get-shopping Chapter 131: Year-End (8)
Chapter 131: Year-End (8)
Manager Kim Ki-baek, with his stubbly beard and a weak smile on his lips, coughed once before continuing.“Mm- of course, including SBC, both KBC and MBS really fought hard, but in my opinion, it seems right to throw our support behind SBC this year. What do you think?”
He asked the members, but Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were.
“......”
“......”
Just blinking their eyes without reacting. It was natural. It was a stage they hadn’t even imagined. They were so shocked they seemed a bit broken. It was quite sudden. Sure, they knew Kang Rojun was attending the year-end awards ceremony, but they had never dreamed they’d be standing on stage for a congratulatory performance themselves.
On the other hand, Rojun wasn’t particularly flustered.
He glanced around at the frozen members.
‘There were a few tabloid-like articles about it... but I guess they didn’t really think the congratulatory performance would actually happen.’
Well, even Kang Rojun didn’t know for sure about the congratulatory performance. He had just received a bit of a hint from PD Jung Soo-ryeong. Still, compared to the members, he was calm.
At that moment.
-Swish.
One of the members raised his hand. It was Si-hoo, eyes wide open.
“Um... Manager-nim.”
“Yes.”
“That, that congratulatory performance at the awards ceremony... isn’t that usually done by really famous singers or idol sunbaenims?”
“Right?”
“Then... we’re doing it??”
Kim Ki-baek made an awkward thumbs-up gesture.
“Who else if not you guys? It’s only for this year, but in terms of what’s hot recently, no male or female idol can beat you.”
“Ah-”
“Like I said, I met with all three major broadcasters, and their combat power was intense. They were offering things like appearances fee, future broadcasting support, and so on.”
Manager Kim Ki-baek let out a feeble chuckle.
“It was funny, you know? Normally, rookie idols are the lowest of the low. They’d be bowing in gratitude just to get a spot. But all three public broadcasters were practically begging. The roles of superior and subordinate were reversed, even though we haven’t officially debuted yet. It was my first time experiencing something like this, it was refreshing.”
“Ooh.”
The members let out gasps of awe. From this point on, their hearts began to pound, and Kang Rojun looked at Kim Ki-baek again with surprise.
‘When did he manage to have meetings with all those stations again? He looks like he’s about to faint any minute, but he works insanely fast.’
Manager Kim Ki-baek added another thumbs-up, making a double thumbs-up.
“Anyway, choosing SBC among the broadcasters was... because I was lazy.”
“Huh?”
“Just kidding. Ha ha, a little drift to change the mood. Funny, right?”
“......”
“The key point is, if we’re going with SBC, we’re going all in. Including the fact that Rojun-nim was invited, and that ‘Rental Lover’ was a proper home run. It would be awkward to show up at KBC or MBS in a situation like this. More importantly, it sets an example for the other networks. If they treat us well, we’ll also treat them well, that kind of message.”
Rojun and the members nodded as if they understood. Meanwhile, Manager Kim Ki-baek maintained his feeble smile.
“Is ‘set an example’ a bit harsh wording? Anyway, that’s how it is, usually, year-end awards shows have three segments, and there are three congratulatory performances placed between part 1, part 2, and part 3. You’ll be performing for part 1.”
For the next few minutes, Manager Kim Ki-baek gave a briefing related to the congratulatory performance and shared a rough schedule for this month.
“This is your first proper performance since forming the team and getting an official agency. It’s a good chance to greet the fans who’ve been waiting. From now on, while you’re receiving training, your focus will be on preparing for the year-end awards ceremony performance. Ah, and the song for the congratulatory performance will be ‘Bold', which was the final number from ‘Produce That 100!’ I’ve already worked things out with the ‘Produce That 100!’ team.”
In short, the year-end awards congratulatory performance by Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung would be their first and last schedule of the year. Soon, Manager Kim Ki-baek let out a quiet sigh.
"Phew- did I talk too much? I'm a bit dizzy."
While giving the members a short break, he called Kang Rojun aside.
“Rojun-nim, your format is a bit different from the other members. The others will be training individually, but you said you’ll be doing solo training, right?”
“Yes.”
“Since you’ve been doing it up until now, I’m sure you can handle it smoothly. Do it your way and show us your dream.”
He even talks about dreams now? Kang Rojun couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Manager Kim Ki-baek, seemingly pleased by that, also chuckled.
