Seven! I feel like I’ve definitely seen you somewhere before?”
“Hyung, why are you pretending not to know them~”
Right.
It would be strange not to know us.
Was there anyone in the world who didn’t know me, Lee Dohee?
“I know you and Sera were trainee buddies!”
…I think my ego had gotten way too inflated after taking first place once.
I should be more humble…
“I just gave it a try~ Hi, Sera.”
“Uh, hi. Should I call you senior…?”
“What’s with that between us~ We’re friends~ Just speak comfortably, comfortably.”
While I was becoming embarrassed by my own behavior, a blue-haired boy who looked about my age and had delicate features approached us.
‘What kind of guy dyes his hair blue? Tsk.’
“Um… Dohee.”
‘Cancel blue-hair prejudice.’
It seemed he knew my name.
See? My confidence wasn’t completely baseless, was it?
Then the blue-haired boy said shyly,
“Um… could you film a challenge with us…?”
More importantly, what was this guy’s name again…?
During the introduction, they said he was Paramax’s youngest member…
Fortunately, there was a name tag attached to the man’s chest.
It seemed this group was about to begin their camera rehearsal.
“Ah, Jihan. Yes, sure.”
A challenge referred to a short video featuring a killing part or an addictive chorus dance section.
When celebrities—usually idols—created challenges to each other’s songs, they could promote themselves to each other’s fandoms and help one another out.
“Oh! Thank you. You know that famous place in the hallway where people film challenges? Let’s go there…”
“Ah~ Got it. Should I bring Sera unnie? She’s with JS, too.”
“Ah… yes!”
He looked a little disappointed.
Had he felt some sort of solidarity with another youngest member?
Well, being the youngest was a difficult position.
Especially for someone mature like me.
Besides, our group was full of people who were impossible to keep up with, starting with Kim Seoyoon in front of me. Sigh…
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Tsk.”
“Why! What!”
Of course, Chaerin unnie was excluded.
My one and only hope.
My light.
My roommate. (Except for the idiot Eun Sera.)
“Sera unnie, let’s go film a challenge.”
“Okay!”
***
6:00 p.m.
‘Mpulse,’ with an average viewership rating of 0.2 percent.
The reason for its low ratings was simple.
The idol groups from the four major agencies—JS, Zy, Haru, and Repro—which possessed the largest core fandoms, were mostly promoting overseas.
In particular, JS, Zy, and Haru Entertainment had all launched boy groups within the past two years, but it had been nearly three years since any of them had launched a girl group.
Moreover, Repro’s girl group Pure Girls, a new digital music powerhouse that had debuted at the end of last year, was currently on hiatus.
In other words, there weren’t enough groups capable of capturing the public’s attention and sending the ratings soaring.
Even so, today’s ‘Mpulse’ viewership had approached one percent.
It was the debut stage of [their group].
That didn’t mean all of [their group’s] viewers had tuned in exactly as they were, but even a certain percentage of them amounted to a considerable number.
Perhaps that was why there seemed to be so many people active in the online communities today.
[Wow, I’m so jealous of everyone who went to the pre-recording today ㅠㅠ]
(Photo)
They got debut broadcast photocards and even coffee trucks as reverse gifts ㅠㅠ
—Whoa, the debut photocards must be insanely expensive, right?
└Yeah, even regular broadcast photocards go for over 100,000 won. Debut broadcast photocards? They’re worth whatever people ask for them lol
└Even the coffee holders must be expensive. Nobody will sell them, but even the holders are pretty, just like our babies ㅠㅠ
Information had begun spreading through post-pre-recording reviews.
Everything from their outfits, hair, and makeup to their conversations and stage set.
The fans’ anticipation for their first debut stage continued to swell.
[Why is Seven taking so long to come out…]
Weren’t rookies usually placed near the beginning?
—They’re number one on the digital charts. Who would put them near the front…
└Yeah, the later they come out, the better.
└Who doesn’t know that… I’m still sad…
The fact that fans were waiting didn’t mean Seven’s stage would come out early.
It was practically a stage tied to [the show], and they were sitting at number one on the charts.
[Guys, did you see the challenge the babies uploaded today?]
Not the one they filmed among themselves—the one they filmed with Paramax, yeah.
They probably filmed it while waiting for ‘Mpulse’ today.
(Link 1) Paramax — ‘Clap’ ver.
(Link 2) Seven — ‘Rose Nebula’ ver.
—Oh, I didn’t see it because I was getting off work. Thanks.
—Why is Dohee so good at boy-group dances? lol
└For real, the youngest is weirdly serious about boy-group dances.
—Maybe Sera got close to Paramax since they’re both under JS?
The fans chatted about all sorts of things as they waited.
It wasn’t until the latter half of the show that ‘Seven’ finally appeared.
[The girls who set the summer of the Chusers ablaze! They’re here! Welcome, ‘Seven’!]
[I'm in seventh heaven. Hello! We are Seven!]
Unlike the street looks they had worn at the showcase, this time they wore black-toned school uniforms with white shirts. The stylishly refashioned outfits gave off both a fashionable high-teen vibe and a girl-crush hip-hop feel.
—Wow, why is the styling for the girls so pretty?
—I love this so much…
—Compliments to the stylist.
—Umm… would you like to go out with this oppa?(This account has been banned in real time.)
[Our new song, ‘Rose Nebula,’ is an alternative funk track infused with hip-hop elements. Its funky guitar rhythm and captivating bass line make it highly addictive!]
—Lol, but why is Chaerin so good at memorizing things?
—They could just let Chaerin handle every introduction.
[This song is… um… about not being dragged along anymore by… in a suffocating world made up of invisible rules… um… and showing our color and self-reliance… uh… independence!]
—Yeeun…
—Don’t let Yeeun do the introductions…
—Yeeun……
—Our Yeeun…
The interview consisted only of an ordinary introduction to the title track, but to the fans, every moment was delightful.
***
[This week’s first-place winner is ‘Clap’ by [them]! Congratulations~]
—Lol, the girls waving their hands is so cute.
—They’ll keep winning first place starting next week, right??
└They’re number one on the digital charts. It’d be stranger if they didn’t.
—I can’t believe the stage is already over…
—What am I supposed to survive on now ㅠㅠ
└What do you mean, what? You can survive on episode two of the reality show~
Just as the fans were lamenting the end of Mpulse’s live broadcast—
[Kyah~ Who wants to go into the water!]
[Ah, don’t do it!]
[You’re a disgrace to our rapper! Gong Chaerin!]
.
.
.
[These are photos of Dohee~]
The preview for episode two of [their group’s] reality show was released.