Save a Failed Idol’s Life

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: NicoleTempest

Chapter 18 My Kid is Better (2)

He was the main vocalist… He must be the best singer among the members.

I quickly recalled the names of the members by their positions that I had memorized earlier, and I could tell who he was right away.

I expected him to have a vocal skill that matched the level of the talented singers I had heard before, and I listened carefully.

-I always smiled, longing for the spot next to you-.

But to my surprise… His pitch was rather disappointing, not as good as I thought. And as soon as he sang a few lines, the screen switched.

As if they didn’t want to show him for too long.

‘Did he even sing properly on the actual stage?’

They quickly moved on to the next contestant, so I couldn’t see the audience’s reaction. But the expressions of the other contestants who were not blurred out in the corner did not look bright.

The result of the competition was an overwhelming victory due to the high score from the viewers’ votes. I felt curious and searched for the name of the main vocalist.

[Shim Naru [Search Results]]

[Appearances]

[Entertainment]

[Teenager Singer Star] [My Idol Stage] [Nine Floss Music] etc.

‘Teenager Singer Star’ was a singer audition program that was popular nationwide a few years ago.

At that time, the whole country was swept by the craze for teen star singers, and everywhere was noisy with the talk of that program.

I moved the mouse a few more times and clicked on an article. There was an interview that said he made it to the TOP10, though he didn’t make it to the semifinals.

‘I guess the fans who have supported him since then helped him during My Idol Stage.’

And back then, there was once a controversy over his skill.

He didn’t seem to have the skill to make it to the TOP10, but he got there with his star quality or something.

Maybe because he was already a familiar face from the entertainment show. I felt that the camera kept showing Shim Naru frequently afterwards.

‘They really show him just enough to not annoy me.’

If he could do some cooperation, I would try to send him anywhere.

I haven’t heard him sing in person yet. But when I watched the video of the music show that was live, he had a skill that was not inferior to any of the talented singers. His vocal stat was also the only one with an S grade.

It would be nice if he had a chance to show that he was a skilled singer with proper packaging. I bit my lips with regret and decided to put it off for later.

-I want to deliver a message of hope to many viewers with my song!

Shim Naru on the screen waved his hand and smiled at the fans below the stage.

By the way, I suddenly wondered…

‘How did Son Seong-won end up becoming an idol?’

He didn’t seem to have chosen the path of an idol with his own will, with his lack of cooperation.

They must have their own goals and directions, so I’ll have to check it out someday. But for now, I had no idea.

‘Well, I can ask him later.’

Besides, I noticed that they adjusted each member’s role so that they didn’t overlap.

This member was often sent out to do well in entertainment shows. Another member was deliberately given the microphone when he had a chance to say something.

I liked the fact that they emphasized and divided their roles that they were confident in.

Of course, I didn’t know what was behind it.

‘I’ll stop watching My Idol Stage here, and move on to collecting item references.’

From My Idol Stage clips to Floss’s debut early videos. I skimmed through dozens of them and decided to move on to the next topic.

It is June now… If I prepared quickly for a few months and made a comeback, it would be September at the earliest, or November at the latest.

‘It’s too late for summer, and too early for winter.’

Then it would be better to go for a concept that would sell well in the fall, or a route that wouldn’t depend on the season.

Summer was definitely easier to come up with a concept and show a more glamorous look…

It was too early to push for it in August. I briefly imagined a refreshing and bright image in my head and erased it all.

I wondered what kind of concept the other popular idols came out with in the fall.

The most important thing when planning a new product was not a new and innovative idea.

Unlike the universities or lectures that constantly shouted for innovation and creativity, the market’s response was conservative.

‘The familiar taste is more scary.’

They liked something that was a little better than what they had tried before. If you put out something completely new, you are likely to fail miserably.

It was safer to digest the concept that had been popular before, and interpret it with our own color.

First of all… The most popular boy idol group right now was definitely Floss. And besides that, there was Day After… How do you read this?

P2CK?

I searched and it seemed to be pronounced ‘Peak’.

I targeted a few popular groups and looked for their activities from September to November last year.

I didn’t have a perfect item yet, but I had a rough outline. It couldn’t be too bright. Nor too dark.

Basically, Climax was a performance group that focused on dance.

I needed to choose a concept that was good for dancing.

After excluding this and that, the remaining items were greatly reduced.

‘Let’s check out the ones from two years ago.’

Two years was enough time for the trend to change, but it wouldn’t hurt to collect more references.

After summarizing and organizing about four items, the time had passed quickly.

“I should go back now.”

My shoulders were stiff from sitting and staring at the monitor for hours.

