While heading back to the dorm, I checked for additional reactions and found that RH Entertainment had released an article admitting that the leaked information about their new group was true.
[……A representative from RH Entertainment recently revealed that Cha Woon of PRISM, who received favorable reviews for the hit competition song ‘Sing for you’ from Survive IDOL, participated in composing a track for COMA-1. The agency expressed their determination to ensure that COMA-1 can continue to have a successful career with the strong support of their senior. Netizens have responded with comments such as, “
As expected, he favors his own people
1
“, “
I’m curious to see what kind of synergy the second Seo Yutae and Cha Woon will create
“, and “
It feels strange that Cha Woon, who wrote the competition song for them, is now on their opponent’s side
“.]
The article, which was so neat it seemed as if it had been prepared in advance, was published by a newspaper with which RH Entertainment had maintained a long-standing amicable relationship. It contained information such as Kim Saemyeong from Survive IDOL being included in the debut lineup, the approximate debut date, and individual profile photos of the members.
Since the article included information that had not been disclosed elsewhere, its views skyrocketed, and the public was inevitably exposed to RH Entertainment’s subtle manipulation.
‘They intentionally created controversy for the sake of noise marketing, and then tried to clean up the mess using Cha Woon…’
On the surface, Prism seemed to be a group with significant authority due to their impressive career. As a result, the public assumed that Cha Woon’s contribution to the song was a voluntary act, leading to a high likelihood of interpreting it as ‘
COMA-1’s concept was approved by PRISM members’
.
From the beginning, Kang Hyukwoo had used Cha Woon as a tool to alleviate the public’s guilt. It now felt all too obvious why Cha Woon, whose talent was composing sentimental songs, was made to compose for a group pursuing a strong concept to the extent of imitating Seo Yutae’s style.
‘He struck first before the members of Prism could retaliate.’
If Jay or other members were to criticize COMA-1’s concept in this situation, rumors of discord among the members would surface immediately. Kang Hyukwoo had effectively silenced Prism. At the cost of turning Cha Woon into a traitor among the members.
That wasn’t the only problem.
[…Since COMA-1 is debuting during a time when there are many prominent groups, there are criticisms that RH Entertainment may have chosen the wrong debut date. However, a representative stated, “
COMA-1 is a group that RH Entertainment, the same company that brought PRISM to success, has carefully prepared over a long period. We meticulously selected talented and skilled members, so we are confident even if they have to compete with PANTHEION
“.]
‘Confident even if they have to compete with Pantheion, huh? How transparent.’
I frowned at the mention of Pantheion’s name in the article.
Even if everyone knew who was being referred to, it was an unspoken rule of courtesy not to mention other celebrities or groups officially. However, seeing RH Entertainment go out of their way to mention Pantheion in response to a question that could have been answered diplomatically, their intentions became somewhat apparent.
‘Since it seems like Pantheion will rise straight to the top tier, they’re probably trying to get mixed up in it and rise together with us. It’s obvious that they’ll be overshadowed, so they must have chosen this specific debut timing for that very reason.’
The aim was to set up a direct rivalry between Pantheion and COMA-1.
Prism’s career was theirs alone. Simply being from the same company as Prism didn’t mean their level could rise to the point of being comparable to Pantheion.
So, it was fair to say that COMA-1 and Pantheion were so far apart that, when viewed objectively, it was impossible to even put them on the same starting point.
‘But RH Entertainment wouldn’t have stood by and let that happen.’
It was painfully clear that COMA-1 was behind Pantheion in every aspect. So, by dragging a deceased person into the noise marketing and deliberately creating a rivalry with Pantheion, it seemed like they were attempting to break free from that reality.
[Regarding the recruitment of Kim Saemyeong, they stated, “
Although Kim Saemyeong had the skills and popularity to join the debut lineup, we found it highly questionable that this hadn’t happened, so we attempted to bring him on board. He has seamlessly blended into COMA-1 as if he had been a member from the start, and the agency was also surprised by this
‘.]
RH Entertainment stated that the reason for bringing Kim Saemyeong on board was because they found it ‘
highly questionable
‘ about why he didn’t make it into the debut lineup.
The phrase ‘
found it highly questionable
‘ on the surface could be interpreted as ‘
thinking it was a shame that someone so talented wasn’t able to debut
‘. However, it also carried the nuance of ‘
it was hard to accept that Kim Saemyeong was eliminated because Lee Danbi took the spot that should have been his
‘.
And this was no different from throwing food the fans who were dissatisfied with Kim Saemyeong’s elimination and those who were unhappy with Lee Danbi being chosen as a final debut member.
— Fck ah, it feels so refreshing to hear the official say it like that, haha. Kim Saemyeong
is really talented, but he got eliminated for no reason, and I just can’t understand how Lee Danbi took his place. I was so frustrated, but I hope this is the opportunity for Kim Saemyeong to become the true winner.
└ For reaaal ㅠㅠ honestly, it was pretty obvious from the moment Lee Danbi was forcefully placed in the S-Class that he was the PD’s pick.
