Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido is a fourteenth-century Korean star map, copies of which were spread nationwide in the Joseon Dynasty.
. So, what was left?
“Everyone, you all remember the name of our program, right?”
“Idol Dynasty Chronicle.”
“Correct. Until now, Spark has reenacted historical flows and events. Now, it’s time to leave a record of it.”
Didn’t I tell you? Spark will become the identity of the Idol Dynasty Chronicle.
I switched the PPT slide, revealing images of old court historians and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.
“The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty is a significant record that encompasses a wide range of historical facts about the Joseon era. I’m sure you all know how important it is. So, for the final competition, as historians, we aim to share with the public, without omission or embellishment, what we’ve seen and learned on the IDC stage. Does anyone have any objections?”
“None!”
“Nope.”
Everyone readily agreed. It was only natural since, although this meeting was for filming, Spark had been planning their stages with this in mind from the beginning.
Since it was an idea planned before the filming of the Idol Dynasty Chronicle, it wasn’t new to them.
However, we still needed to work out the details. From here on, the meeting became a serious discussion.
“We’ll wear hanbok for the final competition, right? What style are we going for?”
“I think something closer to a scholar’s outfit rather than a fully traditional scholar style might look better…”
“That’s good and all, but the visibility of dance lines in hanbok varies drastically depending on the design. I think we need to consider this in advance.”
As Jeong Seongbin, the leader, pointed out the key discussion points, Park Joowoo and Kang Kiyeon offered their opinions.
“Actually, we need to put a lot of effort into the final competition, right?”
“….?”
“I didn’t want us to waste time on reference research, so I’ve already prepared the general framework. If we agree on this, let’s finalize it today and send it to the production team.”
I opened the shared spreadsheet I had prepared.
Usually, I shared folders, but considering today’s filming, I organized everything—costumes, props, lighting, media art, etc.—into separate sheets within one file. One of the cameras immediately turned towards the projector screen.
“We’ll decide on the color scheme last, after looking at the color sheet. We’ll proceed quickly, so please make your decisions promptly.”
“No second votes or anything?”
“No. Pick what you like when you first see it. If it stands out to you right away, it’s a good choice.”
At my words, Lee Cheonghyeon shook his head, excited.
There was no need for a second vote. The decision-making was done swiftly. While they previously seemed like they’d order five different dishes at a Chinese restaurant, they now seemed to have developed an eye for selecting the best option after considering various factors.
How should I put it? It felt like watching a well-trained junior.
* * *
“Good work, everyone!”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
The filming of the meeting ended with the writers’ farewells. My energy levels plummeted.
Was this really the daily life of an idol? It was no different from the Hanpyeong Industry. Was a highly evolved idol actually just an office worker?
“Hyung, you look really tired.”
“Really? Did it show during filming?”
“Not during the filming, but it’s obvious now that the cameras are off.”
Lee Cheonghyeon said, pointing at my under-eye area. I’d definitely need under-eye filler treatments once the Idol Dynasty Chronicle was over.
Rubbing my eyes, I replied,
“I guess it’s because of the back-to-back meetings. My energy is drained.”
“It’s not the meetings, it’s because you haven’t been sleeping.”
Choi Jeho scolded me while putting the chairs back in place.
Who would want to organize materials after a retreat and practice? I also loved taking long naps.
I felt incredibly wronged, but I couldn’t show it. The production crew hadn’t left yet.
As I held the meeting room door open for them, a writer approached me and asked,
“Iwol, who comes up with your ideas?”
“We all come up with them together!”
“No, I mean the main ideas. I’m curious which department is in charge of setting the direction, like from the self-PR stage.”
“We really do it ourselves. The company mostly checks for feasibility.”
“You guys do it? Not the company?”
“Yes!”
The writer’s expression turned strange at my words.
Did they…not believe me? Was Spark about to get embroiled in a ‘concept thief’ controversy and get malicious edits this time?
Worries swirled in my mind.