“Just smile like that at the awards ceremony. The reporters, the audience, even the actors will all fall for you. Oh- but of course, you still have to attend the group training.”
“I understand.”
"Yes, additionally you have side jobs, right? For lyric writing, quite a few proposals came in after Park Hyun-jung ssi, I'll organize and let you know later. And for writing, 'Culture Drawer' is the main one but I'm also keeping an eye on it. The scripts you gave to PD Jung Soo-ryeong are still on hold, right?"
“Yes, for now.”
Manager Kim Ki-baek nodded listlessly.
“They might be working on things internally, but since it’s the end of the year, they probably won’t push too hard. Mm- achoo! Ah, sorry. What about acting? What’s your stance there?”
“What do you mean by stance?”
“I’m asking if you’re planning to stop after just trying it once with ‘Lover No. 4'."
“No, I do plan to continue acting.”
“So long as it doesn’t interfere with your main job.”
“Yes.”
Manager Kim Ki-baek, scratching his chin with its patchy beard, lowered his voice.
“Counting what came in through ‘Culture Drawer’ and what’s been submitted to us at GN, there are quite a few projects offered to you as an actor. From what I skimmed through, it’s pretty diverse, films, dramas, web dramas. Personally, I think it’d be best if, for now, you only act in works you’ve written.”
“Would that be better?”
“Well, appearing as an actor in your own work. Since there’s no precedent, the impact and synergy are massive. There’s a flower path laid out; no need to stray.”
Kang Rojun, listening seriously, felt the same way.
‘It’s more comfortable acting in something I wrote. It’s easier to analyze the character too.’
Then Kim Ki-baek spoke again.
“The ones currently moving are Netflix Japan, ‘BG Pictures', and PD Jung Soo-ryeong. The only one that’s brought up acting so far is Netflix Japan, right? But there’s a good chance the others will offer acting roles too.”
“Even for films?”
“Probably? It’s just my guess, but if I were Director Yoo Ji-heon, I’d create a cameo role just to include you. Your script alone will attract attention, but if you also appear as an actor, the level of buzz multiplies.”
Kim Ki-baek coughed again, pulled out a handkerchief, and asked Rojun,
“Have you decided on Netflix Japan’s ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’ yet?”
Kang Rojun answered right away.
“Yes. I’ll do it.”
Manager Kim Ki-baek made an ‘OK’ sign with his thumb and index finger.
“Okay, I’ll take care of the rest.”
After that.
Kang Rojun and the members greeted their vocal, dance, foreign language, and other trainers. Compared to Rojun, who would be doing solo training, the other members were more nervous. Probably, their minds were filled less with the unfamiliarity of the current moment and more with thoughts of the upcoming year-end awards congratulatory performance.
‘Today is the 3rd. The SBC Acting Awards are scheduled for the 18th, so about two weeks left.’
There wasn’t much time.
In two weeks, Kang Rojun and the members would be standing before hundreds of reporters, thousands of audience members, and many of Korea’s top actors. Journalists and audience members they could handle, thanks to prior experience, but what really made the members nervous was the thought of standing before a lineup of top-tier actors.
“W-We’re really performing at the Acting Awards?? Ugh- I’m already nauseous.”
“Same. I only ever saw those on TV, never thought I’d be on that stage…”
“And it’s even being broadcast live, right?”
Watching the members wail in panic, Rojun chuckled softly.
“What’s got you so scared? We already did live broadcasts on ‘Produce That 100!’”
“Hey! That-That was totally different! This is a year-end awards show!”
“What’s different? Just think of it the same way. So what if we mess up a bit? It’s not like we’ll die.”
News of this broke the following morning.
《[Official] Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, Do-kyung, to perform congratulatory performance at SBC Acting Awards!》
As expected, the source was none other than SBC, smiling from ear to ear, and within seconds, other media outlets were publishing similar articles.
Public reaction followed swiftly.
-Whoa this confirms SBC as the pick for this year’s awards show!
-Not only is Rojun attending as a writer, but we get to see the boys perform too? Can’t miss this!!
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋthis year SBC’s viewership ratings are gonna blow up
-MBS and KBC must be crying right now ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Isn’t this the first time? A male idol group performing at an awards show before their official debut?
