★ The Second Life Idols Lucky Plan – Chapter 181

"I can't believe I get to go to the KRM practice room."

After finishing the music show schedule, Yu Chan-hee muttered as he got in the car.

The members' attention turned to Yu Chan-hee while Serim Cheon acted playfully.

"Now that I think about it, Chanhee, didn't you originally hate KRM? You said they were competition in a <Design Your Idol> interview. "I don't want to lose to Yoo-ha," I think you said something like that."

"Oh, no, that's... ... ."

Yu Chan-hee, who glanced at me with a startled look at Cheon Se-rim's question, answered with a shy expression.

"It was just for broadcast, well... It was also an excuse... ... ."

At the same time, he was slurring his words, and it seemed like he was feeling embarrassed about the interview he had done during <Design Your Idol>.

-Trainee Won Yoo-ha? Ah... yes. I just don't want to lose... ... . I feel that way. I guess because I'm DIO and he's KRM.

During the second competition, Yu Chan-hee answered with a bewildered expression on his face when the staff asked him why he was at odds with me when it came to deciding on the song.

It was for a different reason that Yu Chan-hee tried to ostracize me at the time, but mentioning the hostile relationship between KRM and DIO was the most effective way to revive the rivalry narrative that would be used for broadcasting while the public understood it to a certain extent and did not have any backstory.

"... To be honest, I had a bit of a prejudice. It was famous that KRM trainees had high arrogance. So I looked down on them."

"Not anymore?"

"Oh, of course!"

Rather than asking because he really didn't know, Se-rim Cheon grinned and turned his head, as if his purpose was just to tease Yu Chan-hee for a moment.

"But it is truly something amazing. I never thought I would go to KRM for year-end practice."

"I heard that the KRM employee restaurant is famous. Can we go there too?"

"Maybe? Will there be enough time to get to that point? Tomorrow's recording time is a little early. I think we'll probably decide on a part, try to match it, and then leave."

"Ah, that's a shame."

Aiden Lee, whose eyes were shining, grumbled at Do Ji-hyuk's words. Then, Kang Hyun-jin, who was sitting next to Aiden, turned his head and asked me a question.

"Yoo-ha, you practiced with LON seniors for a long time, right?"

"Yes, including LON's debut, I've been there for about 4 years."

"That... main vocalist? Mr. Ji-oh?"

I nodded. It was already known to the public through the UApp that Hyun Ji-oh hosted during <Design Your Idol> that we were in the same class as KRM trainees.

"You were also in the LON debut group until the end, right?"

"Uh."

"If you were considered for the singer position along with his Hyung, isn't that a major accomplishment?"

"Well, Hyun Ji-oh is talented."

Aiden Lee, who went to the concert with me, obediently answered in the affirmative when Yu Chan-hee asked, as if he was curious about those words. Cheon Se-rim spoke curiously.

"Oh, if Aiden is like that, he must be really good."

"Hyun Ji-oh has never fallen below class A. From the moment he arrived, he was said to be the main vocalist."

"Hmm, so he's one of the KRM legendary trainees."

"Legendary trainees? What's that?"

Do Ji-hyuk seemed interested in what Cheon Se-rim muttered out of nowhere and asked. At those words, Serim Cheon smiled once again, his face filled with mischief.

"There was a rumor that KRM had two top vocalists. I guess you didn't know because you debuted."

"Oh, I heard that too. There was a time when the head of our company lamented why we don't have a vocal line like them... ... ."

"So we now have that legendary trainee as our leader?"

"Correct answer!"

Cheon Se-rim, who clicked his fingers and spoke cheerfully, followed by Do Ji-hyuk, who added a in a sly tone. For some reason, it seemed like an argument was about to begin under the pretext of a compliment, so I kept my mouth shut to avoid giving him an excuse to be jealous.

"Then I guess I'm a little worried."

"Huh? What are you worried about?"

