Invisible Moon
Chapter 25
Became the Moon
"If the air could condense into solid,
the air could also become the moon."
#WINisWIND
During the voting period on the UNISTAR website, MW Entertainment sent an email to inform all candidates that they would be conducting a briefing session at the agency building. The session would include a brief on the contest rules and the UNISTAR contract. We also needed to record a short introduction video.
The briefing was held on Sunday. They told us to wear our university uniforms and arrive early for preparation, because there would be a lot of candidates.
After registration, we were grouped and sent into separate dressing rooms where a stylist, who was assigned to us, was waiting.
"I think brown hair would suit you. Would you like to try colouring your hair? We still have some time left." The stylist told me, as I was the first one who arrived.
"Alright," I nodded. I had never dyed my hair before, as I didn't know which colour would suit me. If the stylist could pick one for me, that would be nice.
While the stylist was dyeing my hair, there was another candidate sitting next to me. I could recognise him immediately. His name is Oat, the Moon from QU University, Faculty of Engineering. He was quite good-looking, tall, and firm. Although his appearance might not be as outstanding as the UNISTAR members, compared to the average, he was still very handsome. His height of 190 centimetres was his most outstanding feature. In short, it's no surprise that he became the QU Moon.
"Hi!" He greeted me with a smile.
"Are you Win from XU University? I watched your contest. Your talent is very amazing. I'm impressed that you could answer every question, even P'Wayu's joke."
"Hi!" I smiled back at him. "You're Oat, right? Thank you. I also like your talent. Your drumming skill is enviable."
I was trying to be friendly, so that I could make some friends.
"Thank you," he said.
"Let's fight together! Since both of us have UNISTAR members from our university, the pressure is a bit tense."
"Yeah, that's true." I agreed.
Perhaps, most people thought that it was advantageous for us to have a senior who was a UNISTAR member. However, the fact is, we were carrying the expectations and reputations of our universities on our backs. If we couldn't make it to the final stage, it would be so embarrassing.
Oat and I kept chatting. I thought we could get along well as both of us were similar — we came from a famous university which had already produced a UNISTAR member. Although our universities were sort of competitors, I was still glad to have a companion.
We exchanged our experiences working closely with UNISTAR members. Oat told me that he was very close to P'Natee because they both loved to play instruments. P'Natee loved singing and playing the guitar, and Oat loved playing the drums. Sometimes, P'Natee would invite him to practice together. P'Natee also said that he would like to form a music band. P'Natee's close friends could play the bass and electric guitars, and now, Oat could play the drum. But P'Natee said he wanted one other member who could play the electronic keyboard.
"What about you? You come from the same major as P'In. What's P'In's personality like?" Oat asked.
"Yes," I nodded. "P'In...he doesn't talk much, but he's very caring."
"I see. Judging by the way P'In treats his fans, it's obvious. P'In is a very quiet person who doesn't socialise much, but he cares a lot for his fans."
"I couldn't agree more. How's P'Natee? What's his personality like?"
I was very curious. As I saw how he responded to his fans on Twitter and IG. He was very blunt but his fans still loved him.
"P'Natee is very straightforward to the point of rude." Oat laughed.
"But really, P'Natee is a very kind and attentive person. Though he might complain or seem indifferent, he's very caring. Well, the so-called shrew, but kind."
"Really?" I laughed as well because his fans also said something like that. Apparently, he fits the description of a Husky.
"And what about the relationship between P'Wayu and P'Natee?"
I couldn't help but wonder.
"P'Wayu seems to not like P'Natee, but their fans still believe they love each other."
"About this..." Oat appeared to be contemplating.
"I'm not quite sure. P'Natee always mentions P'Wayu and complains about him. About almost everything. From morning until evening. Sometimes, I also think that they might actually hate each other, but sometimes I feel like it's a father complaining about his son."
"Really?" I found this story to be hilarious.
I was feeling very curious now. The half-moons' relationship seemed to be more complicated than I thought. Who knew whether they actually loved or hated each other?
