Save a Failed Idol's Life

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: NicoleTempest

Chapter 102 Taking a Break and Trying Again

I opened the Pine app and checked the rankings. Thankfully, we’re still holding the number one spot in real-time. But I couldn’t relax.

The early morning hours were when the fans’ streaming was strongest. It was also an easy time for rookies to hit number one.

That’s why there was a mocking term for small fandoms that celebrated their brief moment of glory at dawn.

‘People are so mean.’

The participants worked hard and tried their best to reach the top, even for a short while. But it was too easy to laugh at them.

Soon, it would be time for the so-called ‘muggle picks’ to rise up. That’s when the cafes, shops, and businesses across the country started their operations.

From then on, solo singers, drama OSTs, pop songs, and other genres that didn’t rely on fandoms would climb up the charts.

Anyway, we had succeeded in defending the number one spot until morning. Now it was time to check the 24-hour chart.

￣￣￣￣￣

[TOP 200]

28th Drink me – Climax

￣￣￣￣￣

It seemed to have an effect, since we had maintained the number one spot in real-time for more than eight hours.

Now, if I checked the BEST 200, I could see if this was the result of fandom power or if the song had real popularity.

￣￣￣￣￣

[BEST 200]

23rd Drink me – Climax

￣￣￣￣￣

The TOP ranking was slightly lower than the BEST. It varied depending on the song or the singer, so I couldn’t say for sure.

But it meant that it wasn’t just the repeated plays of some users that pushed up the ranking.

Sometimes, when the TOP ranking rose faster than the BEST ranking during the chart climb, it was ridiculed as fandom bias.

‘Why are there so many things to tease and criticize?’

It was frustrating that we couldn’t be evaluated simply by sales and rankings. We had to do well in both. And the actual income came from events or program appearances, so we couldn’t slack off in those either.

I realized how narrow-minded the prejudice of the generation that had no interest in idols was, including myself.

‘Old men over 40 just think that idols are kids with half-decent faces.’

It was the opposite.

All the members had to do their roles and show their talents in various fields to be recognized as ‘real idols’.

Acting, hosting, comedy, beauty, vocal skills, dance skills, rapping skills. What other profession was evaluated so meticulously in every aspect?

Since I had crossed the ridge, I had no choice but to do my best.

“What are you doing? If you’re done checking the rankings, get up.”

I was staring blankly at the words [Maintaining for 8 hours] under the number one spot in real-time, when Yi-jun urged me.

“Okay. I’ll wash up and come out soon.”

I went to the bathroom and washed my face.

When I came out, I put on a mask and a hat and left. But I felt like someone was recognizing me, even though I was well-covered.

I went to the nearby animal hospital and bought some food and basic supplies for Pposili. By the time I came back, it was almost lunchtime.

“Yawn,”

As soon as he got home, Yi-jun opened his mouth wide and yawned.

“What time did you go to bed last night?”

Judging by the sound coming from the room that Kyunghwa and Yi-jun shared, they must have barely slept until dawn.

It was lucky that Kyunghwa was sick and out of it. Otherwise, he would have scolded him for turning on a broadcast at this hour and keeping everyone awake.

“About 3 o’clock?”

“What the hell were you doing on the broadcast for so long?”

I felt a pang of regret and turned on my phone and opened the Y Live app.

“I didn’t do anything special. There were a lot of fans who were curious about how I work, so I showed them my work process and played some of the indie songs I uploaded on the site before. And I just chatted with them about this and that, and before I knew it, it was that time.”

“You have a lot of stamina, huh.”

Looking at the comments on the replay video, it didn’t seem like there was anything controversial.

[- Next time, I want to see you participate in composing as well as arranging!]

[- You’re good at everything: face, body, rap, producing. What can’t you do, Yi-jun?]

[ㄴ What he can’t do: leave Ryu Kyunghwa alone when he collapses from exhaustion]

[ㄴ LOL I’m dying]

[ㄴ Aren’t you going to get a pillow thrown at you soon? As soon as he did it, it flew over and I watched him cry out loud in the middle of the night LOL]

There was something that bothered me in the comments, so I looked up SNS and saw that the scene of Kyunghwa throwing a pillow at him was captured and circulated as a GIF.

That was something they often showed on Boys in Crisis, so it wasn’t a problem.

Rather, there seemed to be fans who were crazy about the prickliness that only Yi-jun could see, the result of being close friends.

Well, even in dramas, it was fun to watch a prickly character and a friendly and playful character bicker.

Anyway, that was something they had to handle themselves. I sighed and had something to do on my own.

[Welcome, Cheon Ise (Lim Hyun-seong).]

[Test successfully completed]

[To start the first main quest, please press the [Start] button.]

There were some things that had been blocked before that were unlocked, and there were a lot of new menus.

I took advantage of the gap when Seon-woo went to work out and went into the room and pressed the [Start] button.

