WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

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

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Chapter 7

“When did you get so attached to that group?”

“Is it wrong?”

“It is.”

“Why?”

“The group isn't profitable.”

How thoughtful of someone who said they wanted to raise a singer to blatantly smoke right in front of said singer's face……

Even after I harshly threatened him, his attitude towards me didn't change.

I wasn't sure whether the CEO called me here to make a proposal or simply to order me around.

Not long after the manager told me about that solo proposal and arriving at the CEO's office, he simply told me to ‘Do it on my own’ before he continued to smoke his cigarette.

If he continued like that he would burn through half of it already. That corresponded directly to his lifespan as well.

“Stop smoking.”

“Why? Are you worried about your career as a singer?”

“Yes.”

“If you're so worried about your future you should just take the opportunities given to you. Don't block your career path just because of some unnecessary pride.”

“I won't. I want to keep operating as a group.”

“That group is no longer viable.”

“Why?”

“You should know best, right? Look at your album sales. Who would want to keep an idol group that can’t even sell more than 50.000 copies of their albums with its initial release?”

“The company that will merge and acquire this company requested for me, didn’t they?”

“Haha.”

CEO Kim extinguished his cigarette by pressing it into the ashtray.

Urgh…… I felt so fucking angry.

“Fine. Since it’s come to this, let’s be honest with each other.”

“Yes.”

“You’re right, they demanded you. As a solo artist. Did you think I wouldn’t know about the occasional offers trickling in here because of the recent incidents?”

“I didn’t think so.”

“They plan on making you release a solo album before transitioning you into acting.”

“Acting?”

“Yeah. Do you know how little one can earn from idols nowadays?”

“Do you really think that I can shake off the idol label?”

“Hey, these days, 20-something male actors are pretty valuable. What does being an idol have to do with anything? For someone so young to have such old fashioned thoughts.”

CEO Kim glanced at me after saying that.

It might seem to him that I, who had been adamantly insisting on resuming our group’s activities, was actually showing interest in his idea of making me an actor.

However, right now……

[Warning! : Only group activities are considered valid to proceed with the quests!]

[Warning! : Only group activities are considered valid to proceed with the quests!]

[Warning! : Only group activities are considered valid to proceed with the quests!]

“Urgh…… that crazy bastard.”

“What? There’s nothing crazy about what I said. This’ll definitely be good for you.”

“……No, I wasn’t saying that you’re crazy, Mr. CEO.”

However, it was true that he was a crazy bastard in a different sense.

However, today, I thought for the first time that CEO Kim was actually a decent human being.

Compared to that thing flashing lights right before my eyes,

[If you go solo you will die!!!]

……and screaming these things at me, he certainly seemed better than this system, didn’t he?

Thanks to that, I ended up having to tell all kinds of lies to protect and take care of those people who were on the verge of quitting.

A true leader who sacrifices everything for the sake of his members, or something like that.

After hearing about the plans of making me go solo from the manager, I carefully tried to check the fan’s reactions.

As I had expected, there were quite a few who demanded for me to do some solo activities.

However, while Ahn Yuyoung’s individual fans slightly pushed for it, the fans of the other members rushed in to oppose them.

Eventually, it turned into a fan war.

I also found the point where Ahn Yuyong’s notoriety keyword came from.

<@ The other members……looks like they actually are on a full hiatus, keke. Considering that we only got some news about Wolyong and he even released an OST…… Isn’t that a pretty clear signal by that zoo agency ^^>

└ Rather than a signal, isn’t this just a death flag?

└ You’re just a salty fan lol

For reference, the pronunciation of the ZU in ZU Entertainment was “zoo”, so that was the reason why they called it zoo agency.

It didn’t mean that all the members in WEEKANIZ were ugly……

It probably implied that the agency’s actions were worse than those of animals though.

<@　What? lol Even though there were seven of you, the others were sent to hell before they could even plead for mercy…… And yet the most talentless gets to start a solo career…… I didn’t know he was so selfishㅇㅅㅇ>

└ Looks like he put firewood under the cauldron his teammates were in to eat them even faster behind the scenes……

That was what it was like roughly.

The dissatisfaction of Ahn Yuyong’s fans and those of a member of the same age, Haedun, seemed especially tremendous.

And they wanted me to go solo in this situation?

The moment they announced that, those fans would most definitely make my notoriety go all the way up to 100.

That sent chills down my spine.

The status window was also going crazy right before my eyes, so no matter how much CEO Kim was going to scold me, I had no other choice but to somehow continue our group activities.

Even if just to avoid the hostile glares of Seo Haedun’s fans.

I carefully spoke up.

“Mr. CEO, may I ask a question as well?”

“Have you finally come to your senses? What is it?”

“If I were to continue as an idol with my members without becoming an actor, would you kick me out of the group?”

“Then let me ask you, why are you so protective of those kids?”

“Why? Will knowing that affect your decision?”

“Just answer me.”

“Listen carefully, Mr. CEO.”

“……”

“First of all, I'm not interested in becoming an actor.”

