Chapter 78:


    Trantor: MarcTempest


    Editor: Rxel


    Chapter 78


    30 minutester, The New ck posted a message on their official SNS.


    @The_New_ck_Official


    We really enjoyed the lunch boxes you sent us! Woojoo Hyung said he was so touched that he cried, because he was eating army food around this timest year. It’s true. Junghyun and Jiho ate one more each. And Rihyuk didn’t leave any rice for the first time.


    #Thank_you #Love_you


    Along with the photos of the members eating, they also wrote a long review of each food, like a food blogger.


    The fans who were at the scene also started to upload their proof shots.@IiiiII23


    I came out of the fan meeting and ended up eating chicken, thanks guys,


    #I’m_bing_a_pig_today #Diet_fail


    The SNS posts of The New ck’s fans quickly spread to the fan cafe.


    -??????


    -I want to tell people. Everyone. Please be a fan of our kids. Let’s be rich not in our hearts but in our bodies??


    -Last time they gave us sandwiches at the music show, and today the fans who went to the fan meeting got lucky???


    -I’m at the scene right now and it’s so delicious… I give up on dieting today


    -Chicken is legit


    -Live report) Chicken 10 pieces vs eco bag debate


    -????????


    -Live report) Eco bag wins by andslide


    -Breaking news) A fan said, ‘What if the kids personally handed us the chicken?’ and the atmosphere is buzzing


    -Breaking news) ‘The kids are the kids and the chicken is the chicken’ a dramatic agreement is reached


    -??????????


    -Wow, it must be really delicious, they’re frying it on the spot?


    -Yeah, someone from the headquarters who’s in charge of cooking came, I heard Jiho’s dad works at thatpany


    -Hul, that’s awesome???


    While the fan cafe was bustling, the PR team of Lemon Entertainment was working as usual.


    They checked the SNS posts of The New ck members, and also sent out press releases about the heartwarming stories of the fans and the singers exchanging gifts.


    When their busy work was somewhat settled, the PR team leader opened his mouth.


    “Isn’t it time for the ending stage soon?”


    “Yes, it should be.”


    “Turn on the TV. We have to watch it ourselves on days like this.”


    Someone picked up the remote and turned on the TV.


    They switched from the terrestrial channel that they had left on to monitor the drama that theirpany’s actor was in, and the number went up and up.


    ‘HBS MTV’ was the channel name, and Showtime was being broadcast live.


    As Soul Six from Oullim Entertainment was performing, the employees rolled their chairs to the front of the TV screen.


    Soon after, Soul Six’s stage ended, and the final three stages began.


    Unlike usual, the order was from the highest to the lowest rank.


    “Our kids are thest ones, right? They won’t make a fuss about this, will they?”


    “It’s fine. There’s no one with a big fandom enough to make a fuss about that. Maybe if it was Teen Spirit.”


    “They’re all pretty mediocre.”


    “I’ve been browsing some idol-rtedmunities, and they say that this Showtime’s first ce is the best ever.”


    Everyone gave a bitter smile, and someone asked, “Who do you think will be the first ce today?”


    “Well, I think Misty has the highest chance. They have the biggest fandom among the three. And their album sales have been rising since thest one, and this one’s not bad either, right? They even got third ce on some other music shows.”


    “Yeah, their fandom is surprisingly strong.”


    “What about Joana? Isn’t she possible?”


    “Really?”


    “She was a girl group member and then herpany pushed her as a solo, so she has some existing fans, right? They’re few but very core, I heard.”


    “Her album sales are low, though.”


    But there was no one who said that New ck would be the first ce.


    Because of the objective numbers.


    It might have been possible if it was the third or fourth week, but now, their overall indicators were low.


    Soon.


    New ck’s ‘Fireworks’ stage began.


    “Wow.”


    Someone eximed.


    “Look at the stage quality. This is why the broadcasting station gave them the finale, right?”


    “They’re really good.”


    “Their makeup looks good today, too, and their expressions are really, wow, this is why we feed them expensive food.”


