Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 27

After the Heart Attack stage video was released, my name unexpectedly began to spread as the “4 minutes and 59 seconds’ wistful guy.”

That was the entirety of my screen time in the stage video.

This must be why people are obsessed with one-shots; I suddenly understood.

“Am I really that wistful?”

I paused the video at 4 minutes and 59 seconds, staring at my face for a long time, but I couldn’t tell.

Was it because the lighting made my eyes shine so brightly?

Even if my face didn’t meet my standards, my eyes were like perfectly cut gems, truly beautiful.

From the next day, a one-minute PR video was released over the course of a week.

About fifteen trainees were featured each day, and I spent anxious days wondering when and how my video, which I was unaware of, would impact my future.

In their one-minute PR videos, the trainees showcased themselves in various ways.

One trainee danced awkwardly in a cute costume, another dressed up and parodied a historical drama, some brought pictures of characters they resembled, one performed traditional dance, another introduced themselves by flipping through pages of a sketchbook, and one even wore a magic school uniform.

The most memorable ones for me were Ban Yo-han and Seo Moon-gyeol.

Ban Yo-han, showcasing his talent, simply stated his name and agency, and then recited pi for a full minute.

3.14159265358979… Yes, that’s correct. This lunatic.

I counted how many decimal places he recited, and he calmly chanted up to the 128th decimal place.

Honestly, Ban Yo-han seemed like someone who could memorize up to the 500th place if asked.

Though he lacked sincerity, he was a prime example of having a naturally brilliant mind and face.

Seo Moon-gyeol also showcased his talent by bringing soap and a carving knife, demonstrating soap carving.

“Hello, I’m Seo Moon-gyeol from Seed Entertainment,” he greeted in a pleasant voice, followed by the sound of soap being shaved away.

Was he filming an ASMR?

Just before the minute ended, Seo Moon-gyeol held up the Pick Heart logo he had carved out of soap, ending his one-minute PR video.

“…….”

What were those guys doing with such faces? With those looks, they should be more proactive in their appeal.

The video of ‘On Raon’ I had been eagerly waiting for was released on the last day.

[Individual Trainee | On Raon | Sentimental Literary Boy #1minPR Pick Your Heart Season 3]

The title was quite odd.

Sentimental? Literary?

Two words that didn’t suit me at all were placed side by side.

My sentimentality had dried up long ago from living a harsh life, and the last time I saw literature was in a Korean textbook.

What kind of person, or rather, what kind of character was this ‘On Raon’ who had it all?

I stared at the thumbnail for a long time, then clicked on the video with trembling hands.

The Pick Heart logo CG passed by, and ‘On Raon’ appeared.

[Hello, I’m On Raon, an individual trainee.]

The ‘On Raon’ I didn’t know was there.

This video was a crucial clue that could show me what to do next.

I scrutinized every detail of ‘On Raon.’

First, the face. I had seen this face in my student ID photo, but it looked unfamiliar in a moving video.

Though not as good as my original face, it was at least good enough to not feel lacking compared to trainees like Seo Moon-gyeol or Jing Xiao, which was a relief.

If I suddenly became extremely handsome later, it could prevent rumors of plastic surgery.

But had they really made that face so bland?

I silently cursed Gasteam once more.

‘On Raon’ was wearing a school uniform.

He had buttoned up his white shirt to the top, tied his necktie tightly, and wore a vest and a blazer.

It was an impeccably neat outfit for a student, though it looked a bit suffocating at a glance.

I didn’t know exactly when it was filmed, but compared to my current body, he looked significantly thinner.

I wondered if my stats like stamina, strength, and agility were low not because of my possession but because they were inherently poor.

In the meantime, ‘On Raon’ quietly continued speaking.

[I have prepared a poem.]

…His accent was noticeably awkward compared to his rather natural introduction.

It sounded like a foreigner who had learned Korean rather than a native speaker.

Why? He didn’t look like a foreigner, so had he lived abroad? His student ID said ‘On Raon.’

Gasteam, at least provide me with basic personal information.

In the video, ‘On Raon’ took a short breath through his mouth, seemingly nervous, and recited the first verse.

[I want to be a pure white moon. To circle a blue star for thirty days without getting tired.]

This time, his tone was soft without any awkwardness. It was as if he had endlessly polished the rough edges of his language with a chisel and hammer.

I held my breath and listened to the whispers coming from the speakers.

[I want to be a blue wave. To pound a cliff for a thousand days without getting tired.]

I instinctively knew what kind of heart ‘On Raon’ poured into those words.

Perhaps I was the one who could understand those words best in this world.

The sentences were direct and crude, and the emotion was closer to hope than resignation.

If he could, he would have pounded that indifferent cliff not a thousand but tens of thousands of times.

The poem wasn’t exceptionally well-written, nor was it particularly entertaining, but thanks to his low, whisper-like voice, it was pleasant to listen to.

