Chapter 50
The first post was uploaded to Weus's official SNS account.
One uploaded photo and a short greeting.
It didn't contain a lot of information, but it was enough for fans eager for news about Weus to start speculating.
-Breaking news: Weus enters their dorm!!
└Even with just a glimpse of the living room, the dorm looks great! Seems like they spent some proper money this time?
└I'm glad everyone seems to be doing well T_T
-Seeing a photo of them taken together like this, they finally look like a real group T_T Let's only walk on a flower path from now on, guys!
-Weus in casual clothes is so precious... wow Just from the way they dress, you can see their usual personalities hahaha
└Aaah Rin in casual clothes! Just look at how the fit comes alive even with just jeans and a white shirt...
Above all, what made fans' hearts flutter was the news about their reality show.
-A reality show! A reality show!!!
-After the audition, a reality show was, well, an expected course, but now that they're actually doing it, I'm so excited...!
-They must have started filming as soon as they moved into the dorm T_T Ah... when will the teaser come out... it's hard to wait T_T
-During 'National Idol', I was so nervous watching them in case they made a mistake that I couldn't even enjoy the entertainment scenes comfortably... I really hope I can watch this reality show comfortably T_T
└Music Net still makes good reality shows lol I don't think you need to worry!
-They probably decided on their dorm roommates by now, it would be fun if Yujin and Rin share a room hahahaha
While fans were expressing their anticipation for the reality program.
On the other hand, reactions of half anticipation and half worry regarding Weus's first debut album continued.
-When will Weus's debut album come out... so excited
└It hasn't even been a week since the audition ended, so wouldn't it take at least a month?
└Ah how do I wait until then T_T Guys please come back quickly T_T
-Will they include Yujin's self-composed song this time? Yujin's self-composed song was good during 'National Idol' last time!
-Rather than releasing it hastily to announce the album quickly, I hope they really invest heavily this time and show us the capital power of a large corporation!
└Just thinking about Every Girl's first single... Weus will unconditionally succeed even if the song is just average, so please invest in them!
As fans fueled their anticipation with talks about Weus over the first post uploaded on SNS.
The members of Weus were devoting themselves to preparing for their full-fledged activities.
***
Weus's agency was a newly established agency founded solely to support Weus's activities.
Of course, since it was established as a subsidiary of CL Group, the parent company of Music Net, it was hard to simply view it as a new agency.
Inside the company, which occupied an entire building that wasn't small, the busy movements of the employees conveyed a sense of bustling activity.
"Wow, so this is the practice room!"
"As expected, the solid financial power of a large corporation..."
After finishing their first group meeting and touring the company's internal facilities, the members cheered upon discovering the practice room.
Of course, I was also reacting excitedly, following the members next to me.
Because, right now, reality show filming cameras in front and behind us were capturing our every move.
The first group meeting was none other than a meeting with the agency's CEO.
The CEO was, naturally, someone who came down from CL Group's headquarters. In a way, coming from a large corporation to a small agency could be seen as a demotion.
Whether it was because of the cameras or not, his constant warm smile left an impression.
'Weus is a group that has already captured the hearts of K-pop fans worldwide and laid the foundation to grow into a global group. As the leading runners of the Korean Wave...'
And so, the speech about how they wouldn't spare any investment in us, meaning we must unconditionally succeed, continued for 10 minutes.
Around the time I added the item 'Not sure about the person, but talks way too much' to my first impression of the CEO.
'There is one mission for you today!'
With awkward acting, as if it were part of the reality program, the CEO received a cue card from the production team and spoke.
'The most important position in a group! What position could it be? Yes, that's right. The leader position. Please choose Weus's leader through your discussion today.'
Coming out of the CEO's office like that, we wandered aimlessly under the pretext of touring the company, eventually settling down in the most comfortable practice room.
"Then we need to choose a leader now..."
"Isn't it obviously you, hyung?"
As soon as I brought it up, Woo Jung-woo spoke as if asking why I was questioning the obvious.
"No, Han-hwi hyung is here too... Still, we're choosing a leader, shouldn't we vote properly?"
