Just as the conflict was about to escalate into a fight, executives from other divisions passed between them.
The flames that had shot up subsided with Division 4 standing up from their seats first. Of course, they went out of the cafeteria while openly displaying their bad mood.
“What the hell are those people!”
Deputy Manager Kim, who returned to the office, burst out in indignation. Section Chief Yun, who regained composure as quickly as he’d coldly shot back, analyzed the situation.
“There are ahjussis over-immersed in the company as if it’s one with them serving as executives.”
Executive Director Choi Dongjin was representative of that.
“So it seems the staff caught that too.”
“Ah…”
“Let’s not be like that. The company is the company. We’ll be the winners later.”
Hearing that, being company slaves bickering over whether Division 4 or Division 5 was better was truly… a pitiful situation.
Soon everyone calmed their anger and began focusing on work again. Around that time, the lunch time incident was briefly reported to Kwon Taeyoung.
“No, they’re not even kids, and over food…”
Kwon Taeyoung’s impression, pressing his temple, was this.
‘I understand that side acted childishly, but do we have to be like this over just cheese pork cutlet?’
To Kwon Taeyoung, who had no great interest in gastronomy in the first place, Deputy Manager Kim’s sense of injustice didn’t resonate well. Is pork cutlet that important…? muttered the person who takes care of a managed diet on his own that no one asked for.
But Kwon Taeyoung tried his best to empathize with the division staff.
“…I’ll buy snacks around three o’clock later.”
“Director-nim, you know if you hand out poke or something right now, it’ll just backfire more, right?”
“……”
“Absolutely buy stimulating carbohydrates. Blood sugar spikes gently melt anger.”
“I understand…”
Kwon Taeyoung let out the deepest sigh since becoming a company employee rather than an idol.
“I’ll entrust the menu to Team Leader-nim, so please order something good. Today is an important day for the marketing team’s condition.”
“Ah, right.”
It wasn’t a very big deal, but there was a small event that couldn’t be taken lightly.
Today was the day Division 5’s golden child, Go Won, would do his first Miverse live broadcast.
There had been steady requests from fans for a live broadcast until now. But realizing Go Won was very dull to internet memes, fans’ jokes, etc., they’d kept postponing it.
Go Won’s fans seemed to like calling his charm that didn’t seem like a twenty-year-old nowadays ‘Cheonghakdong charm.’
But they had to prevent situations where the magic wore off or the atmosphere became awkward during a live conducted alone without members.
That’s why the marketing team worked hard to prepare Go Won for a week by showing him other singers’ live broadcasts.
Since there was a previous offense of milking only the cheek heart and back-of-hand V learned from <Debut Chart> for photo poses day and night during the last activity…
The team leader who came out of the director’s office and returned to their seat asked the person in front.
“Where’s Won right now?”
“He’s doing correction recording at Hanje’s studio. He says he’ll exercise, wash up, and be in the conference room by six.”
“Oh my, I really should have given birth to him. How can he be so admirable?”
It was the model of a perfect idol approaching the 7 o’clock live broadcast.
Before the live broadcast, the marketing team took time to observe internet reactions once more.
Go Won’s fans were naturally enthusiastically anticipating it. Not just to the degree of cutely overlooking minor mistakes, but named individuals who would extract those scenes and upload them to SNS were secured in large numbers.
Next in importance after fans were people practicing ‘K-dum top-down love.’
People who loved K-dum Entertainment’s idol lineage starting from yACE were planning to come see who that Go Won who made the first half of the year noisy was.
Besides that, various people pressed hearts on the live notice post – people saying they’d go watch a funny idol’s first live broadcast using Bogle, viewers missing <Debut Chart>, etc.
Of course, there were negative reactions too. Most were nonsensical, but if there were words with any substance, it was Newton fans’ consistent claim of ‘discriminatory treatment.’ No matter how you looked at it, the support Go Won was receiving in his first year was on a different dimension from the push Newton received in their first year.