Afterwards, the stylist called me to wash my hair. Then, they did a new hairstyle for me. When I saw myself in the mirror, I was amazed.
I only changed my hair colour and style, and it turned out...great.
"Oh...you look really good with this hairstyle." Oat complimented me.
"If you take a photo and post it on the internet now, more fans will absolutely vote for you."
"Thank you." I felt shy.
"Oh, the meeting will start soon. Shall we go to the hall now?" Oat asked. He was also ready.
"Okay, let's go." So I walked with him.
The MW Entertainment auditorium was very large. There were hundreds of seats available. I remembered that this hall was used for their press conferences as well whenener MW Entertainment released a new project or gave an interview.
They also prepared some beverages and snacks for us. The staff gave us a handbook with a bag and led us to our seats. There were some MWTV staff around us, and many candidates had already arrived.
While waiting, I took a quick look at the handbook. It was the 'UNISTAR contest handbook by MW Entertainment', which included the project introduction, list of members and staff, details about the contract and contest rules, as well as an activity calendar. It turned out that the final stage would be held after my final exam.
What I loved most was the gifts inside the bag. There were coupons for various goods and services of MW, stationery with UNISTAR logo, and a white UNISTAR T-shirt. We were also given two special zone tickets to attend the final contest. So, even if we couldn't make it to the final round, we could still participate in the event and bring someone along. I thought it was great and I'm sure P'Wun would love it!
The meeting was about to start. The seats were all full. I saw a familiar host coming in with a small guy — I recognised him. He was PD Kwang. I figured he held a pretty high position here, as all staff paid respect to him.
"Hello everyone. Welcome to all Moon candidates to the briefing of the 5th generation UNISTAR contest."
After the host greeted us, everyone applauded.
"For your information, this briefing will be recorded and some of the footage will be broadcasted on the UNISTAR SHOWTIME! At the end of this briefing, please get a number and head to the studio. You will be recording your 1-minute introduction video there."
I looked around. When all the candidates were gathered here, it sort of looked like a group of angels had gathered. They were all super handsome. If P'Wun were here, she would have a major nose-bleed.
"And now, I'll pass this mic to our main producer for the UNISTAR project. Khun Nattakorn or PD Kwang. PD Kwang will talk about the contest, contract details and also preparation..."
Then, PD Kwang walked up to the stage as everyone applauded to welcome him.
"Hello everyone! First of all, congratulations on winning the university Moon contests." PD Kwang started.
He had a kind look, but seemed very serious when he was working.
"Out of all of you who made it from the University Moon contest to the National Moon contest, only one will be given the privilege to become the next generation member of the UNISTAR project. This is a crucial time for you. You will naturally be the topic of public interest until one of you officially becomes a UNISTAR member. Thus, what I'd like to talk about first is — the contest rule."
Everyone was focusing on what PD Kwang was saying.
"We've detailed the terms of the contract for the 9 finalists in the handbook, including the contract that you would sign as a UNISTAR member. I won't be explaining every detail here, so make sure you read it thoroughly. If you have any problem with any part of the contract, you can opt to quit the contest. However, if you agree to sign the contract as the 9 finalists, it means that you accept the terms and conditions placed as a UNISTAR member and idol under MW Entertainment. If you become the winner, the contract will come into immediate effect."
"Furthermore, since you're already in the limelight, you need to know that MW Entertainment is quite strict with social media use, especially for UNISTAR members. At this time, you don't need to sign the contract yet, but once you become one of the 9 finalists, it's mandatory for you to sign it."
"If you have any Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or other social media pages, you can use them as usual, but please inform us as well. Our staff will be monitoring them and you may need to delete some inappropriate posts or content during the contest. This is for your own sake as an idol."
PD Kwang was clear on wanting us to take the UNISTAR image seriously. Although we had yet to become a UNISTAR member, we were already participating in the contest. One of us would eventually become the winner, so they needed to manage our image from the get go.
"One more thing, and this is a very big issue for us...about personal relationships."