-Rojun’s attending as a writer and performing too? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ busy man, busy life
By then, Kang Rojun and the members had already reported to GN Entertainment. They were gathered in the practice room early in the morning, in the middle of warming up their bodies.
-♬♪
The song was 'Bold'. It was a group practice session to prepare for the awards ceremony congratulatory performance, and by around noon, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung began their individual training sessions according to the scheduled plan.
Of course, Kang Rojun was not included.
‘Let’s finish the mission first.’
Since the environment had changed, his routine inevitably had to adjust as well. Today’s workout started at lunchtime, and the location was the company’s gym. Because it was lunchtime, there were quite a few employees around, and some even struck up a conversation with Kang Rojun, but he didn’t mind.
After checking his coins and finishing his stat enhancements, Rojun,
-Swoosh.
Headed straight to the practice room.
He went through vocal, dance, and rap practice in a row. Whether it was something he had learned or not, he handled it all without hesitation. Next was the studio. It was more professional than expected, even equipped with a recording booth.
‘Compared to the 'Produce That 100!' campus lounge, this place has top-tier facilities.’
He began with composition. He started thinking of a new dance track. Hours passed as Rojun either played the guitar or jotted things down in his notebook. He only emerged from the studio several hours later. After that, Rojun met up with the members again and had dinner.
“Si-hoo hyung, how was your training?”
“I got completely wrecked…”
“You guys too?”
“Yeah…‘Produce That 100!’ was heaven compared to this.”
They dove back into group practice again. Practice ended late at night. Exhausted, Rojun and the members passed out the moment they returned to the dorm.
This kind of grueling schedule repeated for several days.
Especially for Kang Rojun, things were even tighter. While completing his daily missions every day, he still managed to handle idol-related training alone, and carried out his responsibilities as a writer, lyricist, and composer.
He even added acting study.
He practiced lines and performances from other characters in 'Rental Lover' without having watched or studied them in advance. His scene partner was his own reflection in the practice room mirror.
There were also multiple meetings in between.
Schedule-related ones with Manager Kim Ki-baek from the management team, interview-style ones with the A&R team, and even requests from the PR and marketing team for photos to be shared with fans.
Because of all this, several days seemed to melt away in an instant.
And before they knew it.
《SBC Acting Awards to be held next week, moved to the larger SBS Prism Tower in Sangam/Photo》
The SBC Acting Awards were next week.
Wednesday the 9th, GN Entertainment’s main conference room.
In the large conference room, team leaders and executives from each department and CEO Ha Seo-hwan had gathered. CEO Ha Seo-hwan, sitting behind the ㄷ-shaped table and emanating presence as usual today, was looking at the front of the conference room where.
“These are the group name candidates that have come up so far.”
The screen was displaying a laptop screen, and a staff member from the A&R team was giving a briefing. Soon, several words appeared on the screen.
-[Vanguard: Meaning ‘at the forefront', ‘pioneer’; emphasizes an image of leading new trends.]
-[Zenith: Contains the meaning of reaching the peak or highest point.]
-[NovaK: A coined word suggesting a group that emits a powerful light.]
.
.
.
.
In addition to those, names like Ascend, Momentum, Xenox, Zephyr, and more, over 20 in total, were listed. What were they? The list of group name candidates that every entertainment company agonizes over. Naturally, the main characters were Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung. With their upcoming year-end awards congratulatory performance, it was no longer fitting to keep referring to them as the final winners of 'Produce That 100!'
That’s why CEO Ha Seo-hwan had issued a direct order to finalize the group name before anything else.
At the end of the list, a familiar name appeared.
-[GreenBee: A suggestion from member Rojun in the past. A pure Korean word meaning ‘a longed-for man’.]
Once the explanations for all the candidate names were finished, the conference room grew quite noisy. Executives and team leaders began expressing their opinions one by one.
At this, CEO Ha Seo-hwan,
“……”
Remained silent and just listened. Then he turned his gaze back to the group name candidates displayed on the screen.
‘A one-of-a-kind, unprecedented, first-of-its-kind group. With the kids’ vibe, Vanguard suits them well.’
Recalling the faces of Kang Rojun and the members, he slowly opened his mouth.
“Are the kids in the building right now?”
“Yes, CEO-nim. They’re in the practice room.”
He gave a firm instruction in a heavy tone.
“Call them in. We need to hear what they think too. It’d be even better if they made the final choice themselves.”
*****
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