WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

I'm a Reporter, Please let me get off the Stage

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Chapter 19

―I thought about contacting your manager about it, but since I have some rapport with you, I thought calling you might be more effective, haha.

“Ah, yes…… That.”

What was he talking about?

I quickly pretended as if I knew what he meant.

“Well, we’re still considering it.”

―Oh, does that mean you’ve been offered to come on the show?

Crap, that was definitely a bait question for an exclusive article.

“It’s more of an informal thing, really. Just something mentioned in passing, haha. You know what I mean, right?”

―Haha. Wow, Yuyoung-ssi, you seem pretty flustered even though I didn’t even ask that much.

This bastard……

“Well, you know how it is with various interests at play, haha.”

―Yeah, I get it, I get it. I'll take it as you said, then. Take care~

And before I could make any more excuses, the call ended.

What was that punk talking about?!

“……A failed idol competition program?"

What kind of show was that supposed to be?

Besides, if we’re talking about PD Kim Youngjin……

Wasn’t he that drama producer from before?

What was a drama producer doing making an idol competition program?

It seemed like he got demoted.

[<Notebook Bookmark> has been purchased]

When I was uncertain about something, the answer was to buy a bookmark.

[Loading fifth book mark]

-List of participating idols: View more>

……I had to meet that producer immediately.

Terrestrial broadcasting, idols, and auditions.

What kind of viewer rating would this bizarre show which awkwardly combined these three things get?

5%?

And the title was <Ultimate Idol>.

It couldn’t be lamer.

But…… this was our lottery ticket.

We had to go on this show.

[Producer Kim Youngjin : Network level 8]

[Player Network level: 8]

Our network levels were matching perfectly, so there was no risk of suddenly dying when I met him.

[Search for Contact Points]

What was this?

[(tip : You can search for Contact Points of people in the entertainment industry based on your Network level!)]

I felt like I had seen that tip before.

I couldn’t make use of this system at the time, so I didn’t really pay attention to it.

But now, this was quite handy.

When I typed in “Producer Kim Youngjin” into the system’s search bar, his contact information appeared before me.

It was incredibly handy actually.

Since this was a bit urgent, I should be a bit more aggressive.

<This is Yuyoung from WEEKANIZ. We will positively consider your offer of our appearance on the show you suggested earlier. Thank you ^^>

And three minutes later.

My phone rang immediately.

Haha.

What producer wouldn’t get irritated by a reporter’s baiting skill?

* * *

“……So, you mean I met you at the drama wrap-up party and told you I would like to cast you for the audition?”

“That’s right.”

That evening.

I was able to meet with Producer Kim at a café near the broadcasting station.

As soon as Producer Kim sat down, I probed him with some lies.

I told him that I attended the drama wrap-up party due to my acquaintance with one of the supporting actors.

And that was when he suggested that I participate in the competition program he was working on.

Usually, such events involved heavy drinking even until one passed out.

I assumed Producer Kim would have done that as well so I threw this out there.

If it worked, great. If it didn’t, oh well.

“The program wasn’t even in planning back then though?”

Woops. it didn’t work.

“……Is that so? Then maybe it wasn’t at the drama wrap-up? I’m pretty sure we met at a similar kind of gathering though.”

“Yuyoung-ssi, can’t it be that you’re mistaken? The casting was finalized last week. We have already chosen four teams.”

“Can’t we just make it five teams?”

“Don’t you think that’s asking a bit much?”

[Your Eloquence has slightly decreased! Please use logical arguments to convince the other party!]

“……Speaking of which, Mr. Producer, don’t you think the groups you’ve cast are lacking a certain something?”

“What?”

“Chenstin, Loop7, IONER, V.O.V…… They’re all moderately popular and good.”

“Wait, how do you know the cast? The decisions were made just yesterday.”

“That’s not the important part right now.”

These kinds of reactions didn’t surprise me anymore.

“Mr. Producer, if you’ve directed dramas, you should know what’s the most important. Why can’t you just apply that to an idol program?”

“Cut the sarcasm and say what you want, Yuyoung-ssi.”

“IONER is a trending mid-tier idol group brought in to boost the ratings, Loop7 is a decent mid-tier group, but they’re still young and innocent, so they’re good for getting some tears into the broadcast.”

Producer Kim’s voice sounded incredulous.

That was how people usually reacted when they were caught off guard, especially when they had been figured out so easily.

“V.O.V, a group in their fourth year without a single hit song. You basically chose them to fill the numbers.”

“Hey.”

