WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

I'm a Reporter, Please let me get off the Stage

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Chapter 33

“That guy……”

I finally remembered.

Kim Munsu.

As soon as our eyes met, Kim Munsu with his trademark slightly upturned eyes, gave me a little smile.

I returned an awkward smile as I made eye contact.

I had written an article about Kim Munsu before.

The reason it took me so long to remember him was that it was a side story, a smaller branch of a much larger issue at the time.

I think it was around November 2022, roughly a year from now, when his group was at its peak. He would end up at the center of a school violence scandal, which led him to ultimately leave, causing the downfall of the entire group.

If I recall correctly, the whole thing started with one of his high school classmates exposing the incident. However, unlike the typical pattern of bait articles being posted on online forums or vague hearsay articles being shared around, this case was pretty different.

It seemed like that classmate went straight to the police with a formal accusation.

What followed was a full police investigation that unearthed a school disciplinary trial he had been involved in.

And like that Munsu was forced to quickly leave the group…… I had no idea what happened to him after that.

I didn’t bother to follow up on him like that after all.

In any case, the evidence of his bullying was crystal clear.

Back then, I figured he wouldn’t be able to show his face in Korea again, seeing that he did things only outright thugs would do like throwing around chairs and flipping over school trays.

Frankly, I didn’t think he deserved to either.

After remembering the full story, I got chills just thinking about it.

Not only had I failed to recognize a criminal, but now I was forced to live with one as well……

What a headache.

Still, I couldn’t openly show my distaste, so I had no other choice but to stay composed, pushing down my spiraling thoughts as best as I could.

“We apologize for making you wait without providing a cue sheet or a proper schedule.”

A young man who looked like an assistant producer spoke to us.

At least they recognized their mistakes.

“Soon, our host for the show, actor Lee Kyubin, will be joining us. He’ll introduce the program, and then we’ll immediately start filming.”

Lee Kyubin.

He was a male actor in his late 20s who started out as a child star and had steadily built his career over the years.

Though some think that his resume is less weighty due to his young age, he was actually a bona fide veteran with more than 15 years of actual experience.

Casting a veteran actor of the same age for an idol show…… that had many implications.

The fact that he was the ‘same age’ as most of the participants made him relatable yet dangerous.

And the fact that he was a ‘veteran’ made him rather intimidating.

Actually, him being an actor also said something.

Actors and singers might operate in entirely different fields, but they were the perfect professions to compare against each other.

In Korea, though, actors held their heads so high up it was almost like they were trying to stab idols right in the gut with their sky-piercing arrogance.

‘Lee Kyubin’s fans must be over the moon right now.’

This strange hierarchy extended to the fandoms as well. Actor fans seemed to treat idol fans as if they were little more than servants or handmaids.

Perhaps this was still the lingering effect of Korea’s old perception of entertainers as nothing more than ‘showbiz riffraff’.

Then again, the idea of entertainers being low-class or frivolous was more a stereotype held by people in their 40s and 50s, the generation that came before mine.

The fact that this outdated prejudice still seemed to get passed down sure seemed laughable to me.

Maybe I should take it upon myself to exorcise this cursed inheritance…… I should start an online positivity campaign when I get the time.

“Ah, let me tell you one thing. Our program doesn’t rely heavily on excessive retakes. We won’t exhaust you with prolonged filming for a single shot, so don’t worry about that. Haha.”

The assistant producer bowed his head slightly before he left.

I took a brief moment to look around the room.

Hmm, there wasn’t a single person here who was sitting properly upright.

They say people’s attitudes changed depending on whether they just stepped into or out of the bathroom.

Maybe it was because all of them had debuted already.

Maybe it was because their livelihoods weren’t immediately on the line.

Or maybe it was because their longtime fans were there to support them no matter what they did……

Overall, the atmosphere felt unfocused, sloppy even.

Among them, there were even some who nodded off, others were staring into space like some lunatics.

They probably were like that because filming hadn’t officially started yet.

Then again, these guys were technically professionals……

If I thought of them as office workers on a subway during rush hour at 8:38 am, everything seemed to suddenly make sense to me.

The assistant producer returned, not long after.

“Before we officially begin, let me explain a bit about this program that you’ve all been eagerly waiting for. We realized we haven’t told you that much about it yet. Haha.”

Many of the idols also laughed when they heard the assistant producer’s affable laugh.

I also joined in, giving a polite ‘Haha’.

Just as the assistant producer said, they hadn’t really told us much about what would happen in this show.

I did find out through my acquired precognitive ability ( read: the system) that the show <Ultimate Idol> would eventually become a hot topic, with ratings approaching 5%......

But the broadcasting team really didn’t tell the contestants anything.

Even when I expressed my intention to premiere <Totterl> on the show, all I got was a brief response through the manager.

‘Just prepare the stage’ that was all.

At first, I wondered whether they did this because our agency was basically a sinking ship, barely functioning as business.

Or perhaps because our group joined the show last minute through some backdoor dealings (read: me strongarming the Producer).

So I thought that this was the reason why we were being kept in the dark compared to the other groups.

But after meeting the other idols at the dorm, and now seeing them looking just as confused toward the assistant producer, it became clear to me that no one here seemed to know what would happen.

