Chapter 107: 114

“What’s wrong with Testar winning the rookie award?’

I could roughly guess what it was about, but I clicked it at once.

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[Isn’t it too much for Testar to win the rookie award?]

: Shouldn’t we see it as an extension of Idol Inc instead of a rookie group that debuted normally?

I think it should be viewed as a variety show. To be honest, they’re taking away other new groups’ opportunities.

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As expected.

‘I roughly expected this reaction.’

Isn’t this what I heard when we overlapped with VTIC? We were destroying the ecosystem.

Honestly, I could understand.

“<Idol Inc.> would’ve come up.’

Since it was a group that debuted with the glory of such a well-known audition program, it wasn’t strange to hear words such as the broadcasting company’s tyranny or stuff like that.

However, the participants had a hard time while filming the variety show, and in season 3, the higher-ups knew that they would fail and almost gave up, so it was a bit unfair to be recklessly criticized.

“This public opinion isn’t strong enough to change the trend anyway.’

Looking at the comments, it was already a one-sided argument that couldn’t be called a fight.

– That variety show was an idol audition, what are you talking about;

└Isn’t it even more unfair that It’s an idol audition…?

└Unfair, my ass. Anyone who sees this will think that idol audition is illegalㅋㅋㅋ

– Ah, what’s this, I was writing a long letter to answer seriously, but it’s just an aggro?

– There are so many idols from audition programs, so should they all be treated as fake debuts?ㅋㅋㅋ Is it because Idol Inc is doing well? Strange arguments keep popping up

– So, you like the group that got pushed back from the Rookie Award this year, fighting!

– I also think the Idol Inc program itself is deformed, but that doesn’t mean Testar kids don’t deserve to be rookies.

– You went too farㅉㅉ

The later comments almost ended up with ridicules to the writer.

“Hmm, I don’t really like this atmosphere.’

It seemed this article really was an aggro, but the problem was that there were occasional comments laughing at the performance of the rookie group that debuted this year.

They didn’t seem to be Testar fans, just people who had fun mocking someone.

– Hm, even the best rookies this year barely managed to sell 80,000 copies…ㅋㅋ

└ㅋㅋㅋHeol, it’s not even a game

└With these levels, it’s a bit of a waste of the Rookie Award, isn’t it? ㅋㅋㅋㅋIt’s a shameㅠ

“It’s not good to give the fans of the rookie groups who debuted this year a chance to fight like this.’

It was a bit annoying, but it wasn’t a big deal.

It was not a particularly popular article, and Testar’s level wasn’t outstanding enough that no one couldn’t criticize us.

I just shrugged and turned to another page.

And the following week, even when I was in the middle of preparing for the year-end practice, I didn’t worry too much about the Rookie Award.

* * *

The mirror in the dance practice room was damp.

“Let’s take a break, huft, then we will start again.”

“Ugh…”

“I’m dying.”

If even Cha Eugene said such a thing, I didn’t have to explain the other guys’ conditions.

“Cha Eugene… is probably the one suffering the most.’

This was because Cha Eugene’s singing part in the solo choreography for the song we were practicing now was quite long.

I thought the finished work would be great since we even put an aerial device in the middle… The problem was the person who did it was having a hard time.

“Do you want water?”

“Yes…”

I threw the bottle of mineral water I was carrying to Cha Eugene.

“…Me too, a little.”

“Me too, Moondae, be kind to me.”

I threw water at both Sejin who were far away. And for a moment, the practice room became quiet. Everyone was pouring water into their mouths.

After quite a while, Seon Ahyeon looked around and said.

“S-Still… I think it’ll be cool.”

“That’s right.”

“It will be a great stage if you could get the camera right.”

At Kim Raebin’s words, giggles erupted here and there. Kim Raebin was a little bewildered as he couldn’t figure out why people were laughing.

“Funny guy.’

I smiled and took out my smartphone. I was thinking of checking the progress of the Rookie of the Year voting in the meantime.

However, the manager came into the choreography practice room with a lot of drinks, so I naturally put the phone down.

“Hyung!”

“Coffee!”

“Thank you so much for making it cold…”

The manager asked while handing over the drinks.

“Right… Guys. How’s the practice going?”

“Yes!”

“If we keep practicing like this, I think we’ll do well at the award ceremony.”

“Hmm, that’s great! But guys, sit down.”

“…?”

Ryu Chungwoo, who was relaying the progress as the representative, was a little bewildered, but he soon calmly gathered the members.

“What is it?”

“…Is there an additional schedule?”

“No, it’s not that. Um…”

The manager looked troubled. After hesitating a few times, he spoke seriously.

“Tomorrow… They said there will be an article. Regarding Idol Inc.”

“…!”

“T-net tried to block it as much as possible, but it didn’t work out. Our side is also preparing a response article, so don’t worry too much.”

“…What article is it?”

“Well, it’s a rumor about the participation in Idol Inc, but we already have all the rebuttal materials, so it’ll be okay. …It seems to focus on Ryu Chungwoo in particular, but don’t panic.”

I barely swallowed my saliva.

“What’s going to explode has exploded now.’

This was 100% a controversy over having a writer as a relative.

‘The writer also kept her mouth shut, so I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal for a year.’

It seemed the group was doing so well that a lot of people tried to dig into us.

Perhaps Ryu Chungwoo had guessed this, his face was dark, but he didn’t look surprised.

He just asked carefully.

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“…Do I have to say something?”

“I haven’t heard anything about that… Wait.”

The manager went out to talk on the phone again with a flustered look.

And the mood of the remaining members naturally dropped. It was because the adrenaline that offset the fatigue from practice had just disappeared with the news.

Keun Sejin asked seriously.

