Shock Entertainment headquarters.
Dance practice room.
Chaerin unnie, perched on the sofa, made a subtle expression.
"This time the participants are guys."
"So what?"
Naturally, the Season 4 participants were male.
It's the iron rule of survival programs.
They alternate between men and women.
The talent pool is limited too.
"So?"
Unlike the members who accepted the finalized schedule as a matter of course, Chaerin unnie looked uncomfortable.
"We won't get unnecessarily entangled with the participants, right? I heard our company's trainee is participating this time too."
Normally, Chaerin unnie would have accepted that the participants were male.
[Exclusive] Radians' So A-yeon ❤️ Inus' Tu, Dating "Respecting Private Life"
So A-yeon of group Radians and Tu, member of Inus, are currently dating.
AsiaTEN's investigation on the 2nd revealed that So A-yeon and Tu are seeing each other...
A same-aged couple born in 2004, it is the first dating rumor among 4th generation idols.
So A-yeon and Tu recently hinted at their relationship through SNS posts. Repeated overlaps—visiting the same locations, wearing the same clothes—led fans to begin suspecting the two's relationship.
.
.
.
An Inus agency director stated, "We are respecting their personal private life."
-Rookies, though... even if dating is a freedom, it causes harm to the other members, so they should hold back a bit.
-How long has it been since their debut... there are always kids who don't listen even when you tell them over and over not to make it obvious
-If they're dating, they're dating. Whatever.
-But still, they shouldn't make it obvious...
-They actually admitted this
-"Tomorrow is Osaka, the day after is Tokyo, so come here"—there is no man who will come just because you say that. Whether it's a boyfriend, a husband, or a father, there is no such man. Only fans accommodate that kind of selfishness. Therefore, love must always be hidden. That is the sincerity toward fans—a famous quote from a Japanese national MC comes to mind
Perhaps because there had recently been a case of a girl group whose comeback album sales were halved due to one member's dating rumor, she seemed unnecessarily worried.
Of course, it's not a sin for idols to date.
They can.
Even I would be willing to respect it if Seo-yun unnie started dating right now.
But the Seo-yun unnie I've known would give up dating regardless of her personal feelings.
Because she's someone who would consider the harm to the group and the members.
'In other words, if a rookie dates... they're immature and have no respect for their members. Leaving aside the fans.'
It's not for nothing that agencies set a three-year dating ban after debut.
Because after roughly that period, they won't be shaken by dating rumors.
'Moreover, in this case, the rookie dated when they shouldn't and even made it obvious.'
I just feel sorry for the Radians girl group members.
An idol is the love of fans.
To put it a bit bluntly.
Because fundamentally, it's a job targeting parasocial romance emotions.
One needs to put aside personal feelings, like forcing aegyo as I do.
"The participants' idol, Yeeun... hehe."
Sigh...
"Unnie, you can't act like that outside either, okay?"
The reason idols with "artist disease" fail is the same.
The moment they think of themselves as artists, they try to prioritize their personal emotions.
"Huh...?"
In that sense, Yeeun unnie shows signs of catching celebrity disease or artist disease, but.
She's so introverted that there seems to be no need to worry.
She probably only acts like that in front of comfortable members.
"Anyway, what Chaerin unnie is worried about won't happen."
Harang unnie nodded as if agreeing with my words.
"Yeah~ what are you worried about~"
Harang unnie also seemed certain that she wouldn't get entangled with male participants.
Since Harang unnie isn't a fool.
Rather, judging by her command of language, you could say she's smart.
Being able to speak entertainingly is a skill too.
"But if he's handsome, maybe it's okay to get entangled...?"
It's just that she has too little of a filter.
"More than anything, Mwave has no reason to buy our brand value just to drop it."
Seven—we're bringing them so much revenue right now.
Would they gut the golden goose just because Season 4 might do well?
No matter how crazy those broadcasting station people are for provocative things, they wouldn't cut their own flesh.
"Instead, the participants will probably get edited into villains. 'Participants dazed by the appearance of trending idols,' 'Participants unable to focus on practice because they're distracted by Seven members,' something like that."
It's the obvious Mwave-style editing that anyone can see coming.
"True. But you know, right? Everyone needs to be careful. You never know what people are like?"
Hana unnie concluded and rose from her seat.
And clapped loudly.
Clap—
"Alright, break time's over! Everyone up! We need to work hard at what we have to do!"
"Yeah, we need to practice."
I too sprang up from the practice room sofa and headed to the center of the room.
And the mirror covering the entire front wall reflecting me.
"I'm a bit worried though."
"About what."
My reflection in the mirror.
Red lip balm only on my lips without a speck of makeup.
An oversized white t-shirt with excess fabric.
Comfortable preferred training pants.
"Even when I'm this plainly dressed... eyes naturally follow me..."
On filming days I'll go to the salon too.
And wear pretty clothes chosen by my coordi unnie.