    “Woojoo is going wild, really.”


    They admired the appearance of the New ck members singing the chorus of Fireworks.


    And the refreshing song, too.


    “Fireworks is always nice to listen to. I had a feeling that this would be a hit ever since I first heard it.”


    “The A&R team said that the song is good, and even though it might not make it to the annual chart, it will stay on the chart for a few months.”


    “We have to work hard on promoting the official release of Night Sea. We might be able to rise together with the double title track.”


    “Look at the kids on stage.”


    Someone smiled and changed the topic.


    “They looked so young and cute when they came out on Something in March. But now they look like pros, don’t they?”


    “Exactly. They look like celebrities now.”


    “How’s the real-time reaction?”


    “It’s not explosive, but it’s not bad. There arements asking for the members’ names and saying they’re handsome.”


    Then, someone checked a message and asked, “Team leader, Young Daily wants to schedule an interview for tomorrow. What should I tell them?”


    “Put them on hold. We have another schedule.”


    As the employee nodded, another employee asked, “Schedule? There was nothing on the management team’s schedule except for the music show.”


    “We have an unofficial schedule. We have a meeting with TBC Broadcasting Station.”


    “A meeting?”


    As someone asked, New ck’s stage ended and all the singers who appeared today gathered in one ce.


    The countdown starting from five ended.


    And on the screen, the total scores appeared quickly along with each group’s album photos.


    -Yes! The first ce is Joana’s ‘Starlight’! Congrattions!


    -Congrattions!


    With a click! sound, glittering papers fell from the air.


    -Please tell us how you feel about being first.


    -Uh… Uh, yes. Me? Yes.


    The solo singer with a ponytail and a leather jacket had her eyes wide open.


    Soon, Joana regained herposure and mentioned the staff while giving her first-ever first-ce speech.


    The singers behind her pped for her.


    But what the promotion team employees were looking at was not the speech, but behind it.


    “They look really happy.”


    “Our kids have great reactions.”


    “Woojoo must have told them everything beforehand.”


    Usually, this was the time when they had to be careful about their expressions.


    In the past, Sixty Seconds caused a controversy when they crossed their arms and looked displeased when TNT won the first ce.


    Well. Of course, it wasn’t that bad.


    They were worried that they might unconsciously show their disappointment.


    But after seeing the result of being third, they smiled brightly among themselves and soon sent apuse to the senior singer who became first.


    They must have had high expectations.


    They acted professionally, and the promotion team employees smiled as well.


    A loud phone rang.


    “Are you here? Yes, yes, I’lle out to meet you.”


    As Hong, the deputy, got up in a hurry, the others asked, “Who’s here?”


    “Oh, it’s the costumes that the kids will use in Myeongdong. The samples just arrived.”


    ***


    “…”


    When they returned to thepany, there were some monsters in the practice room.


    “Oh, my god.”


    Rihyuk made a fuss and hid behind them.


    They were having simr reactions.


    “Am I seeing things?”


    “Hyung, what is this, or what are these?”


    “They’re so ugly.”


    “Please tell me we’re not going to wear these costumes…”


    The youngest looked at them with a desperate look, but they had nothing to say.


    Woojoo felt like crying too.


    They wereughing and talking until a while ago.


    But after seeing that, the thoughts of being a first-ce candidate, or the fun things that happened while having a mini fan meeting flew out of their heads.


    The only thing they could think of was that the ‘things’ in front of them were not the costumes they were going to wear.


    The youngest shook his head and said, “Hyungs, I thought about it again, and I don’t think these are the costumes we’re going to wear. If they were, there would be five of them.”


    There were three costumes in front of them.


    “Oh, right.”


    As Woojoo muttered a hopeful wish, Bijoo spoke.


    “What if they’re just samples, and they want us to choose one out of the three?”


    “Choose from there?”


    That seemed like a problem in itself.


    Woojoo’s eyes drifted to the three dolls that were leaning against the wall of the practice room.


    From the left:


    A bald, flesh-colored doll that resembled a sausage.


