The main conference room at Topist Entertainment.
CEO Gim Widong, Management Division 1 Head Mun Gyucheol, Head of the Artist Management Office Lee Jeonghye, AR Team Chief Manager Jeong Sohyeon, and all staff members overseeing the rookie debut were gathered for a meeting.
CEO Gim Widong spoke, his eyes bloodshot.
"So JS, ZY, Haru, and even Retro—all four agencies are participating?"
Head Lee Jeonghye answered.
"Yes. It's practically been confirmed. However, Retro isn't certain yet..."
The CEO's chest heaved violently up and down.
"What kind of backroom deal did those fucking bastards pull?"
"For now, excluding Retro, all three companies launched girl groups within the last three years, so they're in no rush to debut a new one."
Unable to contain himself, the CEO shot up from his seat in fury.
"Who doesn't know that? They're the Big Three! The Big Three! What do those bastards gain by going on a survival show! Fuck!"
***
It had started two months ago with an article.
[The article dropped LOL Jodol Season 3 LOL]
[Exclusive] Mwave 2022 Super-Scale Project 'Just Choose Your Idol Season 3' Birth Announced
[Said Economy = Senior Reporter Seo Junwon]
On the evening of the 28th, Korean time, music-specialized channel Mwave announced the launch of 'Just Choose Your Idol Season 3,' the so-called 'Jodol Season 3.'
It is the follow-up to 'Jodol Season 2,' which set the entertainment industry ablaze in 2019 with vote-rigging allegations.
Jodol Season 3 is expected to be a massive-scale program with an investment twice that of Season 1 and Season 2.
Will 'Jodol Season 3' be able to shed the infamy of 'Jodol Season 2' after three years and leap forward?
These bastards are finally doing Season 3 lmaoooo
└ Wow, fuck LOL they're doing Season 3
└ Those rigging bastards' shamelessness is legendary LOL. They could've at least changed that shitty title before putting it out LOL. What the hell is Jodol, fuck LOL
└ True that, Jodol, agreed LOL. So is it Jeotdol or Jotdol this time?
└ The bait's basically Jeotdol, seems like
└ Jeotdol's a different story though, yeah. Wonder who's gonna be the pretty one this time
└ They're releasing it because Season 2 was so honorable, right? They got cleared of rigging charges after all
└ Yes yes, next Rigdol Monorush fangirl LOL
└ Oh, come on LOL. Take your Jotdol and go stan it in your community LOL
└ But doubling the scale is kinda interesting, yeah
└ LOL yes yes, next Mwave part-timer LOL
└ But what the hell did they do to double the investment? Is that possible for a survival show?
└ Are even the Big Four agencies coming out? Maybe
└ Why would they LOL. Just to ruin their image? If another big agency fucking takes first place, they'll get instantly downgraded LOL
└ Even if they come out, it's probably just two places like Season 2. But would they even come out on a rigged program?
As the name implied, it was a program that had scored megahits in Seasons 1 and 2, but had ultimately seen its image completely obliterated by rigging allegations.
Of course, they had received a not-guilty verdict, but public opinion held that the circumstances made the rigging obvious.
That was why the major agencies had judged there was no need to participate while burdening themselves with the image of rigging.
The only ones who wanted to participate in 'Jodol Season 3' were small-to-medium-sized agencies.
Topist Entertainment was also not one of the Big Four, but a major agency positioned directly beneath them.
Rejecting Mwave's proposal had been the obvious course of action.
Only, there was a nagging, uncomfortable mention of the investment cost doubling.
And one month after the article.
A rumor began to circulate in the entertainment industry.
'All four of the Big Four agencies will participate in Jodol Season 3.'
At first, it was dismissed as an absurd rumor.
But a few weeks later, it was confirmed that the PD of 'Jodol Season 3,' the head of Mwave's Variety Department, and the president of JS had met.
It could have been seen as merely a transaction between JS and Mwave.
Until it was confirmed that Haru was selecting trainees to appear on 'Jodol Season 3.'
Logically, did it make sense for a Big Four agency to endure the stigma of rigging and appear on a washed-up survival program?
But if two agencies, JS and Haru, were participating, the story changed.
That meant Mwave had made a huge resolution.
Their standing in the music industry, which had been gradually declining since the rigging allegations.
It was clear they had sharpened their knives to break that trend and show the face of Korea's largest music channel once again.
Naturally, they wouldn't rig it this time either.
In the end, the obvious truth that emerged from combining the entertainment industry's rumors was this.
Mwave had planned an unprecedented girl group survival program, and in this unprecedented-scale 'Jodol Season 3,' at least three of the Big Four agencies were participating.
***
CEO Gim Widong repeatedly took deep breaths.
Having calmed down somewhat, CEO Gim Widong sat back down.
But his hands were still trembling.
CEO Gim Widong spoke in a voice that had gone cold and quiet.
