Chapter 142
There were many concerns and worries about Sigma Entertainment.
Because it is an entertainment company launched by a large corporation and has not yet achieved any significant results.
It was natural for those who supported Seleste to cast questioning glances.
However, these worries have somewhat subsided as Seleste's debut process has proceeded very smoothly.
The problem was none other than the way the debut show was run.
The hostile operation of entertainment companies toward idol fans has been well known for a long time.
Security was so harsh that some even said it was an overreaction.
A staff member who tells them to move to the side before even a minute has passed, even though they paid for the fan signing event.
And even to the pre-recording site where fans are locked in under harsh conditions.
Since Seleste's debut show was held amidst much anticipation, fans other than Seleves also read these reviews carefully.
The so-called 'confinement show', which had only a small number of winners for the debut show, was bound to receive a lot of attention.
Because it was something that any idol fan who was deeply involved in a certain group would be able to relate to.
―I have an almond allergy, so I can't eat almond pretzels... ㅠㅠ I sensed something was wrong, so I asked first, and they said no change ㅎㅎ....
└Is this real? There was only one flavor?
└Yeah ㅠ That's why I couldn't drink anything but juice until I got my lunch box ㅠㅠㅠ
└You must have been really hungry, but if you ate it without knowing, you could have gone to the hospital right away... Wow, this is really frustrating to deal with.
―Please teach security guards properly. It was so unpleasant to see them touch me roughly here and there while searching my body, and it was really absurd how they would yell and find fault with fans to chase them away if we made a small mistake.
└What kind of company treats its customers like this.... If you spend the same amount of money at a department store, you get treated like a VIP, so how can you be this rude when you're not just getting a few pennies? Will you treat artists the same way when they go to see a show?
Seleves who win the debut show have already invested a significant amount of money.
Not only did they join the fan club, they also bought numerous albums through pre-order sales and even printed receipts for them.
Without fans, an idol group cannot survive, and if an idol group fails, it is natural that its agency will also fail.
Seleste's debut show united many idol fans in another sense.
A huge snowball started rolling as each person cited their own experiences of oppressive management and unpleasant memories.
Entertainment companies that don't treat fans well deserve to be criticized for getting worse and worse.
―There is no such thing as a good agency in the worldㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ No matter how many times you change headquarters, it's always fucking new and shitty... Seriously...
└Is Star Lane also a beggar??
└Yeah. Those jerks who don't have a clue called fans together from the crack of dawn for pre-recording and didn't give them anything ㅋㅋㅋ It was January and they didn't even have a hot pack but they sent a coffee truck to the senior group. Wow, I'm so sad. ㅅㅂ
└Huh??.... You're saying that they discriminate between groups within the company like that? If it's senior group, you're saying ㅌㄹㅈㅇ??
└Yeah. They have seniority and are practically feeding Starlane, so I guess they have a say.... But our kids haven't debuted for longㅠ Even if I am a slave fan, I should be a fan at a big company. But when I think about Seojoon's debt, I sigh again
└Ah, seriously, I'm so sad... s**t... ··. Starlane, you bastards who are so annoying ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ
―I got a huge PTSD reading all the quotes here ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The legend I experienced was that before starting the pre-recording, they collected all electronic devices, including cell phones... What kind of crazy company collects cell phones?? Don't even schools collect cell phones these days? What the fuck, what are you going to do if an accident happens on set? Should we all just say "Okay, we're going to die" and die?
└Before I entered the fan convention, when they searched my belongings, the security guards scratched my chest with a metal detector... I don't think I've ever felt so dizzy and uncomfortable as that time. Those security guards didn't even tell me in advance and just suddenly scratched me, and I couldn't say anything about being treated like this, so it was so frustrating.
―There is no safe place in the entertainment industry in Korea.... If you run away from one place, the other places will be the same.
└There can be no paradise where you have fled and arrived....
Many idol fans recalled their own experiences and criticized not only Sigma Entertainment but also the entire idol industry in Korea.
But as usual, there were those who took advantage of this moment to cause trouble.
―You just have to beat them all up and fail. That's the answer. You shouldn't spend money. ㅋㅋㅋ Those who are treated like that and just sit still are the ones who have contributed to the deterioration of human rights. What's so frustrating? You reap what you sow. If it pisses you off that much, just don't go see it. ㅎㅎ
└If something changes by speaking up, then speak up. Even if you speak up, the company will ignore you and make you lose your shit, so how can you speak up? Think about it and write something decent
└Also, the company made a mistake, but the person who was doing it was the pervert, so they cursed at the pervert while keeping quietㅋㅋㅋ Sigh
└XX This kid writes articles like this on purpose to generate revenue from the number of views. Don't pay attention to him, guys!!! XX
―But from the beginning, idols also see fans as cash cows and really hate them... Don't the fans know that best? No matter how hard they try, the fans are still in that exact position, so why do you go to a few fan signing events and get disliked? This is also something that really makes you question their intelligence.
└The shit starts
└These are the kind of people who say things like this: I've never been to an off-event before.
└Please stop... Our Taein is crying after reading this article because he feels bad that the person he loves is hearing such things.
Fans who already knew that ignoring such aggro posts was the answer did not react at all and tried their best not to react.
But one thing that was heartbreaking was the fact that no matter how much they cursed at their agency and made a fuss, their agency just ignored them.
Just as fans ignore aggro posts, the agency doesn't even pretend to listen to fans' outrage.
