[Isn't Iam insane?]

(A close-up shot of Lee Sion, turning her body slightly after finishing the stage and looking at the camera.)

"Seriously, I held my breath and only watched the screen. The stans who saw this live—did they ride a turtle ship in a past life or something?"

⤷Turtle ship helmsman here. The vibe on-site was no joke. Even on the LYNX and VYNNIA fan side, nobody could say anything but "wow."

⤷My little sibling is a VYNNIA concubine, and after yesterday’s stage, kept saying it wasn’t that great, but then went off to the provinces and looped the Iam stage video on a computer lol

⤷I don’t recognize Sion at all.

⤷I think this is the first time I’ve seen Sion not smile on stage. But why does it suit her so well?

⤷So nobody remembers anymore that back in Episode 1 of Agbaek, Lee Sion was cool-beauty material...

Sanghyeok read the community post and, without realizing it, let out a small snort of laughter.

'Cool beauty?'

Now it was a word that felt completely awkward next to Lee Sion, but the truth was, even Sanghyeok—back when he hurriedly studied Idol Ground 100 for the first time, before taking the CEO position at KJ Entertainment—had thought Lee Sion was that kind of cold-beauty type.

The Lee Sion who looked worldly and aloof, with a sharp gaze, staring down Seo Ryujin.

Of course, that image cracked right away on the Entrance Ceremony stage that followed, but if you only looked at Lee Sion back then, "cool beauty" fit so perfectly it almost felt like the word had been invented for Lee Sion.

Now gone into the memories: the aloof Lee Sion with an atmosphere that felt like you’d get cut if you touched it.

"How is a girl idol’s scream 'Kieeeek'?!"

⤷I’m losing it lol but it suits her

⤷Yeah, what image management? This is Lee Sion.

⤷But on stage, you’re totally fine.

⤷If you’re going to use that face like that, give it to me!!!

⤷No matter how I look at it, what she does is exactly like my little brother?

Even fans were saying it would feel awkward now if Lee Sion tried to set the mood, and yet Lee Sion casually flipped everyone’s expectations again.

Sanghyeok recalled Episode 2 of Three Kingdoms, which he’d watched live yesterday.

The reaction to Episode 2 of Three Kingdoms that aired yesterday was explosive.

Just the interesting concept alone—three girl groups currently at peak popularity in Korea swapping songs and singing each other’s tracks—was enough to grab people’s attention.

And because the stage quality came out so well, not only the three groups’ fans, but viewers who liked idols in general couldn’t help but get interested.

[Iam Hydra Venom (original song - Cut it clean)]

(Stage video)

Views 1,220,334 Likes 20,000

⤷I want to lock Shinyu up and only make her compose.

⤷You can trust Ryu Ayeon’s dancing. How the hell did she dance that thing at the beginning? Insane.

⤷What is Lee Gahyeon? Why are you so pretty today?

⤷Seo Ryujin, I’m losing it. If you come at me like that, it’s a crime!

⤷You put those outfits on the Youngest Line?! My god... I stared with my eyes wide open because it was so obscene

⤷So Yuri can sing like this too. I always thought she was kind of light normally, but I’m seriously shocked.

Online and offline alike were overflowing with praise for Iam’s stage, performed with a concept completely different from usual.

And among all of that, the finishing touch was the praise about Lee Sion.

"Who styled Lee Sion?!"

⤷I want to give 100 praise stickers—no, 1,000.

⤷From now on, let’s just make blond hair Sion-only.

⤷Wow, I seriously learned what it means to get bewitched just from making eye contact with someone.

⤷That’s a nine-tailed fox.

⤷I stared at Lee Sion’s black iris and then looked in the mirror and mine isn’t like that...

⤷MPlay, hurry up and release Lee Sion’s fancam!

'It really was a side of her nobody had seen until now.'

Even Sanghyeok, who knew Lee Sion’s real self better than anyone, couldn’t even recall her usual self while watching Lee Sion’s part that monopolized the highlight of yesterday’s stage, so what about the fans?

