Chapter 3


    Despite my tired back aching, my manager continued to rant about his upset stomach.


    What if they cut you? You should be afraid of the CEO.


    Yes, yes.


    Youre still young and naive about the world


    Can you show me the practice room and introduce me to the other members?


    My manager gave me an annoyed look as I interrupted him, but I didnt let it bother me with my thick skin that had been toughened by years of working in society. I was originally tough, after all.


    Seo Hoyun is acting strange today. Hes different after getting sick


    He constantly mumbled as if possessed by some demon.


    While walking down the hallway, I nced at pictures of people I didnt know. However, I recognized a famous actor who had transitioned from theater to romantic dramas.


    They seemed to be a rtively sessful agency catering to actors, but


    <em>It was surprising to see an agency specializing in actors also have an idol</em>


    How many trainees are there?


    What nonsense are you spewing? Youre the only ones here.


    What?


    You were the only trainees who were brought together and debuted. Sigh Im really worried.


    <em>Really?</em>


    Was that the n all along?


    While I was amazed by how poor thepany system waspared to other ces, my manager discreetly spoke to me.


    Hoyun.


    Yes?


    The kids, they can be a bit sensitive. Their grades havent been greattely, so dont be surprised no matter what you say.


    Grades?


    Gradesyes, to you, it may seem like grades. But dont worry, Ive been watching them closely, and theyre really good kids. Theyre just under a lot of stress.


    When someone kept saying that the kids were good, it was usually the opposite.


    As I calmly looked on, the tense manager quickly opened the door.


    Hey guys, Hoyuns here!


    Lord, Ive lived a good life so far.


    I wished the members I would be working with had been chosen thoughtfully.


    Seo Hoyun?


    However, I bit my tongue when I saw the members sweating and panting in the practice room.


    <em>This wont work.</em>


    Yes, they were handsome. And, of course, idols were supposed to be good-looking. Being good-looking and pretty and singing well were all important. But in the Korean entertainment industry, where all the good-looking and pretty people flocked, simply being good-looking was not enough to stand out among thepetition.


    What, then, was the key to survival?


    Its all about star power.


    How much you radiated and how effortlessly you exuded coolness were crucial factors.


    As I observed the four members sitting together, I made my assessments.


    Not quite there yet.


    Being a star may not seem like a big deal, but achieving it was incredibly challenging. Its necessary for creating fans who cheer for you at the slightest wave, yet its difficult to acquire. One must possess a dazzling charm or charisma.


    And when you are full of yourself as I was, its easy to identify the weaker ones.


    But these members didnt have that. I sighed as I realized they didnt possess the star power.


    <em>Hey Can I see their stats?</em>


    [No >_<]


    <em>Useless.</em>


    As I was about to sigh, a sharp voice pierced my ears.


    Didnt they say Seo Hoyun left?


    The person speaking was tall, and as I looked at him, their character sheet popped up on the system window.


    [Kim Seonghyeon


    Leader and main dancer of The Dawn


    Remarks: ???


    He is highly sensitive due to the risk of disbandment.]


    Yeah, I knew that without you telling me.


    But why did youe back? What have you ever aplished?


    Kim Seonghyeon red sharply at me. The manager intervened between us, looking flustered.


    Seonghyeon, why are you like this? Hoyun was sick.


    Well, so what? Are we some kind ofeback loser group? Why is someone who didnt even do their activities properly still here?


    Kim Seonghyeon!


    Honestly, I thought Kim Seonghyeons words were all right. At the same time, I reassessed the situation.


    <em>Can someone with such a terrible character actually seed?</em>


    Usually, people are more attracted to someone whos terrible 99 times but does well once than someone who did well 100 times. If you did well 100 times, people just looked at you as a sucker or a loser.


    Seonghyeon, lets stop.


    [Seong Jiwon


    Main vocal


    Remarks: ???


    Seong Jiwon is kind but has really bad luck.]


    <em>This one seems pretty good.</em>


    Seong Jiwon stopped Kim Seonghyeon and gave me a nod. As I shrugged my shoulders and entered the practice room, Seong Jiwon greeted me.