Suddenly, Kang Hyun-jin slightly frowned, and the members' attention turned towards him. Kang Hyun-jin was silent for a moment, flustered by the focused gaze, and then be carefully continued.

"... I don't think we can avoid comparison."

"Oh~."

Cheon Se-rim shook his head as if he immediately understood those words. Then he muttered softly and responded.

"It's definitely a possibility... It may be impossible not to compare us in the first place. The song has so many points of contact."

I silently agreed with that. Certainly, it would be difficult to avoid comparison this time. We ended up doing a song that was difficult to avoid being compared to, and there was quite a bit of overlap with LON.

'Maybe it's a natural result.'

Moreover, this comparison was an unavoidable and inevitable outcome. Even in the future that has already disappeared, the conflict between Aydin and LON began at the end of the year stage.

'The problem at the time was the cue sheet.'

The starting point of the controversy was the leak of the cue sheet for the 'A Music Awards', Anet's year-end awards ceremony.

At that time, A-Net organized the stage order, and LON, who was one year senior as a group, was placed on stage ahead of Aydin.

Usually, the older the performer is and the more recognized the stage, the more the stage order is placed in the highlight section. Therefore, the stage order always receives a lot of attention from the fandom.

Meanwhile, because Aydin was assigned to perform right after LON's stage, the leaked cue sheet eventually developed into a controversy.

'There was a lot of backlash from LON's fandom and Peony.'

Aydin, who caused a frenzy even before debut, had taken away the title from LON, who was called the 'best rookie group of all time' at the time. Reporters were also excited and compared the two 'all-time rookies'.

It is said that only recently has the boundaries between each fandom been broken down and there have been more fans showing favor towards other groups and fandoms, but in the end, that only happens when the 'base' is not harmed.

Peony, who came to think that Aydin was annoying, protested under the assumption Aydin had taken away the stage order of 'LON'. The staff of 'A Music Awards' had to to speak in an indirect way.

Aydin was the main character of the survival program that received the most attention on A-Net that year, and Do Ji-hyuk, who is older than LON, was included, so the placement order was inevitably organized separately, and it was conveyed through a press release about the year-end special stage. .

Although it wasn't a perfect explanation, it was an excuse that was vague and difficult to understand, so Peony's opposition eventually died down, but I remember the confrontation between the two groups that began in earnest from here on out.

And that conflict would probably become more severe in this life.

"But doesn't it seem like it was made this way to start a fight? We cover a song in verses 1 and 2, and then perform together on verse 3. I mean Anet really does have a lot of fun with survival.."

"It seems like it might be a bit difficult to decide on a part... ... ."

This was because OneDear and LON will perform a joint stage with Orchid's song.

* * *

"Yoo-ha, welcome back."

"It's been a while, Hyung. Did you have a good time on the world tour?"

LON went on its first world tour for about two months after holding a solo concert last September. They started preparing for the year-end stage right after the tour, and LON must have been busy filming their own content recently, but Choi Han-gyeol nodded calmly.

"Yes, we did great. It was really fun. Oh, yeah. I listened to your new song well, the song was good. When did you guys create it?"

"The song has been out since our debut. It took some time to plan and create choreography."

"The members created it together, right? The choreography is by mmm... Hyunjin... Oh, can I call you this? Should I call you senior? ... ."

"No. Rather, I think I should call you senior."

"We are the same age, so if you don't mind, please speak informally..."

I glanced at Choi Han-gyo, who had started talking with Kang Hyun-jin, and then glanced around. Staff from Anet were installing cameras inside the practice room.

The preparation process for this joint stage with LON was scheduled to be filmed once at KRM and once at Road Enter before being released behind the scenes. Thanks to this, it was clear what Anet was expecting from this performance.

'It looks like you're really enjoying the rivalry.'

With that thought in mind, I focused my gaze forward again. I know what Anet is aiming for, but looking at the current atmosphere, it seemed like I could easily get through the situation if I just kept to the middle ground.

