novelraw Chapter 149: Establishing Preventative Measures (2)
Chapter 149: Establishing Preventative Measures (2)
Chapter 149. Establishing Preventative Measures (2)
‘What do you usually do in your free time, Assistant Manager?’
‘Well, I left work yesterday when the office closed.’
‘Ah…’
Twelve years of my life were spent solely on studying until high school. Then came the military and the Hanpyeong Industry.
For most of my life, I didn’t have any free time. The only hobby I could claim was playing the bass a little during college.
Now, I had been given free time with nothing to do, nothing I could do, and no bass to play. Stuck in an empty dorm that wasn’t even my home.
‘I’m bored.’
Resting? It was the best.
There was no office worker who didn’t like lying in bed. I spent the whole day yesterday doing just that.But there was such a thing as crowd psychology.
There were six people living in one dorm, and five of them lived a productive life of going to practice in the morning and coming back at night. How could I be at peace doing nothing on my own?
Because of that, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was the only one wasting my life.
Whenever I instinctively turned on my laptop, wanting to do something…
『spArk’s Treasure Chest
Please enter the password.』
…That infuriating lock screen was all I got. For the record, I tried to crack it and failed.
‘Should I monitor the final performance?’
I hadn’t actually seen how Spark’s stage was broadcast because I had collapsed right after the performance.
I grabbed the phone I hadn’t yet returned and opened MeTube. The full-version videos of each group’s performance appeared in order.
‘Huh?’
Something was strange.
I double-checked the six latest videos, comparing their view counts and titles.
≫ Parthe – 『Crown』 │ 790k views
Log – 『Final』 │ 630k views
Spark – 『Sijungga』 │ 1.34M views
All Over – 『Utopia』 │ 580k views
Sticky – 『Dreaming』 │ 420k views
Berion – 『Goal』 │ 270k views
Wasn’t Spark’s view count way too high?
The thumbnail already had a gold foil ribbon for reaching 1 million views. Our count was nearly 1.7 times that of Parthe, who had won first place.
Below that, videos with embarrassing titles like ‘Idol Collapses on Live Broadcast’ and ‘Male Idol Shows Fighting Spirit Despite Injury’ were lined up.
‘If the videos are getting this much attention, there must have been some reaction.’
I postponed watching the performance video and headed to the online communities, where I found clear evidence of a fiery discussion.
≫ Let’s talk about the IDC finaleㅎㅎ
.
.
.
And then finally, Sparkㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I was literally left speechless. Maybe it was because the other teams went all out for the finals with intense performances, but Spark felt incredibly outstanding
And I finally understand why the forum went up in flames every time Spark appeared
They are, without a doubt, a visual group. Seriouslyㅋㅋㅋㅋ And they were wearing hanbok, yet they all had insanely broad shoulders
Every time Lee Cheonghyeon appeared, I forgot to breathe, and then Choi Jeho would show up, and my heart would stop. → This process repeated infinitely
Not just in this round, but even in the previous performances, you could tell they spent a ton of money, which I appreciated. It was a feast for the eyesㅎㅎ I understand why fans always complain about their sh*tty agency ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
If they were under a major company, they probably would’ve had massive support and created a legendary stage dripping in production value
.
.
.
└ Who wrote my diary here?
└ Every time Lee Cheonghyeon appeared, I forgot to breathe >> This is totally meㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ But he’s so handsome, it’s thrilling. Handsome is the best
└ The group I’m most looking forward to seeing all grown up
└ I get what you mean—it’s not like they dance stiffly, but it’s really smooth… But they’re also sharp, so it’s super satisfying
└ This
≫ Is it okay to have six Grand Dukes in the North?
Public safety must be great
└ Took me a second to get itㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ The dukes could probably solve a Ruby Cube together.
└ Nope, Ruby Cubes are for four players, so two dukes would have to stand in the back.
└ Where did the duke-level charisma that sweeps through high society go? They can’t even join in a game; their cool factor is ruined.
└ Oh please stopㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
≫ Summary of Spark’s stage, the condensed version of IDC (blatant promotional post warning)
I went from denial to full-on obsession after watching their performance in IDC Episode 1… It was so good I had to post this! Let’s go down together.
