Beep.
There was a sound of the door lock being unlocked, and someone stopped at the front door to enter the apartment. Then there was the sound of something inside the plastic crumbling, followed by an English curse word.
“Oh, shit.”
He must be flustered as he looked at the pile of Chinese restaurant dishes stacked high next to the front door.
‘It was a good thing I wrapped them tightly in plastic. Otherwise, I would have had to go out and pick them all up again.’
It was obvious that someone whose native language was English wouldn’t be familiar with the culture of leaving dishes on the doorstep.
“Lee Hwayoung, get inside quickly. Are you planning on living in the doorway?”
I leaned back on the sofa and called out toward the front door. Then, the front door closed and Lee Hwayoung, who had changed into indoor slippers, came toward me.
“…What is that?”
“The soul of a Korean housewarming party that you missed out on. Do Yuda ate all your share.”
“…….”
He still didn’t seem to understand, but it didn’t matter.
That wasn’t the important thing right now. We didn’t have much time left until the camera started rolling.
If you wondered why the cameras suddenly showed up even though we hadn’t been here long, it was because we were scheduled to film a reality show.
“They say we’re going to film a ton of variety shows. We’re doing a reality program and even self-produced content. They’re even opening a NeoTube channel for the self-produced content
1
. We’re going to be super busy, aren’t we?”
In fact, I remember feeling very bewildered when I first heard from Do Yuda that we would start filming a variety show as soon as we moved into the dorm.
‘Being good at singing and dancing should come first, and variety shows can come later. We haven’t even started preparing for our debut album yet, so what kind of content are they talking about making…?’
Watching them put so much effort into variety shows when we’re already so busy preparing for our debut, I thought it was a bit of a reversal of priorities. As I was about to raise my eyes to 10:10
2
and express my displeasure, Do Yuda quickly intervened and said this to me.
“The fans said they wanted to see it.”
And after hearing Do Yuda’s words, I…..
‘I see.’
….achieved a miraculous shift in stance.
8:20.
No, in the case of a group like ours that debuted through a survival program, it was a real challenge to create a bond between the members and the fandom because we had a lot of individual fans and the group’s end was set in stone.
‘If we can ease these aspects through a variety show, it will definitely be a great help to us.’
From the very beginning when the Survive Idol program first started and I decided to appear on it, I knew that there were some grown-up things behind the scenes, like a condition that the broadcasting station would have the exclusive rights to produce a reality program. But that wasn’t my concern. I was just considering the opinions of the fans.
‘We have to do it, even if it means kicking the regular program out of the way, damn it.’
“Yeah, if we work hard on both debut preparations and variety shows, it’ll be fine.”
“That hyung becomes an ‘Okay Man’ as soon as fans are mentioned. No matter how many times I see it, I just can’t get used to it.”
I could see Do Yuda shaking his head as he looked at me like that, but I decided to simply ignore him.
“We need to decide on our positions before they start filming. Hurry up and sit down.”
“On the floor?”
Lee Hwayoung, who had been watching us sitting on the floor with our legs crossed, asked with a dubious expression. Ah, he’s showing off his Britishness again.
“If you’re uncomfortable, you can bring a chair and sit on it.”
I waved my hand as I spoke, respecting his opinion. Lee Hwayoung pulled a chair over, crossed his legs, and looked down at us. The scene seemed a bit strange, but I decided to just let it go
There was a reason I was in such a hurry to get through the position distributions.
The distribution of positions, clearly divided into ‘
main
‘, ‘
lead
‘, and ‘
sub
‘, was a very sensitive issue for both the fans and the members, so I didn’t want to show it on the broadcast. Didn’t Survive IDOL also milk the position distribution for all it was worth? This was a battle of pride.
Since the broadcast station now needed to milk every bit of sweetness from Pantheion, who had successfully debuted, they wouldn’t resort to provocative editing. After all, ours would be a lighthearted reality program made for fun.
‘Regardless of the editing style, it’s nothing for them to capture and criticize the members’ expressions frame by frame.’
However, our group still carried the survival program’s typical atmosphere, where we had to compete against each other to survive, which meant that individual fan tendencies remained. If there was something they found displeasing, it could lead to fierce arguments even among fans of the same group. Especially since our group had many talented members, everyone took pride in their favorite member’s skills.
