Chapter 68:
Chapter 68
I wish my brother would become more famous.
Awi had been busy for a month because of his next album work.
Awi was going to release a new album in March, and then leave for Japan right away.
After finishing his activities in Japan, he would return to Korea and wrap up his Korean activities briefly and then start his world tour.
This year was full of schedules.
“Wow, look at all the people.”
“Why do they have fences for the graduation ceremony?”
Ian and Park Seodam stuck to the window and looked outside.
“Guys, we have to walk from here. Juyeong and Taewoong are going to eat with their families?”
“Yes, hyung. Eat something delicious!”
“Then what about the other kids…? Is this your way?”
There was no place to park, and there were a lot of people around the school, so it was crowded.
“Hyung, I know this way.”
“Oh, right! You did. Then call me when you’re done.”
As Awi got out of the van, the people around him screamed.
“Brr, it’s cold.”
“But how long did Seodam go here?”
“He went for about two months and then dropped out. The tuition here is expensive, you know.”
“Doesn’t the company pay for it?”
“He had to pay it back.”
Ian looked at Park Seodam in surprise. Jo Taewoong said loudly.
“The company even gives you an advance?”
“Hey, Jotang, your voice is loud.”
Kim Juyeong hit Jo Taewoong’s shoulder. Kim Hyun asked.
“But what did you do to get an advance?”
“My family doesn’t have money. I said I would pass the GED in one try, so please give me an advance for the tuition.”
Awi’s momentum delayed his debut, and while he was busking and building up his personal recognition, Park Seodam studied.
As they entered the school building, flashes were popping on the other side of the hallway.
“There’s really a photo wall?”
Ian opened his eyes wide.
There were even student volunteers who were running the event.
The student volunteer saw Awi and gasped.
“Fa… fan.”
“Thank you. Can’t I go yet?”
“Ye… yes…”
“Okay. Get ready, everyone.”
Park Jinhyuk nodded seriously. Ian and Park Seodam rummaged through their bags. The rustling sound made Jo Taewoong and Kim Juyeong turn around.
“What are you doing?”
“I feel uneasy somehow?”
Ian smirked at Kim Juyeong, who was shaking his pupils.
“Congratulations on your graduation.”
Soon after, Ian pulled something out of his bag, and a pink ribbon stretched out long.
“We don’t have anything to give you… but we prepared a wreath for you.”
Ian crossed his arms and gently placed them on his chest, acting shy. Jo Taewoong frowned at his disgusting act.
“Hey! What is this? It’s embarrassing!”
“Embarrassing? Are we ashamed?”
Lee Juhyuk, who was tying a ribbon around his neck, said seriously. Lee Juhyuk’s ribbon said ‘Awi cute Jo Taewoong congratulations on graduation’.
“How is it, hyung? Are you touched?”
Park Seodam tried to hold back his laughter and said.
“What! What are you doing!”
“Be quiet, everyone is looking.”
Kim Hyun patted Kim Juyeong’s shoulder and tied a ribbon around his neck.
Kim Hyun’s ribbon said ‘Dance king Kim Juyeong congratulations on graduation’.
“You say that but you’re happy inside, right?”
Ian straightened the wreath ribbon that said ‘Chinguchinggideulah graduation congratulations!!!’. Jo Taewoong and Kim Juyeong shouted.
“No!”
“Look, they like it.”
“You bastards, you’re happy too.”
The remaining members ignored their annoyance with shameless faces.
“If you go now, senior… oh.”
The student volunteer who was helping with the guidance covered her mouth with her hand.
The five members pushed Jo Taewoong and Kim Juyeong’s shoulders, who expressed their reluctance to go to the photo wall by dragging their feet.
They pushed Jo Taewoong and Kim Juyeong in the middle and surrounded them with a ring.
The members shook their hands quickly with a clink clink sound.
The camera flashes flashed loudly.
