Chapter 102

The gasp of admiration turned into a burst of laughter in an instant.

– Puhahaha!

Not just the MC and the members, but even the production staff were bursting into laughter.

“……”

I was like a lone island, quiet and isolated.

“Yes! Let’s give a round of applause for our amazing Do-hee!”

The MC, who had been laughing heartily, clapped and gestured proudly.

– Clap clap clap~

I realized that the sound of applause could also sound like mocking laughter.

In fact, the members were openly laughing at me.

Of course, it was more of a ‘that’s so cute’ kind of laugh, but to me, it felt the same.

“Clap woohoo ha ha ha.”

“Oh, I knew Do-hee would do something like that, khehehe.”

“Ah… so cute…”

“The youngest is the best~!”

“Yes, you were amazing, Do-hee! Good job!”

Even Kim Ye-eun was…

“Huh… sniff… phew…”

“……”

The MC exaggeratedly gave a double thumbs up with a beaming smile.

“Ooh, I thought you were just cute, but you’re also cool~? Do-hee, you’re the best!”

I felt a bit wronged despite being teased.

“…But wasn’t I really cool…? I really thought I was cool…”

“Seriously… that was the first time in a while I liked my performance…”

The more I felt wronged, the more excited everyone around me became.

“Of course! I thought it was cool! Good good good!”

The pumped-up MC began chatting eagerly with the members.

“Our youngest! Do-hee is really full of self-love right now, what do the members think!?”

The first to respond was Kim Seo-yoon.

Kim Seo-yoon was fully agreeing, bursting out words excitedly.

“Totally, totally! Do-hee is just definitely a narcissist, you know?!”

“Why? What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“There are so many reasons, but let me just say one—Do-hee’s phone background is, I kid you not, a picture of herself!”

The members started to chime in.

“No way!! That’s true!”

“Oh my gosh, I was shocked when I saw that!”

“Ha ha, look at her face getting red.”

… But my lock screen is a photo of Do-ah.

And there’s nothing wrong with having my own face as the wallpaper, right?

It’s my phone, so my face should be there…

“Ooh~ How much do you love yourself! Do-hee, is it true?”

“No… um…”

Before I could explain, Hara, who was laughing along, clapped her hands and said with excitement, as if she just remembered something.

“Yeah, yeah! One time, I opened the bathroom door not knowing someone was inside, right? And it was Do-hee in there.”

Stop it…

“I thought Do-hee would tell me to leave right away, but she didn’t even notice I came in and was staring at the mirror, talking to herself!”
“Are you trying to be funny?”

“No, that’s not how you fix your hair…”

“What are you saying? How did she do it?”

Ha-rang Unni stared into the empty air as if looking into a mirror. Then, she placed her hands on her cheeks, acting as if she were drunk on herself, striking countless poses like being sultry, cool, blushing, charismatic, and so on.

“No, I’ve never gone that far…!”

I just practiced the expressions I’d make on stage…

Maybe…

“I just practiced and made faces! If you keep saying that, everyone will misunderstand!”

“Ha-rang, what’s the truth? You must tell us the genuine 100% real story!”

“I’m putting my idol life on the line; this is 100% real.”

“Yes! Everyone! This is 100% real!”

…No way.

*

In the dimly lit dorm.

A rare opportunity for sleep.

“Do-hee, are you sleeping?”

“What’s our youngest doing? Are you sleeping? It’s outside~?”

Suddenly, Kim Seo-yoon and Jeon Ha-rang cautiously climbed onto my bed.

“…Get out.”

I tried to push them away, but they didn’t budge.

They’re annoyingly heavy.

Kim Seo-yoon grabbed my arm and crossed her arms, saying, “Why~ we’ve been friends for four years~ are you sulking?”

Jeon Ha-rang lay sideways on the bed, looking straight at me and said, “Our dear, how can your sulky expression be so beautiful? It makes people go crazy~”

Sara Unni also joined me on my bed behind them, wrapping her arms around me.

“I want to do it too~”

Ah… seriously.

“Ah, get out, all of you!”

Chae-rin Unni, still wearing a sleep mask on the next bed, quietly chimed in, “Yeah… we have a schedule tomorrow… let’s sleep now…”

“When Do-hee stops sulking, I’ll get out~”

“Should we hold hands to sleep tonight, dear?”

“I’m just gonna sleep here, hehehe…”

Ha-ah…

“Hey, did you see her smile slightly when I said she was pretty? For real, chills.”

“When did I!”

.

.

.

After struggling for a while, I reluctantly accepted Chae-rin Unni’s apology since she looked incredibly tired.

*

Sangam-dong LE Center.

It was still 4 AM, far from dawn.

It was early November, but the chill in the air was thick.

Yet, fans were lined up in droves.

The gender ratio was a perfect split between men and women, the most ideal balance.

Especially women in their 20s were seen as the prime target demographic by all entertainment agencies.

They were the demographic with purchasing power, time, and lives dedicated to idols.
And here came Do-hee’s Home Mama, all bundled up in a long padded coat, entering the LE Center, targeting the main demographic of women in their 20s.

