Chapter 1013: What Is an Idol? (4)

Go Eun-Seo began explaining why she had stood up for Park Eun-Chae today. "I heard it while I was talking to my mom earlier. Eun-Chae's mom emptied every last cent from their bank account, racked up debt, and ran away. So her dad even had to borrow money from loan sharks. That's why Eun-Chae has to become a celebrity somehow and get the signing bonus..."

"Go Eun-Seo, that's enough!"

At my urgent shout, Go Eun-Seo flinched and immediately shut her mouth.

Park Eun-Chae hung her head low, while Director Lee Gi-Do and President Kang Gam-Chan both looked caught off guard. Fortunately, Liu Lan and Minamoto Aoi had already gone onstage for their one-on-one battle, so there were no celebrities or staff nearby.

"You two, come over here for a minute."

I led Go Eun-Seo and Park Eun-Chae to a deserted spot beside the stage. Kang Gam-Chan and Lee Gi-Do turned their backs, saying they would keep watch for us. Only then did Go Eun-Seo seem to realize she revealed something that should never have been said in front of everyone. She shrank her shoulders and lowered her head. Park Eun-Chae also kept her head down in embarrassment, ashamed that everyone now knew about her situation.

"Both of you, look at me."

The girls cautiously raised their heads.

I addressed Go Eun-Seo first. "I know you wanted to help Eun-Chae, but how could you go around telling people about a celebrity's weakness like that?"

"I'm sorry."

"Good. Don't make that mistake again. Now tell me how you found out."

Every contestant on Project I.O.A had to surrender their phones. Most of them were minors, however, so they were allowed one supervised phone call with their families each day. Go Eun-Seo said she heard about Park Eun-Chae's family while talking to her mother because of what had happened today.

Her mother, Han So-Ye, was currently living in the same neighborhood in Incheon as Park Eun-Chae while helping with her husband's election campaign. She had once appeared in the same drama as Park Eun-Chae, and the two families had known each other ever since. Because of that, Han So-Ye had asked Go Eun-Seo to compete with Park Eun-Chae but also keep an eye out for her.

For a moment, I was surprised that even Go Eun-Seo's mother had changed from how she used to be. I kept that thought to myself, simply nodding before turning to Park Eun-Chae.

"And Eun-Chae, why didn't you tell me sooner if something this serious was happening?"

Park Eun-Chae answered hesitantly, "I only found out early this morning. I was talking to my dad, and when he said he couldn't come to the finals, I complained a little. Then he apologized and told me what had happened. He said... he couldn't come because he had to pay off the debt."

Her voice began to tremble. My chest tightened, but I kept my expression calm.

"So that's why you let those rumors about Go Eun-Seo being guaranteed first place get to you?"

"Yes. If I pass I.O.A, I get paid the signing bonus immediately."

It was heartbreaking to think she had been planning to use the signing bonus to pay off her father's debts.

"If things were that bad, you should've told me no matter what. I would've found some way to help."

"I'm sorry. When I was talking to my dad, Director Park happened to be there supervising the call. He already knew my family, and he told me I couldn't let anyone else find out about this. He also said talent agents always pretend not to notice troublesome problems anyway, so I should just do whatever he tells me."

I already knew Park Eun-Chae had been exploited by talent agents during her years as a child actress. Still, hearing that those memories had left her trusting Director Park Han-Jong more than any talent agent made my heart ache.

"So... you still can't trust us?"

Park Eun-Chae shook her head. "No, I do. Unnies and oppas who work as talent agents at Hoop Entertainment have never lied to me even once. I was just too slow to realize it."

Now that I finally understood everything, I looked back at Go Eun-Seo. "By the way, Go Eun-Seo. What would've happened if you'd been eliminated trying to help Eun-Chae?"

Go Eun-Seo glanced around nervously before trailing off. "Uh... well..."

At that moment, I realized Go Eun-Seo hadn't acted because she was certain she would win. She had done it knowing she might lose.

