It all began when I declared that I wouldn’t be appearing on variety shows during this round of promotions.
“Director, would it be all right if I sat out the variety shows this time?”
“Why? Are you very tired?”
“Ah, it’s not that.”
Though she had asked in an even tone, the director looked at me with unmistakable concern.
“Still, preparing an album is exhausting and grueling work.”
I knew the director was unusually lenient with me, but it also seemed as though she was empathizing with me from her own experience.
“I figured even Dohee must be pretty tired, no matter how good her stamina is.”
“Uh… yes.”
“Then how about something that doesn’t require much physical exertion? A talk show, perhaps. You know, that program where composers gather to talk about music?”
“Oh, the one I turned down?”
“Yes. They said they’d even pay you more than the usual appearance fee this time, and begged you to come on just once.”
“Hmm.”
Of course, as the director had said, I had been utterly exhausted from preparing the album, and I very much wanted to rest.
“You’re good at talking, Dohee, and you’ve never appeared on a talk show alone before, have you? I think everyone would be happy if you went on this time.”
Well, she did have a point. It was no joke when someone as good at talking as me went on a talk show.
It was only because people underestimated me on account of my face, but why else would the Dohee Disease have become so popular? This quick wit and humorous way with words… Whew.
Ha, but really, my face alone made me Korea’s greatest laughter hunter. What would people do if I were funny on top of that? Why did Mom have to give birth to me as the most beautiful woman in Korea, too?
But now that I thought about it, I took after Dad more than Mom. My figure, for one thing, and the line of my nose resembled his a little, as did the shape of my mouth.
Do daughters really take after their fathers? Come to think of it, Doa seemed to resemble Dad more, too. No, wait—did she resemble me?!
Ha, but if that were the case, I couldn’t give Mom much credit for her contribution.
“Dohee?”
“Ah.”
Even so, I had no choice but to put on an appropriately apologetic expression.
“I just wanted to get some rest this time.”
“That’s all right. You should rest when you need to. You worked hard recording all day today, so go home and get some sleep.”
“Yes! Thank you.”
Everything was for the sake of my goal.
And for the sake of my older sisters.
Since I had started out as an idol rather than a pianist or a soloist, it went without saying that if I wanted to reach number one on the Billboard charts, it wasn’t enough for me alone to receive attention. The group had to be noticed.
As expected, with this album, I was bound to attract a great deal of attention even without stepping forward myself. And precisely for that reason, it would benefit the group as a whole if my sisters appeared on the small screen more often and absorbed that attention.
Still, after watching this video, I began to regret my decision.
“That’s what I thought back then…”
YouTube’s Trending Videos.
[Review…]
It began with a high-quality music review and ended with the conclusion that I had planned the album myself.
The album review video by active producers—one that I suspected was being reposted across every online community—was spreading everywhere.
I had no idea how many times I had watched it by myself.
“As expected of people who’ve actually done this kind of work… They interpreted it so well.”
Of course, there were many more details hidden in the music and the album that never appeared in the video, but by that point, they were details only I could understand.
My heart had been pounding for days.
“Ugh…”
The corners of my mouth were practically itching.
I had worked so hard for months.
“Ah, I want to brag… I want to brag so baaad…”
But I had turned down the talk show, and I couldn’t even appear on the one variety program that had an interview segment. Aside from whimpering, I had no real way to do it.
My Instagram was, at present, an exhibition hall where I posted nothing but photographs—my own carefully curated Lee Dohee Collection.
The messaging app was also perfect for bragging to my fans, but it was strictly a channel for communicating with them. It wasn’t the right stream for someone who wanted everyone to know.
And going on a variety show now just to brag would look rather pathetic.
Sigh…
And so, I reached my conclusion.
“With my own mouth?”
I nodded.
“You want me to do it with my own mouth?”
I nodded.
“With my own mouth?”
I couldn’t nod.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Kim Seoyoon looked like she was about to smack me one.
What a petty woman.
Still, I knew.
“Nooo…”
Seoyoon was secretly weak to my looks and aegyo.
“Unnie, I’d be too embarrassed to go out there and say it myself. It’d be so humiliating…”
“I’m asking if you’ve lost your mind.”
Hmm. Not today, apparently.
“Good grief, seriously. Wouldn’t it be nice if you went on and did it for me? Honestly, how am I supposed to say with my own mouth that I’m a mad genius and—what? No, that’s not—”
“Bullshit. You do that to me all the time.”
Damn it. This woman wasn’t going to do it.
“Naeun unnie!!! She’s swearing again! One demerit for bad language!! She’s been selected for recycling!!”
My bragging plan was doomed.
“You, you—”
I shook off Kim Seoyoon, who had grabbed my wrist, and dashed away to my room.
Knock knock.
─Dohee, we’re not going to scold you, so come out for now.
“You’re going to commit an act of violence.”
