Until now, Jion had thought the reasons he flopped were “just bad luck” and “Seonwoo Jin caused a dating scandal when we were about to make it.”
But that wasn’t it. Of course, those were reasons too, but that wasn’t all. There were reasons why flop idols flopped.
“Skills are mediocre, effort is mediocre, capital mobilization is mediocre……”
This was Jion’s reflection after finishing close to 12 hours of intense practice. In the car heading down to Uicheon, Jion reviewed yesterday’s practice.
Unlike his memories, the members didn’t have their basics properly established. The only person who dared use the word “basics” was himself, and considering that even he had been terrible at dancing in the past, the cold reality was that at this point in the dream, all members had ability stats of about 0.4.
The president too, really, how did he think to debut kids like these?
Jion grew serious alone, leaning his head against the window.
“Our Eungi. Let’s put strength in your stomach and sing it again? That’s right. Good. Great. One more time.”
“Hyung. I think I’m cracking because I’m trying to lay the low notes too thick. It would be safer to relax your throat there.”
“Jinyeong-ah. The beat seems a bit off when entering the chorus from the bridge. Let’s count internally before going in there. One and two and three and four, ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta.”
“Seonwoo Jin, you…… just, when your part comes, pretend the mic broke. You can at least act, right?”
After such intense practice, all members except two were full of confidence.
“Maybe because we practiced a lot yesterday. I’m a bit confident today.”
Eungi, who had shown quite a bit of improvement in just one day, chirped like a chick. Using the expression “chick” for Eungi, who was as tall as Seonwoo Jin, was funny, but looking at a twenty-two-year-old from a mid-thirties perspective, it was natural he looked young. Jion smiled and encouraged Eungi.
“Right. You just need to sound more confident. Eungi is perfect if you just don’t hesitate when entering the high notes.”
“Really? Hehe.”
Eungi was delighted by Jion’s praise and rubbed his forehead against his shoulder, acting cute. Jion affectionately stroked Eungi’s head.
Eungi was born as a rich family’s only son and was estranged from his parents for doing idol activities that they opposed. He remembered how Eungi, who had overflowing motivation but lacked skills, had his spirits dampened each time he went on stage.
“You can do well, our Eungi.”
When Jion encouraged him, Jinyeong, sitting in the back, smirked.
“You seem really like a teacher today. Vocal teacher.”
“Haha……”
Well, I’m originally an instructor. When Jion laughed, the members added comments one by one.
“Right. Yesterday I felt like I was getting scolded after a really long time. Even though you’re a hyung, you didn’t go easy at all.”
“How do you make someone repeat one phrase thirty times?”
“And when did you memorize all the choreography? Did you practice separately on your own? Unfair!”
“Haha…… Sorry, sorry. Since it’s been a while since we had a schedule, I wanted to do well.”
While Ryu Geon, Jinyeong, and Eungi added comments one by one, there was one member who didn’t open his mouth. Seonwoo Jin.
Acting cool alone like a middle schooler going through puberty, just looking at his phone. That horny dog bastard who only had social skills for women.
Jion held back his anger and approached Woojin sitting next to him, speaking gently.
“Woojin-ah, what are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“You’re just sitting there without saying anything. Are you feeling bad?”
A day had passed in the nightmare. Jion, recalling the characteristics and personalities of members he’d forgotten, faithfully acted as his past self and began acting customized to each member.
For Eungi who whined a lot, coaxing him along; for objective and realistic Jinyeong, only facts; for Ryu Geon who was consistent without cutting corners, appropriate carrot and stick.
And for attention seeker Seonwoo Jin who had ridiculously high pride, was self-centered, and made it fucking obvious when he sulked if you didn’t take care of him—just be extremely affectionate.
Now, this bastard has loads of money and an empty head, so his parents deposit money for every special lecture booked to at least prevent him from going astray—a fake music major student. Since he’s confirmed for another year anyway, just coax him well so he doesn’t quit the academy and milk him for special lecture fees. Cash cow, cash cow, cash cow, cash cow.