    A primitive tribesman.


    A very strangely shaped teddy bear.


    If there were viins in the doll world, they would be them. Their menacing appearance made Woojoo swallow hard.


    “No way,” Woojoo said. “Unless thepany staff have lost their sense of aesthetics, they wouldn’t have picked those things.”


    “That’s true, right?”


    “Yeah, Hyungs. When have you ever seen Woojoo Hyung say something wrong? If he says it’s not, then it’s not.”


    “Right, right.”


    “Hey, you guys seem to be in denial of reality right now…”


    “I can’t hear you, I can’t hear anything.”


    Ignoring Rihyuk’s words, Woojoo plugged his ears. Then, the door of the practice room opened with a click.


    It was Hong Daeri from the PR team.


    “Oh, when did youe back?”


    “I’m sorry for the dy.”


    “Congrattions on bing the first-ce candidate. I wanted to congratte you earlier, but Director Cho said it might make you nervous, so he told me to wait until it was over.”


    “Oh, it’s okay. Thank you.”


    The smiling deputy handed Woojoo a congrattory message and then asked him, “How is it?”


    “What do you mean…?”


    Don’t tell me.


    “It’s the mascot costume you promised to wear if you became the first-ce candidate. The rentalpany sent us a sample, and we’re going to order it once you choose.”


    “You want me to choose?”


    “Yeah, I thought it would be fair to give you the option.”


    The costume looked anything but fair.


    “What’s wrong, Woojoo?”


    “Nothing.”


    Woojoo wondered if this was a hidden camera prank, so he nced at the mirror or the rail, but he didn’t see anything.


    Were these people serious?


    “Okay, then let me exin each one to you.”


    Did you order them yourself?


    Woojoo tried to keep a straight face while the deputy looked excited, and she led them to the leftmost one and started exining.


    First, the bald sausage.


    “This is a finger puppet.”


    “Fingers?”


    “Yeah, they’re originally in five sets. From the thumb to the little finger, there are exactly five of them, just like you guys.”


    She showed them a picture of theplete set on her tablet PC, and Woojoo couldn’t help but gasp at the sight.


    It reminded him of something.


    “Uh, boss.”


    “Yeah?”


    “Is it just me, or does the middle finger look a bit long…?”


    Woojoo was trying to find the right words to say when the most blunt member of our group blurted out.


    “Sir, you look like a middle finger when you stand in a line like that.”


    “…Oh.”


    Their boss looked flustered.


    “I didn’t think of that at all, but I guess it could look that way.”


    “It would be a disaster if any of us on the side had a dance move that involved bending our knees. There are a lot of foreign tourists in Myeongdong, you know…”


    “Sorry. This wasn’t my choice, actually.”


    She revealed the behind-the-scenes story.


    “I ordered the remaining two, and the boss liked them. He said he wanted to help out with the kids wearing the masks.”


    “Ah…”


    “He asked me to keep it a secret, but I’m telling you just in case.”


    It seemed like she spoke well.


    Butter, when the boss asked shyly, and the youngest or Junghyun said, “Oh, is that the fuck-you doll?” there would be a hugemotion.


    “Um, shall we move on to the other two then?”


    The second one was a doll that resembled a primitive tribe.


    This one was cute.


    Maybe it was because it was sandwiched between a flesh-colored sausage and a murderous teddy bear, but its appearance and outfit were somewhat adorable.


    “How about this one? There were so many predictions on the fan cafe, so this was the only one left after avoiding them all.”


    “Not bad,” Rihyuk said. “It looks pretty good to me.”


    “Me too.”


    “Um, I don’t know if it will fit my shoulders, but I agree.”


    “This is the best of the three.”


    But Woojoo disagreed.


    “I like the appearance too, but the dark skin of the primitive people, and the clothes that remind me of African people. There are a lot of overseas K-pop fans these days, so it might be risky. It could be seen as racial discrimination if we do it wrong. Koreans mightugh at it, but foreign tourists might feel differently.”