"Our agency doesn't prohibit dating. However, the contract specifies that if the personal relationship has a negative impact on the idol's work, income, or image, we have a right to control it. For example, if you have a girlfriend and it causes you to lose your popularity, we have the right to ask you to stop your relationship or keep it a secret. And if you don't agree, we also have a right to cancel the contract and make claims against you."
When they mentioned this topic, a number of candidates looked uneasy.
"Yes. I admit it's a bit too much. But being a successful idol isn't easy as well. Especially for UNISTAR members, image management must be considered a priority. If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to meddle in your personal life. The goal of being an idol is to make your fans happy. Keep in mind, your income is your fans' money. The love from your fans is the only thing that will determine your idol path. Thus, we must prioritise your image and your fans.
If you still want to enjoy your teenage life, or you already have a relationship and aren't willing to be forced, I'd suggest you quit the contest now. Because the problem will not only affect our company or yourself, but also the ones you love."
I understood what PD Kwang was trying to explain. This issue had occurred before, not to a UNISTAR member, but to another famous idol of MW. He had a girlfriend and his girlfriend had always posted many lovey-dovey photos on her IG publicly. His fans were angry as they thought that they didn't receive enough love from their beloved idol. As a result, not only did he lose his popularity, his girlfriend also got bullied. Some fans even went as far as to harass her personal life. It was such an unhappy ending, and they both decided to break up.
"What if we have a relationship and our fans are okay with it? Will this case be an issue?"
Suddenly, Oat, who sat next to me, raised his hand to ask. I was quite surprised.
"No, it won't be a problem." PD Kwang answered.
"Regarding the personal relationship issue, we will consider it case by case. Another choice is to keep it a secret. But if you already have a relationship right now, it is very risky because your friends may already know. Moreover, I'd like you to carefully think about it. A secret relationship isn't that easy to handle as well."
PD Kwang reminded us that if an idol had a relationship, he would have to take care of his fans and girlfriend at the same time. It would be quite difficult. And if he decided to keep it a secret, he would need to be concerned about the other person's feelings as well. And what if the fans found out later that their idol had a secret relationship with someone? They might feel even more disappointed. So I realised that this was a huge issue as an idol. Staying single was the safest option.
Well...having a relationship? I hadn't thought about it before.
"That is all for idol image. Now, I'd like to move on to the activity schedule. After we announce the 9 finalists, we'll arrange a special show for the contest. It's sort of a UNISTAR internship. The 9 finalists will have a chance to join the existing UNISTAR TV shows and work with UNISTAR members. Through a random draw, each finalist will have one UNISTAR member as a mentor. Who you get would depend on your luck."
I recalled that this show was pretty fun. I watched last year's contest — P'Natee and P'Wayu's year. P'Leo was P'Wayu's mentor and P'Sea was P'Natee's mentor. The show took on a UNISTAR internship format where candidates would observe or sometimes even try the modelling, advertising, photo shoots and variety show recording work. The candidates would follow their mentors around as they work.
Although the UNISTAR contest theme was similar to the University Moon contest, the purpose of this show was to test each candidate's potential - as in how much potential they had as a UNISTAR idol. In my opinion, the show would influence the voting rates as well as the judges' score in the final stage.
After that, PD Kwang briefed us on other details about the UNISTAR project, as well as the criterias they would assess. Then, it was time for Q&A.
"P'Kwang krub. What if I make it as a finalist but unable to win? Will I still have a chance to be an idol or artist in MW Entertainment?" One candidate asked.
"Of course you will." PD Kwang replied.
"Because even if you aren't able to become a UNISTAR, it doesn't mean you aren't good enough. It may be just because you're not the best match this year. But if we see your abilities and potential, we'll definitely want to offer you a contract. We've done this around two years ago. The 1st runner-up in N'In's generation is now working as an MC for MWTV."
I recognised him. That candidate was very eloquent and had an interesting character. However, P'In was more outstanding than he was, so he didn't win that year. Not long after that, he debuted as an MC. He was appointed as the associate MC for UNISTAR SHOWTIME! And was also selected as the host for last year's UNISTAR contest.