[Hello, Lim Hyun-seong. Congratulations on clearing the tutorial.]

Yeah, I know, I skipped the pages to check the main point.

[We provide a training guide at the system level for the success of your idol career.]

[The level at the top is an indicator of your proficiency as an idol, Cheon Ise (Lim Hyun-seong). You can level up by accumulating experience points every time you complete a mission.]

Looking at the place where the status window was flashing, I saw the words Lv.1 Cheon Ise (Lim Hyun-seong).

I was worse than a slime right now.

But I had hit the real-time first place, even though the 24-hour chart was still not there, it was too low a level.

[If you have checked the leveling system, we will explain the mission section now.]

As I looked at the status window for a moment, the mission tab lit up like a mobile game tutorial. I obediently pressed the mission tab with my fingertip.

[Mission]

[>Total]

[>Views]

[>Sales/Reservation Rate]

[>Rank]

[>Popularity]

[>Experience]

[>Appearance]

[>Others]

Why are there so many branches? Let’s start with the view count, which seems to be the most obvious. A sub-layer of explanations popped up as I touched it.

[>View count]

This is a mission related to the number of views on YouTube, clips, and other video media.

[>Sales/Booking rate]

This is a mission related to the performance index of albums and goods, various shows and events.

[>Ranking]

This is a mission related to the music broadcast and chart records.

The other categories were similar. When I clicked on them, I saw the expected achievement goals.

[>View count]

[- Music video views 100,000 achieved]

[- Music video views 1,000,000 achieved]

[- Music video views 5,000,000 achieved]

[- Music video views 10,000,000 achieved]

[>Ranking]

[- Single chart real-time 1st place achieved]

[- Single chart TOP 200 1st place achieved]

[- Single chart BEST 200 1st place achieved]

[- Single chart real-time 1st place maintained for 24 hours]

There were plenty of things that I wondered how to do, from the low levels to the ones that were already completed.

[>Ranking]

[- Music broadcast 10 crowns achieved]

[- Music broadcast 20 crowns achieved]

How is that possible? Do you want to make me a superstar of the universe? Why don’t you just send me to America?

Then, as if it heard me well, a new mission was added to the ranking tab.

[- Billboard 200 1st place achieved]

I’m going crazy. I didn’t say that because I wanted to. At least Japan is more realistic… As soon as I thought that, another one was added.

[- Oricon daily 1st place achieved]

How far are you going? Can’t you just settle for being successful in Korea? At that moment, another one appeared as if to show off.

[- Apple Music single chart 1st place in 10 countries]

Fine, add them all. Add them all. I can shut my mouth, but how can I stop my thoughts? I felt dizzy.

[Please press the reward button after checking the mission.]

I was more concerned about what and how things were added, so I obediently pressed the reward button.

Then, the experience gauge at the top filled up quickly and my level rose to 3 in an instant.

[You will receive a new main quest every 20 levels, so please complete the opened main quest within the deadline.]

[Please check the first main quest that is currently open.]

What is a quest, and what is a main quest? Anyway, I had a feeling that these guys wouldn’t give me anything easy, so I checked the content of the first main quest.

[After completing the tutorial and honing your basic skills as an idol, you have successfully taken your first step in the harsh entertainment industry.]

[Climax’s weapon is undoubtedly their skill, which is unmatched by any group. But cruelly enough, in the jungle-like entertainment industry, skill alone is not enough to survive.]

[You have to overcome many challenges as an idol, from fierce battles with rival groups to clashes between fandoms!]

[Currently, Climax is in a headache-inducing rivalry with Floss, the undisputed top group, and Climax, the rising star.]

What are you talking about? I didn’t suffer that much. I didn’t really care.

Of course, I thought I needed to improve my relationship with Kang Yugeon if I wanted to get his help in the future.

But it wasn’t bad enough to give me a headache! They’re just kids, after all. How can I be mad at them when they’re only 19 years old?

[Let’s wisely solve the first challenge of Climax, who has stepped into the cold and cruel world as an idol.]

[Objectives]

[- Resolve the rivalry between Climax and Floss]

[Rewards]

[- Emergency escape service voucher for one use]

[- Title system open]

[Additional rewards for exceeding 100% completion]

[- ???]

[- ???]

[- ???]

What does exceeding completion mean? I couldn’t understand what the ??? hanging below meant.

I sighed after checking the main quest.

It was suspicious that they asked me to resolve the rivalry with ‘Floss’ instead of Kang Yugeon.

Does that mean I have to deal with the other nine members, including Shim Naru? I asked them what exactly I had to do.

‘It’s natural to have a rivalry with a group that’s active at the same time, right? How do you want me to do it?’

[Please come up with your own strategy for the quest, Mr. Im Hyunsung.]

My head throbbed. I saw Kang Yugeon’s smug and handsome face flash through my mind.

I’ll have to see him more than I want to. I had a bad feeling about this.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ov𝒆l.com