[TD Photo] Awi Taewoong X Juyeong ‘We came to the graduation ceremony with our members~’
[DZ Video] ‘Seo Arts Graduation Ceremony’ Taewoong-Juyeong congratulated by ‘human wreath’ Awi members
Taewoong-Juyeong can’t hide their joy at the surprise gift from their members
In fact, they were not happy but embarrassed and covered their faces with their hands.
“I’ll get you back next time.”
Jo Taewoong and Kim Juyeong gritted their teeth as they left the photo wall.
Park Seodam had nothing to graduate from, so would there be a next time?
The remaining members looked at each other and smirked.
They were worried that the graduation students’ families wouldn’t be able to get in because of the crowd, so the members watched the start of the graduation ceremony briefly and left the auditorium.
“Where did those hyungs go?”
“They’ll call if they get lost.”
“Right? Then where should we sit?”
“Let’s go this way.”
Ian and Park Seodam, who had been separated from their three hyungs, found a place to sit that was relatively secluded.
“If you hadn’t dropped out, you would have been performing there.”
“I guess so?”
There was a time for the juniors to perform at the graduation ceremony.
“Don’t you regret it?”
Ian asked.
He couldn’t go to school often because of his activities, but he still had some memories of his school days.
Ian also attended school whenever he had time before he dropped out as Kim Yongmin.
“A little bit.”
Park Seodam answered blankly.
He looked at a student carrying a luxury bag.
He probably was the main character of this graduation ceremony who came out during the ceremony, or he looked like a junior.
“That person is also a trainee or a debutant, right?”
“He does stand out a bit.”
[That’s her. She debuted last November with Seven Girls, Chae Dahee.]
‘Really?’
[The group flopped, but she’s a golden spoon, so she did some ads maybe?]
I see. Ian looked up at the sky.
“These days, it’s hard to be a trainee unless you’re a golden spoon. There’s no guarantee of debut, but you spend a lot of money on being a trainee.”
“Don’t they support you with living expenses and stuff at the company?”
“There aren’t many companies that do that, right? There are a lot of weird companies too…”
Park Seodam scratched his nails nervously. Park Seodam actually wanted to go to school and graduate like Jo Taewoong and Kim Juyeong when he had time. Just like other friends.
He told Ian something he hadn’t told the other members.
“I grew up under my grandmother. My parents died in a car accident when I was young.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, I have younger siblings too. Twelve and ten years old.”
“You have some troublemakers?”
“My siblings are really cute.”
Park Seodam giggled.
“I became a trainee by chance when I was cast on the street, but I didn’t want to burden my grandmother, so I entered impulsively. I thought there would be a dorm. They would give me food. If I was lucky, I could make money faster than others.”
“Well, anyone who sees you on the street would cast you.”
With his fair skin and cute face, Park Seodam looked like he would get a street casting in an instant.
Ian praised Park Seodam, and he scratched his head shyly.
“But once I became a trainee, it felt like I had no future. Even if I debuted, it was uncertain if I could make money, and I couldn’t look for other jobs because of the contract… Actually, I didn’t have a dream of becoming a singer, I just wanted to make money. Am I too materialistic?”
“No, it’s right to want to make money.”
In Kim Yongmin’s days, it was possible to become a dragon from a ditch if he was lucky enough to debut as an idol. Diamond couldn’t even do that…
These days, it was a big deal to be a worm in a twisted ditch.
The idol market was saturated and no different from a red ocean.
“There are many idol groups that debut, but few of them succeed. I think I’m lucky.”
In the second generation, there was the Hallyu wave, and these days K-pop was leading the trend worldwide, and as idol survival programs became popular, everyone wanted to train idols and more trainees followed.
Even if they were lucky enough to debut, they had to be popular to last long.
The company had to push them until they became popular, but after releasing two or three albums, they spent a lot of money but didn’t sell well.
If that situation came, most of the places that weren’t big companies would abandon the group.
“You guys got popular at first because of hyung.”
“Nah, that’s not true. It’s because everyone did well.”