— Lee Danbi is only acknowledged as a one-trick-pony
2
of passion right? Yeah, but even that was a forced image created by the program because he’s the PD’pick? Wasn’t there anyone among the participating trainees who wasn’t desperate?
└ How many times do I have to say that the PD’s picks are Pat and Mat, you idiots?
— It drives me crazy how people keep trying to discredit Lee Danbi. If you watch the interviews of the trainees who appeared on NeoTube after the program ended, they all unanimously say that Lee Danbi was the trainee who practiced the hardest.
└ Ah, so does that mean he’s good at it? LOL. Is it enough to just pour your soul into the theme song stage performance? Damn, I can do that much too, haha.
└ Try it, haha. You’ll probably get completely beaten by Han Seungbeom and go home crying
— Explain the vote manipulation. It’s really unbelievable that Kim Saemyeong got eliminated. How could someone with such a strong fandom, who was staying in the debut zone for weeks, get eliminated after just one broadcast? I heard Lee Danbi’s agency CEO has been spending a lot of money recently. It’s obvious they bribed the PD. #LeeDanbi #Explain #SurviveIDOL #VoteManipulation
— I’m just annoyed by how arrogant Lee Danbi is. I hope a scandal breaks out and he gets completely ruined hoho.
└ ???? Mentally person OUT
└ Wow … I have a lot to say, but I won’t say it.
└ Why are there so many people lately who don’t even try to hide their inferiority complex? Please live your own life and stop taking pleasure in putting down kids who are younger and more successful than you … It’s especially disgusting to be so harsh on kids who haven’t even graduated high school. It’s only natural that they’re immature, they’re still young. The idol industry is demanding younger and younger kids, so they’re entering society while still immature. It’s sickening that instead of trying to understand that, you use it as an excuse to attack children.
└ Who’s telling them to debut? They debuted because they wanted to, so what are they complaining about~~ It’s a job where they make a ton of money easily while being loved, so they should suck it up and take the hate. They should try doing all sorts of hard labor. Maybe then they’ll get their act together lol.
— Bringing up LDB for comparison is just foul haha the difference in level between Kim Saemyeong and him is huge. He just debuted because Han Seungbeom pushed him.
└ Are you seriously comparing a 17-year-old to someone who’s built up his trainee career until he’s almost too old to enlist? You’re criticizing a child so harshly? If you’re going to compare, why not compare him to Baek Kiryang or Woo Kangwon … the reason you’re not doing that is so obvious, it’s really funny. You all know he’s going to get screwed, that’s why you’re doing this, right, Saemfans~!~!
└ Now it’s almost pitiful how those obsessed Saemfans keep going around making a fuss everywhere. It’s been quite a while since the program ended, they can’t seem to move on hahaha
└ I apologize on behalf of some thoughtless fans who have made hurtful comments. I’m truly sorry ㅠㅠ Please don’t think badly of our Saemyeong ㅜㅜㅜ
└ What does it matter if you apologize? The person who did wrong hasn’t changed. It’s disgusting how you try to silence people with a meaningless apology just because you don’t want your child’s image to be tarnished.
— He’s the true winner in life. He got lucky and caught Han Seungbeom’s eye, and now he’s going to be successful … he’s so young, but he’s going to make a lot of money
Proving my point, online communities and SNS were filled with comparisons between Lee Danbi and Kim Samyeong, creating an online battleground within a short period of time.
For those who hated Lee Danbi for “
daring to walk on the success of Pantheion with his undeserved spot
” but secretly envied him, Kim Saemyeong became the perfect excuse to project their negative feelings. Also, for those who didn’t want to accept Kim Saemyeong’s elimination, RH Entertainment’s recent statement was an exceptionally good opportunity for them.
The expectations for the first group released by RH Entertainment after the huge success of Prism, the framing of a rivalry with the hottest group of the moment, and the public’s desire to consume provocative controversies and competition—all of these factors were working together to make things go the way RH Entertainment wanted.
‘Just the fact that a battleground is being created means RH Entertainment is achieving its goal. If there had been no publicity stunts, Pantheion and COMA-1 wouldn’t have even been placed in the same comparison level to begin with.’
Obviously, most people wouldn’t agree with a post that compared Lee Danbi to Kim Saemyeong in such an extreme manner. However, just like celebrities couldn’t forget the one hateful comment among a hundred compliments, the public also would have a hard time forgetting provocative posts that attack someone.
That was the problem.
The negative image of Lee Danbi becoming ingrained in the public’s subconscious.
‘It’s not surprising anymore. Kang Hyukwoo is very skilled at drawing out and manipulating people’s negative emotions.’
Seeing the group’s name become known to the entire public in just a few hours, and watching how Pantheion and COMA-1 were being linked, reminded me of the kind of person Kang Hyukwoo was.
‘I hope the members of Pantheion don’t get swayed by this.’
