Main vocalist and Yu Hyeok.
“I don’t know, that jerk is so annoying. I’m already irritated because of Seong Jiwon, and now he’s picking fights over every little thing…”
“Hey, what’s going on between Seo Hoyun and the PD?”
“What do you mean?”
The person in question was right here. Kim Heeyeon looked at them with a scary expression.
“First the talent showcase, and then the special broadcast… Even the final stage changed. Do you think their company bribed her or something?”
“Nah, that’s not it.”
“Then it’s obvious. Seo Hoyun is attached to the PD Kim, and she is covering for him.”
“Ah, I see. That must be it.”
Ding!
[How pathetic…]
Even the system lamented. That’s right. They could only see what they wanted and were so caught up in their biases that they spewed nonsense.
I didn’t care if another dirty rumor about me was added to the mix, but I didn’t want it to affect Kim Heeyeon. I was about to step forward when…
“Are you having fun?”
I turned around towards the murmuring voice. Kim Heeyeon had been faster.
Crash!
The sound of a bottle breaking was heard. Kim Heeyeon was holding a half-broken bottle in her hand. The main vocalist and Yu Hyeok froze as he saw the broken bottle.
“Hello there.”
Kim Heeyeon laughed insincerely.
‘It won’t be a good time…’
“P-PD!!”
In their confusion, Today couldn’t even muster a proper greeting. Kim Heeyeon leaned the broken bottle against the wall and slowly made her move.
Squeak!
The hair-raising sound echoed in the alley, and the red light from the signboard reflected on her left cheek, making her gaze even colder.
The crazy PD of this area had appeared.
“What kind of interesting conversation are you having…?”
“P-PD.”
“Let me join in, okay?”
Yu Hyeok managed to regain his composure and made a pathetic face.
“We didn’t mean it like that. First, calm down…”
“Calm down?”
“Yes, yes. So, please put that down first…”
Kim Heeyeon’s smiling lips deepened further. Honestly, I was scared too.
“Do you know my nickname?”
“…!”
If you don’t know, you’re a spy.[1] Right, noona?
Today’s face paled slightly. Perhaps they knew what it was.
Kim Heeyeon hummed elegantly.
“It’s the crazy lady of tvK Broadcasting Station. Do you know why I got that nickname?”
“Uh, no, I don’t.”
“Once, I was invited to a company dinner and the main CP[2] pretended to accidentally touch my hoobae…”
I’ve heard this story several times through rumors, but it was my first time hearing it directly from Kim Heeyeon’s mouth. She continued, not even paying attention to me.
“So, what did I do? I poured soju over the CP’s head, telling him to sober up. But he asked what I was doing, so I threw a rice ball in his face.”
“P-PD.”
“Then, he threatened to cut me, so I went straight to the manager, but he told me to endure it. So, I went to the section chief. Again, he told me to suck it up. So I finally went to the director. And I told him…”
It was a famous line that spread secretly among the broadcasting networks. Even I, who was standing behind her, slowly recited the line.
If you don’t quickly deal with this pervert…
“If you don’t quickly deal with this pervert…”
Gulp.
Today also swallowed nervously.
“— the 9 o’clock news tomorrow will be about his dead body.”
Wow!
Honestly, I was so impressed by that story that my heart pounded.
“In the end, he was fired~. Hahaha!”
She laughed hysterically and twisted her neck from side to side.
“What do you think? Should we make one more breaking news?”
“… We’re sorry!!”
“We’re sorry!!”
Today bowed deeply and then quickly left. It was as if they had encountered a notorious serial killer.
Although I found the situation exciting and enjoyable, I was worried about being alone with the excited Kim Heeyeon.
Should I run away too?
“Seo Hoyun.”
“Yes!”
I politely put my hands together. Kim Heeyeon clicked her tongue, looking displeased.
“Don’t hang out with those kids, Seo Hoyun. It’s not good at all.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful about that.”
“Good, that’s a relief. Damn it.”
I carefully took the bottle from her hand.
“Ah! Be careful!!”
I checked for injuries and carefully gathered the broken pieces, throwing them away in the garbage can next to us. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me.
“Seo Hoyun, let me be honest with you.”
“Yes.”
“Those kids who are showing off over there will take first place. It’s already been decided. I’m telling you this because my conscience is pricking at me. So, Seo Hoyun, don’t try too hard; just aim for 2nd place. If you gain some recognition like that…”
“Yes, I know.”
“At least it would be better… Wait, you know?”
I silently nodded my head. Kim Heeyeon’s face turned pale, and she began to chatter nervously.[3]
“Where on earth did you hear that?”
“The world is small, after all.”
“No, when did you know?”
“From the beginning.”
“And you still wrote 1st place in your expected ranking? Are you crazy?”
No, I’m not crazy.
