Chapter 11

They say an after-work beer is the best thing in the world.

Normally, it's even better with a snack, but unfortunately, it was getting late and I was a little way too hungry for a late night snack.

—The sashimi has arrived.

"What are you doing here."

Song Ji-won stepped on out of the shower, shook the water out of her hair, and then picked up her phone.

There were 14 messages in 20 minutes, and she wanted to know what they were, but as soon as she previewed them, she realized who they were from.

'Today was the day, right? The day of the 'Asri 2' theme song.'

Straight out of college and into the job she wanted, she had one hobby.

A hobby that was more fulfilling than her full-time job.

Thanks to idols, a small oasis in the midst of an otherwise frustrating life.

Song Ji-won didn't pay much attention to idols until she was going to secondary school, but her values changed when she went to university.

While enjoying the freedom that comes with adulthood, she stumbled upon an incredible live performance by an idol group at a festival.

That's when she'd realized why people are so obsessed with idols.

Once you would start fawning over them, you'd feel like the most handsome and beautiful person in the world.

She can sing and dance so well, there's no time for her charms to diminish.

When they're on stage, they're heavenly, but when they show their faces on TV or on social media, they're like real-life friends.

They always have a smile on their faces and make you forget about the hustle and bustle of this life.

Thanks to Song Ji-won, her life had started later than others, but moved forward at a tremendous acceleration.

She feels fortunate that she has been practicing virtue since she became an adult.

The biggest advantage was the freedom to spend.

Whereas in the school lunch days, she had to get her parents' permission or allowance to do certain things, now she can pay for them out of her own wallet.

While selling various idol groups, a program caught Song Ji-won's eye three years ago.

Unlike other survival programs, 'Idol Stardig' engaged its viewers immensely.

Song Ji-won, who works at a game company, was impressed by the voting system in Season 1 of 'Idol Stardig', which made her feel like she was playing a real-life idol nurturing game.

She was able to support her favorite one with her own hands.

I understood a hundred times on the reason why the viewers of 'Asri 1' were all called managers.

The nine contestants who won this grueling survival and brain battle with the viewers debuted as a group called QS (Quality Start) after the end of 'Asri 1' and disbanded after a total of two years of activity.

Such is the fate of project groups created by survival programs.

Fans of QS could only have been grateful, knowing that the group would've been automatically disbanded at the end of the contract period. It was already too much for the members, who had to go through a lot of hardships during every episode of the program.

Expectations for 'Idol Stardig Season 2' were constantly rising due to QS's rise to the highest position of honor in South Korea.

When you're going to make it, are you going to give our kids the pain of disbandment again, and if you're going to debut with disbandment in mind, at least extend the activity period.

Of course, Song Ji-won was one of those people.

After months of waiting, a notice was posted on KNet's website last week, as if the preparations were finally complete.

['Nurture Your Idol!' 'Idol Stardig Season 2' releasing the theme song <HIT> on June 10].

The moment the news broke, there was a firestorm of firepower that briefly paralyzed the servers of Internet portal sites, including the KNet homepage.

SNS sites Bluebird and Stargram, as well as Fakebook, which had recently been deactivated among young people, were flooded with stories about 'Asri 2'.

Realizing that she finally had another idol to obsess over after QS, Song Ji-won anxiously watched the calendar every day with her college friends, who had become close through their shared trips to workshops, fanzas, and concerts.

The wait is over, and tonight at 6:30pm, 'HIT' will be released.

The season of the majestic, harrowing, beautiful, and desperate survival show returns.

After blow-drying her hair, Song Ji-won quickly opened the live group video call app on her tablet PC.

These historic videos should be watched with the faces of her Dukjil mates.

One by one, Song Ji-won's friends soon entered the call room, and all of them were showing off their rejuvenated cheeks.

"What can I do, my heart is racing, I can't even watch!"

"You don't even know what's coming out yet, and you're trying to give it a heartbeat."