─I’m smiling right now.
Anyone could see she was glaring. What did she mean, she was smiling?
In the first place, I had to do this because of that blasted number-one spot on the Billboard!
Of course, appearing on variety shows was also a little bothersome, but either way, that was why I couldn’t go.
And that was why I couldn’t brag about it myself!
I couldn’t say anything, either, in case Unnie felt bad for no reason.
“Ughhh!”
Kim Seoyoon banged on the door again at my mournful cry.
─That’s what I’m saying! Why do I have to go on my own variety show and brag about you?! You can go yourself! You! There are at least one or two producers who’d change the entire schedule if you just asked—
─Girls?
Why had I asked Kim Seoyoon in the first place?
Because I was thinking of my sisters, all right?
“Eeeek!!”
Our unnies were still rookies, so they needed more attention, right? But Seoyoon already had plenty of variety shows lined up and a solid position in the industry, and yet she was being so—
─Girls, calm down for a minute.
─No, it’s so infuriating that she only acts cute at times like this…
─You know it’ll be even harder if Chiyo wakes up. If Wooa wakes up with her and gets irritable too…
─I can’t sleep because you’re so noisy. Do you live in a dorm by yourselves?
“…Hmm.”
─No, it’s because of that Lee Dohee… Unnie, where are you going? Unnie?
─I’ve obviously been taking it too easy on both of you lately because you looked so tired. Shall I show you what living alone is really like?
─No… Hey, Dohee, come out and say something. I think Chiyo woke up because of the noise…
“…”
─Hey, don’t turn off the room light. Come out.
I should go to sleep.
But why did Kim Seoyoon’s grip seem so much stronger than before lately?
The red marks were clearly visible on my wrist.
Was it because Unnie had started working out?
I had definitely been stronger than Seoyoon Unnie in the past.
Ah, could it be because I’d lost some muscle while dieting to get rid of my breasts?
Nothing ever goes my way.
* * *
“Ah, that damned Lee Dohee.”
Seoyoon had been tormented by Chiyo.
Unlike Dohee, who had locked her bedroom door tight before getting into bed—
“You two fought again last night?”
Manager Youngho didn’t scold her. He merely laughed as though he were accustomed to it, which made Seoyoon hate him even more.
“No. She asked me to go on my program and brag about her.”
“Haha, really?”
“I don’t know. Chiyo woke up in the middle of it, so I only got a few hours of sleep…”
“Get some rest before we leave.”
After stopping by the salon, Seoyoon arrived at a terrestrial broadcasting station studio.
“An idol who’s cute, beautiful, and cool all at once—and whose wit shines just as brightly! Kim Seoyoon!”
“Hello, I’m Seoyoon from Debonair~”
It was, as expected, another talk-show variety program for promoting their ongoing activities.
“Seoyoon is the baby of today’s guests. This is only her second appearance, but expectations are already running high.”
At the title of “baby,” Seoyoon naturally made a flower pose beneath her chin and began displaying the familiar reactions of a variety-show veteran.
“Ah, last time I appeared with my disobedient younger sister, but this time I’m alone. Although, there’s something I really need to clear up: I’m not a baby anymore, you know? I’m twenty-two?”
“Twenty-two means two-two!”
“Aww, how cute.”
The guests and MCs naturally created an atmosphere of playful teasing, laughing as they did so.
“Still, I’m already in my fifth year since debut.”
“Wow, has it really been that long?”
“I’m in my forty-first year.”
“…Ah. I suppose I am a baby.”
And Seoyoon eagerly played along with the mood.
“Haha, so do you feel the weight of the years while promoting as an idol?”
“Since I’m already dealing with rookies for the second time, I occasionally find myself telling my members what things were like back in my day.”
Since all the MCs were consummate talk-show professionals, the filming proceeded smoothly without a hitch.
“I heard you almost debuted at Repro.”
“Ah, yes. Though, technically, it wasn’t really a debut. I’ve always loved K-pop, so I attended a music academy nearby. As it happened, it was a place that held group idol auditions.”
“Oh, there are places like that?”
“I’ve heard there are academies where casting teams come in groups.”
“Yes, that’s right. But then the director asked me, ‘Seoyoon, would you like to audition?’ I thought it sounded like fun, so I casually went to my first audition. Among the representatives who came that day were employees from Repro, my current agency, and Top East.”
“Wow, so you passed both auditions on your very first try?”
“Uh, yes! I was lucky.”
“Right away? That’s incredible!”
“But why did you go with Top East? Top East is big too, of course, but Repro is a massive corporation. They even have NND.”
“Ah, fans probably know this well, but I’m extremely particular about people’s faces.”
Everyone burst out laughing at the absurd answer.
“Of course! Physiognomy is important!”
It was the answer Seoyoon had been fishing for, but she pretended to be flustered and hurriedly corrected herself.
