translation by mourningmoor
I don’t care how the order of this world works.
No matter what happens or where it happens, it’s not something I can stop anyway.
All I need to do is achieve the goals I’ve set and protect what I need to protect. Quickly grow LIT into a top-tier idol group, build a global fandom, and achieve the 9th Circle of magic. That’s it.
Only then can I erase the magic I’ve placed on the kids and remove the magic circle engraved on Go Dajin.
The reason I went through all that hardship, even going to the jungle, was solely for that purpose.
To achieve my goal, I should quietly focus solely on LIT’s activities. No matter what the media says, no matter who spouts nonsense, as long as it doesn’t significantly interfere, I’ll just ignore it.
But T.I.ONE was different. I couldn’t just let it slide.
Well, it’s not like I’m angry about something else.
This Kwon Taei guy and a few others from T.I.ONE have been inciting their fandom to attack us.
From the very beginning, they didn’t hesitate to constantly compare two idol groups with completely different backgrounds.
It was when we released our single album, <Cotton Candy>. Taei posted <Cotton Candy> on his SNS story, saying it was a song he’s been paying attention to lately.
Then he immediately went live.
He said that after listening to the song, he liked it, but for some reason, it reminded him of T.I.ONE’s song <Laundry> from two years ago. Their fandom went wild.
Eventually, within T.I.ONE’s fandom, <Cotton Candy> started being perceived as a derivative of <Laundry>.
Filaments also went into an uproar, unable to understand how there could be an original and a derivative between two songs of completely different genres and styles.
That incident was just the beginning, and such things started happening frequently.
When we filmed a coffee commercial, they claimed we were copying their ion drink commercial. When we did a mask pack ad, they insisted we were imitating their patch ad.
In the end, it led to the two fandoms, One Tier and Filaments, being at odds with each other.
Well, up to this point, it wasn’t something to worry too much about. Over time, more and more One Tier fans would switch to Filaments.
The problem arose here.
A significant number of fans left One Tier and joined Filaments, which irritated T.I.ONE. And that led to Taei’s reckless remarks.
《LIT? I don’t get why they’re popular. Calling those guys idols is a disgrace to idols.》
《They’re fundamentally different. They didn’t even have a long trainee period, and their company doesn’t have the resources to push them hard. They feel like knockoff idols, you know?》
《I heard one of them dropped out of high school? So he’s a middle school dropout. What’s he even doing, dragging the standard down?》
《It’s the era of highly educated idols now. I’m scared of being associated with those guys and catching their ignorance.》
《So please, read some books. If you don’t want to sink to the level of a middle school dropout like someone.》
《PD Pyo Cheonhee’s judgment has really declined. When he was at The Music, he was truly the Midas touch. Now he’s just the touch of minus. How can he call that an idol group?》
《First of all, isn’t the lineup a complete mess? One’s a middle school dropout, one’s from a broken family, one’s a potential school violence perpetrator. And another is disabled.》
《Only one is normal? Don’t make me laugh. One’s only normal-looking, but is that even a singer? He’s socially inept. If he wants to be a singer, he should just be a bedroom singer.》
This was as far as I could gather from Kim Junmo’s memories.
Middle school dropout, broken family, potential school violence perpetrator, disabled, and socially inept.
Kwon Taei, this guy, has been openly criticizing us like this. Anyone who meets Taei privately has probably heard him badmouth us at least once.
Today was no different.
The moment he saw my face, his thoughts were ridiculous.
《A middle school dropout trying to be a singer-songwriter? How pathetic.》
That’s what he’s saying about me.
《Sniper’s Seokwoo? He should go study composition more instead of crawling out here. Anyway, this guy’s background is dirty, so his brain must be rotten too.》
That’s about Seokwoo.
In the end, he thinks he’s above everyone else.
Unfortunately, I’ve never seen a decent guy like this.
Someday, he’ll trip over his own feet and lose his value without anyone to catch him. But the problem is, I’m not kind enough to wait until that “someday” comes.
In my 319 years of experience, guys like this always cause trouble, and if someone’s going to crush them, it’s better to do it early. That’s my motto.
Then, out of nowhere, he spoke to me.
“Did you prepare the song you’re going to perform today?”
Judging by the tone of his question, it seemed like he had gone beyond preparation and even arranged the song.
“No. I didn’t have time to prepare.”
At that, the corner of his mouth twitched upward. He seemed quite pleased with my answer that I hadn’t prepared.
“Did you prepare a lot, sunbaenim?”
Taei shook his head.
“No, I’ve been too busy with schedules to prepare anything.”
Lie.
He had finished all his preparations, from arranging to vocal training.
