The Goal is the Ending Fairy

Chapter 12

Translator: Iris
Proofreader: Floor

The day the teaser was released, the reaction from various communities was far more heated than the trainees had anticipated.

Real-time Interest Up! «Hey guys, did you hear? Hon is making a new girl group.»

They only released boy groups for a while, what’s gotten into them?

↳ But you barely see any trainees in the teaser. What are we supposed to look at?
↳ Since it’s only Teaser 1, other videos will probably be up soon.
↳ I just find it hilarious. These guys used to only release quiet “self-produced content,” and now they’re doing a reality survival show for a debut.
↳ It’s Hon, so I’m watching it regardless.
↳ Since it’s Hon, the skills will definitely be good. I hope there are some interesting kids.

While there was public opinion looking forward to them, there was also this side:

«Seriously, you Hon bastards, stop making rookies…» Take care of the ones you already have and give them a comeback, you jerks! ㅠㅠㅠ

↳ Totally agree.
↳ High Attack must be rotting away. These lunatics.
↳ Why am I crying…?
↳ Our kids can perform on stage too ㅠㅠㅠ!!!
↳ (Meme of a beaver wailing.gif)
↳ Wait lol, Earlies, what are you guys doing here? ㅠㅠ

In this way, fans of existing idols under the same agency were clutching the backs of their necks.

Of course, since it wasn’t the trainees’ fault, posts blatantly slandering the program itself didn’t surface much.

However, posts criticizing the agency itself were quite common.

Taking advantage of this, on anonymous boards, you could see people intentionally stoking conflict, as well as fans of other groups seizing the opportunity to belittle rival singers.

↳ Hon is making it so obvious they’re only going to push rookies ㅠㅠㅠㅠ What about the veterans?
↳ Not interested, so stop posting on the Idol Board (IDB) ;;
↳ Whatever, Hon has already sucked all the juice out of your “Nugu” idols.
↳ Our kids went to Big Board, and you call them “Nugus”? ;;
↳ You’re crossing the line lol.
↳ Earlies, just ignore them.

Separately, on another SNS platform.

People were instantly recognizing familiar faces from the teaser, even though the trainees appeared for only a few seconds.

@tim1** ‖ …? Isn’t this unnie that famous backup dancer from when Dohwan was promoting ‘Loverless’?? (A trainee flashing a V-sign at the practice room camera.gif) ‖

↳ She had short hair then and it’s long now so I didn’t recognize her, but I think it’s her…? (MeTube Link | Dohwan Vertical Fancam ‘Loverless’) Right side during the chorus.
↳ No, seriously, how did you recognize her from 2 seconds in a teaser? lol
↳ Hul ㅠㅠ So pretty. Who is this??
↳ I’m a hardcore Hon fan so I know; it’s trainee ‘Yoon Heejo’ who just turned twenty this year ㅠㅠ!!

@Mu3i*** ‖ Crazy man, I’m losing it. Who is this? Hand over the next teaser now, please. ASAP. (Screenshot of a trainee from the teaser.jpg) ‖

↳ Isn’t this Won Chaeseo?
↳ Where has she appeared before?
↳ Replying on their behalf: She’s the one from that audition called ‘Dream Challenge’ a while back!
↳ Ah, thank you! ㅎㅎ!
↳ Haven’t heard from her in a while, so she became a Hon trainee…. I’ll have to watch because of Won Chaeseo.

While so many people were focused on the broadcast,

there was one trainee watching all these community reactions…

“Hmm.”

It was Seo Da-na, a six-month trainee at HON Entertainment.

She was scouring the internet, scanning the public opinion of the show she was appearing in.

After resting her chin on her hand and scrolling without much emotion for a while, she soon curled the corners of her mouth.

It was a subtle smile, so it wasn’t certain, but it was surely a sign of satisfaction.

‘For a teaser released in a rush, the company used their heads well. They didn’t just put in random practice room cuts; they picked and chose the trainees who already have some recognition.’

Seo Da-na nodded, thinking her company understood marketing better than she thought.

It was a fairly capitalistic mindset for a nineteen-year-old.