"If there are no other questions, then we can conclude today's briefing. There'll be a fun activity after this, so I hope you'll have fun. And congratulations again on becoming the University Moons. I wish you luck in this contest."
PD Kwang finished the speech and passed the microphone to the MC. He seemed to be busy as he immediately rushed out the hall afterwards.
After that, the staff conducted a mini game, similar to our orientation activity at university. The aim was to break the ice and allow us to get to know each other. Then, we went to have lunch and prepared to record our short video introduction. This building had a number of studio rooms. Oat and I were assigned to separate rooms but at the same timing.
"Uh...Oat. May I ask? Do you already have a girlfriend? Why did you ask PD Kwang that question?" I asked curiously.
"No, not yet." Oat said. "I was just wondering because we won't know what will happen in the future, right?"
"Agreed," I nodded. Nobody could predict the future. Right now, we might not think about having a relationship, but feelings are something that's very unpredictable.
While we were heading to the studio. I saw PD Kwang scolding a candidate. Oat and I didn't intend to eavesdrop, but we were just coincidentally passing by, and didn't dare to walk out as they seemed to be discussing a serious topic.
"Sun, why are you late?" PD Kwang sounded serious.
Sun? Oh...that must be the Moon from XYU university, the most popular candidate. I was very curious about what he actually looked like in real life, so I moved a little closer and was utterly surprised.
'Oh, his appearance...was he actually the sun?'
Why was he so bright? He was only wearing a normal university uniform, and didn't have his hair or makeup done.
He was very good-looking. His shape was also very perfect; tall and firm. He was definitely one of those who looked like they were born to be an idol.
When I saw him. I realised that not only was his amount of fans hard to compete with, his visuals was also actually a weapon that's hard to defeat.
"P'Kwang..." Sun looked quite upset.
"You've already scolded me a lot during School-Ace, now you still wanna scold me? I'm tired of it now."
"Hey!" PD Kwang pointed at him. "Don't you see the other candidates? They all arrived on time. Don't you dare think that just because you used to be an idol, you'll get a privilege."
"Why not? I've been the most popular one since School-Ace. It doesn't matter if I'm just a little late."
"The UNISTAR project isn't like School-Ace. Your image is very important." PD Kwang frowned.
"In School-Ace, you can do whatever you want. If the audience doesn't like you, then you'll just lose your popularity and be voted out of the show. However, in UNISTAR, whatever you do will influence other members as well as the brand that you're promoting."
"Alright, alright, I understand." Sun replied lazily. "Next time I'll be on time. So please don't lecture me anymore."
"If I don't, will you ever know what you did wrong?" PD Kwang seemed really mad.
"Don't you remember what you did during School-Ace? The staff needed to postpone filming many times because of what? You were drunk and had night outs so often that you couldn't get up on time. Tell me why shouldn't I lecture you? Why shouldn't I?!"
"P'Kwang, I'm not drunk today." Sun was trying to placate PD Kwang.
"At least, I arrived to record on time. I didn't miss it."
"What about the briefing? The workshop? The rules? The contract? You're not planning to listen at all?" PD Kwang was like a ticking bomb that was about to explode.
"P'Kwang, you know everything and I'm close to you, so you can just tell me later."
"What? Who said that I'm close to you? Bastard!" PD Kwang had reached his limit, so he hit Sun's arm hard, repeatedly.
"Ouch! P'Kwang. Why are you hitting me? It hurts!" Sun was trying to protect himself, but PD Kwang didn't let him go easily.
"Just because you're rich, your uncle is CEO here, you think you can do whatever you want. Go to hell! Get out of the contest."
"P'Kwang. Calm down. Please don't be angry."
"No! You have such a bad habit. Ai'Keith taught you, didn't he?"
"What? Why did you mention P'Keith?"
"Shut up! I'll hit you till death! Damn Metha family!"
I was shocked as we watched them from afar. Although PD Kwang looked quite serious while working, he was still very kind. However, he turned into a totally different person when he got mad. And this guy, Sun, I saw him on School-Ace before. Sun was a very outstanding idol; good-looking and talented. He could perfectly play and compose music, sing and dance, which was why he gained overwhelming popularity. I wasn't sure about his personality as the show didn't air how he interacted with other idols that much. Most of his airtime showed him practising or performing on stage.