"Eun-Seo... you knew there was a chance you'd be eliminated, didn't you?"

Go Eun-Seo flinched. "Yes..."

"Then why did you do it?"

After hesitating for a moment, Go Eun-Seo answered in a small voice. "I know people are cheering for me now, but I also know there are still a lot of people who hate me. They call me a spoiled rich kid who got everything handed to her because I'm a lawmaker's daughter and a top star's daughter."

"So?"

"But... they're right. I was born with advantages... and this isn't my only chance. When I first came here, I almost got myself eliminated too. So if Eun-Chae made it into I.O.A... I was going to try debuting with another group instead."

I was astonished by how selfless Go Eun-Seo had become. At the same time, I couldn't help feeling proud of her. Even so, I kept my feelings to myself and began teaching her the mindset every celebrity needed to have. Because she had just made a mistake no aspiring entertainer should ever make.

"Go Eun-Seo. I'm disappointed."

Caught completely off guard, Go Eun-Seo's eyes widened. "...Pardon?"

"Then what about the talent agents who worked so hard to make you the very best? If you decide on your own to step down and give up, what does that make us?"

"I-I didn't mean it like that. I just..."

"And what? You're saying you'd give up your chance to debut? Then what would you tell the fans who supported you? 'Thanks for voting for me, but I'm sorry'? There may be people who hate you, but are you just going to ignore the hundreds of thousands of fans who love you? Did you really think fans were people you could treat that lightly?"

Go Eun-Seo stammered in panic. "That's not..."

"And when you asked me to become your fan today... Was that all it meant to you?"

The color drained from the face of the girl who had asked me to become her fan only hours earlier. "N-No, Mr. Jung! That's really not what I meant!"

Go Eun-Seo shook her hands frantically, her voice breaking with tears. My heart ached, but I forced myself to endure it. I had to teach her this lesson.

After a moment, I took a deep breath and spoke calmly. "So don't ever do something like that again. No matter how good your intentions are, if you go about it the wrong way, you'll only end up hurting someone else."

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

Go Eun-Seo finally understood where she had gone wrong. Only then did I gently pat her on the shoulder, comforting the now thoroughly dejected girl.

"Good. Just don't do it again. And... even though you handled it the wrong way, thank you for caring enough to stand up for Eun-Chae. Thanks to you, I didn't give up on her until the very end."

Go Eun-Seo slowly lifted her head. "Then... are you going to let Eun-Chae join Hoop Entertainment?"

Even now, Go Eun-Seo was trying to help Park Eun-Chae.

I shook my head. "No. I can't do that."

Go Eun-Seo pouted. "You said you'd do anything..."

'She's already bounced back? Seriously, her mental resilience is unbelievable.'

I finally relaxed my stern expression and smiled.

"Rather than that, I have an even better idea."

***

Part Two of Project I.O.A's one-on-one battles moved along quickly. One after another, the contestants accepted their results through tears. Just now, the battle between Song Mi-Hee and Sung Na-Ra—the nation's top two ranked contestants—had come to an end.

MC Kim Jung-Ju stepped onto the stage and announced.

"And with that, all of the one-on-one battles have concluded. Miss Song Mi-Hee and Miss Sung Na-Ra, please remain where you are. Everyone else, please come up onto the stage."

Every contestant from Project I.O.A gathered onstage. Once all the contestants were lined up, the giant screen behind them changed, displaying the scores of the ten contestants who had already completed their one-on-one battles, excluding Song Mi-Hee and Sung Na-Ra.

