Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus – Chapter 97

Author: LyraDhani

There was a problem.

It was a total mess. The song being bad was one thing, but the overall atmosphere was even worse.

The vibe of Idol Classism had shifted.

Ever since the giant agency Crown had begun seriously involving itself with Idol Classism, the entire direction of the editing had changed.

Of course, Crown’s participation hadn’t come without its advantages, but it had one overwhelming flaw that canceled out every single benefit.

The songs were terrible. Until now, I hadn’t been able to say it with confidence because I didn’t trust my own judgment, but now I could say it for sure.

‘They’re f**ing sucksl. Seriously.’

Candy Star was crummy, and Hey HEY Hey was crummy too. It wasn’t just me, Jegal Hwi, and the other trainees who felt that way.

Even the fans seemed to hold similar opinions.

[Anonymous]: Is it just me, or is Candy Star bad?

[Honestly, I don’t get the concept. From the music to the lyrics, it’s all so lame that I have no desire to hear it again. I even hate the ‘Candy Star, Candy Star’ parts. It just feels… creepy. I’m saying this cautiously in case there are others who feel the same.]

↳ [Anon: I actually liked it. It suits Unha well? Honestly, isn’t it good? [GIF of Lee Unha’s Candy Star performance]]

↳ [Anon: 22222222. The kids haven’t even debuted yet, can we stop saying it sucks or whatever? And isn’t it natural for the concept to be all over the place? How many different performances came out of just Candy Star? If you aren’t sure, go watch Una’s performance. It feels the closest to what Kang Hyuk envisioned. The other trainees just look like they can’t adapt…]

↳ [Anon: Please stop trying to stir the pot.]

↳ [Anon: Honestly, it’s a fact that it’s lame… it’s painfully bad. As soon as I heard it, I thought Kang Hyuk lost his touch. I don’t know what kind of song he made. Thinking about kids debuting with a song like this makes me want to cry. And to everyone saying it suits Unha, remember that Unha isn’t debuting alone. The problem isn’t that Unha pulled it off. The song itself is just BAD!!!]

↳ [Anon: 22222222]

↳ [Anon: 33333333333333]

↳ [Anon: Is this the first time you’ve seen Unha perfectly pull off a bizarre concept or something? What’s so surprising about that… Looks like the Crown bugs have already shown up.]

↳ [Anon: GTFO]

‘Yeah, there are paid bots here. Definitely.’

And quite a lot of them, too. The marketing campaign was so aggressive that it was becoming obvious. Just looking at the flood of articles about Candy Star that poured out immediately after the episode aired told the whole story.

[Double title tracks for <Idol Classism> debut? Hot reaction to the reveal of the veiled ‘Candy Star’!] [Reporter Kim Daedong, Baekje Ilbo]

‘It wasn’t hot at all. Well, it was hot, but in a bad way.’

[[Interview] “You will face new songs like nothing you’ve heard before.” CEO Kang Hyuk of Crown’s justified confidence!] [Reporter Jo Donggil, Munhwa Today]

‘It certainly is a new song unlike anything I’ve heard. Because I’ve never heard anything this bad.’

[The next-gen boy group to swallow the 4th generation idol scene, ready to take over the industry with double title ‘Candy Star’.] [Reporter Yu Hwan, Idol News]

‘I don’t think we’ll be taking over anything. I can guarantee that.’

The sheer volume of articles that looked like they had copy-pasted titles from the 90s was surprising even to me.

It made me immediately understand why so many trainees preferred signing with major entertainment companies.

It even made me wonder whether people’s actual opinions of Candy Star mattered all that much. If they kept manufacturing public opinion like this, the audience would eventually get used to it.

But coming from a major agency didn’t guarantee success.

There had been plenty of groups that debuted with great fanfare only to stumble because of unfortunate circumstances. Even if they received massive pushes and support before debut, many teams ended up wandering the middle of the streaming charts before disbanding without a sound.

Of course, chart performance wasn’t the only measure of popularity or success. Some groups even focused almost entirely on album sales backed by fiercely loyal fans, practically ignoring digital streaming altogether.entirely.

But,

Nevertheless,

Everyone knew that if you wanted to take the next step upward, you absolutely needed good songs.

Not just industry insiders, but even regular fans knew this.

Since Joo Wooyoung aimed to be the best idol in the world….

‘This won’t cut it.’

“…….”

‘F*ck, Candy Star and Hey HEY Hey… We can’t make it with songs like these…’

I had no choice but to realize that a team that hadn’t even debuted yet was already facing a crisis.

