My weapon against KNET's media play was Kang Ha-Na's advance special live broadcast for Project I.O.A on Daily Hana Tube, which drew an average of 100,000 concurrent viewers in real time.

[Hana Tube]

[Subscribers: 2.05 million]

[Title: Project I.O.A: Preview. 2-hour special live broadcast. with special guest MCs.]

-Hello. I'm Kang Ha-Na of Hana Tube. Today, I'm hosting a special two-hour live broadcast here at the Project I.O.A public recording site!

Ta-da!

Everything you didn't get to see on SBC's Project I.O.A broadcast~

Everything you've been curious about~

Even the hidden stories of the challengers behind the stage!

With help from the SBC production staff, I'll reveal every last bit of it in full detail!

Ba-dum!

The special two-hour live broadcast hosted by Kang Ha-Na was set to reveal things that even Project I.O.A itself had not shown. On top of that, stars from Hoop Entertainment were scheduled to appear as special guest MCs every twenty minutes.

Unreleased information and star appearances were the two things not only netizens but entertainment reporters went crazy for, so I was certain I could win this opinion war against KNET.

There were now two hours left until week 7's main Project I.O.A broadcast. Before then, I planned to replace Once More, Idol!, which was filling up the Top 10 on the portal's entertainment news page, with Project I.O.A instead.

Just then, PD Ji Yung-Sik shouted to Engineer Jang Dae-Joon, "Dae-Joon. Put Hana Tube on main screen number one. Put our SBC MeTube channel on number two."

To maximize today's broadcast impact, Hana Tube's special live broadcast was also being streamed simultaneously on SBC's MeTube channel and the dedicated app [PROJECT : I.O.A].

"Yes, sir!"

Jang Dae-Joon operated the control panel. As soon as he worked the controls, the broadcast feed started appearing on the large screens labeled 1 and 2.

[No. 1: Hana Tube live broadcast]

[Title: Project I.O.A: Preview. 2-hour special live broadcast. with special guest MCs.]

-Real-time viewers: 4,234

...

[No. 2: SBC MeTube Entertainment Channel]

-Real-time viewers: 420

Hana Tube had 2.05 million subscribers. And even though SBC's entertainment channel had close to 6 million subscribers, Hana Tube was overwhelmingly ahead in live viewers.

Apparently embarrassed by that, Ji Yung-Sik awkwardly cleared his throat. "The gap in concurrent viewers is... a little noticeable. Hahaha."

Anything I said in response would only turn into factual blunt-force trauma, so I just gave him a faint smile.

At that moment, on Hana Tube's live broadcast, Kang Ha-Na stretched out her right hand toward one side of the camera.

-All right, then let me invite our first star guest MC! Please come on out. Ba-dum!

-Ta-da! Hello! I'm Jung Miso!

With her arms spread wide, Miso jumped into the camera's frame. Dressed in a pure white gown with her hair tied in ribboned braids, Miso looked into the camera and gave an idol-style greeting.

Nod.

At that moment, her ribbon-tied braid fell forward, giving a second greeting of its own.

Tilt.

Wearing a deeply pleased expression, Kang Ha-Na watched Miso's greeting before lifting the mic.

-Starting with Miso, Korea's cutest darling, the biggest stars will be appearing one after another as relay MCs today, so everybody~ stay focused on the broadcast!

That was when Miso hugged a microphone nearly half the size of her face tightly to her chest and shook her head.

-Unnie. Even when the other MC oppas and unnies come on later, I'm not leaving today!

-Huh? Huh? You're not leaving?

Miso, who was only supposed to be a guest MC for twenty minutes, had just made a completely unexpected declaration. Kang Ha-Na froze up like a malfunctioning robot.

(Real-time chat)

-Kang Ha-Na's flustered. That wasn't planned.

-Jung Miso just declared she's not leaving today. Kang Ha-Na's shook lol

-Is she still salty about not being able to broadcast past 10 at Jinseong Resort in Yeongjongdo two weeks ago?

-The kid's got ambition for broadcasting lol

...

In the end, Kang Ha-Na clapped her hands as if she had no choice.

-All right! Then today, it's a full two-hour special live broadcast with Miso! Not just Ha-Na fans, but Miso fans too—stay locked on the channel~!!

