13. Member (1)
"Wow, the accommodation is amazing!"
Baek Han-gyul jumped up, screaming. I completely understood his feelings.
A nice and secure apartment with 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms. I should say that they put a lot of thought into it. It was a pretty good accommodation for kids who hadn't even debuted yet.
'Pyo Seung-soo spent money... That Pyo Seung-soo......?'
I was standing there blankly when I remembered that I had been transferred to a label. Since CEO Son Dong-young was very interested in artist care, if his influence was there, I could understand why the accommodation was so comfortable.
By the way, Pyo Seung-soo is the CEO of Lime Entertainment and is a stingy person who only has money.
"I left your luggage in the living room. I'm going to go now, so if anything comes up, please, please call me."
Ji Young-heon left the accommodation after telling us to rest comfortably.
We stayed in the dorm and looked around the inside before sitting around the living room. We realized that we had to decide on the most important thing.
"Should we decide on our roommates? Originally, me, Yi-soo hyung, and Hyun-seung were all using different rooms. So I think we should split up........"
Hwang Bo-kyun was the first to lead the conversation. Seol Yi-soo followed suit and cautiously suggested his opinion.
"There are some of us who haven't talked yet or are awkward with each other. How about pairing up and spending time with those guys? We can get to know each other."
"Good."
I quickly raised my hand in agreement with the idea. Although it was a very calculated reason.
The other guys unanimously agreed without much objection. It was a truly peaceful scene.
'Rather than showing the fans an awkward appearance even after debuting, it's better to get to know each other in advance.'
So the roommates that were decided were this. Me and Seol Yi-soo, Baek Han-gyul and Ryu Hyun-seung, Lee A-ram, and Hwang Bo-kyun.
After deciding, it seemed like a combination of one friendly guy and one shy guy, fresh.
"But let's not fix this combination like this; let's change rooms once every six months."
It was good to change roommates frequently, even for the sake of the content.
Seol Yi-soo seemed to think that changing content roommates would help build friendships.... And it seems good.
"It was decided quickly. All of our members are so nice; it's great."
Seol Yi-soo chattered excitedly. The members-should I say they are nice, or should I say they are not stubborn? It seemed like they preferred to follow other people's opinions without a hitch. It's fortunate that the members' personalities aren't all that different....... I felt a little uneasy because it felt like I was seeing a bunch of younger brothers with a big age gap.
"But Yoo Young, what did you talk about with the CEO earlier?"
Suddenly, Seol Yi-soo asked. In the van, no one asked while looking at my expression, but they must have been curious.
I was going to beat around the bush, but I decided to just tell the truth. I didn't really have anything to hide, and everyone would know later anyway.
"It's nothing. I was just curious as to why he gave me the position of general producer, so I came to ask."
Baek Han-gyul suddenly stood up at my words. His face was red, and his eyes were sparkling brightly.
"Wow, so you're really going to be our producer?"
"What... is that so?"
"Wow, that's amazing, Young-ah."
Baek Han-gyul and Seol Yi-soo kept making a fuss. The only one who was silent was Lee A-ram. I coughed in vain and avoided eye contact.
Planet had always hated me when I talked too much about producing, but this different reaction made me feel strange.
'This is a bit burdensome...'
It was more burdensome than when I talked to CEO Son Dong-young or Director Kwak In-hyuk. I felt like I was being pushed around by the kids' fresh energy. I rolled my eyes, wanting to change the subject.
"So, do you all have a concept you want to do?"
"I, I have one! I think something impressive is good!"
Baek Han-gyul raised his hand as if he had been waiting. An impressive concept. It was a vague explanation, but I thought I knew what Baek Han-gyul wanted.
'It's definitely good to imprint something strong in people's minds.'
The problem is that there are clear shortcomings. While I was lost in thought, Seol Yi-soo was the one who put the brakes on Baek Han-gyul, who was trying to jump up.
"Hmm... That's good, but wouldn't it be hard to gain popularity then?"
"Really?"
