Conditions for Becoming a Perfect Idol Leader

Episode 4

 

“Sigh… Well, whatever.”

 

‘Pull yourself together. There’s no point in sulking, nothing changes, and no one notices. Let’s stop acting like victims.’

 

It was a quick surrender born out of experience.

 

Hadn’t he experienced a reset in some episode where he did nothing, just languished lethargically, and then experienced a reset in some way?

 

Go Young-in shook his head irritably. Of course, this was possible because he was alone in the room.

 

If anyone else had been around, the crazy status window would have surely warned against reckless behavior with a loud alarm.

 

For the first time, he returned not to his childhood self but to his adult self.

 

It seemed like a benefit, but it happened to be the second anniversary of Zero One’s debut.

 

It wasn’t even before their debut, so there must be a reason why he was sent back at this time.

 

‘…Or there isn’t?’

 

He doubted if it wasn’t just the perfect time for him to suffer.

 

And to top it off, he was the leader now.

 

This was like some kind of ghostly joke. What about the existing members who were leaders before?

 

Sure, he was the one who hastily gathered the members with potential. But that didn’t mean he was supposed to be the leader of the group.

 

He had reluctantly taken on the role just in case he had to endure another reset.

 

Handling himself was already a challenge, let alone taking responsibility for someone else.

 

Surely, judging by the history of Zero One members, it was right.

 

School violence, dr-gs, scandals… There were controversies that could easily surface in society, not to mention issues like plagiarism, attitude problems, and the like, causing significant damage to their image.

 

The biggest problem, however, was Go Young-in himself.

 

Despite experiencing it himself, there were many parts that he couldn’t remember clearly.

 

Of course, he remembered major events or intense incidents, but predicting exactly what happened was difficult.

 

Even the major events were jumbled up, making it hard to predict when they occurred.

 

Moreover, the Zero One members were only bound by formal contracts and didn’t communicate with each other properly.

 

Therefore, although Go Young-in knew what activities Zero One had been involved in and what he had been doing around that time, he knew almost nothing about what the individual members of Zero One had been doing personally.

 

‘Go Young-in, you fool, you should’ve just kept recording…’

 

If I had known I would return after our debut, would I have written something down, even forced myself?

 

I don’t know. Even if I try to think positively, I can’t shake off the bad thoughts.

 

My head already hurts enough, and now there are new conditions and additional terms.

 

Couldn’t they at least provide a detailed explanation of what has been added?

 

Of course, the status window has been almost unfailingly kind, so it’s just a meaningless complaint, but still.

 

<50 Conditions to Become a Kind Idol Leader>

 

‘This makes no sense!’

 

Just hearing this made him really not want to keep it.

 

If he had just been a kind idol, he might not have had these thoughts.

 

But with the word “leader” attached, he couldn’t help but unconsciously think, ‘Could it be…?’

 

‘A kind idol leader… The fact that the word ‘leader’ is included means that it’s a condition that applies only to Zero One members.’

 

A plausible but unwanted conjecture flashed through Go Young-in’s mind in an instant.

 

Was there some condition attached to his behavior towards the members? It was a terrifying thought.

 

‘Kind leader, perfect system, anything like that exists?’

 

The explanations were unhelpful, and Go Young-in was left frustrated without proper clarification.

 

‘Should I just withdraw and start anew or go solo?’

 

It had come to the point where he was considering such thoughts.

 

Unfortunately, these extreme and impulsive thoughts of Go Young-in were rejected by the status window.

 

[An idol is not just an individual but a ‘team’ The leader must lead the team members forward for the group’s success.]

 

[Challenge yourself to become the best idol as the leader of Zero One!]

 

The phrase that always ended with “Challenge yourself to become the best idol!” now had “Leader of Zero One” added to it.

 

Leader of Zero One… It had to be this team, right? And leader…

 

D-mn it, what a useless status window.

 

What’s the point of becoming a leader in the first place? It’s not like things will go smoother just because I’m the leader.

 

[Condition 18 | A perfect idol does not speak or act recklessly anywhere.]

 

As long as you don’t say it out loud, it’s fine, right?

 

Seriously, what a joke.

 

If they’re going to give rewards, they should do it properly. Giving shit and calling it a reward.