    Uh Hoyun, wee. Are you feeling better?


    Yeah. Im Seo Hoyun. Nice to meet you.


    Who doesnt know your name?


    Just trying to do better this time.


    So shameless


    Thanks to putting a lot of saliva on my lips before leaving home, whether it was a lie or not, it came out easily.


    Kim Seonghyeons face turned red, but I ignored him and looked at the other two. The one with ck hair opened his eyes wide.


    Hoyun-hyung, are you really all better?


    [Jeong Dajoon


    Sub-dancer


    Remarks: ???


    Hes the youngest. Um He has a bright and cheerful personality.]


    Oh Im good now.


    Despite not knowing exactly where I was hurting, I responded vaguely. As I nced over at him, I noticed a guy with a face resembling that of a fox grinning smugly.


    Hyung, I thought something had happened to you when you didnt return.


    [Kang Ichae


    Main rapper


    Remarks: ???


    His personality is equally twisted.]


    <em>Look at this guys personality.</em>


    That guys a real character.


    I came back alive.


    Hmm? Uh-huh? Haha.


    [Quest Talk to the members! has beenpleted.


    Looks like everyone is feeling bad because youre here again!


    Ill add some charm for now.]


    I gave a moderate response and looked at the quest window. Main vocal, dancer, rapper  they at least collected members that fit the roles. Or maybe they put them in appropriate positions since they gathered practice trainees.


    When I exchanged greetings with the members, the manager smiled broadly and expressed gratitude that I was well received.


    Great, its a relief that everyone weed you! Lets work hard again, everyone!


    It was a bright day.


    No one answered.


    Nevertheless, the manager continued to speak with determination and energy. I felt sorry for him, thinking about how tough it must be for a working person.


    Well, you may not know this yet, but were preparing for aeback. We only have one month left for the showcase and broadcasting activities. Lets give it our best shot. The CEO is really pushing and supporting us!


    <em>That wasnt true</em>


    As I looked around, it seemed everyone knew it was a lie. The uneasy expressions on the members faces were proof of that.


    Hoyun, would you like to listen to the song first?


    [Quest Arrived: Listen to theeback song!


    This is thest chance for The Dawn!


    Listen to theeback song.


    Sess: Start the next scenario, add 1 charm.


    Failure: The trust of The Dawn members will decrease drastically.]


    Yes, please y it.


    Lets see how bad this song really was.


    <em>Pop-pop-pop like a pineapple!</em>


    <em>Yum-yum-yum like an apple!</em>


    <em>Mang-mang-mang like a mango!</em>


    Silence filled the room.


    The song was incredibly cringeworthy. It was about confessing feelings to a crush using fruit analogies like pineapple, apple, and mango, with a fresh and tangy twist. Even if you stumbled upon it by chance, it would be unforgettable in its cringiness.


    After watching their debut single on YouTube, I thought they wouldnt be that bad, but upon listening to this song


    <em>Its a disaster</em>


    <em>Ding!</em>


    [<em>Mang-Mang-Mang!</em>]


    How is it? The song is good, right?


    I looked at the manager, who was lying down and smiling broadly.


    Should Iugh? Even though its certain that well fail if we promote this song? No, we might even be aughingstock on the inte forever.


    <em>Pop-pop-pop like a pineapple!</em> Wow, its such a hit song. The reaction is already crazy. Even the nning team is going crazy over how fresh it is.


    Putting aside the shitty beats and simrly shitty lyrics, how can they possibly do this concept in winter?


    Its been six months since summer passed, but they still wanted to do a concept like this? Did the nning team all die?


    I couldnt help but imagine myself singing nonsensical lyrics about pineapples, mangoes, and apples and the YouTube video receiving only three or fourments.


    I imagined it.


    Wow I feel bad for them


    Now anyone can be an idol~~~ Can I debut too?


    Are there fans of idols like this? Im really curious, so Im asking.


    It was obvious how the public would react to the song. As I shook withughter, I gave my opinion to the people around me, secretly waiting for my response.


    The song is really fresh.