    That was the kind of thing that caused controversy over racial discrimination on foreign websites.


    Things like painting their skin ck and making tribal noises.


    “I think it’s better to avoid anything that could cause controversy.”


    Everyone nodded and agreed.


    “Then, there’s only one left. Do we have to order again? How about this one?”


    Thest remaining murderous teddy bear.


    If you just smeared some blood drops on that T-shirt and gave it a knife model, it would be a perfect Halloween costume.


    Why did they put teeth on the teddy bear?


    It was smiling, but it felt like it was saying ‘I’ll chase you to hell’.


    Woojoo watched the teddy bear with an awkward feeling for a while, when Junghyun stepped in.


    “Wait a minute. I know a designer, so I’ll ask him.”


    Junghyun picked up his phone and connected somewhere. He answered ‘cousin’ to their curious eyes.


    Were they the ones with weird taste?


    The designer praised all the costumes. He said the third teddy bear was the best for the public.


    He said he would show it to his son and daughter.


    Soon, two children appeared on the video call screen.


    They looked like seven and five years old, a cute little boy and girl.


    “What do you think?”


    As Junghyun brought the video call screen close to the teddy bear, a loud cry burst out.


    The call ended with the angry scream of his wife, his excuses, and the sound of his back being pped.


    “…”


    There was a moment of silence, and they asked, “Manager, do you have anything else?”


    “Um… Ah!”


    She called somewhere and soon an intern from the PR team came down with a big doll.


    It was a chicken with a red T-shirt.


    “Oh, it’s cute.”


    They said without knowing.


    The T-shirt said ‘Hoho Chicken’.


    This was really cute.


    “Did your dad send it?”


    “Yeah, my father said to take it and use it if you need a doll costume. It’s cute, but the problem is that there’s a trademark on it…”


    “How about taking off the T-shirt?”


    “We already tried that. I’ll show you why it wasn’t a candidate.”


    He took it off.


    “Um…”


    “Uh…”


    “This is too erotic for a chicken, don’t you think?”


    Rihyuk’s philosophical expression was tranted by the youngest.


    “The chicken is too sexy.”


    ***


    In the end, they couldn’t choose a doll costume that day.


    They refused the manager’s words that she would look for it again.


    They said they would look for it themselves.


    “No, there are so many good ones, but…”


    Woojoo was looking at the doll profiles on the rental site, and the youngest sipped his caramel mhiato and said, “But they’re toomon. The fans are posting a lot of guesses on the fan cafe, and they say things like teddy bears are too boring…”


    They had worked too hard on the stage.


    It was just a doll costume, but the fans were expecting a lot.


    It felt like they had to do something like jumping out of a helicopter with a parachute.


    Woojoo deleted the 8-piece teddy bear set from his wishlist, swallowing his tears at the negative reviews about them.


    “All the good ones are already rented out…”


    As they were browsing the site with regret, they heard Seokhwan Hyung’s voice calling them from afar.


    “Oh, they’re here!”


    They put away their phones and checked their outfits.


    They were at a cafe inside the TBC Broadcasting Station.


    They all got up nervously at the sight of someone walking with Seokhwan Hyung.


    The reason they had been desperately trying to rx by talking about the teddy bear costumes was because of that person.


    “Hello! We are New ck!”


    “Oh, hi.”


    He was PD Gu Jaeyong.


    He was the one who created the national variety show ‘Around the World with Dice’.


    He might have a high status in the industry, but he was also very big and fierce-looking. Woojoo couldn’t help but flinch when he nced at him.


    He looked like a scary person.


    As soon as he sat down at the table, he blurted out something rather odd.


    “Before we get into the main topic, there’s something I want to ask you first.”


    “Yes, PD-nim.”


    “Which one of you is the one who came out of the army?”


    “That’s me, PD-nim.”


    “Oh, I see. Since you came out of the army, do you…?”


    He was spinning his hand around for a while, like someone on their team who couldn’t find the right word. He finally asked Woojoo a question.


    “Are you good at digging?”


    …What kind of special was this?