Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus – Chapter 122

Author: LyraDhani

Lime

[@Ahk5055: Seriously, they have no professional ethics. Holding their showcase a week earlier is one thing, but coming out with a copy-pasted concept too? What kind of disaster is this? I’ve never seen anything like thisㅋ They even have Candy Star from Idol Classism on their B-side tracklist. Crown’s image is already trash; they’re doing this on purpose, aren’t they? It’s so petty how they hurriedly rounded up kids who look like the <Fantasia> members. I hope they flop.]

↳ [@Rosmune: I just watched the <Fantasia> teaser. The concepts don’t overlap at all. Isn’t <Fantasia> doing some weird medieval, Dark Mage, Paladin thing? I don’t see any fantasy elements in this music video.]

↳ [@Ahk5055: Who said they copied <PARADISE>? Go watch <Idol Classism> first. You’re saying that knowing your precious Lime oppa debuted as a Lee Unha copycat? Even the eye close-up was laughableㅋ They’re not even comparable…]

↳ [@Rosmune: Did Lee Unha patent the vitamin concept or something?? Is he the only one allowed to have an eye close-up? If anything, Lime looks way better than Lee Unha’s creepy eyes. And even if [Kingdom] did copy <Fantasia>, saying you hope they flop is crossing the line. If anyone’s at fault, it’s [Crown], not [Kingdom]…]

↳ [@nikevice: Your oppas crossed the line first. ^^ Enjoy stanning your copycat-dols.]

[@user-joyboy: I tried to let it slide, but they’re more alike than I thought. That kid Mark or whatever is the spitting image of Jegal Hwi, and all the other members remind me of the <Fantasia> members;; Is it really okay to be this blatant?]

[@dnakjndjn33: Yep, another plagiarism case~]

[@anim110: It’s a scientific fact that Crown’s Kang Hyuk went crazy because he couldn’t get management rights for <Fantasia>. If he can’t have it, he’ll destroy it.]

[@kingdom0890: They are not trainees that were hurriedly recruited from somewhere else. Every single member trained at Crown for a long time! Please refrain from making baseless assumptions that they copied someone or were created to target another group based only on superficial similarities! I am begging you! You’re hurting the boys’ feelings…]

↳ [@f4-roki: I think <Fantasia> is the one getting hurt more. Dismissing this as ‘simple similarity’ is exactly the problem. If this isn’t targeting, what on earth do you think it is? Also, all the articles since a week ago have been full of hate—it’s so obvious they’re running a smear campaign, yet you’re still acting like this.]

↳ [@kingdom0890: Our Lime practiced really hard for a long time at [Crown]. He went through a lot of tough times. I don’t think it’s the right time to pass judgment like this. ㅠㅠ Just because the music video focused on his eyes doesn’t mean he’s copying Unha. I understand Unha’s fans might be upset, but…]

↳ [@user-kkdmzk41: You being heartbroken changes nothing. They probably know best themselves—that they’re the copy-paste versions of the <Fantasia> members. They definitely know they’re being released as a counter-measure to <Fantasia>. If they know and are doing it, they’re guilty; if they don’t know, they’re stupid.]

[@dnakjndjn33: The music video is even more of a spectacle. Honestly, I’m not sure about the other members, but Unha’s counterpart feels like he’s copying him on purpose. He even used the Charming Charming choreo in the middle… Don’t they get secondhand embarrassment doing that?]

↳ [@Rosmune: The Charming Charming choreo wasn’t Unha’s to begin with. What are you even talking about?]

↳ [@dnakjndjn33: Yep, another plagiarism case~]

[@coin483: Copycat OUT!]

[@1DD324: Copycat OUT!]

[@user-kkdmzk41: If you’re going to copy-paste, at least do it properly. This is just pathetic.]

[@DDTin48: Copycat OUT!]

[@user-joyboy: Copy-paste idolsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

—

Yes.

‘Copycat-dols’.

That was the nickname of [Kingdom], who were currently preparing for their debut.

Honestly….

‘Do we deserve to be called that?’

Lime wasn’t in a state to judge properly. To be more accurate, he was in a state of ‘Whatever happens happens’. Whether people felt they were a copy-paste or not, whether they felt it was a rip-off or not—what did it matter? The only thing that mattered was the fact that he had debuted.

‘Isn’t the general public opinion already shifting toward ‘it’s no big deal’ anyway?’

The negative comments stood out to him, but they were only temporary. Now that international fans were starting to join, those kinds of comments would soon be pushed aside.

While he was letting out a quiet sigh, a voice spoke from beside him. It was Seojun, a member he had trained with for a long time.

“What are you doing, Lime? The manager noona told us not to look at our phones for a while. She said it’ll mess with your head….”

“Nah, I was just looking at the NewTube comments. I don’t go on the community forums.”

“Ah… really?”

“Yeah. You shouldn’t look either if you think it’ll get to you, hyung. That’s all anyone’s talking about.”

“Ah… you mean about us targeting and copying <Fantasia>?”

“Yeah.”

“Shouldn’t you avoid looking at it too?”

“This much is fine. I need to know what’s going on. I’m not so weak that I’d fall apart over something like this… Honestly, right now I’m happier about finally debuting than I am bothered by this controversy….”

“I guess… because you… no, because all of us were desperate.”

