WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

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

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Chapter 58

[The Day of the New Song <Totter>’s Release]

[The WEEKANIZ Members doing their Final Run-Through]

A shot of us practicing below the studio appeared.

Baekgyeom and Sanho were diligently going over the choreography.

[WEEKANIZ has no Latecomers]

A caption popped up underneath us.

That’s a good sign. A positive comment based on facts!

[Ire : Huh? Where did Yuyoung-hyung go?]

Ire’s words were caught and displayed as a subtitle.

[Yuyoung Suddenly Disappeared]

[3 Minutes Ago……]

A fixed ceiling camera’s footage appeared on the screen.

The seven of us were each in our own spots, practicing.

Then.

[Sanho: Yuyoung-hyung? Why do you look so tense?]

Sanho’s worried voice could be heard.

A shot of me appeared, my expression twisted into a deep scowl.

[Haedun : Where are you going?]

[Yuyoung : Bathroom, just a sec.]

Then, footage of me hurrying out was shown.

Because I had rushed out so quickly, and the Videographer in charge of WEEKANIZ at the time was busy interviewing other members, they hadn’t been able to follow me.

[Could something serious have happened?]

The caption was fueling the viewers’ imagination.

I said I was going to the bathroom!

Granted, my expression had been way too grim for something as simple as a bodily function.

[Where did Yuyoung disappear to so suddenly?]

At that moment, I had been outside…… Training like my life depended on it.

Blowing air into the embers of my item buffs like a madman, trying to reignite them.

After that, a short interview with Baekgyeom was shown.

[Baekgyeom: Uhm…… I just thought he went to the bathroom.]

[But]

[Even after 10 minutes, Yuyoung didn’t return]

[He didn’t even come back in time for VOV’s stage]

“……”

[Notoriety : 52

Notoriety Keyword : Ghosting]

I could feel my notoriety score starting to move.

As expected, the keyword was ‘ghosting’.

That was a big deal.

Since WEEKANIZ hadn’t released an album in a while and had poor communication with fans, even just disappearing for a short time could cause an explosion of backlash.

[VOV’s stage ended]

[It’s finally time for WEEKANIZ to perform their new song, but the leader was still missing]

[Sanho : Eeerm, Yuyoung-hyung isn’t back yet?]

[Haram: Yeah, where did he go?]

[Flustered members]

[Could there be something he can’t explain to them?]

The more I watched the broadcast, the more I realized it.

These captions were pure clickbait.

They kept throwing in speculative comments like ‘Could it be~?’ to stir up drama.

It was basically fueling the viewers’ ability to leave hate comments.

[Staff: WEEKANIZ, please stand by]

[Tae Oh : Erm, well……]

[WEEKANIZ who had no latecomers in the morning]

[Now at risk of becoming the only group late to the stage]

Come on, a person can be a little late!

Wasn’t this too much of a hit job?!

I was getting irrationally defensive.

……Guess I had no right to laugh at the ones who were late earlier.

[Staff: WEEKANIZ, please stand by]

[Haedun : Erm, that’s……]

The staff urged WEEKANIZ once again.

Just as Haedun, unable to bear it any longer, was about to speak up.

[At that moment]

―Yes!!!

[A familiar face comes running from the distance]

[It’s Yuyoung]

[After being gone for about 20 minutes, he has returned]

[Yuyoung: I’m sorry. I’ll stand by now]

[Staff: We’re going straight into recording]

[And so, WEEKANIZ’ stage began]

The captions appeared, wrapping up the preparation sequence.

Now, it was time for the performance.

“……I’m sorry.”

The apology slipped out of my mouth all on its own.

I had been so focused on practicing that I didn’t realize how awkwardly the members had been standing around in the studio.

“It’s fine~ Things like that happen when you’re in a rush.”

Tae Oh still thought that I had been caught in the throes of an unfortunate biological emergency.

Well, I could call that fortunate I guess.

The screen transitioned.

WEEKANIZ stood in a line, with Lee Kyubin positioned at the far left, leading the pre-performance interview. Since I was the leader, I had answered most of the questions.

―What made you decide to debut this song on our show?

―Ah, yes…… By the time the song was almost complete, the recording for this show was just around the corner. The timing was just right, so we thought debuting it here would make it a special gift to our fans. That’s why we decided to do it like this.

The first question had been handled smoothly.

―Hmm, among the viewers watching this show, there will be fans of other groups as well as WEENANIZ fans. How do you think they could enjoy this stage?

―Ah, yes. To be honest, it’s not like we’re approaching this stage with the mindset of ‘We’re going to win over every single fan’. Of course, we’re confident, but, uhm…… This song is really for our fans who have waited patiently during WEEKANIZ’ long hiatus. We hope they’ll be satisfied with this song first and foremost.

And with that, the screen cut away.

The interview clip showed Chenstin’s leader, Yuho, giving his opinion on my interview.

―Hmm…… How should I put it? I felt like his ambition was a bit vague. It’s like he’s looking inward but also trying to pay attention to the outside……

Yuho laughed awkwardly but made his point clear.

That was criticism.

When did he even do this interview?

―Well, it’s a time to be cautious. For both him and me.

For Yuho, this was pretty sharp criticism..

Making a statement like this would probably make it hard for him to survive among idol fans though, right?