The official cafe, established just two days ago, has already surpassed 30,000 members, despite being set up simultaneously with the showcase. You could really see the firepower of the fans.

Then came yesterday evening’s announcement on the official cafe.

[Notice) 20221103 Mwave – Mpulse Pre-recording Participation Guide]

Hello, this is the fan cafe Manager.

We’re here to inform you about the participation method for the pre-recording featuring [SAVEN]. If any [SAVEN-U] wish to join, please check the details below.

Date: November 3rd (Thursday) AM 6:00

Location: Sangam LE Center

Capacity: 400 people (50 standby)

Check-in Time: November 3rd (Thursday) AM 4:00

It’s first-come, first-served! One of the lucky attendees was Do-hee’s Home Mama, who, thanks to years of dedication, smoothly snagged a spot.

“Oh, limited edition photocards from the first recording, nice!!!”

Do-hee’s Home Mama was too excited to sleep and ended up staying up all night, thrilled to be part of ‘SAVEN’s first pre-recording.

“Are you here?”

Familiar faces greeted her. These were fellow Home Mamas she often met since ‘SAVEN’ formed. Everyone seemed unable to sleep, waiting in anticipation for the first public event.

Some fans even came with sleeping bags!

“Why are you late?”

“It was so cold, I was waiting at the coffee shop…”

“Oh, come drink some! They sent a coffee truck!”

Now that she thought about it, every fan and Home Mama had warm coffees in their hands, held by holders featuring [SAVEN] members’ faces.

Looking in the direction her fellow Home Mama pointed, a coffee truck with a banner for [SAVEN] was indeed there.

“Why are they sending a coffee truck already for just a couple of kids…?!”

It was a reverse gift coffee truck for the fans attending their first pre-recording.

“See, that’s why you’ve got to support the popular ones!”

After the pre-recording ended, when the fan manager brought various cosmetics and a macaroon set as a reverse gift, she was so overwhelmed she nearly cried.

*

“I’m so sleepy…”

“Me too…”

“Now we’re gonna have to do this all the time…”

Complaining were Kim Seo-yoon and Ha-rang Unni. It was expected since they made such a ruckus at the club every night before.

“I told you to keep it down and go to sleep yesterday, right?”

Ha-rang Unni got knocked off her complaining trail by Hana Unni.

Of course, it wasn’t just the two of them; other members were huddled together on the sofa, eyes closed. They didn’t look comfortable due to their excitement and nervousness over the first pre-recording, but the drowsiness was too strong for anyone to handle.
I probably only slept for two hours because I stopped by the shop from two in the morning to get my hair and makeup done.

Still, Hana Unni and I were pretty lively.

“Do-hee, are you okay?”

Hana Unni asked me as I chugged down an energy drink with my eyes wide open.

“I’m tired, just hanging in there. I can’t let my eyes swell up, right?”

Of course, it’s okay if my eyes puff up a bit, but I have to look even prettier on screen.

It’s not for me.

It’s for the fans.

Really.

“Of course, Do-hee is perfect for a leader~”

That’s true.

With nothing to do during the waiting time, I decided to check the official cafe a bit.

In the free bulletin board, fans waiting outside were continuously posting real-time recordings and evidence.

And in their photos, everyone was holding coffee cups.

‘An iced Americano in this weather…’

Anyway, seeing everyone enjoying it made me feel like my fatigue was slipping away.

I had suggested sending out a message too.

Of course, they said they were planning to send it anyway.

While browsing through the evidence posts, an article titled [Initial Sales Already Surpassed 250,000!] caught my eye.

//(Seoul=Unit News) Reporter Kim Ye-dam = The girl group Seven (SAVEN), formed through the Mwave audition program ‘Just Choose Your Idol – Season 3,’ has recorded over 250,000 album sales just three days after their debut.

According to their agency Shock Entertainment on the 2nd, the sale amount for Seven’s album ‘AURORA’ released on the 31st has surpassed 250,000 copies on the Hanta chart on the third day.

The agency stated, “This is already the number one initial record for a girl group debut album and is setting new initial records,” explaining that it has the highest sales compared to rookie groups that debuted in 2021 and 2022.

Meanwhile, Seven’s first album has also ranked high on the music charts.//

Oh… I see.

I didn’t even realize such articles were coming out because everything’s been so hectic.

I actually knew that we’d broken the initial sales record for girl group debut albums since we sold 200,000 copies on the first day.

We even had a celebration party right after.

‘So does this mean we’ll be number one right away?’

With Watermelon Real-Time Music Chart at number one and daily charts also entered at number three, it seems we’ll be hitting number one soon, regardless of being late or early.

“Unni, shouldn’t we prepare our remarks for when we hit number one today?”

“Not yet; we have to wait until the first week totals are in.”

“Oh… I didn’t know that.”

“Quickly put a post on Insta thanking the fans.”

“I posted that on the first day.”

“Then this time you can post it for our first music show.”

“Actually, I’ve already uploaded a selfie.”

“What about the message?”

I don’t know; I bet the fans would prefer my photo over my message anyway.

---

Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.