Chapter 114

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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‘What’s wrong with TeStar’s Rookie of the Year award again.’

I roughly guessed what kind of story it would be, but I gave it a click once.

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[Isn’t it a bit much for TeStar to get the Rookie of the Year award?]
: Shouldn’t they be seen as an extension of Idol Inc. rather than a normally debuted rookie?
I think they should be seen as an entertainment project. Honestly, they are stealing opportunities from other new groups.
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As expected.

‘I roughly expected this reaction too.’

Wasn’t it the same thing I heard when our activities overlapped with VTIC? That we were the ones ruining the ecosystem.

Honestly, I understand.

‘Idol Inc. was just too successful.’

Since they were a group that debuted with the halo of such a popular audition program, it wasn’t strange even if words like the tyranny of broadcasting stations or large corporations came out.

However, since the participants suffered terribly while filming that entertainment show, and for Season 3, the higher-ups almost let go of it because they thought it would fail in the first place, it’s a bit unfair to be criticized blindly.

‘Anyway, the public opinion is not strong enough to change the current trend.’

Looking at the comments, it was already a one-sided atmosphere where it was embarrassing to even say they were fighting.

-The entertainment show was an idol audition, what are you talking about;
└Isn’t it more of a foul because it’s an idol audition..?
└What foul, if someone saw this they’d think idol auditions are illegalㅋㅋㅋ
-What’s this, I was writing a long reply to answer seriously, is it aggro?
-There are so many idols from audition programs, should they all be treated as fraudulent debuts then?ㅋㅋㅋ Is it because Idol Inc. went so well that all sorts of strange claims are coming out?
-You like a group that was pushed back from the Rookie of the Year award this year, fighting!
-I also think the Idol Inc. program itself is anomalous, but that doesn’t mean the TeStar kids aren’t qualified as rookies.
-You’ve gone too far ㅉㅉ

The later comments mostly ended with mockery toward the writer.

‘Hmm, this kind of atmosphere isn’t very good either.’

It seemed correct that this post was aggro, but the problem was that comments mocking the results of rookie groups that debuted this year appeared occasionally.

They didn’t seem to be TeStar fans, but just people who found situations where they could mock someone interesting.

-Well, even the kids who came out the best among rookies this year barely sold 80,000 copies……ㅋㅋ
└ㅋㅋㅋHeol, it’s not even a contest
└Isn’t it a bit much to feel it’s a waste to give the Rookie of the Year award with these results?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’m feeling secondhand embarrassmentㅠ

‘It’s not good to give room for enmity with fans of rookie groups that debuted this year for no reason like this.’

That point was a bit uncomfortable, but it wasn’t a big problem.

It wasn’t a post that received enough attention to appear as a popular post, and TeStar’s results were not so mediocre that they couldn’t receive it because someone was displeased.

I shrugged my shoulders and just went out to another page.

And until the next week, when we were in the middle of preparing for year-end practice, I didn’t have big worries about the Rookie of the Year award.

* * *

Humidity built up on the mirror in the choreography practice room.

“Rest, hoo, let’s go again~”

“Heok…….”

“I-I’m dying.”

If Cha Yujin says something like that, I think the state of the other guys has all been explained without having to say it.

‘Cha Yujin… might have the hardest time though.’

It’s because there is a quite long part where Cha Yujin performs a solo choreography in the song we are practicing now.

Because we even put in a part where he rides a mid-air device in the middle, I think the finished product will be cool… but the problem is that it’s damn hard for the person doing it.

“Want some water?”

“Yes…….”

I threw a bottle of mineral water I was taking care of to Cha Yujin.

“…Me, too,”

“Me too, please, Moondae’s mercy.”

I threw water to both Sejins who were far away. And temporarily, the practice room became quiet. Everyone was sticking water into their mouths and pouring it.

Only after quite some time had passed did Seon Ahyun speak while watching the mood.

“St-Still… I think it will be cool when we do it.”

“Right.”

“If the camera captures it properly, it seems it will be a wonderful stage.”

At Kim Raebin’s words, snickers burst out from here and there. And Kim Raebin was slightly flustered, unable to know why people were laughing.