Jion brainwashed himself this way and acted as a kind teacher.
“You know we have a schedule today. Are you nervous?”
“No…… just……”
He smiled awkwardly, but clearly he was sulking because Jion had been stingy with praise throughout yesterday’s practice. And also because Jion only talked to the other members in the car, excluding him.
He’s only kind to women himself, that slutty bastard.
Jion coaxed Seonwoo Jin with the gentle smile he used when dealing with difficult parents.
“After going to the salon today, you’re really handsome.”
“……Really?”
“Yeah. As expected, showing your forehead suits you better.”
This was sincere. Jion thought he did well to strongly insist on styling at the salon this morning. BNCZ at that time, thanks to the salon that specialized in styling trot singers at their shitty agency, had a truly countrified visual that didn’t bring out any of the members’ strong points.
Though he couldn’t change all the members’ styling due to lack of time, Jion requested that Ryu Geon and Seonwoo Jin’s bangs be swept up, Jinyeong’s part be changed, and that he and Eungi get slightly soft waves. He even demonstrated with a curling iron to the bewildered salon auntie who asked how to set the wave curls, so that said it all.
Thanks to this, BNCZ had their best visual since debut, and especially visual member Seonwoo Jin had his handsomeness, which had been hidden by bangs until now, fully exposed.
“You’re really handsome. Good. The best.”
“……You too, you’re pretty today.”
Perhaps embarrassed by the sudden praise, Woojin exchanged compliments with a blushing face. His shy face had the freshness of a youth in his early twenties, and Jion, with accumulated experience, was satisfied with his attitude.
He was the type you could somehow lead along if you coaxed him.
If only he’d known this fact back then…… Jion felt bitter about the unchangeable past.
And the car drove for a full five and a half hours to arrive in Uicheon. Famous as a production area for six-clove garlic among garlics, this place held an annual six-clove garlic festival—a festival that smelled spicy just hearing about it—boasting an average of 250 visitors and an audience age of 80s, a very old-fashioned festival. Before a stage where they should be grateful if people just clapped, let alone having fans, Jion was secretly excited.
In the past, right before the event started, an announcement went out that Geumsori sunbaenim’s stage was canceled, so all the audience left and they performed in front of empty seats.
But this is a dream. Does a dream have to go exactly like reality? If Geumsori’s accident doesn’t happen and the event proceeds normally, they can sing in front of an audience.
Jion closed his eyes tightly and began mind control.
Lucid dream…… lucid dream…… if I concentrate, in this dream I can accomplish anything and everything goes as I think…… even if life doesn’t go as I want, can’t I at least control one dream?
But Jion’s small expectation was shattered by the manager’s urgent voice.
“This is terrible! Sori noona’s car got in an accident!”
“Ah, fuck.”
Can’t even control one dream the way I want.
Jion muttered a curse quietly. Fortunately, everyone was surprised by the news of Geumsori’s accident and didn’t hear Jion’s mutter.
“Is noona hurt?”
“What about the hospital?”
“What do we do about today’s event?”
While everyone was worrying in various ways, Jion, who already knew about the accident, wasn’t surprised. Jion quickly calmed the members and manager.
“Everyone calm down first. It’s not our accident.”
……That was a bit of a scumbag statement. Jion quickly added.
“We have to do our stage.”
Still sounded like a scumbag. Since he’d already said something that abandoned morality anyway, Jion became even more cold-blooded. Geumsori’s stage was the very last of the event. They had two hours of leeway.
“Hyung, don’t tell the MC about the accident.”
“Huh? But we should say there was an accident…… that she can’t come……”
“For now, we need to buy time. And if we say Sori noona can’t come now, no one will watch our stage. And maybe after handling the accident, she can depart.”
If memory served, Geumsori’s car had minor damage and only needed bumper painting. If Geumsori had the will, it was an accident minor enough that she could definitely get on stage. Jion thought hard.
I don’t know if Geumsori will really come or not…… but we need to at least get on stage first.
