WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

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

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Chapter 52

“Please have a seat here.”

The interview room was extremely small, barely 20 square meters.

The floor and walls were completely covered with white fabric, giving off a stark, cold atmosphere.

In the center stood a wooden chair.

I sat down on it quietly.

In front of me were three cameras, two writers, a lighting staff member, and several others. Quite a few people.

“Please introduce yourself.”

One of the writers spoke in a tone devoid of emotion.

The whole situation seemed extremely awkward to me.

Ah, it somehow reminded me of my job-hunting days.

That tense atmosphere you felt in a one-on-multiple panel interview.

I was never particularly bad at interviews, but doing one while wearing someone else’s skin was a first for me. That was probably why I felt so unusually nervous.

I focused on speaking as clearly as possible.

Looking straight at the writer, I opened my mouth.

“Ah, yes. My name is Ahn Yu–……”

“Please look at the camera, not me.”

“Ah, yes.”

The writer gave me a look of disbelief.

Flustered, I hurriedly turned my gaze to the camera.

Damn it.

I had forgotten that I still wasn’t used to cameras.

On stage, the cameras followed me around, which made it easier.

But in this setting I would have to look at the camera instead of a person’s eyes which still felt oddly unnatural for me.

“My name is Ahn Yuyoung. I’m the leader of WEEKANIZ. It’s been five years since I debuted. I’m the leader, and, uhm, I also take on the roles of a sub-dancer and sub-vocalist.”

Even a regular company would reject me immediately if I ever even attempted to introduce myself like that!

But at least I wouldn’t get fired as an idol, so that was a relief.

“……I see. And what made you decide to participate in this program?”

The writer didn’t even bother looking at me anymore as they asked.

“Uhm……”

Did they want me to say I blackmailed the PD into casting me or something?

“……The reason I joined this program is that, above all, I wanted to grow……”

“You must have felt like you weren’t growing, then.”

Was this supposed to be a stress interview?

This felt exactly like those moments in job interviews where you write a bunch of nonsense on your application, only to get grilled by the interviewer.

“……Yes, that’s right. I see this program as a sort of training camp that helps us reinforce our discipline.”

“Haha…… I see. But why are you so tense? Relax your shoulders a bit. Is this your first time in front of a camera? I almost took you for a trainee.”

Stop seeing through me like that!

This level of perception is just suspicious. What if that writer was also a regressor?

“I’m sorry. I must be more nervous than I thought……”

“Oh? Are you afraid we’ll edit you in a bad way?”

“Haha, no, that’s not it. It’s just that this feels like a fresh start for me. Personally.”

I was screwed. I could feel the corners of my mouth twitching

Anyone with eyes could see that it was a forced smile. I was about to become prime editing material.

[Eloquence has decreased! Pay closer attention to nonverbal cues. People are losing focus on your words.]

Yeah, I get it already, but how the hell was I supposed to smile while thinking about something serious?

I forced my lips and eyes into an expression of deep thought.

What kind of words would make people focus on me?

“Honestly, I kept thinking about the end during our promotions.”

“……”

A keyword attack, just like I did during the press conference.

Ahn Yuyoung’s first keyword had been ‘the end’.

In other words ‘disbandment’.

A word so powerful in the idol industry that it crushed fans’ hearts and made reporter’s ears perk up instantly.

“By the end, you mean disbandment?”

The writer jumped on it immediately. Quite the bold writer, isn’t he?

This person had a style similar to me, huh?

“……Yes.”

“Oh.”

The writer smirked.

This scene was definitely getting used. Probably five times, in slow motion.

“Why?”

“……To be honest, I think it’s the sales.”

“Sales~.”

The writers’ eyes were practically sparkling.

They repeated the word like they were engraving it in stone.

‘Disbandment’, ‘Sales’,

Amazing, right?

Had they ever seen an active idol with such a loose tongue?

“As you all know, this industry is incredibly oppressive, right? Technically, we’re freelancers, so things like annual salaries or pay scales are out of the question.”

“That’s true.”

“Of course, if I’d been dreaming of stable pay and benefits, I wouldn’t have chosen to be an idol in the first place, right?”

“……Yes. Look at the camera when you speak.”

“Ah, yes, sorry.”

[Eloquence slightly increased! You’ve successfully drawn attention. However, facial analysis shows a 60% probability of ‘confusion’.]

You could analyze that as well?

“Should I repeat that while looking at the camera?”

“No, just keep talking.”

“Alright, I’ll really look at the camera now.”

I was rambling, but the words flowed more smoothly than before. Now, it was the writers who looked a little flustered.

I mean, I was too.

My mouth just kept running on its own. Shouldn’t I stop?

But sometimes, that was just how I was.

My mouth would get ahead of my thoughts……

(Meaning I had no right to scold Baekgyeom ever again.)

“I didn’t become an idol for money, of course. Uhm…… I wanted to sing and dance on stage, to be loved by fans and give love back to them, and ultimately, to become someone who brings joy to the world.”

“Keep going.”

“Along the way, I’ve faced personal setbacks countless times, but that was never the real issue. Skills can be improved with sleepless nights of effort. Because our fans are here for us, I believed I could do that.”

“But was the money not adding up?”

