translation by mourningmoor
Of course, I didn't really think it was Kim Wooyoung.
That bastard was too much of an idiot to pull off such a huge scam.
But as they say, when you talk about a tiger, it shows up.
The office door opened, and Kim Wooyoung walked in.
But this guy, what the hell happened? His lips were torn, and under his big sunglasses, a dark bruise could be seen.
Moreover, the voice he let out was filled with frustration.
"Hyung! Should I sue? No matter how much I was wrong, can they treat me like this?"
"I told you not to call me 'hyung.' And..."
Chanyeong, who spoke irritably while checking my reaction, gestured to Wooyoung.
It meant, please be more aware of your surroundings.
It was only then that Wooyoung, realizing I was there, flinched and stepped back.
"Th, th, th... why is this bastard here?"
《Annoyance》, 《Anger》, 《Fear》, 《Confusion》, 《Contempt》...
Ha, still 《Contempt》?
Of course, it's not as intense as it was at first. It seems this guy is slowly starting to feel fear toward me, so this will likely improve in the future.
I subtly smiled and stood up, approaching Kim Wooyoung.
"Why, you ask? I came to collect on the promise you made."
Then I placed a gentle smile on the corner of my lips.
But he, desperately avoiding my gaze, kept turning his head this way and that.
"W, w, w-what promise?"
"You promised to grant the winner's wish, remember?"
"Wish?"
Only then did Wooyoung's gaze land on me.
"Wooyoung, you lost."
"What?"
Had he already forgotten his condition? Wooyoung took off his sunglasses and furrowed his brows.
"What are you talking about? How could I lose?"
But his face... it's worse than I thought.
"You did lose. Your team came in last place."
"Hey, shit. That’s..."
《The reason I lost is because I couldn't even participate in the game. If I had, I would've won.》
Yeah, if he had any shred of pride, he wouldn't dare say that out loud.
The overwhelming sense of defeat flowing from him, and the face I can’t even bear to look at... It almost makes me feel a bit sorry for him.
This guy, he just... didn’t think at all.
"I’m not asking for much. Just do one of two things."
I gently patted both of Wooyoung's shoulders with both hands, trying to get him to focus. I asked with a serious face, hoping that this simple-minded guy would understand the gravity of the situation.
"Who is Who's M?"
《Who's M? Who's that?》
What the hell, this guy. Not only does he lack thought, but does he have a brain at all?
I’m the one who made <Typhoon>, the song you've been singing non-stop.
"Don't you know?"
《What kind of name is Who's M? Is that even a person? And why are you asking me? Your eyes are staring at me like that.》
A slightly scared Wooyoung gently pulled my hand off his shoulder, then swallowed nervously.
"Am I... supposed to know this person?"
This guy. He really doesn't know.
Sure, would I share such a big secret with someone as clueless as him?
Even thieves work with others of a certain caliber.
I sighed and subtly gestured to Kim Chanyeong.
"Then my laptop that your hyung has."
《Ah, that.》
Seems like he knows about this.
"Find it and bring it."
Then, the voices of Kim Wooyoung and Kim Chanyeong amplified all at once, making my ears ring.
It was so loud, I could barely stand it. I shut off their mental presence and turned on my heel.
"I'll wait, so contact me."
"Ichan-ah!"
Kim Chanyeong grabbed me.
"Ichan-ah, don't you have any thoughts of returning to HS?"
Even without triggering their mental presence, I could tell.
This kid, he's really desperate right now.
"Your desired producer... I'll make it happen. I'll sort out the contract issues too."
"Look here, Director Kim Chanyeong."
There's no need to verify the truth of what Kim Chanyeong is saying.
It's all just nonsense, or rather, complete bullshit.
I brushed off Chanyeong's hand and turned my gaze to Wooyoung.
"Is this how you manage your artists here?"
If the past can’t be settled, there’s only one way left now.
A bloody war.
"You've made a pitiful-looking guy... look even weirder. Get that treated before it gets worse."
Then, I gave my final warning.
"Kim Wooyoung, bring the laptop. Otherwise, it won't be fun. I'll mute MuteSeven."
* * *
I left HS Entertainment and took the subway to Gwanghwamun.
[What are you doing?]
[Fan signing event.]
[What’s that?]
[It’s where we give fan service to the fans who bought our album.]
I hadn't been able to check due to being so busy, but according to Gyuhyung, along with the announcement for filament recruitment, the fan signing event notice had gone out as well.
[Filament recruitment is until June 20th, so the fan signing will be held on June 30th. The location is Gwanghwamun HitTracks.]
At Gwanghwamun HitTracks, fans who buy the album will receive entry tickets, and 100 lucky filament members will be invited to the fan signing event through a lottery.
[Well, don’t get your hopes up too high. Even though it’s a fan signing event combined with the fan club launch, a fan signing for a rookie idol who just debuted will inevitably be pretty quiet.]
So, I didn’t get my hopes up.