The abandoned members were bound by the contract and had restrictions on their individual activities.
Even if they tried to terminate the contract, some companies would charge them several times the penalty for the living expenses and lesson costs they received as trainees.
In such a situation, there were many cases where kids with a place to run away from, or kids from wealthy families, knocked on the doors of planning companies to become trainees.
Park Seodam, who had nowhere to run away from, must have been very frustrated after his debut. It was fortunate that the group’s direction was going smoothly.
“So I wish hyung would become more famous. You guys can show off your talents and I can just make money from the group activities.”
[That’s what I think too. You’re very ambitious.]
Ian laughed at the blunt words that came in.
Usually in this case, it was either malicious individual fans of other members or other fandoms trying to provoke them. Or it was a troll who had nothing to do and wanted to see celebrities fail.
The members who were watching the reactions almost in real time were worried that Park Seodam would be depressed.
“I don’t want to get very popular… I just want our group to do well…”
But who knows where human greed will explode? Ian looked at Park Seodam with a worried face.
“The company and hyung are not the kind of people who neglect group activities for individual activities.”
“I guarantee that.”
“Then it’s fine.”
Park Seodam got up from his seat. He took out his phone from his pocket and checked the time.
“You guys are taking care of me too obviously since I got the phone. You even pushed me as the main character for the year-end stage… You don’t have to do that.”
“Re… really?”
Ian was flustered by Park Seodam’s words that followed.
After getting the phone, they checked the fans’ reactions as well as web surfing like their group name.
While other members were mentioned quite a bit, Park Seodam had few mentions and low recognition.
-Poka again Park Seodam came out ?? No one wants to exchange ??
-But what is Park Seodam good at?
└Incompetent…?
└Just the youngest?
└At least he does well in hosting?
└└Hosting?? He can’t do that?
There were also plenty of malicious reactions.
Usually in this case, it was either malicious individual fans of other members or other fandoms trying to provoke them.
Or it was a troll who had nothing to do and wanted to see celebrities fail.
The members who were watching the reactions almost in real time were worried that Park Seodam would be depressed.
“So I wish hyung would become more famous. You guys can show off your talents and I can just make money from the group activities.”
[That’s what I think too. You’re very ambitious.]
Ian laughed at the blunt words that came in.
He didn’t care about popularity as long as the group did well. Park Seodam thought that hyung had enough star quality, he just hadn’t exploded yet.
“At least I don’t have to worry about you.”
“…Yeah, I’ll carry you.”
Park Seodam bowed his head. He took out his phone from his pocket and checked the time.
“You guys are taking care of me too obviously since I got the phone. You even pushed me as the main character for the year-end stage… You don’t have to do that.”
“Re… really?”
Ian was flustered by Park Seodam’s words that followed.
He felt guilty for not noticing his situation sooner. Somehow he seemed too mature for his age.
“Thank you for telling me.”
He had no choice but to enter the company impulsively, hoping for a dorm, food, and money. He didn’t have a dream of becoming a singer, he just wanted to make money.
“We’ve only debuted for just over a year. Don’t worry too much.”
Ian stroked Park Seodam’s head roughly.
“Ah hyung!”
He was worried that he would be depressed by the fans’ reactions. He was lucky that the group was doing well.
***
“What took you so long?”
“Hyungs got lost.”
Ian shook his head back and forth.
“There were too many people and we got swept away.”
“Some fans recognized us and asked us to take pictures and sign autographs…”
“That’s a cowardly excuse!”
Amid the noise, Ian opened an internet window and looked at the news section.
There was a large picture of someone he knew well in the most viewed entertainment news section.
“Huh? Dongsu hyung!”
Did he see it wrong? He clicked on the article.
“…Black Rush disbands?”
[Exclusive] ‘Contract renewal failed’ Black Rush virtually disbanded
Black Rush Yeonghyun, BHL Entertainment exclusive contract expired… Negotiating contract with ‘Management Reef’
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