Chapter 165

Chapter 165

“Wow! Idol Inc.”

“So it starts this week, huh?”

When the ad for the new season of Idol Inc. appeared, the members who’d been watching the drama together reacted nonchalantly in some way or another. They probably weren’t looking forward to it all that much, and only really acknowledged the show because we’d filmed for it.

When the thirty-second ad was over, their neutral indifference had transformed into confusion and embarrassment.

[The popular K-pop group created by Idol Incorporated]

[A global phenomenon reaching far beyond Korea]

[TeSTAR]

[Meet the idol stocks that will take up their baton!]

“My god.”

Half of the ad was focused on how amazing TeSTAR was and how we’d be making an appearance in the fourth season.

I guess they just chose the easiest marketing method available to them. There was very little else that would be as effective this early on since season three had been massively popular, and we’d been a huge success after we’d debuted.

They probably put the ad after this particular drama on purpose, too. This episode had Bae Sejin making a cameo, who was also from season three, and the ad had been slotted right in the precious golden window that occurred as soon as it ended. This had been what they were after right from the start. No wonder the agency hadn’t turned down the request for Bae Sejin.

So the main audience for season four early on will be TeSTAR fans...

“Hmm...

Even if there wasn’t too much of an overlap between our audience and the new girl group that would be formed in season four, I didn’t really like the idea that part of our fandom might be stolen away. No doubt T1 was fine with it, since the debuting team would also belong to them.

After the initial hype dies down, the real target audience will have been lured in, anyway. But should season four not do as well as expected... they might try to use us as a crutch to prop the failing show up.

That would not be good. The way I saw it, season four was a ticking time bomb. There had already been a fiasco regarding the writer that was related to Chungwoo when we were about to start receiving our Rookie of the Year awards.

We would very easily be dragged under should there be a controversy regarding fairness in season four. TeSTAR was already relying heavily on the quality of our albums and our public image to quiet the online drama that often wore fans down. We couldn’t deal with any more unnecessary trouble.

This has to be the last time we appear on the show. And I hoped that our latest appearance would be short-lived, too. I knew, of course, that it was a pointless thing to wish for.

Those bastards had us film solo shots, too... They would use us until the show reached the level of popularity they wanted. My prediction was very quickly proven correct. Big Sejin smirked as he browsed on his phone.

“Wow! Looks like we’re in another trailer, too.”

I could only hear the sound, but could already tell that our voices had been overlaid with the screams of this season’s contestants.

“I’m Seon Ahyeon…”

“Oh my god!”

“Th-that’s a little embarrassing...”

“Ahyeon, you look very handsome in the trailer. You don’t have to worry!” Raebin insisted.

“Y-y-yes...”

He seemed to be only more embarrassed by Raebin’s attempt at reassurance. That much was obvious to me.

I checked the internet’s reaction to Bae Sejin’s appearance in the drama briefly, then how people felt about the new season of Idol Inc. as well, before turning in for the night. There wasn’t much in the way of conflict just yet, only excitement, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the calm before the storm.

A few days later, the new season of Idol Inc. began to air.

***

“Bye Loviewers!”

“Bye!”

Big Sejin tapped at the phone screen with a cheerful goodbye.

[W Live has ended.]

A few of the members had some free time on our hands and were overdue for a stream, so we’d done one. As for what we’d done while live... Frankly, we’d run out of things to stream about, so we had just made a simple meal together. We’d cooked up some meat, so it was hard to mess it up. Everyone who’d eaten seemed to enjoy it well enough.

“Can I eat this?”

“Yes. You can have it.”

The remaining half of the beer chicken that had been today’s menu went straight into Eugene’s mouth.

He seems to be enjoying it. He was the most enthusiastic eater among the members that had been available to participate in the W Live today—that is, myself, Big Sejin, and... Bae Sejin.

“Good work,” I said to him.

“I hardly did anything...” Bae Sejin muttered, avoiding eye contact.

“No, you were the most helpful when it came to cooking.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Well, ahem. If you say so.”

