I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed Chapter 71

Chapter 71

 

30 minutes ago.

“Yes, we’ll wrap up the rehearsal for the My girl team.”

“Thank you!”

After the full rehearsal ended, PD Seon went over the stage one more time.

“Check the LED one more time.”

“Yes.”

“Make sure there are no problems with the set installation all the way to the end.”

“Yes, sir–”

After Yoo Seongwoo’s previous accident, he had become obsessed with safety. There was no such thing as getting a second chance at anything.

“PD-nim!”

The youngest writer came running over, barely able to catch her breath.

Her face had gone completely pale.

“PD-nim, we have a big problem!”

PD Seon instinctively pressed between his brows.

“What?”

“A post went up…”

‘Don’t tell me, again?’

It hadn’t even been that long since the Hwang Geon-hee incident ended.

“Who is it this time?”

“It’s… about trainee Go Jae-seong.”

For a moment, his mind went blank.

“Huh? Who?”

“Trainee Go Jae-seong.”

Hwang Geon-hee had at least been outside the debut lineup. It had been a major problem, but that meant it was still something that could be handled by having him leave the show.

But Go Jae-seong was different.

Not only was he highly likely to debut, but he had even been Code 1. And the name of a trainee like that had come up. Just 30 minutes before the on-site evaluation, no less.

Even for a veteran like him, this was enough to make his vision swim.

“What happened?”

“A plagiarism exposé was posted.”

“……What?”

“They say the choreography for the Round 4 stage… was plagiarized.”

And it was far more serious than he had expected. The plagiarism controversy alone would be damaging, but on top of that, the stage that had actually aired on television was plagiarized.

PD Seon barely managed to swallow his curse. The youngest writer hurriedly held out her phone.

“The board is going crazy.”

In just a few minutes, the entire board had been turned upside down.

 

[Is this about Go Jae-seong actually true?]

[It’s not even plagiarism-level; it’s basically a copy-paste.]

[Fucking hell, looks like he’s getting kicked off.]

[I saw the post from Seori, the choreographer, and it’s bad.]

 

The number of comments was increasing in real time.

“Seori? Who’s that?”

“She’s a choreographer. She’s so unknown that she doesn’t even come up when you search for her, so we didn’t know either…”

PD Seon immediately clicked on the post.

 

[Is this about Go Jae-seong actually true?]

> Apparently most of the choreography from Round 4 was plagiarized from their choreography?

↳ Huh?? Who’s Seori?

 ↳↳ I heard of her for the first time this time too;;

↳ What are they talking about;; I’ve watched the Chase choreography video a lot, but I’ve never seen that name lol. Isn’t she just trying to get attention by using Jae-seong’s name?

 ↳↳ Nope. Go read the exposé. The video was uploaded before Boys Code even started.

 ↳↳ Really?

↳ I just read the exposé, and it’s pretty bad.

↳ But can choreography even be considered plagiarism? There’s no copyright on it.

 ↳↳ Even if there isn’t, it’s still not the right thing to do;;

 ↳↳ Exactly. I’m saying it’s just a matter of ethics, so can you even call it plagiarism?

 ↳↳ Stop obsessing over the word and look at the context.

 

“This is fucking insane, seriously…”

He immediately opened the original exposé.

The more he read, the stiffer his expression became.

 

[Reporting choreography plagiarism on Boys Code.]

I am a choreographer currently working under the name Seori. My choreography was used without permission on an idol survival show called Boys Code, so I am writing this post to report the matter.

A considerable portion of the choreography from the Boys Code Round 4 ‘Chase’ stage matches the choreography in a cover video I uploaded last year.

I was informed of this fact by a fellow choreographer a week ago, but since this is the first time something like this has happened to me, it took some time to organize my statement.

I am well aware that choreography does not have copyright protection and that referencing and imitation are unavoidable areas of the creative process. As someone who creates choreography myself, I have also been influenced by the choreography of various choreographers.

However, the trainee stated on the broadcast that he created all of the choreography himself. Did he really happen to create choreography that was exactly the same as mine by coincidence? One or two moves could be similar, but the sections I have compiled as suspected plagiarism alone amount to more than one minute.

I have attached a comparison timeline below, so I will leave the judgment to you.

‘Timeline of choreography suspected of plagiarism’

…

I am an unknown choreographer. So I suppose he thought nobody would know. I never imagined something like this would happen to me either. I never thought anyone besides me and my acquaintances would have seen this video.

