The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 101
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Gate Burst Open on My Debut Day (101)
I opened my mouth carefully.
“Let’s put Let’s Eat Well and Live Well on hold for now.”
If the EX-Grade trait truly was future foresight, then Let’s Eat Well and Live Well would inevitably go wrong.
‘Our footage won’t even be uploaded because of the Show Host’s drug scandal, and the entire channel will collapse.’
There was no need to take such a risk.
But what mattered most was the members’ reaction.
Let’s Eat Well and Live Well was famous for being selective with guests—currently the most talked-about variety show on YouTube.
Even with how much buzz surrounded EX-Grade K-POP Idols, receiving a casting offer before we’d even debuted was truly exceptional.
I wasn’t sure how many members would accept my persuasion to decline.
“Sounds good.”
“Huh?”
I was taken aback by Yoo Sung’s clean agreement.
“Why? Didn’t you just say to put it on hold?”
“Oh, no… what about the others? Lee Jae and Yoo Yeol?”
I looked around at the members and asked.
“I’m fine without Let’s Eat Well and Live Well specifically.”
“Me too. There are plenty of other variety shows.”
The other members had similar reactions.
‘Just how much do they trust me…?’
Without the future foresight trait, I might have suffocated under the pressure.
I checked the next variety show.
“About Favorite Investigation Life….”
The world flipped upside down exactly like it had with Let’s Eat Well and Live Well.
Suddenly my vision blurred, and noise scattered across my sight.
‘I’m truly sorry. Today’s shoot has been cancelled due to internal circumstances.’
‘What? No, how can you tell us an hour before filming?’
The man I’d seen during Let’s Eat Well and Live Well was arguing with someone who appeared to be a producer, his brow furrowed.
He seemed to be our Manager.
‘I can understand the cancellation if I’m being generous. But shouldn’t you at least explain what the circumstances are?’
‘Actually… we had already requested another artist first. An artist from LMH.’
‘LMH? The LMH you’re talking about?’
Why was LMH coming up here?
Suddenly I remembered the trainee—whether it was Lee Hyun-ho or Nakhha—who had pushed Yoo Sung aside and seized the debut slot.
Could it be… connected to that parachute hire?
‘That artist initially refused, but then suddenly changed their mind. They said they really wanted to appear. But they said it had to be this week or not at all….’
‘No, I… what in the world….’
‘I’m really sorry. I don’t think this is right either… but when the higher-ups say to do it, I have to as a lowly staff member.’
‘Well, what can we do….’
I blinked slowly.
The noise faded, and I could see the members staring at me intently.
Right, this one’s a bust too.
“Let’s shelve this one for now.”
“Do whatever you want.”
The members agreed readily.
I worried how they’d survive in this harsh world with such naïveté….
“Starting Today 1 Day isn’t a bad concept in itself….”
Surely this one doesn’t have problems too? The moment that thought crossed my mind, my vision blurred.
Damn it, there’s not a single proper variety show!
‘Is this really something we can broadcast?’
The Manager was discussing with someone who appeared to be from the Starting Today 1 Day production team, his expression troubled.
‘I thought learning an instrument meant guitar, piano, drums… but suddenly violin?’
‘Ha ha….’
‘The sound was nothing but unpleasant noise. Didn’t you choose a difficult instrument?’
‘W-well, yes. But don’t worry about the broadcast! We’ll make it work somehow!’
‘Yes… please take good care of it for now.’
The Manager scratched the back of his neck with a dissatisfied expression.
I wanted to tear my hair out.
‘Learning violin for the first shoot…?’
Violin is never an easy instrument.
Unlike instruments where you can produce some sound by striking or hitting them, producing proper sound requires a minimum of several months.
“Having a rookie appear as the first guest on a new variety show seems too burdensome. Let’s shelve this one too.”
Every variety show I thought was decent turned out to be a dud.
I calmly went through the variety show list from the beginning again.
“‘Mom and Dad, Have a Good Day’….”
I picked one that seemed decent among the remaining shows.
It was a variety program where participants would look after children for a day on behalf of parents exhausted from childcare—a long-running show that had continued for over five years, but it suffered from a worn-out plot, so it had lost some recent buzz.
‘Huh? This time I don’t see anything?’
The previous three shows revealed the worst futures the moment I mentioned their titles.
‘Does this mean it’s a safe show?’
With an uncertain expression, I opened my mouth toward the members.
“This one seems decent. The buzz has dropped a bit, but since it’s a long-running show, it has a core viewership.”
“Who would be good to appear? Is anyone interested in appearing?”
Seo Ijae looked around at the members and spoke.
“Anyone with a younger sibling?”
When I asked, Yoo Yeol and Okada raised their hands.
That was somewhat unexpected.