Big Sejin had focused on making the viewers laugh, and Eugene had only been interested in eating. In truth, the only one to help me was Bae Sejin. Better still—as Big Sejin would say—he’d been very cooperative today. He’d reacted eagerly, and done his best to participate in friendly conversation, despite some of the banter having little to do with the stream itself. And these efforts would result in far better results than he expected since he’d started applying them at the perfect time quite accidentally.

Bae Sejin’s acting in the drama was really, really good. Everyone knew that Bae Sejin had been a child actor, but most people were under the impression he was less talented than the others after what they’d seen of him on Idol Inc. His acting skills, however, were in the spotlight now, and the public’s impression of him had thus improved.

The relevant comments went something like the following:

- Wow, Bae Sejin’s acting came as a shock. I had no idea!

- No wonder he got ten million viewers when he was only eleven!

- My mom was so happy to see him all grown up when I watched it with her

- I need more of him. Please do a bigger role T_T

The cameo had been very sensibly incorporated, and even if it was short, he’d left a big impression. His acting had been incredible, too.

This should all work out nicely in his favor. If a problem was going to arise from all this, it would be that Bae Sejin’s solo stans and haters alike might both be of the opinion that he should just be an actor instead. They weren’t saying anything of the sort just yet, though, given he’d done such a short cameo. The current situation was unfolding nicely.

It’ll be fine as long as he continues to show everyone that he’s getting along well with the group in our self-produced content. It was enough that he appeared to be enjoying our group activities. As for beginning an acting career properly, I think it would turn out perfectly if he did so in two or three years’ time.

Not that I had any way of predicting what would happen in the future. If my current status abnormality was really the last one, I would no longer have to fixate on producing results.

I do have to focus for now, though. That was why I was planning to keep an eye on the new season of Idol Inc., something I never expected I’d have to do. I’d waited until episode two came out since the first one was likely only going to end on a tantalizing cliffhanger.

“Moondae, what up?” Big Sejin said.

“I’m going to watch the new season.”

“Oh! Great idea.”

I took over the living room TV, which no one was using at the moment, and accessed WeTube. The members who’d done the W Live with me stealthily claimed spots on the sofa around me.

I guess they were curious, even if they didn’t show it. It just so happened that a clip from the episode I was looking for was on the home screen.

[Relisted! Idol Incorporated 2 | Come and see TeSTAR, the nation’s favorite stock ★ | Clips from EPs 1 and 2]

These sorts of edited compilation clips were usually only released after some time had passed, but they were obviously hungry for hype.

“Wow, Moondae! You’re in the thumbnail!”

I won first place last season, remember? I clicked on it right away.

[What does Idol Incorporated mean to you?]

Individual shots of the TeSTAR members against a dark backdrop appeared, all of us wearing serious expressions.

[※Gosh, I’m feeling nervous!※]

[※Well, Idol Incorporated, to us...※]

[※...a new opportunity?※]

[※A turning point in my life.※]

The point here seemed to be to emphasize how amazing Idol Inc. was.

“Oh man, they really went for it,” Big Sejin said.

“Cheesy!” Eugene said.

“Ha...”

All of them seemed pretty disgusted by the Idol Inc. theatrics, which they hadn’t had to endure for over a year now. The video went on regardless.

TeSTAR members were shown watching footage of themselves from season three and reacting with embarrassment, heart-warming music playing in the background.

“Moondae, you can’t even raise your head. Are you that embarrassed by your beloved chicken feet? How can you be embarrassed when you clearly had such a good time eating them!” Big Sejin said.

“Shut it.”

Then the scene changed, now showing this season’s contestants, who were watching the clips of us alongside footage from season three.

[※I hope I can put together performances like that, too.※]

[※I felt challenged, seeing them like that.※]

“Good times, huh?”

“Cheer up, guys!” Eugene cried in English.

“I hope it goes well for them.”

The members watched, seeming sympathetic. The next scene made them sigh, however.

[※The season three contestants appear on the set!※]

[※(High-pitched noises)※]

[※No, that isn’t crows you’re hearing※]

Their entrance to the set was shown three times, and each TeSTAR member was zoomed in on separately, one by one.

