Same time.

— “The Spirit agency officials: ‘A certain idol with a powerful fandom took part in composition... the song competition wasn’t fair’”

Netizens who saw the article tilted their heads.

“Hm?”

What did it even mean that an idol with a powerful fandom participated in composing?

No one could make sense of it.

“Did some other idol appear on The Spirit?”

Everyone knew The Spirit, of course.

If last year’s boy-group debut project On The Stage drew buzz, this year the girl-group survival The Spirit had set off a massive craze.

Broadcast circles were so desperate to squeeze out every drop of that buzz it was almost comical.

— “Next week! New-concept black-history talk show ‘New Bunny’ will feature a special with The Spirit’s key players!”

— “TBC music show to stage The Spirit special collaboration!”

— “A special broadcast with runner-up Girls on Top!”

Girl-group members popped up everywhere, from the big three terrestrial networks to cable.

Public response was excellent.

“So many girl groups with real skill.”

“There were seriously a lot of beauties.”

“I’ve heard of all these groups by name—they’ve all been active, huh.”

If 2016 was called the year of boy groups, 2017 could fairly be called the year of girl groups.

And it was only natural.

The union of highly public-friendly girl groups and spicy TV survival.

The moment had come when the spotlight that had been on boy groups—thanks to the oddball rise of NewBlack and a wave of copycat strategies—shifted.

At the very center of The Spirit fever was Scarlet.

[If we win the prize money, we’re eating meat.]

[If you’ve got complaints, how about an arm-wrestling match? Don’t worry. I’ll protect your wrist.]

“Unnie, the more I think about it, the more I’m sure we’re too pretty.”

They’d picked up quirky nicknames like Meat Goddess and Freakish Strength, but the most beloved team on The Spirit was Scarlet.

Yes, their visuals were a factor—but more than that, they were at the heart of the show’s buzz.

They got along with everyone, from baby rookies High Color to seniors Girls on Top, like friendly capybaras—that was a huge part of the appeal.

But above all, it was the stage.

— “Performance artisans: a compilation of Scarlet stages.zip #TBC”

— “[Eng Sub] Scarlet — Not Fine (The Spirit Final)”

— “Eardrum warning: lead vocal Spring’s intro compilation”

Vocals so distinct you could call them four-for-four, sleek and unique; dance so good you could call them number one among the contestants.

Add Lemon Entertainment’s planning power and Scarlet naturally took first place by a landslide.

Especially the final competition track, Not Fine—people were hearing it in cafés and on the street as soon as it dropped.

“This is Scarlet’s song, right? The last one they did.”

“It’s really good. I keep replaying the clip. How do skinny girls dance like that?”

“Meat power. Meat power.”

People in a café were chatting in clusters about the final round.

“Girls on Top left me a bit wanting. The song and stage were both good, but...”

“First place was just too strong.”

“NYX did well too. Aren’t they the ones TJ is pushing? Looked like a ton of money went in.”

In an ordinary café, that talk flowed naturally, spread to tables nearby—“Did you watch The Spirit?”—right then an article went up with agencies griping about the final.

“Hm?”

Someone asked a friend:

“Did you see this? ‘An idol with a powerful fandom participated in composing’?”

“No, what?”

“Did one of the composers get into some scandal or something?”

Most people were hearing it for the first time.

Because most folks don’t care about composers.

“Composer? Oh. Right, there would be a composer.”

...was the usual reaction.

You can name your favorite song’s singer in a heartbeat; ask you to name the composer and you go, “Uh?”

So when people take interest in composers, it’s usually for two reasons.

Either a variety show puts the spotlight on them in a festival episode or debut project.

Or people get interested in how much money composers make—and in that case, the curiosity is more about “royalties” than the composers themselves.

“Who’s this idol with the powerful fandom, anyway...?”

People who clicked the article skimmed fast.

[...Agency official A said, “Isn’t it unfair from the jump that K—known for massive fans—participated in composing?” and fumed, “It pours cold water on a survival that should be fair.”]

Then came a string of other “agency officials” venting.

In short:

— Scarlet’s digital No. 1 happened because some boy group with tons of fans took part; their fans streamed it up.

