Stopped by the Management Headquarters office on the 3rd floor mid-practice to adjust my schedule, I found employees whispering in a chaotic atmosphere.
─Blood is thicker than water, so I suppose it's the same everywhere...
─Even without that, it was due for a change. Operations running wild isn't just a day or two.
─But then again, the team director is also directly under Director Moon... I don't think the system changes easily.
'What are they talking about.'
Right then, Jo Soyeong unni, who had been especially close to me since we were young and was now the Rookie Development Team leader after being a staff member, was also talking with the management headquarters employees.
I approached sneakily, tapped her, and peeked my head in.
"Unni, what are you talking about?"
Among the familiar employees flinching, Soyeong unni suddenly wrapped her arms around my head.
"Oh! It's Dohui! What brings you to the 3rd floor today? Did you come to see unni? You came to see unni, right!?"
"No. Today I came to adjust my schedule because of next month's variety show. But more importantly, is something going on?"
"Aah, it's nothing much~ They just said Team Director Lee Jeonghye is scheduled for a promotion."
"Huh? Really?"
* * *
"Wow, really?"
"Huh? For real?"
"Oh, is it true?"
"Yeah, so the employees were talking about it among themselves."
While everyone echoed in wonder just as I had, Ua unni quickly clapped her hands and nodded in understanding.
"But it was about time. She was already a team director at Management 1st Headquarters when I joined. And that's already been seven years."
That was true.
When I, now in my eighth year since joining, first stopped by the company after being street-cast, the person who presented the contract and negotiated the conditions while persuading me was none other than Team Director Lee Jeonghye.
When I showed her my records of being top of the class and winning grand prizes in competitions, she had been quite startled.
Hehe, there was a time like that.
"Debonair's only street-cast member. Lee Dohui. The beginning of that legend..."
"Dohui unni, your expression is a bit disgusting."
"Seoyun, unni is fine because her face is pretty."
Blocked by my irrefutable logic, Seoyun unni couldn't retort and just flapped her empty mouth wordlessly.
"But Dohui, what were you thinking to say something like that? I'm just purely curious. I'm not criticizing you."
"......"
Honestly, Naeun unni's kind tone hurts the most...
"So they're saying she'll move up to be the 1st headquarters director?"
"Most likely by rank. Otherwise she might become the 2nd headquarters director, but that doesn't seem likely."
Since the 2nd headquarters is the distant actor side.
"Then what happens to the original headquarters director?"
"Ah, according to Soyeong unni, the team director's promotion itself is because the headquarters director is moving to a different company, leaving the position vacant. Well, I don't know where she's going though. There are rumors she's going to LE, and others saying Repro."
"Oh, both are totally major corporations?"
"Well, yeah?"
Since it was a story unrelated to us now anyway, I nodded meaninglessly and grabbed the practice room door handle again.
"So first, I'm going to buy the team director a promotion gift. Like a diffuser. If anyone wants to come buy one together..."
Naeun unni nodded with a motherly smile.
"Yeah."
Was she pleased seeing me, who always treats superiors respectfully?
"Dohui, you need to practice."
Too bad.
* * *
Changes occurred in Topisst's internal personnel appointments, and while the members repeated schedules and practice.
The self-produced content uploaded last week, [DEB: ON AIR 2 | EP.1].
[Seeing Debonair reminds me of my old main base lolll]
─Even though they ask and ask for the company to pay attention to self-produced content, they don't properly foot the bill, so the kids commissioned content with their own money lol Here they outright force them to pay out of pocket? Entertainment companies are legendary.
Aggro from various factors.
[Female idol who plaster-apologized amid controversy]
─Debonair is so funny controversy.jpg
[Debonair at the batting cage (Feat. Eun Sera)]
─Meanwhile Lee Dohui going 2 for 2.gif
─Rewatching Lee Dohui's ceremonial first pitch.gif
─Softball club graduate(?) Chiyo.gif
And thanks to Debonair's inherent buzz and pure variety sense, they rose to trending videos.
Quickly gaining word of mouth as views rose, and despite being idol self-produced content, they hit a whopping 2 million views in just one week.
[DEB: ON AIR 2 | EP.2]
And today, episode 2 was uploaded after a one-week gap.
The viewing trends were naturally even better than last week.
But surprisingly, episode 2 had an atmosphere completely opposite from what viewers expected after episode 1.
Because it was quieter and more gentle than expected.
[Dohui: 5 mild jjamppong, 1 sweet and sour?]
[Ua: Chadol jjamppong.]
[Dohui: 1 chadol, 4 mild, 1 sweet and sour?]
[Chiyo: I'll have chadol too.]
