[ Park Moondae's POV ]
It was now the end of April.
I hadn't realized that time passed by so quickly...the first shooting began closer to the beginning of winter.
After Seungmin's cousin dropped us off at the broadcasting center, we entered the set. Speaking of, I'll be returning to my apartment in the next break. The door was fixed by the landowner for free, apparently, so it was now decently safe.
"Wow, it's actually warming up now," Keun Sejin said as he walked up to us. "Huh? Moondae, have you been bulking?"
"Huh?"
"You look taller too. Have you been working out?"
"Moondae hyung's been working out with me," Seungmin smiled. He looked a little proud.
"Oh, well that makes sense," Sejin smirked. "Seungminnie's body is so tough. Give me your routine too~"
The three of us walked toward the production staff to hand in our phones. I was about to shut mine off, but a new alarm popped up from an anonymous SNS account for public opinion searches.
[ Original singer of the trot song sung by Moondae made a post ㅋㅋㅋ (link) ]
I clicked on the link, and the first thing I saw was a selfie of the singer with the TV screen behind him showing 'Park Moondae' singing during the talent show.
[ Participant Park Moondae of Idol Inc. who beautifully sang my song, I'm rooting for you ^^ I hope you debut! ]
Below in the comments, the fans were having fun.
I turned the page to another post by the trot singer, but my fingers froze.
It was a picture that I had taken as 'Ryu Gunwoo.'
I went straight to WeTube and searched for the most famous fancam I'd ever taken. I found the video with a familiar thumbnail, but it wasn't from my original account.
"The original has been deleted, so I re-uploaded it. If you're the owner and want it removed, please contact me," was written under the video.
I could feel my spine crawling.
My data still existed in this world, but there were no traces of me. It was as if I, myself, didn't exist.
I always joked about this being karma for being a data-seller, but it wasn't feeling like a joke anymore.
"What the hell are you?" I asked the system.
But of course, there was no answer. I felt stupid.
"Moondae hyung?"
I felt a palm on my forehead and looked at the owner of the hand. Seungmin was looking at me with a tilt of his head.
"Hyung, you don't look too good."
"I'm fine. Let's go."
I shut off my phone and handed it to the staff. If I continued to think about it, I would get caught up in an attitude scandal, so let me clear my head.
Fortunately, I had to focus on what the MC was saying as soon as the filming started.
"Idol Inc. welcome to the long-awaited 3rd ranking announcement ceremony!"
There was the usual applause from participants before the MC went straight to the point.
"But before we get to your rankings, there's something we need to find out first," the MC grinned. "It's your sincerity."
I could tell what was coming up: Casting call.
Usually, at this point, Idol Inc. adds something called 'Casting Call' where moderately reputable agencies come to cast participants. If you chose an agency, you would have to leave the program.
It was an event to add useless tension to the program. Participants in good standing weren't stupid enough to leave when they could debut as a group with guaranteed recognition by the program.
But, this was good for me. I could show my seriousness to debut with this.
"It might be my chance to show the desperation 'Park Moondae' severely lacks."
The screen behind the MC turned on.
[ Personality test! ]
"...?"
"Through a personality test that we have prepared, we will match you with the agency that suits you best!"
I sat bitterly.
It was just entertainment content. Or, maybe they would use it to decide teams in the next team match.
"Either way, I wouldn't be able to do what I wanted...Damn it."
Participants followed the staff's lead and moved to small rooms individually, ten people at once. I didn't have to wait because the order was done alphabetically.
I entered the booth with a camera installed in the middle of a small desk. I went to the opposite side and sat down. There was a tablet with a multiple-choice quiz.
[ 1. You have been selected as a performer of TaKon, a world-class K-pop concert presented for global fans in 21 countries. While practicing with blood and tears, you suddenly have an entirely new idea! However, there is only one week left until the performance. What choice will you pick? ]
"..."
For now, let's ignore the blatant advertisement for their concerts.
