translation by mourningmoor
“What? Suspicion of bulk buying?”
Kim Chanyeong, the director sitting at the head of the conference room at HS Entertainment, tilted his eyebrows in confusion. Jung Yoobin of MuteSeven nodded in response.
“Yes, shouldn’t we at least bring that up?”
“Are you insane?”
Chanyeong was utterly baffled at how he ended up teaming up with someone like this.
“Please read the situation properly.”
Director Jang Myungwoo was right. Two years ago, when that issue blew up, the one who should’ve been cut off wasn’t Kang Ichan. It was this guy.
“Do you really think L.I.T’s album sales look like bulk buying?”
“If it’s not bulk buying, then what? That ridiculous group selling 210,000 copies in the first week? It doesn’t make sense.”
You idiot. No wonder MuteSeven couldn’t even surpass 100,000 in first-week sales.
“It does.”
“…?”
“It makes sense.”
Now he understood why MuteSeven failed. A few rotten apples like Jung Yoobin, born with a silver spoon, had completely tainted the team.
Arrogant, selfish, and unable to see beyond themselves—these arrogant brats.
“Have you even checked their SNS or fan cafe?”
For the past week since their comeback, L.I.T had been on an unstoppable rise.
They ended up achieving an incredible first-week sales record of 210,000 copies and even secured second place on music shows.
It was a clear sign that their fandom was growing at a terrifying pace.
“Have you seen their live broadcasts?”
When L.I.T goes live, the number of simultaneous viewers approaches 200,000.
“Do you know they’ve started fan cafes overseas?”
Fan cafes have popped up in Japan, the U.S., and even France.
“Have you listened to their songs? Watched their music videos?”
All of this was a testament to the individual talents of the L.I.T members. And it was also the achievement of their fandom, whether they call themselves “light bulbs” or “filaments.”
In just over a month since their comeback announcement, L.I.T has been proving their talent and star power left and right.
And at the center of it all was Kang Ichan.
“You’ve already lost, you brat.”
* * *
Yoobin was in a particularly bad mood.
Being compared to that trash Kang Ichan had hurt his pride.
His relationship with Kang Ichan had been rocky from the start. It all began on the day of the HS Entertainment songwriting audition.
Kang Ichan, dressed in shabby clothes with a gloomy expression, looked like he was from some rural area in Gangwon Province, and every move he made reeked of countryside awkwardness.
Yoobin ended up competing against Kang Ichan in the final round for the songwriting position. And all the judges sided with Kang Ichan.
Kang Ichan’s song was as gloomy, dark, and unpleasant as his face. But apparently, that’s what won over the judges.
Yoobin lost, and it was a humiliating defeat.
But then, his mom’s connections came through. Well, it was more like his dad’s connections.
Thanks to his famous actress mom and congressman dad, he managed to secure the songwriting position.
That’s how he became a trainee at HS, and a rivalry formed between him and Kang Ichan until Kang Ichan was eventually kicked out of the company.
He felt relieved after getting rid of him, but now that brat was back, strutting around in front of him.
The problem was that Kang Ichan had changed drastically from before.
The old Kang Ichan was a “loser” and a “nerd,” but the current Kang Ichan somehow shone brightly.
Even wearing the same shabby T-shirt, he looked completely different.
There had been a major incident, and it seemed like he had become a completely different person before and after that incident.
“What on earth happened to that guy?”
Yoobin entered the studio, opened his laptop, and started searching the internet.
When he typed “LIT,” the official homepage and SNS links popped up.
Below that, images and videos started scrolling.
Then, his eyes caught a thumbnail.
“Kang Ichan piano performance video?”
Clicking the thumbnail took him to L.I.T’s official NewTube channel.
The location seemed to be Blade Entertainment’s practice room.
The facilities were shabby compared to HS, but the expressions on the faces of the L.I.T members sitting on the practice room floor looked happier than anyone else’s.
―Ah, hyung. Just say something to Roa hyung. I told him to do a backflip, but he won’t do it.
It seemed like Jaewon, L.I.T’s youngest, was holding the camera. He kept grumbling as he approached Kang Ichan, who was sitting on the floor catching his breath.
―We just finished practice. Is Roa a robot? He needs to breathe too.
When Ichan took Roa’s side, Roa nodded and flopped down on the practice room floor.
―I really can’t do it right now. We’ve done the choreography six times in a row.
There was a reason he was breathing so heavily.
―We just got the okay sign, so we’re taking a break. Would you want to do it if you were in his place? My lungs hurt so much I can’t even drink water.
―Then Ichan-hyung, you play the piano.
―I can’t. I’m tired.
Kang Ichan’s expression as he said “I’m tired” didn’t look tired at all.
It was more of a “I’m too lazy” face than a “I’m tired” face.
―Ah, hurry up. You promised the Filaments. You said you’d show them something.
At the word “promise,” Kang Ichan’s expression turned serious.
He stared at the camera for a while, then got up and dusted himself off.
Then, he walked over to the piano in the corner of the practice room.
From opening the piano lid to sitting on the bench, Jaewon captured every detail with the camera.
Then, Kang Ichan looked at the camera.
―What song?
―I asked on SNS yesterday, and they said they want to hear the piano version of our song Stay.
―Stay?
