We all gathered in front of the dorm’s television to watch ‘High-Class Music Show.’
Myself, Team Lead Na, and Jung-han had our laptops and phones open to monitor entertainment forums, social media, and news feeds in real time.
“Public sentiment is looking great. Looks like the ratings will be good,” said Na.
Before the show, three teaser trailers had been released and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. The production team seemed to have gone all out, judging by their effort put into the teasers.
“Ugh, oh my gosh what do I dooo? The producer probably edited it well, right?” Jin-ah asked nervously as she clung to Yumi.
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Why are you so snappy!”
“Then get your leg off me! It’s heavy!”
“Excuuuse me! Can’t an older sister rest her leg on her little sister’s lap for a bit?”
“Yoon-jung and Hee-yeon don’t do that. Only you do! Just you!”
Unlike how we were seated on the floor, the members were all seated on the sofa. Yoon-jung and Hee-yeon casually shared snacks, looking relaxed. The only one making a fuss was Jin-ah.
“My family, my relatives, and all my friends said they’d watch this!”
Team Lead Na gestured subtly toward Jin-ah and whispered, “Did she act like this during the recording, too?”
“Yes, exactly like this,” I replied with a small nod.
He inhaled through his teeth and tilting his head.
“We see this as cute since we see her like this often, but will the audience find her endearing? Even if the episode teaser was well-received, a slight miss in the editing could easily make her come off as unlikable.”
“Anyone can look bad with weird editing. Don’t worry.”
I thought back to the chaotic filming and shook my head.
“Unless there’s something wrong with the producer, they wouldn’t have gone for an unflattering edit.”
“Why?”
“If they edit her to be likable, it’ll increase their ratings, gain traction, and get laughs for two whole episodes. It’s way more profitable than making people cringe. Plus, it’d actually be harder to edit her negatively. Even doing the job half-heartedly would make her look good.”
“Really?” Na’s face finally brightened at hearing my words.
Currently, Jin-ah’s highest chart position was 31st. Strong, top-tier fanbases dominated the charts and songs selected by the masses were holding their ground, so moving up the rankings was slow-going. However, if this went well, climbing the charts would naturally follow.
“Seriously! Aren’t you tired? You came back from doing music shows and events. Just go sleep.”
“Would you be able to sleep in this situation? No one’s on my side, I swear! Even President Kang ignored me while I was recording!”
“Huh? He did?”
Yumi turned to me for confirmation. I just shrugged, keeping my thoughts to myself. She nodded knowingly, trusting her gut.
“If he was like that, there must’ve been a reason. In short, it’s your fault.”
“Hey! You have a tendency to trust him too much!”
“Don’t you do, too?”
“…”
Left speechless, Jin-ah puffed out her lips in a sulk and lifted her legs off Yumi’s lap in mock offense. She crossed her arms and pretended to pout. Yumi looked utterly relieved after being freed.
“Hee-yeon unnie, I want some snacks too.”
“Sure, help yourself.”
“Hey! What about me?”
“You, too. Go ahead.”
In the end, the four of them happily were sharing snacks, and Jung-han brought over three more bags for them. When one bag was completely emptied, it was time.
“It’s starting.”
The overly long commercials finally ended, and the show began. Silence filled the dorm’s living room. Unlike when Hee-yeon appeared on ‘Yeol’s Music Notebook’, the atmosphere today felt different. That was a music show passing itself off as a variety show, but this was an actual talk show.
Jin-ah nervously hugged her knees as she watched the show unfold. Before long, she sprang to her feet and yelled.
“How could they air this as is!”
The producer seemed to have poured his heart and soul into editing the introduction, making Jin-ah’s initial moments hilariously entertaining. Even though the members had seen Jin-ah act like this countless times, watching the edited broadcast gave it a fresh charm. They couldn’t help but chuckle.
“President Kang! An article just dropped!” Jung-han said.
“Community reactions look good, too,” said Na at the same time.
As they said, the reactions to Jin-ah online was overwhelmingly positive. The teasers had already given them a taste of her personality and lessened the initial shock. Also, the host’s expressions clearly showed affection for her.
Only the so-called professional complainers left comments like, ‘She’s disrespectful’ or ‘That’s not how a rookie should be acting,’ but those complaints were quickly drowned out.