How much had he polished those sentences to speak Korean so naturally? How much had his heart been worn down in the process?

“…….”

What’s the point of speculating now? It’s just a game character, after all. A game character.

In the colorful background with the Pick Heart logo, ‘On Raon’ alone looked like a figure in a black-and-white world.

When the minute was almost up, ‘On Raon’ stopped reciting and, for the first time, looked straight at the camera.

[Please take good care of my future.]

That was it.

Other trainees had their agency celebrities send support messages, but this video ended abruptly right after the one-minute PR.

It seemed to reveal ‘On Raon’ as an individual.

I pressed the stop button before the next video could auto-play.

“…….”

My head was in a mess. I felt a vague intuition that there might be a hidden answer in this hopeless possession, but I set it aside for now.

“Who are you…….”

×Who are you, really.

What should I do about this image? What if the PD and writer thought, ‘Who is this guy?’

What were they thinking, watching me act so differently from the person in this video?

Did they think I was a useful reversal character, or were they baffled, thinking I was crazy?

“Should I start behaving more quietly now?”

At that moment, my phone, which was lying on the desk, received several notifications in succession.

[Fox Cub] Who are you?

[Fox Cub] Did you hit your head somewhere before the program started?

[Fox Cub] Or are you twins?

[Fox Cub] Are you a split personality?

I had saved ‘Fox Cub’ as ‘Cub Fox’ just in case someone saw my phone, but should I change it back?

[Fox Cub] I would believe it if someone said you were possessed by a stranger.

Damn, that gave me chills.

It was just a random comment, but my heart sank for a moment.

[Me] Why?

[Me] Did you forget I’m a calm, reliable, and well-behaved class president?

[Fox Cub] Haha..

[Fox Cub] You might want to take some time for self-reflection, haha.

I wrote and deleted several harsh words.

Anyway, considering that even relatively nice Kim Jun-woo sent a similar message, it seemed impossible for me to mimic that ‘On Raon.’

Grandpa Go Soo-jong, who had joined me while I was watching TV, also hit the nail on the head, saying, “Are you twins? You don’t look like him at all, but he seems well-behaved.”

…No matter how I looked at it, acting like ‘On Raon’ seemed impossible. Let’s just live as I used to.

* * *

After all the one-minute PR videos were released, various communities were abuzz with comments about the 100 trainees.

– Why are they so lacking in creativity? I want to tear up those magic school uniforms.

┗ Why are you so angry?

┗ Wouldn’t you be mad if the same ugly kids came out dressed the same and did the same things?????

– Vote for Ok Do-yoon, everyone. He’s the guy with the ending eye smile.

– There were so many kids who got kicked out before the show even started because of past controversies in seasons 1 and 2. This is the same. Haha, drop out.

┗ They’ve only released the signal song and PR videos, and their pasts are already being exposed. Poor kids.

┗ Who would want to be a celebrity? Haha.

┗ You should live a good life.

– Laugh now… From the moment the first episode airs, you won’t be able to sleep properly.

┗ The energy drain is real.

┗ Already feels old. T_T

– (Picture) Jun-woo was a really good kid who worked hard in school. Everyone, including teachers, liked him a lot. I’m posting this because he’s my friend, and I hope he does well.

#PickHeart3 #KimJunWoo

– (GIF) Season 1 and 2 had many pretty kids who got eliminated. It’s the same now.

┗ For real, they got eliminated because they only had visuals.

– Pick Heart 3 ASMR Trio: On Raon with his self-written poem, Ban Yo-han with his pi recitation, Seo Moon-gyeol with his soap carving.

┗ Ban Yo-han is the real deal. Listen to him for about 40 seconds, and it’s like dozing off in math class.

┗ Onsumah (short for “On Raon is wistful even when breathing”)

┗ For real, I’m starting to worry if he can survive in this harsh program.

┗ Shouldn’t Seo Moon-gyeol be on some expert show? Watching him make an artwork with soap and a carving knife in one minute was amazing.

┗ But it seems like these guys don’t care much about their PR.

┗ As long as they’re memorable. Better than those trying to mimic drama characters with ridiculous melodramatic eyes.

┗ Those types tend to be okay with Jing Xiao mimicking lines from mainland Chinese movies, though.

┗ He has the face for it, damn it.

┗ Why the cursing, damn it.

┗ I heard a rumor that these three were spotted in Sangam. On was very cold, and Gyeol gave him a hot pack, and Ban asked if it was really cold.

┗ Actually, Ban wasn’t asking if it was cold; he told them not to block the way and to move quickly.

┗ How do you know that?

┗ Just from the lip reading. Don’t argue with me; I’m right.

┗ Crazy bastard.

┗ You are crazy.

The day before the second round of training camp, these comments were everywhere.