Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 278

“Orca! Congratulations!”

Most senior singers who had experienced a music show first place at least once looked at their juniors, who were facing their first number one moment, with warm eyes.

Anyone walking the same path couldn’t help but be moved by the hot tears shed by Kang Ji-woo and Gyun Seong-ha.

Among them, Gyun Seong-ha stood out.

The person who seemed so big when standing tall now appeared cute with a crumpled face, constantly wiping away tears. Those present smiled warmly at the sight.

In a different sense, the people who stood out were Ban Yo-han, who maintained a consistently calm smile, and On Raon, who seemed to be shouting, “I’m happy right now!” with a bright smile.

Especially On Raon, who seemed to radiate happiness so much that any tears would evaporate immediately.

It wasn’t that there had never been an idol who laughed instead of getting choked up after winning first place for the first time, but it was quite rare to see someone smile so brightly and purely, making it quite intriguing.

‘As expected, a person with no tear ducts and someone who controls their tear ducts well…’

Since these members rarely cried, Aeri secretly hoped that On Raon and Ban Yo-han would cry at least once on such a monumental occasion.

But today, the Aeris humbly accepted the fact that they had lost to these two once again and just cried on their behalf.

…In fact, Gyun Seong-ha had already cried more than enough for both of them, but still.

Incidentally, the incident of On Raon clinging to Muk Hye-sung and finally breaking down in tears after Pick Heart’s last live broadcast was tacitly considered nonexistent among surface Aeris.

After On Raon was eliminated in a rank lower than his debut rank in Pick Heart, die-hard fans passionately pleaded on the internet not to consume the video of that day and reported it one by one.

It was a wise move.

If that video had been widely circulated, On Raon’s image would have become even gloomier by now.

Anyway, the movement from back then continued to this day, to the point where if a newbie Aeri brought up the topic in a public community, they would be subtly reminded to keep quiet.

Of course, in closed circles where it wouldn’t reach the person in question, every time the topic was brought up, Aeris would collectively get fired up and then cool down again.

So, they wanted to see them cry.

They hoped for a public tear-jerking moment that could be safely mentioned just once!

Even Seo Moon-gyeol, who had never cried in front of fans, had his eyes glisten while giving his speech, yet there was no news from On Raon and Ban Yo-han’s tear ducts.

When the microphone in Seo Moon-gyeol’s hand was handed over to On Raon.

Some Aeris, despite the heartwarming moment, held a slight hope once again.

‘Will he cry while giving his speech?’

‘Is he going to cry now?’

‘Raon, cry!’

On Raon, holding the microphone, spoke.

“And our Aeri! We got first place!”

While they were grateful for remembering the fans.

A bold Aeri, who was inwardly shouting for him to cry just once amidst the moving moment, was left dumbfounded by his next words.

“Thanks to all of you, I’m incredibly happy to achieve my first number one with the first song I wrote.”

Their minds went blank for a moment.

“…?”

They had seen the flimsy theory circulating on social media that ‘the composer of “Again” is On Raon’ and had laughed it off, saying, “No way.”

But it was merely an unverified speculation.

The vague hope that it would be great if it were true suddenly turned into reality, and their minds were filled with floating question marks.

Aeris exchanged glances to quickly grasp reality.

‘What did he just say?’

‘Did he just say he composed “Again”?’

‘Seems like it.’

Understanding the situation, Aeris instinctively covered their mouths to stop a shrill scream from escaping.

It seemed that whether On Raon cried or not was no longer a significant issue.

‘Oh my God, our boy! Our boy!!’

‘He’s a freaking genius!’

Other people’s reactions upon hearing the story were not much different from the Aeris’.

‘What did On Raon just say?’

‘Wow. Did I hear that right?’

Other singers on stage, their fans in the front, and the staff running the broadcast, all showed visibly surprised expressions, processing the words they had just heard and muttering small exclamations like “Huh.” or “Wow.” at the agreement of Ban Yo-han and the other members around them.

‘Wow, the song Orca released this time was really good.’

‘Seriously, can’t he be bad at something? He’s too perfect.’

