Conditions for Becoming a Perfect Idol Leader

Episode 5

 

(T/N :- “천사” (Cheon Sa) means “Angel” in Korean.

 

So, “Cheon Sa-yoon” can be understood as a name or a phrase referring to someone who is associated with the concept of an angel.)

 

‘Angel, What. The angels are all gone.”

 

Go Young-in missed the timing to get angry because he was so dumbfounded.

 

Can’t he even live up to his name? Why is he so shameless? I think he was like this before…But was it this bad?

 

Go Young-in looked at Cheon Sa-yoon with a face full of suspicion.

 

Regardless of Go Young-in’s inner thoughts, Cheon Sa-yoon still looked naive.

 

“Are you still half asleep?”

 

Cheon Sa-yoon blinked innocently with a so-called ‘I don’t know anything’ expression.

 

“What the…!”

 

[Condition 28: A kind idol leader shows warm words and actions to members.]

 

‘A kind idol… what?’

 

“…f-ck?”

 

[Caution!]

 

[Accumulated status: Caution 1 time, Warning 0 times]

 

Go Young-in’s words trailed off.

 

As soon as I saw the unfamiliar status, the curse I was about to swallow couldn’t be contained and burst out.

 

Am I incapable of learning? I thought I had fixed the habit of swearing long ago.

 

Honestly, I couldn’t help but curse as soon as I saw the new content.

 

Although familiar but slightly different status and content turned my world upside down.

 

Of course, Cheon Sa-yoon was the cause of the anger.

 

‘Is this really how kind idol leaders are created?’

 

Forced conversations, forced kindness. Huh? D-mn it, what kind of new crap is this?

 

Haha. It hasn’t even been an hour since I came back, and I already have 1 caution…

 

If it reaches 10 cautions, it will become 5 warnings, and then reset after another death…

 

Was I always this impatient?

 

Stupid Go Young-in…

 

‘Sigh…’

 

“Cheon Sa-yoon, I got it, so get out right now…”

 

[Condition 28: A kind idol leader shows warm words and actions to the members.]

 

I’m going crazy. I really can’t say anything. Are they asking me to take a vow of silence?

 

I’ve always been able to overlook the status windows that tell me not to be rude, as long as I don’t say it in a way that’s offensive. But this… What the hell…

 

Go Young-in hoped the twitching at the corners of his mouth was an illusion.

 

“…Would you like to wait in the living room?”

 

“Umm.”

 

Cheon Sa-yoon, pretending to think, responded before bursting into a big smile. Please, stop using that face like this.

 

“I don’t want to. This is also my room.”

 

Don’t want to? I don’t want to either. This kid… Come to think of it, there was a time when Cheon Sa-yoon and I were roommates.

 

‘If it’s going to be like this, why bother in the first place?’

 

Although Go Young-in seemed to know the answer, he couldn’t help but ask inwardly.

 

Cheon Sa-yoon attempt to imitate an innocent expression as if asking what happened was disgustingly unnatural.

 

It was only now that he started to pay attention to such a person, and he still wasn’t used to it.

 

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand that guy’s actions.

 

[Condition 11 | A kind idol leader should have broad understanding and handle the members.]

 

“…”

 

Go Young-in forced the words he wanted to say back into his mouth and a gentle smile appeared on his lips. It was truly a smile of detachment.

 

Go Young-in, if you get angry, you’ll lose. Stay calm. Go Young-in clenched and loosened his fist briefly.

 

“…Cheon Sa-yoon. Sa yoon-ah.”

 

“Yes, hyung.”

 

Cheon Sa-yoon responded with an innocent smile on his face. In Go Young-in’s eyes, it was a smile that looked extremely ominous.

 

“…No, it’s okay. I’ll get ready.”

 

There was nothing he could do about being the one who would suffer if he spoke up. First, he felt the need to wash up and clear his mind.

 

At this moment, Go Young-in’s face looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept for several days.

