Survive! Foolish Bottom!

Despite having four members who were talented, visually appealing, and full of star quality, the company couldn’t harness their potential. Consequently, Stone Cherry was floundering, dressed in fishnet outfits that might have been trendy a decade ago, pushing an unconvincing beastly concept and performing socially critical songs.

In this bleak scenario, Director Kim Miji appeared like a beacon of hope. She was already well-known in the idol industry for her competence. The CEO, genuinely eager to see Stone Cherry succeed, invested a significant sum to bring her on board. This move delighted the group’s small but dedicated fanbase.

Upon her arrival, Kim Miji’s first statement was, “Let’s put him in the center and go with a fresh concept.” 

All the members were in their early twenties, still young enough to pull off a fresh and youthful image. Most importantly, the group had a secret weapon: Park Ha, the protagonist, who had large, endearing eyes, a petite frame, and a youthful appearance that made people want to protect her.

Yes, the center chosen by Kim Miji was none other than Park Ha. This decision only heightened the tension among the other members, who already treated Park Ha as an intruder.

Still, the title track this time was really well chosen. It was a concept that suited all the members, especially Park Ha. Even the picky Director Kim Miji acknowledged that it had the potential to be at least a moderate success.

But then.

“What were you thinking? Explain yourself.”

She didn’t foresee this kind of disaster on the first stage.

“…I’m sorry.”

With his head bowed, Haeun apologized first. His years of causing trouble had taught him that whatever excuses were useless in such situations.

He glanced sideways while keeping his head down. Beside him stood Il-hyun, who had been dragged in just because he was the leader. He already must have felt exasperated, and now he had to endure the CEO’s reprimands too. Haeun felt sorry for him.

“You’re not usually like this, and I didn’t think you were the type to make such mistakes. Were you trying to pull off some noise marketing stunt?”

The CEO continued to question him in a serious tone. Haeun repeated himself like a parrot.

“I’m sorry.”

“I understand you’re feeling desperate, but you need to make better judgments, especially in such times. Didn’t I tell you that this time you would do well?”

With each word of scolding, his head bowed lower and lower.

Of course, his apologetic expression was far from his true feelings.

“Il-hyun, did you know about this?”

The CEO, who had been glaring down at the thoroughly intimidated Haeun, shifted his target. Il-hyun, who was now on the receiving end of the question, hesitated briefly. 

If it were Haeun, he wouldn’t have hesitated to complain, saying something like, “I don’t know what happened. That guy just suddenly went crazy on his own. It’s really annoying.”

But Il-hyun, being the only morally upright character among the target characters, responded calmly.

“No, it was sudden… but I think Haeun must have had his reasons. In the end, the performance went well.”

To defend a member who caused such trouble—there was no one in the game as kind as him, and it seemed he was not much different in real life. Or maybe it’s because the game reflects real personalities. Either way, Haeun was quite touched.

“

… As the leader, you should have managed things better.”

It was an unfair statement for Il-hyun, considering Haeun’s actions were like an unforeseen natural disaster to him. Yet, Il-hyun did not make any excuses and replied.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

You can’t even hate this guy. Haeun thought, admiring him. Il-hyun’s demeanor was impressive.

The CEO turned back to Haeun.

“Haeun, did you really do that without discussing it with the leader? You’re not Seongjae. Why would you do something that even he wouldn’t?”

“I’m sorry…”

Haeun maintained his consistent posture, head bowed, apologizing as if he were the world’s greatest sinner.

If it were the original Haeun, he might have apologized once or even twice to his father or brother, but would soon lose his temper and end up getting punished or having his motorcycle keys taken away.

Taking advantage of his naturally pitiful face, Haeun played up his remorse. Seeing the young, innocent-looking face of “Park Ha,” the CEO’s anger seemed to subside. Everyone seemed to believe that Haeun hadn’t lost his mind but was trying a desperate noise marketing tactic to get attention.

Taking advantage of the slightly calmer atmosphere, Kim Miji, who had been quietly checking her phone, spoke up.

“Well, fortunately, the reaction isn’t all bad.”

Haeun, who had been tense, stiffened his shoulders.

“There are already quite a few posts on SNS. As expected, there’s some small buzz about your attitude. But…”

How much does “small” refer to? Haeun was nervous and waited for director Kim Miji’s words. She continued scrolling down her phone and reported in a businesslike tone.

“Fortunately, many people think it was noise marketing orchestrated by the agency.”

It made sense since the members had also questioned if it was the agency’s doing earlier. The CEO might be upset for being blamed for something he didn’t do, but he seemed relieved that the group’s stability was prioritized.

“Especially the fandom, they’ve seen the company make so many blunders that they assume this is just another one. Of course, there are some people who are upset or disappointed, but overall, people seem satisfied with the performance of the title track.”

In truth, Park Haeun feared he might be completely ostracized due to the controversy. This unexpected turn of events was surprising.

“It looks like we can manage the situation.”

The CEO sighed in relief and made a remark.

“Haeun has always been so well-behaved.”

Usually, when someone who pretended to be nice caused trouble, the backlash was harsher. Perhaps in this world, there was some main character golden shield, or maybe Park Ha just got lucky. Either way, it was fortunate that the situation was better than expected. He almost saw the disastrous ending of Eu-Idol as soon as it started.