‘Funny guy.’

I let out a hollow laugh and took out my smartphone. I planned to use the intermission to check the progress of the Rookie of the Year award voting.

However, as the manager came into the choreography practice room holding a bunch of drinks, I naturally ended up putting down the phone.

“Hyung!”

“Coffee!”

“Thank you so much for making it iced…….”

The manager asked while handing over the drinks.

“Right…. Guys. Is practice going well?”

“Yes!”

“If we maintain the practice schedule as it is, I think we will handle it well at the award ceremony.”

“Hmm, that’s good! But guys, sit down for a bit.”

“……?”

Ryu Chungwoo, who was delivering the progress as the representative, was a bit flustered but soon gathered the members calmly.

“Why?”

“…Is there an additional schedule?”

“No, it’s not that. Hmm…….”

The manager had an awkward face. After hesitating a few times, he soon continued his words seriously.

“Tomorrow… they say an article is likely to appear. Regarding Idol Inc.”

“…!”

“T-Net tried to block it as much as possible, but it seems it didn’t work well. We are also preparing a response article, so don’t worry too much.”

“…What kind of article is it?”

“Hmm, it’s a rumor circulating about participating in Idol Inc., but it’ll be fine because we already have all the rebuttal materials. …Especially since they seem to have nitpicked at Chungwoo, Chungwoo, don’t be flustered.”

I barely held back a groan.

‘Of all things, it exploded now.’

This is 100% a controversy over relatives with the writer.

‘Since the writer also kept her mouth shut, I thought nothing would happen for about a year.’

Since the group is doing so well, it seems many guys digging into us have attached themselves.

Whether Ryu Chungwoo also guessed this case, he had a dark face but didn’t seem flustered.

However, he asked cautiously.

“…Do I have to say anything else separately?”

“I haven’t heard such a story……. Wait.”

The manager went out to talk on the phone again with a flustered face.

And the atmosphere of the remaining members naturally sagged. It was because the adrenaline that was offsetting the fatigue of practice disappeared due to the news just now.

Big Sejin asked seriously.

“Hyung-nim, you must be tired, but can we also hear a brief explanation of what’s going on?”

“…Of course.”

Ryu Chungwoo repeated the same words to the members as if he were telling me the whole story at the drinking session last time.

To sum up, the writer reached out to him, a distant relative whom he had almost never even seen his face, through the clan association for recruitment.

Whether most of them felt that it wouldn’t flare up into a big problem if only the explanation went well, they were relieved.

“Hmm, then you guys are nothing to each other~”

“Right. …I think it won’t spread much once the explanation goes in.”

Ryu Chungwoo still had a bitter face.

“I’m sorry for creating a useless controversy at an important time.”

“I-It’s okay! Hyung, don’t worry too much and……”

“Well, what can we do about what has already happened~ Let’s hope it gets resolved well!”

Bae Sejin slightly added words.

“…Ryu Chungwoo, if it’s like that for you, I should have already left the group.”

“……!”

This guy is doing self-deprecating jokes now too.

And Cha Yujin answered brightly.

“That’s true!”

“Hey!”

“Haha!”

Because the huffed-up Bae Sejin was funny, the atmosphere loosened up a bit.

“It’s not like worrying will solve anything~ Shall we continue practicing?”

“That is a wise decision.”

The manager who returned after finishing the phone call was somewhat taken aback to see us starting practice again, but went back relieved.

And the next morning, after I had just slept due to fatigue regardless of worries or anything, articles appeared one after another.

[TeStar’s Ryu Chungwoo, recruited by Idol Inc.’s writer through ‘Relative Chance’]
[The uncomfortable truth of audition programs, even TeStar has the power of blood ties?]
[TeStar debuted through Idol Inc. The writer’s relative was the former medalist Ryu Chungwoo.]

It was the expected lineup.

Comments quickly grew on a few articles that appeared in the social section, not the entertainment section.

“Don’t look at the comments.”

“…I got it.”

Ryu Chungwoo had a worried face.

“……The fans must be having a hard time.”

“…….”