    Is it?


    Did the CEO run a fruit farm?


    Hey, Seo Hoyun!


    Honestly, the surrounding members got angry when I spoke.


    Hoyun, even if its true, that kind of talk


    Why? Its a true statement.


    I mean, its one thing for pineapples to be pop-pop-pop, but why are mangoes mang-mang-mang?


    Kang Ichae nodded, and I rose to my feet with a sense of misery, rubbing my face. I was certain a cigarette was in my pocket, and I needed to smoke it.


    However, the manager misunderstood my intentions and called out to me. Seo Hoyun, where are you going?


    I just need a quick break. Ill be back soon, I replied.


    But the manager continued calling out to me, Hoyun!


    Ignoring his attempts to stop me, I walked outside the building and sat on the pavement, taking out a cigarette. As I smoked, I gazed across the street at the nearby building.


    The nearby building looked old and small for some reason. As a noviceposer, I felt that even I could have done a better job than that. How did they even ept such a song? It was absurd that they used summer lyrics for a season that was soon to be snowing, and now they were incorporating random EDM. What even was EDM?


    [Are you going to give up?]


    Shut upIm thinking.


    I couldnt give up because of my pride.


    I remembered my rookie days when I endured all sorts of ridicule and held back my anger. I remembered the senior who made me pick up his business card from the trash and the top star who treated me rudely and made me run errands. Compared to those experiences, this was nothing, absolutely nothing


    I checked my bank bnce on the app to try and calm myself down, but even that didnt work.


    I needed to feed Seo Hojin.


    Hoyun.


    The main vocalist I saw earlier came over. His name was Yeah, that.


    Seong Jiwon.


    Uh-huh.


    I gazed at the system window that had reappeared above my foggy mind and pretended to recognize the name disyed. He was the kind guy who attempted to soothe the members earlier.


    <em>I cant adapt</em>


    No matter where I looked, the young kid was calling my name at the top of his lungs, emphasizing just how insane this situation truly was.


    I took another puff from my cigarette, knowing there was no answer to it.


    Are you okay?


    Uh.


    We went too far, didnt we?


    Its okay.


    Seong Jiwons expression darkened as I smoked my cigarette as if he couldnt ept it.


    I soon realized. Right, idols werent supposed to smoke. It was as if admitting defeat when you saw an idol smoking when they should be taking care of their voice.


    What was my role again? Sub-vocalist?


    All I did was sing atpany dinners, using a spoon as a makeshift microphone. I was already anxious about how I would perform on stage and sing.


    Please understand. Nothing seems to be going right.


    Were on the brink of failure. Weve already lost hope. The nning team has abandoned us, and the only support we received from thepany was this song.


    <em>Ugh.</em>


    I red at Seong Jiwon, squinting my eyes.


    Well have to figure out what to do after we disband. Itll take a long time to figure things out, considering weve been trainees for so many years.


    How long were you a trainee for?


    About seven years.


    And where did you train?


    D.go.


    <em>Isnt that a good ce?</em>


    Seong Jiwon mentioned a pretty big entertainmentpany. There was a group called Today that had recently gained some recognition.


    So were they pretty talented? If theyre talented, I was a little less worried. I still couldnt be sure, though.


    As I sucked on my cigarette, I observed Seong Jiwons hesitant expression.


    Its a bigpany.


    But things didnt go well for me. Lets just consider this as leaving behind asting memory. We shouldnt fret over the rest and simply do our best.


    I smiled a little.


    Why are you smiling?


    Leaving behind asting memory?


    What are you talking about? I didnte here to make memories with you guys.


    Dering failure before attempting to seed was a disy of arrogance, especially in an industry where our livelihoods were at stake.


    We could not simply give up on a game that hadnt even properly begun.


    I put out my cigarette by rubbing it on the ground.


    Who said that?


    What?


    Last one, whoever said that.


    We hadnt even experienced any sess yet, but we were already hesitating at the starting line. I had to transform these fools into a top-tier idol group.


    And I was confident.


    Im starting now, okay?


    I was confident enough to take care of these guys.<hr>


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