Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 239

On my way back from a quick trip to the restroom during a break.

Unintentionally, I witnessed two members of the OnlyBoys from the Blue Team, their manager, and the choreographer responsible for this cheering dance, engaged in a serious and somewhat tense conversation.

There was only one hallway back to the practice room, but somehow, it felt like I shouldn’t just pass by.

I hid my body near the wall by the restroom door.

“What do you mean it’s difficult to participate?”

“Just as I said. Please remove Hee-seop and Geon from the parts I mentioned.”

I had a hunch about which parts they were referring to.

The cheering dance included particularly dangerous acrobatic moves.

Earlier, while practicing, everyone in the practice room had been on edge, nervously watching in case those two might get seriously hurt doing the acrobatics.

I didn’t want to get injured either, so I understood the manager’s point.

The bigger issue was the manager’s attitude.

It was like he was ready for a fight.

The choreographer, who momentarily had an exasperated look, seemed to decide to speak calmly and continued the conversation in a restrained voice.

“Who isn’t precious? It’s too late to back out after deciding and practicing till now. If they don’t do it, there’s no one else who can. Both Hee-seop and Geon were doing just fine earlier, no worries.”

Then, Ahn Hee-seop retorted in a rebellious tone.

“We’ve been doing it because we had no choice! It’s been six years already, if there’s no one else to replace us, why don’t you just remove the choreography altogether?”

Just as the choreographer was about to speak out in anger, the manager intervened again.

“I’ll handle it, so you two head back to the practice room.”

“Manager, we’re really scared. We almost made a mistake earlier…”

Geon, who had been quiet, was heard pleading with the manager as Hee-seop exploded.

The manager, who managed to calm them down, sent them back to the practice room and faced the choreographer again.

“Considering I overlooked their 40-minute tardiness, did you not think about how this would affect your reputation in the industry?”

Right. The team that had been nearly 40 minutes late earlier was them.

The manager almost ignored the choreographer’s words and continued with what he wanted to say.

“You heard the kids say they’re scared. Their knees aren’t in good condition, and with the overseas tour in the latter half of the year, we’re sensitive too. I hope you understand that. If they get hurt doing this, the losses are too great for us.”

It would have been better if it ended there.

But the manager, despite trying to speak reasonably, just had to add a nasty remark.

“And honestly, insisting on acrobatics at this stage is too outdated, don’t you think? These aren’t backup dancers, the value of idols these days is enormous.”

The choreographer looked extremely upset, having his career and identity as a dancer dismissed by the manager.

Both sides looked displeased, and it seemed unlikely the matter would be resolved amicably.

“Are you done talking…”

“Sorry, but I have some urgent matters to attend to.”

The manager, who didn’t look sorry at all, said a few more words to the almost exploding choreographer and then left.

A moment later, the choreographer also walked away in the opposite direction, his face full of displeasure.

‘I wonder how this will turn out…’

When I returned to the practice room, RaviRik’s Rai, who was talking with a group member near the door, spotted me and greeted me warmly.

“Oh, Raon, where did you go? People were looking for you.”

“I just went to the restroom for a moment. I got a bit lost on the way…”

In truth, I was late because I was avoiding the fight, but there was no need to explain that.

Rai chuckled briefly at my words.

“Our company building is a bit complicated.”

“It’s fine.”

“Um, it might be sudden, but could you give me your number?”

“My number?”

I had heard that team leaders were chosen for their outgoing personalities, but this sudden request?

“Actually, I’ve heard a lot about you from Juan and wanted to get to know you better.”

“From Juan?”

Where doesn’t that guy get involved?

“Yes. He said you’re a kind and diligent junior. But when I said I never talked to you and didn’t have your number, he teased me a lot, so I thought I’d get closer to you than him.”

Rai seemed to be good friends with Juan, who was the same age.

“And usually, on the first day of cheering practice, people talk a lot. Orca couldn’t greet you earlier because he was in a hurry.”

“Sorry for being late…”

Rai waved his hand dismissively at my apology.