— Why butt into a girl-group survival with no sense? Isn’t it a nuisance?

— Anyway we don’t accept that No. 1.

The public blinked.

“Is that even a coherent sentence?”

Even reading it, it was ridiculous.

“I’m just listening because I like it.”

It felt like they were blanket-blaming even people like that with talk of fandom streaming, swatting at everyone in every direction.

“Who’s K, though?”

“They say a famous male idol.”

Sure enough—

Real-time search had “composer Kim Deokchun” rising.

People pressed it.

“...Wait, what?”

Regular folks who clicked posts titled “The identity of composer Kim Deokchun” blinked.

An idol in a grandpa look—floral shirt, sunglasses.

A face the entire country knew popped up, and eyes went wide.

“The composer of Scarlet’s song was Wooju?”

Normally it would’ve passed quietly.

But with interest in the survival peaking right after the finale, the timing of this media play was exquisite—his identity as composer got outed.

Only thirty minutes had passed since the articles went up; they were still hot.

Online communities heated up in an instant.

[The Spirit agencies take a shot at Spaceship]

An irresistible click-bait phrase.

— Huh??? Why the sudden shot?

— Read the post...

— So basically it’s “Spaceship composed it, that’s why our song didn’t hit No. 1 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ” and they’re whining?

— I’m lost. Is that Kim Deokchun really Spaceship?

— His grandma’s name is Kim Deoksun.

— Then it’s Spaceship.

— Upside down or right side up, that’s Spaceship lol

There were lots of comments asking if that Kim Deokchun was Spaceship, but the general vibe was: yes.

The “evidence” under suspicion posts was plausible.

Lemon Entertainment, the party involved, wasn’t denying it.

And with all that in place, the agencies themselves basically wrote “a world-famous idol” into their shots.

At the moment, there was only one idol with world-class popularity.

— So in the end it’s agencies seething lol

— Is this Taejun...? Why is grandpa so crusty lately

— Chujun, taehada

— Honestly I didn’t care one bit who composed it until they pulled this promo stunt lol

— If Spaceship’s camp had been like “our song’s out first ehehe~” I’d accept, but they said nothing and were letting it pass quietly... k

— Guess they were itching to do promo themselves

— Are these guys dark-side NewBlack antis or what

Even NewBlack antis—who would usually show up with a “Scarlet ‘Not Fine’ unique listeners trend” screencap—were quiet this time.

They knew this kind of thing only backfires; there’s no angle.

“This ain’t it.”

For other boy groups, the tactic might have worked.

You could gin up a “popular male idol interferes and undermines fairness...” pile-on.

But they picked the wrong target.

You need a gap to stab into; Spaceship had kept it under wraps until release and hadn’t said a word about it.

“...There’s literally no opening.”

Antis did the math and gave up, scattering.

Meanwhile, netizens snorted.

“I like it—why are you telling me what to do?”

Whatever the agencies’ goal, the piece was pissing people off.

Posts kept popping up across communities.

But there wasn’t much genuine anger at the agencies.

[Frankly, K-pop has been taken over by Spaceship. At this rate...]

(Photo from a certain tokusatsu.)

Kamen Rider

— You’re insane lol

— Sorry but please go die

— lmfao okay but I laughed

— Reported, you [expletive]

There were bait posts.

[Honestly, Spaceship’s got many issues]

(GIF of Wooju getting roasted by ducklings for peeling a yogurt lid and tossing it instead of licking it on Y-app.)

He used to lick the yogurt lid; now he eats two cups

Lost his roots

— lmaoooooo

— Even chaebols lick yogurt lids

— He’s lost his roots tsk tsk tsk

— I’m truly disappointed; I didn’t think he was like this ㅠㅠ

— Nah, a true rich person only licks the lid and tosses the cup. He still has some roots left

— Fascinating—are you rich?

— Come on, would a rich person be in here commenting

Humor threads multiplied everywhere.

[Aren’t you all a little too sure Kim Deokchun = Spaceship?]

(Screencap of Ms. Kim Deoksun recently appearing on TV in person.)