Even if it was a bit disappointing, scenes that could potentially cause controversy couldn’t be aired.
I put a white sheet of paper in front of me and scribbled down the names of the members.
“Let’s start by choosing the leader.”
The first thing we needed to decide, as always, was the leader. We needed to have someone who would be in charge of distributing the positions.
“Anyone with an opinion, speak up.”
“I think it would be better if the person who is acting like a leader more naturally than anyone else did it.”
Do Yuda raised his hand, and the members beside him all automatically nodded.
“…Is there no objection? Does everyone agree?”
I was a little taken aback by the members’ indifferent reactions and tried to double-check. If it had been a group full of idiots, I would have told them all to get lost and taken the leader position myself, but there was clearly someone else here who could lead the team well besides me.
‘Woo Kangwon has a gentle and calm personality, so he should be able to do a good job as a leader. He’s also the oldest.’
However, it was very strange to see all the members, including Woo Kangwon, looking at me without even thinking twice. I felt a kind of tingling feeling, like I was both touched and confused at the same time.
Woo Kangwon, who met my gaze directly, smiled gently and then spoke.
“As I told you when we were assigned to the same team during the program filming, I don’t really think age automatically represents leadership. I don’t intend to play the age card. You’ve earned deep trust from the members, so how could I possibly take that role? I’ll be there to support you in leading the members.”
“…….”
I blinked slowly, taking in Woo Kangwon’s words.
Although I took the leader position in every team throughout the program, being the leader of the group that would actually be active carried a different weight. Even if it was a project group that would come to an end in the blink of an eye.
Is it really okay for me to be the leader of this group?
“Hyung?”
“Write your name. Isn’t it decided?”
“…Do you want me to write it? What’s wrong?”
When I didn’t immediately take the leader position as I normally would, the members started to worry that something was wrong with me. From their point of view, seeing the world’s greatest Han Seungbeom
3
hesitate must have been an absolutely unbelievable sight.
“We have Seo Yutae-ssi with us, so what is there to be afraid of! I’m confident.”
As I began to feel a bit anxious under the members’ gazes, I thought I could hear Jo Inchan’s youthful voice once again. At that memory, I stiffened my expression and sat still, and a hand as big as a pot lid tapped my back.
“It’s okay. It will be okay.”
“…….”
There was no way Woo Kangwon could have known what I had been through. Those words probably didn’t mean much, yet I felt strangely relieved.
I relaxed my facial muscles a bit, and Woo Kangwon made eye contact with me and spoke once more.
“Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. We’re debuting as a team to support each other. You know this better than anyone, right?”
Goodness gracious, I don’t know what this fully grown relief crop thinks he knows to say something like that.
Smiling slightly at that thought, I slowly moved the pen to write the word
‘Leader
‘ next to my name. As soon as I put the final period, the members, who had been holding their breath, clapped and smiled brightly.
“Now let’s move on to the next position.”
Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I waved my pen dismissively and moved on to the next item on the agenda. This wasn’t the time to be spending so much focus on the leader position.
The position that’s likely the most competitive in our group was….
“Start with the main vocal.”
“Let’s decide on the main vocal.”
“Main vocal…….”
It was the main vocalist.
A sense of foreboding crept up on me as I listened to the three vocal powerhouses of the program all speaking at once. It was a wonderful dilemma to have, but with three members who could easily carry another group’s vocal on their own, deciding who would be the main vocalist was going to be tough.
Even Baek Kiryang, who had taken a step back from the main vocalist selection until the fourth mission, had a determined look on his face today as if he couldn’t give up without a fight.
“…….”
Of course, the one who looked the most menacing was Lee Hwayoung.
An energetic puppy, a meerkat who finally mustered up his courage for the first time, and a lion with his arms crossed, measuring his kill angle.
It was all too obvious who would be the main vocalist if it came down to a simple battle of wills
I didn’t want to comfort those two whiny crybabies when they’re sobbing.
“Speak gently.” I put my hand in front of Lee Hwayoung’s mouth and requested.
Lee Hwayoung glanced at my hand, seemed to think for a moment, then turned Do Yuda and Baek Kiryang and said, “I’m the best at this. So, give me the position.”
Ah.
I slapped my forehead with my palm.