 

From the beginning, Zero One was truly a business-oriented group.

 

There were hardly any incidents that could come from a close relationship, such as having separate conversations with members or sharing daily life.

 

When asked if the relationship between Go Young-in and the Zero One members was bad, it was so vague that even Go Young-in himself didn’t know.

 

In the end, it meant he had to somehow stay with the members…

 

Could he prevent incidents that could cause problems?

 

Even how to prevent them was daunting, and frankly, he couldn’t even be sure if he could change anything.

 

[Condition 63 | A perfect idol does not engage in acts that may cause social controversy.]

 

‘Make it happen even if it can’t be done, just say it outright. Don’t beat around the bush. And all these incidents they’ve caused…’

 

Go Young-in sighed in frustration.

 

–Knock

 

Almost simultaneously with the light tapping on the door, the closed door slid open.

 

It was an inconsiderate knock that didn’t seem to seek permission by tapping on the door.

 

‘What’s up.’

 

Go Young-in’s gaze naturally turned towards the door. Soon, as the door opened, he locked eyes with the uninvited guest.

 

With light sandy hair and a gentle demeanor, the man had a slender figure, neat attire, and an overall sophisticated appearance.

 

The man was staring at Go Young-in without any greeting.

 

‘Cheon Sa-yoon?’

 

“Hmm.”

 

The uninvited guest, Cheon Sa-yoon, who quietly sighed while touching his lips, was not only a member of Zero One but also had been the original leader of the group.

 

Being a leader meant he must have had some vision. Come to think of it, the Cheon Sa-yoon he remembered was quite sociable and had a diligent image.

 

‘Wasn’t the leader position also recommended by the agency staff?’

 

“Did you really just wake up?”

 

Cheon Sa-yoon asked in a worried tone.

 

Go Young-in narrowed his eyes and looked at Cheon Sa-yoon.

 

Judging by his face, Cheon Sa-yoon was right. But looking at his expression, it seemed more like a sarcastic comment about waking up late.

 

‘I must be mistaken.’

 

“At least you’re not dead.”

 

Although his expression seemed genuinely worried and clueless about what to do, Go Young-in couldn’t hide a childish smile in response to Cheon Sa-yoon’s voice.

 

…There’s no mistaking it. Despite his diligent appearance, he didn’t have a weak personality. He remembered that much.

 

But wasn’t there some controversy about his character? He was someone who had a face and personality like an angel, as his name suggested.

 

“So, how long do you plan on just sitting here? Did we schedule a nap?”

 

Was I mistaken…?

 

To pretend to check the time, Go Young-in smoothly picked up the phone lying on the bedside table, which was the same model he used before, confirming his suspicions.

 

Unlocking the phone, Go Young-in quickly scanned through the calendar memo that popped up on the banner.

 

First of all, I oversleep… At this time, it was definitely… the 2nd-anniversary live broadcast, vocal and dance rehearsals…

 

What else was there?

 

There were also various SNS notifications and missed calls piled up, including several missed calls from a contact saved as “Manager.”

 

D-mn it. I texted him first, apologizing for being late.

 

‘…Man, with so many changes in managers, I don’t even know who this ‘Manager’ is.’

 

Let’s just send Cheon Sa-yoon out first. Then things might get sorted out roughly.

 

D-mn it, because the long, scruffy, elongated guy was standing and staring at him like he was watching him.

It was hard to focus properly.

 

Go Young-in pretended to be nonchalant and swallowed the curse that was stuck in his mouth like a thorn.

 

“…Thanks for letting me know, anyway.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Cheon Sa-yoon responded softly to Go Young-in’s words with a gentle smile.

 

His slightly drooping eyes drew a long curve. His unique smile made Cheon Sa-yoon’s expression even softer and brighter.

 

“It’s not just it, it’s the day of our comeback concept meeting. Why are you pretending not to know?”

 

What the hell… Damn it, Did he realise I was trying to play it cool?

 

Just as Go Young-in was about to speak again…

 

“Are you an idiot?”

 

Cheon Sa-yoon tilted his head with genuine curiosity.

 

His tone and voice were so gentle that it almost seemed like he didn’t swear at all.