 

[Condition 1 | A perfect idol must work hard to maintain a perfect visual appearance.]

 

All right, f-cker.

 

***

 

I hurriedly showered and came out, only to find that the crazy bastard had disappeared without a trace.

 

‘Why the hell did he annoy me if he was going out anyway?…’

 

I thought to myself. As soon as I stepped out, I saw the road manager waiting, so I quickly got ready and hurriedly got into the van, taking my seat.

 

As soon as I settled into my seat, the person sitting next to me waved his hand lazily and spoke.

 

“You’re late, Go Young-in. So not like you.”

 

It was Kyeon Inwoo, a member of Zero One, the same team as me, and the only one in the team who was the same age as me.

 

Kyeon Inwoo was wearing a black cap pulled down low, lounging in his seat with his legs stretched out.

 

Despite his slouched posture, he didn’t seem to care at all that his fashionable thick-rimmed glasses had slipped down slightly.

 

“I guess I’m tired. I had a nightmare.”

 

More like a horrifying nightmare. I’d prefer to call it a night terror.

 

“A nightmare? Did you get any sleep?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

I don’t know why saying I had a nightmare makes it seem like such a big deal, but at least it’s true that I woke up later than usual.

 

For some reason, Kyeon Inwoo, who had been sitting with a lethargic expression on his face, suddenly chuckled. It was a refreshing smile that suited his face.

 

“Well, if that’s the case, it’s fine. It’s not like you’re too late or anything, and Manager Hyung was pissed because you’re not answering his calls, so I made sure to cover for you.”

 

“Oh. Really?”

 

Honestly, I don’t know how to respond to his friendly conversation.

 

Go Young-in nodded with a somewhat grateful expression. It was his way of expressing thanks.

 

[Condition 33 | A kind idol leader knows how to express sincere gratitude and apology to the members.]

 

Ugh.

 

“….Thanks.”

 

Kyeon Inwoo, who had just spoken amiably moments ago, either didn’t realize it was directed at him or didn’t care, and instead of responding, he focused on his mobile game, which he must have started at some point without even me noticing.

 

I didn’t really expect a response, but it still felt awkward for some reason.

 

Crazy status window, does this really make any difference if I keep doing it?

 

Just thinking about continuing to act like this made me feel drained. Me who sensed something, quickly straightened up my tired body.

 

‘Enough. Get it together. There are more important things to focus on now.’

 

I was thinking about what kind of image the group Zero One had and what incidents had occurred around this time.

 

But before that………..

 

[Condition 14: Perfect idols often spend time communicating with their fans.]

 

‘Yeah, damn it. This is more important. Perfect…than a kind leader. Anyway, there’s no time to waste. Gotta do what needs to be done. Who cares about being a kind leader.’

 

Go Young-in quickly sent off a ‘mubble’ that he hadn’t sent yet, holding up his phone.

 

“Mubble” was a private paid communication app where artists and fans could exchange messages in a chat room setting.

 

From the artist’s perspective, it appeared as a group chat format, but for fans, it felt like a 1:1 chat room, allowing them to feel a personal connection.

 

Recently, it has become an important means of direct communication with fans.

 

It was one of the annoyingly important things the status window kept emphasizing. I couldn’t remember when I started looking for messages before the status bar even alerted me.

 

‘It’s not like I’m Pavlov’s dog.’*

 

(T/N : The phrase “뭔 파블로프의 개도 아니고” is a Korean expression that translates to “It’s not like I’m Pavlov’s dog.” It is often used to express frustration or disbelief when something is particularly unexpected, irrational, or unrelated to the situation at hand.)

 

Go Young-in was always consistent in sending messages at regular times.

 

Eventually, it became interesting to see fans’ reactions.

 

Anyway, fans who were worried when Go Young-in didn’t send a mubble message at his usual time of sending morning greetings continued to send messages, wondering if something had happened.

 

Although I had failed once, I had debuted before.

 

I might not be a perfect idol, but I wasn’t stupid enough to forget what I had done so far.