Why can’t you consider that it might be Queen Emperor Deoksun

Broaden your thinking

— After Father of Music and Mother of Music, truly... Grandmother of Music

— We’re sorry, we lacked imagination

— Granny looks formidable. If Spaceship said “Grandma, try it,” she’d actually compose lol

— Grandma: “Oh my, this works”

“Don’t be so hard on the agencies,” another post said—

(image of a Chinese gamer flaming a Korean in chat for “playing dirty.”)

If you look closely, these guys are delivering the highest praise

“Your composing is [expletive]” = I was awed by your piece

“You don’t know when to join or leave the composers’ table” = This is a low-level zone; it’s beneath a master like you

— lolololol

— Peak flattery

— Translation: We marvel at your skill and strategy

— That’s the one lol

— From the agencies’ POV they’re mad as hell. “That [guy] is obviously hacking!!” Then they check and it’s just skill

— “Stop using hacks in composing” / “I didn’t” / “???”

— Considering Spaceship actually sucks at games, this is top-tier humor. Satire, wit, and paradox in one

Amid the flood of jokes, there were comments reading the room.

— Agencies are screwed lol. In this situation the number one thing to avoid is becoming a laughingstock

— For real: even if you blunder, don’t become a meme

In entertainment, the worst thing is becoming a joke.

You can come back from controversy.

But if you look petty or ridiculous in the process, rehabbing the image is brutal.

While some agencies’ attempt to steer public opinion with maximum force turned into a punchline,

the idol scene itself settled into a surprisingly calm mood.

— So damn pathetic lololol

— Freaks

— People are out of their minds lately

— I want those PR teams to slam their heads on the desk in unison

— The singers are getting along and posting friendly pics; you’re the ones pouring cold water on it, you [expletives]

— Turns out only the artists were A-tier

Translated into idol-fandom language: “Sweetie, why’d you do that? Don’t do it again next time,” in a warm tone.

“Freaks.”

Translation: “Oh dear. The survival ended and your brains got scrambled.”

Idol fans clicked their tongues.

— Maybe they tried to lure “Kim Deokchun = Sun Wooju” and got rejected

— lmao plausible

— They thought it was a persimmon they couldn’t eat so they got mad

— Isn’t that article straight-up rude though?? It basically says Scarlet didn’t win because they did well but because of Spaceship

— And there’s zero proof

— I’m Curtain and I’m livid. Never thought I’d see anyone angrier than Gyuho

— Don’t hide behind anonymity, come out and say it to our faces lol. You win the Grand Prize in Total Nonsense

Idol fans’ anger—built up over agency infighting and pettiness—coalesced.

Yet even then, fandom relations weren’t bad.

People were separating artists from agencies.

And given girl-group fans tend to like multiple groups, friendly pics and videos kept flowing.

Among them, one particularly warm pairing of fandoms stood out.

— Hello. We’re Scarlet’s precious little fandom, Curtain Rods.

— Hi. We’re little Souffles too.

— ...

— NewBlack said we’re cute. Anyway they did.

A meeting of self-proclaimed small fandoms.

Curtain Rods were all, “Thank you ㅠㅠ” to Souffles.

They joked about enshrining him as their second Swaddy, after Director Cho—Souffles shrugged, smug.

“Heh heh heh.”

Souffles grinned like ducklings, taking credit.

While the fandoms of two groups from the same company—usually pretending not to know each other—slapped palms and frolicked in a flower field,

“Hm?”

Starting from idol communities, a meme began to spread.

At first most posts mocked agencies, but gradually, comments turned into a trend and shifted the mood.

— Protect rookie composer Kim Deokchun

— Please protect Mr. Kim Deokchun ㅠㅠ He’s a rookie composer; imagine how rough this is for him

— ((((((Kim Deokchun))))))

— Please support our rookie composer Mr. Kim Deokchun, who poured his whole being into composing to protect Grandma’s honor

— What are agencies even saying lol This wasn’t Spaceship; this was composed by Kim Deokchun

A bit where they treated Kim Deokchun and Spaceship as separate people.

Souffles’ “Protect our Deokchun ㅠㅠ” comments spread at light speed across other communities and portals.

“Kim Deokchun ≠ Spaceship” made no sense, but most people who saw it burst out laughing and agreed.

“True. That’s true.”

Soon, portal follow-up articles filled with shield comments.

