14. A Second Beginning (2)
It had been a month where everything went smoothly.
The music video shoot finished without a hitch, and practice for the debut song had gone smoothly as well. There hadn't been any trouble between the members either. When they'd practiced the showcase stage for the last time yesterday, it had been so perfect that applause burst out spontaneously.
"Eunchan, your face."
"Yes."
Following the makeup artist's words, Eunchan lifted his head slightly. Even while receiving the final hair and makeup touch-ups, his mind was so filled with thoughts of the showcase that no other distractions entered his head.
'By the way, Hyeonjuin as the special MC—this will be fine, right?'
Hyeonjuin was probably busy with the drama he was currently filming. It was obvious he wouldn't have been able to pay much attention to this, so the worry was unavoidable.
"Six o'clock...."
As he turned his head this way and that following the makeup artist's hands, the clock in the corner of the waiting room caught his eye. Come to think of it, the music video and new song should have been released by now.
A completely different concept and song from before the regression. It was no different than a new challenge for Eunchan. The reaction would clearly be different from the past Chilwol Chilseok days.
From now on, nothing would match my memories. Was the fact that it was unpredictable really this nerve-wracking? He was as excited as if he were facing an idol debut for the first time. And...
'Now that I'm about to check the reactions, it's a bit scary....'
From his perspective, it seemed perfect, but the public's reactions were always cold. They might think differently than him. Since most of the reactions he'd experienced so far had been negative, it was hard to think positively.
"Alright, all done. Don't touch your face now."
"Thank you."
Whether she was pleased with her own work, the makeup artist tapped Eunchan's shoulder with a satisfied face. One hour until the showcase began. Eunchan took a deep breath to calm his mind.
"Hyung!"
Just then, Byeoli's voice rang out. Byeoli came up behind him, smiling so wide his uvula was visible.
"Let's watch together."
"Watch what... ah, the music video?"
"Yeah. You didn't seem to be watching it, hyung!"
Byeoli thrust his phone right in front of Eunchan.
He'd wondered what all the fuss was about; turned out it was their music video.
"Let's watch!"
Of all times, he thrust it forward right when Eunchan had been thinking about the music video. Eunchan, who had momentarily flinched, nodded his head, and Byeoli pressed play immediately.
Wait. Eunchan slightly furrowed his brow.
'What. The music video thumbnail is me?'
He was almost embarrassed and flustered.
'Is it okay to plaster just my face this big?'
Of course, during their Chilwol Chilseok promotions, they had always proudly hung Hyeonjuin's face as the music video thumbnail.
Now that he was the one in that situation, it was a bit embarrassing.
This time it was six members without Hyeonjuin, and the concept had changed too, so he had expected a group shot for the thumbnail. Or, since the music video itself had come out with such pretty coloring this time, he had thought they'd pick one of the scenes as the thumbnail.
'Is something changing?'
"Okay, here we go~! My heart's pounding. Honestly, I haven't watched it yet. This kind of thing is best enjoyed when you watch it after it's released!"
"Byeoli hyung... keep it down a bit. Why are you talking so much? Save your energy."
"Sure, Rion. You come here too. This kind of thing is more fun with more people."
"Ugh... urgh."
Rion, who had been hovering nearby, joined in half-heartedly. He didn't look like he wanted to, but with Byeoli gripping his arm tightly from the side, he probably couldn't move.
Rion stood awkwardly nearby. He looked a bit... pitiful, but the more people there were, the more comfortable Eunchan felt too.
"We absolutely killed it? This is insane? We're totally idols?"
"Byeol-ah, we *are* idols."
Honestly, he had seen the music video rough cut before.
It had been good enough that he admired it internally, but the finished version he was watching now was truly jaw-dropping. So the rumors that they'd received a large budget investment weren't false.
As expected of a fresh concept.
The more he watched the music video, the more he could confirm that his choice had been the right one. The members performed the song so perfectly, as if they had been born to do this.