"Han-hwi hyung is absolutely out."
"Right, I can't be the leader. Rin is perfect for the leader, so I don't think there's even a need to vote separately. What do you all think?"
Along with Woo Jung-woo's strong assertion, even Park Han-hwi pushed for me as the leader, and the other members chimed in.
"I also think Rin hyung being the leader is good!"
"Agree! Agree!"
"I'm okay with it too...!"
Starting with Kang Ah-jin, Shim Sung-ha and Baek Si-hyun spoke, and the atmosphere had already been set with me as the leader.
"Then... lastly, Yujin...?"
"Well, Rin hyung does some stupid things sometimes, but usually he's a reliable person. I'm okay with it too."
The front sentence was a bit annoying, but with Yujin Kim's approval, I became the leader by unanimous vote.
"No, is it okay to choose a leader so carelessly...?"
When I looked at the other members and spoke, worried whether fans would be convinced by the leader vote that was decided so quickly that even I, the person involved, found it absurd.
-You have become the leader of Weus.
-You have been granted the trait 'Leader's Charisma'.
"Thank you anyway. I'll work hard."
Since I was chosen as the leader, I should work hard.
I quickly accepted reality. It definitely wasn't because of the reward.
"Then since we chose the leader, is today's schedule over? Now straight to the dorm...!"
Did they perhaps want to rest quickly, so they finished the leader vote that fast?
When Woo Jung-woo said let's go to the dorm with shining eyes, and the other members also wore expressions of anticipation.
Weus's manager Kim Hyun-soo answered with a smile.
"First, there's a meeting with the A&R team. Then, briefly with the Content Business Division, PR team, and marketing team..."
"Will you send only the leader as the representative to the meeting... mmph!"
"Let's go, guys."
I took the members and headed toward the meeting room.
Is it because of the 'Leader's Charisma' trait? For some reason, it felt like the members were listening to me better.
It definitely wasn't because of Woo Jung-woo clinging onto my arm right now.
***
While Weus was spending a busy schedule preparing for their debut.
Without any prior notice, an article was released.
[Exclusive – Blue Red confirms full-group comeback after a year and a half]
As Blue Red's comeback news was announced, various communities quickly heated up.
-Blue Red is having a comeback?
└lololololol I guess their self-reflection period is over now.
└The other members didn't do anything wrong in the first place, what self-reflection?
└Anyone with a little interest in the idol scene knows all their personalities are messed up, it just got buried because of Daniel's drunk driving, didn't their maknae also have a school violence controversy?
-Criminal group Blue Red is making a comeback? They'll probably come out on variety shows first and wash their images like crazy.
-Yeah, no matter how mad you get here, they'll still easily take first place on the charts.
Male idol groups enjoying tremendous popularity, called the 1st tier.
Among them, there were 3 teams called the Top 3.
Blue Red was one of the so-called Top 3 male idol groups.
'Cross' from the idol powerhouse SN Entertainment, and 'Next', the junior group of OFF, the legendary male idol group that once dominated Billboard.
And up to 'Blue Red', which advocated hip-hop idols and was loved for their free image and popular music,
it had been nearly 3 years since these three idol groups were collectively given the moniker Boy Group Top 3.
Super-popular groups that easily surpassed a million in first-week sales whenever they released an album, and lined up the music charts with their b-sides like it was nothing.
However, while 'Cross' and 'Next' had been actively promoting without a break until now, 'Blue Red' had to take a forced hiatus of a year and a half.
Blue Red, which had caused all sorts of incidents and accidents since their debut, was called a free-spirited group in a good way, and a chaotic group in a bad way.
School violence, gambling, drug issues, and so on. The reason Blue Red, who had consistently released hit songs and wielded unwavering popularity even while suffering from all sorts of rumors, had to stop their activities was.
Because Daniel, a popular member of Blue Red, caused a drunk driving accident.
Daniel's appearance of committing a hit-and-run alongside drunk driving and being dragged to the police station made the 9 o'clock news, and with Daniel's departure from the group, Blue Red was forced into a hiatus.