(Excluding the Position Battle since it feels like an exception)
Self-PR Stage (Flowering)They presented the founding of Joseon by comparing it to an idol debut concept.
According to Iwol, when planning, they focused on conveying the feeling of starting from scratch, like hitting your head against a wall.
Original stage: Door opening sound + Lee Cheonghyeon starting on his knees → Added an opening sequence and started with choreography of everyone waking up.They said they worried about how to show the establishment and structuring of a nation, and since the members’ debut process felt similar, they incorporated it all. (So, Jeho, are you a late sleeper? Explain yourself on a live stream if you disagree.)
They said they changed a lot of the lyrics to fit the keyword ‘beginning’ (From within the long, dark night → Until the long dawn breaks / Sending to the night sky → Dyeing the sky).
Song Swap (Desire)The original song’s concept was a war over sacred relics, but somehow Spark made it a sports theme.
They said they took only the keyword ‘competition’ from the original song’s fight for sacred relics, the factional strife in Joseon history, and the competition between idols.
I was personally impressed that they chose sports as a concept after considering how to make the competition enjoyable without stressing the viewers.
↑↑ As an extension of this, they said they structured it to show that the ultimate reward isn’t material, like a trophy or medal, but ‘honor’.
Cover Song (Starlight)A stage based on cultural heritage like science and art.
The concept was celestial researchers who long for a shining existence and look up at the sky every day, and they said this represents the image Spark strives for.
Like how Lee Cheonghyeon portrayed a moment of realization, they said they want to discover the light someday.
Did you put star glitter on your faces because you wanted to become stars and looked at the stars every night? You guys are already stars. Look in the mirror if you don’t believe me.
+ Among the IDC stages, this is the only one with classical sampling. They said they wanted to indirectly show the cultural exchange of the Joseon Dynastyㅋㅋ Our Iwol is definitely a concept nerd.
I learned later that the lighting effects on stage also represented the Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyaji-do.
The moment Lee Cheonghyeon opened the light bulb (approach the essence of knowledge), stars poured out (gain enlightenment), and the Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyaji-do appeared (see the universe)… How can I not love this narrative? ㅠㅠㅠ
Above all, the stage is so beautiful… It’s my favorite… I created a new Spark fan account after seeing this. The members’ visuals were legendary, so if anyone hasn’t seen it, you have to.
Final Competition (Sijeongga)The stage that showed why Spark dealt with both idols and Joseon history simultaneously = because the program is ‘Idol Dynasty Chronicle’.
They said they wrote the narration at the beginning thinking of it as the introductory lines for the IDC program.
Their concept is that they are the chroniclers writing the stage for the program.
At the end, the members became parts of the letters, representing themselves as chroniclers and simultaneously expressing their desire to be remembered as a record by someone.
They said this was the stage they planned since deciding to participate in IDC, so it was the one they worked on and revised the most.
Final thoughts: Genius idols Spark who perfectly blended the idol industry with royal chronicles. Spark, you worked so hard. Iwol, keep producing forever.
└ Number 1 is a bit… too much of a stretch
└ They said they focused on the ‘idol’ aspect too. Are you illiterate????
└ They mixed both aspects well. If they’d only focused on Dynasty Chronicle, they would’ve worn Hanbok throughout IDC
└ I think they made the right choice—it doesn’t feel overly concept-heavy, but the storytelling is solid
└ Right, I think they aimed for a twist by revealing it at the end
└ It’s crazy that they planned this within a single survival program. Other agencies introduce their concepts over at least three albums, but they explained everything in just two months
≫ Why Spark is the true winner:
: Just look at the view counts
└ An insurmountable difference, but ‘that’ group is desperately pretending not to see it
└ Mindless voting is pathetic… If I were them, I wouldn’t even be proud of winning that way
└ Why should fans who spend their own money voting have to hear this crap? It’s not like they manipulated the numbers… Sparkler fans are so full of themselves
└ I’m not a Sparkler, just a casual viewer, but you’re so triggeredㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Okay, we got it, your Parthe is the best, keep pushing your fans to vote
└ ???: I’ll be upset if we don’t get first place ㅠㅠ
└ Really? The idol himself said that?