"If I dress up, the participants' eyes are going to spin... what if they get hate because of me..."
Kim Seo-yun finished stretching as if used to it.
"Hana unnie, where do we start?"
"From the chorus part. The point wasn't catching earlier. The formation is off. Guys, get the point of going right and left. Harang, you get up quickly too."
"Yeeees~"
The members don't even respond anymore.
"So totally cute..."
Except for one.
"Eunse, it's because you always respond that she keeps doing that."
"I don't know... cute..."
"Ha... them failing to debut because of me. I really don't want that..."
Should I wear a mask or something?
I'm really worried.
***
"Wow... it's really been so long since I've been here...!"
Yeeun unnie with an excited expression.
The massive filming set where ranking announcements were held every time.
The building's exterior, seen again after half a year, felt different.
A somehow overwhelming feeling.
"Seo-yun-ssi, don't memories of our first day come flooding back?"
"Yeah. You, who thought of appearing on the first recording without makeup."
"Whoops."
Come to think of it, it was pretty amazing of me too to think of going no-makeup because I didn't know how to do makeup.
"'Whoops' nothing. What would you have done without me and Naeun unnie?"
Of course, I'm confident even in bare face.
"But now I can do it to some extent. Impressive, right?"
I practiced by asking the makeup artist unnies one by one.
I, who knows my shortcomings and strives to improve...
"Sigh. Let's not talk."
Of course, there were members whose memories of the first day weren't rosy.
Like Sera unnie muttering.
"I was the last order so I waited three hours in the parking lot... but I was bored because I was alone... The first place seat was boring because I was alone too... From lunch until the next morning during the entire recording, I was alone..."
We entered the set while reminiscing about first day memories.
Filming was in full swing.
Familiar staff seen upon entering the set.
Camera director, sound director, lighting director, writers, directing team.
Since most of them were kind even to unknown trainees, the members happily approached the production crew to greet them.
"Ah, you're here! Our Seven?"
But there was also unwelcome production staff.
Main PD Im Hyeon-ung approaching with an uncharacteristically high-pitched welcome.
"""Ah, hello!"""
One of the few staff members the participants had felt uncomfortable around.
Actually it's strange to be comfortable. He had made numerous victims with malicious editing.
"I knew Seven would do well!"
Even among our members, there were people who received that kind of editing.
And the eliminated participants had it even worse.
It was inevitably awkward for such a person to greet us saying "our Seven."
"We just need to follow the script."
Main PD Im Hyeon-ung explained the general direction before the full-fledged filming.
"The focus is successful senior idols! You know what I mean?"
The script was written like this.
They appear before the participants with their title track 'I Fell for You.'
The members read the cue sheet in order, explaining the current season's changes and proceeding.
After that, they send a word of support to each participant.
"We'll enter in 20 minutes~"
A familiar voice heard while waiting.
"Oh my, Do-hui! How did you get even prettier there!?"
PD Cheon Ji-hye.
The assistant director unnie I first met at the audition.
"Hello, PD-nim!"
I exchanged casual small talk with the happy PD, asking how she'd been lately.
And during that, the PD smiled a strange smile.
"Come to think of it, there's someone among this season's participants that Do-hui knows well~"
"A participant?"
Now that I think about it, they said Topist male trainees are appearing too.
"Ah, the Topist trainees?"
We kept an appropriate distance, but our relationship wasn't bad enough that we wouldn't exchange light jokes when we met.
There was something trainees could relate to.
"Ah, Topist! Right, they're here too."
But the assistant PD unnie's tone didn't seem to be referring to the Topist trainees.
"You'll know when you go in. You'll be totally surprised?"
"Hmm... but I'm really not lying when I say I don't have any male friends I'm close with..."
"Come on~ you don't have to hide it from unnie. Anyway, go in and see."
And not long after, it was filming time.
We received the cue sheet and went on standby.
"We're entering now!"
Following the signal, I walked with the members in line through the fancy hallway.
The set decorated in blue light, unlike Season 3.
Passing the end of the hallway, the familiar ranking seats finally unfolded.
"Huuurk... Seven..!!"
"Is this for real?"
Male participants sitting in the ranking seats they wanted, same as Season 3.
"Wow... crazy."
"So pretty."
Whether it's a spontaneous exclamation.
Or an excessive reaction to get captured by the camera even once.
I couldn't tell, but.
—Waaaaaah!
Cheers filling the set.
—Im in seventh heaven! Hello, we are Seven!
The indirect experience of feeling like we became the celebrities of celebrities.
My vision naturally narrowed with pleasant excitement and thrill.
Yet among the male participants dressed to the nines, a boy who caught the eye at once.
"Huh."
Eyes with a strangely reddish gleam.
When our eyes met, he smiled, his eyes folding into pretty crescents.
A feminine, delicate face resembling Minha ajumma.
Yet a face with distinct features.
'What the hell is that punk doing here?'