Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 53

Fortunately, the team members readily agreed to my plan.

In fact, saying they “readily” agreed was an understatement—their reaction was far more enthusiastic than I had anticipated, which surprised me.

After having focused intensely on one thought, the heat in my head had somewhat cooled down, and it didn’t seem like that big of a deal to me, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

“Our Raon is a genius!”

Who wouldn’t like being praised like that?

Well, it’s better to take it positively.

It’s much better than saying it’s not good.

I decided to be a bit more lenient with myself.

Seo Moon-gyeol, who took on the most important role in the group project that usually kills dreams and hopes, also agreed, saying it seemed fine. So, I could consider this a small hurdle overcome.

And yet, I had many more mountains to climb.

One of them:

“Hyung, I have something to say.”

“Go ahead.”

“Lend me your ear.”

I glanced at the camera that had been filming us non-stop.

Seo Moon-gyeol obediently leaned in.

“To be honest, I don’t remember anything right now.”

I whispered so softly that only Seo Moon-gyeol could barely hear, fearing that someone else might overhear.

“…What?”

I tapped the producing sticker on my chest.

“Choreographing, planning, all of it. I forgot everything when ‘True’ appeared.”

I said it simply and moved away as if nothing had happened before the camera, sensing something interesting, could come closer.

In the brief moment of silence, his handsome face momentarily sank into a sadness that seemed to pity ‘On Raon’ before quickly reverting back to normal.

Seeing him nod slightly, it seemed he understood my intentions well even though I couldn’t speak in detail.

I was also exploiting people’s feelings despite complaining about the system making me feel bad.

Apart from feeling guilty about taking advantage of a kind person, I understood why some protagonists in possession novels frequently used the excuse of memory loss.

I felt like I was becoming more of a scammer.

Of course, I was deceiving everyone at every moment……

Anyway, Seo Moon-gyeol, who unusually grasped my false circumstances, asked the team members to leave the arrangement and choreography entirely to him, and as if on cue, the others exclaimed, “We trust you!” just as he had done earlier, neatly solving the problem that had been quite challenging for me.

Since I had at least set the concept and overall flow, they might not say I did nothing after receiving the producing sticker.

“We’re going to mix this with what we talked about earlier, but the front part needs rap, so at least one more person besides me has to take a rap part.”

Seo Moon-gyeol added, showing two videos from WITube on the pad provided to the group.

“It’s better with two people since it reduces the burden on each person.”

The team members, excluding Seo Moon-gyeol, who was the only Korean, looked at me.

Is this because I’m Korean, and they assume all Koreans are good at rap?

“Okay. I’ll give it a try.”

Still, I’d be better than you guys….

“Then I will too.”

Jing Xiao also raised his hand.

“Have you ever written rap lyrics?”

“No. I’ve never even rapped before.”

“I’ve had some training at the company a few times, but I’ve never been good at it or written any lyrics.”

Seo Moon-gyeol blinked, looking troubled by the two beginners’ words, and then spoke carefully but quickly.

“I have to choreograph first, so I can’t help you from the beginning. Try working on it alone for now, and I’ll check it later.”

“Got it.”

“Raon, think of it as explaining the picture in your head with words.”

“I’ll try.”

Explain the picture with words, huh.

It felt like getting homework.

“Shaou, I want you to do the very first part. Since the general framework is set, it might be easier than writing on a blank slate. But if you have other opinions, let me know.”

“No! I like this part.”

He seemed to like the fact that it was a captivating introduction and that the framework was somewhat defined.

“As I said earlier, while writing good lyrics is important, there’s something much more crucial for our stage, so don’t be too burdened and take it easy.”

Jing Xiao and I nodded eagerly.

“I’ll try to complete the choreography for the first part within an hour.”

“Is that possible?”

Is he even human?

“Probably. It seems to fit well with what I had envisioned before.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried you’d have a hard time since we’re short on time.”

“I don’t claim I can do the impossible.”

Seo Moon-gyeol’s tone was so plain that it almost felt indifferent.

But it inspired a stronger sense of trust than any self-help book quote that Ban Yo-han might murmur gently.

Maybe that’s why Gyun Seong-ha, the most prideful person I knew, followed Seo Moon-gyeol despite desperately trying to ignore his usual sloppiness.

“Then we’ll listen to the song and memorize the lyrics and melody overall.”

Day said, putting his arms around Kyle and Nagase Ritsu’s shoulders.

“Yeah. And since it’s a song no one is familiar with, it seems better to decide the remaining parts afterward. Is that okay?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Then let’s work hard.”

“If it weren’t for you, hyung, we’d be in big trouble.”

Despite my sincere flattery, Seo Moon-gyeol, who started choreographing, was still as calm as ever, but at least he seemed more enthusiastic than any time I had seen before.