Prism was already beyond being swayed; it felt like they had been hit by some kind of bomb. Once they brought me into it, I knew it was an inevitable situation. So, I hoped at least the members of Pantheion would be okay, but even this wish seemed like too much to ask.
“Haaa…..”
With the Pantheion dormitory in front of me, I sighed deeply.
I was worried that Lee Danbi might be crying after seeing people’s reactions.
But when I opened the door…..
“They’re spitting out nonsense just because they can open their mouth. I should just sew their mouth shut and stitch it to their butt so they’ll come to their senses. There’s a limit to how much I can put up with brainless bastards. RH? Ha, shit … aren’t Prism-sunbaenims their one-trick-pony? They acted like they’re on SU-level. The way they are playing politics so cheaply.…”
3
“Lee Danbi’s rampage mode is ON. I don’t understand what he’s saying at all. But I understand that his attack power is high.”
“Da-Danbi-ya, calm down! Please.…”
“Kangwon-hyung, catch him. I’ll wrap him with this blanket!”
“Yuda-ya, Danbi is not a wild animal.”
After quietly observing the surroundings, I had no choice but to close the door.
Inside the dormitory, there was Lee Danbi rampaging wildly, and the rest of members were surrounding him with a very frightened look.
‘Here comes the bat again.’
“Oh, Seungbeom-hyung, you’re back?”
The door lock beeped cheerfully as I closed the door, and Lee Danbi, with an angelic face, turned around and smiled brightly at me. As soon as I faced that face, I felt as if the scene I had just witnessed was nothing but a hallucination.
As I awkwardly nodded and stepped inside, the members turned to look at me like I was their savior and ran toward me with sad faces.
“Seungbeom-ah!”
“Hyung!”
“Leada!”
However, before those chicks could even chirp to me, there was one chick who came up to me first.
“Seungbeom-hyung.”
It was Lee Danbi. He looked straight at me and opened his mouth.
“There’s no way Pantheion would ever lose. And I am Pantheion. Am I right?”
“…You’re right.”
“So, I won’t lose either. Please help me, I’ll step on them.”
“…….”
At the bold words that didn’t seem intimidated at all, I immediately smirked. Then, I patted the top of Lee Danbi’s head with my palm and opened my mouth.
“Okay. Of course I should help. My youngest is asking for help.”
I paused for a moment, then continued with a slight smile.
“Well, actually, I’ve already started.”
“What can I help you with, Yutae-ya?”
A guy who had no weaknesses for Kang Hyukwoo to exploit, and whose friendship with me was an open secret among long-time fans.
A guy who didn’t care about what happened to the members of Prism, and therefore, the weapons Kang Hyukwoo held didn’t work on him.
“Shall we try hitting them one or two times? Just … to test it out.”
I was having a phone call with that guy on my way back to the dorm.
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Translator’s Corner:
The exact word used is 팔은 안으로 굽는다 “The arms bend inward”, used to describe a situation where someone favors their own group or people they know. Basically playing favoritism. In this case, people assume Cha Woon favoring the COMA-1 because they’re his juniors from the same agency. ↩︎
One trick pony here is 원툴
. One trick pony means
someone or something that is good at doing only one thing, or that can work in only one area
. Some experts say the idiom “one-trick pony” comes from the circus industry. A circus pony that can only do one trick is not going to entertain a crowd for very long. After all, who wanted to watch the same trick over and over again? That’s why this expression is an insulting.
The original Korean word itself 원툴, literally translated as “One Tool”, it refers to someone who excels in only one specific ability. It used to describe idols quite a lot tbh, most of the times for idol who’s known only for their visual, they got called “one-tool-visual”. Here, Lee Danbi is called “one-tool-passion”, because they see him as only good at being passionate and lacking in everything else. ↩︎
I’m not going to explain, but the word Danbi used here is literally full offensive. He used 주댕이 for mouth and 방댕이 for butt, and like if you read it, the sentence itself already sounds rude right? But those words are just straight up vulgar, derogatory words. And the “brainless bastards” is from 대가리 빈 놈들, 대가리 itself is another vulgar way to say “head” (basically it’s saying people whose head are empty that’s why I wrote it as brainless).
Huh isnt this the same as me explaining???????? ↩︎
Calling this a comedy actually not wrong tbh everytime Pantheion appear, the angst genre changed.
Anyway, you know, when I was translating SSS-Grade Cafe, there was a lot of readers too, and there’s often people who left negative reviews on the comments. But usually the others are just going on with “your opinion is yours, my opinion is mine” attitude aka I never saw people debate while tl-ing that. But in this series I’m genuinely surprised in a good way that you all really really actively expressing your opinion dan “discuss” with the other commenters T_T it’s kinda fun to read actually because some people are straight up writing an essay, I really like reading people’s thoughts, I’m liberal-art to the core. (I’m a shy person by nature and don’t know what to say that’s why I don’t usually reply).
Maybe it’s mainly because the genre of novel is different, but it really feels like you guys get influenced by the MC … your fighting power is high …. You became what you love indeed….