“I need to eat… And stretch a little before I shower and sleep.”

I stretched and did some simple stretching before heading to the parking lot.

I still knew nothing about the world of idols. But from the perspective of new product planning, it wasn’t something I couldn’t handle.

People had already experienced something, and without any resistance, I added a little bit of my own originality.

As long as I followed this formula, I rarely failed. It would be the same this time, and it had to be.

‘What should I feed them for dinner?’

On my way back to the dorm from the parking lot, my hand was on the steering wheel, but my mind was elsewhere.

From dinner tonight to the first meeting next week, and ultimately to the activity.

When my head was complicated, I had to put something in my mouth quickly and get rid of the distractions.

‘There’s no point in worrying too much. I’ll just lose my hair faster.’

Hm! I took a light breath and got out of the car and went into the dorm. Seon-woo, who had just finished working out, greeted me.

The water that he didn’t dry off stuck to his head, and the water dripped from the end of his black hair.

“Is Ise here?”

He was wearing a simple short-sleeved shirt and shorts, but his muscles were definitely more defined than when I first saw him.

“Did I get something on me?”

He looked a bit flustered or embarrassed as I scanned him from head to toe.

“No. You look like you’ve lost some weight.”

“!”

His face instantly flushed with color at the unintended compliment.

“I worked really hard today! The PT teacher said that if I keep this up, I can change the first digit of my weight by the end of this month!”

Hmm… That sounded a bit too optimistic.

But anyway, it was a good thing to have a short-term goal that motivated him.

“Good. Just be careful not to yo-yo and keep it up.”

I reflexively tried to pat his head like a kid, but stopped myself. I had already done it a few times, but…

The age difference I felt was like a son, but Seon-woo and Cheon Ise were only three years apart.

Depending on the situation, he might take it badly.

“…?”

When I pulled back my hand, Seon-woo, who had lowered his head slightly, peeked up at me.

“Why, what, why.”

When I answered curtly, he grumbled with disappointment.

“I thought you were going to pat me…”

“Are you a kid…”

I finally patted his black hair with a short scolding, and my palm got wet.

“Get ready for dinner and come out after you dry your hair.”

I wiped my hand on the towel that Seon-woo had around his neck and headed to the kitchen.

Behind me, I heard Seon-woo’s cheerful answer.

“Yes!”

***

Fortunately, Yi-jun was away, so dinner was peaceful.

Seon-woo made a dissatisfied sound at the salad table after lunch, but he quieted down at Seong-won’s sarcasm.

‘I don’t know whether to thank him or not…’

I had a lot of questions to ask Seong-won when we had a chance to talk alone.

From why he wanted to be an idol, to what he really wanted to do now. I had to know what he was thinking, whether I gave him the center or not.

Whether he knew I was worried or not, Seong-won locked the door and holed up in his room as soon as he finished eating.

‘Really… He’s not a 14-year-old middle schooler going through puberty.’

I didn’t particularly like a crowded atmosphere, but I wondered if he wasn’t lonely, locking himself up alone like that.

While I was staring at the door, Yi-jun came home and caused a commotion.

“I’m going out for lunch tomorrow and coming back around the same time as today!”

He looked so confident. He smelled a bit sweet and… sour.

Yi-jun smiled broadly.

“Going to see a friend again?”

“Huh? Uh-huh.”

He mumbled vaguely and went into the bathroom.

‘I think he’s hiding something…’

I already knew that he was getting love calls from here and there without the members knowing, even when I first met him.

‘Is he preparing to run away before his contract period ends?’

It was a plausible suspicion. No way. If there was another departure from the members now, it would be a big deal.

I kept staring at the bathroom door with anxiety.

“Hyung?”

Seon-woo, who was sitting across from my bed, tilted his head and called me through the open door.

“It’s nothing.”

I hoped it was nothing… But it wasn’t a very urgent schedule right now.

‘I’ll have to follow him secretly tomorrow.’

I decided that and went into my room.

“Let’s do some simple stretching before bed to reduce the swelling.”

I started to nag Seon-woo to get rid of my restless feeling.

“Huh? Huh!”

Seon-woo followed me without a word of complaint, which was a bit comforting.

Really… If only they all did this much… I thought for a moment.

I still saw the belly fat that was firmly attached.

‘Um… Never mind.’

The night passed like that. And the next day came quickly.

“I have something to do today, so I’ll be out.”

“Huh? Where are you going, Ise hyung?”

Seon-woo, who was eating lunch with a happy expression, asked me.

“Yeah. I might be late. I put dinner in the fridge, so don’t snack.”

It was time to find out what Yi-jun was doing outside.