Actually, come to think of it, Lime hadn’t been desperate from the very beginning. He was a trainee who had received quite a bit of attention at [Crown]. His debut was considered a certainty. He was different from the other trainees who were always on edge during the monthly evaluations. He had talent, and he had people who recognized that talent.

“Yeah….”

“…….”

He was something like a muse to Kang Hyuk, the CEO of [Crown] who ruled over this massive company. Honestly, he didn’t know if he was actually a muse or not. But at the very least, that was how it looked to him and the other employees. Since he was often asked to go for meals or was personally spoken to, there was simply no denying it.

Despite being a mere trainee, he was in a position to have private conversations with CEO Kang Hyuk; despite being a mere trainee, he was the one receiving the CEO’s affection. CEO Kang Hyuk, who showed zero interest in other debut teams, would smile particularly at him and speak to him warmly.

Yes. It was true he had become a bit arrogant. Until Idol Classism began, he felt like the stage was set entirely for him. That was how it felt until he heard that CEO Kang Hyuk would personally manage the group debuting from Idol Classism. It was how it felt even when he saw the CEO looking at Lee Unha’s Shorts and asking what he thought of him during a meal.

When the Rookie Development Team was suddenly halted and reorganized, and the company atmosphere shifted—amidst those chaotic waves—even when he heard the news that his debut team was cancelled, he still believed everything was being set up for him.

“…….”

Maybe the accident that happened at Crown was actually a stroke of luck for him. The CEO failed to get management rights for <Fantasia> and had to fight against forces trying to smear the company.

And more importantly….

‘I’m right here, about to debut.’

Yes. That was the most important thing.

Even though he heard things like, ‘Try it like Lee Unha, Lime. Do that Charming Charming thing once’, or ‘Put some lenses on him, let’s see if we can make him give off the same feeling as Lee Unha’, or ‘Make your expressions more like Lee Unha, your dance lines too’—those words didn’t really matter to him.

Why?

Because he was going to debut.

And because he’d continue to be nurtured by this agency for years to come.

The crisis had become an opportunity.

He knew the CEO was strangely obsessed with Lee Unha, but that was precisely why this was good. Crown had put them forward as a counter-weapon to crush Fantasia, and they would spare no expense in supporting them.

In fact, everything was flowing smoothly. They were truly providing full support. The group was receiving every bit of infrastructure, benefit, and support this company had ever possessed without missing a single thing.

At first he’d worried because the debut seemed to be happening at lightning speed, but it wasn’t like that at all. From selecting the debut song to recording, the tracks for the mini-album, massive marketing on a scale unimaginable for a small agency, a music video shoot with an excessive amount of capital poured in, and the showcase and album preparation encompassing all of it.

Everything was passing by like clockwork. The fan cafe was growing, and wherever he looked, everyone was talking about [Kingdom].

Trainees didn’t have to worry about anything in this process. They just had to do the work they were given, sing the songs they were given, and dance the dances they were given. They just had to follow the path of the numerous senior idols this agency had produced and made successful in the past.

And he, too, would finally get to live the life of a successful idol he’d only ever watched on TV and on his computer. Pride or an artist’s personal individuality meant nothing. Yes, within this system, those things were meaningless.

Crown was behind them. They had the title of ‘Idols from a Major Agency’. Although not everyone thought like him, and not everyone knew the details as he did…. They would all eventually come to think that way.

“Well… honestly, I’m still stunned too… but I don’t really like this. The CEO told me to my face to copy Joo Wooyoung’s dance lines….”

Even Seojun hyung.

“…….”

“But even if that’s true, so what?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, whether it’s true or not, does it really matter?”

“What?”

“If there are any members stressing over this, make sure you tell them clearly. We are distinctly different from <Fantasia>. Where is there copyright in this? ‘Candy Star’ was originally a Crown song, so it’s only natural it comes to us as a B-side… our debut concept is different, everything is different… nothing is the same… People say we resemble how they looked on <Idol Classism>? Who decided that? If anything, they’re the ones running an anti-viral campaign to bury us, hyung.”

“Lime.”

“We just have to quietly do what we’re told. If you don’t like that, then fine… But isn’t that exactly why you joined Crown in the first place?”

“That’s true. But I’m just saying it’s a bit disappointing. If only we had debuted with the original lineup.”

“Everyone’s been through that. Debut teams get formed and broken apart all the time. It’s common for people who’ve never even seen each other’s faces to suddenly be tied together as a debut group to practice and debut… You know that better than anyone, hyung. In fact, you were the one who was disappointed every time you missed a chance.”

“…….”

“When this fight is over, we’ll be the ones left standing. Crown can make that happen.”

“…….”

“Just look at us. We were all anxious before—but what about now?”

“…….”

“Hyung, do you know how much support we’re getting?”

“…….”

“Everyone in the company is hanging onto us.”

“…….”

“They said they printed 500,000 albums. They printed them all because they’re certain they’ll sell. And that’s not all. Have you seen the music video? Have you noticed that we’re already getting assigned managers?”

“…….”

“How is it?”

“…….”

“Doesn’t success seem easy?”

“…….”

“It feels too easy for me. I used to think it was hard, but now, it seems so simple.”

[Big 4 Agency]

[Crown]

[New Boy Group: Kingdom]

First-week Sales: 684,323 copies

NewTube Views: 71.05 million

Performance Short-form Views: 54.24 million