The Toxic Member Has Returned! Episode 174
* * *
The time during which an idol releases an album and then prepares to release the next.
The so-called ‘blank period.’
For idols who survived on their fans’ reactions, managing that blank period well was essential.
Because if the length of time they were out of the public eye grew too long, no one could guarantee the success of their next album.
They couldn’t be forgotten.
No matter how busy they were with album preparations, they had to remain constantly in their fans’ minds.
During my days as Rekstrash, I had remained in memory by the name of trash, so this time, I needed to do so with as good a name as possible.
And so, after I returned, as I was engraving this truth deeply into both my head and heart while facing our first blank period since debut—
The members, including me, ran into an unexpected problem.
“Uh, Jaeha hyung. You went to the company, right? So… is there still no word about our self-produced content? I feel like this really should’ve come out a while ago.”
“Yeah, Hobin hyung keeps asking about it, but… they say they’re short on staff these days. Given the situation, I think we’ll only be able to do our first shoot around when the repackage album comes out.”
“Huh? Short on staff?”
“Yeah. Short on staff. They say aside from the part-timers who help out briefly, there’s nobody.”
…Regarding the lack of personnel to produce self-produced content exclusively for our Tioje.
When I first heard this from Jaeha hyung, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.
I mean, back during Arrows, the content team was doing their jobs just fine—why were they suddenly short on staff?
Our self-produced content wasn’t the most entertaining, but we filmed it well, didn’t we?
We had a good relationship with the content team!
However, when I learned the background behind this labor shortage, I couldn’t help but feel like my head was about to burst.
“…I know our company has a pretty large content team since they film so many things like recording diaries and choreography videos. There’s no reason for people to suddenly disappear….”
“Hmm, well… apparently they went along with Gaoyen for an overseas location shoot.”
“…Ah.”
…To think it was a snowball that had started rolling because I came back like this.
With that one sentence, the puzzle pieces instantly fell into place.
If I hadn’t come back, Gaoyen would never have entered AG in the first place, and if that were the case, the content team would have been filming our team’s self-produced content without issue.
“…Damn.”
Even now, looking back long after the fact, this remained quite a sore spot.
How should I put it? A feeling that I needed to prepare more even for things I couldn’t predict?
Anyway, this was an enormous problem.
Because these days, self-produced content held the largest share in managing idols’ blank periods.
[
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[Secret in the Mountain Lodge Ep.2]
Self-produced content from the agency, uploaded when they weren’t promoting on music shows, was like rain during a drought for fans, and for idols, it was also the best means of maintaining their fanbase.
[Tuossidi Mountain Lodge series finale, Spring? Wow, I got goosebumps watching. So everything the members saw was all fake?]
[⎿Ah, f*ck, I got spoiled on my mealtime companion. Are you crazy? Take it down.]
[⎿No but the ep has been up for a week and you’re saying you got spoiled? You’re just slow, tch.]
[⎿Stop fighting and watch the Serenia witch hunt, this seems based on medieval witch hunting and it’s seriously so damn fun]
[⎿Agreed, agreed. I recommend this too. You can guess who the witch is by looking at what the kids are wearing. The ones in white are the witches.]
[⎿No but this person breathes spoilers. Just don’t post at all.]
In particular, if it was well-made, not only existing fans but fans of other groups would often watch it too, calling it their “mealtime companion.”
But now, of all times, to have no content whatsoever to provide fans during our first blank period.
Of course, that didn’t mean Tioje’s WituTube channel was completely empty.
True to AG, which preached skill first and skill second, choreography videos, recording diaries, and waiting room videos were still being uploaded.
But having no self-produced content capable of properly showcasing the members’ chemistry was inevitably fatal.
Moreover, when it rains, it pours—or rather, mountains beyond mountains.
“Ah, you Tioje guys? We had a meeting with the A&R team, and the song you sent has been confirmed as the final title track. Good news, right?”
“Wow, shit, really?! Logan, Logan! Did you hear? This is really grea—”
“But our schedule is a bit tight. We’d like you to wrap up recording within this week. So it doesn’t overlap with your filming schedules.”
“…Huh.”
“What? Wait, hold on. That’s too packed! Director-nim, please, please. We need more time. We have to match our vocal tones, and Hwaseong’s rap parts need some polishing too….”
“You think you’re the only ones busy? The directing team is busy. The A&R team is busy too. And how many times do I have to tell you? I’m a cat person.”
An incredibly busy album preparation schedule to match the short repackage album production period.
While this was normally something arranged by the company while preparing for an idol debut, it was also an unavoidable aspect of our team, which had debuted in a hurry after a survival show.
“…After I asked several more times, they said if we have anything filmed, editing is possible through the content team’s part-timers.”
“Hmm, but we’re so busy preparing for the album that we lack the time to film self-produced content as well.”
“We’re completely caught between a rock and a hard place….”
“…I think we need to give it some thought.”
We all couldn’t help but fall deep into worry.
How could we overcome the absence of self-produced content?
And how could we proceed well with the repackage album preparations at the same time?
And among us, I—the main culprit behind the disappearance of our self-produced content—had to rack my brains even harder.
I had sworn so hard not to be a nuisance, and yet this happened.
Then what was I supposed to do?
I had to fix it.
And fortunately….
“…Hobin hyung. If we just film it, you’ll handle the editing?”
“Ah, yes. But it won’t be a properly formatted edit. I think only simple subtitles and sound effects will go in.”
“Hmm, do you have anything in mind?”
“In my opinion, since you Tioje members are also busy with album preparations… how about filming simple games or cooking videos that don’t require much editing….”
“Umm, if the members and Hobin hyung are okay with it, I have a proposal. I think the response would definitely be good. It could overlap with album preparation as a bonus, and we could continue it as the next content….”