An amusement park cast concept. Especially that scene filmed in front of the merry-go-round—it was pretty even watching it again. He was very satisfied.
'I'm sorry for completely ignoring the CEO's opinion. Guys, sorry and thank you for letting me do what I wanted. But look. Even you can see it's totally fine, right?'
"Did you see the comments?"
The moment Rion finished speaking, Byeoli clicked on the comments section. Eunchan's eyes squeezed shut. He wanted to see but didn't want to. The malicious comments and mockery he'd seen in the past were still floating around in his head. But there was definitely a hope that this time might be a little different.
[Juhyeok, I've been waiting for you.......]
[The thumbnail clickbait is insane lolll how could you not click after seeing that face?]
ㄴ Agreed. I only subscribed to this channel and don't check anything besides my main group, but I got bewitched by that face and clicked
ㄴ Who's that? I didn't see him in Minites
ㄴ It's Yoo Eunchan. He was a hidden trainee and debuted this time! Please show lots of love ><
[I don't think there's been a rookie group lately with such good visuals overall? They're gonna blow up]
[Minites!! Waiting for uuuu♥ they are killing me!!]
[The thumbnail member's name is Yoo Eunchan? Ha... my type... I'm really a Sonamoo fan, so I'm weak for this kind of face.......]
'Huh?'
Checking the comments while clutching his pounding heart, the reactions were unexpectedly fine. For now, none of the scathing criticisms Eunchan had worried about were visible.
"Standby, please~"
Then, a staff member's loud voice calling for the members was heard. Now they really had to go backstage for the stage.
Eunchan got up from his seat and stuck his face right up to the mirror for a final check. The problem wasn't his face, but his expression.
'Yoo Eunchan, aren't you enjoying this too much?'
He really should have checked the reactions later. He had momentarily forgotten that he was the type who couldn't manage his expressions.
'Get a grip!'
He smacked his cheeks with both palms. He was getting too carried away right now. He had to switch to his stage face. If he just finished the showcase well, this debut would go smoothly. Aja aja, fighting.
Eunchan walked to backstage, putting strength into his heavy steps. It was the first stage presented to the public. He had to finish it well no matter what. If the first button was misaligned, he'd have to undo everything and start rethreading from the beginning with twice the effort.
***
"As you wish! Hello, we are Genesis!"
As expected for the stage of an idol debuting for the first time today, about half of the audience seats in front of the stage were empty. He had heard in the morning that due to the empty seats, they had covered restricted-view seats and moved some audience members, but even that was a grateful sight to Eunchan.
At the last stage he had stood on as Chilwol Chilseok, they hadn't even been able to fill 300 seats, so the agency had held events and given out invitation tickets to barely reach that number. Now, compared to then, there were at least three to four times as many audience members. That so many people had come to see them made his chest swell with emotion.
[Under the twinkling starlight]
[The soap bubbles you and I blew together, just the two of us]
Following the choreography they had practiced, Eunchan showed off the best of his abilities. Having been an idol for quite a long time in the past, stable vocals and facial acting to the level expected of a rookie flowed naturally from his body.
[Here and now, we are somewhere]
[A space within a fantasy, an endless marry go round]
[Hold my hand]
Yeon Gaeul's highlight section as the main vocalist was also finished without mistake. With this level of stage performance, there would be no room to nitpick in showcase articles or fancams. They could force criticism if they tried, but at least it wouldn't be a case of outright mockery like before the regression.
With a proud heart, Eunchan struck the finishing choreography. A bright smile came naturally without even forcing an expression.
'Huh, that person... they were a fan during Chilwol Chilseok too.'
Moreover, discovering a familiar face he had seen before the regression, he couldn't hide his excitement. Then he suddenly wondered what the fans' favorability ratings would be.
[ ♡ +85% ]
[ system : Objective
[ Current stats held : 0.5 ]
So this was what the favorability system was for.