[TOTAL SCORE]

[1st (Korea): Go Eun-Seo — 845 points (Team: 603 + Individual: 242)]

[2nd (Japan): Kudo Minatsu — 830 points (Team: 623 + Individual: 207)]

[3rd (China): Wang Lina — 818 points (Team: 603 + Individual: 215)]

[4th (Japan): Minamoto Aoi — 795 points (Team: 603 + Individual: 192)]

[5th (China): Yang Bingbing — 784 points (Team: 623 + Individual: 161)]

[6th (Korea): Han So-Won — 778 points (Team: 553 + Individual: 225)]

[7th (Korea): Oh Hae-Nim — 765 points (Team: 603 + Individual: 162)]

[8th (Korea): Park Eun-Chae — 723 points (Team: 553 + Individual: 170)]

[I.O.A members: Top 8]

[9th (China): Liu Lan — 693 points (Team: 553 + Individual: 140)]

[10th (Japan): Nagai Haruko — 691 points (Team: 553 + Individual: 138)]

Since only the top eight would become members of I.O.A, Park Eun-Chae, who currently sat in eighth place, didn't seem particularly hopeful. She simply wore a calm expression.

Just then, my phone chimed. It was a Kk Talk message from Do Ran-Hee, who was in the monitoring room.

[Chat: Do Ran-Hee]

...

[Do Ran-Hee: Mr. Jung! We're at 17.3%!!] (5 minutes ago)

[Do Ran-Hee: Mr. Jung! It's 17.6%!! We broke the record!] (3 minutes ago)

[Do Ran-Hee: Aaaah! This is insane! We just passed 18%! They're saying the graph's shooting into outer space!] (1 minute ago)

[Do Ran-Hee: 18.9%!!!]

Five minutes earlier, the show had surpassed the 17.3% record set by PD Choi Go-Bong's Tomorrow's Idol!, the highest rating ever achieved by an audition program. And now, it was rewriting history with every passing moment.

"So Chief Jung...You were right... A record for the ages...Hehehe."

Lee Gi-Do's suppressed laughter tickled my ears.

When I turned to him with a bright smile, his laughter stopped instantly. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"What? Why are you smiling like that at a time like this?"

"Oh, it's nothing..."

At that moment, Lee Gi-Do huffed. "I knew it! What is it this time? Don't even think about asking for a bigger production budget!"

'That's not it...'

Even so, it was a little disappointing that he was already drawing the line despite the viewership ratings soaring.

"Understood. You don't have to."

As I casually turned away, Lee Gi-Do grabbed my arm. "Wait! You're about to go find our president, aren't you?"

'He's gotten pretty good at reading me.'

Still, I didn't appreciate the way he was looking at me like I was some kind of con artist.

"I do need to settle the mess Director Park Han-Jong caused. And I should probably be compensated for everything I went through today..."

"Damn it. Fine, fine! Tripling the budget for I.O.A D-30 is impossible, so let's call it two and a half times. Deal?"

"That's not what I wanted."

"Then what?"

"Land of Happiness, the drama Miso's appearing in, starts airing tomorrow. Doesn't it?"

"...It does."

"I'm not asking for much. If you could just double the station's in-house promotional ads for one week..."

"There are already plenty of ads! Double them? Again with doubling? Seriously, Chief Jung, why is everything you ask for always double? Huh?"

"If that's too much, I can always ask for something else."

The sulky look on Lee Gi-Do's face disappeared as he hurriedly replied, "Okay! Fine! Done, done, done! So now, please... let's just watch the audition in peace, okay?"

I grinned. "Thank you, sir."

Just then, Kim Jung-Ju began the announcement.

"Now then, it's time to reveal the final scores for Miss Song Mi-Hee and Miss Sung Na-Ra. First, Miss Sung Na-Ra. Unfortunately, you earned 170 points and lost to Miss Song Mi-Hee. However... with your team score included, your total comes to 793 points, moving you up to fifth place! Congratulations on becoming a member of I.O.A!"

Sung Na-Ra covered her face with both hands as tears poured down. She had been unlucky enough to face the strongest contestant in the finals' one-on-one battle, but fortunately, she still secured a place in I.O.A.

At that moment, the rankings on the giant screen shifted down by one place. Park Eun-Chae fell to ninth. She had apparently expected that outcome all along, calmly applauding Sung Na-Ra instead.

