Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 424:

As people's attention was focused on Blue Moon and Lee Seo-jun, the suspicion of chart manipulation that would normally disappear quickly became a hot topic.

[Article on Blue Moon's chart manipulation is shown.]

[Title: Blue Moon, not chart manipulation?]

If you look at the real-time chart, they released their song at 12 o’clock, but it stayed at the bottom until 3 a.m. and then started to rise sharply at 4 a.m. Usually, the ranking would soar right after the release…

And the fact that it started to rise at 4 a.m. is also suspicious.

People are usually asleep at that time, but there are too many people compared to other times.

If you compare the graphs, only Blue Moon is rising.

Even if they won the rookie award last year, it's too strange to be number one on the chart as soon as they release it.

I think they panicked and bought their own songs because they collaborated with Lee Seo-jun but didn't get good results.

-LOL at being an ST fanㅋㅋ

=22 Maybe Lee Seo-jun's fans also bought itㅋㅋ

-But it's amazing that it started to rise from 3 a.m.

=Yeah. How did that happen?

=I think I know.

=What is it?

=Blue Moon's fans were planning to decide after watching the music video that was released at 12 o’clock. If a new member appeared in the music video, they would not buy the song and express their opinion to Cocoa Entertainment.

=+) If an actor appeared in the music video, they would buy the song and stream it.

=Wow.

=But Lee Seo-jun appeared.

=LOLㅋㅋㅋㅋ

=They must have been too shocked to streamㅋㅋ

=Blue Moon fan: (ㅇㅁㅇ!)

=Yeah, you can see the traces of shock on Blue Moon's fan cafe and music video comments.

=+) And when they finally came to their senses (2 o’clock), there was an article that Lee Seo-jun and Blue Moon would appear on a music show.

=ㅋㅋAnother shockㅋㅋ

=Blue Moon fan: (ㅇ0ㅇ!)

=At that time, people who came to watch the music video after hearing that Lee Seo-jun appeared were like ‘Oh, the song is good.’

and were about to buy it, but they were surprised by the article about the music show appearance.

=+) That's when they finally started to buy the song, and I think it was reflected from the 4 o’clock chart.

=+) Oh, and Lee Seo-jun's overseas fans also bought the song through VPN. The time zone is different from ours.

=This seems plausible.

=ㅋㅋThe traces of shock on the chartㅋㅋ

-Other sites don't seem to care much.

=The song is good. Brown Black's Hwang Ye-jun is really good at composing.

=I bought the song too.

=It might become popular soon.

-But if this kind of criticism increases, it won't be good for Blue Moon…

=22 It seems that some people are getting jealous of a rookie who debuted last year and became a hot topic.

The ST fan who was ridiculed deleted his post, and the suspicion of chart manipulation faded away without growing bigger, but the dissatisfaction of other fans did not completely disappear.

***

The next day.

Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na, who came to KBC Broadcasting Station for pre-recording, frowned at the posts they saw here and there.

They were full of complaints about Blue Moon, who received favor from their fellow agency actor.

There were also posts with resentment towards Seo-jun, which made their faces grim.

“Then they should have asked Seo-jun for a music video offer.”

“Exactly. You know how much Seo-jun values acting. He wouldn't have agreed easily even if they were from the same agency.”

Blue Moon's fans who were nearby also looked unhappy as they faced criticism from other fans.

“Phew. Let's just think positive today.”

“Yeah. Let's do that.”

Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na turned off their phones and moved on.

They checked in and received instructions for pre-recording.

And they received and exchanged various goods from their golden hands whom they had contacted in advance through SNS.

“Thank you!”

“No problem. We don't get to meet often unless it's a fan meeting.”

“I know. I wish they would have a fan meeting soon.”

The Sprouts laughed and chatted with each other.

“Oh! There's a snack truck!”

Someone shouted.

Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na turned around and saw a snack truck with a placard that said [Blue Moon×Lee Seo-jun, thank you for coming!].

It was a gift for the fans from Blue Moon and Seo-jun, also known as reverse support.

Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na smiled brightly and headed to the snack truck.

***

At that moment.

Seo-jun and Blue Moon also arrived at KBC Broadcasting Station.

Seo-jun looked at Blue Moon as he greeted the staff who welcomed him and entered the waiting room.

He had a bright face, but Seo-jun could not miss the worry that lingered on one side of his face.

Ahn Da Ho and Blue Moon's manager also smiled bitterly at the sight of Blue Moon, who had lost some strength in his shoulders.

Being able to use their phones meant that they could also hear various news.

Seo-jun and the adults’ worried expressions made Jung Eun-sung shrug his shoulders and say.

“I didn't expect there to be no criticism like this.”

“Team leader 1 also told us.”

“We can't miss this opportunity!”

Baek Yi-hyun and Kim Si-hoon spoke confidently, and Park Ee-deun and Choi Jae-won nodded their heads.

