Chapter 263

Last broadcast day.

“This week’s number one is—”

As the fireworks burst, I handed the music show trophy to the winners, feeling a mix of bittersweet emotions.

“Congratulations, Destroy Six!”

Still, personal time would increase.

‘Oh, wait.’

Thinking about it, their stock might rise, and they’d likely be busier than ever.

‘I’ve seen a lot of ads coming in.’

But not having a fixed personal schedule every week was undeniably liberating.

“Before we say our final goodbyes today!”

As I was lost in thought, Joo Seung-bin made eye contact and handed me a bunch of flowers and a trophy.

“I really want to say thank you to Do-hee Lee for her hard work as the MC of trending songs for about a year. Thank you.”

At the same time, the audience held up a banner that said, “You’ve worked hard.”

It was time to give my remarks.

“Wow…!”

To be honest, beyond feeling liberated and bittersweet, I wasn’t feeling much else, but I put on a touched expression as if to sniff the flowers for effect.

I tried to speak beautifully.

“I want to thank the viewers and fans who have supported me throughout the past year—”

After reminding the fans to get home safely one last time, I was heading back to the waiting room when singers kept congratulating me.

“Great job~ Congratulations!”

“Congrats, Do-hee~”

“Ah, thank you!”

Watching that bustling scene felt strange.

‘It seems like everyone is trying really hard to be visible…’

‘Did well this time around?’

‘Or am I just overthinking this?’

Nodding my head frequently, I muttered to myself as I made my way. Then, as I turned the corner at the end of the hall heading to the waiting room.

“Oh, Do-hee!”

“Huh?”

I bumped into another singer. Probably a member of the now number-one-ranked Destroy Six…

‘His name was… Ian, right?’

The reason he approached me was obvious. His manager was beside him, so it was likely for a challenge shoot.

And indeed.

“I’m sorry for bothering you on the last day. We had schedules earlier, so this was the only time we could make it, haha.”

“Oh, it’s alright, senior.”

Ian lowered his head awkwardly. Honestly, it was rather inappropriate for someone taking the photos not to be accommodating. But considering the circumstances, I decided to go with it.

They must have been busy, after all.

Destroy Six was one of the top boy groups that often made it onto the Billboard 100 chart.

Anyway, I thought I should quickly shoot this and head to the restaurant for the crew’s dinner, moving to a quieter spot to film. I took out my phone and checked out Destroy Six’s challenge.

“Oh! I can help you with that.”

“But let me try it myself first.”
Honestly, learning the choreography wasn’t something I picked up in just a day or two.

“Wow, you’re picking it up right away? This isn’t exactly an easy dance!”

“Ah~ I guess it’s because I was really impressed by the performances of my seniors.”

In fact, even when Seven debuted, I was already one of the trainees and idols who grasped the dance quickly compared to others.

‘I was the second fastest after Chae-rin Unni.’

Now, after countless challenges as an MC on music shows, it has become a given that I can imitate most dances after just seeing them once.

“Can I go ahead and shoot it now?”

“Oh, are you in a hurry since it’s the last day?”

“Well… yeah, a little? I think the Director might be waiting.”

Come to think of it, once I quit being an MC, I probably wouldn’t be shooting challenges much, so it might be more comfortable.

Naturally, media exposure would also decrease, meaning the Director’s wish for less image consumption would be fulfilled.

“But seriously, you dance so refreshingly well. I can count you among the best among the people I’ve filmed challenges with! Totally talented!”

After a few tries, we quickly filmed the video, and Ian gave a thumbs-up while clapping.

I was aware that my dance lines were pretty, and that I danced well, so it didn’t move me much. I’d confirmed that with the countless comments I’d received each time I filmed a challenge.

‘But this song isn’t my style; I just can’t get into it.’

Still, when I looked at Ian with a smile that tried to appear likable, he hesitated, glancing around before bowing his head.

“But… do you know the pure girl Lucy?”

There was no way I wouldn’t know her. She belonged to the girl group under LePro and was an idol who performed together during Seven’s debut.

“Yes, of course I know her.”

Even though we weren’t that close afterward, we had reached a point where we would greet each other casually.

And I could kind of guess why he brought it up.

“So you know I’m Lucy’s brother, right?”

“Of course.”

There was no way I, as someone in the industry, wouldn’t know a fact the public would be familiar with.

But my well-honed radar, honed through years of experience, was reacting just a bit.

“But, Lucy, I mean, Siyun keeps whining to me that she wants to get close to Do-hee and that she wants to contact her.”

“Ah~ Lucy wants to get to know me? I had no idea.”

So I responded with a hollow remark, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Exactly! So I told her to go ask for your phone number, but she said she gets too shy and nervous standing in front of Do-hee, making a huge fuss about it…”

“I see.”

“Yeah, so now she’s straight up asking me if I could just get her phone number, ahahaha.”

And Ian had this expression that said, “You get what I mean, right?”

He was talking about asking for her phone number.

Honestly, it didn’t seem entirely made up either.

I had seen Lucy fidgeting with her fingers every time she looked at me more than a few times.

‘Was it because she wanted to get closer?’
“Was it really like that?”

Even so, regardless of gender, I wasn’t the type to hand out my number to just anyone.

I was too low on energy for new friendships.

Su-jin and So-hee, my friends from middle school who complained about me not meeting up after my debut.