I was telling the truth. I knew that I could eventually sing well, but I wasn't so sure about acting.

“Tsk.”

“Then about going solo. Do you really think a male solo artist will do well in the South Korean K-Pop industry? Have you ever considered why K-Pop idols are popular world wide?”

Definitely because they were in groups.

Coordinating 10 or more members to move as one body was pretty much an artform, wasn't it?

“What do you think of me?”

“Well, to understand that much, you would have to have led a globally known group……”

“Hey.”

“Anyway, I won’t be going solo. I also won’t pursue acting. If you kick us out, I’ll just find a different agency for us where we can resume our group activities.”

“Do you have something to sweeten the deal for me then?”

“Let’s say I’ll put up some collateral.”

“Speak clearly.”

“One month.”

“One month?"

“I’ll convince the other members to come back and get them ready for group activities. If I can’t do it, I’ll go solo.”

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

I got it, you distracting system window bastard, I was just saying that!

Feeling my eyes sting from the system window continuously popping up, I frowned slightly.

Because of that I could leave an even more annoyed and unfortunate impression on CEO Kim.

“You must be busy with that merger, so let’s prepare well, shall we?”

“You’ve grown a lot, Ahn Yuyoung.”

“Let’s both do our best. In many ways.”

……I felt like I needed a lot of strength for this. Just what should I do?

[Negotiation Success!]

[Karma points + 20]

……Let’s first invest all these points into my vocal skills.

* * *

“Hello, I’m Lee Jihan with the Tea Time Show! Our guest today is the leader of the group WEEKANIZ, Ahn Yuyoung-ssi. His recently released game OST sure has been making some waves on the music charts, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. Hello. I’m Ahn Yuyoung. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’ve been hearing some small rumors that have turned into hot topics. It’s a bit hard to bring this up, but…… could you perhaps share a few words about this?”

“Ah, yes. It is as you say, they are quite unfortunate rumors…… Regardless of whether that person is an idol or not, I believe it is each and every person’s duty as part of this society to uphold morality and ethics.”

“You speak so calmly. If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“Ah, yes, my age…… I’m 25.”

“My, 25 is still considered quite young in this society isn’t it? I’m impressed that you are already so composed and articulate at this age.”

“Thank you, haha.”

I’m sorry, Lee Jihan-ssi.

Actually, inside of this body resides a thirty-year-old middle-aged man.

“For the recent top hit to be an OST from a game. We even had this game advertised on our radio show before, haha.”

“Yes. I really enjoyed singing it, haha.”

“We’ll have some time to listen to a live performance later. Let’s just talk about your recent activities for a bit. It’s been about six months since your last album released. How are things going?”

“Yes, I’ve been making preparations for our new album.”

“That’s great news for your fans, isn’t it? But Yuyong-ssi, I’ve been hearing that there are actually some fans who want you to release a solo album, you know?”

‘No!’

[Notoriety : 80

Notoriety Keywords : OST, Solo]

……Wow, it seemed like the radio show writer did his homework. Diligent, very diligent.

As for why I made an appearance on this radio programm……

It was purely for practice.

I was pretty sure that I, Park Doyoon, wouldn’t be able to suddenly step up on stage, so I felt the need to practice beforehand.

Even though this was a live broadcast, I was pretty confident when it came to speaking, so this was fine.

However, for that guy to actually bring up the matter of my potential solo career that would only cause more fights among fans?

That writer definitely is suspicious. How much did they look into the fans’ reactions?

“Ah…… Well, while it’s nice to hear that, I’m not planning on doing that for now.”

“I see. I hope to hear more good news from you in the future. Well, now we’d like to send you off after your live performance. It was nice having you here today.”

“Yes. It was nice talking. Thank you.”

Hahaha. It was for this moment that I invested all my points into my vocal skills.

My current vocal grade was at B, not bad at all. Besides, the radio show would provide some backing tracks anyway.

I stood before the stand microphone, waiting for the writer’s cue.

“……Urgh.”

However, suddenly, something felt off.

It felt like my field of vision was wobbling, and……

“Yuyoung-ssi, are you okay?”

“Ah, yes. Give me just a moment. I’m feeling dizzy……”

What was going on?

My stomach churned, and I felt a tightening sensation around my head.

In an instant, I lost my balance and sank to the floor.

Luckily, this happened during the commercial break. and since this was a radio broadcast, my current state wasn’t exposed.

The writer who had entered the booth gave me a concerned look.

I struggled to keep my eyes open and pulled up the status screen.

[Notoriety: 90

Notoriety Keywords : Solo]

So it was that.

The number 90 was glowing in red.

If it reached 100 I would be done for.

The symptoms I was feeling now were even worse than when I met Hyun Jiwoo last time.

It felt like my body was under immense pressure.

It would be quite problematic if something like that were to ever happen on stage.

“Can you still do the live?”

“Ah……”

I should, but if I did, my notoriety would rise again……

Contrary to my anxious mind, the world around me seemed to be gradually losing gravity.

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