“How much longer until my part? Are they really planning to air the recording as is? Are they trying to bury me? President Kang, call the producer now and tell them to stop the show or play the national anthem instead!”
“The producer enlisted in the UDT today.”
(T/N: UDT (Navy Underwater Demolition Team) is a special forces unit in the South Korean Navy. It’s an obviously outrageous lie and that’s why it’s funny lol)
“Aaargh! What does that even mean!”
The same tone echoed from both the TV and the living room in perfect synchronization. I barely glanced at her as I hardheartedly replied to her. Instead, I focused on keeping up with the reactions online.
– LOL, Blue Sherbet is doing well!
– Yoon-jung was cute, but she’s seriously so adorable. She got moe vibes
– She’s Blue Sherbet’s recruitment fairy lol people will probably become fans because of her
– Wow she’s completely different from how she is on stage. I was mesmerized by her performance but the person on here is totally different.
– The personality gap is HUGE, but that makes it even better lol
– she’s cute when she’s upset, like you can just feel her innocence
Once again, the reactions didn’t deviate from my expectations. No, calling it ‘expectations’ wasn’t quite right. The reason was because this outcome was clear as day. It wasn’t just me with my gift of foresight, but it was also everyone present in the studio that day who could see it.
Na let out a hearty laugh. “Judging by the reactions, it looks like our phones are about to catch on fire… It’s here.”
While the show was airing, my phone, Team Lead Na’s phone, and Jung-han’s phone all began lighting up incessantly. In the relatively small living room, the sounds of our phone calls, the TV, the members’ laughters, and Jin-ah’s ignored cries of despair all blended into a chaotic medley.
‘This is good… this vibe.’
Maybe the true appeal of success wasn’t in the result itself, but in the process of achieving it. This warm and lively scene made my heart feel full.
***
It would be fair to call it the broadcasting effect. By the following morning, Jin-ah’s song had soared to 18th place on the charts.
Although it dropped back down quickly, hitting a new personal best carried its own significant weight.
‘It meant that Jin-ah’s name was now more widely known to the public. And in a positive light.’
Despite her impressive performances that had started to build a fandom, the loyalty and power of that fanbase were still weak. Reaching 18th place was largely thanks to casual listeners rather than hardcore fans.
Still, this was just the first step into the realm of variety shows. With next week’s episode, along with two additional appearances on other variety shows, who knew what would happen to her ranking?
‘The fandom has also been gaining momentum since the show aired.’
There were many benefits to this surge in visibility. Of course, there were concerns as well.
‘My name keeps popping up here and there, too.’
Thanks to the show, my name and face had started to appear in articles and community discussions. Though, that wasn’t the most pressing issue on my mind.
“Hyuk, there’s more talk about Yumi going around, isn’t there?”
“It’s because she’s being kept as a mystery on the show. That secrecy probably piqued the public’s curiosity even more. It’s also fueling individual fan attachments to her. And…”
“And it’s provoking Director Park?”
“Exactly. There’s no way he wouldn’t react to this.”
Online, there was a steadily growing sentiment that Yumi was somehow detrimental to the team. However, we were unfazed by this development. We already anticipated that such opinions would grow louder, and we held a trump card that could completely turn the narrative around.
‘Since Daft Punk vouched for her, that says it all.’
We decided to wait until the controversy surrounding Yumi reached its peak before revealing her true identity. It had to be impactful, so that everyone would know.
“I just hope Director Park steps up his efforts,” I said.
Team Lead Na smirked at my comment before flipping through his notebook and switching topics.
“Hyuk, we’re only letting Jin-ah appear on three variety shows, right?”
“Yes. After her promotion period ends, we’ll focus on events and variety shows.”
Our approach was the complete opposite of other rookies, who would do anything to appear on as many shows as possible.
No matter how naturally gifted Jin-ah was in variety shows, exposing the same persona repeatedly in quick succession would make her lose appeal. Sooner or later, people would start rolling their eyes and saying, ‘Ugh, her again?’
“You know how impactful her character is. It takes some time for the audience to fully embrace it,” I reminded him.
“Fair enough.”
For most entertainers, leaving a strong impression on a single variety show was a challenge. Jin-ah was different. We were confident that she could make a big impact with just three.