“Moon-gyeol, no, I mean, Gyeol hyung talks the most when preparing for a stage.”

Seeing Jing Xiao, who was lying down next to me, scribbling words on paper, he must have been similar during the last competition preparation.

After writing a draft of the rap lyrics, abandoning those that didn’t match my level, such as rhymes or punch lines, I remembered the quest I hadn’t checked earlier.

Since now seemed to be the only time to confirm it while waiting for Seo Moon-gyeol to finish choreographing and review the lyrics, I opened the quest window.

[Sub Quest ]

[▶ Quest Description: How many people in life get the chance to face their talent head-on? Or, how many truly talented people are there in the world in the first place?]

I couldn’t care less.

I skimmed through the similarly pointless statements until I finally found the main point.

[And to put it simply, you are the chosen one. After a long drift, you have returned to the world befitting you, and now you have the opportunity to let your talent blossom.]

I thought I had found the main point, but it was still nonsense, like selling snake oil from another planet. Should I have skimmed a bit more?

[If I had to choose one of your hidden talents, it would definitely be…….]

It’s my face, obviously. I’ve been hiding it too much.

In that sense, I wish I could get my charm back. It would make the conquest several times easier!

[Focus a bit. Wisdom -1]

Wow, if he were here, I would have hit him.

If my charm had decreased, I would have freaked out and demanded my charm back tenfold, but losing just 1 point of wisdom wasn’t a big deal.

Still, if I held on any longer, the damned system might cut off a more important stat, so I continued reading the quest description.

[It would definitely be your talent as a producer.]

Really? I didn’t get the producing sticker for nothing, I guess.

The more I thought about it, the more amazing ‘On Raon’ seemed.

At twenty-three, the only things I was good at were my looks and games. How much had he accomplished?

If my abilities hadn’t been reset when I was possessed, I might have been as talented as Seo Moon-gyeol.

Skipping over the nonsensical statements about how it’s impossible to waste a talent verified by the system, I finally reached the conclusion.

[The most important thing in creation is the creator’s own desire. There’s a saying that to move others, you must first move yourself. Whether it’s a masterpiece or not, make a song that deeply satisfies you. You can receive help from others in the process. The judgment of satisfaction is up to you.

▶ Time Limit: 3 years

▶ Confirmed Reward: Skill 《???》

▶ Penalty for Failure: Random Stat Reset]

What kind of ridiculous quest is this?

There were countless issues, but the most glaring one was the time limit.

Sure, it’s better to have ample time than to be rushed, but three years?

That means if something goes wrong, I might not be able to get out of here for three years.

I unconsciously furrowed my brows at the bad news, then quickly relaxed them. There was a camera nearby.

Fortunately, I was half-bowed, but wasn’t it the station’s specialty to piece together insignificant moments into a serious situation?

‘Anyway, there’s no way I can avoid this.’

I had no choice but to trust the claim that I had talent.

* * *

One hour later.

As promised, Seo Moon-gyeol had perfectly completed the first half of the choreography.

The team members had somewhat mastered the song, so we started dividing the parts in earnest.

“For the center, if we have any conscience and humanity, I think we should give it to Gyeol hyung.”

Day raised his hand at my opinion, which was beautifully packaged but essentially meant we would exploit Seo Moon-gyeol to raise the quality of the stage.

“What’s humanity?”

“Uh… the duty of being a person?”

“What’s duty? Is it like in dakdoritang?”

“It’s not dakdoritang, it’s dakbokkeumtang.”

Once again, Jing Xiao’s Korean shone with delicate brilliance.

Even on the broadcast, they were promoting Jing Xiao as a character well-versed in Korea, or ‘Hanjalal’.

We all laughed together at Jing Xiao, who said that dakbokkeumtang was the most delicious Korean dish and even learned how to make it.

After that, Day asked again.

“So what’s duty?”

Damn. I thought he would have forgotten by now.

I didn’t know the exact dictionary definition but understood the feeling, so I answered evasively.

“Something you must uphold as a person.”

“Then humanity is what you must uphold as a person?”

“……You understand, but you’re doing this on purpose, right?”

“Heh.”

“You brat.”

“I agree.”

Before the conversation could stray further, Nagase Ritsu signaled with an okay sign, showing his agreement.

Now Nagase Ritsu could at least say ‘I like it’ in Korean.

“I also think Gyeol hyung should be the center.”

Day nodded in agreement.

Kyle and Jing Xiao seemed to have a bit of desire for the center position, but fortunately, they weren’t foolish enough to go the wrong way, given the certain center Seo Moon-gyeol, who covered their deficiencies just by standing in the center.

Maybe they knew they would lose if they fought for the center.

Thus, the preparation for the competition with Seo Moon-gyeol at the center proceeded more smoothly than expected.

That is, until the second day.