'They say there's nothing we can do about the cue sheet incident, but unlike then, there's a point of contact now.'

In the past life, Aydin and LON were faceless and had no contact with each other. Because of this, the two groups of fandoms were able to fight without any hesitation.

But this life was different. The fact that I was considered as the main vocalist of LON's debut group along with Hyun Ji-oh will certainly give the public something to compare the two of us with, but on the other hand, the fact that the LON members and I have been in a relationship for a long time means that the two fandoms can view each other as friendly.

'Aiden and I were spotted at a recent concert, and Hyun Ji-oh also mentions me often.'

The fact that OneDear and LON are close friends is already known to YourOne, Peony, and their respective fandoms.

Knowing that nothing good will come of a fandom fight breaking out here, the members of each team must be thinking about getting over the situation as smoothly as possible.

'Luckily, there seems to be mutual interest, so that's good.'

It seemed like there wouldn't be any problem as long as the current friendly atmosphere was maintained.

I thought like that and looked away. Before I knew it, Hyun Ji-oh was approaching me.

"Your body... are you okay? Is everything resolved well?"

As soon as he saw my face, Hyun Ji-oh asked that in a cautious tone. When I glanced at the managers who followed the members into the practice room, I realized what he was talking about and nodded.

"Oh. You don't have to worry."

"Well, I'm glad... ... ."

"Hyun Ji-oh bought various souvenirs scattered around the dorm. Let's take them later."

Nick suddenly appeared behind Hyun Ji-oh and said, putting his hand on my shoulder. Then he suddenly cast his gaze towards Yu Chan-hee and Ju Dan-woo.

"You're Chanhee and Danwoo, right? Rappers."

"Ah, yes."

Yu Chan-hee nodded, looking a little embarrassed at the direct question asked without a greeting. Nick stared at the two as if examining them and opened his mouth.

"Can I see how you rap the second verse? I thought it would be better to share it to fit it together in verse 3. I guess I should split the 3rd verse part too... ... ."

We had agreed in advance that Orchid's song would be divided into three parts and that the first verse would be performed by LON, the second verse by OneDear, and the third verse performed jointly. The beginning of verse 3 was the part where the rap came out.

Therefore, when Nick mentioned part distribution, he slightly rolled his eyes, looked in my direction, and spoke directly.

"Can I write the lyrics? I think it would be a bit difficult to coordinate opinions, so I want to do everything myself. In my team, I write most of the rap lyrics, so I'm used to it."

And, I couldn't help but sigh a little when I suddenly saw Yu Chan-hee's eyebrows twitching at those words.

"... I'm sorry, but that's the same for us. As you know, all of our members participate in the entire work. So, I am used to coordinating opinions. If it's difficult to come to a consensus, can we let you know? We can go on our own initiative."

It probably wasn't intentional, but Nick's words seemed to really hit Yu Chan-hee's competitive spirit.

"... I know how to coordinate opinions."

"Oh really? I wouldn't think so... ... ."

"Yu Chan-hee."

"Nick."

And Nick was not one to be unaware of Yu Chan-hee's sharp attitude. Seeing Yu Chan-hee aggressively responding to Nick's retort while tilting his head with a puzzled look on his face, I ended up having to stop Yu Chan-hee, who was starting to overheat.

Here, Hyun Ji-oh also sensed a sarcastic tone in his voice, so he called Nick over in his familiar manner, and Yu Chan-hee and Nick each turned to us with dissatisfied faces and responded in sync.

"What?!"

... Even though they were fighting just a moment ago, they responded as if singing a chorus.

Suddenly, I felt like my head was pounding, so I placed my hand on top of my head, and as I did so, I made eye contact with Hyun Ji-oh, who had the same tired expression as me.

I couldn't help but feel connected with Hyun Ji-oh, even without words.

'Is it ruined?'

'Oh shit.'

Perhaps this joint stage will not go smoothly.