Of course, since they couldn’t know internal circumstances like each general manager’s different methods, the circumstances of Henzel being attached as producer, etc., to fans’ eyes it would seem like Go Won who rolled in from outside was receiving more favor than the legitimate Newton.
“Since trolls might get tangled, let’s not show comments to Won in real-time.”
“Yes, good idea. We’ll see them first and select which ones to display.”
Whatever they said, ignoring them was enough.
This house’s kid was amazingly a unicorn who barely even used SNS.
So the marketing team just had to tightly cover our accomplished kid’s ears during the live broadcast.
On an afternoon when donuts and sweet drink snacks suddenly descended on all of Division 5, the staff worked with a bit more enthusiasm than usual and waited for 7 o’clock.
“Hello.”
‘Oh, how admirable.’
The marketing team members had the thought they didn’t know how many times they’d had today once more.
Go Won, who promised to come by 6 o’clock one hour before the live broadcast start, arrived at 5:50 to keep even that promise well.
“Won’s skin is so good, let’s just apply a little lip balm. Let his hair down naturally… it’d be better to take off the outer layer.”
“Yes.”
Go Won obediently took off the windbreaker and put it down beside him.
A handsome man wearing a light blue short-sleeved t-shirt appeared on the camera set up by the marketing team. Go Won checked the self-cam and briefly waved his hand, then shyly lowered it.
“Won-ah, when the broadcast starts, fans will start entering after seeing the notification. Wait until there are enough people, then greet them and say thank you for coming, things like that.”
“We’ll put good comments or questions on the pad here. Just react appropriately to those. If you don’t want to answer, just skip it.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Preparation went smoothly thanks to the gentle and cooperative artist. While Go Won listened to staff for precautions and loosened his neck, the scheduled time of 7 o’clock quickly approached.
As soon as the broadcast turned on, the number of viewers instantly swelled.
“Hello. I’m Go Won.”
Go Won waved both hands and calmly greeted the fans.
The following self-introduction and brief update Go Won conveyed all proceeded calmly.
After about 5 minutes, trolls rushed in as expected. <Debut Chart> parrot, parasite clinging to Baek Hanje talk, stories related to Newton, etc. popped up here and there.
But the marketing team blocked them lightning-fast and scraped only good text that wouldn’t fluster Go Won to send to the tablet in front of him.
“Ah, lunch. Today for lunch I ate Chinese food. Actually, I got treated… I really want to buy a meal once, but he just teases me saying no need every time.”
They’d told him to refrain from Baek Hanje’s stories as much as possible since fans came in wanting to hear his story today. He vaguely mentioned it following that advice, but most realized this was about Hanje.
‘Since it came to this. Let’s utilize it.’
“Won-ah, what if an elementary school student passing by bought you ice cream? …Mm. I think I’d save it up and tell them to buy two later. Maybe Hanje feels like that…? No, I’m an adult though. I work too. Huh, but how did you know it was about Hanje hyung’s story…?”
The chat window was plastered with laughter.
“A cute pose I learned recently… Ah, I mean this. They said this is cat ears.”
Go Won made upside-down Vs with both hands and raised them above his head.
There was no need for laments about when that trend was and finding out only now. The chat window was already in enough chaos.
“Baby demon king black cat…”
Go Won made a bewildered face.
Meanwhile, fans sent messages like ‘Babies don’t like being called babies, you have to call them hyung,’ and the marketing team, knowing the demand for struggling expressions was quite good too, diligently sent messages.
‘Ah, unlike some division, the future here is brilliantly rainbow-colored.’
Such an impression passed by because resentment from the company cafeteria remained.
But a strangely large number of people suddenly left the live broadcast that had been going well.
‘What?’
A staff member made eye contact with the staff member next to them.
‘He’s speaking quite well, and it’s a pretty fun part, so there’s no reason for this.’
