translation by mourningmoor
The next morning, after finishing a brief interview with another magazine, we wrapped up all our schedules in Japan.
Asano, the head of Niji TV's entertainment division, accompanied us to the airport to see us off.
{L.I.T, everyone. We’re looking forward to your first album in Japan.}
I casually approached Asano, who was bowing for a final farewell.
{Director Asano. Those paparazzi who followed us yesterday… they were from Akato TV.}
{Is that so?}
Asano’s expression turned pale.
{I found a business card… would you like to see it?}
I had brought the business card I found while searching the man’s pockets yesterday.
As I handed over the card, I whispered in Asano’s ear.
{If you dig deeper, you’ll probably find a witness or two. Maybe someone even recorded it.}
Watching Asano’s nails turn white as he received the card, I bowed and said goodbye.
It seems we don’t need to worry about the aftermath.
And the results showed two days later.
Guys, have you seen this video? (link) What happened to our boys in Japan?
└What the heck? Isn’t that Joondaeng’s black hat from the video?
└Of course it is! I’d recognize my husband’s ear from a mile awayㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
The footage of the Akihabara chase spread like wildfire through Japanese communities. Filaments were in an uproar.
Noㅠㅠㅠㅠ Were they being followed by paparazzi? What kind of nonsense is this? It’s so dangerousㅠㅠ
└Do paparazzi follow idols that blatantly? Are they sasaengs?
└The British princess died because of paparazzi like thisㅠㅠㅠㅠ What is Blade doingㅠㅠㅠㅠ Aren’t they supposed to protect their artists?
Is Japan crazy? If you take the kids, you should return them safely, not do thisㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└Kidsㅠㅠㅠㅠ Let’s not go to countries like that anymore. What kind of nonsense is this? Are they really back safely? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Then, a post from a Japanese fan was translated and shared.
ㅠㅠI’m truly sorry something like this happened in Japan. But there aren’t many people like that in Japan. L.I.T is safe. (Original post)
└Safe? Does that look safe to you?
L.I.T’s performance at the cherry blossom festival was amazing, so they gained a lot of fans. That’s probably why things got extreme. I apologize on behalf of Japan. L.I.T should come to Japan. There are many Filaments in Japan too 8_8 (Original post)
I brought a new post and video. (link) There were so many witnesses in Akihabara, even some Koreans.
└Wow. Are those guys reporters? They’re from a broadcasting company?
└A post comparing their faces with company profiles just came up. They even assigned one person to each member.
└Are they insane? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ How scared must our boys have beenㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Damn, Roa’s already pale, but his face turned completely white while running. It was so pitiful. I’m not bashing Japanese fans, but I wish they’d make more effort to protect the kids.
Once this surfaced, it spread rapidly, quickly becoming the top hot issue in idol communities.
Japan was in chaos too.
Posts condemning the incident under titles like "The Atrocities Committed by Broadcasting Company Staff Against Young Korean Idols” flooded in.
I saw those guys. They followed L.I.T from the Oji-san ramen shop in Akihabara. The five members were eating ramen, and they kept taking pictures and being loud. They were so blatant that people around them noticed, and I thought a fight was about to break out. L.I.T quietly left, and then the chaos started.
One witness wrote a lengthy post.
It was a complete mess.
Damn, can’t my kids even eat ramen freely in Japan now? Shouldn’t their safety be ensured?
Noㅠㅠㅠㅠ This is too muchㅠㅠㅠㅠ PD Pyo, assign one bodyguard per member!!!!
└Agreed. Bodyguards are urgently needed.
PD Pyo, who had been calmly reading through the Universe posts, let out a deep sigh.
This is the kind of ripple effect you’d expect from a 3rd-year idol group, not rookies.
Popularity, schedules, fandom color, even the antis…
At this point, you can’t put L.I.T on the same level as other idol groups.
"Team Leader Lee Gyuhyung."
PD Pyo called out to Gyuhyung, who had been sitting nervously in the CEO’s office since being summoned. Gyuhyung, who had been gauging the mood, looked up.
"Relax. This isn’t your fault."
Gyuhyung had been unable to lift his head since returning from Japan, blaming himself for letting the kids go shopping alone.
"L.I.T has more buzz than we expected. The ripple effect is enormous. It’s a good thing."
"Is this kind of thing good? You didn’t see Ichan bleeding from his nose."
"But he got checked out. He’s fine."
PD Pyo brushed it off, saying Ichan’s nosebleeds were due to weak blood vessels in his nose, and continued.
"Let’s form a security team."
"Huh?"
"Let’s properly form a security team for L.I.T. With people qualified for bodyguard duties."
For some reason, L.I.T attracts a lot of flies.
It just means the kids are shining brightly.
"And the 1st-anniversary fan meeting—let’s do it. Let’s give the kids what they want."
"Yesterday you said there wasn’t enough time…"
"The CEO exists to make the impossible possible… or so Ichan said."
"Huh?"
"Ah, okay."
At this point, I’m curious.
"Tell the kids we’ll post the fan meeting schedule along with the 2nd-gen Filament recruitment notice."
Just how far can L.I.T go?
* * *
Finally, the notice for recruiting 2nd-gen Filaments was posted.
The number of Universe Filament members had already surpassed 1.5 million.
Of course, that number isn’t the same as the official paid fan club membership count.
The number of paid fan club members is much smaller.
But for a 1st-year idol group to have 1.5 million members in their fan community is remarkable.
And that number is increasing every day.
Another piece of good news sent the L.I.T fandom into a frenzy.
