Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 78: What Do Trucks And Regressors Have In Common?.

Kim Seon-ye, unable to hide her surprise, soon looked at me and sneered as she spoke.

“A deal? Haha, that’s funny. What confidence do you have to bring up such words when you should be apologizing and begging on your knees?”

“If kneeling or prostrating myself would improve the situation, I would do so. However, it seems that such actions would be unproductive right now.”

Frankly, what great thing would happen aside from easing your hysteria? Instead, let’s calmly look at the situation.

With the recorded footage as it is, you can’t cut Gyeoul and me out. Can you edit out the only three in Class A entirely?

At best, you would pressurize me to force an unfavorable role on Gyeoul.

And I will not stand by and watch that happen.

“Also, the responsibility for this situation does not lie solely with me, does it? The judges’ excessively strict evaluation criteria played a large part in the situation escalating like this. What power do I have to control the esteemed judges’ decisions?”

Kim Seon-ye, looking bored, took out lipstick from her pouch and applied it before speaking.

“So, what you wanted to say was simply a plea of incompetence and evasion of responsibility?”

“No. If that were all, I wouldn’t have mentioned making a deal.”

I passed the editing table where Kim Seon-ye was sitting and sat on a small folding chair.

Thus, our eye levels were equal.

I clasped my hands and looked directly into her eyes as I spoke.

“What is the reason you consider this situation a crisis, PD Kim Seon-ye?”

She replied irritably, as if finding my question absurd.

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Of course, it’s because the image I envisioned for the program has been ruined. Instead of an image of gems competing, which is what I wanted viewers to see, the image has likely changed to one where a few gems are being plucked from a pile of crap!”

No, that’s what would happen if the footage were broadcast as is.

“That is not a crisis. It can be overcome more easily than you think by changing the focus of the editing.”

“You speak easily. How?”

“Make the judges the villains.”

In fact, given their behavior, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them real villains.

They must have been given evaluation criteria and guidelines by the production team, but ignored them and acted as if they forgot it was a broadcast.

So we had the justification.

Even so, Kim Seon-ye expressed a negative opinion.

“Do you think those proud people will allow that?”

“They will. Why wouldn’t they?”

They do have authority, but they are human too.

“How can they ignore it when it’s said that the show will fail because of their mistakes? No matter how high their reputation, it’s not enough to overlook such faults. On the contrary, with such fame, they have many enemies who would love to tear them down. So they can’t avoid it. But you’ll need to negotiate carefully to avoid antagonizing them.”

Of course, there were exceptions, like James Oh, so caution was necessary.

That guy is crazy enough to take on a broadcasting station single-handedly…

“Turning the entire panel of judges into enemies is risky. It would be easier and more effective to single out one person. Well, this is your area of expertise, so you would know better.”

Seon-ye, I’ve seen your previous shows. You’re good at picking one person and making them the villain.

“And consider that most of the trainees evaluated have already debuted, gained fame from audition programs, or are known on AllTube, so they already have existing fan bases. Their fans won’t let the public opinion turn into thinking this place is a pile of crap.”

The size of the fandoms might be smaller compared to top current idols, but that didn’t mean they were weak.

These were the people who publicized voting manipulation and started an investigation, leading to the downfall of a show. You can’t say they lack power.

Such fandoms would step up and defend.

“Ha… I don’t know. Won’t they instead lead the charge in criticizing the network for portraying their stars that way? It’s easier to criticize than to protect.”

“No. If the trainees had indeed shown poor performances, the arrows of criticism would turn towards the network for malicious editing. But the average level of the trainees’ performances in this recording was quite high. Viewers will find them attractive enough.”

There are various situations where the network can be blamed, but it fundamentally involves ruining the trainees’ images. However, given the current stage’s level, there’s no need to worry about that. Despite being underrated due to excessively high evaluation criteria, the trainees were attractive enough.

With such a pool of attractive talent, the previous season was successful, recording millions of views per stage and creating a buzz.

There was no doubt about their charm and skills.

…It’s just that Gyeoul was so outstanding that she stood out even among them.

“Even so, if the expert opinion is mainly negative, the fans will get swept along.”

“That’s where your role as PD becomes crucial.”

Kim Seon-ye looked at me with a doubtful expression.

“Tell me what that role is.”

“Do angelic editing instead of demonic editing.”

Be the shepherd that gathers the viewers, Kim Seon-ye.

“Highlighting mistakes like one made while moving positions or a voice break during a high note, which are enough to happen without rehearsals, is what we call demonic editing. Do the opposite.”

“You mean to make it look like the judges are unfairly criticizing them?”

You catch on quickly, as expected from someone setting up a grand scheme like vote manipulation.

“Yes. Of course, completely antagonizing them is dangerous, so as I mentioned earlier, a balancing act is necessary. I believe you can handle that with your skills. You can do it, right? PD Kim Seon-ye.”

“….”

She scoffed once and crossed her legs in the opposite direction before speaking.

“You’re not someone who can’t think, are you?”

“Thank you for the compliment. I’m sure you already had this scenario in mind.”

She laughed again at my words, but this time it was different from her previous sneers. It was a laugh mixed with a peculiar admiration, as if saying, ‘Look at this.’

“You seem young, but you must have a lot of experience. The way you talk and think… Alright. Go on.”

I shrugged and said,

“There’s no way a mere manager like me could come up with something you hadn’t already thought of. You probably had similar countermeasures in mind, albeit with some differences in detail.”

She nodded with interest and said,

“Right. I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t do that. But why did you bring it up, thinking I already knew? If it was simply to tell me to calm down because the situation is manageable, then I think I should proceed with what I originally intended to do to you, Team Leader Seon.”

What a threatening way to speak.

Don’t worry, the conversation isn’t over yet.

“Then let’s get back to the original topic. Why do you consider this situation a crisis, PD Kim Seon-ye? As we discussed, you already have enough countermeasures.”

Kim Seon-ye’s expression hardened.

“That’s something you don’t need to know.”

“It might be something I don’t need to know, but I already do.”

“Getting cocky now that I’m being nice? What do you know?”

What do I know? Everything.

I unclasped my hands, leaned back against the chair, and crossed my legs like her before speaking.

“The 11 members to debut have already been decided, right?”

“….”

“You’ve already discussed everything with the higher-ups and the agencies, haven’t you? And you’re ready for vote manipulation too.”

She picked up the paper cup in front of her on the table and took a sip, as if finding my words ridiculous.

“I don’t know where you picked that up, but that’s…”

“Kim Yujin, Katherine, Yeo Sua, Rachel, Lin Mei, Misaki, Lee Bom, Song Chaeyoung, Jang Minhee, Kaori, Emily.”

Kim Seon-ye’s mouth fell open. The paper cup she was holding dropped and rolled on the floor.

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as I watched her.

“Isn’t that right? The 11 members.”

Do you know what trucks and regressors have in common, Seon-ye?

“What the hell…?”

There’s no answer if you get hit by one.