Cheon Yoonsung, whom Ham Yiseo only caught a glimpse of, was perfection itself.

Even asking the seniors in the city news department, they all said that Cheonju Group, and especially Cheon Yoonsung, was squeaky clean.

He was Cheonju Group’s treasure and its future, raised under the full protection of all its executives so that he could fulfill that role.

“So that’s why it’s even stranger. Is it really possible for someone to be perfect?”

“It’s hard to create, but once a good image is formed, it doesn’t change easily.”

“Isn’t it the opposite?”

“People say, ‘I knew it,’ only about someone who looks like they’d do something like that. If someone who seems like they’d never do wrong actually does something bad, people......”

Gong Jichan said, fingering his old leather wristwatch. The watch, said to be his father’s keepsake, was full of traces of time.

“They say... there must have been an unavoidable reason.”

News about Cheon Yoonsung played from the TV. Ham Yiseo and Gong Jichan silently watched the screen.

At the same time, Cheon Yoonsung, sitting in the back seat of a luxury foreign car, called his chief secretary.

“Chief, is there anyone in the secretarial team with free hands for a moment?”

“What task should I assign them?”

Cheon Yoonsung answered while watching the scenery outside the window.

“There was a female reporter who came to the ceremony. The one with her hair tied back in a single ponytail, wearing a sky blue blouse and white pants.”

Cheon Yoonsung’s memory was extraordinary. And Cheonju Group had the power to resolve matters with just a little information.

So Cheon Yoonsung didn’t ask “is it possible.” For him, impossible tasks did not exist.

“It would be good to know who she is.”

“I will take measures so you can confirm within today.”

Cheon Yoonsung smiled, his eyes crinkling, and said thank you. The black vehicle cut through the city center.

From episode 3 onwards, Cheon Yoonsung looked sketchy, just as pictured.

He didn’t seem like a character who’d sink due to stupidity or petty emotions, but in the actual script, his presence was even stronger than that. It was a mystery why they picked me.

“The person who says something while smiling is the scariest.”

One day, when Manager Nam did something ridiculously stupid, Supervisor Song, who usually returned looking depressed, came back exceptionally calm.

Then, as soon as she sat down, Supervisor Song burst into laughter. It was probably a hollow laugh.

Assistant Manager Hwang and I nervously wondered if she might ask for a resignation interview. On the messenger, the friendly passing of the buck, saying “Assistant Manager, you talk to her,” repeated like a parrot. The smile of a person harboring venom was that frightening.

I tried my best by recalling Kang Giyeon saying my impression was scary when we first met, but I couldn’t tell if it worked. Seeing that no NG sign came out, I figured it wasn’t terrible, but I couldn’t erase the possibility that they might have given up early because there seemed to be no room for improvement.

I hesitated and headed to the PD.

“Um, PD-nim.”

“What is it?”

“Did I perhaps make an NG......?”

I used the most pitiful looking “hands clasped in a begging pose” I could manage. Thankfully, the PD’s expression was bright.

“Don’t worry. Starting from this episode, Mr. Iwol looks totally like a villain!”

Oh dear.

Me, who should aim to be a youthful idol... became a classic villain character...? When my very next schedule is about embodying peak Eastern style youth......?

I was flustered. And yet, everyone around me was generous with praise and encouragement.

“How is the villain acting going?”

“Smoothly. Seems like I’ll go to prison soon.”

“As long as you’re out before ‘IDC’ starts, it’s fine.”

“Sometimes I really don’t know what kind of context you and hyung are talking in.”

Kang Giyeon said, looking dumbfounded.

However, there was a reason why we were talking nonsense from the crack of dawn.

Today was the first filming day of “Idol Dynasty Chronicle” Season 2.

Lee Cheonghyeon and I, as fellow passengers, had to help ease the nerves of Kang Giyeon, the man who would carry the self PR stage.

Ahead of the first stage, Kang Giyeon had a time of deep contemplation. He visited his mentor for advice and scoured traditional markets and Dongmyo like a man possessed to find the fan he wanted. He found the best bamboo fan and spray painted it with Manager Daeyeon.

While Kang Giyeon took the lead in conceiving the stage, I had to take dance lessons from Choi Jeho again...

I erased all that time from my head. Only the memory that it was a long and hard time remained.

“How much rehearsal time do you think they’ll give us? I want to run it at least three times.”

“Probably more than last time, right?”

Kang Giyeon and Lee Cheonghyeon continued a serious discussion. Since they looked like they were having fun, I decided to leave the two guys be.

On the way to the filming site, I reviewed the lineup once more.

First, Parte, who gained participation qualifications as the winner of Season 1.

An 8 member boy group from the large agency MYTH, whose center Song Minil had a record of falling out of my favor by making subtle digs at Lee Cheonghyeon on a variety show.

Last season, Parte exposed MYTH’s lackluster planning skills to the world with their half hearted stage concepts. Everyone was curious to see what they’d return with this time.