“Huh? Album prep and self-produced content at the same time? …Please tell me!”
I did indeed have one card I could play to break through this situation.
“It’s… fine. No, it’s good. Nothing could be better in our current situation. But is this really….”
“I sent a message earlier, and they said we can come right away. They have all the cameras, so they just told us to bring ourselves.”
“…Um, are the other members okay with this?”
“Argh, honestly I’m a bit scared… it’s not that we can’t do it! Hobin hyung, you know, right?!”
“Ugh, Hwaseong-ah. I think so too. It’s a good opportunity. A good one! But if we mess up, those people might take it as us losing and….”
“Still, I think… we should, should at least try… it’ll be better… there’s no… guarantee that we’ll… lose….”
“…Hobin hyung, I think everyone has the same opinion. Shall we head out then? I don’t think we’ll have time if not today. I’ll keep Chunyong in line.”
It was slightly double-edged, but anyway.
“Is everyone ready? Then let’s go. It’s nearby, so if you just stop by the salon, we can head straight there.”
“…Yes!”
And so, the snowball of the journey toward Tioje’s first self-produced content began rolling, small but steady.
* * *
The ones who felt the absence of self-produced content and the resulting sense of crisis weren’t only the Tioje members themselves.
No, in fact, there were those who felt it far more desperately.
Namely, the fans who watched until the videos dragged on, dissecting them and interpreting each member’s character.
Tioje’s partner, Jenia.
Among them, Neulbomireu—who prided herself on being the number one partner of Tioje’s main dancer, Kim Chunyong—was on the verge of losing her mind at work.
This should be out by now.
There should at least be some word about it.
‘No, why isn’t it coming out! Does AG have no employees? There’s no way! They just debuted, they should at least have a dedicated content team!’
Suppressing the screams bursting from within, Neulbomireu continued typing neurotically.
If she hadn’t been at the company, she would’ve screamed at the top of her lungs, but one could say that the thing called social decorum was somehow keeping her in check.
Anyway, the important thing was that she was once again feeling a tremendous sense of crisis regarding Tioje.
Her face, nearly plastered against the screen, was full of worry.
‘No, seriously, the self-produced content needs to come out already. Fans need bait to survive too. Could it be that I’m being punished for only filming survival show kids all this time?’
Her worries weren’t entirely unfounded.
Tioje’s official SNS, which had fallen silent almost immediately following the end of the ‘Hide and Seek’ promotions, and the WituTube channel uploads that had cut off completely since last week’s waiting room video.
All of these were adding to Neulbomireu’s sense of crisis.
Or rather, the sense of crisis that she might continue to suffer from a lack of content going forward.
People were weak to immediate dopamine, and if something wasn’t visible, they easily forgot about it.
Therefore, if Tioje was out of sight, people would easily turn their eyes toward other newly appearing idols.
“Huu….”
Without even noticing the junior beside her watching her every move, Neulbomireu let out a deep sigh drawn from the pit of her stomach.
The SNS tab that would usually be floating naturally in a corner of her screen was conspicuously absent today.
The reason she wasn’t on SNS today was simple:
Because going on wouldn’t help.
[I Like British Men @logaaaanUKUK (Photo) Curly-haired Roholli ends like this? For real? Ah, fuck, they should’ve let her get #1 at least once… I should’ve seen her happy receiving an award ㅠㅠ]
[⎿Lolololol does Logan get the award alone? You’re really good at erasing the other members.]
[⎿Go troll somewhere else.]
[Go To College Trusting Bang Yuchan @BangbangYourchan Ha, I thought our Yuchan would appear on at least one variety show during Hide and Seek promotions, but he didn’t, lol. If AG has any sense, they should slot him into a vocal-related survival variety, that’s only reasonable, ;;]
[⎿(Blocked Account) The level of Yuchan stans asking to send oppa to another survival show right after debuting from one, lol. Do you like making him suffer that much?]
[Son Jaeha and Logan don’t seem very close… In the fancam, even when Logan goes near him, Son Jaeha doesn’t react, lololol. Poor Logan…]
[⎿Logan was only close with Kim Chunyong from the start… Ugh, Tioje is so obviously divided between the kids who were originally from AG and the ones who weren’t.]
[⎿Why are you cutting up other people’s videos and posting them? Right after this, Jaeha smiles at Logan and gives him water, lololol. Please stop talking nonsense about the members not being close. What do you even gain from that??]
How long had the blank period even started, and already they were split apart and fighting.
In fact, someone who didn’t know better might have thought Tioje held a favorable position compared to other rookie idols.
Because they had debuted having already built individual fandoms through a survival show.
But while that might have helped with immediately visible results, in the long term, it had invited problems.
‘Since the kids don’t show much group content, the fans don’t unify either. So they fight to the death, lowering other members to make their own kid the Cinderella. They have so much damn time on their hands….’
For that reason, Neulbomireu had decided on an SNS detox.
Let’s just wait until the self-produced content comes out.
Whether it’s SNS, communities, or Outgram—
Don’t look at anything until Tioje’s official WituTube “Self-Produced Content” playlist is updated, and just edit Chunyong’s old fansign photos!
‘Rather than mindlessly scrolling SNS and letting my eyes wander to other idols for no reason, it’s better to protect my pure devotion like this. Chunyong-ah, noona will definitely hold a solo photo exhibition for you.’
Therefore, Neulbomireu had no idea what had arrived in her Outgram notifications, which she had turned off.
[Outgram Live Notification ▷ JDS: A Guest Who Came Suddenly]
Even though it was clearly a notification that, had she known, would have made her scream regardless of social decorum.