After that, I saw PD Kwang dragged Sun to 'lecture' somewhere else. So Oat and I could only look at each other, confused. Then, we headed to the studio.
I couldn't help but think about Sun and how his actual personality might be different from his image. Oh, wait. P'Kwang mentioned about the Metha family? Did he mean Methawattana, the owner of MW Entertainment? I wondered.
"Uh...that person might be Sun Suriyaphat. MW President's nephew." Oat said and answered all the questions in my head.
"Hm? Nephew?"
"Yes." Oat said. "His mother is Mr. Kriengsak Methawattana's sister. MW probably didn't want his surname to affect him, so he used the name 'Suriyaphat Leng' instead."
"I see." I understood, but was still curious.
"How did you know?"
"I heard from P'Natee." Oat said.
"P'Keith is P'Natee's senior, and P'Keith is also PD Kwang's best friend. P'Natee said that P'Keith always complained about Sun because he was a troublemaker since his School-Ace days. But his fans never knew because MW always handled it."
"Oh really? P'Keith is...?"
"Mr. Kriengsak's son. MW President's eldest son."
"I see." Everything made sense now.
Sun was the MW President's nephew. He had such a perfect life, an angelic face and outstanding talent, not to mention wealthy. If he had a good personality, that would actually be too perfect.
"N'Win, it's your turn." The staff called me into the studio room to record my introductory video. So I waved my hand to Oat and walked in.
The studio wasn't very big. The filming background was very plain with only the UNISTAR logo. A cameraman and a staff member were waiting for me as I entered.
"We'll give you one minute to introduce yourself. Here is a checklist for your speech. Your speech should include everything in the list. If there is time left, you can say whatever you like."
I took a look. Apparently I needed to make sure that I mentioned my name, my university, my special talent, how I feel about joining the UNISTAR contest, what I wanted to tell my fans and what I liked about UNISTAR.
"Are you ready?" The staff asked.
"I'm ready." I took a deep breath.
"Three, Two, One..." Then, the camera was on.
"Sawaddee Krub." I greeted the camera.
"My name is Archawin Deshsakul. You can call me Win. I'm the Moon from the Faculty of Business Administration in XU University. My special talent is general knowledge. You can ask me anything and I can answer every question you ask. I'm honoured to be joining the UNISTAR contest. It feels surreal that a fading person like me would get this opportunity. So I'd like to thank everyone, including my seniors and my friends for supporting me."
I paused for a while. What should I say next? Oh right. I needed to tell them what I liked about UNISTAR.
"I really like UNISTAR. I'm also a UNISTAR fan..."
I wanted to bite my mouth after I said that. Wait...was I too excited that I couldn't even control my words?
"Really? Who is your bias?" The staff asked me. I guess there was still some time left.
"Ah...I like P'In." I didn't intend to say that, and my face suddenly felt hot.
Oh my god! What did I just say? I like P'In? Oh...no!
"Finally, please support and vote for me!"
I tried to appear cheerful. I even raised two fingers to make the V sign. When the time was up, the recording ended and I felt like I wanted to escape from here as fast as I could.
"Uh...May I ask? Will this video be published?" I was worried because I heard that part of this recording would be broadcasted on UNISTAR SHOWTIME!
"Not all of it." The staff said. "The editing team will only select some parts."
I heaved a sigh of relief. There were a lot of candidates and each of them spoke for about one minute. The part that I said 'I like P'In' probably wouldn't matter. The editing team would cut it out for sure.
However—
"But the full video will be uploaded on the UNISTAR website, so the audience can watch at any time."
"Huh?!"
What the staff said had effectively destroyed all my hope.
I hope it wasn't true. Damn it Win!
I could only wish that P'In would be too busy to watch my shameless introduction video...Hopefully.
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Footnote :
[1] 'Khun' is a Thai honorific, usually used as a prefix in front of a person's name. It is a polite and formal way to address a person.