/
I wasn’t in a position to choose what I wanted.
“We still have to listen.”
When I said it without lying or hiding anything, everyone’s shoulders drooped. It was good to continue this momentum by entering the chart.
“To stop being unknown idols, you need to make sure that your image is well-known even if it’s a bit worn out.”
“Um
”
“Let’s go on this show.”
“
”
Everyone looked worried. Meanwhile, Kang Yichae chewed on a dried squid and answered lightly.
“Yichae likes it.”
‘Easy.’
“I like it too. I want to think of it as my last chance.”
Sung Jiwon pushed the momentum. His eyes were blazing with determination.
Kim Sunghyun and Jung Dajoon looked at the rest of the members’ faces and nodded.
“Let’s go there.”
“I’ll follow hyungs.”
“Okay.”
The atmosphere gradually set in. When the situation was roughly over, I slowly caught the timing and said.
“Then listen to this. Including the contest program, there are three important rules so that we can rise up.”
“What is it?”
Although it had been a year since their debut, it was clear that they were pure beginners who still didn’t know the ecosystem of broadcasting stations.
I raised my finger.
“First.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t trust all the people on the broadcast.”
“
Yes?”
“They’re all foxes. They’re raising snakes inside.”
“Hyung, are you talking about yourself?”
I ignored it.
“Don’t give them a chance to pounce on us. No matter how friendly they approach you, be suspicious of everything. Especially scandalous idols, actors, officials, and staff, let’s not touch even one fingertip. Okay?”
Everyone burst out laughing.
“Did you set the mood to say that?”
“Our company has a ban on dating, right?”
“If you want to date, don’t be an idol.”
“
Wow, okay~”
Everyone was a little bewildered. But I wasn’t kidding. As an idol, if a dating scandal broke out, it would be fatal.
Especially for a group that just started to rise, we had to be more careful. Didn’t I threaten Joo Woosung with the fact that he was dating?
“If you get a note with a phone number, hand it all over to the manager. Don’t even open it.”
“They can pass notes?”
“The only thing you can open is a fan letter.”
“I can’t even open it
?”
I sighed.
“Jung Dajoon, I even quit smoking to become an idol.”
“
”
“But you can’t stop getting into a relationship?”
While sucking the red ginseng juice I received from Sung Jiwon, I grabbed Jung Dajoon with both arms and shook him.
“What does dating have to do with hyung’s black lungs
?”
That hurt

“Non-smoking and abstinence are means of self-control.”
Everyone’s face was saying, ‘So what?’ but I was serious. They didn’t smoke, so they didn’t know this pain.
Then Kang Yichae spoke to me.
“Hyung
 Do you know?”
“What?”
“I feel like I’ve already entered the entertainment industry.”
“Excellent, everyone, follow Kang Yichae’s example.”
“Haha, I give this honor to my hamster.”
“You don’t have a hamster.”
“He’s my imaginary friend.”
When I clapped for Kang Yichae, he scratched his head with a shy smile. The other members’ expressions corroded.
“I get the first rule. No one is dating in the group anyway
”
“Yes. It’s fine”
Jung Dajoon nodded.
All right, everyone seemed to understand.
“I think you guys have understood, so let’s move to the second rule. Be careful of what you say. Always close the zipper on your mouth, both on a daily basis and in the broadcasting station. Even when the camera is not running.”
“Hmm
 Wouldn’t that be a little too much?”
Sung Jiwon didn’t know much about the broadcasting station yet.
“A lot of part-timers come to the broadcasting station, not just the staff, but the ordinary people as well. And there’s no one to trust among them. So be careful what you say unless you’re only with members. Especially gossips. If it is recorded and leaked, there is no solution. You know, two years ago, a male idol was doomed because his conversation when he messed around with his senior was leaked.”
Seeing that everyone’s face turned pale, it seemed they knew about it.
All right, then this should be fine.
“Then lastly.”
It was the most important thing.
“Trust me no matter what happens.”
In fact, the first two could be said to be the paving stones for me to say this.
Everyone burst out laughing because they thought it was a joke.
“Sure, we trust Hoyoon.”
“Of course, aren’t you a genius idol?”
But I didn’t laugh. The members moved away, patting my shoulders lightly and joking around.
As expected, it was too early to talk about this now. But it didn’t matter.
After all, when things happened, everyone would understand.
***
“Hello! We’re The Dawn!”
“Oh, yes. Hi.”
The male idol, who was said to be in his third year since his debut this year, greeted us casually while looking at his cell phone. We steadfastly distributed the non-sale albums and didn’t lose our smiles.
‘Oh, that guy
’
I remembered him. He was famous for playing dirty, and the guy next to him was a PD. He was the kind of bastard who would lung to a PD.
“The Dawn? What’s that?”
“It’s our group name.”
“The Duck?”
My stomach churned when I greeted them pretending to be rookies. Especially when they said something bad and pretended it wasn’t a big deal.
But everyone firmly greeted them. Kang Yichae in particular didn’t seem to care much.
“Oh~ yes. Haha
 Well, do your best.”
It sounded like they were cheering for us, but they were actually sneering
 at our effort. As if accustomed to being treated like this, everyone replied calmly.
“Yes, thank you.”
As I was passing my greetings, as expected, a few notes were exchanged. Especially in the broadcasting station, there were a few people who flirted openly, but it was never a wise move.
The highlight of this whole situation was when members of a five-year-old group passed by.
“Hello!”
They seemed to be looking at Kim Sunghyun too much, but I smiled and greeted them and was handed a note. The manager glared.
I tried not to show it on the outside, but a note slipped into my pocket. When I looked up, she winked at me.
I smiled and briefly bowed my head, but when they walked away, I turned to the manager and handed him the note.