At this point, I might have to hand over Spark’s weekly meeting notes to prove our innocence…
“I see. We’re probably doing a Season 2, and it seems like a lot will need to change in the format.”
“Is that so?”
I feigned ignorance, but it made sense.
There was a big difference between a pilot program hastily made to ride the survival show trend and a full-fledged seasonal program. There had to be some changes.
“So, I was wondering if there’s a separate variety show writer or planning team under UA, and if we could get an introduction to some talent… but I guess that’s not the case?”
“The planning team usually helps a lot when we have a comeback. We just wanted to handle the competition part ourselves.”
I wished the accounting team had helped us out, but that wasn’t meant to be.
The writer, sighing, suddenly lifted their head. After looking around, they asked in a low voice,
“Right, is Producer Yoo Hansoo here?”
“Yes, he is.”
“I heard he’s not working on idol projects anymore? He doesn’t have any ongoing projects, right? There are so many rumors going around about him…”
So the rumors in the broadcasting industry spread that fast. News of Yoo Hansoo’s downfall had reached outside of UA.
I had noticed he hadn’t been around the company much lately. Was he lying low because of these spreading rumors? He should have known better from the start.
‘Judging by their tone, it doesn’t seem like they want to give him work… are they just curious?’
If it were up to me, I wanted to say that it was not even about his work anymore—He should be grateful if the company didn’t end up suing him.
But I shouldn’t say that. I was an idol, an adult, and a member of society. If that person caused his own downfall in the industry, that was enough.
“Ahaha… I don’t know.”
“Oh, never mind. I shouldn’t have asked. It must be awkward to answer such questions. I’m sorry.”
Fortunately, the writer understood my position. They even said, ‘You’re too kind’ while looking at my awkward smile.
They probably thought I was being considerate of Yoo Hansoo. Even though I was the one who ruined him.
“And your second competition stage was a huge hit!”
“Really?”
“It went incredibly viral. Doesn’t UA do any monitoring?”
“I usually do it, but I couldn’t this time because of the retreat filming.”
“The response was amazing. The visuals were so good that the thumbnails and fancams all came out beautifully.”
Praises kept pouring in. I felt embarrassed.
“I’m glad. We all worked hard on it.”
“But you’re the producing member, right? Everyone’s saying these days’ kids are scary. They’re full of praise, saying you have great sense.”
“You flatter me. We still have a lot to learn.”
No matter how good I was, I couldn’t compare to industry professionals. Besides, I didn’t want to take all the credit for the ideas.
As I hurried to see the writer off, I made eye contact with someone at the end of the hallway.
It was Yoo Hansoo, the very person we had been discussing moments ago.
‘Speak of the devil.’
He seemed to be heading this way, but he must have stopped because he saw someone he knew or overheard our conversation.
Yoo Hansoo stood still, watching the writer and me.
“Iwol, what are you looking at?”
“Oh, I thought someone was passing by. I guess not!”
I urged the writer to leave. When I looked back, Yoo Hansoo was already gone.
It took a while to see the production crew off. With so many people and so much equipment, it took half a day just for the Idol Dynasty Chronicle vehicles to come and go.
Still, I felt relieved after they finally left.
As I stretched, preparing to head down to the practice room, I heard someone calling me from afar.
“Iwol!”
“Yes, Assistant Manager.”
It was the assistant manager from the general affairs team.
They wouldn’t call me over unless it was important, so I wondered why they were stopping me.
“Did you do any prop-making activities during the meeting today?”
“No. You’re talking about the meeting the Idol Dynasty Chronicles crew filmed, right?”
“Yes, that one.”
Why suddenly mentioning prop-making?
Sensing my puzzled look, the assistant manager added,
“It’s nothing much, but I went to the storage room to get some tools, and I noticed some equipment was missing.”
“We didn’t use any, but if the Idol Dynasty Chronicles filming crew needed something, maybe a staff member lent it to them. Should I ask?”
“I wonder if we can find them… Could you ask through Chanyoung? If it’s gone, we’ll have to buy new ones.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The assistant manager left, saying they would also double-check the meeting room.
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