“Do well at work, Seungbeom-ssi.”
I could tell by his expression.
It was forced. He must not have wanted to burden me.
He must not have wanted an answer from Han Seungbeom, who was not
Seo Yutae
, because he left the waiting room immediately after saying that.
I went up on stage without having fully sorted out my complicated emotions, and then I made eye contact with Jay who was sitting in the VIP section. The expression on his face was much more complicated than the one I had seen in the waiting room, and I felt my heart grow heavier.
***
In terms of results alone, the showcase was a huge success.
A flawless, high-quality performance, members filled with joy, and the cheers of delighted fans. Everything couldn’t have been more perfect.
Our performance became a hot topic among the public, breaking through the easy-listening barrier that many idols had struggled with. As a result, our song saw another increase in listeners.
A stage should make people want to hear the song, and a song should make people want to see the stage
. In the end, I proved the words I had repeated as often as eating meals.
1
“Hyung, our performance was amazing! Everyone on SNS is talking about us. It seems like even people who aren’t our Muses will start taking a lot of interest in Pantheion.”
“It’s becoming a hot topic in Japan too. I’m getting a lot of messages from my friends, and my parents are happy.”
I had expected to receive positive feedback since everything—from the stage outfits to the set, choreography, and overall production—was meticulously prepared. However, I hadn’t anticipated that the showcase performance would dominate SNS trending keywords all day or that our MV views on NeoTube would surpass 4 million in just a few days.
Obviously, the high quality of the stage itself was the decisive reason for all the heated attention. But it felt like something else might have contributed as well, so I asked Do Yuda about it, and he showed me a video.
[In the end, we will overcome all trials, Pantheion – Heracles]
The video was edited by a famous music NeoTuber, combining a highly praised Greek mythology movie with our music video and performance. Do Yuda said that the video gained a high number of views, which helped it get picked up by the NeoTube algorithm, and that this was likely the additional reason for the general public’s interest.
‘I felt like I had seen this editing style before.’
I had seen that video too. Lee Danbi liked it so much that we watched it together, and I remembered the editing style and color tones felt strangely familiar. To upload it so quickly with such perfect timing, they must have stayed up all night editing. On top of that, considering how high the quality was, it felt like they had poured his soul into it, which made me feel even more uneasy.
‘Did the company pay them to do this?’
No, it didn’t look like it.
There was no indication of paid advertising, and there had to be something other than money at play for this level of sacrificing one’s soul and health.
With that thought in mind, I let out a gasp as an edited video of Survive IDOL’s performance flashed through my mind.
“Ah.”
That well-known fan video channel. The editing style felt very similar to that channel’s owner.
“…….”
Yes, how could anyone do such a thing if it wasn’t out of love?
This madness was born out of unconditional love.
‘So this is your main job…….’
Once I noticed their identity, it felt like the design of the watermark was very similar as well. I touched my forehead with my hand and bowed my head with a troubled heart.
‘…Thank you. You’ve worked hard.’
I was worried that their health might have been harmed by the work they were doing for us. But when I went into the famous video channel, I saw a new post that said, ‘
Our kids are now the number one singer in the Top 100, Mom.….
‘.
‘They look very healthy. Thank goodness.’
I instantly felt relieved and checked the comments of the post. It was filled with congratulatory messages from our fans and words of encouragement for each other.
— ❤❤❤ Top 100 Chart’s Number One Singer Pantheion ❤❤❤
— Guys, congratulations on being number one in real-time chart too! ❤
— Let’s not slack off on streaming and keep it up to maintain our rankings!
— Muses, you’ve worked really hard ㅠㅠ From now on, fighting!
As our fans said, we eventually took the top spot on the Top 100 chart, succeeding in securing 1st place on both the real-time and Top 100 charts. Of course, the members shed tears of joy and celebrated, and the fans shared in the happiness of our success. However, as always, the situation didn’t progress with only positive reactions.
— Top 100 means nothing now? A rookie boy group took the #1 place lol. Soon, even dogs and cows will be topping the charts.
└ You must be so mad that your child will never experience being first place on the Top 100, and now you’re trying so hard to discredit the charts. tsk tsk tsk what does it matter if they’re rookie or mid-tier idols? What’s important is that their fandom is top-tier and their songs are popular with the public.
