Idols have a lot to do besides appearing on music shows.
They have to go on variety, work events, and film their own group content.
Among those, what fans prefer by far are variety and solo group content—especially when there’s a real professional staff attached.
Spark doesn’t have what people call a born clown. Where would a group go if only their faces are funny and everything else is a snooze? Maybe that’s why Spark didn’t do much variety before.
‘Even so, nothing brings in new fans like variety.’
If we wanted first place on a music show, we had to hit every program we could. What’s the point of Lee Cheonghyeon making great music if people don’t actually hear it?
I went down the list of shows that had invited us. Food variety was the trend, so there were a ton of mukbang programs.
"Choi Jeho, can you put away a lot of food?"
"If I eat, I eat."
"How much?"
"More than you guys, probably."
He’s not the type to put on weight just because he eats, so a bit more food won’t hit him hard. So—congrats, you’re our cooking show guy.
There was also a program whose main content is testing human patience... and Kang Giyeon volunteered for that one. I told him if they try to make him eat some non-certified bug or whatever, he’s free to quit.
There was a familiar show, too.
Challenge! Life Experience — 1 Night 2 Days.
It seems the production team for Challenge! Life Experience really likes us, if they’re trying to take us for a full overnight.
"This time it won’t be a café again... right?"
Park Juu said. Anything’s fine as long as it’s not making shaved ice. When my sister worked at a café, shaved-ice season flipped her eyes inside out.
"If it’s something summery, maybe fruit picking? People pick a lot of peaches or grapes."
"They did an orchard special not long ago. Maybe pulling weeds in a rice paddy."
Giyeon and Jeho put their heads together. Pulling weeds on a summer day—just the thought makes me dizzy.
Still, getting re-invited by a show we’ve been on before is a good thing, so we decided we’d definitely do Challenge! Life Experience.
There was a surprise, too: a singing program called "My Singer’s Genre Escape."
It’s a broadcast where various singers perform songs outside their home field, and because you can see a favorite singer in a different style, the clips rack up views.
"How did we get an offer for My.Singer’s.Genre.Escape?"
For this kind of program to pop, the singer has to be familiar to viewers. If a nobody "challenges" an unfamiliar genre, it’s not new to the audience at all.
That’s why the bar to get on My.Singer’s.Genre.Escape is high. Trot and classical singers—where technique differs hugely—show up repeatedly, but it’s rare to see more than three idol teams in a single season.
The answer was in a place we hadn’t expected at all.
"Senior Newri recommended us. They got the offer, but their schedule’s blocked with events, so they pushed for us instead."
So it was thanks to a great senior’s full-throated support. I’ve heard this industry runs on connections, but feeling the power firsthand was something else. For once, I wasn’t even jealous of MYTH.
"Seongbin, want to try this one?"
"Me?"
Jeong Seongbin jumped.
"You didn’t get to go out for the position battle either. Go show them what you can do."
"But..."
Hesitation was written across his face.
Of course it was. Park Juu hadn’t gone out for the position battle either.
Normally I wouldn’t have just thrown the offer straight at Seongbin.
But at this moment, for this kind of program, there was no way I wasn’t sending him.
"You got an apology—that’s one thing. Payback is another."
"...!"
"After trying it once myself, I figured it out. Before you come down with rage, you need to throw a fit at least once."
Seongbin understood what I meant, and his face went white.
"Are you serious?"
"Since I came to UA, I’ve never not been serious."
I thought of Jang Junhu, who’d flattened himself in front of Seongbin—then relaxed like that was enough.
"We need to show him what’s what. Don’t you think?"
Seongbin’s eyes trembled. Then he found his calm and steadied his breath.
"But you have to do well, okay? If you do well, Juu can go next time. Let’s get Juu a rock stage."
"I’ll make you proud...!"
Watching my back-and-forth with Park Juu, Seongbin broke into a bright smile. He didn’t look like someone we needed to worry about.
As soon as Seongbin’s My.Singer’s.Genre.Escape appearance was set, I headed for UA.
And I wandered the agency endlessly. My pretext was looking for something to help with, but at this point no staff member was going to hand me a task.
The person I was really waiting for only showed his face right when a staffer was on the verge of begging, "Iwol, please, even if you do nothing, just sit and have a drink...!"
"Good afternoon, sir!"
My robust greeting rang through the office. Every gaze inside turned to me.