Baek Han-gyul tilted his head at Seol Yi-soo's words. His expression seemed to indicate that it was difficult to understand.
I looked at him and thought.
'Actually, Seol Yi-soo is right.'
Something impactful is good. However, in that case, if you do it wrong, you could also get the evaluation that it's 'difficult to understand.' In short, it's easy to capture the mania layer, but the rest are more likely to be ignored. It's also hard to break away from the concept.
'The problem is that it's harder than trying to catch a star in the sky to capture the popularity of male idols........
There's also the problem of agencies pushing for intense performances for overseas sales, but male idol songs aren't well-received by the public.
Why don't they just come up with songs that appeal to the public? They can, but it's not easy to get popular with easy-listening songs.
'That's why agencies tend to rely on the power of fandoms more than the public,'
It's not that focusing on fandoms is bad. What do fans like? Of course it's good. To be honest, I want to do whatever fans like, no matter what people say.
However, the problem was that in order to be recognized as a 'top idol', you couldn't leave out popularity.
'Damn system...... !'
After cursing at the system, I calmly listened to the members' conversation. When the concept came up, everyone actively started to express their opinions.
"Isn't refreshing the standard for a debut concept?"
"That's true... but isn't it too boring...?"
"But clichés aren't clichés for nothing."
"I think it's not bad to go with a moderate level of addictiveness."
"Hey guys, how about wearing a school uniform when you're young?"
They are embarrassingly active. Even Ryu Hyun-seung, who seemed reserved, was participating in the conversation.
'It's better than kids just being listless.'
There are a lot of useful opinions coming out. I thought it was enough and clapped my hands to get the members' attention. The conversation went on longer than I thought, so I had to cut it off.
"But isn't it time for everyone to go to bed? It's 2 AM now."
It's good to be active, but you should sleep. We'll be busy with practice and schedules from now on, so you'll collapse like that.
Only then did Hwang Bo-kyun, who checked his watch, nod.
"Okay, let's sleep for now and wake up like Young-i said."
"Okay. Then everyone, go to sleep."
After Baek Han-gyul's polite greeting, we each packed our bags and went into our rooms. I also went to my room with Seol Yi-soo, dragging my carrier.
We finished organizing our bags quickly. In the first place, I didn't really bring anything except clothes.
After cleaning up the room and taking a shower, I laid down on the bed. A strange sense of relief enveloped my body.
"I feel like I can live a little now."
Now that I'm at the dorm, I'm saying this, but Yoo Young's house is uncomfortable. Maybe it's because it's the house Yoo Young lived in since he was little, but Yoo Young's memories and emotions flowed in from all over, making it suffocating.
The psychological rejection that it was not my home also played a part.
...... I can't live in Han Awon's house with Yoo Young's body.'
I was reluctant to enter Han Awon's house because I didn't know who might be around. So this was the first place I recognized as a place to rest since I became Yoo Young.
'When was the last time I went home? It feels like it hasn't been that long, but it feels like it's been a long time.'
Just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone screen flickered. I sighed deeply and buried my face in my pillow before picking it up. When I picked up my phone, a notification popped up on the screen.
[Manager Ji Young-heon: Here's the data you requested. Please check it.]
[Manager Ji Young-heon: (File download link)]
It was the file I had requested on the way to the dorm.
I thought he would send it to me around tomorrow. I can't complain about this.
I apologized to Seol Yi-soo and sat down at the desk next to the bed. At the same time, I turned on the personal laptop I brought to the dorm. It was something I bought when I was preparing for the audition.
Seol Yi-soo grabbed my shoulder lightly and let go.
"I'll sleep first. Don't overwork yourself either."
"Okay, hyung. Go to sleep."
After confirming that Seol Yi-soo was lying down on the bed, I downloaded the file onto my laptop.
The file contained evaluation materials such as camera test videos and monthly evaluation videos of each member. It was just as I had requested.
'I can slowly get to know each other's personalities as we spend time together, but for other things, I need to look through objective data.'
