The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 28

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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 (28)
It wasn’t particularly surprising that I recognized the face of Winter Boys Homma.
‘Because it was a familiar one.’
Winter Boys Homma had come to see Seo Ijae from the Production Presentation through the first preliminaries, second preliminaries, third preliminaries… all the way to the final live broadcast stage.
“It looks like you’re a fan of Ijae.”
“….”
At my question, Seo Ijae nodded with a complicated expression.
‘What kind of expression is an idol supposed to make in front of a fan?’
Seeing Seo Ijae’s expression, I swallowed a sigh.
“Come on, say hello. Go ahead.”
“No, I….”
“Smile for them, smile. How about a heart with your cheeks? They’ll definitely love it.”
I grabbed Seo Ijae’s arm and lifted it up as he stood there awkwardly.
Coming to his senses a bit, Seo Ijae diligently made hearts as I instructed.
Winter Boys Homma took photos of Seo Ijae and me with a professional camera.
“Let’s go now.”
“…Okay.”
Once I thought we’d taken enough photos, I pointed toward where Yoo Sung and Okada were and spoke.
Seo Ijae quietly followed behind me like a chick trailing its mother, then suddenly opened his mouth.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I answered with a playful laugh.
Seo Ijae seemed a bit more at ease as well, offering a subtle smile.
* * *
The Production Presentation had ended.
Reviews of the Production Presentation began appearing one by one on SNS and Community Sites.
[[HOT] IKE Dol Production Presentation Review
Kim Chowol’s face
That’s it]
└?
└What is this?
└Who is Kim Chowol, you obsessive fan
└Isn’t he the trainee that Kim Junwoo’s fan posted a preview of in the first preliminaries?
└I don’t know about Han Theo or Yoo Sung, but Kim Chowol’s face? He’s handsome, but is it really worth a review like this?
└Obviously just trying to stir things up lol
└But the preview Eun Ha-su posted was decent though?
└That’s just heavy editing lol
[Who is this guy at the IKE Dol Production Presentation?
Why is he shining all by himself
I only knew Han Theo and Yoo Sung so I’m asking
Someone who can tell us
(Photo)
RT321 ♥589]
└Isn’t that Kim Chowol?
└Kim Chowol? Who’s that?
└You know that team that beat Han Theo in the first preliminaries? I think that was the Kim Chowol Guild
└But he’s handsome lol What’s his name? Kim Chowol?
Kim Chowol first gained fame as the guild that defeated Han Theo, and then became famous a second time through the preview Eun Ha-su posted.
Though not quite as much as Han Theo and Yoo Sung, if you mentioned “the team that beat Han Theo” or “Kim Junwoo’s fan preview,” seven out of ten people would nod in recognition.
Among those interested in EX-Grade K-POP Idols, anyway.
[[NEW] Honestly, in person
Kim Chowol was incredible lol
If you disagree, then I’m right]
└If you went to the Production Presentation, you couldn’t argue lol Kim Chowol’s real appearance is seriously amazing. Photos don’t do him justice;;
└Yeah, Han Theo and Yoo Sung are handsome too, but Kim Chowol is really…. It’s not just his face, it’s like an aura? The more you look at him, the more captivating he becomes
└No, I’m so sick of hearing about Kim Chowol;; When I saw the photo, he wasn’t even that handsome. What’s all the fuss about?
└Can’t you read Korean? Don’t you understand Korean? It said in person;; If you’re so bothered, you should’ve gone to the Production Presentation
After the Production Presentation ended, SNS and Community Sites were buzzing about Kim Chowol.
Most reactions were positive, but there were plenty of negative ones too.
[Honestly, no matter how much of a real-life powerhouse Kim Chowol is, how can he compare to Han Theo?]
[Han Theo is the center of IKE Dol lol He’s the face of the program, so how can you compare him to some trainee with nothing special about him;;]
[Yoo Sung, yeah, but Kim Chowol? Nah lol]
Sensing the threat, Han Theo’s fans began attacking Kim Chowol intensely.