"Now then... it's time to announce Miss Song Mi-Hee's score."

The eyes of everyone onstage and in the audience focused on one point. At that moment, Kim Jung-Ju tilted his head as he adjusted his earpiece before asking everyone to wait.

"Ah! One moment... I need to confirm something."

At the moment, Go Eun-Seo was in first place. Depending on Song Mi-Hee's score, however, the rankings could still change.

After speaking with the staff for quite some time, Kim Jung-Ju finally gripped the microphone with a tense expression.

"My apologies. Now then... I'll announce Miss Song Mi-Hee's score."

A low, rapid drumroll echoed through the venue as he deliberately stretched out the suspense. Just as the crowd was beginning to lose patience, Kim Jung-Ju shouted.

"Miss Song Mi-Hee scored 172 points! With the 50-point victory bonus, that's 222 points! Her grand total is... 845 points!"

At that instant, the giant LCD screen flashed with the updated scores.

[1st (Korea): Song Mi-Hee — 845 points (Team: 623 + Individual: 222)]

[1st (Korea): Go Eun-Seo — 845 points (Team: 603 + Individual: 242)]

Everyone's eyes went wide. Kim Jung-Ju raised his voice.

"Miss Song Mi-Hee and Miss Go Eun-Seo! With 845 points each, you are both tied for first place! Congratulations!"

Bang! Bang!

Fireworks exploded overhead as gold and silver confetti rained down from the ceiling.

While everyone else was still stunned, Park Eun-Chae cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.

"Go Eun-Seo! Congratulations!"

Go Eun-Seo burst into tears as she shouted back.

"Thank you, Park Eun-Chae!"

Park Eun-Chae hadn't forgotten the girl who had stood up for her.

Soon afterward, congratulations poured in for both first-place winners. The talent agents eventually made their way onto the stage carrying bouquets, while the aspiring idols who had spent the last twelve weeks competing embraced one another and cried.

Watching the scene unfold, Lee Gi-Do staggered backward and grabbed the back of his neck. "Holy sh—! Holy sh—! Holy shit..."

"Mr. Lee, why are you swearing?"

"T-The viewership rating... My bl—! My! Blood! Pressure!"

At that very moment, my phone vibrated.

Buzz.

[Do Ran-Hee: 20.5%!!! Mr. Jung!!!]

A new chapter in audition program history was being written.

***

Once all the results had been finalized, Kim Jung-Ju arranged the newly selected I.O.A members.

"Now then, would the eight selected members please gather around Miss Ling Ling and Miss Seo Hee-Joo, standing on either side of them?"

Just then, Ling Ling took the microphone and spoke. Her tightly set expression was filled with quiet determination.

"We may also be members of I.O.A, but today's stars are these eight girls who worked so hard over the past twelve weeks."

Seo Hee-Joo nodded in agreement.

"That's right. Today, we've been fortunate enough to sit at a feast that was prepared by everyone else and enjoy it as guests. Ling Ling and I will step back. Today is a celebration for the Project I.O.A contestants and everyone watching."

Ling Ling and Seo Hee-Joo bowed deeply before stepping behind the other members. Naturally, Song Mi-Hee and Go Eun-Seo ended up standing at the very front.

The audience smiled at Ling Ling and Seo Hee-Joo's gesture.

"Wow, they really know when to step forward and when to step back."

"Is this the composure of girls who were already chosen for I.O.A?"

"They really know how to win people over."

"Maybe I'll start stanning Ling Ling and Hee-Joo from today."

Warm reactions poured in for the two girls who had become I.O.A members without competing on Project I.O.A.

At last, standing in the center, Song Mi-Hee glanced at Go Eun-Seo before the two of them raised a microphone together.

"We'd like to greet all of our viewers for the very first time. We are Hoop Entertainment's new girl group, I.O.A!"