The staff member who turned around and took out their phone started investigating the situation. And immediately frowned.
All Newton members gathered and turned on a group live broadcast.
‘Are they crazy?!’
This was when the term ‘no business ethics’ should be used.
No matter what, it was the hoobae’s first live broadcast. A live that wouldn’t even be an hour, when he’d only broadcast for barely 20 minutes, and they rush in simultaneously? As a group at that?
The people who left first were estimated to be Newton fans who had been souring the atmosphere, and those who liked both Newton and Go Won.
With things becoming like this, the trolls became even more excited.
Here he’s sitting and broadcasting but there they’re standing up having a challenge festivalㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Wow they spoiled the follow-up song
Go Won’s fans caught up in it made a fuss saying not to talk about other live broadcasts.
They tried hard to select good words from the chat window that had become chaotic to send, but there was no way the quick-witted Go Won wouldn’t see the staff’s reactions.
“Ah, is something happening…”
A staff member hurriedly smiled and indicated it was fine.
Go Won brought out the results of diligent practice and safely finished the live broadcast until the end.
“Won-ah, good work! Go home!”
After sending Go Won home, the staff burst out in indignation.
“Why did they suddenly intrude?!”
“Ha, when we questioned them, they say they turned it on at 7:17 because it’s Hyunsolsi. You know, that birthday. The live broadcast was a surprise…”
“Then turn it on at dawn! It’s 19:00 right now!”
Shouting loudly in proportion to their frustration, they suddenly recalled something.
“Come to think of it, isn’t releasing one song first as a pre-release then revealing the second song as a double title also copying us?”
“Wow, you’re right!”
In reality, it was a strategy often seen in the recent idol industry, but right now Division 5’s ears couldn’t hear anything.
“Really no business ethics, just shameless…”
“So Division 4-like…”
Division 5 was now also beginning company over-immersion.
* * *
The true successors of yACE are us! Newton, ‘Sakwol (朔月)’ teaser image revealed
K-dum boy group sacred lineage continues to Newton. Dark hip-hop mood follow-up song ignition…
No matter how you looked at it, this was a snipe at Go Won who was close to yACE.
“Wow, ha…! They’re claiming to be yACE successors without having said a word to yACE members? Hanje, couldn’t you sue them without having anything to say?”
“Well, yeah…”
The company atmosphere lately wasn’t normal. Division 5 was engaged in a nerve war with Division 4 when even two bodies wouldn’t be enough for Go Won’s comeback preparation.
Even people who knew they were called out and used as the second yACE, yACE girl group version, yACE’s younger siblings, etc. every time a rookie appeared were doing this… it must have really escalated to right before grabbing collars.
“Everyone calm down first…”
“Right. Division 5 has both yACE and Go Won, so we can’t use yACE for roundabout Go Won bashing. Can’t we say something to the central office about this?”
“We already filed a complaint! I’ll tell them to answer quickly!”
The department overseeing media response from Division 1 to Division 5 hesitated for a long time, then barely gave an answer to continued urging.
Ah really please spare me ㅠㅠ
Isn’t this the shrimp’s back bursting…
We’re having a hard time too because each division says different things so we’re reading the room
However, their room-reading looked more at Division 4 where Executive Director Choi was. While making ailing sounds, they were ultimately ignoring Division 5’s opinion.
‘Go Won Status.’
Go Won
Appearance Lv.105
Vocals Lv.102
Dance Lv.119
Stamina 67%
Recognition ♥♥♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
(Deactivated) –
Current Status: Practice ■.
Current MAX LEVEL: 120
‘Certainly, the situation isn’t good.’
Go Won’s recognition, which had been riding the upward trend well, stopped dead.
Even if it couldn’t be helped that the promotional volume K-dum had been pouring out went to Newton since they’re currently in activity period.
‘That guy is fake, and we’re real!’
If media play in this style continued, a situation would unfold where attention directed at Go Won would unfairly leak away.
