<Episode 73>
After finishing the call with A-Pen, a week passed, but not a single message had come until now.
It seemed their deliberation was deep. It was only natural; it wouldn’t be easy to escape Joo Youngjun’s grasp.
‘Out of all the timelines so far, has there ever been a time when the group A-Pen left JM Entertainment?’
It didn’t seem like there ever had been.
From their perspective, that must have been the best choice.
There was simply too much they would have to give up if they left JM Entertainment.
A decision made solely for the sake of the fans who loved “A-Pen.”
‘Even though releasing albums there wouldn’t gain popularity, and none of their opinions would be accepted, they stayed because the fans wanted to see A-Pen as a complete group.’
It truly was remarkable love for their fans.
If there was one thing I had realized while doing this work, it was that idols weren’t the only ones who valued their fans… Fans were just as precious to idols.
On the other hand, Spade.
Fortunately, they weren’t receiving a good response from the public.
Even their title track had been hit with plagiarism accusations.
It was originally a song released in the 1970s by an unknown American singer, and even to my ears, it sounded like the main chord had been copied outright.
[No way. The original singer passed away. Did you see the post from her daughter? She said the song was really special to their family because her mother wrote it to express how she felt when she first met her first love… her father. She never imagined a K-pop idol would remake it and perform it on stage without permission. She said if they had asked to remake it, she would have allowed it, since it would have been a chance for her mother’s name to be known as both a singer and composer. She asked how something like this could just be taken like that. No wonder the song sounded too good for JM. I was even mad they didn’t give it to A-Pen, but if they had, it would’ve been a disaster. A-Pen, run. This is your chance.]
↳ Now that I know the story, I’m even angrier.
↳ Seriously, how can an entertainment company openly use a plagiarized song?
↳ LOL what even isn’t plagiarism with them? Does that exist?
As the story behind the original artist spread, they lost even more ground.
That was only natural.
Even without such a story, plagiarism could never be justified.
‘They’ve crossed a line they absolutely shouldn’t have crossed.’
At this point, there was nothing left to observe.
They claimed it wasn’t plagiarism but an homage to a respected artist, but it was already too late.
If it were truly an homage, the similar sections shouldn’t have been so extensive, and they should have disclosed it when releasing the album.
It was nothing more than a ridiculous excuse.
Because of this, JM Entertainment completely lost the public’s trust.
Even without me doing anything, they were destroying themselves… and for that, I could only be grateful.
What would happen if A-Pen’s departure were added to this situation?
‘They should have known when to stop.’
***
Spade Joker’s [POKER] choreography practice video was released.
Clover (the fandom) quickly rushed in to leave likes and comments.
↳ The sound of their footsteps matching perfectly is so satisfying.
↳ Why are they so good?
↳ Wait, aren’t they all wearing the same sportswear brand?
↳↳ Right? Did they match outfits? That’s cute.
↳↳↳ If they matched, it’d be nice if they filmed a commercial. Wouldn’t it suit them?
Without even realizing it, Clover started promoting the brand themselves, completely unaware that Spade Joker had already become models for that very sportswear brand.
↳ But didn’t they usually not wear branded sportswear?
↳↳ Maybe it’s because they didn’t have money back then.
↳↳↳ Ah…
↳↳↳ That suddenly makes me sad.
↳↳↳ Maybe the CEO bought it for them? He’s been spending money on them lately.
↳ They’re seriously so good. They even modified the choreography themselves. I thought that part fit the song perfectly; turns out Juseok is a genius.
Not once did they think it was an advertisement.
They believed the CEO had simply bought gifts for Spade Joker.
↳ Stuff like this never used to get uploaded before. Now it’s consistent; I love it.
↳ At this point, we’re not even jealous of big companies anymore.
***
The members of Spade Joker arrived at the commercial shoot location, changed outfits, and came out.
“Just run through here with an excited expression. You’ll probably have to run a lot today… will that be okay?”
“Yes. We’re dance singers. We’ll run hard.”
The director nodded in satisfaction at Cain’s response.
“Good. Then let’s run with energy.”
Just as the director said, the members of Spade Joker ran… and ran again.
They ran as a group, then individually, circled around, stopped, and ran again repeatedly.
“Cut! Let’s take a short break.”
The members of Spade Joker panted heavily.
Kim Jawook handed them ion drinks prepared on set.
“Thank you.”
They passed the drinks around and drank.
“Phew.”
“If it’s too hard, say so.”
“This is manageable.”
Zen answered with a smile.
Even if it wasn’t manageable, they would say it was fine, so Kim Jawook had to carefully monitor their condition.
“Don’t just say you’re fine.”
“If it gets really hard, we’ll say so.”
“Alright.”
Kim Jawook then walked toward the corner of the set.
He had already reserved a restaurant so that once filming ended, Spade Joker could have dinner.
With their busy schedule, it was important to feed and rest them well to avoid problems… just as the CEO had instructed.
“We’re almost done now. Please give it your best until the end!”
“Yes!”
The members answered energetically.
If it were other idols, they might have demanded chairs or complained about the heat during every break.
When even one person complains in a difficult situation, the atmosphere becomes tense, and filming gets delayed.
But not today.
Everything went smoothly.
At this rate, they might even finish earlier than expected.
‘Such well-mannered idols.’
The set was dusty, and they had to keep running… yet they never lost their smiles.
Everyone silently admired them.
‘These are the kind who succeed.’
Some even thought they wanted to work with Spade Joker again.
“This time you’ll need to sprint at full speed. Can you do it?”
“Yes.”
The members ran with all their strength.
It was the final stretch, quite long, but they ran with bright expressions, as if running itself made them happy.
Seeing that, the director became certain the commercial would turn out great.
“Cut. That’s a wrap for today.”
At the director’s words, all the staff applauded.
Even while catching their breath, the members used their remaining strength to clap.
“You don’t have to clap, Spade Joker… you must be tired. Great job today.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
They bowed and greeted all the staff.
Kim Jawook also greeted the staff and director, then ran over with towels and drinks.
“Wipe your sweat and drink this.”
“Yes.”
Even as they wiped sweat and drank, their heavy breathing didn’t calm down.
“Wow. I seriously need to work out. This is exhausting.”
“Right? Our stamina must be really bad.”
“Phew… hyungs, my heart’s beating so fast.”
“Same.”
They placed hands on their chests, feeling their heartbeats, and burst into laughter.
“You’re hungry, right? Let’s go eat dinner.”
“Yes.”
“What are we eating today?”
“Duck soup. The CEO said to focus on stamina foods.”
“Oh, sounds good. Let’s go.”
They didn’t even change clothes before heading to the restaurant.
They were too hungry to think about anything else.
As soon as they arrived, the food was served.
“Wow, hyung… maybe it’s because I’m hungry, but this is so good.”
They began eating heartily… far from the typical image of idols.
“If it’s not enough, order more.”
“Yes.”
While they were enjoying their meal, someone entered the restaurant.
With a camera.
The members looked up in surprise.
It was the observational variety show team of PD Yoo, the same one John Raid Lombardi had appeared on.
“Oh? Hello.”
“Hello.”
An awkward greeting followed.
Then PD Yoo entered.
“Oh, long time no see. Have you been well? What brings you here?”
He approached with a bright smile upon seeing Spade Joker.
“We just finished filming and came to eat.”
“If it’s around here… ah, you must’ve filmed a commercial. Congratulations.”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“I know all the filming locations around here. By the way, your song’s getting a great response.”
“Thank you.”
“More importantly, this worked out well. I actually had something I wanted to say to Spade Joker.”
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