“Manager, here you go.”
“Oh, me too.”
Kim Sunghyun unexpectedly handed over the note first. It was a relief that he was serious about idols. The manager was flustered but he took the notes.
“Hey, why are you guys so popular?”
“We look good because we shine even if only for a moment.”
“I don’t think so
.”
We were in the chart. But it hadn’t come up much yet. If we were really popular idols, the broadcasting station staff would try their best to catch it and talk about it for a minute or even a second.
“Heol
 That sunbae-nim just now! She’s someone I really admire!”
“Do you want to stop being an idol?”
“What? I didn’t mean that
 Yes, I’m sorry!”
The members were whispering, but I cut them off at once. To be honest, I wasn’t interested in the members’ types either. When young men and women, especially those who were known for their good looks, gathered together, they naturally developed a feeling of love that wasn’t there before, and dating was not a sin.
But, it was for idols.
‘I’m sorry, but I want to rise up.’
Dating was fatal for idols, especially for rookies, and it turned into poison on the day they got caught. Groups with accumulated popularity were bound to have blood shields somehow, but rookies just sunk to the bottom.
If you get caught
 you’re really going to die.
Kim Sunghyun only shrugged his shoulders, as if he was not particularly regretful.
But every time I took a step, the back of my head stung excessively. The male idol, who was ignoring the album earlier, was glaring at Kim Sunghyun excessively.
‘
What’s wrong with that bastard?’
I twisted my body slightly so that Kim Sunghyun was covered by my body and walked ahead. I thought I should check it out later, so I went into the waiting room where other groups were gathered, and I took some pictures.
“
Hey, when are we going in?”
After that, as you know,
“There are still three hours left?”
“We’ve waited for two hours
”
waiting,
“
Let’s just practice.”
waiting,
“
You’re going to practice more?”
“I will.”
waiting.
“I’m hungry
”
I heard that there was a lot of waiting when filming an idol music program, but I didn’t realize it because this field was not my specialty. I didn’t know it would be this bad.
Still, this was good because it gave me lot of time to practice. I glanced at the quest window.
[Complete a week of music programs!!
The Dawn is finally getting away from the story.
Show up on the music programs to raise your popularity!
Appearing on 5 music programs
If successful: Charm +30, Dance +20, Sing +10
1,000 points]
Hmm, this wasn’t too bad.
This time, the system had an easygoing side. I picked up the thought of ‘the calm before the storm’ and threw it away.
As I practiced while watching Kim Sunghyun thoroughly teach the steps of the dance next to me, the staff opened the door and shouted.
“The Dawn, please get ready to appear.”
“Yes!”
I was tired, my face was no different on this one. Anyway, the first would be a rehearsal, so it seemed they were just checking things out.
“Let’s do our best today as well.”
“Of course.”
“Yippe.”
“Ah, hyung! What’s with you?”
Jung Dajoon answered with a lively face. Unlike the first time when he cried and all slumped, his face was full of spirit.
“Hello!”
“Nice to meet you!”
As I greeted everyone I encountered on stage and went up to the stage, I saw fans coming in for pre-recording.
When I counted the number of people, there were about 25 people. But there were more of them than I thought.
After carefully checking the name tag on their uniforms, I arranged the microphone wire. Jung Dajoon waved his hand to the fans.
“Hello, this is The Dawn. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”
Kim Sunghyun bowed to the fans as he greeted the staff. After thinking about it, I just waved my hand slightly, and some reaction came back.
“Hoyoon-ah! You’re handsome today, too!”
Actually, I somehow
  felt kind of bad. We sat and waited even in the waiting room like a group of chickens, but those people must have been standing there the whole time.
“
”
I tried to go down without saying much because I was afraid I would get caught, but words poured out before I knew it.
“
Um, have you eaten?”
I couldn’t believe these were my first words. There should have been a better comment. I regretted it a little, but the answers poured out from the fans.
“Does food matter now!!? I am chosen for the audience!!”
“Puha.”
A small laugh escaped from my lips.
“But make sure to eat well. It’s all about eating and living.”
“So kind
 strange
 I can feel the smell of a stranger
”
“You’re not a different person wearing Hoyoon hyung’s skin, right?”
When Jung Dajoon and Kang Yichae freaked out, fans burst into laughter. Sung Jiwon laughed in agreement.
“As Hoyoon said, make sure to eat well. We’ll do the same.”
When the rehearsal was ready, the staff sent a sign to prepare and Kim Sunghyun bowed his head to the fans again.
For fans who had been struggling since dawn, the rehearsal couldn’t be done half-heartedly.
[This strange feeling of dĂ©jĂ  vu. Don’t be scared.]
Setting up the formation, we really did our best, just like we did the main stage. I didn’t know how I looked at the camera or if I danced properly. After the rehearsal, I heard that we should prepare for the pre-recording next.
I had a hard time with this short rehearsal, but seeing the faces of the fans that I liked was strangely okay.
‘Will we be able to see each other again?’
When I bowed and came downstairs, Kim Sunghyun quietly said.
“It’s your calling.”
“What are you talking about?”
“No, I was a little worried. I didn’t have to.”
What are you saying?
It would be nice if Kim Sunghyun added some subjects and objects when speaking. Kim Sunghyun smiled and quickly left.
I was about to go back to wait for the next pre-recording.
“Hey, Sung Jiwon.”
It was a voice that I first heard earlier. The man who was glaring at Kim Sunghyun before.
He approached, caressing his blonde hair, and smiled brightly at Sung Jiwon.
“You’ve debuted now? Now that you’re popular, you aren’t even going to say hello?”
“
”
Sung Jiwon’s expression, which had been soft until now, hardened.