-Locked! Locked!

Excited, Miso started dancing a spellbinding routine she had learned back in kindergarten. It was the so-called squirm-squirm dance. Like a baby Tyrannosaurus, Miso tucked her hands in like little forelimbs and wiggled her whole body. With her cuteness-maximizing expressions and almost rhythmic movements, cheers once again exploded through the real-time chat.

And taking advantage of that moment, Yoo-Jin was uploading a post as well.

[@miso1004]

-I'm in front of the Project I.O.A set.

Watching Miso's live broadcast on site.

Enjoying a front-row view of the squirm-squirm dance thanks to mom privileges.

Jealous?

#AtTheSet #1MeterFromMiso #SquirmSquirmDance #OurMisoIsCute #MisoIsBrightTodayToo #MisoLiveFor2HoursToday #BroadcastGreedy #I'llBeOnLaterToo

From the very start, the buzz kept piling up without pause. Maybe because of that, the response was already starting to show.

"Real-time viewers—Hana Tube just passed 25,000! SBC channel is up to 2,000!"

As Jang Dae-Joon shouted energetically from the control panel, AD Lee Tae-Eun chimed in right after. "Mr. Ji! Articles are starting to flood the portal entertainment section!"

It was just five minutes after the broadcast began and articles were already pouring onto the portal's entertainment news page.

"I-is that for real?"

"Yes. Honestly, what PD Choi Go-Bong released to the press were vague phrases like 'the best idol' or 'once your idol,' without any actual clues about the cast, right? Compared to that, we're generating article material in real time."

Ji Yung-Sik nodded. "True. If it were me, I would've at least revealed silhouettes for about a third of the Once More, Idol! cast and turned it into a quiz. That's how you hook viewers."

At that moment, Lee Tae-Eun added with a grin, "Looks like the great PD Choi is past his prime."

"No matter what, how can you say someone's past their prime to a sunbae?"

"Then what should I say? If he's past it, he's past it. Or should I say he's past his prime, sir, if the casual speech bothers you?"

At Lee Tae-Eun's playful cheek, Ji Yung-Sik let out a small laugh. "Seriously, you. You're too honest for your own good."

"You used to say that was a good thing."

"D-did I?"

Perhaps thanks to the explosive start of the media push, Ji Yung-Sik—who had been wary of Choi Go-Bong's return—now had a face filled with confidence.

Just then, Jang Dae-Joon shouted again, "Hana Tube 35,000! SBC MeTube just passed 2,000 too! Now we're taking off! Straight up!"

The two-hour special pre-broadcast was showing powerful impact alongside the special guest MCs.

However, this wasn't everything I had prepared.

***

Director Hong Ah-Yook of HK Entertainment had been calmly sitting on the sofa in KNET's PD Choi Go-Bong's office, but soon showed signs of panic as two out of the Top 10 portal entertainment articles were replaced by Project I.O.A.

"Mr. Choi. Shouldn't we at least reveal the cast lineup?"

Choi Go-Bong frowned. "Then what happens to the 'Guess the Cast' event we set up? We said we'd reveal it at 10 and give out prizes!"

"Then can't we at least leak a little information about Eun-Yung? We need to generate some buzz too, or we'll fall behind!"

Originally, Once More, Idol! had been planning for all members of Golden Road to participate. However, aside from the leader, Jang Eun-Yung, everyone else had been removed from the lineup. And Jang Eun-Yung was set to join the audition under the reasoning that she was no longer part of Golden Road, but an individual.

As public opinion began shifting toward Project I.O.A, Hong Ah-Yoon insisted on revealing something.

Choi Go-Bong snapped in anger. "Don't you realize the mood will turn bad if Jang Eun-Yung is revealed first? She's someone who needs to ride along quietly right now!"

"But...!"

"No. It's already too late to change things now."

At that moment, Hong Ah-Yoon shook her head. "No! I can't let it end like this. How can I just sit back and watch Chief Jung run wild?"

Hong Ah-Yoon hurriedly began calling reporters, but every reporter gave her the same response.

-We're sorry. We're getting crushed in views, so we can't get the article up. Unless you reveal at least part of the audition lineup...

"But we said we'd reveal that on the main broadcast! Fine, I'll pay you. Lots of money! Just get the article up!"