No matter how famous Kim Chowol had become, he still couldn’t match Han Theo, the center of Hunt the Stage.
Kim Chowol’s fans couldn’t even squeak in response to Han Theo’s fans and were getting one-sidedly beaten down.
Just as Kim Chowol’s public image was beginning to deteriorate from the attacks by Han Theo’s fans, Eun Ha-su posted a preview.
[Eun Ha-su @milkyway_KJW
XX.XX.XX Production Presentation Preview
#EXGradeKPOP #KimChowol #KIMCHOWOL]
└? What is this, so handsome
└Is this really Kim Chowol? He’s really handsome
└Han Theo Yoo Sung Kim Chowol Let’s go
The Production Presentation preview began getting retweeted alongside the first preliminaries preview that was still being consistently shared.
[[HOT] Wasn’t interested in IKE Dol
Kim Chowol?
Saw the Production Presentation preview on SNS and he seems pretty good hhh
My type]
└I looked him up after seeing the preview too, but there were a lot of people cursing at him
└Huh, really? Why? Did he do something wrong?
└Don’t you know? Han Theo’s fans were cursing him out like crazy
└That’s just them being protective lol. Whenever there’s a trainee who looks even slightly better than Han Theo, Han Theo’s fans swarm in and harass them like crazy lol
└The first episode hasn’t even aired yet and they’re already this obsessed lol. If you’ve got nothing to do, go wash your feet and get some sleep
After watching Kim Chowol’s preview, fans who became interested in EX-Grade K-POP Idol began attacking Han Theo’s fans.
However, Han Theo’s fans were a formidable opponent with their sheer numbers and strong unity.
[When did we ever swarm and harass anyone? Kim Chowol’s fans started saying Kim Chowol is better than Han Theo, so we just said something back lol]
[Don’t you know that when one hundred people each say one thing, it becomes one hundred things? Besides, we never said Kim Chowol is better than Han Theo?]
[Wow, what a dodge lol. If you’re going to compare, either do it in private or stop writing Han Theo’s name three letters at a time in public. That’s obviously just to get us to see it, isn’t it?]
[Han Theo’s fans have some nerve with their double standards. It was Han Theo’s fans who cursed without hiding Kim Chowol’s name, yet you’re telling us to hide it lol]
Kim Chowol’s fans fought desperately against Han Theo’s fans.
Public opinion swung back and forth—now toward Kim Chowol, now toward Han Theo—constantly shifting.
Those who were neither Kim Chowol fans nor Han Theo fans watched the fight with fascination, adding a comment or two here and there as the tide of opinion shifted.
In the midst of this fierce, seemingly endless battle, a new post appeared on the Community Site.
[[NEW] Sharing a heartwarming story about trainee Kim Chowol]
The fight began to flow in a new direction because of a single post.
* * *
After the Production Presentation ended, I kept checking SNS and Community Sites.
The impact of an A+ appearance and EX-level charm was beyond imagination.
My recognition skyrocketed instantly, and my buzz volume was nearly on par with Han Theo’s.
But sudden fame always comes with its price—I’d been thoroughly marked by Han Theo’s fans.
‘Honestly, it’s not so bad.’
If I were the kind of person who deserved to be stoned by the entire nation, that would be a problem.
But my crimes were things like ‘receiving more attention than Han Theo,’ ‘threatening Han Theo’s position,’ ‘going against Han Theo’s fans’ feelings’—so unless you were a Han Theo fan, you didn’t care.
‘My recognition and buzz are going up, so what’s not to like?’
There’s a saying that watching a fight is the most entertaining thing in the world.
The more my fans and Han Theo’s fans fought, the more spectators gathered, and in turn, my and Han Theo’s recognition and buzz skyrocketed like crazy.
‘I feel a bit sorry for my fans having to work so hard.’
I watched my fans fighting day and night to protect me and thought this.
But once the first episode airs, the plot threads will pour out, and there won’t even be time to fight.
I just need to hold on a little longer until then.
“But… what’s this heartwarming story?”