“And then there’s Chenstin…… They’re the problem. A rookie group that debuted less than a year ago, getting a spot in a competition show? Did you take some money from their agency or something?”

“It seems like there isn’t any point to continue this conversation any longer. Shall I take my leave?”

“What I mean to say is that there’s a lack of storytelling in all this, Mr. Producer.”

[Your Eloquence has slightly increased! Speak confidently!]

“There’s no group in the whole cast that can create a compelling narrative.”

Producer Kim hesitated, then looked at me and sighed deeply before sitting down.

“There’s no story in this at all. Even with the current trend of mass-producing idols and working them to the bone for five years, we need something more than the typical struggles and dark periods that every unsuccessful group goes through……We need unique stories. Without that, no one will ever watch the show. Even fans find these shows boring nowadays. If we don’t have any engaging storytelling, it’ll only cause some fanbase wars instead of drawing in more viewers. To succeed, we need something captivating, and frankly, the cast is just too bland and ‘nice’.”

“So are you saying you’re bad, Yuyoung-ssi?”

“Well, I’m still a well-meaning unsuccessful idol, but……”

I shrugged casually as I spoke.

“At least We have a story to us. Ever heard of the ‘beggar idols’?”

“Are you volunteering to be fodder for this show?”

“That’s what broadcasting is all about, isn’t it? Generating buzz is everything, especially for audition shows.”

“How can you guarantee your group will create buzz?”

“That’s up to you, Mr. Producer. I’m just showcasing our potential.”

“……”

“Think about it. Our group has a lot of interesting elements. To give you a taste,”

I exaggeratedly looked around as if to check our surroundings, then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially.

“……One of our members is currently missing.”

“……What?”

“You know we had some discussions about disbandment before, right?”

“So, how about it? Doesn't this make you want to cook up something interesting?”

[Eloquence significantly increased! : + 30 Karma points]

……Right.

I was betting everything on that 5% viewership rating.

……No, that wasn't all.

If we didn't manage to land this TV show, the CEO ultimately wouldn't invest in us.

If that were to happen, that would greatly hinder my quest, and I'd be screwed anyway.

[Notoriety : 80

Notoriety Keyword: Disbandment]

I still needed to figure out how to lower this score which was still stuck on 80.

I had to somehow solve this problem and meet up with Seo Haedun.

Anyway, if we showed ourselves as a complete group publicly, that disbandment issue would naturally get resolved.

I received a message the next day.

<Your participation has been confirmed. Please coordinate with the writer on interview dates.>

I immediately shared the good news with the members.

“Wow, we’re going on national TV? That’s awesome.”

Baek Gyeom expressed his joy in his usual way.

“National TV? Wow, we couldn’t even get on music shows properly before.”

Yoon Sanho also expressed his joy in his way.

“Hyung, but we don’t even have a new song.”

Tae Oh voiced some uncharacteristic concern.

And then……

“……Can we really go without Haedun Hyung?”

Gong Haram poked at me.

“Don’t worry, I’ll ask Haedun for his opinion as well.”

I brushed it off and turned to Baek Gyeom.

“Baek Gyeom, how’s it coming along?”

“Ah, okay. I’m practically living in that hyung’s studio.”

“You just need to nail down the general outline. I’ll take care of the technical aspects.”

“Wow, you got some high-end connections, Hyung.”

Since our current agency didn’t provide us with external support, collaborating like this was essential to release music on our own.

While Baek Gyeom was able to compose, creating a complete track required external support for the technical aspects like MIDI work.

I thought of the various contacts that were stills saved up in my head and patted Baek Gyeom on the shoulder.

“We need to release a killer single and go on the program with style.”

While this was just a performance to show the CEO that we were being active, still……

Now, it was really time to search for Seo Haedun’s contact point.

After some searching, I started to realize that the members’ network levels weren’t even showing.

That probably meant that I could meet up with them without having to worry about my network level.

Starting tomorrow, I would have to actively utilize all the people around me and, if necessary, even prepare to take some drastic measures like breaking into his house or something.

It seemed like the CEO wouldn't wait much longer.

“……Hyung, hyung.”

Someone softly called out to me as I sat at the table in a daze.

As I looked up, Chae Ire was standing right in front of me.

“……Have you seen this?”

“What is it?”

“It was just posted three minutes ago, so you probably haven’t. Take a look, quickly.”

“……Huh?”

<[Exclusive] WEEKANIZ’ Haedun to Appear on Dance Competition Program…… Is he Leaving the Group for Solo Career?>

A dance competition program? What the hell?

Wait, putting that aside.

“……Why is he on that?!”

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