-Money won't help. Chief Jung's side has way stronger buzz. And... we're already all in Ilsan. I'll hang up now.

Click.

The moment the call ended, Hong Ah-Yoon's face flushed red like a ripe persimmon—Project I.O.A set was in Ilsan.

"What the hell did you do, Jung Yoon-Ho!"

As Hong Ah-Yoon's voice rang loudly through the PD's office, Choi Go-Bong's face also began turning red.

***

Thirty minutes passed. On Hana Tube's live broadcast, Kang Ha-Na was entering the performance hall with Miso and special guest MC Yoo-Jin. They were about to show the rehearsal site of Project I.O.A.

Meanwhile, I was in the monitoring room, taking a call from Reporter Choi So-Hye.

-You said you'd introduce a special guest and give unreleased info only to the reporters on site, so I stirred them up. That's definite, right?

"Of course. By the way, how many reporters are there right now?"

-About thirty. More are trickling in.

"I won't forget this debt. Thank you so much."

-Of course.

I had told Choi So-Hye that there would be information available only to reporters who came on site. As a result, reporters who loved scoops and exclusives had taken the bait and were showing up in Ilsan one by one.

Just then, the monitoring room door burst open, and CP Kang Dae-Woong rushed in.

Bang!

"Huff, huff... I'm a bit late. But reporters are calling me like crazy right now. What on earth is going on? Just earlier it was full of KNET articles, but now ours are starting to show up?"

Ji Yung-Sik straightened his shoulders and answered proudly, "It's all thanks to Mr. Jung. Look over there."

He pointed at the screen. The live videos that had previously been displayed on screens 1 and 2 had now been moved to the smaller screens labeled 11 and 12. So now, screen 11 was showing Hana Tube's live broadcast, while screen 12 showed SBC's MeTube channel. And on screen 13, the official app [PROJECT : I.O.A] feed that had been turned on earlier was playing.

Kang Dae-Woong glanced at the three small screens below and frowned slightly. "I can't see well without my glasses. What are those numbers under the screens?"

"Those are the real-time viewer counts."

"What? That many?"

"Yes. Combined across the official app, Hana Tube, and SBC's MeTube channel, we're at around 290,000 concurrent viewers right now."

"Seriously? This isn't even the main broadcast."

"Exactly! The response is huge."

Kang Dae-Woong hurriedly turned to Jang Dae-Joon. "Dae-Joon. For our station, what are the usual real-time streaming numbers for Korean baseball and soccer? Not portal sites, just SBC."

Jang Dae-Joon answered, "Baseball usually gets between 10,000 to 30,000, and soccer averages around 5,000 to 10,000."

Excitement flickered across Kang Dae-Woong's face. "Th-then what about national team soccer? That Portugal match we broadcast last year on SBC."

"That was 240,000. The highest real-time viewership SBC has ever recorded."

"Th-then does that mean we've just set an all-time concurrent viewer record for SBC right now?"

"Well..."

"Don't be modest. Good work! All of you! I knew you could do it! I believed in my team!"

As Kang Dae-Woong shouted loudly, cheering and praising the staff, everyone else responded with awkward smiles.

"What's with those expressions...? What's wrong? Did something go wrong?"

Ji Yung-Sik spoke carefully. "About what I said earlier... that the total across our official app, Hana Tube, and SBC's MeTube channel is 290,000..."

"Right. 290,000! Then we're the top contributor, aren't we?"

Ji Yung-Sik scratched his head. "It's not that..."

"Why? That 170,000 on screen 13—that's ours, right?"

Without his glasses, Kang Dae-Woong could only make out the large real-time numbers.

"No. Screen 13 is our official app, [PROJECT : I.O.A]. That's 172,000 viewers."

"Our SBC channel isn't number one?"

"Naturally, the app used by Project I.O.A's most loyal fans would take first place."

"Th-then screen 11 is ours, right? 102,000. Yeah?"

Ji Yung-Sik cleared his throat. "That's Hana Tube's real-time viewership."

Kang Dae-Woong trembled slightly as he pointed again. "Th-then the 17,000 on screen 12... that's our SBC channel's real-time viewership?"