Seo Ijae seemed to think similarly, his eyes widening. But he quickly continued calmly.
“Then Mom and Dad, Have a Good Day will be Yoo Yeol and Okada….”
“No.”
I cut off Seo Ijae’s words.
“For Mom and Dad, Have a Good Day, I’d prefer if Yoo Yeol and Hiro sat this one out.”
“Why? Isn’t it better when someone with siblings participates?”
“If they’re too good, it’s not fun.”
“Huh?”
I pulled one corner of my mouth up into a smirk.
“When idols stumble a bit in front of kids, it’s entertaining for viewers. And honestly, once the production team decided to cast idols, they’re already banking on that.”
The members nodded in understanding at my explanation.
“Plus, it’s fun to watch someone start out clumsy but gradually improve. That’s why I think it’d be better to send someone without siblings.”
“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
We huddled together and selected the members for Mom and Dad, Have a Good Day.
The final picks were Yoo Sung and Han Theo.
“So Mom and Dad, Have a Good Day goes to Sung-i and Theo. Next is….”
I slowly scanned through the variety show list.
“…Kim Min-ha’s Live Club doesn’t seem like a bad choice either.”
My precognition didn’t react to this show either.
That meant it was a pass.
Kim Min-ha’s Live Club was a variety show hosted by a famous singer-songwriter named Kim Min-ha, where talented singers and idols sat down to chat and perform songs.
“How about Yoo Yeol and Lee Jae for this one?”
“Me?”
Seo Ijae’s eyes widened.
“I’m not good at singing… and I’m not great at talking either. Wouldn’t it be better to send Sung-i or Theo instead? Or even Kim Chowol….”
I shook my head firmly.
“I think you’re the right fit.”
“Why…?”
“You have the deepest musical knowledge among us. You can write lyrics and compose too.”
“That’s not really….”
“It’s fine. You’ll do great.”
Unable to resist my insistence, Seo Ijae eventually nodded.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Great. Let’s move on to the next one.”
That left three people: Kang Hae-soo, Okada, and me.
I alternated my gaze between Kang Hae-soo and Okada’s faces.
‘Come to think of it… neither of them had poor athletic ability.’
Especially Kang Hae-soo’s athleticism was almost too good to waste.
I stared intently at one show on the list and murmured.
“Necessity is the Mother of Invention.”
A physical comedy show that had been popular twenty years ago.
The slapstick humor and exaggerated reactions that had captivated audiences back then were now widely considered outdated.
But trends always come full circle.
I slowly closed and opened my eyes. Future Foresight didn’t activate.
‘Taking a gamble might not be such a bad idea.’
I looked at Kang Hae-soo and Okada as I spoke.
“I want to appear on this show. What about you two?”
* * *
After we decided which variety show to appear on, we discussed the live broadcast.
“The Manager said to tell him if there’s anything we want to do, right?”
When I asked for confirmation, the other members nodded.
“Does anyone have ideas? Ah, should we first organize what we need to do?”
I placed a blank sheet of paper in the center and picked up a pen.
“First… we need to create a fandom name quickly, right?”
“Should we make it beforehand and just announce it during the live broadcast? Or should we create it together with the fans during the broadcast?”
“There will be at least thousands of viewers… wouldn’t it be difficult to create it all together?”
“We can make a few candidates and let the fans choose.”
“That sounds good.”
The members began exchanging ideas enthusiastically.
I organized my thoughts and the members’ opinions, writing them down on paper.
“It would be nice to reveal who the leader is too.”
“Leader? Who is our leader?”
At Seo Ijae’s comment, I tilted my head in confusion.
“That’s… something we’ll need to decide going forward. Or we could vote on it during the live broadcast.”
Seo Ijae, with a serious expression, spoke meaningfully.
“Leader announcement, vote during the live broadcast… I’ve written it down.”
The active exchange of ideas continued.
“What about announcing the debut date? The debut date should be out by then anyway.”
“What if we show how we divided our rooms? I think fans would like that.”
“How about concept spoilers? Do we need to talk to the company about that?”
Countless ideas poured out.
I wrote down every opinion on paper except those I genuinely thought were bad ideas.
“I think this should be enough.”
When I came to my senses, I had already filled three A4 sheets densely with notes.
“We’ll pass this to the Manager… and we should study.”
“Study?”
“Just a moment.”
I opened the messaging app on my phone and created a group chat with only the members.
Then I found videos on YouTube and shared them in the chat room.
Mom and Dad, Have a Good Day, Kim Min-ha’s Live Club, Necessity is the Mother of Invention… it was a playlist of highlights from the variety shows we had decided to appear on.
“We decided to appear, so we can’t prepare carelessly.”
I smiled at the members and continued.
“Let’s watch all of these before we go.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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