It seemed to be a system where achieving objectives here granted bonus stats for the stat window. It was an incredibly useful feature, more than he had thought.
'Then should I check about three more people? If they're interested enough to come to the showcase, they should be around that level, right?'
[ ♡ +80% ]
[ ♡ +50% ]
[ ♡ +90% ]
[ system : Daily favorability view count (1/5) ]
[ system : Objective achieved! Bonus stats will be granted. ]
[ Current stats held : 1.5 ]
...Well, since it only applies to favorability toward 'me,' not every fan here would be over 80%.
Anyway, he should open the stat window when the showcase was over.
'...Huh?'
As he caught his breath and looked toward the audience seats, another familiar face caught his eye. It was someone he could never forget, one of their fans from before the regression.
'She really is a Hyeonjuin fanatic, that reporter.'
Even back then, she was a fan who took photos at every event Hyeonjuin attended. The first fansite master and entertainment reporter who came to mind when thinking of 'Hyeonjuin.' Thanks to that, she had really attended every event without missing a single one.
Yet there she was sitting here now. Hyeonjuin being the MC wasn't public information, and she had a press badge hanging around her neck, so she had probably heard through industry connections. But rather than being happy to see her, something felt a little off...
'It looks like she came as a reporter for our side... but she's only taking pictures of Hyeonjuin?'
After being in the industry this long, he could quickly tell where a camera was aimed.
Well, that could happen. Eunchan quickly accepted it and went to sit in the seats prepared at the edge of the stage.
If he checked that person's favorability, it would definitely show 0. Right now, she wouldn't know him, someone who wasn't even in the same group as Hyeonjuin. He knew how great her pure devotion toward Hyeonjuin was, so that didn't really matter. The problem was,
"Hello, I am Hyeonjuin, who will be serving as the MC for today's Genesis showcase."
Of all places, the seat he had taken was next to the MC. In other words, next to Hyeonjuin.
'No, out of all these many seats, why did it have to be me in this seat......?'
Since he wasn't acting familiar like before, it was even more awkward. If possible, it would have made a better picture to have Juhyeok or Iseon seated here.
Eunchan continued to wipe away already-dried sweat with a handkerchief, struggling to hide his face that refused to be controlled. Please, just don't ask me anything off-script.
"Wow, anyway, the song is so good. I feel like I want to visit that amusement park too. I watched the music video that was released while we were waiting earlier, and I wanted to join in too."
Hearing Hyeonjuin say this kind of thing—it just didn't suit him at all.
Afraid he might fail to manage his expression and cause a misunderstanding, Eunchan picked up the bottled water at his feet for no reason and hydrated his throat.
'He really is a good actor. Look at him talking without a single change in expression.'
Hyeonjuin, who had moved out of the dorm to live alone just a few months after debut and stopped participating in albums claiming he wanted to act, kept overlapping over the person in front of him.
"Could you please briefly introduce yourselves one by one? You can also mention the part you're most confident in."
"I'm Do Iseon, vocalist and lead dancer. Ah! At 184cm and 65kg, I'm the tallest in the group, and I also handle visuals while I'm at it!"
"Haha, he's my friend, but Mr. Iseon has very strong self-love. But he has a face that justifies it. I may be a theater and film major, but you were famous as the visual god of the practical arts department at our high school."
"Hearing that from Mr. Juin is a bit embarrassing? But even I get overshadowed next to Mr. Juhyeok on stage. Our team's main dancer, Mr. Juhyeok, right?"
"I'm sorry. This friend is usually quite talkative......"
As expected of friends, the three performing arts high school students' banter was fantastic. Hyeonjuin, whom he had inwardly worried about, led the talk smoothly while smiling.
'If it goes on like this, it'll be fine, right?'
"I'm Yeon Gaeul, the main vocalist......"
"I'm Orion, in charge of vocals. My specialty is songwriting and composing."