This was, without a doubt, a song that wouldn’t last on streaming sites. On the day they were first released, the fandom’s support might be enough to push them into the rankings, but eventually, it would be ignored by the general public and kicked off the rankings.

Of course, I might just have been imagining the absolute worst-case scenario, but this was how Lee Unha had always lived.

I survived the mad dark mage’s lab by always assuming the worst and preparing for it.

And since I couldn’t guarantee this would be the last quest waiting for me, I had to start laying a solid foundation for the people who would debut through Idol Classism now.

‘This is driving me crazy, seriously.’

My head was spinning as one problem after another piled up all at once, but I knew exactly what procedure I had to follow.

Thinking about it, it was the simplest and most effective method.

‘Why don’t I just… get rid of Crown? No, more specifically, get rid of Kang Hyuk?’

I couldn’t guarantee whether this would work. There was no assurance that, even if some scandal broke out, the bastard wouldn’t simply shamelessly brazen it out.

“…….”

‘Still, it’s not impossible.’

As I was sorting through my thoughts, Jegal Hwi’s voice reached my ears.

I don’t know if my earlier comment set things in motion, but it was the first time he had called me first. An unexpected strategy meeting began.

“So, what do you think?”

His voice sounded unusually restless, completely unlike him, so I answered immediately.

“I already told you before. I said something felt off. But then you started saying weird things about how I was being self-conscious and how I should trust the company, so I was thrown off for a while.”

“…….”

“I thought maybe my ears were the problem. But today I became certain. This song is bad.”

“…….”

“Like you said, hyung, if we debut with this, we’ll be a laughingstock.”

“So, do you think there’s any way to fix it?”

“No. There’s no way the trainees can overturn something like this through normal means. Honestly, what kind of miracle solution are we supposed to come up with just by talking among ourselves? The one fortunate thing is that this group doesn’t seem to belong entirely to Crown…”

“Not entirely under Crown? What do you mean by that?”

“I can’t say for sure, but I’m certain it isn’t fully owned by Crown. I think it’s more accurate to say they’ve created a completely separate subsidiary. I’m still a little confused about what that actually means, but… let me give you an example. Imagine they’ve baked a huge cake specifically for this group, and everyone’s sharing it. Kang Hyuk, who invested the most money, gets the biggest slice.”

“So Crown owns something like the management rights that happened to roll into its hands. Acting like the owner of the cake without actually being the owner… and I assume the people who contributed money to buy the cake all agreed on this?”

“Yes. I suspect they hold management rights, not ownership. If they did, things would be very different. This is just my opinion, but I don’t think those other high-ups will give up their shares. It’s embarrassing to say it myself, but haven’t I become a hot topic on Idol Classism? Even if it’s just recognition, that recognition looks like statistics to them… do you think they’ll give up easily?”

“…….”

“I wouldn’t be able to give it up if I were them. But I also don’t think Crown will invest enough to buy out all those shares….”

“…….”

“Anyway, the important thing is that it’s not a structure where CEO Kang Hyuk can do whatever he wants. If Kang Hyuk slips up once, there are plenty of other shareholders drooling to take over….”

“It’s practically a den of demons.”

“Ah. Yes. Calling it a den of demons isn’t exactly a common expression… but yes, I suppose that’s an accurate way to put it.”

“If what you’re saying is true, then changing the debut song isn’t entirely impossible.”

“Mmm… theoretically, yes. Kang Hyuk isn’t the sole owner of the cake. Besides, we aren’t debuting immediately after the show ends. hey won’t take a whole year since they need to capitalize before the show’s popularity fades, but who knows what could happen during that time?”

“…….”

“For all we know, Kang Hyuk could get into some kind of unexpected accident. Or maybe some hidden scandal he’s been keeping under wraps could come to light.”

“…….”

“If a controversy that goes against general social norms breaks out… like you said, the others in that ‘den’ will swarm to tear CEO Kang Hyuk apart. An idol can’t exactly debut with songs from a controversial composer and producer, so they’d have to find an alternative. The debut might be delayed, but I don’t think the delay is what’s important. I think it’s more important to debut properly than to just ride the show’s momentum….”

“So. You’re saying… we should rely on heaven?”

“Not exactly, but it’s close enough. Unless God intervenes, I don’t think it’s possible to replace both songs right now.”

I spoke calmly, but….

I couldn’t help but think that Kang Hyuk absolutely had to be dragged down.

All or nothing.

My options were limited, but….

After coming this far, I couldn’t let everything crash into ruin.

“…….”

I turned my head slightly and saw Jegal Hwi quietly stroking his chin. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but….

As though he had reached a major decision… he quietly muttered to himself…

“I’ll have to take care of it.”

‘And what exactly can you do?’