└ Search for ‘PRTE mㅇ bubble pop’, the full text is even worse
“How many of these are there?”
It was normal for review posts to appear after a program ended, but it was unusual for a single page to be dominated by discussions about one particular group.
But now, everywhere I looked, I saw talk about Spark. And it was all positive.
And the reason for this was…
≫ Male idol who fainted on live broadcast today
His name is Iwol, a member of Spark, and he collapsed right after the final performance on IDC
There’s talk that it’s aftereffects from his recent injury in the news
(Photo removed)
Most people were shocked because he seemed fine during the performance
└ Please take down the photo… It might be a look he doesn’t want others to see.
└ I heard he got hit in the head. I was wondering how he was doing. He must have really pushed himself
└ He did push himself. He finished the whole performance
≫ Iwol, I knew you were serious about being an idol,
But I didn’t want to find out you were this serious
I thought you’d be resting comfortably and eating hospital food, but I couldn’t believe my eyes
└ Wow, even the fans didn’t know
└ The fandom couldn’t have imagined it. I dropped my spoon while eating and watching. He was diagnosed with an 8-week injury
└ Shouldn’t he be resting in that condition…? Aren’t the fans saying anything???
└ Sparklers were about to riot outside the agency, but since the members made the decision themselves, they’re staying quiet for now
└ If UA is smart, they won’t force him to perform now… It hasn’t been long since he got beaten up
└ Well, maybe because they got slammed, they released an apology and official statement quickly this time
≫ He performed so perfectly that I thought he had recovered, but then he suddenly disappeared from the screen
└ Originally, they weren’t planning to have him dance, but he insisted on starting from the dance break. I’m facepalming. Kim Iwol, you’re a patient
└ He even covered his injury with a headband. That makes it even more heartbreaking
└ At this point, he needs to be forcibly confined like an emperor, regardless of his own will… This is all Kim Iwol’s doing. Endure it, Kim Iwol—this is the top-tier privilege you brought upon yourself
…It seems I had an impact. I couldn’t help but sigh.
In the meantime, I also checked the fan cafe, wondering what UA and the members had said.
≫ From. Seongbin
Sparklers, you must have been worried!
Iwol hyung just returned to the dorm.
There are no injuries or major issues—it’s likely that the sudden increase in activity took a toll on him, so please don’t worry too much.
Thank you for supporting us and worrying about us until this late hour.
Love you always! ♥
└ Cheonghyeon @Seongbin That hyung needs to be scolded. Say something to him as the leader
└ Seongbin @Cheonghyeon How can I do that to hyung? ^^;;;;;
└ Cheonghyeon @Seongbin You’re the leader!
≫ From. Joowoo
Thank you for cheering us on until the end.
I still feel a bit dazed since I didn’t expect this result, but I’m really happy.
We’re planning to have a celebration together as six members soon—once Iwol hyung fully recovers!
Until then, Sparklers, please don’t get sick and take care of your health. Health is the most important.
≫ From. Kiyeon
Second place… Thank you. We were able to enjoy this long period without getting tired all thanks to Sparklers. Thank you. Really.
Iwol hyung worked the hardest, but he’s out cold right now. (+Jeho hyung also passed out after carrying Iwol hyung.)
Please scold hyung a lot once he wakes up. He doesn’t listen to us.
Please also watch the IDC behind-the-scenes video that will be uploaded tomorrow. Good night.
└ Jeho What do you mean I passed out?
└ Kiyeon @Jeho Good night, hyung
The posts were full of mentions of me. I knew they were just trying to reassure the fans, so I couldn’t really complain, but I couldn’t shake off the dizziness in my head.
There was even a ‘Pro Idol Kim Iwol Quotes Collection’ among the trending posts. The aftermath of IDC seemed to have spread far and wide.
It was scary. I couldn’t begin to imagine what was written in that post.
But an idol couldn’t just ignore public opinion.
I cautiously tapped on the post overflowing with comments.