The Seven group chat that never once had a moment of silence.

And then our members too.

Honestly, I barely had time to focus on my own tasks, let alone anything else.

So I naturally planned to refuse, but since Ian was a senior, I tried to decline politely.

“Haha, I see… So Lucy said that.”

But it seemed like this person was determined to get my phone number.

“Yeah, exactly. You don’t know how awkward it was for me… I just happened to remember because I’m filming a challenge with Do-hee right now.”

“Why not just ask directly? If you had, I would have told you.”

Usually, if someone hinted like this, they’d give up.

“Right? You’re making things awkward for me… It looks a bit weird, doesn’t it? If it weren’t for the love of my little brother, I swear… What is blood relations even about?”

I had no choice but to give a confirmation like that.

“I’ll let you know directly when I see Lucy next. Thank you for your hard work. I’ll head out first since the director will be looking for you.”

But whether I’d actually give it to Lucy… I didn’t know.

‘What if he ends up looking like my brother?’

While my mouth smiled, there was a sneer in Ian’s eyes that didn’t go his way.

‘Ah, I’m so tired.’

*

The fandom name for Debonaire, “Air,” was enjoying the inflow of delightful news amid a surge of fan enthusiasm.

[Debonaire ranked 15th and 19th on GloPorty]

[Billboard Global Chart ‘Sweet Demon’ 4th]

[Billboard Global ‘New Vibes’ 7th, congratulations!]

[Next up on the US chart 200, lol!]

[Debonaire ranked 1st in brand reputation♡]

[Responses are coming in from overseas!]

Of course, negative comments trailed along naturally.

─It’s not even Billboard 100, everyone’s on Global now

─I hear new groups every time making the list, they must like that too, lol

─For mid-range idols, this is lucky enough, there’s bound to be a limit anyway, just a downward trend ahead

─Riding on K-pop status isn’t all that great

However, the fans didn’t respond to any of it. Instead of tangled thoughts and perceptions, the lyrics of “New Vibes” represented their feelings by urging them to find their own path.

The domestic music scores had held the 1st and 2nd spots even after a month of release.

But there were times when debates couldn’t be avoided.

Not due to objective performance but baseless gossip.

After hitting the jackpot with the title track, they were now caught in controversies over character.

─Whoa… Did Do-hee really get kicked out of MC…?

└Would she really be kicked out? She probably quit because she got too busy.

─It really took ages for her to drop! Now I can relax and watch Yoo!
It took forever, haha! Now I can finally relax and watch Yuga.

└Honestly, aren’t you interested in the next MC?

└I bet the one with a nice tone hates all the pretty ones. Must be a mean-spirited pig auntie!! Haha!

─Heard Do-hee Lee has quite the personality issue… but hey, she’s held out for a long time.

└Stop talking nonsense! Haha! Everyone I worked with says she has a good reputation.

└Haha, that’s all viral nonsense! If you think about it, even the Bellyta scandal had her as an MC for over a year. Just saying! Haha!

└So, are you saying she’s nice to the production staff?

Of course, when emotions run high, you might end up saying something that causes resistance.

─It’s totally understandable to feel mentally exhausted standing next to Do-hee Lee while being blatantly compared to all the older sisters and brothers. This has happened more than once! Haha!

└(Photo) Seriously, can we stop taking the red pill now?

└Air’s personality is legendary! Looks just like its owner, sigh! Haha!

─Happy about the news of Do-hee Lee’s departure) Don’t have to see those older siblings getting crushed anymore.

└Not Air’s opinion. Eat. Gold.

Honestly, this self-destructive media battle was bound to continue until new news came along to lighten the community vibe.

And the first news as Debonaire officially entered its inactivity period was this.

─Whoa, I heard Do-hee Lee became a Chanel ambassador?

─Do-hee Lee’s Instagram just crossed 18 million followers; I felt it would happen!

─Seriously, Do-hee Lee is starting strong with high-end brands after Cartier…

─The more you downplay it, the more it thrives! Hilarious! Haha!

─Chanel definitely has that career woman image for those in their 20s and 30s; it seems to suit Do-hee Lee a bit.

Of course, the selection as a luxury brand ambassador has inevitably given rise to negative images recently.

─Why is everyone raving about ambassadors nowadays? It’s so cringy! Haha!

─The ambassador culture is really the root of the problem for teens and twenties, leading to unnecessary overspending. The term “luxury goods” is just too well-branded as a luxury item.

─Idols are ruining the kids.

But the reason all these facts don’t dominate the current community opinion is mainly this.

Do-hee Lee is the first high-end fashion ambassador to come from a mid-sized entertainment agency in K-pop history.

─Wait, seriously? This isn’t even a top four agency—Topist didn’t do anything weird, right? How did this happen??? The big four gives luxury sponsorships and viral promotions right from debut.

└Common sense says there’s no way Topist would give a spot to her, haha! It’s the incompetence of that company!

─Honestly, it’s hard to find another idol that matches Do-hee Lee’s abilities! Haha!

└For real, this is purely Do-hee Lee’s individual talent, no company backing here.

And there was one more thing.

─Whoa, hold on, this means they completely overlap, right…? Just like with Cartier!

─Is Do-hee Lee copying her?

─I heard those two are surprisingly a bit friendly…

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