 

No matter how unknown the choreographer who created it may be, my choreography is still an incredibly precious creation to me. Having your creation taken away is, to a creator, like having your child taken away.

I will wait for a sincere apology from the trainee and a correction broadcast from the Boys Code production team.

Thank you for reading this long post.

 

Posts analyzing and comparing Seori’s choreography with Go Jae-seong’s were already rapidly appearing on the board.

 

[Seori vs. Go Jae-seong choreography plagiarism analysis]

[Not even plagiarism-level; it’s just copy-paste.]

[What do you think will happen?]

> Let’s do a poll lol. Go Jae-seong gets kicked off vs. doesn’t get kicked off.

↳ I don’t think he’ll get kicked off. Honestly, he’s not even a professional choreographer; he’s a trainee. Isn’t it possible to reference something while making choreography? Kicking him off over this is too much.

 ↳↳ Here comes another Go fan.

 ↳↳ So if I say something correct, I’m a Go fan? Fine, I’ll be a Go fan thenㅇㅇ

 ↳↳ They say fans resemble their faves, and I guess it’s true…

   ↳↳ Yep, reported you and everything. Good work.

↳ Of course he should get kicked off lol. Our kid got kicked off when the only evidence was an exposé post and screenshots of messages, and this guy is even more blatantly guilty. He should leave.

 ↳↳ The Hwang & Go alliance is collapsing like this lol KEKEK

 ↳↳ Instead of Hwang & Go, how about calling them the Scandalz?

 ↳↳ Fuck off. The exposé guy apologized to the person who exposed him later and they settled things. Don’t lump them together.

 

[Go fans]

> Let’s just ignore itㅇㅇ. Today is the on-site evaluation anyway, so the Go fans who are actually at the venue probably don’t even know what’s happening, right? Even if some unknown choreographer posts an exposé, the general public won’t care lol. Boys Code is a show that only the people who already watch it care about anyway.

↳ As if you could fucking ignore it lol.

↳ But Go fans, wouldn’t it be better if he just fell out? Things are already going to go badly in the internal evaluation now that this happened, and the agency’s internal evaluation gets factored into the final. Just apologize now and wait until he debuts at another agencyㅇㅇ

 ↳↳ Talking shit because it’s someone else’s problem lol.

 

This wasn’t just bait. It was an exposé that had been thoroughly prepared before being posted.

“When was it uploaded?”

“Twenty minutes ago.”

“Twenty minutes?”

PD Seon checked the time. Exactly 30 minutes remained until the on-site evaluation.

“What about Nix?”

“We already contacted them.”

“What did they say?”

“They just said they’re looking into it.”

He swallowed another curse.

“‘Looking into it,’ my ass.”

At this point, responding had to come before fact-checking.

There was just one problem: the audience had already begun entering the venue.

“First, make sure you thoroughly check the audience’s phones. The moment anyone even takes one out, kick them out immediately.”

“Yes!”

If the audience found out too? Today’s on-site evaluation would become a public execution rather than a performance.

“Where’s Go Jae-seong?”

“In the waiting room.”

“Bring him here. Now.”

The production staff quietly called Go Jae-seong, who had been going over the final formations, out of the waiting room.

“What’s going on?”

Go Jae-seong looked like he had no idea what was happening.

“Jae-seong, have you ever referenced other choreographers’ work when making choreography up until now?”

PD Seon got straight to the point.

“What?”

“Ha, I’m asking if you’ve ever plagiarized choreography.”

The air froze.

“What are you talking about……”

Perhaps realizing that something was seriously wrong, Go Jae-seong blinked.

“Why are you doing this, PD-nim? You’re scaring me.”

“Take a look at this.”

He held out his phone, and Go Jae-seong’s eyes fell onto the screen.

Without saying anything, he quietly scrolled down.

And in an instant, his expression collapsed.

Ah. PD Seon became certain at that moment.

It’s over. The entire exposé is true.

“Jae-seong.”

Go Jae-seong slowly raised his head.

His face had gone deathly pale.

“Explain this.”

“……”

“Is this true?”

His lips moved several times.

“……I’m sorry.”

But there wasn’t even room for an excuse. The exposé was that conclusive.

“I……”

Go Jae-seong, unable to continue for a while, covered his face with both hands.

“……I’m sorry.”

PD Seon briefly closed his eyes.

It was the worst.