Before I start producing, I need to know the strengths and weaknesses of the kids I will be producing.
I need to know the strengths to highlight them, and I need to know the weaknesses to eliminate or hide them. The reason why the most effort was spent on understanding Yoo Young and getting used to him after being immersed in it.
Click. The video starts playing in time with the mouse sound. The videos of six people, sorted by age, and the trainers' evaluations are listed.
'Seol Yi-soo is a main vocalist with a high range, and Hwang Bo-kyun is not bad as a lead dancer either........ Ryu Hyun-seung is just crazy.'
I pressed my eyes hard, which were filled with fatigue. CEO Son Dong-young's eye for insight is still the same.
The three who had been part of the label before were all equally talented. Among them, Ryu Hyun-seung was the most outstanding.
'Cast from a hip-hop bass dance crew.... The movements are precise and clean, and the details and tempo are top-notch.'
The vocals are below par, but if we only look at the dance skills, there's nothing to criticize.
If I were to use Im Ah-hyun's analogy, would this be considered tier 1? It was a dance version of rapper Baek Han-gyul.
'No, is it a bit much to compare him to Baek Han-gyul?'
Ryu Hyun-seung's vocal skills themselves aren't terrible. They're just below par. On the other hand, Baek Han-gyul's dance skills are.....
I stopped thinking and wiped my face. It was because I couldn't forget Baek Han-gyul's dance moves from the month-end evaluation.
"Haa......."
I sighed and raised my head. A ttuk ttak in the group I'm in? I absolutely can't forgive him. From now on, Baek Han-gyul is going to work so hard that he wouldn't be called a "ttuk-ttak."
[뚝딱
I glanced at Seol Yi-soo, who was lying down. There were so many things to do that I didn't know where to start.
'I'm worried about my position, too,'
The trainer's evaluation of me was simple. I was an all-rounder. In other words, I didn't have anything particularly special about me.
Compared to someone like Ryu Hyun-seung, those shortcomings would be even more prominent. In a situation like now where I was tied to the system, it was a hopeless story.
'It's hopeless.'
Still, there is one hope. The system said 'dance position', not 'main dancer'.
If this hypothesis is true, there was no need to worry about comparing myself to Ryu Hyun-seung.
After wandering around the various information for a while, I stopped. The mouse sound that had been ringing at regular intervals stopped.
A speculative article about Han A-won appeared on the screen, along with an advertisement.
At that moment, I wanted to know what the fans were currently like and what they were thinking, but I shook my head. If I found out, something in my head would definitely snap.
For that reason, I intentionally didn't look up the Internet reactions after being possessed, but I can't do something wrong here.
"Oh, it's already time......."
I checked my watch and closed my laptop screen. When I closed my eyes, the skin under the eyes trembled. Let's just wake up and finish cleaning up.
I barely managed to reach my private bed, holding onto my hazy mind. As soon as I threw myself on the bed, I fell asleep.
'I woke up... I woke up to go back again.......
It seemed like my thoughts were coming out of my mouth in my hazy mood. My head was spinning. I don't even know when I closed my eyes.
I focused my mind. Before I knew it, I was standing with the Planet members in a familiar practice room. With a fresh face, as if I knew nothing.
'This... is the dream I had when Planet first debuted.'
Those days were filled with excitement. As I was immersed in longing, the Planet members' faces gradually faded away. I could see myself left alone in a dark space. I couldn't speak.
Scissors on the first day I moved into the dorms. What bad luck. I lay still and waited for the dream to end. Then someone spoke to me.
"Are you having a nightmare?"
It was Seol Yi-soo's affectionate voice. I tried to open my eyes reflexively. But before I could even try, something warm covered my eyelids.
"It's okay, so sleep."
Seol Yi-soo's gentle, soothing words made my tension disappear. Only then did I realize.
I've been tense all this time.
While feeling grateful to him, my mind became at ease, and the question I had been wondering about since earlier came to mind again.
'Why has Seol Yi-soo been pretending to sleep all this time?'
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