It wasn’t strange at all that the community was overflowing with photos of Lee Sion taking the ending pose.

Slide.

After watching the reactions to yesterday’s stage for a moment, Sanghyeok turned his head and looked at Raon, sitting in a corner of the CEO office sofa, drinking coffee and talking with the content team leader, Lee Hakyoon.

"What... what is that look for?!"

Raon flinched, as if she’d felt Sanghyeok’s gaze, turned around, and snapped back.

"Mm..."

"Jeez! All I did was do my best as KJ Entertainment’s CEO!"

"I know. I haven’t said anything..."

"Ugh, this is so annoying! Even you are starting to turn into Lee Sion, sir!"

"That’s a bit too much of a statement."

Even though Sanghyeok hadn’t said anything, Raon, like she had something pricking her conscience, blew up and finally even averted her eyes.

'You don’t admit it, but the one who’s already turned into Lee Sion is Producer Raon.'

Sanghyeok looked at Raon and quietly thought to himself.

It wasn’t only Iam’s stage that had become a hot topic yesterday.

[So now KJ does variety shows with producers too, not just idols?]

(A clip of Raon at the judges’ table praising Iam’s stage to the skies.)

"So... um... the other judges were a bit more strict when evaluating artists from their own agencies."

"I figured they would be."

"Yes?"

"They probably have social images to protect, so I thought they’d be stricter when it’s their own group’s stage."

"Weren’t you worried about your image too, Raon?"

"I’m a producer and a director at KJ Entertainment. If it benefits the company, even a biased judging decision isn’t a problem!"

"No! You can’t be biased!"

"Wasn’t that why you invited me?"

"No!"

"Joking! Joking! I’m just going to judge things as they are. Without reading the room."

(A clip of PD Kim Miyoung freaking out and recoiling in shock at Raon’s remark.)

⤷Raon... you weren’t like this!

⤷She said she’d judge biasedly with such a bright face that I got kind of shocked too

⤷She shamelessly gave Iam the top score, is that for real?

⤷Park Taesu and Lee Seyoon are staring at Raon with dumbfounded eyes, but she’s just smiling like nothing, it’s hilarious

⤷After managing Iam, coming here probably looked easy

Thanks to Iam and Raon repeatedly airing out what could easily become a serious competition-program atmosphere with variety-show energy, Three Kingdoms was getting even more popular.

[Was CEO Lee Seyoon always this kind of character?]

(An interview scene with Lee Seyoon and Kim Miyoung.)

"You used to be in a CEO-and-agency-artist relationship with Judge Raon. How did it feel to sit together at the judges’ table today?"

"I thought she changed a lot since the last time I saw her."

"In what sense?"

"If she’d done variety shows like that during her singer days, it would’ve been great."

"Yes?"

"In the end, I guess people only get desperate when their own rice bowl is on the line. Starting with the next evaluation, I’ll do biased judging with no mercy either."

"CEO?"

(A clip of Kim Miyoung pressing a hand to her forehead.)

⤷That’s right! The opponent is Iam and KJ Entertainment! If we treat them normally, we’re the only ones who’ll get screwed!

⤷Even Park Taesu looked flustered watching Raon go crazy praising Iam lol

⤷What’s hilarious is LYNX and our kids sitting in the waiting seats listening to Raon’s judging, and each group’s CEOs are getting stared at with resentful eyes, it makes no sense

⤷It seriously looked like they were swearing with their eyes

⤷They got scolded by their own CEOs, but Iam only got praised? If it were me, I couldn’t stand it either

⤷Seriously, see you next mission, Iam!!!

⤷What is that Team Rocket line... that’s ominous!

Thanks to Raon’s performance, the other two CEOs also awakened by accident, and the LYNX and VYNNIA fandoms were gritting their teeth, saying they had to go all-out.