"I Dohee, send her to the survival show."
Team Leader Jeong Sohyeon answered, her face unmistakably flustered.
"Then the debut team..."
"Is that what's important right now?"
The image of the debut team that had worked hard for years appeared in Team Leader Jeong's mind.
"But..."
Division Head Mun Gyucheol opened his mouth in a cold tone.
"Team Leader Jeong, do as the CEO says. You know better than anyone what's important for a girl group."
Public appeal.
The most important thing for a girl group was public appeal.
A phrase commonly known even among fans.
"Girl groups run on public appeal; boy groups run on fandoms."
The foundation of a boy group was targeting the quasi-romantic emotions of the VIP fanbase that would buy large quantities of albums.
This was immediately clear from a boy group's promotional songs alone.
Starting with lyrics that fans at home and abroad would obsess over to the point of madness, and uniforms or excessively revealing outfits that stimulated carnal desire.
Finally, business-gay performances intended to create chemistry between male members.
Choreography where they gazed longingly at one another and embraced, and appearances of holding hands at official events.
All of these were elements deliberately planned by the agency to increase fandom loyalty.
Having successfully targeted the fanbase's quasi-romantic sentiments through these methods, the next step was to hold fan signing events like mad.
More frequently than they appeared on music shows.
Then, in order to attend every fan signing, the loyal boy group fandom would purchase albums in bulk.
That was why boy groups frequently topped the charts even without public recognition, and their profit margins were on a completely different level from girl groups despite the general public not knowing them.
On the other hand, compared to the near-fanatical boy group fandoms, girl group fandoms had lower loyalty.
Therefore, there was only one way for a girl group to generate revenue.
Public appeal—the true essence of a celebrity.
That was all.
And amidst this, 'Jodol Season 3' appeared.
Although it had rigging allegations, 'Jodol Seasons 1 and 2' had been mega-hit programs.
And if at least three of the Big Four agencies joined?
For the foreseeable future, all topics and public attention would undoubtedly converge on 'Jodol Season 3.'
Releasing a new girl group at a time like that?
If one knew how the girl groups born in the same period as 2018's 'Jodol Season 1' had disappeared, it was something not even worth considering.
And Team Leader Jeong knew that better than anyone.
The only answer that could come from Team Leader Jeong's mouth was one.
"Yes... I understand."
Division Head Mun Gyucheol added,
"It's not like only one person can participate in the audition anyway. Have the rest of the debut team audition too. If they have the skills, they can join Jodol as well."
***
"Guys. I think we'll have to push our debut back to the year after next."
My heart sank.
"""What...?"""
"No, you're pushing back our debut?"
"Why? Chief, what do you mean? Pushing back our debut."
"Chief, what are you saying!"
The members, including me, were stunned by the sudden news.
"Guys, calm down."
Naeun, the oldest unnie, in particular, was enraged by the chief's words telling them to calm down.
Naeun shot up from her seat, her eyes bloodshot, and raised her voice.
"How can I calm down! We've been practicing for years!"
The team leader standing beside her put her arms around Naeun and said,
"Naeun, sit down for now."
"You know too, Team Leader, how hard we worked. But suddenly you're pushing back the de...debut...? It's practically a debut cancellation, isn't it..."
Naeun began to sob harder as she spoke, eventually bursting into tears.
The team leader bit her lip in silence.
For a moment, only the sound of Naeun's crying filled the conference room.
Breaking the silence, Ua spoke in a trembling voice.
"Why...? There must be a reason our debut is being scrapped..."
The chief let out a deep sigh and spoke again.
"I'll explain everything. You all know Jodol."
There was no way they wouldn't.
They were idol trainees.
"Season 3 is airing this year."
"We know. But the rigging allegations..."
"Listen to the end, Ua. Jodol Season 3 is going to be an unprecedented survival program. I can guarantee it. All the buzz will be focused on Jodol, and you'd debut at the same time? Even the Big Four idol groups staggered because of the Jodol project idol group. From the company's perspective, it's obvious you'd fail, so we can't debut you at the same time."
Naeun spoke, catching her breath.
"Then...? Hic... What happens... to us...?"
"All five of you will participate in the Jodol auditions. If you succeed in the survival and make the final debut, nothing could be better. But if you fail to get in, or don't want to participate, there are three options left. You can wait and keep practicing until the next debut, pay a penalty and leave the company, or transfer to Management Division 2 and debut as an actress. The decision is yours. But I can't guarantee you'll be in the debut team for the debut in the second half of the year after next. You'll have to prove your skills then too. What will you do?"
A hollow laugh kept escaping me.
As expected, nothing in this world comes easy.
"I..."
I was already tired at the thought of practicing until this winter anyway.
I just have to go on the survival show and win.
Debuting early is a good thing, after all.
If I can't even survive a survival show, I wouldn't survive a debut anyway.
"I'll participate."