 

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[ <ARTIST> Go Young-in ]

It’s Young-in.

Did our Aoni sleep well and wake up?

I’ll come to see you soon looking pretty.

Let’s have a happy and energetic day today~

I miss you so much, Aoni 🐱🐱🐱

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Five-cats 🥀 @JJOB_Catmom

Young-in replied to my mubble message ㅠㅠ!

 

Your morning greeting is so cute ㅠㅠ

You’re always beautiful, Young-in ㅠㅠㅠ Even your way of speaking is so adorable ㅠㅠㅠ

 

Oh my gosh, look at the emoji at the end, it’s like you, Cat leader 🐱🐱🐱

 

#Young-in Mubble #CatMubble

 

Shared 721 times, Quoted 21 times, Liked 1,980 times

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Seong Joong Patrol @tqakdnEvWkQO

Reply to @JJOB_Catmom

Go Young-in is a 22-year-old adult. Please don’t consume him with a member’s childlike image.

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Five-cats 🥀 @JJOB_Catmom

Reply to @tqakdnEvWkQO

 

What’s wrong with you, you son of a bi-ch? Don’t ruin my mood while I’m suffering, just f-ck off.

 

ㄸ @YuihdOOeQdv

If it weren’t for Go Young-in mubble, I wouldn’t even know they exist

his mubble comes often but where are the members’ mubble?

Shared 71 times, Quoted 345 times, Liked 53 times

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(Main account locked)(Zero One 2nd Anniversary❤) Can’t Stand Minji @NOSTOP_minji

Reply to @YuihdOOeQdv

It’s Young-in, he’s naturally lovely, that’s why haha

It’s not like they’re not using mubble at all, Yoon chatted with us yesterday, and Inwoo earlier too. Why are you like this? The members aren’t just like you, clinging to their phones like a lonely loser in the corner, you knowㅠㅠ

 

Hmm… By this point, it’s almost like having another persona. Did I send it too politely?

 

I used to worry whether it’s okay every time I communicate like this.

 

Do they like it? I’m not good at saying such awkward things, so it felt embarrassing.

 

‘No, I can’t swear at fans.’

 

Young-in tried to make excuses that wouldn’t be heard by anyone.

 

It felt strangely subtle. Itchy yet heavy in one corner of the heart.

 

The image of fans turning away disappointedly from Zero One seemed to overlap.

 

While pondering various thoughts, suddenly his shoulder felt heavy.

 

Young-in’s head turns involuntarily. Kyeon Inwoo was leaning on Young-in’s shoulder, chuckling.

 

Is he always like this? The guy who seemed sullen until just now strangely looked happy.

 

‘Why are you like this?’

 

[Condition 2: Kind idol leaders frequently communicate with members, even if briefly.]

 

No, seriously, what’s this? No matter how much I think about it, this status window seems to have its own terms, right?

 

If you ask what kind of leader does such things, it’s clearly to create an escape route, sticking the adjective ‘kind’ in front.

 

“You look good today, don’t you?”

 

What’s wrong with this guy’s eyes? What is he even looking at?

 

Kyeon Inwoo pointed at Young-in ‘s hand holding the phone with his chin.

 

“So, why are you working so hard?”

 

“Mubble.”

 

[Condition 2: Kind idol leaders frequently communicate with members, even if briefly.]

 

‘They said it doesn’t matter if it’s short.’

 

Young-in grumbled inwardly and carefully chose his words.

 

“I’m sending it every morning. As a way of greeting.”

 

“Oh, that.”

 

After running the mubble app on his own phone, Kyeon Inwoo pushed the screen towards Young-in’s face.

 

Young-in frowned with a puzzled expression as he looked at the phone.

 

Why is he smiling confidently? What’s he expecting me to do?

 

────────────────

[ <ARTIST> KYEONINWOO ]

 

Haha lol

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[ <ARTIST> KYEONINWOO ]

 

Oh

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“……”

 

Insane.