Next were Terkit, Slay, Ond, and Blider. They were 5 member, 9 member, 8 member, and 7 member groups respectively.

All participating groups were senior to Spark. Except for Parte, they had a career difference of 2~3 years or more with Spark.

Perhaps because of that, while Season 1 felt fresh in a different way, Season 2’s lineup consisted of many groups with distinct identities built on their accumulated images.

Two groups stood out in particular: Ond and Blider.

Ond was the team whose pre interview was released first among the groups appearing in “Idol Dynasty Chronicle” Season 2. In that interview, they named Spark as the group they were most looking forward to.

『We really were impressed by Spark’s stage.』

『I’m a fan of Mr. Jeho!』

『If we do a position battle, they are a group I definitely want to be on the same team with.』

『What if we end up fighting as opposing teams after saying this? No, saying it like this makes it come true. Please edit this part......!』

『Why! I want to sing a Spark song!』

It was hard to shake the suspicion that the broadcaster intentionally released interviews mentioning Spark first to counter the controversy of “Spark’s late entry—network power abuse?” Still, the fact that they spoke positively about us was undeniable. Their expressions looked sincere, so I decided to accept it gratefully.

Blider, on the other hand, couldn’t be ignored for a different reason.

Among the older generation idols, they were a group that first took the physical idol route that Spark was currently running on.

In terms of average height and build, Spark had a slight edge. But doesn’t the pioneer always shine wherever they go?

≫ The original doorframe idols are coming

Guys, I’ve got my wallet ready and waiting

≫ Right...... this is the taste

I was fooled by novelty and forgot familiarity

≫ While everyone else was digging MYTH boy groups, I was digging Blider alone

Looking now, my choice wasn’t wrong

└ Certified insane foresight

≫ Live vocal was essential back in Blider’s time

There’s a reason why the kids who survived this era are legendary for their venom

└ Agree with this, haven’t seen a main vocal with this clear tone yet......

└ It was the golden age of idols with no room for rebuttalㅠㅠ I’m also still stuck in this eraㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Are Blider really that old? They don’t feel like a long debuted group

└ Saying “back in Blider’s time~” is misleading; they’re only in their 5th year. You’d think they were 2nd gen or something. You think Terkit came out of a coffin or something?

Under equal conditions, the side with nostalgia always had the upper hand. Even though their period of glory wasn’t long, the news that Blider—once everyone’s idol—was returning via a survival program spread like ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) wildfire.

Blider was also the group that reportedly agonized the longest over whether to join. Thanks to that, Blider and Spark were named consecutively as the final participants of “Idol Dynasty Chronicle” Season 2.

≫ The screen will be packed for Idol Dynasty Chronicle

With Blider Spark side, there won’t be any empty space

└ Truly.... flawless groups

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

≫ Former doorframe idols vs Current doorframe idols

Whichever side you support, it will be fun. At least for me.

└ OP’s taste is so obviousㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ You...... your taste is consistent

≫ Looks like a lot of people who stanned Blider moved to Spark

Seeing the posts coming up after the lineup reveal

└ Sparkler fandom skews older anyway; all the former fans drifted in

└└ Why?? Is it because the pursuit of aesthetics is similar???

└└└ When you stan idols for a while, there’s a burnout point, but Spark avoids that really well...They don’t tire fans out. A lot of people who quit stanning came back because of Spark

└└└└└ Wasn’t there quite a few Spark issues? Even I, who don’t follow them, heard a few things

└└└└└└ The kids didn’t do anything wrong...... ㅎㅎ

└ I’m the opposite of this postㅋㅋ saw Blider and was slightly tempted. Since yesterday, I’ve been picking up Blider content continuously

└└ If you dig deeper, there might be slight differences, but the impression they give on the outside seems similar!

It was extremely fortunate that the participation wasn’t revealed simultaneously. If not, Spark would have been called an imitation group rather than a junior following a specific lineage.

“Hyung, we just have to enter politely, right?”

Lee Cheonghyeon asked, sticking his head between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat.

In Season 1, problems were everywhere, but at least in this season, we only had to be careful of Parte. This story had already been shared with the members early on.

“Yeah. As long as you don’t get so excited meeting new seniors that you never come back to our waiting room, you can do whatever.”

“This hyung is funny. I find our waiting room comfortable too, you know? I’m going to play outside to my heart’s content and sleep in my own house, you know?”

He laughed brightly, clearly amused. For someone about to be the busiest person in the world, he looked full of energy.

“Right, don’t forget those words later.”

I was reminded of Lee Cheonghyeon’s first online housewarming video, right after he’d been the first to move out of the dorm.

Would Lee Cheonghyeon find a new place again not long after becoming an adult?

And would he, like last time, refuse to invite anyone except Kang Giyeon?

“If it’s the current Lee Cheonghyeon... he might at least do a housewarming party.” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

By the time I’d narrowed down about three candidates for a housewarming gift, it had grown dark around us. The now familiar broadcaster’s parking lot welcomed us.