Go Eun-Seo, Song Mi-Hee, Wang Lina, Kudo Minatsu, Sung Na-Ra, Han So-Won, Yang Bingbing and Minamoto Aoi—these were the eight girls who had ultimately been selected for I.O.A. along with Ling Ling and Seo Hee-Joo standing behind them.

The ten members of I.O.A bowed ninety degrees, offering their very first greeting to the audience.

'Welcome, I.O.A!'

As I looked at the group that had finally been born, I applauded with the audience until my palms stung.

***

The final stage of Project I.O.A began with the finalists performing a song by 'IDOLS.' Then, the giant screen at the back opened, and all 122 contestants who had been eliminated over the previous weeks appeared together. As they joined in chorus, they recreated the same majestic atmosphere as the very first day.

And just like that, the long journey of Project I.O.A finally came to an end. Reluctant to see the twelve-week program finish, the audience gradually began filing out.

While everyone waited for the contestants to change out of their stage outfits, the staff remained behind to clean up the venue.

"All right, everyone... let's finish cleaning up so we can all get some sleep."

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, the families of the contestants who had performed that day gathered in the front row. Even the parents of those who had been eliminated had been invited. Only Park Eun-Chae's parents were absent.

Soon after, Kang Eun-Gi, president of Reverse Entertainment, Lee Ha-Yoon, president of Hayoon Entertainment, Wang Long, Managing Director of Shanghai New Media Inc., and Team Lead Sasuke from AMOSE took seats in the front row.

The fourteen finalists returned to the stage wearing their own clothes instead of their performance outfits. One by one, the girls spotted their parents below the stage, their eyes filling with tears. Park Eun-Chae alone maintained a calm expression, expecting nothing.

Then, the front doors of the performance hall flew open, and a man wearing grease-stained work clothes came running inside.

Bang.

"Eun-Chae!"

Park Eun-Chae froze the instant she saw him. "Dad... what happened to your clothes...?"

"I'll explain later. More importantly, I'm sorry. I couldn't even watch my daughter's performance."

"N-No... Dad... I'm the one who's sorry... I didn't make it..."

"It's okay. It's okay. You'll have another chance."

While Park Eun-Chae's father comforted his tearful daughter, I turned toward the entrance. Leaning casually against the doorway stood Jang Ki-Ho, Executive Director of Daehung Savings Bank. At my request, he had first taken care of Park Eun-Chae's father's loan shark debt before bringing him over from the factory where he worked.

I bowed my head in gratitude. Jang Ki-Ho simply yawned and turned away as if to say this wasn't his place to intrude. I'll have to thank him properly later, I thought, before turning back.

"Um..."

Before I knew it, Park Eun-Chae's father, Park Sung-Moon, had walked over, seemingly wanting to say something.

I shook my head and pointed toward the front row. "Sir, please have a seat over there first. There's something we need to do before that."

"Ah... yes."

After a brief hesitation, he took his seat. I then looked toward Kang Eun-Gi, Lee Ha-Yoon, Wang Long, and Sasuke in the front row.

"Now then...We're going to decide which company will recruit the four contestants who performed exceptionally well in today's finals but were unfortunately eliminated.These four cannot be signed merely as trainees. They must debut within six months. The company offering the highest signing bonus will earn the right to sign them. I'd appreciate it if each of you would submit your offer."

The solution I had come up with was even better than what Go Eun-Seo had asked for. By holding an auction for debut contracts instead of trainee contracts, the girls would not only be guaranteed a debut but would also receive generous signing bonuses paid up front.

Having already heard about the auction, Kang Eun-Gi shot his hand into the air first. "Two hundred million!"

Lee Ha-Yoon immediately followed. "I'll offer three hundred million!"

The eyes of Wang Long and Sasuke lit up as they each raised a hand.

"Three hundred fifty million!"

"Four hundred million!"

However, the bidding war for their signing bonuses was becoming far more intense than I had ever expected.

'Just how high are you people planning to go?'