— Ugh, dominating the charts through streaming is seriously annoying. Can’t they tone it down a bit? ;; Haha, I don’t want to see idol songs that I’m not interested in.
└ (Meme) Shuh-shuh-streaming chart domination, soooo annoyinggg~ Jeez, so annoyingg~
Seeing you lurking around idol community forums, it’s obvious you’re a fan of someone else, yet you’re acting like you’re a muggle. Stop with the political games and go scold your own fandom for not streaming hard enough instead of trying to drag down successful idols lol. Or go complain to the music platform’s customer service and demand they block fandom streaming. But it won’t work, will it? Music charts can’t afford to lose the fans who stream on their platform.
└ Right now, all muggles on NeoTube are all raving about how amazing the performance was, but this person is the only one who doesn’t get it. Someone, please take them and educated them ㅠㅠ.
— The Muses’s firepower is really insane. I guess the youngsters have nothing better to do.
└ The story of how I, at 31 years old, became a “youngster” hoho … When will this ridiculous fandom image politics end?
From the start, the number of boy groups that have reached Top 100 No. 1 was so few that some people seemed displeased with Pantheion stepping into a spot that served as a kind of class divider right after debuting.
‘It’s not going to change what’s already happened.’
However, no matter how much fans of other groups disliked it, humans were creatures who took even trivial comparison debates like ‘
Is the lion stronger, or the tiger
?’ seriously. As a result, discussions about Pantheion’s position were bound to happen.
And the outcome of the argument was obvious.
— The era of Pr-Rai-Pan has arrived woah
2
Roughly speaking, since there was now a clearer basis for calling us a top-tier group, what happens next was obvious, wasn’t it?
— Why are people still dragging PRSM into the top-tier discussion? How many years have they been around;; With all the scandals and member absences, they can’t even have proper group activities anymore. They’re only releasing solos and unit songs now. Let them go already.
└ Wow, you’re really running your mouth carelessly. You should spend less time online and go meet some people in real life.
— It’s definitely Pr-Rai-Pan. Right now, the chart still has J’s solo song and song that featured LC, and SingForYou is holding strong too … Even they themselves say that their solo activities are all part of PRSM’s activities.
— Can you believe there’s still no generational change? Hahaha The male idol scene is doomed.
PT
7 is also just a temporary group, so they’ll disappear soon. Then it’ll just be the senior groups left.
└ When they disband and start their own individual groups, we’ll have to see what happens then. Anyway, the future group with HSB is expected to reclaim his position in the top-tier.
‘It’s almost certain that we’ll be considered the first-tier team now.’
If we released one more album, continued to achieve good results, and solidified our fandom, this kind of debate would become less and less common, and Pantheion would firmly establish their position as a top-tier group. As I exhaled lightly while thinking about this, Woo Kangwon knocked on the door and entered the room.
“Guys, can you come out now? The live preparation is done.”
“Okay.”
It was time for the live broadcast that was scheduled to celebrate our #1 chart position, express gratitude to our fans, and raise expectations for our future activities. At Woo Kangwon’s call, I went out to the living room and saw the members gathered together, looking at me.
“You’re late!”
“Uh, sorry.”
I casually brushed off Do Yuda’s playful remark and turned my head, and the manager sent a signal at us.
‘3, 2, 1.’
And the live broadcast began.
“MyuMyu, hello!”
“Hello!”
[Hiiii!!]
[Hello!!]
Watching the chat rapidly scroll up on the broadcast screen, I gathered the members, who were still a bit dazed, and we all shouted the prepared greeting together
“Everyone, thank you for getting us the No. 1 on the Top 100 and real-time chart! It’s all thanks to the Muses! We will continue to work hard.”
Then, the fans flooded the chat with hearts, showering us with praise.
[I’m really proud ㅜ]
[No, it’s because all the songs are great and you guys have amazing skills that this was possibleㅠ]
The members shook their heads firmly in response to the words that were attributing the credit to us.
“No. It’s because the Muses listened to our songs that we were able to reach No. 1.”
“And Seungbeom hyung also created great songs for us!”
When Do Yuda casually mentioned that I had composed the song, fans were instantly excited and started discussing it enthusiastically.
[The b-sides on the album were also composed by the Captain, but Captain, are you getting enough sleep? ㅜㅜ It’s amazing, but I’m worried ㅠㅠㅠ]
“Of course, I’m sleeping well.”