“Ah, no, no! I don’t mean physiognomy or anything like that. It was more about the feeling of their expressions. Their actual impression. The people from Top East’s casting team seemed to be judging me very carefully. It felt like they had a very specific type they were looking for.”
“Ah~ You got that kind of feeling?”
On variety shows, it was important to tell stories in a slightly fresher way.
“Yes, exactly. But then I thought, ‘They want to recruit me? Does that mean I’ll be put in a debut team if I go there?’”
“Wow~ You were perceptive!”
“Exactly! Repro had so many trainees, too.”
“But at the time, Top East’s seniors, Pastel Love, were really at the top of their game. So I figured I wouldn’t be losing out, and I decided to join and start training.”
She planned to reveal a few things she had never mentioned before. Now that Debonair had clearly established themselves, there was no reason to keep hiding them.
“And I got another feeling on my very first day.”
“Oh, really? What kind of feeling?”
“Was it about the members you’re with now?”
“Ah, yes. Exactly. I met all the current members then, except Chiyo, who joined later.”
And as expected, the new story was a definite hit.
“Naeun Unnie and I joined on the same day. The younger Dohee and Wooa were the only two people there who were our seniors.”
“Oh, really? What kind of impression did they give you?”
“How should I put it? Leaving aside their looks, they were so full of confidence. Their expressions were incredibly relaxed. Even though they were elementary schoolers.”
The MCs reacted with interest and continued drawing the story out of her.
“And because of that, I suddenly had this strong feeling that if I debuted here, I would absolutely succeed.”
Thanks to that, even after finishing the question-and-answer segment, Seoyoon could wait for her turn in the same cheerful atmosphere.
“I hear Debonair has come back with their teeth clenched once again.”
Naturally, it was time for promotion.
“They’re already doing unbelievably well. As of the day we filmed this, they’re number one, two, four, and seven on the music charts!”
“Wow, they’re doing that well? They’re totally the trend!”
In truth, there was hardly any need to promote them.
“I even heard that the members worked on one hundred percent of the songs on this album?”
Even those questions felt somewhat pointless from the start.
Anyone who had watched even one broadcast featuring Debonair recently would already know the answers.
“Wow, then you must have made a ton of money. How much did you make?”
“Ah~ I’m looking forward to finding out myself, but the figures haven’t come out yet.”
“And the copyright distribution? Is it the same for every member?”
The questions that followed were also exactly what Seoyoon had expected, so she answered them familiarly and smiled politely.
“Of course, we all worked on it together, but business and personal matters have to be kept separate, so naturally, it depends on each person’s contribution…”
“Right, of course. Contributions have to be calculated precisely.”
The one thing that differed slightly from Seoyoon’s expectations was that the review video had eventually become a news article as well.
“But Seoyoon, isn’t a producer’s review of Debonair’s album becoming a huge issue right now? There’s a rumor that one of the members planned everything from the initial proposal to the album’s overall concept.”
“Oh, yes. I saw it in the entertainment news on my way here, and if it’s true, that’s incredible. Is it really true?”
Seoyoon discreetly glanced toward Manager Youngho outside the studio.
She was waiting for a signal that it was all right to talk about it.
“Yes, it’s true. One of the members planned it.”
She could feel the camera moving in for an even closer shot.
“Dohee brought in the proposal all by herself last year.”
“Ah! Really?”
“That’s amazing.”
Even the celebrities who had been fooling around were now paying attention.
“Then? Was everything in that review true? I saw it.”
For some reason, Seoyoon suddenly felt like keeping her mouth shut.
Of course, that was partly because Dohee had pestered her to brag about it.
“The thing is, I can’t tell you that, because Dohee says she’d like everyone to interpret it however they want.”
“Oh, really?”
“Then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Seoyoon let out a hollow laugh before answering.
“But she already has everything decided in her head. Then she says that. She spent the entire day grinning after watching the video.”
The set began filling with laughter again. Perhaps because of that, Seoyoon found herself opening her mouth in keeping with the mood.
“Actually, the unusual thing about Dohee is that whenever we talk about music, she often gets so immersed in her own world that she launches into a speech all by herself.”
“Oh, does she?”
“Yes, it’s really funny to watch. When we answer her, she feels proud, and when we don’t react, she gets completely depressed.”
Laughter erupted among the staff as well.
“But there are times when we can’t answer her. Usually she pretends to be logical and systematic, but then…”
Seoyoon gestured as though she were at a loss.
“She’ll get trapped in her own world and suddenly decide the entire direction of a song by herself, then roughly settle on the melody, lyrics, and even the title.”
She added a gesture pointing somewhere off-camera.
“That might actually appear in our production behind-the-scenes footage. Please watch lots of our YouTube videos.”
Seoyoon justified it to herself as channel promotion.
But to anyone watching, she simply looked like a doting older sister proudly showing off her younger sibling.