Sanghyeok felt sure that the next, second mission shoot would be even fiercer, and he had a hunch the program would get even more popular too.

"CEO, come over here too. I want to do a final check on today’s content plan, so please take a look."

"Yes, understood."

After a bit of time passed, maybe her mood had finally loosened, because Raon called for Sanghyeok and asked him to check the content plan once more, and Sanghyeok stood up and headed to the reception table.

'They really try everything.'

Sanghyeok looked down again at the title of Iam’s in-house content he was holding in his hand.

[Iam Auction]

This time, KJ Entertainment’s content team was thinking of selling off Iam’s members.

***

"People’s reactions were especially good today!"

"Seriously. They were going crazy."

"When they asked us to sing Hydra Venom, I almost regretted that it wasn’t even our own song!"

After finishing the event stage and getting on the van, the members’ faces were dripping with sweat, but even so, they wore bright expressions like they were just that happy.

Even setting aside Yunkyung and Shinyu, who were always hyped, Lee Gahyeon—who normally started saying she was tired the moment she stepped off stage—was grinning, so this wasn’t ordinary.

But.

"Don’t get cocky. No satisfaction, Gahyeon."

"What?"

For some reason, seeing Lee Gahyeon so happy made the little devil inside me whisper, asking if I was really going to just sit there and watch, so I immediately picked a fight with Lee Gahyeon.

Tap.

I quickly snatched the smartphone out of Lee Gahyeon’s hand and started reading the post on the screen out loud exactly as it was.

"Lee Gahyeon is insanely pretty! She’s unbelievably pretty, and you’ve been hiding this kind of talent among the kids until now..."

"Stop!"

The more each letter flowed out of my mouth, the redder Lee Gahyeon’s face got.

Maybe it was embarrassing even to hear it herself, because she thrashed around trying to snatch the phone from my hand, but—

"Hold her!"

"Yes!"

Because Yuri—who joined in on anything that looked fun—and my loyal little sibling, Shinyu, blocked Lee Gahyeon’s attempts, she couldn’t get what she wanted.

"Even though I’m a woman, I keep replaying only the Lee Gahyeon part. A bitch-vixen face that’ll get pelted with salt by a mother-in-law and chased out—no... is this not an insult...?"

"Leave it!"

Maybe she was extremely satisfied with the reaction to yesterday’s broadcast stage video, because all day long, except when she was working, Lee Gahyeon kept searching up comments on her phone and smiling to herself.

Even though there were comments that, to me, looked like they were kind of taking a jab at her, even those seemed to satisfy Lee Gahyeon.

Tap.

"What is this!"

Just as I was enjoying one of the few small happinesses in my daily life—messing with Lee Gahyeon—an evil force trying to interrupt it snatched Lee Gahyeon’s phone out of my hand.

"Stop picking on her. And it’s true that Gahyeon looked pretty on yesterday’s broadcast, isn’t it?"

"Tch."

I didn’t have anything to say when I looked at Seo Ryujin, talking to me as she returned the phone she’d taken from me back to Lee Gahyeon.

If you asked who matched the concept especially well on this stage, it really was Lee Gahyeon.

"Why aren’t you praising Yuri too! Yuri practiced vocals like crazy! SY probably wanted to recruit Yuri."

"If only Yuri’s agency CEO had heard you say that."

"Daijoubu. Yuri goes around saying she wants to go to SY all the time, so the CEO already knows."

"You lunatic! Don’t say that in front of CEO Sanghyeok!"

"Why? People said you have to be honest!"

"Aaaagh!!!"

But seeing even Seo Ryujin get dyed with rage and scream from Yuri’s madness, I couldn’t help letting out an admiring exclamation.

"Wow. You’re seriously incredible."

"Huh?"

While I was watching Seo Ryujin and Yuri’s in-car brawl with interest, Yunkyung, sitting next to me, touched my hair and suddenly praised me out of nowhere.

"You bleached and dyed it, so why aren’t your hair ends splitting?"