[Dohui: ...2 chadol, 3 mild, 1 sweet and sour?]
[Naeun: I want chadol jjamppong too. Can we?]
[Dohui: ......3 chadol, 2 mild, 1 sweet and sour?]
[Seoyun: I-]
[Seoyun: No, I'm just going to have mild...]
[Seoyun: Instead of sweet and sour, cream shrimp.]
─ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThese kids' variety sense is insane
─More fun than actual variety shows
─The one who hits last always draws aggro, after all lolll
Of course there were a few intense moments, but the quiet atmosphere remained consistent.
[Dohui: Actually, I hate that kind of thing. Broadcast overreaction.]
[Chiyo: Same here.]
[......]
[Chiyo (1 month after debut): What iz it.]
─Um... this side seems more like overreaction
─Forced low-tension dd
─Broadcast sense at 1 month after debut lolll
Even when receiving the food, even while eating, not a single exaggerated expression.
[Seoyun: But I know what you mean. I don't like overreactions either.]
[Dohui: We're actually very refined, you know.]
[Chiyo: That's right.]
Of course, there was Naeun giving these three absurd looks.
As if supporting this, an editor intercut question mark subtitles and footage, containing scenes from that night that would appear later.
[Chiyo: Kyakya I am the king!]
[Dohui: Your Majesty, please show mercyyy.]
[Seoyun: Please show mercyyyy! Unni, you do it quickly too!]
[Naeun: ...P-please show mer...]
─Lollll the editing is hilarious
─So episode 1 really was aggro lolol controversy because it's funny
─Is it the king game? lolll
Anyway, that meant the first half of episode 2 was sufficiently quiet.
[Seoyun: Then for self-produced content at least, let's go unadorned, just as we are.]
[Dohui: I like it.]
[Naeun: Okay. As you said, I hope it becomes a time to contemplate yourselves, even if briefly, right?]
Whether it was hidden or their true selves.
[─Slurp]
[Thank you for the meal.]
A stillness unconcerned with broadcasting.
True self-produced content.
[Seoyun: How much was it? Should we chip in?]
[Dohui: Buy dessert.]
Even when Dohui swiped her card, even when the members left autographs at the store, this atmosphere continued.
But old habits die hard, and soon after, they arrived at a pension.
The members confirmed there were only 3 rooms and beds, and immediately showed their true colors.
[Dohui: Hey, gather up! Let's bet quickly. What's the rule, the rule.]
[Seoyun: Last place just shouldn't sleep in a bed at all.]
[Ua: Unqualified. Last place just sleeps on the floor with a blanket.]
[Chiyo: Good! Bring it on!]
─They said they'd take it easy but keep pulling variety angles
─Overreaction is over ㅠㅠㅠ I wanted to see more calm sides
Even though they definitely could have united like other girl groups.
[Naeun: Kids, even if it's a bit cramped, how about sleeping together in bed? It's double-sized so we can sleep together enough...]
[Dohui: Is unni going to sleep on the floor?]
[Naeun: What kind of game is that.]
[Dohui: Okay. We'll pick rooms in order of who sends it farthest, and the last two sleep on the room floor.]
[Ua: If it goes off the desk, you're out.]
The members brought over one bottle cap each from the drinks they had been drinking.
[Seoyun: Huh? Naeun unni, are you secretly practicing right now?]
[Dohui: Foul! Foul!!!]
[Naeun: ......]
[Rock paper scissors!]
First batter, Ua stood before the desk catching her breath.
A posture of mustering fighting spirit.
With all eyes focused, even the gentle sound of breathing dug sharply into their ears.
[Naeun: This... is for choosing rooms, right?]
And all sorts of malice and unfairness ensued.
[Dohui: Huh? Huh! Did you touch it? You touched it!]
[Ua: Naeun unni is out!]
As Naeun lifted the bottle cap slightly and put it down, the members shouted.
[Naeun: Kids...?]
[Seoyun: What kids. I said you're out.]
Chiyo even used a four-character idiom from who-knows-where.
[Chiyo: Don't you know what's done is done?]
Fortunately, thanks to the production crew's video review, Naeun got another chance.
[Lee Dohui is out! Out!]
[Okay!!!]
[Naeun unni nice!]
When Naeun, as if taking revenge, pushed Dohui's bottle cap away to drop it and clapped like a seal, it was a festival atmosphere.
[Naeun: Oh no... Dohui has to sleep on the floor...]
[Dohui: ......(Frozen)]
─I watched without expectations because it's idol self-produced content, but they're funny even just betting among themselves lolol
While the members proved they were noisy even without a single overreaction, episode 2 hadn't even ended.
And they were planning to play another game.