Honestly, if I had a conscience, there was no way to expect much from it.
We had just debuted, and the only stage experience we had was the few music shows over the past few weeks.
Even if our NewTube reactions were good, who would actually buy an album that costs 13,000 won, especially when they had to go all the way to Gwanghwamun?
That’s what I thought.
But, after holding a cyber marketplace event this time, my thoughts changed a little.
Just like our youngest said, I didn’t even smile properly (to be honest, I didn’t have the time to).
I couldn’t even pitch the sales properly (because I was too busy reading comments).
I didn’t even introduce the products properly (I planned to sing the first verse of <Promise> for the fans who asked for a song, but the 20-minute time limit passed too quickly, so I couldn’t do it).
In the end, there was nothing I really showed in those 20 minutes. And yet, 200 boxes sold out.
It was amazing.
Why? What did they see? What was the reason?
I was confused, but at the same time, curiosity started to grow.
Could it be that they bought the albums in the same way?
So I decided to check it out myself.
I got off the subway and walked slowly to the large bookstore where HitTracks was located.
At this point, I didn't think there was any need to hide or cover my face since no one would recognize me yet.
Then, out of nowhere, I came across a billboard.
"Ha, why is this here?"
My face was displayed in large print on the brightly lit billboard.
I was dressed in a clean gray suit with a school uniform design, a head mask, makeup that accentuated my sharp eyes, and my hands crossed as if I were casting a magic spell.
The slightly tilted face and somewhat dreamy eyes.
"This is from Music City... the <Promise> stage, right?"
The image on the billboard was definitely from last week's Music City performance.
I instinctively searched for pictures of the other members.
"There they are."
All the members' individual shots were lined up on the left side of the street on my way to the bookstore, all in official order.
"Did the PR Team put up these ads here?"
However, there was a subtle difference from the photos taken by the company.
The promotion team did a great job capturing the music broadcast stage, but this angle wasn't quite right. Maybe it wasn't even from that day.
Right, the <Promise> stage photos on the website weren't from Music City; they were from M-Start.
"Then, who did this... Could it be a fan?"
No, it seems too professionally done to be taken by a fan. Plus, the caption under the photo is perfectly crafted for marketing purposes.
L.I.T (Light) Idol Fan Signing Event
June 30th, 2 PM, Gwanghwamun HitTracks.
Gathering Filaments to light up with L.I.T.
I tilted my head slightly and took out my phone to snap a picture of the advertisement.
Then, I immediately sent a message to Gyuhyung.
Hyung, this isn't the PR Team's work, right?
A reply came right away.
Wow. Looks like the fan cafe put up that ad for us.
We don’t even have a fan cafe. We’re just starting to recruit a fan club.
You guys have a fan cafe already. Three of them, actually? And the fan manager's on board too.
We're opening the official fan cafe soon.
What's a fan manager?
But, wait. I heard putting up an ad like this costs a ridiculous amount of money. Are you saying the fans really did this?
No, what is Kang Ichan even talking about? What is L.I.T. even doing...
Ichan. Let’s take a selfie with that ad background and post it on SNS.
Why?
We need to do fan service.
Fan service.
Do the fans feel happy when they see me genuinely enjoying this?
Then, I should give them what they want.
Without further hesitation, I took a selfie with the ad background. Then, I took another one with all five members' ads in the frame.
I posted all three pictures on SNS.
* * *
There were two good things.
One was the news that our debut mini-album's subtitle track, <Promise>, had made a successful chart comeback and finally charted.
The other was that album sales exceeded expectations, so the fan signing event's scale was increased from 100 to 200 seats.
Gyuhyung bought us chicken, saying that it couldn’t be left out to celebrate these good things.
"This is all thanks to you, hyung-nim."
Roa, holding a piece of chicken, looked at me and smiled softly.
Then, the youngest immediately chimed in.
"That's right. This hyung said if we listen to <Promise> a hundred times a day, our eardrums will go out, so everyone else listened to it. Our fans are all rebels."
I found it strange that it was <Promise> and not the title track that was making a comeback, but it seemed the kids had found the cause in the cyber marketplace.
"I never said not to listen to it. I said you'd turn into a zombie."
As I spoke, Hanjoon, who had been quietly playing a game in the background, casually threw in a comment.
"Isn't that the same thing?"
Is it the same thing?
Anyway, to have charted in for such a trivial reason felt somewhat hollow. It was surprising that a casual remark had sparked a reaction,
But at the same time, it made me feel quite uneasy.
The love and hospitality that the Grand Mage Jesquière enjoyed from the public. It was definitely of a different nature.
If that was love close to blind obedience to absolute authority, then this, what should I say... it's more complementary, more sacrificial, and a bit more intimate.
"Hey, guys."
That's why I’m feeling this way.
"Should we try doing something too?"
"What do you mean?"
"As a thank you for the billboard?"
I just keep wanting to do something for them.