I dusted off my hands and looked at Kim Heeyeon. It seemed like she was trying to figure out if I was crazy or not.
“Like I said, PD.”
I told her I would be fine, even if I were to be treated poorly. I gave her a faint smile.
“I’m going to be 1st.”
I will make it so.
“But for that, I need your help, PD.”
“… What? Hey, I told you. I can’t do that. I don’t have the authority.”
“You will have it soon.”
“…”
“Not too long from now.”
There was nothing more to be gained by saying more.
I said my farewell to Kim Heeyeon and went back inside the restaurant. Jeong Dajun, who knew nothing, greeted me warmly.
“Hyung!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Where were you? I searched for you for a long time.”
My ignorant members.
Honestly, I was sorry.
“You were looking for me?”
But I hid my true feelings and smiled brightly.
“… What, what is that? That sweet tone. It’s upsetting…”
I ignored the shivering Jeong Dajun.
***
[The Dawn appears on Shining Star… Will they take on Today?]
[The Dawn vs. Today, what will be the result?]
“What’s wrong with these bastard reporters?”
Like any other day, the office worker was furious after being tormented by her boss. Her demeanor was so intense that she appeared capable of unleashing her wrath on anyone who crossed her path. However, one source of comfort for her was The Dawn, which had been making appearances for quite some time now.
What’s with this guy? Crazy… So handsome…
The fan was shedding tears as she saved a preview clip of Seo Hoyun on Shining Star but became furious after reading an article.
“What will they do if they go against Today? Their fandom is famous for being extremely toxic!”
Frankly, Today was more popular than The Dawn. To her, however, the character of Today’s members seemed to have deteriorated.
Despite a circulating clip of Today’s members rolling their eyes and saying “Ah, really” during a fan signing event, their fans turned a blind eye and ignored the incident.
The Dawn is way better looking!
She wanted to see Yun, so she pleaded for them to hold a fan meeting! She was so ready to spend money! Why was she making money like this right now! The only reason she was still working after hours and nodding to her boss’s requests was to earn enough money to support The Dawn.
She managed to ignore all kinds of provocations while grinding her teeth. That’s when it happened. Her timeline was in chaos. As she checked what was happening, she jumped up from her seat.
[The Dawn? Like Girls’ “Want You”]
“Pre-release?!”
Shining Star released a sneak peek. The three-minute stage was condensed into a video that wasn’t even a minute long.
Taking a deep breath, the fan pressed the play button.
[“My fellow pirates, this is our show time!”]
It was Kang Ichae who opened the door of the opening.
“Ah, Kang Ichae, really…!”
Her heart felt constricted. A pirate costume, seriously? This year’s K-pop has been completely torn apart by The Dawn.
As the office worker clutched her heart, the ticking sound of a clock and the sight of Seo Hoyun tilting his head appeared.
[“Hello, let me greet you once.”]
“Aah! Hoyun!”
Her chest hurt. Sob, sob, sob.
Seo Hoyun seemed to be overflowing with composure, not knowing if he understood the fans’ feelings. He approached unsteadily within the screen and said with a smirk.
[“I know you’re wavering.
Eventually, you’re meant to come my way.”]
“Hoyun, I’ll go… I’ll go now…”
[“But don’t make me wait too long.”]
“I’ll go right away!!”
As she grabbed her wallet and was put into a frenzy by herself, the 45-second preview ended.
The office worker stared at the black screen for a while, shedding tears from the lingering emotions. The community was already in chaos.
[What, did I just listen to Like Girls’ “Want You”??????]
[Isn’t this crazy??? ㄷㄷㄷㄷ It’s so different, it used to be cheerful and refreshing but a bit bland, and now it’s so spicy! A pirate with a tough exterior and soft interior hanging on me, my tongue is on fire]
[Hey, I thought this was a fairy tale concept, guys… Picking Peter Pan was honestly awesome, but then they bring in a pirate concept? Isn’t that telling Peter Pan not to go??? I won’t go, it’s totally possible.]
[I just slapped Peter Pan, hayah.
└Lol
└That’s a new level of nonsense.ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Barehanded crocodile combat is totally possible.]
[I must confess, I want to die stuck in Seonghyeon’s dimples.
└Get a grip.]
Everyone was excitedly having a nonsense parade. But suddenly, a strange post appeared in the community.
[Title: What’s this? The Dawn is PD’s Pick? Just looking at it, you know it’s PD’s Pick.ㅋㅋㅋㅋ They’re really appearing together with Today, so that they could generate articles and controversies ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I knew something felt off from the beginning. Today wasn’t meant to go up against those scrappy teams
└Right? I thought their agency was insane for having them, the previous first-place winners, compete there
└At least, it’s over if you exclude Maz and Refined ㅋㅋ Especially with The Dawn, thinking they’re on the same level as Today just because they’ve recently become popular and appearing together with those nobodies is pathetic.]