A popular member's departure. A long hiatus.
For the two reasons above, talks gradually emerged about Blue Red, such as "Aren't they past their prime now?" and "Honestly, aren't they not at the Top 3 level?"
-Then if you take Blue Red out, who goes in there? Is there a group that can go in?
Despite the year-and-a-half hiatus, because no male idol group that could surpass Blue Red's popularity had emerged yet, Blue Red was still keeping its position as one of the Top 3 idols.
Since the other members, excluding the departed member Daniel, had proven their popularity through individual activities and solo album releases from time to time, the number of the public who doubted Blue Red's popularity was not large.
Like that, the Blue Red members who gathered in one place under the name of a comeback after a year and a half first had a time to communicate with fans through a W-app live stream.
[Day: It's really been a long time, fans. It was announced in today's article, but we are facing a full-group comeback after a year and a half.]
[Joo-won: The comeback work is almost at its final stages now. I think we'll be able to meet the fans around the middle of next month at the earliest,]
The news that Blue Red had turned on their W-app live broadcast quickly spread on SNS.
As it was their first W-app broadcast after having a hiatus for self-reflection, the comment section started burning up not long after the broadcast began.
[Ricky: Yes, about Daniel hyung's incident... I have nothing to say except that I'm truly sorry to the fans. Daniel hyung is also reflecting a lot. If we receive your forgiveness someday, wouldn't we be able to promote together... I carefully say that.]
As the departed member was mentioned, the reactions in the chat window burned even more fiercely.
-Seeing them talk, they still haven't come to their senses? This album seems like it will flop hard.
-The world has gotten so good these days, even a criminal group is making a comeback.
-Daniel was just unlucky to get caught, do you think you guys won't get caught someday too?
-If this album flops, there isn't much left until contract renewal, so they'll disband quickly. Goodbye Blue Red lololol
As the chat window burned to the point where the fans' shields couldn't block it, the expressions of the Blue Red members began to rot.
At that time, a chat mentioning Weus appeared from somewhere.
-Weus will also make a comeback next month. If Blue Red gets pushed back by Weus, it's right to step down from the Top 3 position now, isn't it?
Starting with one person's chat, chats comparing Blue Red with Weus, a rookie who was just preparing to debut, began to go up.
At first, it was the work of malicious haters, but because it was a more interesting topic than expected, fans of other groups who flocked to watch Blue Red's live broadcast soon joined in.
-lolololol It would be fun if they get crushed by a rookie group that's just debuting.
-Don't put Blue Red against Weus, who has a bright future ahead. Our kids might get jinxed.
-Blue Red was taking their time to make a comeback for a year and a half, thinking the house was empty, and now that they're finally going in, it looks like they're going to get crushed by Weus loololololol
-They were going to get crushed by 'Cross' and 'Next' anyway, so they barely avoided them, but they couldn't avoid Weus. But isn't it more embarrassing to get crushed by a rookie?
Thinking that it would be difficult to continue the live broadcast anymore, Blue Red's leader Day was slowly getting ready to end the stream.
A huge accident broke out.
[Tae-woon: What's Weus? Why do you keep bringing up Weus, Weus?]
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant. Blue Red's maknae Tae-woon, who had just yelled out after getting heated from seeing the chats, continued speaking to try to clean up the mess under the cold gazes of his hyungs.
[Tae-woon: What's Weus? They're great people! I asked and answered it myself. They're great people! Aren't they a national idol group? Ah, right, they're debuting this time? Let's promote well together. Weus ssi!]
Insane remarks continued to a degree where it was unknown if this could even be called cleaning up.
'Hey... Hey! Tae-woon...!'
Hearing the voices stopping him around, Tae-woon barely shut his mouth. The W-app live broadcast was quickly ended.
Blue Red's W-app live broadcast that was broadcast live.
The recorded version was deleted by the agency immediately after the broadcast ended.
But they couldn't stop Tae-woon's remarks aimed at Weus from spreading like wildfire after the broadcast ended.