— Who even is Kim Deokchun?? You’d think Spaceship was hiding his identity and using a pen name based on his grandma’s name

— Please don’t compare morally bankrupt Spaceship with Kim Deokchun ㅠㅠ

— I’m a fan of Mr. Kim Deokchun. I don’t want him mixed up with commercial hacks like Spaceship..

— You’re all talking nonsense; it’s obvious Kim Deokchun is exploiting a big name like Spaceship;;

— Decided to stan Kim Deokchun from today

Once Koreans get a taste for a bit, they don’t stop—the comments packed the articles.

“...For that reason, we can’t go public with the identity.”

“Pffhahahaha!”

At Seokhwan hyung’s words I closed my eyes, while the ducklings clapped and cackled.

Across the table, Manager Hong Seoyoung showed online reactions on her tablet.

“It’s not a bad thing, though. Normally this would’ve passed quietly... but thanks to the spark they lit, your recognition went up, and you also hit your goal of succeeding as a girl-group composer.”

As I gazed off into the distance, Manager Hong pushed the tablet toward me.

“Look at this. From a trend analysis firm—‘Kim Deokchun’ has 95 percent positive sentiment.”

“...I see.”

It had gone beautifully.

A simple “Spaceship wrote Scarlet’s Not Fine” could have passed in silence; instead, the name spread far and wide.

Our TF lead smiled and spoke.

“It’s really good. Now no one can say you can’t write girl-group songs. And...”

Seokhwan hyung rotated his laptop to show a crammed inbox.

“Thanks to you, we’ve had a flood of requests for girl-group tracks.”

“All those came to me?”

“They’re addressed to you, yeah, but most of them feel like, ‘It’d be best if Kim Deokchun takes it, but if not, well...’—and they’re commissioning our producing team for girl-group tracks.”

Other agencies were rating our producing team highly.

“Work’s piling up—the CEO and Director are thrilled.”

“That’s great...”

Then I asked:

“So, it’s become... delicate to outright say I’m Kim Deokchun.”

“Right.”

“So this is what Hong Gildong felt.”

A white crane slipped in:

“Hong Gildong was the sorrow of an illegitimate son who couldn’t call his father ‘Father.’ That’s a completely different case from yours.”

“Junghyun.”

“Nyaaaaa—!”

After disposing of the subversive element, I smiled.

I’d gotten everything I wanted, but watching the public giggle, “Kim Deokchun isn’t Spaceship!” felt... weird.

No.

This isn’t quite what I wanted...

I’d planned to pop in with a “Hah-hah-hah” while people reacted, “As expected of Spaceship!” but it got tangled.

The maknae asked, annoyingly:

“Not happy? We’re thrilled, hahaha!”

“Yeah. You look thrilled.”

Watching the ducklings cackle made me laugh too.

Well. Good is good.

Manager Hong said, glowing:

“Anyway, it’s the perfect promo timing. With interest up, we can plug the ‘Not Fine’ composing behind-the-scenes and promote ‘Sun Wooju’s Rest Diary’ too. A tailwind for the METRO campaign, really.”

We all agreed.

Best of all, we could run METRO promotions in a moment like this.

We were in the middle of a meeting about the new track when—

“Are we just letting this pass, though?”

“Hm?”

The maknae asked:

“Oh. I mean, those agencies said all that; are we just going to let it go? It feels a bit petty...”

“We’re considering responses,” Seokhwan hyung said.

“It’s already become a laughingstock; there’s no need to dirty our hands. The situation’s effectively resolved.”

“It’s still a bit irritating.”

“That it is.”

I nodded.

Normally I’d let this kind of thing slide, but starting with TJ Entertainment’s surprise media play last time, the checks felt like they were escalating.

Keep poking us and we don’t respond—they start taking us lightly.

Going quiet is fine, but this time I felt we should swing back at least once.

“Hmm...”

We were putting our heads together for a smart way to handle it when—

“Me.”

We all looked over.

Biju, smiling radiantly, raised a hand to his lips.

“I have an idea.”

— Lemon Entertainment: “We’re baffled by the recent interview; there must have been a mistake.” “The majority of agencies have requested collaborations with composer Kim Deokchun.”