He looked like he couldn't accept that SBC, a major broadcasting network, was dead last in streaming numbers. But soon, he snapped out of it and shouted, "Hey! Why are we in third place? You call yourselves broadcasters? How are you getting crushed by an app made by Chief Jung? 170,000 versus 17,000? Are you kidding me? At least earn your keep!"

As Kang Dae-Woong roared at the top of his lungs, everyone pretended not to notice and avoided eye contact.

Then, in a small voice, Lee Tae-Eun muttered, "Chief Jung makes 2.5 billion a year. Our PD makes 80 million. You've gotta compare fairly..."

Kang Dae-Woong's head snapped around. "Hey, you try working as hard as Chief Jung. I'll convince the President myself and get you that salary immediately!"

Lee Tae-Eun widened her eyes and asked, "Really?"

Everyone, including Ji Yung-Sik, looked at him with disbelief.

At that moment, Kang Dae-Woong panicked and barked, "Ahem! I just meant it figuratively! Figuratively!"

Embarrassed, Kang Dae-Woong raised his voice even more and kept clearing his throat. Then, as if he had found a way out, he suddenly turned his head and looked at me.

"Chief Jung~"

'Huh? Why's he speaking like that? All simpering?'

Something felt off.

Just then, Kang Dae-Woong broke into a bright smile and said, "Can't we extend the audition broadcast?"

"No. There's no such thing as extending an audition program," I answered as I shook my head.

"Why not? Why do you assume it can't be done? What in this world is impossible? What could the great Chief Jung possibly not accomplish if he sets his mind to it!"

"...What?"

Kang Dae-Woong strode toward me. "Let's do it! Let's make it happen!"

Ji Yung-Sik turned and shouted at the staff. "What are you doing? Stop him!"

At that, the seated staff rushed in and grabbed onto Kang Dae-Woong.

Kang Dae-Woong flared up and shouted, "Hey! Let go! I'm trying to squeeze out more viewership ratings here. Why are you stopping me? Let go! Let go!"

"Please stop, Mr. Kang. This is already embarrassing enough. What's left of our dignity if you keep this up?"

"Hey! Don't you know viewership ratings are dignity in the variety department? Huh? Let go or I'll bite! I'm serious—let go before I bite!"

Pinned down by the staff, Kang Dae-Woong stretched out his arms like a zombie.

It genuinely looked like he might bite someone if he got close, so I stepped back and said, "I—I already have a prior appointment to interview with the reporters. S-sorry, but I'll be on my way."

To secure victory in the media battle, I had gathered the reporters at a tent set up outside the first-floor set. Saying I should go meet them, I left the monitoring room.

-Where do you think you're going, Chief Jung! Let's extend it!

Behind me, Kang Dae-Woong's desperate voice echoed pitifully.

***

A massive tent was set up outside the Project I.O.A dorm building.

There was a large meeting room on the first floor of the dorm, but I was worried reporters might wander around the building. So I had deliberately set up a huge tent outside the set to serve as a press room.

Flap.

As I opened the back entrance of the tent and stepped inside, I saw it was already packed with reporters. There were about fifty of them now, far more than before.

At that moment, the reporters, having recognized me, all stood up at once.

"Chief Jung! What exclusive are you giving us to call us all here?"

"You better not leave us hanging after bringing us here, or I'm going to be upset."

"You'll let us take photos of the stars after the interviews too, right?"

I called out to them, "Have I ever broken a promise?"

Only then did the reporters smile.

"Well, if Chief Jung makes a promise, he always keeps it."

"Yeah, that's true."

They all laughed together, their reaction clearly favorable.

Just then, a reporter in the very front suddenly spoke up. "But Mr. Jung. While everyone else is going through intense competition, what's with Seo Hee-Joo and Ling Ling? They're joining I.O.A without even auditioning. Isn't that unfair? That's preferential treatment."

I wondered who it was, and of course, it was Reporter Go Se-Eun from the tabloid Entertainment Big Bang.

Project I.O.A was designed from the start as a program that selected additional members centered around Ling Ling and Seo Hee-Joo. And she was calling that unfair.

It was such a ridiculous claim that Do Ran-Hee, who had been waiting nearby, tried to step in. "Ma'am, that's—"

I raised a hand to stop her. "Ran-Hee, hold on."

There was no one I understood better than Go Se-Eun.

'Long time no see, Go Se-Eun.'