The first round of <Survival, Music Genius> is a vocal performance.
The organizers’ intention was to eliminate participants who lacked singing skills, even if they were excellent songwriters and producers.
No matter how good your composition and production skills are, the basics of being a singer still come down to singing.
So, in the first round, they’ll only evaluate vocal ability, delivery, and expression. They’ll eliminate half and then move on to the real competition.
Taei’s goal is to dominate from the first round. He’s probably planning to show off his polished vocal skills to the fullest.
Yeah, I get it. It means he’s feeling the pressure.
It would’ve been better if he had just kept his mouth shut while I was being so understanding.
But Taei showed his true colors as soon as the VJ moved away.
He stared at the VJ’s retreating back and then spoke with a soft smile.
“Well, your company must be too shabby to even care.”
He suddenly brought up the company.
“If you want to stand out, you need to be special, you know?”
So, Taei was saying that since everyone here is talented, you need to make at least some effort to look special. And Blade Entertainment is a shabby company that didn’t even make that minimal effort.
But I didn’t flinch.
“Is that so?”
I asked with a calm face, and Taei’s expression twisted slightly.
“This isn’t a place where you can just sing casually.”
If you just look at the content, it sounds like a senior giving advice to a junior. But it’s absolutely not that.
“Someone at your level is just here to fill the numbers.”
He’s mocking me.
“Your outfit, your song choice. Are you bold or just clueless?”
The competition had already started.
Seokwoo, number 7, had already finished his stage and moved to another waiting room, and participant number 22 was performing on stage.
From what I know, Taei is number 43, and Go Dajin is number 42.
Bold and clueless me? I’m the very last, number 65.
As Taei said, the skills of the participants who performed earlier were impressive.
In the first round, 32 out of 65 participants would advance. By the time the 22nd participant was performing, 14 had already been eliminated. Even Sniper’s Seokwoo received a “judgment reserved” necklace. And he’s one of the top five vocalists among idols.
Moreover, everyone had put so much effort into their styling that even K-KON participants would cry in envy.
Sitting among such people in black jeans and a black T-shirt, Taei’s reaction was probably natural.
Well, my song choice also deserved such comments.
Still, it would’ve been nice if he had shown at least some basic courtesy to someone as “bold and clueless” as me.
Not realizing I was holding back, Taei finally crossed the line.
“What would a cheap idol from a cheap company know?”
I was displeased.
“The CEO and the singers are all the same.”
PD Pyo and Blade Entertainment aren’t so shabby that someone like Taei can trash them. Even if they’re flawed, they’re better than someone like him.
“Do you think PD Pyo Cheonhee was fired from The Music for no reason? He lost his touch and got fired for messing around.”
Even if your mouth is crooked, speak the truth.
PD Pyo wasn’t fired from The Music. He left on his own.
And what? Lost his touch?
Absolutely not. He might be a bit flashy and have a belly, but PD Pyo’s judgment is sharp. Just look at how he treasures LIT’s members, especially Jaewon. Plus, his eye for musical creativity and performance is excellent.
His only flaw is that he’s a bit passive and gives up too quickly?
Of course, even that has improved since she met me.
“You think PD Pyo has lost his touch?”
“Why are you upset?”
“How can I not be? He’s like an uncle to me.”
To be more precise, he’s someone who acts like an uncle.
“Or even a father.”
“Uncle? Father?”
Taei scoffed.
“Cut the act. There’s no such thing in this industry. It’s all about making money.”
Taei spoke coldly and then opened his mouth again.
“And you can tell he’s lost her touch just by looking at the output.”
“The output?”
“Yeah. Just look at the level of the teams Blade produces.”
This guy has no intention of mincing words. He’s trying to prove how insignificant I am. He’s deliberately belittling me to my face, trying to shake me before the competition.
But I’m not the type to fall for such provocations.
“You’re talking about our team, right? Sunbaenim.”
“Well, I can’t say no. The level is just low.”
Normally, people feel awe or fear toward me, but occasionally, there are rare beings who dare to provoke me without any fear. Kwon Taei is that kind of person. These types of people end up falling harder later. They have no brakes.
“And the trainee level too.”
Taei’s gaze lingered on Go Dajin, who was humming a song nervously.
“Taking in an old man like that as a trainee is proof of how unprofessional they are.”
His gaze was full of mockery.
Looking at Taei, I just smiled cynically.
With the default expression fans talk about and a cold smile, I said one thing.
“Listening to you, it does sound like you’re right. You can tell the level by the output.”
Well, then it’s simple.
I just need to show an amazing output.
Slowly rising from my seat, I leaned toward Taei.
“Look forward to it. The level of Blade Entertainment.”