When I answered the question about whether I was getting enough sleep nonchalantly, Lee Hwayoung started glaring at me as if he was going to kill me. It seemed like my answer didn’t sit well with him.
“…….”
Let’s pretend I don’t see it.
As I quietly pretended not to know, Do Yuda squinted his eyes, made a knowing expression, and spoke to Lee Hwayoung.
“That hyung spends a lot of time on his phone at night, right? In the first place, he comes to bed late because he’s working, but even in bed, he doesn’t sleep … That’s why you’re always looking so tired, hyung.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You know I hardly ever use my phone.”
“That only applies during the day. During the day, you say you’re too lazy to type and ask people to call you instead, so it’s really strange how you always end up glued to your phone at dawn.”
As I shook my head at Do Yuda, who kept spouting nonsense, I noticed a flicker of light in the corner of the sofa. Seeing the familiar shape, it looked like my phone.
‘Who put my phone over there?’
Thinking that the light from the phone might interfere with the filming, I decided to move it and immediately poked Do Yuda in the side. Then, Do Yuda whispered a nagging remark into my ear, “See, see. Phone again”, then picked up the phone without being seen and handed it to me.
Ignoring Do Yuda’s nagging, I grabbed the phone in my hand to turn it off completely. However, as soon as I casually checked the screen, I frowned.
[Unknown caller]
“Hyung, that’s……”
Apparently seeing the same letters, Do Yuda widened his eyes and seemed about to speak to me. I quickly stopped him with a glance, and Do Yuda looked up at me with a puzzled expression, as if he didn’t understand what was going on.
I sighed and threw my arm around Do Yuda’s shoulder, smiling casually at the camera. Then, I spoke quietly so my lips wouldn’t be read.
“Act like you don’t see it.”
Then, as if he realized there must have been a reason for it, Do Yuda started playing alone and pretended as if nothing was wrong. As he leaned in towards me, he pretended to yawn, covering his mouth, and asked in a small voice.
“Why?”
Beep.
Before I could even answer that question, a notification sound rang from my phone. I checked the message, and after briefly closing my eyes, I opened them and answered calmly.
“….It’s a sasaeng.”
The text on the screen read,
[The outfit you wear today isn’t great hehe, wear white next time.]
[Seungbeom-ah, tell Do Yuda to move away. Why does he keep acting so close to you in an annoying way?]
You can support this translation through Buy Me a Coffee!
Translator’s Corner:
The word used for “Eating meals” here is 밥 먹듯, literally means eating rice. Because you know, Koreans eat rice daily. So it’s an expression that means out of habit / so frequent, like as frequent as eating rice. I’d like to point out that this is just an expression, and not to be taken literally because MC is the type of person who eats like me … aka very little and not often : D ↩︎
Pr-Rai-Pan here refers to Prism, Raize, Pantheion
. You know Prism and Pantheion. Raize is mentioned before as the current most popular boygroup.
Korean fans do this often, you see, they usually group “The Top 3 Most Popular” together, and this kind of term usually got acknowledged by the public too. I guess Koreans lowkey so obssesed with ranking everything to top 3.
In the current generation of kpop, recently there’s this term “
AE-I-SEU (Aces)
” to call the top 3 most popular (domestically, the international popularity is just topic for fanwar) girlgroups of the current generation. It was taken from AE(spa), I(ve), (newjean)SEU. Since they’re currently the most favored group by the Korean public. (Honestly I’m still shocked how popular IVE among Korean children. You all little kids don’t like handsome oppa but pretty unnie now????)
And for the current “most beautiful idol of this generation”, there’s “
JangKaSul
” that refers to Jang Wonyoung (IVE), Karina (aespa), and Sullyoon (NMIXX) as the representative of girlgroup visuals. The JangKaSul one is widely acceptable by the public. It’s so popular that even other celebrities are mentioning it too.
So you can imagine how big it is for Pantheion to be grouped with Prism and Raize already. ↩︎
Ugh I hate sasaeng arc, it’s creepy
There’s a power outage all night in my place and sighs … it’s so scary. Everything is so quiet with no one around already and there’s no light at all, and no internet connection since the mobile service too always vanished when there’s power outage T_T