The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 106

Usually, the group viewing chat for 〈Music K Showdown〉 had quite a lot of people joining.

But that was only when major groups with some weight were appearing on music shows.

When their activity periods ended and it felt slightly empty, it would feel relatively sparse.

Today had a completely different atmosphere.

—Ah honestly, debuting when Zefa, Comet, and Magnus are all active lol. The viewing would’ve been honey-level entertaining

└I agree with ZF and CM, but isn’t MGNS still lacking in weight?

└Yeah, your beloved hundred-year-dols have lower weight than Magnus~ lmao

└Even the name they call them is funny lmao. What, like they’re idols who should only appear once every 100 years so they’re hundred-year-dols?

└Not ancient burial stones either lol

└Wow, for sure now that other fandoms are flocking here, the chat is getting nasty for real…

—I heard that today this place is where CENTIX’s skills get exposed, so I came. Did I come to the right place? ^*^

└This troll is still pushing the skill exposure nonsense from ages ago LMAO. It’s a known fact that they sang live over MR in both the finale live broadcast and debut show

└We can overlook when our kids get hate for other things, but dragging them down disgustingly over skills is unbearable for real. How much more do they need to keep proving?

└The people writing weird comments aren’t even other fandoms, they’re just hater assholes. Don’t give them reactions

└But if we just leave them alone, they keep spamming and causing chaos

—But I’m genuinely curious – why does CENTIX get hate even before debuting? Did they do something wrong? I heard ISL 2 also wrapped up well without any particular problems, and the music video and song seem well-made. As just a regular person, I don’t get it

└It’s other male idol fandoms feeling threatened. Like you said, CENTIX’s song seems well-made, so they’re probably thinking their oppas’ rice bowls are getting dangerous lol

└I just came back from checking CENTIX’s initial sales trends on Heater Chart and they have reason to go crazy lmao. They’ve already surpassed 400k copies, it seems insane

└400k copies?????

└Crazy, initial sales counting isn’t even over yet

└Yeah yeah, on day 3 they’ve already beaten most established male idols

└Wow, I can understand desperately trying to drag them down

—Breaking: CENTIX 〈Revelation〉 at current pace can settle into TOP 5 of all-time male idol initial sales

└What’s the current 5th place number?

└Current 5th place is 680k copies

└CENTIX surpassed 400k on day 3 and the gap between days 1-2 versus day 3 is even more pronounced. If they do well, they could even aim for the 70-80 range

└If it’s 800k copies for a debut album, isn’t that a new record?

└Actually just hitting 680k copies would set a new male idol debut record. The existing record is Zefa’s 560k copies lol

└So that’s why the Zefa fans are acting up like that. Instant understanding complete lol

There’s a saying that groups formed through survival programs get a head start over other groups.

Since they debut with primary recognition already built up, they’re bound to have advantages in music chart records and album sales.

However, recent male idol groups had been proving that this formula wasn’t necessarily established.

The prime example was Zefa from X2 Entertainment.

Despite having almost no pre-released information, they had shown a performance that crushed QS, who debuted around the same time.

So the public was wondering, ‘Is the reputation of survival groups finally fading?’

But CENTIX, who debuted through 〈ISL 2〉, was extraordinary from the start.

The representative indicators that could serve as evidence were GrapeFruit chart rankings and initial sales.

Album power that immediately demolished concrete walls, and initial sales rising with momentum to surpass even Zefa’s new record.

Thanks to the appearance of such a super-grade monster, despite the relatively quiet music show lineup, tight population density was created.

Soon, thinking they could see CENTIX, MILLENNIUM began circulating pre-recording spoilers again.

Other team fandoms trying to check CENTIX and malicious trolls excitedly wrote spam and malicious comments, getting heated up.

—Was there anyone who spoiled outfits? I’m so curious about what they’ll wear

└Someone just wrote “they wore what we hoped for”

└What I’m hoping for wouldn’t be suitable for broadcast censorship hehe

└LMAO. You must be crazy

└Thinking rationally, it’d probably be what they wore in the music video lol. Choker + suit

└That was the debut show outfit, so they probably won’t wear it again, no? I’m predicting harnesses

—Yes, next selective fan service one-trick idol ^^

└This person was here earlier and is here again now lol. Don’t you get tired?