“No, no, I’m not blaming you. I was just saying you’ll meet a lot of people as you greet them. Since almost everyone gathers where there aren’t many eyes watching. So if you suddenly make connections in August or September, it’s all because of Atchedae. And since we’ll be seeing each other for at least 2 or 3 years, if not up to 6 years, it’s good to get close early.”

Ju-an was very much like him, always giving long explanations even when not asked.

But he would get mad if I said that.

Anyway, Rai was a senior without any scandals and had a good impression, so I quickly became close with him.

This was largely due to Rai’s strong determination to become closer to me than to Ju-an, the leader of the Black Team.

And indeed, Rai was right.

When I recovered and returned as an MC for Music Pangpang, there were already signs compared to before.

But today, it felt particularly more like something serious was going on. It felt like a customary atmosphere.

Everyone casually approached me, expressing their expectations for this activity and suggesting we take a selfie together. Then they saw my face and hesitated briefly, regretting their words as they opened their selfie apps.

I knew their emotions changed because the affinity notification window detailed it. Larry must have had nothing better to do.

Of course, not everyone viewed us favorably.

Some people talked to me with a smile but looked at me with thinly veiled displeasure, lowering their affinity for me.

For example, the members of OnlyBoys I saw in the hallway earlier.

[OnlyBoys’ Ahn Hee-seop dislikes you and Orca because he thinks you gained popularity easily with just your good looks. Ahn Hee-seop’s affinity -5, current affinity -12]

The whole world now recognized how much I struggled, so what nonsense was this?

Fortunately, OnlyBoys had participated in the Idol Sports Championship for six years.

Like graduating from elementary school after six years, any team attending for six consecutive years was usually allowed to leave. Hence, they might not appear next year.

So, this year was the problem.

…It should be okay, right?

—

Remembering the rule that dating reduces intelligence, On Raon and the members of Orca did their best to cut off any romantic advances, regardless of practice or break time.

Thanks to On Raon, who had built connections as a Music Pangpang MC, and the contributions of Ban Yo-han and Seo Moon-gyeol from the basketball team.

By actively interacting with senior male singers, Orca managed to somewhat change the ambiguous reputation they had since debut of only mingling among themselves.

During the break, the Idol Sports Championship production crew collected all equipment except a few self-cams for later YouTube channel uploads.

As a result, the gathered idols could practice more comfortably than before.

But only for a while.

“Attention, please.”

The choreographer, who had clashed with OnlyBoys’ manager during the break, stepped forward to draw everyone’s attention.

“Does anyone know acro…?”

The choreographer, initially about to say “acrobatics,” changed his words, fearing that mentioning acrobatics from the start might make some idols reluctant.

“Is there any graduate from Han La Art School’s practical dance department here?”

Idols, including Seo Moon-gyeol and Gyun Seong-ha, who graduated from the practical dance department of Han La Art School, cautiously raised their hands.

Seo Moon-gyeol, standing next to On Raon, raised his arm on his behalf since the school name still felt unfamiliar to him.

“If you graduated from Han La, you must have learned the basics there. Could you each try an acrobatic move?”

So it comes to this.

On Raon, who had witnessed the conflict between the choreographer and OnlyBoys, noticed that the idols who quickly grasped the situation had slightly displeased expressions.

“It’s no big deal, just that Hee-seop and Geon seem to feel burdened this time, so I want to see if anyone can substitute.”

Though no one readily stepped forward, they couldn’t openly refuse to even try in front of everyone.

“I can’t remember, it’s been so long.”

“It’s fine. Just follow these basic moves. We’re only assessing potential.”

Each idol, in turn, performed a basic acrobatic move, whether clumsily or fairly well, and finally, it was On Raon’s turn.

Knowing On Raon’s condition, the Orca members looked at him with worried faces, trying to dissuade him.

“If you can’t do it, it’s okay to say so. They’ll understand.”

“No, I’ll try anyway.”

The move demonstrated by the choreographer didn’t seem too difficult, so On Raon decided to give it a go.

It wasn’t like he was asked to do something dangerous like tumbling, and if he showed he couldn’t do it at all, they might not ask him again in the future.

On Raon stepped forward and took a short breath.