The first fan meeting, titled "Drunk on L.I.T," was announced.
Olympic Hall, May 25-26, 20XX, 7:00 PM
Only two performances at Olympic Hall, which can accommodate up to 4,000 people. It’s practically a ticket war waiting to happen.
This is on a completely different level from the previous fan sign event.
Back then, the fan club was small.
But this time, the official fan club membership is likely over 500,000.
Only 8,000 out of those will get to be "Drunk on L.I.T."
Wait, 8,000? Including two-day ticket holders, it’s a 5,000-person cut. That’s a 100:1 competition ratio.
Filaments steeled themselves as they waited for the ticket sale date.
Inyoung, who had just become a college freshman, was no exception.
Midterms, festivals—none of that mattered. She set an alarm on the N-biz server clock. But guess what? The N-biz server clock’s current top search was "L.I.T."
"Wow. This is going to be a bloodbath."
If it’s like this now, what will happen when Hotel Ohana starts?
With uneasy thoughts, Inyoung sat in front of the TV.
Her older brother had bought her a small TV as a college entrance gift.
He said it was so she could watch L.I.T in her room.
Thanks to that, she could quietly watch Hotel Ohana.
"First, grab some snacks."
Snacks, drinks, light late-night food, water…
Fully prepared for the sacred 100 minutes, Inyoung sat upright in front of the TV.
At exactly 9:00 PM.
Hotel Ohana, written by Jeong Haeseong, directed by Yeon Ho-jin, and starring Cha Juhyuk and six others, began airing.
* * *
The start wasn’t much different from Sigor Boutique.
The cast gathered for a simple meal while the concept was explained.
Cha Juhyuk, who had already been to Hawaii with the production team, led the conversation. But Yoo Noah and Kang Ichan were nowhere to be seen.
—There are two more people besides those here. Part-timers 1 and 2.
At the PD’s words, Park Haeju chimed in.
—No wonder. I thought the team was too small. How are we supposed to run a hotel with this many people?
—Who are they? Part-timers?
Kim Hyunsoo asked this time.
Jeong Haeseong smiled and answered.
—Yes. Part-timers 1 and 2, specially requested by Cha Juhyuk.
The screen cut to Cha Juhyuk chattering during the pre-scouting trip to Hawaii. It was the same scene from the preview.
Next, the cast cheered each other on during a dinner meeting, vowing to do well.
The screen went dark, and a subtitle appeared.
<48 days later, Hawaii, Oahu Island, Kailua Beach>
Someone was walking along the beach road with the blue ocean in the background.
The blurry footage came into focus, revealing the silhouette’s owner.
It was Yoo Noah, the leader of ARCHE and a global star.
<Hotel Ohana>
Yoo Noah stopped in front of a white-painted building, took off his sunglasses, and placed them on his head, letting out a shallow sigh.
Next, Yoo Noah’s interview played.
—Somehow, I ended up doing this again. Four years ago, I was Part-timer 2 in Sigor Boutique, and now I’ve been promoted to Part-timer 1, I guess.
Yoo Noah chuckled softly and continued.
—Writer Jeong Haeseong and PD Yeon Hojin are famous for working their part-timers to the bone… so I came prepared.
A short montage of part-timers being put through the wringer played.
Though it was mostly Yoo Noah, Kang Ichan’s face briefly appeared.
Next, Yoo Noah entered the hotel, and the staff warmly welcomed him.
—As expected, Yoo Noah arrived first.
—Part-timers should come early. Where’s the boss?
—He’ll arrive tomorrow morning.
—What about the other part-timer?
—Hmm, the other part-timer will arrive tomorrow afternoon. He’s undergoing initiation.
<New Member Initiation>
With a large subtitle, the screen shifted to 45 days earlier.
—Ganghwa Island?
Ichan asked lightly after hearing the production team’s explanation.
—Yes, Ganghwa Island. We’re opening a small pension there…
A hidden camera prank targeting the new part-timer, Part-timer 2, began.
The screen then cut to Ichan packing his bags.
—I’ll pack some warm clothes first. They said we’ll be busking outside, and I get cold easily.
Since it was January, Ichan packed thick clothes efficiently.
—I’ll stop by my parents’ house first, so I have two bags.
Ichan prepared a large suitcase and a small Boston bag, said goodbye to the camera, and turned it off.
When the screen brightened again, Ichan’s bewildered face was shown in close-up.
—What are you talking about? You said Ganghwa Island.
—Hawaii.
—I didn’t even bring my passport.
The manager then handed Ichan his passport.
As Ichan took the passport and plane ticket, he looked at the camera in disbelief. A golden envelope containing a mission letter approached.
<From now on, make your way to Honolulu Airport in Hawaii on your own.>
Ichan opened the mission letter and let out a hollow laugh.
Then he said nothing.
The caption "Not a still image" appeared as Ichan stared at the mission letter.
Ichan finally looked up.
He looked like a perfect arctic cat.
His gaze was cold, but his lips were slightly smiling.
—Is this for real? This feels like a scam too.
The live chat exploded.
How did Jeong Haeseong’s team become the icon of distrust ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ the hidden camera immediately turned into a scam
ㅋㅋㅋㅋwhat’s with his expression? It’s so contradictory ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
That’s why Ichan’s nickname is Arctic Cat ㅋㅋㅋ Even a star writer can’t fool him ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
He looks ready to bite Jeong Haeseong’s neck the moment he lands in Hawaii
Ichan’s journey from Samcheok to Honolulu continued, and Hotel Ohana Episode 1 secured ratings in the early 10% range.