“You can’t do anything about today’s stage, but after that, we’ll decide whether you leave the show together with your agency.”

“I-I’m sorry. I wanted to debut so badly…”

It was clearly a wrongdoing that could not be defended. But he couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh to a trainee crying that he had simply wanted it too badly.

“I think…… I must have been crazy……”

PD Seon silently put a hand to his forehead.

His head throbbed at the thought of all the article headlines that would pour out from here on. The criticism would never stop, saying that they had pressured young trainees to the point of making them suffer under unbearable stress.

“We’ll check how you made the choreography, and whether you really made it alone. We’ll confirm everything after today’s filming.”

“Yes, yes…… I’m sorry. For causing trouble for the program……”

He was crying so pitifully that the production staff who had always had a favorable impression of him looked at him sympathetically.

“Go for now. We’ll be filming soon.”

Go Jae-seong tried to stand, but staggered.

“Good grief, can you make it by yourself?”

“I’m okay, I’m sorry…… Hngh!”

“Anyone can make a mistake. It’s okay. Let’s go for now.”

“Slowly…”

Several members of the production staff continued to look at him sympathetically until the very end.

But PD Seon did not.

Articles, statements, his departure, editing, reshoots, complaints, real-time reactions, and today’s on-site evaluation.

A flood of things he had to deal with poured through his mind.

“Prepare a statement.”

He stood from his seat.

“First, say that we’re checking the facts.”

“Yes.”

“And set up a meeting with Nix immediately.”

“Understood.”

“Check whether it has spread to the audience as well.”

“Yes.”

He rubbed his face with both hands.

Seriously, even for him, this was the first time he had experienced an idol survival show with such an endless stream of incidents and accidents.

 

***

 

As Go Jae-seong headed toward the waiting room with the support of the production staff, he forced a smile at the people who had helped him.

“Thank you…… I can go by myself from here.”

“Still, at least until the waiting room……”

“I don’t want to make the team members worry.”

The production staff patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you!”

The moment he turned around, the smile on his lips disappeared in an instant.

‘What went wrong?’

The more he walked, the more tangled his thoughts became.

‘Why is that choreographer showing up now? The special stage was definitely…’

Before his regression, he had heard that choreography had been purchased for the year-end stage, but there was no reason for him to remember the choreographer’s name.

No, had he even heard the choreographer’s name in the first place?

Even after seeing the name ‘Seori,’ nothing came to mind. Besides, the video that had been sent as a draft before his regression wasn’t even the video that had been uploaded now.

‘I naturally thought it was the choreography I made back then!’

He gripped his trembling left hand with his right.

“How did it even get known to the choreographer?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Go Jae-seong let out a hollow laugh.

“……Yuzu.”

His breath caught.

If Yuzu hadn’t uploaded his stage to SNS.

If that video hadn’t spread.

The unknown choreographer would never have discovered his choreography.

Who could have imagined that Yuzu’s kindness, the very thing that had made him famous, would bring about such a butterfly effect?

He immediately entered the bathroom.

He turned the faucet all the way on. He splashed cold water onto his face over and over again.

When he raised his head, he saw himself in the mirror.

A face without a trace of color, bloodshot eyes, an expression that could barely breathe properly.

After staring at the mirror for a long while, he slowly steadied his breathing.

‘……It’s not over yet.’

The agency hadn’t decided to kick him off yet.

Today’s stage was still left.

It wasn’t over.

Not yet.

He pressed his bloodshot eyes with his fingers.

He needed to calm them down a little.

He couldn’t look too fine, but he also couldn’t look too broken.

This much was just right.

Just enough for people to feel sorry for him.

And just enough for those who would still call themselves his fans even after this incident came to feel satisfied.

He looked into the mirror and tried changing his expression one by one.

The corners of his mouth, his gaze, his breathing.

After practicing over and over, he selected the most natural-looking face.

Only then did his heartbeat begin to settle little by little.

“Phew……”

The fear and panic from moments ago had disappeared. All that remained was calculation.

‘If I get kicked off?’

He could find another agency.

‘If I survive?’

Even the controversy would become attention.

The important thing was not disappearing. Not from the public’s sight, nor from their attention.

Go Jae-seong looked at his reflection in the mirror.

The smile he had just created hung at the corners of his mouth.

And as though nothing had happened, he opened the bathroom door.

To return, once again, to trainee Go Jae-seong of Boys Code.