"Girl, didn't you see the gallery? There are people from big agencies who were famous at Zinc Gallery, even BK and X2 who aren't even named!"

"Wow, this is heartthrob worthy."

Song Ji-won, who doesn't normally check social media apps on a daily basis, hadn't heard about the news.

When one of her classmates, an expert on bluebirds and galleries, dropped a hint that there might be a big-name contestant who had also been on ZINCGAL, the idol trainee gallery, everyone went crazy.

At least this season's box office and eye candy is a given.

Song Ji-won rested her tablet on the desk in her room and watched the live talk reactions on her phone screen.

As like in previous seasons, stage footage of 'HIT' would appear at the end of the 'Music K Showdown'.

Even though there was still a little time left, the live chat room was already bustling up with people.

Au/N: can't show live chat box bar like in the actual raws, but just so you know… anything having "—" or "└ "(replies) from the start will be texts in the live chat.

— I've heard that this season will be more engaging than the first, but my head is already hurting;

— Didn't they do that last season too, like when we were successful in our predictions and we got given money, like they just gave us this and that? That's on top of that? That's a big deal? That's what everybody says?

└ The show hasn't even released a trailer yet, where the hell is that kind of buzz coming from?

— Isn't it a statement that the trainees are guaranteed to be stronger? If it was a tweet, I don't think I would have taken out such a format because I thought it would be a fan reaction multiplier.

— Ahhhh, back to the happy club~.

─ You can hear the sound of burning so far.

As if we weren't bad-tempered enough, Koreans were excitedly cornering sledges spread across various communities.

Song Ji-won sipped her beer and waited for the 'Music K Showdown' to end.

There had been some decent idol groups along the way, but no one had yet been a taste sniper enough to beat QS in her heart.

She could only hope that 'Asri 2' would be able to fill that void.

The last few drops of beer were sloshing around in her mouth.

"Ah, Mr. Chae-hyun, the time I've been waiting for has come!"

"What is it, what is it, I haven't seen Sung-hyun so excited since I made my MC debut!"

The images of the idol MCs of "Music K Showdown" appeared on the screen as they made quirky comments.

"I mean, let's be honest, seeing handsome brothers is the best part of life, right?"

"Oh, Sung-hyun, you like that kind of thing?"

"I was so sincere that you would think so! Yes, you guys, I was a huge fan of 'Idol Stardig Season 1' too, and it's been three years since I've tasted that hot flush of excitement."

"Wow, it's been three years?"

"Time flies, doesn't it? I'm sure the viewers who watched 'Asri 1' with me felt the same way, so I shouldn't ramble on here!"

The live chat room erupted into a collective drumroll as the male idol MC flipped his cue card backwards.

— Daza, daza, daza, daza!

— Youngcha Youngcha

— Lock

— Pole!

— Lock!

─ Pole! Rock!

-Rock

— Don't say anything stupid;

"Once again, I present to you the 100 boys who are going to heat up your summer this year, 'Idol Stardig Season 2', 'HIT', right now!"

"Here we go. Here we go!"

"Oh my God, I think my heart is going to explode!"

"Didn't you just say your heart was going to explode? I'm going to call 911 if you don't shut up."

"No!"

Drowning out the pterodactyl-like cries of her classmates, Song Ji-won stared intently at the dazzling special effects as she was sucked through the constellations.

The camera angle shot upward, then slowly descended again.

From this incredibly high vantage point, the three majestic platforms below were just a blur.

And on top of them stood the dummies of countless trainees in identical gray uniforms.

Three seconds later, the sound of a thumping heartbeat blared through the speakers.

「 You ready? 」

"Am ready!"

Along with the screams of motivation that showed a tremendous response, 'HIT', the theme song of "Idol Stardig Season 2," began with a bang.

The trendy house-inspired beat with a thumping EDM bass made my shoulders bounce.

'I like the song! It's off to a great start!'

The trainees, standing on the left and right as before, turned to face the center.

As the growing excitement finally reached a crescendo, the students on the center platform performed a spectacular turn and smiled for the camera.