“Rather, it feels more real now. The music video views are amazing, and we were number one on the chart as soon as we released it, so it felt like it was all thanks to Seo-jun. It felt like someone else's business.”

“Me too. But when I see other fans criticizing us like this, I think we are that much of a hot topic and a threat. So I feel like I have to work harder.”

Seo-jun was lost in thought for a moment at Blue Moon's cheerful words.

He had decided to stay at the same place with Blue Moon until Sunday when the music show was on, so he was able to closely observe Blue Moon's reaction since the suspicion of chart manipulation came out yesterday.

‘They must be thinking that way, but.’

Somewhere in his heart, he must have been worried that he might not do well on stage.

‘I wondered if I would need it…’

It was a good thing he brought it.

“Park Ee-deun.”

Seo-jun called out, and Park Ee-deun, who was laughing exaggeratedly, shuddered.

“Huh?”

“Come here.”

Seo-jun pointed to his front. Park Ee-deun tilted his head and stood in front of Seo-jun. Seo-jun relaxed his hands and lightly slapped Park Ee-deun's cheeks.

Slap!

Park Ee-deun's mouth became duck-like by Seo-jun's palms, and Blue Moon members widened their eyes. Ahn Da Ho and Blue Moon's manager also blinked their eyes.

Seo-jun smiled and said.

“Just think about the stage. The fans are waiting for you outside. I’ll lend you my energy. Cheer up.”

“…Yes!”

Park Ee-deun smiled brightly at Seo-jun's words.

The conversation between the two made Ahn Da Ho and Blue Moon's manager smile softly.

“Seo-jun. Me too!”

Kim Si-hoon raised his hand eagerly.

He wanted to get the energy of the superstar Lee Seo-jun! It seemed like a very good energy.

“Okay. Stand here.”

Kim Si-hoon smiled and stood in front of Seo-jun. Snap! He felt a jolt in his mind.

“Let's use this opportunity to make a lot of fans. Si-hoon hyung.”

“Haha. Sure!”

Kim Si-hoon grinned and sat down. Then, Jung Eun-sung got up and stood in front of Seo-jun. Seo-jun smiled and lightly slapped Jung Eun-sung's cheeks as if clapping.

“I thought you didn't need it, Eun-sung.”

“When will I ever get this kind of energy?”

Jung Eun-sung chuckled at his words. Baek Yi-hyun and Choi Jae-won also quietly got up.

“You’ll do well. Don't worry. Yi-hyun hyung.”

“Thank you. Seo-jun.”

Baek Yi-hyun smiled shyly.

“Just do as you usually do. Everyone says your singing is really good.”

Choi Jae-won sighed lightly and smiled brightly. Somehow, the worry that was in his mind seemed to disappear.

The atmosphere in the waiting room lightened up with Seo-jun's encouragement.

Laughter also flowed out and Blue Moon became lively as usual. In that bright atmosphere, the preparation for the rehearsal began.

Seo-jun and the members wore clothes that were slightly modified from the ones they wore in the music video.

They fixed their hair and put on makeup.

Seo-jun looked around the waiting room through the mirror while getting his makeup done.

There were sparkling numbers floating above the heads of Blue Moon members.

‘Not as much as BrBl hyungs, but…’

They were quite high numbers, so Seo-jun smiled.

‘It's okay. It's not a minus.’

As long as it wasn't a minus that had destroyed a world, it was fine even if the numbers were small.

His ability had risen from lowest to low rank, so the total amount of musical skills that had increased should be the same or similar.

[Orchestra Conductor's Connection-Low Rank-]

The musical skills of the beings connected to the conductor vary up to 2 times depending on their bond with the conductor.

The bond between the conductor and the connectors and among the connectors are expressed in numbers.

Maximum connection: 8 (5/8)

He thought he would never be able to use it again because he had to slap the target's cheek, but he was glad that he had worked hard to find a way yesterday and today. Seo-jun made a satisfied expression.

“We’ll start the dress rehearsal!”

The staff's words made Blue Moon and Seo-jun get up from their seats. They felt more confident as they looked at each other's eyes.

***

Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na sat down.

Music Bank didn't have standing seats, so everyone had to sit down. Lim Ye-na, who had only been a fan of actors, looked around the inside with a curious face. Then, there was some noise from the staff side.

“Oh. They’re starting the rehearsal.”

“Do they keep going if they make a mistake?”

Song Yu-jung, a former idol fan, nodded at Lim Ye-na's question.

“They just pass by during rehearsal, but they have to redo it if they make a mistake during recording. It's good but also sad if they do too well because we can't see them for long.”

“…I hope they make some mistakes then.”

Lim Ye-na wanted to see Seo-jun for a long time, so Song Yu-jung giggled at her inner thoughts.

Then, seo-jun and Blue Moon came up on stage.

“Hello!”

There was a cheer from the audience.

Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na covered their mouths with one hand and waved their bright sprout sticks with the other hand as they saw Seo-jun smiling brightly under the bright lights.