While checking the Community Site, I discovered a post titled ‘Sharing a heartwarming story about trainee Kim Chowol.’
Just moments ago it had only four comments, but after refreshing, it had grown to fifteen.
I immediately checked the post.
[[HOT] Sharing a heartwarming story about trainee Kim Chowol
Hello, I’m a Winter Boys Homma.
Some of you might know Winter Boys, but I think most won’t.
Winter Boys is a failed idol group, after all.
The group disbanded long ago, and most members have left the entertainment industry.
But our maknae… Seo Ijae is appearing on EX-Grade K-POP Idol to fulfill the idol dream he couldn’t complete.
Honestly, worry came before support.
I’m aware that my presence could be a source of strength for Ijae, but it could also become a burden.
Still, I couldn’t suppress the desire to see him, so I attended this Production Presentation.
As expected, Ijae was startled upon seeing me and could barely breathe.
Just as I thought I’d made a mistake coming here and should have simply cheered from home… Kim Chowol appeared.
Despite Kim Chowol being older and a far more senior trainee, he showed no discomfort toward our Ijae and took excellent care of him.
Thanks to him, I got to see my beloved idol’s smiling face for the first time in a while.
It pains me to see Kim Chowol being criticized for reasons that make no sense, so I’m writing this post.
Though it was only a brief moment, the Kim Chowol I witnessed was truly kind and an excellent trainee.
Please don’t hate him too much, and I’d be grateful if you’d support him instead.]
└ㅁㅊ ㅠㅠ I cry when I see something like this ㅠㅠ This is my first time hearing Winter Boys, but I really support you!
└I never understood why Kim Chowol was getting hate in the first place
└Why are Han Theo’s fans already attacking him? The first episode hasn’t even aired yet—please show some restraint
└Winter Boys? The Winter Boys I know?
└Winter Boys? Are they famous?
└Could that be Hwang Min-woo? Isn’t that actor from Winter Boys?
└Oh, I remember now. Isn’t that the idol group whose agency president was a crazy concept fanatic and only made comebacks in winter before flopping?
└ㅁㅊ… When did he ever become an idol? Haha. He is a senior whom I am completely unaware of, but seeing how he takes care of me, I guess Kim Cho-wol has a really good personality.
└He was also really close with Yoo Sung
└Yoo Sung? Isn’t he just sticking around because Yoo Sung is popular?
└If he was thinking about popularity, he wouldn’t have taken care of a flopped idol
└It seems like he’s close with Yoo Sung just because they’re on the same team? And he’s not only close with Yoo Sung. He was constantly with that foreigner too
└A foreigner? Oh… could it be that somewhat cute-looking Japanese person?
└Yeah, Kim Chowol seems to speak some Japanese
“Wow, they’re really skilled.”
Hmm…?
After checking the post, I quickly scanned through the rapidly accumulating comments in real time.
[[NEW] Seriously, stop the baseless hate toward Kim Chowol
I’m not even a Kim Chowol fan, but what did he do wrong that you’re so desperate to attack him?
How bad was this that even other trainee fans came forward and hit Kim Cho-wol’s shield?
Please show some restraint—all of that negativity comes back to you]
└OMG Kim Chowol is so pitiful… his only crime was having an intimidating real-life appearance
Han Theo’s fans are seriously so extra, it’s crazy;; I actually had a slight crush on Han Theo, but his fans made me hate him lol
└Seeing how Kim Chowol takes care of his teammates, it’s obvious he has a good personality—don’t hate on a hardworking kid for no reason
As people began taking my side one by one, Han Theo’s fans started backing off.
They belatedly realized that their actions might have a negative impact on Han Theo.
―Ding.
A familiar notification sound rang in my ears, and a status window appeared before my eyes.
[You have cleared a Hidden Quest.]
[Hidden Quest: Be mentioned by people over 100,000 times.
*Nicknames and aliases are all included.
*SNS and Community Sites mentions are also counted.
Reward: 1 Trait Selection Right]
I had claimed victory in my first Fandom War.

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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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