Moreover, she looked quite professional, as if she had planned an idol group before.

And that evening,

as the trainees’ introduction videos were uploaded one after another, public interest flooded toward the show and the trainees.

» 2. Hi.Light (Trending in South Korea) » 3. Highlight (Real-time Trend) » 4. Female Trainee (K-POP · Real-time Trend) · · · » 8. HON Ent (Trend) » 9. Girl group from Hon (Trend)

Seo Dana, who happened to be in the middle of dance practice, took out her phone among the other trainees.

As soon as she entered a famous SNS, news of <Hi.Light> caught her eye.

People who had already seen the introduction videos were talking about their “picks.”

But those reactions came later. Right now, there was something else she had to check first.

Seo Dana first accessed the company’s official website.

The webpage boasted a sophisticated design with the company building as the background.

A banner large enough to occupy almost the entire top bar greeted visitors.

‖ Highlight, ‘Hi.Light’! ‖

Clicking the main slogan designed in flashing fonts, the page finally revealed the results she was looking for.

Trainees who were already quite well-known or had some fame were situated at the top.

Still, Seo Da-na let out a sigh of relief as her own video wasn’t at the very bottom.

A unique point was that the view counts and recommendation counts were not displayed for each video.

It seemed the agency intended to hide them until the results were announced.

Furthermore, it was wise of the company not to give the viewers any unnecessary hints.

If they had revealed the mission about recommendation counts in advance, trainees who already had fanbases would have had a blatant advantage.

Seo Da-na agreed with the company’s judgment.

Even so, the fact remained that the trainees being pushed by the company were still at an advantage.

However, people tend to look for MeTube videos more than the website videos advertised in the teaser.

The website is a place people don’t visit often, so it’s impossible to gauge how things will go.

In other words, one would have to wait and see how the website videos turn out.

Coming to that conclusion, Seo Da-na felt a bit of her heavy heart lift.

She also didn’t forget to check her own video on the website.

– Hello. I am Seo Da-na, a six-month trainee at HON Entertainment.

The polite tone of the cheerful greeting made Seo Da-na cringe.

It didn’t even feel real that she had actually filmed this.

As if she wasn’t looking at her own face… she ended up re-watching the video from the perspective of a third party.

‘I was worried about the singing, but it came out well. The song sounded good, almost like it was rearranged.’

Seo Da-na was grateful that the parts she was worried about didn’t stand out much, and after watching it about five times, she turned off the video.

Now that she had watched her own video, she had to check the reactions.

To do that, she had to go somewhere other than the website: MeTube, where the promotional videos were uploaded.

[Hi.Light | Ep.0 (ENG sub) Trainee Seo Da-na Self PR Video | HON In-house Debut Survival @First Broadcast Oct 13th]

Seo Da-na clicked the video without hesitation. Simultaneously, the same video she had just seen on the website began to play.

But there was a distinct difference.

Although the agency had blocked the “Likes” from being seen on the channel, the view count was visible here.

‘View count 39,000.’

Seo Da-na was a bit surprised that her view count was higher than expected. It hadn’t been up for long, yet it was already at this level…

At this rate, considering the collection period was one week, the MeTube views alone would easily exceed 100,000.

‘I underestimated the company’s fame.’

Seo Da-na readily admitted that.

But she didn’t get complacent. Among the other trainees, she saw several “powerhouses” whose view counts far exceeded hers.

Some were on the verge of hitting the “Trending Channels” list with just their self-introduction videos.

She thought that if interest focused on them, her video might gradually get buried.

She had those worries, but now was not the time to be wary of other trainees.

There was only a week… no, less than a week left until the first mission, so she needed to immerse herself in practice.

Thus, she decided to focus only on the reactions toward herself for now.

She scrolled down to the comments on her video.

@DoingAssignmentIsCrapProfessor… ‖ What is this vocal tone, it’s insane… Her voice seems to be the most unique among the trainees. ‖

↳ Agreed, agreed.
↳ Honestly, the singing skill itself is just “Oh, she’s good… nod,” but her tone is so dreamy that it sounds amazing.
↳ 222
↳ 33333

The top comment with the most likes was this.