Fortunately, rebuttal articles also appeared immediately in succession.

[T1 Stars ‘The writer is a relative? Ryu Chungwoo is someone who had never even seen her face’]
[The Idol Inc. writer is more distant than the 15th degree from Ryu Chungwoo… she wasn’t even a relative.]

Usually, in this case, rebuttal articles often failed to receive proper attention.

But because the response was made immediately within a very short time, and Ryu Chungwoo’s existing image was good, it could rise to the top of the portal news tab.

Of course, the fans’ efforts were big.

-It seems she went all the way to the clan association while trying to contact Ryu Chungwoo somehow? If it’s that timing, the writer hit the jackpot, but Ryu Chungwoo was deceived by the Flop-usaㅋㅋㅋ (Up 11026 Down 1501)
-You are strangers from the 9th degree, but if it’s the 15th degree, it’s at the level of enemies ? ? ? (Up 8490 Down 422)
-15th degree? This is honestly like nitpicking. Even if I were the writer, if there’s someone from the national team, I’d recruit them ? ? ? ? ? ? (Up 6178 Down 759)

Most of the TeStar group fans were convinced, and public opinion quickly entered a recovery phase.

A separate contact also came from the company’s media promotion team.

“They say there won’t be a big problem. Still, let’s refrain from SNS for a while, Chungwoo-ya.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

Ryu Chungwoo seemed relieved, but he seemed somewhat troubled because he couldn’t post anything like an apology or thanks to the fans.

I held back a sigh.

‘…It would be a bit much to say this.’

In fact, I confirmed that the full-scale recovery of public opinion failed in a few internet communities.

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[Is it just me who feels uneasy even after seeing Ryu Chungwoo’s rebuttal article?]
: To just pass it off as ‘they are just distant relatives so it’s not blood ties~’, Ryu Chungwoo received too good editing in Idol Inc.
I think the fact that he entered through recruitment without properly seeing the preliminary is a foul. We don’t know what kind of deal there might have been in the recruitment process.
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-I agree with everything in the post
-No, when Ryu Chungwoo was recruited, it was when everyone said Idol Inc. Season 3 would fail… Isn’t that going too far?
└Even after Idol Inc. became a huge success, Ryu Chungwoo’s screen time was consistently good. Honestly, wasn’t it strange that only Ryu Chungwoo was continuously the image of a tragic leader?
-I think it’s inevitable to be suspicious
-The shield of Ryu Chungwoo being from the national team has been uneasy since Idol Inc., and now the talk is coming out properly
-Recruitment…ㅋㅋㅋ They probably said they’d send him all the way to the final somehow. It’s annoying, someone couldn’t even get proper screen time, but Ryu Chungwoo was recruited?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The suspicion and criticism toward Ryu Chungwoo gradually became stronger in intensity, and eventually, the arrow aimed at the whole of TeStar.

-Honestly, I…ㅋㅋ Hmm, I’m more afraid of the fans so I can’t say more
└ㅋㅋㅋI’ll do it for you! No, was it only Ryu Chungwoo~ Actually, all the debut group members received editing benefits~
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋRefreshing
└This is the place where fans will soon have a seizure.
└Prediction: Didn’t so-and-so receive bad editing? They rose to the stage with almost no screen time?
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋExactly the same
└Smoothing over that bad editing later was just deceiving themselves, I really hate to see those fans and those singers..

Of course, because this atmosphere was not normal, it didn’t last long and subsided to some extent.

It was because people who were tired, saying it wasn’t a matter to this extent, took the mainstream in the end.

The company seemed to have pushed it back in priority while concentrating on settling mainstream media, thinking that these places would move on soon once another issue exploded.

So the public opinion doubting TeStar’s legitimacy did not disappear immediately and remained uncomfortably.

And not long after, eventually, even this story began to come out again.

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[Speaking of TeStar’s Rookie of the Year award]
: The results are facts, so the Popularity Award or the Bonsang can’t be helped… but I want to give at least the Rookie of the Year award to another groupㅠㅠ The kids who were robbed are so pitiful..
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If there was a difference from last time, it was that people who actively responded were created.