Receiving such a polite bow, Jang Junhu looked taken aback.
Being pros, the staff snapped their eyes back to their monitors.
But the sudden drop in noise and the heads poking up over the partitions said everyone’s attention was still on us.
‘And the phrase workplace bullying has already stamped itself twice in their heads.’
Once when his bullying first came to light, and once when I reported Yu Hansu.
After hearing about abuse twice inside the company, UA’s staff are going to think "bullying" the second they see even a whiff of something.
So if I salute a senior I eat in the same cafeteria with like I’m reporting name and rank, what do you think they’ll imagine?
Junhu stood there like a stone, not knowing what to do.
By habit he’d be here around this time to buttonhole a busy management-team staffer and squeeze in some flattery, but unfortunately for him, today he’d be talking to me.
"Sir, are you very busy today by any chance?"
"Why do you ask?"
"There’s something I absolutely want to ask you. If it’s not a bother, could you spare me a little time?"
Even then, a few suspicious looks still clung to us. He seemed to feel it, too.
"...Fine. Is there an empty conference room?"
A staffer guided us to a room with frosted-glass walls.
Looks like people are genuinely worried I’m about to get hit. Given his bad hands, that actually works out for me.
A quick glance showed his expression was all twisted up.
Still nowhere near enough.
Our leader bled for this—so you can shed some blood-red tears, too.
"What is it?"
He asked, legs crossed.
"You only keep your head down for Seongbin. You took my phone and threatened me—do you think that doesn’t count as bullying?"
"X......."
He started to curse and swallowed it. Conscious of the CCTV, apparently.
"So what. You want me to apologize to you, too?"
"No. I only need Seongbin to be properly apologized to."
In other words, what you did last time isn’t enough.
"What do you want me to do, then."
At the mention of Seongbin, he calmed a little. He’d realized this wasn’t the moment to act out.
"Nothing complicated. He’s about to go on a music variety, and it’d be nice to have your invisible support. You grabbed his ankles long enough. How about you give him a push for once."
"Hey!"
"Sir. When I’m using polite language with you, how about we speak with mutual respect, human to human."
I looked at him steadily.
"Talking to the police taught me something—when you’re giving a statement, there’s no PD, no hierarchy."
"..."
"We haven’t gone that far, and we’re not going there, right? Let’s keep this pleasant."
He bit his lip. He mussed his hair, clearly irritated, then almost slammed the desk before stopping himself.
I waited, still, until all of that was finished.
"...What support."
When he raised a white flag first, I laid out what I’d prepared.
"Your debut song—it’s a real classic."
"Hey."
"It’d be meaningful and nice to have a beloved junior from your own agency sing it, right?"
"You little—!"
He was about to shout when I saw a few silhouettes twitch beyond the frosted glass. One wrong move and they looked ready to burst in.
Unfortunately for him, today’s UA isn’t yesterday’s UA.
There’s no Yu Hansu to join you in wrecking a junior, no production lead to run your dirty errands behind the scenes, no toadying staff to butter you up with ‘you’re so right.’ No one.
With the wide-awake staff behind me, I met his eyes head-on.
"What do you think, sir."
"..."
"Of the meager courtesies you can offer, this one actually pays its way."
He said nothing. You could see the gears grinding in his head.
Of course he’s scared.
Right now, Seongbin’s better than Junhu was then. No one knows that better than Junhu himself.
‘His career will shatter, sure.’
A man who’s coasted on the glory of his debut song losing the crown of that song—that’s a problem.
And he’s exactly the type to take a huge hit from the title "traditional balladeer who got trounced by a high school idol vocalist."
"If you’ll cooperate through the official track release, that’d be ideal. Same label—nice and easy to arrange!"
Face flaming, he glared at me.
"You really think he can sing my song properly on stage? Like you said, he spent years getting cursed out by me while he sang."
Yes, you gnawed away at the most important years of his life. For years.
"You know better than anyone—Seongbin is always good."
So we’re going to step on this, just once, and climb. We’ll bury every last bit of your brightest moment.
"And you talk like I’m pulling some grand back-alley scheme... He agreed to this."
His face, smiling without a stain, was vivid as if I’d just seen him. I almost smiled myself, proud.
"So don’t worry about him. He’s grown up very well."
Naturally. Not just anyone gets to be Spark’s leader.