└What’s there to get tired of when I’m just stating facts ^ㅗ^

└Ah, the way of speaking reeks of being genuine, so disgusting

—Is CENTIX really bad at fan service? For a freshly debuted idol to have bad fan service is something I’m hearing for the first time seriously

└Most pre-recording reviews say the kids greeted properly until the end vs one person using multiple accounts spamming the same thing like a cuckoo

└Sigh, MILLENNIUM is having a hard time too. It’s not even activity period yet and they’re already stuck with these lunatics

└No, it’s okay haha. We’ve seen all kinds of weirdos since ISL, so now we just think ‘whatever’

└Those kinds of people always end up using Zefa or Comet’s names later while writing weird things, which is more annoying lol. Meanwhile, we’re actually going around giving out streaming party rice cakes…

MILLENNIUM, who had been having healing conversations with normal people from other fandoms, suddenly had this thought.

If you don’t want to see CENTIX doing well, then just don’t watch 〈Music K Showdown〉.

But why are they desperately clinging to pant legs while even boosting viewership ratings? It was incomprehensible.

—No, this is ridiculous. What did our kids even do wrong to deserve curses from you all from the beginning? Lol. Does seeing others succeed hurt your stomach that much?

└For real lol. If you don’t want to see it, just turn off the TV

└Haters are really devoted too lol

└Isn’t this level basically the dark CENTIX protection squad?

—How much were they usually ignored to have to grab attention even here? Pitiful tsk tsk

└If you look under the lid, those bastards are always data sellers or photocard sellers

└Ah, so disgusting…my precious current participation spot gets stolen by those people

This crazy party calmed down a bit when the MCs went into the waiting room for interviews.

[We’ll greet you, two three! All eyes on us! Hello, we’re CENTIX!]

[Since this is the first music show we’re visiting after officially debuting, it feels even more meaningful!]

[Right, we did our first pre-release here during 〈Idol Stove League〉 filming!]

[Since this is a place with so many good memories, we’re just overjoyed.]

—Wooooow the outfits dropped!!! Insane, who was the person who predicted harnesses earlier, come out right now

—Black shirt with harness LMAO. Are they insane or what

└Ha, I’m the one person who went to pre-recording and I was dying to spoil this outfit

—So damn sexy. Hey, don’t act up, my heart

—Wait wait wait, is that covered Ha-ru today?? Is it really covered Ha-ru??

└Damn, I just realized lol. Wow, visual paradise

└The covered Ha-ru we knew wasn’t like this lol. Yeah Ha-ru, how great it is to escape from that mop hair!!

—Ma Si-hyeok’s shoulders are showing through the shirt, like they’re about to burst out. Woohoo woohoo

When the anticipated outfits and members’ visuals blocked their vision, everyone went crazy.

Thanks to that, the troll posts and troll comments couldn’t keep up with regeneration speed and naturally got buried.

Intermittent comments still dissing CENTIX’s live skills remained, but.

[Hot Debut: CENTIX 〈Chronic〉]

As soon as CENTIX’s stage started, they were crushed again into tremendous comment volume.

—They’re so good at live singing? There really were a lot of haters positioned here lol

—LOL. If you went to pre-recording even once, you’d know you absolutely can’t diss our hundred-year-dols for live singing, but they’re really persistent

—Hater pattern: Every day claiming they haven’t proven themselves, but actually CENTIX has been proving their skills with live stages every round since ISL 2 + live vocals were clearly audible over MR at the debut show too. That’s the facts

└I’m a Comet fan but I saw the MR-removed version that came up through NeoTube algorithm? I was genuinely surprised at how well they did. CENTIX fighting

Even ordinary people who didn’t know idols well could feel the intense choreography.

And CENTIX’s voices cutting through clearly over the backing track made everyone write comments mixed with admiration.

With flawless stage composition and satisfying background effects combining, an atmosphere rivaling the debut show was created.

Especially parts like the dance break and final bridge where individual member parts came in were brought to life thanks to excellent camera work.

MILLENNIUM, other group fandoms, and even general public were all full of praise, but there were always people who wanted to break the harmony until the end.