“He could just be an idol…”

“I know, right!”

Seo-jun smiled widely at the 200 sprout sticks shining brightly on the right side of the audience.

Park Ee-deun looked at the left side of the audience where there were only a few lights and said regretfully.

“I wish we had our own light sticks soon.”

“Me too.”

But their fans’ response was not less than that of Sprouts, so Blue Moon also smiled brightly and waved their hands.

Before starting the rehearsal, there was a brief conversation between them.

The faces of sprouts and Blue Moon fans were filled with smiles at their cheerful appearance.

The staff of Music Bank watched them from below.

“I heard Blue Moon was in a bad mood earlier?”

“Well, they're rookies, so they're not used to this kind of competition.”

“Male idol fans are scary. I wonder if they’ll do well today.”

“As long as we film Seo-jun well, it doesn't matter.”

Soon after.

The dress rehearsal with all the props and costumes began.

Boom!

The melody that shook the heart sounded.

[Orchestra Conductor's Connection is activated.]

The six shining figures on stage made Song Yu-jung, Lim Ye-na, sprouts and Blue Moon fans stare blankly at the stage.

***

“Why did you work so hard? It's just a rehearsal!”

The stylist handed out water to Blue Moon members who were breathing heavily.

It wasn't a live broadcast or a recording. It was just a dress rehearsal.

“No, that's…”

Kim Si-hoon, the main dancer, tried to answer, but he was too out of breath to say anything more. Baek Yi-hyun drank some water and calmed down a bit before opening his mouth.

“Our breathing was so in sync. We didn't know we were working so hard.”

“Right!? Didn't the rehearsal go so well?”

“Yeah. It went so well that it felt weird.”

Park Ee-deun and Jung Eun-sung wiped their sweat and nodded.

At that, the stylist who had to fix their makeup that was erased by sweat touched his forehead. There wasn't much time left for recording.

“Oppa, say something… Oppa?”

The stylist looked at the manager who was staring blankly at somewhere with unfocused eyes.

He said he went to monitor their rehearsal, but he looked like he had lost his soul.

“Seo-jun. What's wrong with manager oppa?”

“He must have liked our stage too much.”

Seo-jun smiled and answered. Ahn Da Ho, who went to watch with him, also nodded his head with a flustered expression. The stylist made a strange face.

“How good was it?”

“It was amazing.”

Seo-jun smiled brightly.

***

The PDs of KBC came to the pre-recording hall one by one to see Seo-jun.

“I thought I was the only one who wanted to show my face on this occasion.”

“Me too.”

The PDs chuckled.

“But isn't it usually quiet here?”

“Why is it so silent?”

“Right. Why is it so quiet here, the staff and the fans?”

He thought it would be noisy because there were hundreds of fans who came to watch the stage, but it was so silent that he could hear the sound of ants crawling.

As the PDs were puzzled, they heard the staff shouting.

“We’ll start recording!”

It was a voice that had a strange anticipation.

Seo-jun and Blue Moon went up on stage again, and the sprouts, blue Moon fans, and staff looked at the stage quietly with eyes full of expectation.

“…Why is the atmosphere like this?”

As the PDs were flustered, the recording began.

Ding!

The instrumental flowed from the speaker and the numbers above Seo-jun and Blue Moon's heads sparkled.

[Orchestra Conductor's Connection is activated.]

As Choi Jae-won uttered a word, the PDs who were not interested turned their heads to the stage at the same time.

As if to answer their surprise, seo-jun and Blue Moon started to move as if they would turn the stage upside down.

It was a truly amazing stage.

Their hearts thumped and they felt an overflowing emotion that they had never felt before while practicing and performing.

They were ecstatic.

They felt like they knew each other's movements without looking.

They were a little confused by the unfamiliar feeling during rehearsal, but now they were used to it since it was their second time.

Choi Jae-won's face was flushed as he raised his voice.

[We’re starting to shine!]

‘Ha ha.’

Seo-jun, who was dancing with Blue Moon members on stage, laughed.

He felt like he knew how Brown Black hyungs felt when they stood on stage. It felt like his hair was standing on end as they completed the puzzle perfectly without any gaps.

‘But the effect seems too good?’

Seo-jun smiled at the reaction of the people in front of him.

Maybe it was because Baby Seo-jun, who was the conductor at Brown Black's time, couldn't join them on stage, so they didn't see this much effect.

‘Well, an orchestra needs a conductor after all.’

Five instruments and a conductor.

A perfect ‘orchestra’ was shining on stage.

The numbers, or bonds, above Seo-jun and Blue Moon's heads sparkled and slowly rose as they matched their hearts with the stage.

With the 2 times effect added, seo-jun and Blue Moon started to overwhelm the stage, the audience, and even their surroundings.

The fans who filled the audience seats, as well as the staff who were watching the stage from below and the PDs who came to see Seo-jun, opened their mouths wide and stared blankly at the stage.