"Ah... that’s what you’re curious about?"

"Yes! I dyed mine for a bit before, and it got super dry and frizzy, so fans said I looked like a hamster molting."

It seemed like she was curious how, even though I dyed my hair blond, I was still maintaining perfectly fine hair quality, but there wasn’t really any special reason.

"Meat."

"What?"

"Kid, look at Gahyeon for a second."

At my words, Yunkyung turned her head and looked at Lee Gahyeon.

"Do you know how much effort Gahyeon puts in to maintain that ridiculous physique she uses to seduce people?"

"What?"

"What?"

As Yunkyung and Lee Gahyeon looked at me at the same time, I told them an eternal truth.

"You have to eat so well you’ll even raid your little sibling’s pork cutlet on a normal day, so you don’t suffer over something like dyeing."

"Ohhh."

"What do you mean, 'ohhh'! Lee Sion seriously trips me up nonstop, any time, anywhere!"

Mm.

Lee Gahyeon’s wronged voice reached my ear.

I guess my heart only feels at peace once I hear Lee Gahyeon’s wronged voice.

"Guys, please. Let’s be quiet in the car."

But unlike me, Yunsik, who was driving, seemed exhausted by how loud we were, and begged us in a worn-out voice to please be quiet.

"Look at this, Sion. Doesn’t the choreography in this part look a little off?"

"Huh? Yeah. So that’s..."

"In this part, we should’ve matched the movement path a little more—no, should we have made it completely off on purpose and set the formation asymmetrically? What do you think?"

"I think so too."

"In what sense?"

"Huh?"

Because the other manager, Jiu, was stuck dealing with Feedback Demon Ryu Ayeon, it seemed like Yunsik was handling the driving alone, so he looked tired.

But since the more tired you are, the more you can doze off at the wheel, I decided that being noisy was actually for Yunsik’s sake, so I lightly rejected Yunsik’s request.

It definitely wasn’t because I asked for a Valley duo yesterday and got rejected. It was purely a choice for the team’s safety.

"What was our schedule this afternoon again?"

Even though promotions for the new song ended, Iam was still busy with variety show appearances including Three Kingdoms, events, and ad shoots.

Even today, we did a radio schedule in the morning and went straight to an event, and we still had one more schedule left.

"Ah... right! This afternoon we’re filming the product shoot we got sponsored for this time."

"What was it again?"

"It was a cosmetics brand!"

Ah.

At Yunkyung’s words, my hand moved to my forehead on its own.

"Wow! Sion, you’re so pretty."

"Haha..."

"Let’s try a different style this time!"

"Again?"

"This is just the start!"

"Kieeeek!!! Stop! No more!!"

"You’re joking again. You’re really mischievous, Sion."

It was because memories of that famous cosmetics brand commercial I’d filmed solo not long ago came back to me.

If you told me to run around all day and eat something, I’d do it, but sitting still while they smeared this on my face and then that was unbearable.

'Still, this time it isn’t a commercial, so it won’t be that bad.'

This time, it was probably just posting sponsored products on our Instagram account, so it wouldn’t be as hard as last time, and with that relief—

"Up you go!"

"The moment she loses interest, look at her trying to sleep right away!"

I tried to put on a neck pillow and go to sleep, and Lee Gahyeon perfectly timed it, trying to play sleep ASMR for me again.

"Sion, here’s a sleep mask."

"Good. Make sure you can wake me up when we get there."

"Yes! Understood!"

Shinyu, seeing that, quickly handed me a sleep mask too.

'This is Shinyu.'

Shinyu, who sold me out not long ago.

I never thought Shinyu would /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ betray me, so I got caught helplessly, but after having a deep, serious conversation of the body one-on-one, Shinyu had returned to the original kind Shinyu again.

After I asked Shinyu to be my living alarm, put on the sleep mask, and closed my eyes, sleep immediately started to come.

Busy, but everything was satisfying.

Today felt like it was going to be comfortable.