—Yeah, MR removal isn’t really a trustworthy method either~ LOL. Anyway they lip-sync over AR frequently

└Go thoroughly read through CENTIX NeoTube cover video medleys and come back, how well they sing…

└But they’re not singing while dancing, right? Lol. Not proven~

└―Blocked―

└These trolls can’t even argue back and are just doing blocking. Cute, so cute~

└You avoid shit not because you’re scared of it, but because it’s dirty ^^

However, showing such socially maladjusted behavior was only an extreme minority.

CENTIX, who showed undoubtedly top-tier skills among recently debuted male idols, drew even more attention.

—I think I can see why ISL’s viewership exploded lol. Everyone’s handsome and skilled

—I saw Heater Chart numbers and wondered if it was bulk buying?? But seeing the music show stage, I understand lol. People could go crazy for this

—I have a main group but they’re making my eyes wander… That’s why they say being handsome is a crime

—Setting everything else aside, the song is fucking well-made. And honestly the concept is just right, not too excessive, so it takes ten years off my life

└This is the real truth. If they’d thrown curveballs trying to grab a proper concept, current public opinion wouldn’t have formed at all and it would’ve flopped hard

└It’s trendy and nice to listen to. I don’t usually listen to idol songs but I put Chronic in my playlist

Among the pouring praise, there were also many comments like “We should have seen them go head-to-head with top-tier male idols.”

Since Zefa, who ended their activity period, took 1st place at closing, that regret and anticipation only grew.

Fans didn’t know that these two had already met today.

* * *

“Good, I think it came out well?”

“It ended earlier than I expected, so I felt weird, but seeing the final product is satisfying.”

“I was really nervous but it didn’t show.”

“Eh, Brother Ha-ru, you were nervous? With that expression?”

After pre-recording ended, we completed thorough monitoring.

Fortunately, appropriate camera work came in during important parts of the choreography, creating a reasonably clean video.

I patted the shoulders of the guys who were finally talking like their tension had lifted.

“Now that we’ve seen everything, let’s go to the waiting room and eat our lunchboxes first.”

“Ah, right! Proof shots!”

“Let’s eat quickly and take photos too!”

To carry out the mission we received when communicating with fans, we quickly returned to the waiting room.

The guys who had been stamping their feet saying they couldn’t bear to eat them before going on stage seemed to have completely forgotten the past.

As a result of wielding spoons and chopsticks combatively.

In just 10 minutes, the lunchbox containers were completely empty.

“Let’s take photos showing only our faces, we can’t spoil the outfits.”

“Brother Si-hwan, you need to come down here!”

“Why does taking proof shots seem to get harder as days go by?”

And so CENTIX’s meerkat family photo was born.

Having finished all our missions, we headed out for the commute home with light hearts.

It was only called commuting home – anyway, we had to go back to the dorms, sleep for a few hours, then leave to film other schedules.

‘Still, being able to lie on a bed is good.’

{Right, Master! Actually I’m super tired too. It seems separating just the spirit isn’t ordinary work.}

Cerberus, who had left only his body at the dorms and followed me here, showed a yawn that would make even lions cry.

Honestly, I felt like I could yawn that big too, but.

I still couldn’t lose idol dignity inside KNet’s building.

The moment we went out to the long corridor to take the elevator.

“Oh.”

Seong-hwi’s footsteps, walking beside me, stopped abruptly.

“What is it, why?”

“……Brother.”

Seong-hwi’s pupils were shaking greatly.

Curious about what was happening, I followed his gaze.

I saw people walking toward us from ahead.

People who gave off an idol atmosphere even from a distance.

Even their faces looked familiar.

‘Where did I see them? They’re definitely people I know—.’

{Sniff sniff. Gah, Master! Suddenly there’s a rotten smell in the air!}

Cerberus on my shoulder suddenly started gagging.

The man standing at the front of the group saw us and waved his hand with a smile.

“Oh, we get to see our juniors here? I enjoyed watching your pre-recording~.”

An idol with impressively red-dyed hair.

While I was trying hard to remember his name.

Seong-hwi walked forward with a bright laugh.

“It’s been a while, Senior Joo-won.”

“That’s right, man. You’ve changed beyond recognition, haven’t you?”

“Ahaha, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

This was our first meeting with Zefa.