Following it were pieces of feedback and various compliments that put Seo Da-na at ease.

Only then did she relax her stiff, tense shoulders.

As she continued to scroll down, diverse and positive reactions poured in.

@DatingMinButCheatingIs… ‖ She looks like a chic, cold city girl, but when she laughs, you can tell she’s just a kid lol ‖

@DontKnowNickname ‖ Am I the only one who thinks she’s crazy pretty? Why are her views lower than the others ㅠㅠ ‖

@AreYouSomething ‖ I was just scrolling through the intros and clicked because her visuals are my style, but I got hit hard by her vocal tone. ‖

@ParkMinjun ‖ Hobby is FPS games?? What’s your tier? Nuna, I like games too ㅠㅠ ‖

@WinsomeLoveYouForever ‖ Visuals and vocal tone go so well together. Peace itself. ‖

@TteokbokkiDukhoo ‖ Among the ones without recognition, she seems the least clumsy and most clean. ㅇㅇ ‖

At least for a “while.”

Of course, there were occasional comments that weren’t friendly toward her.

@lvsldkfj ‖ She sucks at singing, what are you guys on lol. It’s just “tone-carry.” Seriously, in Korea, as soon as a voice sounds a bit like a pop song, they overhype the skill like crazy. ‖

@YourPersonalityIsWrecked ‖ You call that pretty…? She gets buried by other trainees…? And she’s listing “vocal tone” as a strength lol. Vocals should appeal with skill, not tone ;; ‖

‘Hmm… I understand why you’d think that.’

Seo Da-na calmly nodded at the hate comments.

Since she had presented “vocal tone” rather than skill as her advantage, she had expected to be picked on for that.

She even reached out to “Like” those hate comments, just as she had been doing for the others.

To her, interest itself—positive or not—was a huge harvest right now. Above all, she didn’t feel much of a sting.

However, her thumb hesitated before liking the hate comments.

She scrolled further down to read the replies attached to those comments.

↳ Eh? How is that skill level “bad at singing”…??
↳ She’s not main vocal tier yet, but she’s definitely not bad. ㅇㅇ
↳ “Tone-carry” lol. You think just anyone has a good tone? That’s a blessing and luck. Can’t she show herself improving as the show goes on? What more do you want from a trainee??
↳ Seriously, the inferiority complex toward a minor is insane lol. I guess your voice must be trash ㅠㅠㅠ
↳ She already has the skill to be a vocalist??
↳ She’s much better than most idols’ live performances these days lol.
↳ Is your nickname “Self-Intro”…? Why are you doing your own PR on a trainee’s PR video?
↳ Lmao lololol
↳ This person posts hate comments on every video of trainees who have a lot of comments. Just ignore. ㄱㄱ
↳ This trainee will probably do well because this guy commented lol.

It was fascinating. She had only uploaded one self-introduction video that was less than two minutes long…

yet people were already standing up for her, even if they weren’t exactly “fans” yet.

‘Right. Why would I like a hate comment? That’s stupid.’

Shaking her head thanks to the sharp rebukes in the comments, Seo Da-na liked each of the supportive posts under the hate comments.

‘Reminds me of when I was a pro gamer.’

Seo Dana seemed to reminisce for a moment.

Forgetting she was in the middle of practice, she wore a smile as she looked at the comments on her video.

The practice that had been hard and exhausting just a moment ago became strangely enjoyable.

But she couldn’t just keep looking at them.

To hold onto the people who had gained even a slight interest in her, the only thing she could do now was practice.

Thanks to the comments, Seo Da-na’s heart felt lighter, but simultaneously, her resolve grew heavier.

She seemed to know how reassuring it was to have someone on her side.

However, even she… didn’t seem to notice the ripple effect her video would cause.

@ChouxCreamBread ‖ I knew this sounded familiar and like I’d heard it before… Green-Green Journey…? I thought it was an original song so I was like “She’s good at composing but trash at lyrics”… I was saying this shit ‖