His expressionless face, his slightly vacant eyes as if he was thinking about something.
Then, a light flickered in his dark eyes.
For a moment, it felt like a blue light flashed in his black eyes. It was so dreamlike that it sent shivers down his spine.
Then, Kang Ichan moved his fingers.
“W-what the hell is this?”
Jung Yoobin couldn’t help but be shocked.
No matter how much time has passed, how could his skills improve this much?
He knew Kang Ichan had a unique sense for songwriting, but he didn’t expect him to be this proficient at playing an instrument.
He thought Kang Ichan could only clumsily play melodies, not perform such high-quality pieces.
It’s like he’s become a completely different person.
In the end, Yoobin couldn’t finish watching the video and turned it off.
A hot emotion was churning somewhere deep in his chest.
“What kind of monster is this guy…?”
Then, another video caught his eye.
<Kang Ichan Stay Music City Fancam.>
He didn’t want to click it. He really didn’t want to, but his finger didn’t listen.
He clicked it, and he instantly regretted it. He should’ve just not watched it.
Jung Yoobin of MuteSeven had to admit it.
The hot emotion churning in his chest was “jealousy.” And once he felt that “jealousy,” he knew he had to bring Kang Ichan down by any means necessary.
* * *
L.I.T was having the busiest days since their debut.
From music shows to various interviews and events, it felt like they needed ten bodies to keep up.
Amid all this, L.I.T was diligently keeping their promises to the Filaments. They had promised during the last live broadcast to do their best to fulfill the Filaments’ wishes.
They had to divide their time carefully, but it wasn’t an impossible task.
That didn’t mean it was easy, though.
Roa and Jaewon running around the practice room like crazy was part of their daily routine, but they were also steadily uploading videos of things idols usually don’t show, like Hanjoon sleeping or Siu washing his face.
Naturally, the fans went wild.
The difference between their on-stage personas and their everyday lives was just too stark.
On stage, they were charismatic kings of performance, but in their daily lives, they were utterly ridiculous.
The Filaments started falling for L.I.T’s ridiculousness and began praising their “ridiculous charm.”
Around that time, the piano performance video was uploaded.
In the practice room, L.I.T was somewhere between charismatic and ridiculous, but the piano performance added an artistic layer between the two.
The piano performance itself was impressive, but the youngest member singing along while holding the camera became another hot topic.
And then, another video caused an uproar.
A fan had filmed a fancam of their pre-recording performance at Music City.
The ruffled blouse paired with a sleek black suit, combined with his blonde hair, created the ultimate visual.
Even I could tell it was a well-shot video, so the fans must’ve been blown away.
In the end, that one video caused the fandom to explode in size.
Then, one day, about two weeks after their comeback, we were each handed a keycard.
“This isn’t just a gift.”
PD Pyo, who had called the five of us to the CEO’s office, spoke with a bright expression.
“There’s an option attached to it.”
He cut straight to the point, leaving the members confused.
Finally, I stepped forward.
Picking up the keycard on the table, I locked eyes with PD Pyo and explained to the members.
“We’re moving to a new dorm, but in exchange, we have to appear on variety shows. PD Pyo sold us to TVH.”
“Whaaat?”
Only the youngest, Jaewon, reacted loudly, while the other members were too shocked to even open their mouths properly.
“We’re moving?”
There had been talk about looking for a new place, but I hadn’t told the members yet.
It didn’t feel right to get their hopes up when nothing was confirmed.
But PD Pyo had kept his promise in the end.
He gifted us an apartment where we could use the keycards. Of course, it wasn’t a purchase—it was a lease.
But still, it was something. An apartment with an elevator, three rooms, and even two bathrooms, from what I heard.
But there was a condition. We had to appear on three variety shows proposed by TVH.
The company believed it would be good for our future to accept the offer. In other words, it was already a done deal.
But I convinced PD Pyo to let the members decide.
[Let the members choose. If they’d rather give up the dorm than appear on variety shows, I’ll follow their decision.]
Moving and variety shows.
They would only truly shine if the members genuinely wanted to do it.
And true to their personalities, their reactions to this situation were polar opposites.
Hanjoon’s forehead creased deeply.
“Variety shows? What kind…?”
This guy absolutely hates variety shows. He’d rather practice more than appear on variety shows. Siu was the same. I’ve seen how he shrinks when he’s in the spotlight for anything other than dance and rap.
On the other hand, the youngest was all for doing anything, and Roa was determined to do whatever would help the team.
PD Pyo, who had been smiling brightly, spread out the program proposals in front of us.
Judging by his expression, it seemed like we’d been offered some pretty good programs.
“First, two members for <Jukebox Saturday>, two for <Beyond the Mountains, the Fishing Village>, and one for Writer Jeong Haeseong’s new program.”
“Wow, really? Those are all major shows.”
Roa’s eyes sparkled. He was determined to appear on them. Siu seemed the same. There was a program among the offers that he liked.
But Writer Jeong Haeseong? That woman who tried to bribe me with two cups of cocoa last time, wasn’t it? The one who told me to grow up well?
“By the way, Kang Ichan has been chosen for Writer Jeong Haeseong’s new program.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
PD Pyo’s face was filled with proud satisfaction.
Meanwhile, I was filled with a strange sense of unease.
Is this really okay?