"I'm not the maknae... but the second youngest, a lively 18-year-old! I'm Hongbyeol, the main rapper~! My specialties range from rap-making to individual talents, very diverse! Please look fondly upon me~!"
After the other members finished their brief introductions, it was immediately his turn.
"Then, Mr. Eunchan, the leader of Genesis, do you happen to have a role model you respect?"
But for whatever reason, Hyeonjuin had thrown a different question at him instead of a self-introduction. He remembered there hadn't been anything like this when checking the script.
'Genesis leader Eunchan... if it's that, I've already explained everything.'
Well, as the leader and the eldest hyung, there wasn't much else to introduce separately, so that question wasn't strange. It was certainly better than asking and answering the same thing; changing it up sensibly like that was nice.
'It seems he prepared harder than I thought?'
Eunchan, who had momentarily hesitated, looked at Hyeonjuin, nodded, and answered brightly. This question had a predetermined answer from the beginning.
"Yes. I respect sunbae Baek Muyeong of Sonyeonmi the most! While preparing for this album, the stage I watched the most was sunbae Muyeong's fancam... I'm personally a true fan. His visuals are perfect, and of course he sings well and dances well, plus he's active on variety shows. I truly think calling him the best isn't enough."
This was truly an answer that came from fanboy heart. He could have mentioned it briefly and moved on, but as he spoke, he felt this wasn't enough to express his respect for sunbae Baek Muyeong, so his answer grew longer than expected.
Having been a fan from before the regression until now, it was so many years he couldn't count them on one hand. Moreover, the Sonyeonmi sunbaenims had good relationships among group members, maintaining their heyday for a long time as one of the popular boy groups that had a long run.
He heard they were renewing their contracts soon. They were practically the bible of the idol industry. Yep, that's right.
[ Hidden event achieved! Raising 5 people's favorability to +100% within one hour ]
* This event cannot be achieved repeatedly afterward. *
[ system : You who are truly lucky! The one-time skill 'Inner Thoughts Check' will be granted. ]
'Suddenly?'
It must be favorability appearing from the staff or audience side. He was grateful, but the timing was a bit regrettable. It would have been better if it appeared after he finished speaking.
Still, having seen these system windows a few times now, he wasn't as flustered by their sudden appearance as he had been at first. Though he couldn't hide the subtly changing expression due to his poor facial control.
"Ah... sunbae Baek Muyeong."
"Yes!"
As the system window began to fade, Eunchan composed his expression and met eyes with Hyeonjuin.
But Hyeonjuin's expression wasn't good. Perhaps he didn't think of sunbae Baek Muyeong that way, or after Eunchan's answer, Hyeonjuin was still smiling, but his subsequent tone was noticeably shorter.
"Yes... well, I suppose that could be the case."
Having watched him for a long time, Eunchan knew. That was definitely a displeased expression.
'...He was doing fine, why is he suddenly like that?'
Then, the moment he became curious about Hyeonjuin's inner thoughts, Hyeonjuin's voice reached Eunchan's ears. A murky inner thought, as if muttering.
<
'Huh?'
The muscles at the corners of his mouth hidden behind the smiling face trembled slightly.
'What was that?'
He shouldn't have listened to the inner thoughts. He wasted a precious skill.
'I think checking Hyeonjuin's favorability would have been better instead.'
The moment Eunchan's thought ended, a now-familiar system window appeared above Hyeonjuin's head.
[ Hyeonjuin ♡ +30% ]
[ system : Daily favorability view count available (0/5) ]
Eunchan slightly furrowed his brow after checking the favorability.
'Hyeonjuin is in the positive?'
It was quite unexpected. Then why did he show such a displeased attitude?
He could understand it before the regression, but this time they had barely run into each other a few times and had been distant, so there was almost no reason for favorability to rise.
He had clearly checked with his own eyes, so the number couldn't be wrong. Then was it a system error?