‘I should have gotten closer when he came to greet us before…’

Announcing such a fact without prior notice in such a setting was far more shocking than simply hearing it in the news.

On Raon, as if unaware of what he had just done, innocently pledged.

“From now on, I will always work hard, do my best, and make you all happy as Orca. Thank you!”

The experienced MC, considering the confused atmosphere and the members who had not yet given their speeches, gave them a chance to speak.

“Alright, let’s hear from Yo-han or Seong-ha as well.”

Ban Yo-han, who had been holding On Raon’s hand and swinging it back and forth, began to speak with a bright smile.

“This award we received today feels like the happiest and most valuable award I’ve ever received, and out of all the first places I’ve achieved, today’s first place makes me the happiest. I want to thank my family who believed in me, and I promise to work harder with my members to show you a better side of us as idols. Aeri, thank you so much, and I love you!”

After Ban Yo-han’s concise speech, the microphone was passed to Gyun Seong-ha, who had calmed down enough to speak after wandering behind the members, holding a large trophy and trying to control his emotions.

“Uh… sniff, we… sniff.”

Today, Gyun Seong-ha’s expression suited his nickname, “Puppy.”

Even with his tearful face, he still looked handsome, causing sighs among Aeris.

Thanks to the members who surrounded him, massaging his shoulders, patting his head, and comforting him like a child or a puppy, Gyun Seong-ha managed to continue.

“Aeri, thank you so much, I love you, and I hope all the people who helped me get here are as happy as I am now. Thanks to Raon for writing such a great song, and to the CEO. And, and…”

Despite his seemingly endless words, Gyun Seong-ha kept talking, occasionally choking up.

“My brother Yoo-sung is representing our country at the Asian Games this week, and I hope he does well and comes back uninjured. My younger brother Gyeon Ha-ram is starting a new project, and I hope he does well. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, I hope all our members and their families stay healthy and never get sick. Aeri, thank you so much. We will continue to work harder as Orca. Thank you very much!”

Listening to the heartfelt speeches of the members, Aeris, with red eyes, wiped their tears with the hands holding their light sticks.

They smiled warmly at Gyun Seong-ha, who had buried his tear-streaked face in On Raon’s shoulder to hide his tearful face, and at On Raon, who was slightly stumbling from the unexpected weight but patted him comfortingly.

In reality, it was a bit different from what Aeris saw.

‘Why is this guy leaning on me instead of going to Hyung? You’re dead meat later.’

‘I can’t let him dirty Hyung with tears and snot, so bear with it for now.’

…Well, it was something Aeris would never know, so it didn’t matter.

After that, the MCs showed their professionalism and made closing remarks.

“Yes! Thank you for the speeches! We’re also delighted to witness Orca’s meaningful first win here on Music Round.”

“Congratulations again to Orca for their first number one, and please get ready for your encore. We’ll see you next week!”

“Live, Music~ Round!”

Soon, the intro of “Again” started playing.

Other singers began to slowly leave the stage, greeting their fans.

Orca, who had been huddling together and spinning around, bowed deeply front and back.

Gyun Seong-ha and Kang Ji-woo cried so much that some senior singers cried with them.

“We need to sing now.”

Orca’s pledge for their first number one was to sing “Again” together from start to finish.

The members, recalling their pledge, began to pick up the microphones one by one.

From the moment you came back

starting line

It feels a little scary to cross the line again

When all the members sang the part On Raon usually sang alone quietly, it felt different.

The rich harmonies, practiced during their breaks, blended naturally, proving that their image-making was not a lie.

You

Get immersed

Deeper than anything with depth

The following parts were the same.

The first encore sounded stable, reflecting their usual vocal practice.

And shout!

Reaching the chorus, which everyone gets addicted to after hearing it once.

Again!

Not only the members but also the singers who were still on stage joined in, shouting the addictive “Again.”

With the voices of dozens of fans added, it felt like a mini-concert.

“Thank you!”

“We will work even harder from now on!”

“Aeri, we love you so much!”

Orca’s first encore stage ended with hearts full of emotion.

* * *

And what On Raon, who seemed to have it all, lacked was.

“Ah, I’m going to die…”

It was stamina.