"Gonna make it HIT!"

The exhilarating group chorus, frantically infused with cheerfulness, sent goosebumps up Song Ji-won's arms.

Yes, this is exactly what she was hoping for.

As if sharing the same cell, the 100 trainees formed a unified army, amplifying the catharsis.

I don't know if it's because I've put a tenuous filter over the video, but some of the faces of the trainees really do seem to self-illuminate.

"Wow, girl, did you just see him, his face is crazy!"

"It was so fast, I didn't see it!"

"Wait, the one that's coming out now is cute too. Look at his face, he's crazy!"

These were Song Ji-won's friends, leaping out of the screen of her tablet PC. To be honest, she wanted to join the pterodactyls.

But Song Ji-won, who is more virtuous and sincere than anyone else, thought better of it.

In the midst of all the clapping, she realized that she could be passing jewelry by unnoticed.

So for a moment, she turned her back on her teammates and stared at the TV.

The real-time live chat was just as crazy.

— The song's good, seriously

— Am I the only one who thinks it's better than last season?

└ Yes, you're the only one~

└ Yes, and the next fertilizer is a social misfit~

└ Don't start a fight on this sacred site, both of you, shut up.

Songs are, of course, a matter of personal preference, but Song Ji-won thought 'HIT' was a bit more addictive than 'Run with U', the theme song for 'Asri 1'.

The melody was similar between the two, but whatever.

Should I say a little richer?

But this was actually a funny feeling.

Feeling the richness of a chorus part that would have been recorded by 100 people?

In addition to the song critiques, the dance/facial/mood analysis of the participants was also very rough.

— Wow, did you just do your hair like a bandit or something?

— Who would come to an idol audition with long hair like that?

└ Didn't he look a little like a shovel dog?

└ Apologize to all the shovel dogs in the world, you're crossing the line.

└ kekeke

Every once in a while, a good-looking trainee would come along and the reaction would change dramatically.

— This is what eye wash is for

— A really classy-looking guy, kind of aristocrat style

ㄴ Oh, isn't that Sung-hwi? I only heard his name, but I didn't know his face, but he's handsome, but he's too gisaeng parasitic

ㄴ This is a big guy who just came out of a small town, a kid who is famous in ZINCGAL.

Should a muscle man be an idol? I can't even begin to imagine that.

ㄴ You... When you get older, you'll realize how cool muscles are...

That guy must be a trainee from that famous big agency.

'Handsome.'

While Song Ji-won was thinking about it, the ghosts on the tablet PC were naturally in a frenzy.

"I told you, it's not just slices!"

"I think I have a reason to live every week."

"Are you going to put a one-pick in it right away?"

"I don't know, it's got a funny face!"

Of course, the trainee called Sung-hwi was also handsome, however she was a little disappointed that he wasn't the style Song Ji-won was ultimately going for.

But then.

At the beginning of the second segment, the formation of the contestants on the center platform changed, and many new faces appeared that I couldn't see because they were hidden.

At the center of the new formation was a trainee who showed off his skills with 100% accuracy, making eye contact with the camera every time.

"Wow, holy shit."

Song Ji-won said, the nutmeg coming out of her mouth.

The empty beer can in her hand fell to the table with a clatter.

She had seen countless idols.

Every year, dozens of groups debut and can disappear without a sound, which is what the Korean entertainment industry is all about.

In such a large talent pool, there were very few idols that was able to stand out.

But at this moment, Song Ji-won's radar was going crazy.

A sense of knowing which cameras were filming him.

The wit to show off a different facial expression every time the choreography changed.

And last but not least, the stats to show off the perfect hexagon skills of dancing, looks, and songs.

"With all your heart, HIT hard!"

The fizzy, Talent-idol-esque high-pitched vocals stunned everyone in the audience, including Song Ji-won.

The point choreography of shooting bullets with the hands made her heart ache as if the bullets were actually fired.

As Song Ji-won clutched her chest, she had only one thought in mind.

I found my one pick.