Instead of spreading her thin by appearing everywhere, we aimed to give the audience time to adjust to her and gradually increase her exposure. That way, they would start to accept her appearances as naturally as any other popular entertainer instead of reacting with ‘Ugh, her again?’
“Hm… What if we add just one more show?”
“Which one?”
Given how familiar Team Lead Na was with our strategy, there must have been a good reason for him to suggest an additional show. Sure enough, I found myself tempted after hearing his explanation.
“Trainees and idols teaming up for a competition?”
“Yeah. According to the writer, trainees compete amongst themselves first and narrow it down to a select few. Then, they’re paired with debuted idols for team battles.”
“This… sounds risky. If they lose, the idols might end up taking all the blame.”
“Risky, sure. Since they would be saying that it was the idol’s fault that the trainees lost. But are you really worried that Jin-ah would be the one to drop the ball?”
Both Team Lead Na and I laughed at the thought. Honestly, would someone like Jin-ah ever let her team down? Regardless of which idol they pitted against her, I could confidently say that Jin-ah wouldn’t be outmatched in terms of skill.
This wasn’t about showcasing vocals alone. It was an idol competition, which meant singing and dancing together. In that case, Jin-ah was a guaranteed standout.
Team Lead Na kept pushing his opinion, clearly intrigued by the show’s concept.
“I think this could be great. How many rookies get a chance to participate in something like this? Plus, didn’t a bunch of trainees sing Jin-ah’s songs during the first round of evaluations? Apparently, they all got slammed with harsh feedback. The staff said Jin-ah appearing on the show could really liven things up.”
“I can picture it already. Their ratings must’ve tanked, so now they’re scrambling to breathe life into the program by tweaking the format.”
“They’re basically overhauling the entire concept. And when the episodes air, they’ll probably act like this was the plan all along.”
“Isn’t this Producer Park’s project?”
“Yep.”
Producer Park was known for avoiding manipulative editing, and this was a public audition show. It was tempting, but there was one thing I was worried about. It was about something Jin-ah didn’t have yet.
“Sure, it’s a great chance for Jin-ah to solidify her skilled performer image. But the issue is the fanbase.”
“You’re worried about the voting, right? If an idol with a massive fanbase shows up, Jin-ah’s team could get overshadowed regardless of how well they perform.”
“Exactly.”
Team Lead Na’s grin widened knowingly.
“There’s no voting involved. The rankings are based solely on the judges’ scores.”
“What..? In that case… the ratings won’t be a problem.”
“Of course not. Whether there’s voting or not, fans will tune in to watch their favorite idols anyway. And they seem prepared to deal with some inevitable backlash. I mean, let’s be real. Controversy is unavoidable the moment idols start competing.”
True. Voting or not, die-hard fans would see their favorites through rose-tinted glasses.
“My idol is amazing, but yours sucks.”
Even if the voting results ended up close, someone would still find an excuse to cry foul.
It didn’t help that there would be both professional and celebrity judges. I could already picture the celebrity judges’ headaches.
“This is going to be a hot mess. The celebrity judges will probably tiptoe around everything.”
“Definitely. Every word they say, every score they give will all be nitpicked to death. ‘They’re unqualified,’ ‘they’re blind,’ ‘they’re corrupt,’ or ‘it’s all about connections.’ Ugh, just thinking about it is exhausting.”
Even so, we exchanged knowing smirks.
“For us, though? The benefits far outweigh the risks.”
“Absolutely. It’s Jin-ah, after all.”
Why were audition programs so popular? It was because viewers got to watch these underdogs grow. They got to cheer for them and feel like they’re watching a drama unfold.
The audience didn’t just see the final performance. They get glimpses of the preparation, personalities, and effort that went into it.
‘In the end… Jin-ah might end up being the show’s biggest winner.’
Imagine a rookie outperforming senior idols on a stage like this. How would the public react?
‘Especially if they get to see Jin-ah’s personality, charm, and hard work throughout the process.’
Right now, Jin-ah’s weakest points were her small fanbase and her limited recognition amongst the general public. However, this could be the opportunity to seize both.
“Let’s do it.”
—
Thank you for the chapter!
Aaah, they’re teasing us so much with Yumi! But I love seeing Jinah flying high