Though it was in a dream, it was the last chance to sing in front of an audience. Jion spoke confidently.
“Say Geumsori might be a little late and we’ll buy time with a few songs.”
“Hello! The shining youth’s idol, BNCZ!”
Really countrified and cringeworthy, but if you’re embarrassed by this, you lose. Idols are all about momentum. No matter how bizarre the concept or how countrified it is, if you do it shamelessly, people think “Oh, I guess that’s their original concept.”
With Ryu Geon’s energetic greeting, Jion took the stage and quickly surveyed it.
As expected, average audience age 70-80s. The back rows of white plastic chairs filling the audience seats were completely empty. Even without Geumsori’s stage cancellation, there seemed to be no one who would listen attentively to their songs. Jion wasn’t flustered and grabbed the mic.
“Before we play our song for you! How about we sing one trot song that perfectly matches our group!”
Silence.
He expected this level of reaction. Jion didn’t waver and continued his comment energetically.
“We’ll sing 『Youth, Let’s Go Once More!』”
This song was a hit by Kwon Hyeonggi sunbae, a passionate man in the trot world from the same agency. Matching well with an image full of chest hair, it was a song about regaining youth, the best song for livening up an event atmosphere. And it was also a song Jion was particularly confident in, having practiced it countless times thinking about participating in the trot survival show that would become popular in the future.
“Whiiiiich niiiight, moooorning, afteeernoooon~!”
Bending notes flamboyantly from the intro, pulling and releasing the beat. Plus closing his eyes gently and shaking his body lightly, an immediate reaction came from the audience. Mainly ajumma and grandma audience members.
“Oh my, that young man sings really well.”
“What a looker!”
It was the reaction he was aiming for. Jion even gave eye smiles to the sun cap-wearing ajummas sitting in the first row, acting cute.
“……Oh my, why is that handsome boy so pretty-looking?”
“So pretty too.”
Thanks to this, the atmosphere gradually changed favorably, and by the end, everyone was waving their hands and even singing along, each with their own pitch and rhythm.
“My youth, once mooore~! Yeah!”
A grandmother with a voice as good as Jion’s mic came out in front of the stage and began performing song and dance, so the atmosphere couldn’t be better. The members who had been watching nervously from behind also gradually got excited and started clapping, and after singing two more trot songs in that momentum, the atmosphere was now hot enough to receive cheers even if they just did national exercises on stage.
Now was the right time. Jion signaled to the members who had been staying back.
“Now! It’s a bit sudden for kids’ songs these days, but you’ll clap for our song too, right?”
There was no way anyone would say no. Jion put all his strength into what would be his life’s last idol stage. Whether it was because the audience reaction was good or thanks to yesterday’s practice, the members’ skills were much better than usual. When Eungi’s high-note ad-lib at the end finished perfectly, Jion smiled brightly and came down from the stage.
Maybe because it’s in a dream. Things are going well as I thought.
It was such a happy moment. Practicing together, going on stage dancing and singing, receiving applause, people liking it. Though it was a long dream that started as a nightmare, the ending was good.
“Hyung! Today’s stage was really amazing!”
“Of all the stages since our debut, today was the most touching!”
“It’s thanks to Jion livening up the atmosphere in front. Good work.”
“……No.”
Jion smiled at the excited members.
“I enjoyed it too. So then……”
Now it was time to wake from the dream. When he woke from the dream, he should contact the members after a long time. Thinking such thoughts, Jion slapped his own cheek with all his strength.
However…….
―Smack!
“Seong Jion!”
“Jion-ah……?”
“……Hyung? What’s wrong……?”
“Hey, Seong Jion, are you crazy?”
He slapped himself at full power but didn’t wake from the dream. It just hurt.
“……Huh?”
Only then did Jion think that this dream was excessively long and vivid for a dream. Because warm blood flowed from his nose after taking a refreshing self-inflicted hit.
“Jion-i hyung!”
“Hey!”
“Jion-ah!”
“Seong Jion!”
