Chapter 2.2
Apart from being slightly shorter than the other members, I had decent looks, a good voice, and strong dance skills. I delivered clean performances on stage, so the agency was eager to put me in the debut lineup.
The world is inherently unfair; some people, like me, manage everything with minimal effort, while others can barely scrape by no matter how hard they work. I felt sorry for the trainees who had slogged through years of practice, but less than six months after signing my trainee contract, I debuted as the leader of Reverb.
Rumors started spreading after our debutāsome people speculated I was the son of an R&M executive. Considering Iād displaced formidable trainees to debut as the leader, it was inevitable such gossip would follow me.
But it was truly unfair. If I had been the son of an executive, I wouldnāt have chosen to become an idol in the first place. Was it my fault I was born good-looking? Was it my fault I happened to have a talent for singing and dancing?
Trying to force growth arcs in a world where success depends entirely on luck and talent just makes everyone miserable.
[Ye Jin, stop making me sad.]
[Please just do your job as the leader properly.]
[Because of you, Iām getting gray hairs.]
[Take care of the members, Iām begging you.]
[You went to the army and still canāt get it together? T_T]
[Is stirring up disbandment rumors your hobby? Please, enough already.]
To be honest, I wasnāt great at being a leader. These days, the trend was to debut without appointing a leader, but after our first full album promotions, the company CEO suddenly slapped the role onto me.
I became the leader because I was the oldest, but itās not like the other members respected me for it. Trying to act the part and look after the members almost gave me hypertension during our debut days.
It was partly my fault, but most of Reverbās members were just brats. Except for one or two, everyone avoided me. I wasnāt the type to make an effort to befriend people first, so once the cameras were off, we didnāt even pretend to get along. Some of them probably didnāt even know my phone number.
Like every boy group from R&M, we were swarmed by obsessive fans, forcing us to change our phone numbers regularly. Iād recently changed mine again, so it wasnāt surprising that, aside from Go Ha Ram, the other seven members didnāt have my number.
[Pathetic, Pathetic, oh our pitiful Ye Jin.]
[Isnāt it adorable how heās hinting at going solo while still in the group?]
[Reverbās leader casually mentions leaving the group for solo promotions after getting out of the military, in a fan chatroom.JPG]
[ć
ć
just so you know, Iām absolutely not trying to shade Reverb, okay, Echos?]
At this point, no matter what controversy arises, only a few people get angry, and most let it slide. Surviving twelve years in the industry has its perks. Even when cyber vigilantes or social media accounts targeting idols start circling, everyone just shrugs it off.
I donāt know whether to laugh or cry about it. Someone out there will get hurt again, reading those posts on social media. If they still like Reverb, if they still like meā¦
But should I even care about them? Iām barely managing to keep myself afloat.
There are plenty of idols to replace me anyway. Younger, better-looking kids in newly debuted groups are waiting to take my place.
Guilt is a luxury. I closed my eyes with that thought in mind. Quietly disappearing into history and starting anew as a solo artistāthat was my goal now.
Surprisingly, people are more forgiving of idols who provide just the right amount of gossip along with hit songs than those who are spotless and controversy-free. Because itās more entertaining that way.
Fans might suffer, but if you think about it, noise marketing is one of the most effective ways to capture public attention. So, me stirring up trouble and causing drama? In the grand scheme of things, itās just another form of marketing.
At this point in my career, Iāve got no image left to lose. Sifting through the remaining loyal fans and taking them with me into my solo career isnāt betrayalāitās pragmatism. Ordinary office workers jump to better-paying companies without a second thought, so why should idols be any different?
[āItās just our baby Ye Jin pulling another stunt! Perfect for this accountās purpose, so hereās a captured post ā„ā]
[āā„ Remember, Echo, the angel fandom that defends even drug scandals, promised not to get mad ā„ā]
“Canāt you just endure it a little longer, hyung?”
“Why even become an idol if this is how youāre going to act?”
“I guess you were never desperate in the first place.”
“It must be easy for you since everything comes naturally.”
Iām really sick of everything now.