Those who realized this fact seemed to lose their strength a little, but Seleves immediately turned the mood around by grabbing the main point of their later articles.
―I'm glad that everyone said the debut song was well-chosen. Haha. The Highlight Medley song was good, but I was a little worried that the original song would be weird.
└The choreography is super intense and the song is addictive!! It's a song that fits Seleste perfectly and the part distribution was also good ㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's Purple Lips' father's song so it's definitely extremely high class
└All right. Should I say that each and every one of them had an impact without any part that was put all in?? It was good because the balance was well maintained
└Will they be able to get first place this time? Will they be nominated??ㅠㅠ
└It seems like it would be difficult to get first place because of overlapping activities with Haillight... But maybe it's worth aiming on cable?!
―Why is cheering so hard? Isn't there a guide video?? I'm a total noob so I have no idea what you're talking about...
└It's ok it's ok. I also sang along roughly while looking at the slogan that were handed out in the middle, and it wasn't that difficult ㅋㅋㅋㅋ But if you forget the age order of the kids, it might be a little difficult?
└Ah, is there a national rule part??ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I have to memorize the beats that go into this, thank you ๑>ᴗ<๑
└The singing part is easy, so it will probably get easier once you get used to it. Don't worry too much.
As the content of these reviews, which said that it exceeded expectations, was reexamined, Seleves changed their interests.
There were also people who gave advance notice of the cheering methods that would be used on upcoming music shows.
Seleves, who remembered the members' detailed outfits, also compiled a list of outfits that can be expected on stage in the future.
Now, the anticipation that the moment of debut is approaching has grown even higher.
There wouldn't be a problem if they could just avoid the trolling of their agency, which is always a variable, but this is something that fans have no choice but to accept to some extent.
―But let's think positively... The song came out well, Hemeko [Hair, makeup, coordination] is pretty, and we're just getting started... haha
If I don't think positively like this, I think I'll really go crazy. You piece of shit.
└The problem is that I don't think I have the power to say anything to the kids.
└We need to send the truck to the Sigma building cheaply in advance.
└From now on, I'll get a Class 1 large license and do the advertising myself lol
With positive thinking, Seleves waited for the promised 27th to arrive.
* * *
The day after the debut show.
We had time to recover from our exhaustion after our debut show.
There's nothing more effective than sleep for recovery, so for the first time in a long while, I slept soundly until daytime and woke up.
"... Are you awake?"
"It's been a while since I slept so well."
When I opened my eyes, for some reason Ji Yoon-chul had woken up before me.
He looks fine, as if he got up and washed up.
I stretched and loosened up my tense muscles little by little.
"Are you not sleeping any longer, Yoon-chul? You must be very tired."
"... I'm fine because I fell asleep right after arriving at our dorm yesterday."
"Well, that's fortunate."
Ji Yoon-chul was wearing a training suit.
This is the outfit he usually wears when he goes to our daily choreography practice.
"Are you going out to practice? "
"... Yes. I feel like my body is stiff because I've been resting too much."
"You danced so much yesterday; is it okay if you move again? "
"This much is okay. There were some parts that were disappointing yesterday...."
I took a quick look at Ji Yoon-chul's mood while listening to his somewhat quickened tone.
The muscles in my body seemed slightly tense.
'Something's bothering me.'
Ji Yoon-chul woke up early on his day off, giving up the sleep he loved so much.
The first thing he did after waking up was dance practice.
Of course, it is natural to increase the amount of practice since there is not much time left until the debut stage, but no matter how I looked at it, it seemed like he was more motivated than usual.
At that moment, I recalled the scene from yesterday in my head.
'There was something odd about the expression on his face when Haillight was mentioned in the car.'
He said that he gets motivated by watching Haillight's videos.
The atmosphere changed slightly when it was mentioned that we had to compete with Haillight.
It may be too early to speculate, but it seemed like there was a subtle current flowing between Ji Yoon-chul and Haillight.
I was wondering if I should pass this without knowing it.
But my curiosity was too great to just let it pass.
"Yoon-chul. Are you by any chance familiar with Haillight?"
So I decided to take a quick look.
As expected, when I said Haillight's name, Ji Yoon-chul flinched slightly.
So slightly that I wouldn't notice it if I wasn't watching him closely.
"...Because we're from the same agency."
"Are all the people in the same agency close? I've never been in a place like that, so I don't know, but I'm curious."
"Frien... I think we are kinda close."
Ji Yoon-chul's voice suddenly became quieter.
"... I've known them for two years, but I don't think we're close enough to be considered close."
"Two years is quite a long relationship."
"I just knew them."
I felt a strange thorn in the end of Ji Yoon-chul's words.
As if he didn't want to talk about this topic anymore.
"... Are you going to sleep more, hyung?"
"No, I slept enough. I'm hungry, so I'm going down to find something to eat."
"Get some rest. I'll go practice and come back."
"Don't push yourself too hard, Yoon-chul."
"...Yes."
Ji Yoon-chul lowered his head once and walked quickly.
I sat on the bed and reviewed the conversation we had just had.
'I felt a strong nuance of evasion.'
I clearly understood that he had rushed through it without mentioning any detailed information.
I don't know exactly what happened, but....
First of all, it was possible to infer that Ji Yoon-chul and Haillight did not have a good relationship.
I thought to myself as I picked up Ji Yoon-chul's rainbow rabbit doll that had fallen over.
'I can't take my eyes off Ji Yoon-chul for a while.'
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