How did they manage to pull the wool over the eyes of all those agency higher-ups?

And how did they get these rebellious, temperamental idols to show up without knowing a single thing?

Did the agencies even know what kind of program this was?

The more I thought about it, the more curious I became.

“Lee Kyubin is entering. One, two, three.”

With a voice coming from somewhere announcing his arrival, a tall, handsome man walked onto the stage.

It was Lee Kyubin.

And with his arrival, the chaotic subway instantly transformed into a corporate sales office.

The idols’ eyes sparkled as they clapped and cheered.

It wasn’t a greatly enthusiastic reaction, but it wasn’t so half-hearted that anyone could call them out.

So that was what experience looked like.

Even though they looked young, each of them had their fair share of skills gained through experience.

“Hello, everyone. I’m actor Lee Kyubin.”

“Hello!”

“Good evening.”

Clap, clap, clap.

……How odd.

Shouldn’t the first greeting be at least a bit similar to each other?

Usually, in broadcasting, when the host said ‘Hello’, the audience should also say ‘Hello’ in unison. But this program didn’t even seem to have any cue signals.

They also didn’t do a rehearsal for the greeting.

So now the idols were responding at their own pace.

What the heck? Was that really okay?

But contrary to my concerns, Lee Kyubin didn’t seem to find this strange at all.

He just gave us a warm smile, adjusting his microphone.

“Welcome to <Ultimate Idol>! I’m sure it must have been quite difficult coming here. I almost showed up late myself after taking a wrong turn.”

“That’s fine!”

“The air here is nice.”

Now the answers weren’t just disjointed, they started to resemble personal livestream comments.

“Haha. You’ve all worked hard to get here. I can already feel the positive energy in this room, I like it.”

Lee Kyubin took a moment to scan the room, sweeping his eyes over the idols before continuing.

“I’m sure most of you weren’t told much about what <Ultimate Idol> actually is about before coming here.”

“……”

At his serious tone, everyone in the room held their breath.

Since he was an actor he sure knew how to deliver his lines.

“You've probably seen a lot of audition programs lately. Shows where trainees who haven’t debuted yet compete for a chance to either debut or leave empty-handed.”

Lee Kyubin continued.

“But all of you here today have already been through that grueling process. You’ve debuted successfully and gained experience in the field. Words like ‘trainee’, ‘audition’ and even ‘debut’ are probably already distant memories to you.”

……Where was he going with this built-up?

‘Distant memories’. What was he trying to convey with that exactly?

“This program was designed to reignite the passion that may have cooled in your hearts.”

With that, Lee Kyubin gave a sharp clap to recapture our attention.

“Our program title, <Ultimate Idol> might sound a bit cheesy, right?”

“Haha……”

The awkward smiling expressions plastered on the idol’s faces all seemed to say something like: ‘Yeah, very.’

“Right. But it’s also very straightforward, isn’t it? Literally the ultimate idol. So let me ask you, what does ‘ultimate’ mean in the context of idols?”

“……”

For a moment, the idols exchanged some glances, seeming unsure what to say.

Wow, so this really was unscripted.

If anyone had prepared an answer in a script, there wouldn’t be this much hesitation.

“You there, Loop7’s OM, what do you think?”

Lee Kyubin briefly scanned the room again before pointing out one of the idols, urging him to answer.

“Erm…… I think it’s receiving a lot of love from fans.”

“That’s correct. Good answer.”

Lee Kyubin nodded.

“Being loved the most by fans. Or having unmatched vocal talent and becoming the ultimate idol that way…… Creating spectacular performances with incredible choreography that earns you worldwide recognition. Achieving financial success by generating massive profits… The paths to reaching the zenith we call ‘Ultimate’ as an idol are very diverse and incredibly challenging. While gaining wealth and popularity can help you win more love from fans, those alone don’t define being the ‘Ultimate’ idol.”

Lee Kyubin continued without pause.

“This program will capture your journey to become the ‘Ultimate’ idol. Popularity, profits, skills, and even your journey to rediscover yourselves. It’s an honest, unfiltered idol reality competition. This is it for the introduction to <Ultimate Idol>. Think of it as going back to your trainee days, but with the sharpness and experience you gained since then. Please give it your all.”

Tense silence settled over the room.

Lee Kyubin took a deep breath and continued.

“The format of this program is simple. Once the cue signal is given, there will be no retakes. Both the studio and dormitory are equipped with numerous hidden cameras, and personal VJs will film you. There will be no scripts. Don’t worry about what to say or when to say it. Don’t even think about this as a broadcast. Simply let your passion guide you and show us your true selves.”

…….

I quickly shifted my gaze to the floor beneath the stage.

The cameras, seeing that the LEDs on them were turned on, were already actively recording.

There wasn’t even a cue signal……

“……Yes!”

“Yes!”

“Yeees!”

The scattered responses from the idols echoed through the studio.

Lee Kyubin simply smiled faintly.

Even though the explanation was over, most of the participants looked even more confused than before

‘Don’t worry about what to say or when to say it. Don’t even think about this as a broadcast.’

Lee Kyubin’s gentle voice kept repeating in my head on loop.

“……Tae Oh. You were right.”

This show definitely came with knives fully sharpened.

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