Or did he think it would be okay for him to say that because I didn’t have that many fans?

I felt a bit upset.

I thought this broadcast would be full of sugarcoated, PR-friendly remarks and just end like that.

This sure was tricky.

―<Totter> is a fast-tempo dance track built on intense synthesizer and 88-bass lines. It starts with a bright piano melody, gradually incorporating richer drum beasts and pronounced 88-bass sounds.

The scene changed to the time when I was interviewed about <Totter>.

And, of course, my ‘I don’t want to be hated by other fans’ kind-hearted comment was completely cut.

[Notoriety: 54

Notoriety Keyword : Fake]

‘Fake?’

Were the Chenstin fans teaming up to attack me?

Somehow, that interview and Yuho’s comment must have combined forces to deal a minor but definite blow to my image.

Urgh, this is so annoying.

So was I just supposed to straight-up say ‘Wow, what a question. No matter what I answer, I'm gonna get bashed. If you’re gonna rip me apart anyway, at least do it with some conviction.’

Was that the correct move?

At this rate, maybe I should’ve just let them follow me.

If I would have had a bit more room to think back then, I could’ve stirred up just the right amount of drama and baited the cameraman into following me outside.

……Then again, if I had had that kind of composure, I wouldn’t have needed to step out in the first place.

―I see, What should fans focus on while watching the performance?

―Yes, we’d love for you to pay attention to the catchy chorus and the powerful choreography. The choreography was created by our member Haedun, and Baek Gyeom participated in the composition.

“Urgh.”

“……What’s wrong?”

A few seconds after my interview ended, I felt a sharp jolt at the back of my head.

Haram, sitting next to me, sensed something off and asked with concern.

[Notoriety : 60

Notoriety Keywords: Free Rider, Moocher]

‘What kind of grudge do these people even have against me……?’’

Haedun’s fans were starting to seriously scare me.

Just from mentioning that he created the choreography, my notoriety shot up by over 8 points.

But wait.

Wasn’t it usually a good thing when a member contributed a lot to the team?

From what I knew, fans got the angriest when an idol was completely sidelined, no matter whether it was because they lacked skills, got overshadowed by another member, or simply didn’t fit into the group’s direction anymore.

So why the hell was I getting roasted for giving Haedun credit?

But Haedun’s fans were reacting in the complete opposite way.

Every single time he was involved in choreography, they absolutely lost it.

And for some reason, they directed all that hate specifically at me.

Did they see Headun working on choreography as a form of getting sidelined?

Or did they think he was being forced into doing something he didn’t even want to do just because no one else was capable enough to do it?

Either way, the choreography he put together was fantastic. The members also loved it.

And from the looks of it, Haedun was actually proud of his work.

So what had happened for Haedun’s fans to get this bad?

―Ah, uhm.

[Baekgyeom suddenly asks for the mic]

The screen cut to Baekgyeom abruptly jumping into the conversation.

―Yuyoung-hyung also participated in the composition. If you check the credits on streaming platforms, his name will be there as well.

[Wink-]

[Baekgyeom winking at Yuyoung]

[Yuyoung looking extremely awkward]

“Oh~ Baekgyeom, you just scored some major points with our leader.”

Tae Oh laughed as he patted Baekgyeom on the shoulder.

For some reason…… Baekgyeom just smirked at me.

That grin somehow made all of this a lot creepier.

[Notoriety : 52

Notoriety Keyword : Shit]

“……”

Thanks to Baekgyeom’s perfectly timed defense, I somehow managed to avoid sudden death.

After that massive tidal wave of hate comments had been held back, somehow, what remained felt like just another form of human rights violation.

……Honestly? Maybe ignorance was bliss.

Maybe I should have just taken the hate and let my notoriety hit 70……

―Oh, what a talented group! I’m really looking forward to this performance. Now, here’s WEEKANIZ with <Totter>!

Lee Kyubin stepped back, and the stage went dark.

A buzz of excitement filled the room we were in.

“Aah, I’m so excited.”

Ire’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

I could also feel myself leaning forward, neck stretched out toward the screen.

―TOTTER TOTTER

Staggering

Your smiling face

wavers like a mirage

The moment the first chorus hit, Sanho shot forward from the back.

On camera, it looked really cool.

This section required three major position shifts, yet Sanho managed to hold center for almost the entire time.

That was a good call.

His face was practically glowing.

“Yoon Sanho’s face is shining.”

“Oh really? Hehehe.”

I had spoken my mind for once after what felt like a long time.

Sanho, in turn, shamelessly basked in the praise.

He looked like that and was weak to compliments? No matter how many times I saw it, it was still surprising.

The turn sequence everyone had been struggling with finally arrived.

Tae Oh spun gracefully.

One by one, the members bent their right knees, sinking into a kneeling position. Then, arching their backs from behind to front, they swept their hands across the floor.

And then.

“Ah……”

A sigh involuntarily escaped me.

It was just a split second.

But on screen, I caught myself frowning on stage.

To make matters worse, my balance wavered ever so slightly, which made me spin around a bit too fast.

‘……Why does this bother me so much?’

Objectively, it wasn't even a real mistake. Nothing major.

But for some reason, I felt terrible.

……Was I seriously starting to think like an idol right now?

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