“Shoot….”
An aggro was triggered.
In cases like this, there’s a high probability it’s not a Today fan. Even if there were extreme Today fans, they wouldn’t start a fire in such a public community.
The moment The Dawn fandom falls for such provocation, it would turn into a full-fledged fan war on both sides. She hurriedly left a comment.
It began with “I like Maz…”
[Today’s stage was also goodㅇㅇ The Dawn did well too.]
I’m sorry, Maz fans… Honestly, I don’t know if Today’s stage was good, but I desperately tried to cover for them.
[└LOL, you like The Dawn?
└└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ When a Maz fan starts with “I like Maz” ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That’s transparent.]
Gasp…!
I made a mistake in my haste. I quickly tried to take down the post and scramble, but the aggro had already been drawn to the original post.
[Title: Honestly, what does Today have in terms of skills or personality? ㅋㅋㅋ
It’s all thanks to their agency, right?
Those famous ones are so annoying ㅋㅋ The Dawn is better. At least they help grandmas ㅋㅋ
└Are you kidding? Comparing them to those nobodies?
└Honestly, if you saw the pre-release this time, you would’ve thought The Dawn was their senior ~~ Today covered White Cherry’s “Lemon Love,” and it was an eyesore ㅋㅋ In comparison, The Dawn is like a fairy, a fairy~
└That’s some crazy talk, you crazy person.]
“It’s ruined….”
It was a total disaster. With the community’s response spreading uncontrollably, their secret SNS accounts were already spewing curses. This was a bad situation.
Meanwhile, Shining Star‘s official account callously released the audience application notice.
[Round 1 Audience Application Form]
No, it wasn’t callous. This was a declaration of war.
If you don’t want to kill us, apply and come— a declaration of war.
Damn those producers.
“I, I have to go.”
Today fans must never occupy the audience. She had to save her kids.
She began to flood SNS with audience application posts.
***
“Our first episode is a week later?”
“Yes. We’re moving quickly. Filming was delayed, so we have to finish by episode 6. The final round is going to be live.”
The staff briefly explained.
It worked out even better. The Dawn members nodded as we sat around a conference table at tvK’s broadcasting station.
“Yes, understood.”
“I wonder if many people will come to our performance….”
Seong Jiwon expressed his concern.
There will be a lot of people. Though the size of the fandom was still small, there would be fewer than Today fans.
The staff carefully observed our reactions. It seemed they would be comparing us to Today.
“As you know, The Dawn previously took first place in the talent show, right? So, in the first episode, you will have a special 15-minute segment.”
“Wow!”
Jeong Dajun clapped his hands with an innocent smile. Kim Seonghyeon and Kang Ichae also high-fived and grinned.
The more they acted like that, the more the internet would be ablaze with controversy with titles like “Isn’t The Dawn really annoying? ㅋㅋ.” I should tell the members not to look on the internet.
“I will announce the first-round mission.”
“Yes!”
“The first round is… your representative hit song.”
“…”
Our reactions turned sour in an instant.
We only had one single and our debut album from before.
We only had two songs.
“The judgment will be based on audience voting, judge voting, and the contestants’ own voting. And among those, the group that takes first place will be given special authority.”
“Authority?”
“Yes. You’ll find out when you go on stage. So, the first round will be the day after the first episode airs. There are eight days left.”
“That’s quick….”
“Yes. Thank you.”
The staff left, and now only the camera remained.
Kim Seonghyeon let out a hollow laugh.
“There’s only one stage… and we only have two songs. So, we don’t have to take too much time to choose.”
“It’s good that it’s fast.”
“Ahaha….”
Seong Jiwon tried to smile, but his face was bitter. While the recent single did well, the response to our debut album was virtually nonexistent.
“Well, we’ve narrowed it down to “Second Chance” and our debut song “Glow.” Since “Second Chance” is more popular….”
“To gain a reaction on site, we have to choose a better-known song, no matter what.”
“Um, guys.”
Kim Seonghyeon, who had been quietly massaging his chin and lost in thought, cautiously began to speak to the members.
“Yes.”
“Actually, I want to do our debut song.”
[1] The phrase “모르면 간첩이죠” is a Korean proverb that translates to “if you don’t know, you’re a spy.” It is often jokingly used to encourage someone to stay informed about everyday things. Or, as is the case in this scene, also used to gently tease someone who appears uninformed about something.
[2] CP, or chief producer, is the highest-ranking PD in a broadcasting company.
[3] Kim Heeyeon actually said “입으로 식빵을 구웠다”. This Korean idiom literally translates to “to bake bread with one’s mouth.” It is used to describe someone who talks excessively or is just boasting.
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