The writer threw out the question causally.

It seemed like today’s interview theme had officially settled on ‘disbandment’, ‘sales’, and now ‘money’.

“……Realistically, no matter what dream you have, if it becomes too difficult to sustain yourself, I think you have to reconsider.”

“I don’t mean to say that our fans are responsible for supporting us financially. I still believe that my efforts will bear fruit someday. But before that happens…… I started questioning whether I was even worthy of receiving that kind of love.”

“Did you do something wrong?”

The writer chuckled softly.

It was the smile of a devil.

‘Come on, spill it. We’ll heat it up and feed it to the audience.’ That was what that expression meant.

“No. I haven’t committed any crimes or anything…… I just took a hard look at myself. Objectively. I wondered if I was someone deserving of so much love.”

“And what’s your conclusion?”

“Hmm……”

I rubbed my chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

The way I framed my answer would be crucial.

I had to package this really carefully, because if I spilled too much and left a messy conclusion, I would be absolutely screwed.

“……I still don’t know if I’m truly worthy of receiving this love. However, my desire to bring joy and love to many people, our fans, has remained the same. No, actually, I feel like it’s grown even stronger than when I debuted. That’s why I decided to join this show. And our members all agreed as well.”

“I see.”

Good. That was a clean answer. Not bad.

The writer’s expression remained neutral.

If their expression was indifferent, that meant my answer had been acceptable.

If they had given me that scary smile instead, I would have immediately bolted, used an item, and fled to the end of the earth.

Because once the broadcast aired, the grim reaper would have definitely come knocking, damn it.

“So you mentioned money earlier. Just how bad was your financial situation?”

“Hmm.”

……How the hell would I know that?

Could I use ‘Call a Member’?

“Uhm, please don’t ask my members this question.”

“Why not?”

“……I think they’d be too sad if they had to answer something like this. Let’s just keep the depressing talk limited to me.”

“Hmm…… I’ll consider it.”

That rude little punk.

I forced my eyebrows down and gave them my best humble, ingratiating smile.

“When you say you weren’t making enough to live on, can you be more specific? Like, were you unable to pay utility bills?”

“Uhm…… Simply put, we weren’t receiving any earnings.”

“……You weren’t getting any payments? For how long?”

Emergency.

The writer’s eyes had stars shining in them.

“Well……”

I hesitated.

Details about payment were strictly confidential. If I said something carelessly, it might stir up trouble with the CEO.

Ever since I proposed that 20% investment deal, the CEO had been keeping a low profile.

Frankly, I was grateful, no, beyond grateful for that.

Thanks to that, I was able to run wild like a kid whose parents left me home alone. I could do whatever the hell I wanted, including joining this ridiculous survival show and releasing a single.

“Are you sure you weren’t paid properly?”

The writer, looking impatient, checked their watch before pressing again.

It was true. I hadn’t been paid properly.

In fact, while preparing for this single, I had been reviewing various documents, including the tragedy that’s Ahn Yuyoung’s bank account balance.

It was a disaster.

Five years in the industry, and the last recorded payment was from two years ago.

There had been a tiny mid-term settlement after that, but after that? Nothing.

Of course, there was no way he could’ve lived comfortably.

No meal stipends, no activity support, no hair and makeup allowance, nothing.

In fact, it was worrying to think that all of these expenses might have been secretly piling up as debt.

Judging from the situation, it seemed like most of the members had been relying on their families for support.

As for Ahn Yuyoung, he might have been too ashamed to ask for help or something, because all I could find were traces of him picking up random short.term jobs, barely scraping by.

Deposit +380,000 won. That had to have been from some short-term job.

“I wasn’t completely unpaid, but you understand why I have to be cautious about this topic, right? Writer-nim.”

In the end, I did something very unlike me. I chose to dodge the question.

I couldn’t afford to create a scandal before this program ended.

The fact that we hadn’t been paid wasn’t WEEKANIZ’s fault, but that didn’t mean people would be sympathetic either.

Idol fans were utterly ruthless, okay?

The moment news got out that we hadn’t been paid, there’d be a flood of comments saying, ‘There must be a reason, Maybe they didn’t deserve to get paid’.

And if the members saw that their feelings would get hurt.

And that…… would make my job a living nightmare.

I had just gotten everyone motivated and cooperating.

“The company and I haven’t discussed it in detail yet, and, well, it’s technically confidential. Haha.”

“I get what you’re saying, but that still doesn’t explain why you joined the show. Are you really okay with ending the interview like this?”

The writer pulled out the classic thinly veiled threat tactic.

They were ‘dying’ to frame me as an idol who joined the show just for money.

“I did receive some payments, but realistically, yes, it was difficult to sustain myself. I wanted to show my fans a cooler, better version of myself, but financially, there were limits. That much is true.”

“Hmm, alright, I understand.”

Surprisingly, the writer accepted that answer without pushing further.

And yet, what was this deep unease I felt?

“Then let me ask you one more thing. To be honest, this is the main reason we called you in.”

“Yes.”

“There were reports that your member, Haedun-ssi, was out of contact, correct?”

“Ah.”

Right.

I had sold out Seo Haedun to PD Kim Youngjin.

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