“Hyung-nim, you must be tired, but can we hear a brief explanation of what’s going on?”

“…Of course.”

Ryu Chungwoo repeated the same story he had told me at the last drinking party to the members.

To sum it up, the writer, a distant relative whom he had hardly ever seen, had contacted him through a family reunion.

Most of them were relieved, perhaps thinking that it wouldn’t spread into a big problem as long as the explanation went well.

“Hmm, then you’re not in a relation with her~”

“That’s right… I don’t think it’ll spread much if it’s explained properly.”

Ryu Chungwoo still looked bitter.

“I’m sorry for causing unnecessary controversy at such a critical time.”

“I-It’s fine! H-Hyung, don’t worry too much…”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it since it’s already happened. Let’s hope it will work out!”

Bae Sejin quietly added.

“…Ryu Chungwoo, in that case, then I should have already left the group.”

“…!”

This guy even knew how to joke around now.

And Cha Eugene replied brightly.

“That’s true!”

“Hey!”

“Haha!”

The hot-tempered Bae Sejin was funny, so the atmosphere loosened up a little.

“Well, worrying about it won’t do anything. Shall we continue practicing?”

“That’s a wise decision.”

The manager who came back after finishing the call was a bit taken aback when he saw us start practicing, but he went back with relief.

And the morning after I was worried about fatigue and just went to bed, a series of articles popped up.

[Idol Inc’s writer cast Testar’s Ryu Chungwoo through “family connection’]

[The uncomfortable truth of the audition program, Testar also has the power of blood ties?]

[Testar who debuted in Idol Inc. The writer’s relative is the former medalist Ryu Chungwoo.]

It was a lineup that I had expected.

Comments quickly increased on a few articles on society, not entertainment.

“Don’t look at the comments.”

“…Got it.”

Ryu Chungwoo looked worried.

“…The fans must be having a hard time.”

Fortunately, rebuttal articles also appeared one after another.

[T1 Stars “Is the writer related? Ryu Chungwoo has never seen her face before’]

[Idol Inc’s writer is more distant to Ryu Chungwoo than his 15th cousin… She’s not even a relative.]

Usually, in this case, the rebuttal articles often didn’t receive proper attention.

However, the response was made immediately in such a short time, and Ryu Chungwoo’s existing image was good, so he was able to be on the top of the portal news tab.

Of course, the efforts of the fans were great.

– I think she was just trying to contact Ryu Chungwoo somehow and ended up going to a family reunion? With that timing, the writer would have hit the jackpot, but Ryu Chungwoo was fooled into the crazy Idol Incㅋㅋㅋ (????11026 ???? 1501)

– The 9th cousin is a stranger but 15th cousin is like an enemy (????8490 ???? 422)

– 15th cousin? Honestly, you guys are just nitpicking. If I was the writer, I would cast someone from the national team too (????6178 ???? 759)

Testar group fans were mostly convinced, and public opinion quickly began to recover.

The company’s press and public relations team also contacted us separately.

“I don’t think there will be a big problem. But let’s refrain from SNS for a while, Chungwoo.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

Ryu Chungwoo looked relieved, but it seemed he was somewhat distraught that he couldn’t post anything, such as an apology or appreciation to his fans.

I held back a sigh.

‘…I guess there’s a lot to be said.’

In fact, it had been confirmed that general public opinion had failed to recover in some communities on the Internet.

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[Am I the only one who feels weird about Ryu Chungwoo’s explanation?]

: They are not related by blood simply because they are distant relatives~ Ryu Chungwoo was too well edited in Idol Inc to pass it up with that excuse.

I think it’s unfair that he came in without being properly watched in the preliminary round and got recruited. You don’t know what kind of deal there might have been in the process of casting.

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– He received all the main parts

– No, they said Ryu Chungwoo was cast when Idol Inc season 3 was going to fail… Aren’t you going too far?

└Even after Idol Inc got successful, Ryu Chungwoo’s portions were consistently good. Honestly, wasn’t it strange that Ryu Chungwoo was the only one who got the image of a tragic leader?

– It can’t be helped that it feels suspicious

– Ryu Chungwoo, National Team’s shield, has been bad since Idol Inc, and now I’m saying it properly.

– Outsourcing… ㅋㅋㅋ They probably said they would let him go until the end. How annoying. Someone didn’t even get the right portion, but Ryu Chungwoo got recruited?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Suspicions and criticism for Ryu Chungwoo grew stronger, and eventually, the arrows were directed to the entire Testar.

– Honestly, the other members too…ㅋㅋ Hmm I can’t say more because I’m afraid of the fans

└ㅋㅋㅋI’ll say it for you! No, is it only Ryu Chungwoo~ Honestly, all of the debut team members received editing benefits.

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋI’m so relieved.

└Fans are about to have a fit.

└Prediction: Who got a bad edit? Did they go up on stage without much portions?

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋsmart

└Even the bad editing was fixed later, but they cover their eyes and don’t want to look like losers, those fans and the singers…

Of course, this atmosphere was not normal, so it did not last long and subsided to some extent.

It was because the people who were tired that the issue didn’t work well this far had taken the lead in the second half.

The company seemed to think that these places would move on quickly if another issue broke out, so they put off their priorities as they focused on dealing with the mainstream media. 

So, the public opinion that doubted Testar’s legitimacy didn’t immediately disappear and remained an inconvenience.

And not long after, this topic began to come out again.

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[Testar’s Rookie Award]

: Their level is real, so there’s nothing we can do about the popularity award or the main award… I want to give the rookie award to another groupㅠㅠ I feel so sorry for the kids who are robbed off…

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The difference from the last time was that there were people who actively responded.

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