‘….Okay, let’s say that for his standard, that was actually quite a gentle way of expressing it.’
Normally, he would have said something like, “
I can’t give the main vocal part to amateurs
“. Compared to that, this was a huge improvement.
“If you find it difficult to not speak aggressively, try shifting the focus from the other person to yourself when you speak. If you do that, it will improve at least a little.”
He was faithfully carrying out what I told him to do before.
However, the person who heard those words would probably find it hard to think that way.
“Ooh.”
Do Yuda, with dissatisfaction already written all over his face and mouth, took a deep breath and began to argue against Lee Hwayoung’s words as if he had a motor in his mouth. It seemed that after tossing Lee Hwayoung around during the last live broadcast, he had become quite comfortable with him.
“The main vocalist is originally the one who handles the highlight parts and takes on the highest notes in the high-pitched sections! Anyone can see that it’s me. I have a good vocal strength. When I sing with others, I’m confident that my voice will stand out.”
“Isn’t the vocalist who sets the overall mood of the song and makes the chorus shine the most important one?”
“…I have enough flexibility to easily add ad-libs and harmonies. I think I’m the most stable even in live performances as well …… High notes are great, but I also think it’s crucial to have strong vocal control to sing the parts that require delicate vocal skills.”
Everyone had a point.
The main vocal position that people commonly think of, the high-note specialist, was best suited to Do Yuda. He had the widest vocal range and a powerful voice, making him perfect at nailing the song’s highlight parts.
But if you’re asking me if the
best vocalist
meant the one who could hit the highest notes, I would say it wasn’t necessarily the case. Lee Hwayoung was an essential presence who defined the group’s identity with his distinctive voice. If he were to be removed, our songs would become bland in an instant.
And the one who added depth to the song was Baek Kiryang. His vocals were so incredibly detailed, a type of voice that was hard to find in the idol industry.
In the end, it was a matter of personal taste.
In this kind of case, the main vocalist position would typically be given to multiple people, but if a seven-person group were to have three main vocalists, that would be a bit odd.
“I can’t compromise. This is my pride!”
“Do you think that only applies to you?”
“I don’t want to compromise this time either.”
As the heated battle of wills continued without even an inch of concession, Woo Kangwon seemed troubled and tried to intervene, attempting to stop the three of them.
“Guys, let’s calm down first.”
“Shall we settle this with a singing battle? Let’s go to karaoke.”
“No, let’s check it accurately through the recording.”
Okay. I didn’t think Woo Kangwon would be a good fit for the leader position.
His personality was too docile to handle someone who wouldn’t listen to him.
I quietly watched them fighting until my ears bled, and when their decibels reached an excessive level, I slammed the position paper down with my fist. Then, I flashed a bright smile at those rascals, who were shrinking back with their eyes wide open.
“Screw it all. Main, lead, or sub, we don’t need any of them. Make everyone as vocalist, simple.”
Kangwon-ah, originally, the leader should have the strongest will among the members.
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Translator’s Corner:
Self-produced content,
known as 자컨. It’s an abbreviation of
자
체([jache] self) +
컨
텐츠([keontencheu] content), jakeon is the idol content produced by the management companies, not a broadcasting station or content production studio. It can be like a group’s own variety show posted on vlive (back in my days) or YouTube, or vlogs. ↩︎
Just look at the clock position when it’s 10:10. ↩︎
I think this is cool, so I pointed out. The word used for “The world’s greatest Han Seungbeom”, the world’s greatest here is
천하
. It originates from Chinese characters
天
(천: sky) an
下
(하: under). So translated literally it’s “(the whole world) under the sky”. So here, 천하의 is kind of like “of the whole word). It used to describe someone’s who’s the best in their field. ↩︎
Nvm here’s a clock image to help you understand
10:10 vs 8:20
Omg I just went to sleep and 100% survived???? There’s not even a stomachache at all. I guess my body already got used to expired food and just gave up the idea of scolding me. I love you too my body ….
Oh i think i forgot to pointed out, the dialogue that originally already in english will be written in English will have an underlined. Like, that oh shit at top. In songs, I can simply use italics to mark it, but I can’t do it for dialogue since
“Dialogue.”
in italics already used to mark something that’s said in the past (a flashback).