The finishing touch was a slew of interviews with the contestants.

“He was my favorite member. Gosh, I’m about to lose it!”

“I couldn’t help but scream, you know?”

“I couldn’t hold back. Hahaha!”

“I just saw Moon Puppy in person! My god! I nearly had a heart attack!”

The poor soul who’d spoken last was probably being roasted on the internet for disrespectfully referring to a senior in the field by a nickname—I was willing to bet our meal of beer chicken on it.

“Hmm. This is a bit more embarrassing to watch than I expected it to be.”

“Why? I like it!” Eugene said.

As the members each weighed in with a different opinion, the enthusiastic welcome on screen finally calmed a little when the TeSTAR members began taking turns encouraging the new contestants.

The first person up was Eugene.

“Wow! Good luck, everyone! Don’t be nervous, enjoy the moment, and go hard!”

I was pretty sure a few people online would be upset to hear this, since Eugene hadn’t once suffered from a malicious edit. But they would have felt this way no matter what he said, so it was all good.

Next was Bae Sejin.

“I... hope you achieve what you came here for.”

Trolls would likely accuse him of saying something so insipid because he had no skill, only to find themselves shot down very quickly.

Then it was Big Sejin’s turn.

“Idol Incorporated is a big audition show. I think it’s unavoidable that sometimes, things just won’t go the way you expect them to.”

He started by establishing that failure was a possibility.

“But it’s undeniably a good opportunity. I hope you do everything to the best of your abilities, so you don’t have any regrets. I’ll be rooting for you!”

He’d focused on the importance of the attempt itself, rather than winning. There was nothing to criticize about what he’d said. He’d also managed to praise the show a little, but not enough to rile people up.

He’s got a good head on his shoulders. Nothing had gone too bad so far. There was no strange editing, and most people were probably enjoying themselves. I hadn’t been shown yet, however, since I’d gone last.

“Moondae!” Eugene shouted.

“Wow, you’re up last!” Big Sejin said.

Only toward the end of the video did Park Moondae pick up the microphone.

“Being on this show…”

A silent compilation of clips from the previous season began to play suddenly.

“...?”

“It often tested my limits, both of my abilities and my circumstances.”

There was footage of me dancing to “POP☆CON,” rehearsing without sleep during the evaluations, and lying stretched out on my bed after a long dance practice. There was also a clip of me sitting alone on my bed, a complicated look on my face.

This particular scene had never appeared on the show before. It seemed like it was the moment I’d learned something new about Park Moondae’s mysterious past.

“But sometimes, I discovered I could go beyond those limits.”

Park Moondae was shown on stage, shouting a chant before a performance and smiling faintly surrounded by the contestants on his team.

“I hope that when you’re done with this season, you’ll also come to know more about who you are as a person.”

The camera was now on Park Moondae of the present once more as he bowed his head alongside the other TeSTAR members.

“Thank you for listening.”

The contestants of this season were shown tearing up, a touching version of this season’s theme song playing alongside this footage. I stared at the screen.

“Uh...” Bae Sejin said cautiously. “I don’t think it felt quite like that when we filmed it.”

He was right. The whole scene that had just played out was a complete fabrication. I’d been asked to speak a little longer than the others since I’d been the first-place winner, and the encouragement I’d given them had been very commonplace.

I hadn’t referred to the past season’s activities in that sweeping fashion at all. None of the contestants had cried, either. They’d simply been happy to see us. I wasn’t surprised, though.

“This is Idol Inc., guys.”

“That’s true...”

This reminder made it easy to accept what had just happened on screen. This didn’t seem to be the case for everyone else on the internet, though.

“Moondae, some articles came out about it, too.”

“Yeah?”

[A new season of Idol Inc. begins. Will Park Moondae’s turnaround from dark horse to winner be reenacted?]

[First place amateur Park Moondae offers sage advice. Relisted! Idol Incorporated 2]

[Relisted! Idol Incorporated 2. Park Moondae shares his secret to escaping weak stock status?]

Those utter bastards. It had been a while since I’d experienced the Idol Inc. production team’s skill for baiting.