Even if I wanted to show my desperation and passion, I didn't want to come off as arrogant. So I chose option 5.
[ (5) Unfortunately, there's not much time left. Let's finish the preparations we've been doing. ]
I looked at the camera and explained, "If I was doing it alone, I might try. But in a group setting, it's more important to consider the situation."
[ 2. You have won the Rooke of the Year award at ToneA, the largest music award in Asia. But on the way to the awards ceremony, a member is seriously injured in a car accident. Fortunately, you only have minor bruises. If you leave right away, you will be able to attend the awards ceremony. What choice will you pick? ]
These questions were stupid.
"Of course, you should fucking rest."
If one of the passengers is seriously injured, how could you trust that you're also not hurt outside of simple bruising? But no matter how I looked at it, the option to go to the award ceremony with determination would look better.
I chose the neutral answer, suppressing a frown.
[ (4) Find out how to deliver my acceptance speech remotely at the hospital. ]
"It would be better to go in person, but the aftereffects of the traffic accident may not be immediately apparent."
I continued on to the next question. Surprisingly, all 10 questions and answers were equally ridiculous. I wasn't sure what this had to do with knowing how well I matched with an agency.
Finally, I got the question 10.
[ 10. You appear in Idol Inc. which selects global K-pop idols who will be active worldwide. Through endless efforts, you are finally standing in front of the last gate. An incredible casting call is calling you. What choice will you make? ]
Before I could look at the answer choices, the tablet screen changed to a countdown. It started from 3.
When the number became 0, the front door burst open without warning.
"...!"
"Hello?"
Outside the door stood a familiar face. It was the face of someone I'd taken a lot of pictures of before.
I bowed my head reflexively. I could only hope that my reaction wasn't late on camera.
"First, let me introduce myself. I'm Cheongryeo, the leader in VTIC."
The person extended his hand, and I reached out and shook it.
"My name is Park Moondae. I look forward to your kind cooperation."
"How the hell did they recruit him?"
I felt a cold sweat run down as my mind raced with questions. The most important thing now was to make sure that I didn't make a mistake. Who knows how his fans will act? I tried to keep my expression the same, but I wondered if I should've made more of a reaction.
"I saw it on TV, but you really are a calm person," he smiled.
"...I was so surprised that I stiffened."
Cheongryeo laughed just enough to lighten the mood and went straight to the point.
"The reason why I came to meet participant Park Moondae today is to deliver a casting call from LeTi."
He continued to roughly recite the benefits of LeTi like welfare, achievements, and vision. It was amazing that he memorized it. I tried to nod my head moderately.
"Of course, this is not an offer to all participants. This is a result of your personality quiz answers. In the 9 situational questions and answers, Park Moondae is a participant with the highest response rate with our VTIC members."
"And," he continued, "as you may already know, LeTi is the agency of senior MallangDalakom. Wouldn't there be a chance to dance <POPCON> together?"
I realized that the effects of the first episode really never went away. I just laughed it off.
Then, papers and pens came up on the desk. It was a contract with a real stamp.
I didn't realize they were taking this so seriously. I skimmed through the papers nervously.
"Park Moondae, will you respond to the casting call of LeTi?"
I thought about it.
Well, frankly, I just needed to debut to live, and LeTi hadn't made another idol group in the 3 year future I knew. So I would die.
I lifted the pen over the contract for a second and then quietly put it down and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I want to keep trying."
"Ah, that's a shame. May I ask why?"
Obviously, I couldn't say I'd die, so I came up with another excuse.
"Well," I smiled. "There's an investment cost. There are people who've bought my stocks, so I want to return that investment."
If I debuted in Idol Inc., I would sign a 5-year contract. Then 'Park Moondae' would be active enough to satisfy those who spent so much money for my debut.
And what those people like, I enjoyed it too.
"Unexpectedly, the stage is fun."
I nodded my own head in confirmation and smiled.
"I'm going to try harder to make my debut here."