GIJS

Chapter 119 4050? Even Better

From ancient times, live broadcasts of idols have often led to various incidents.

Since it's a live broadcast, there's no chance to thoroughly check the screen, nor can unexpected situations be edited out.

Top-tier idol Lunatic, now in their 7th year since debut, had made a similar mistake once.

During a live broadcast, an extra-large condom was found on the dorm floor.

Although it was later concluded that the condom was a playful gift from a fan, it unexpectedly led to a surge in popularity among international fans.

It's fortunate when such incidents can be laughed off as mere accidents.

One girl group, caught with Marlboro Reds in their closet, had to unintentionally shift their group concept from innocent to edgy.

One idol, who started a live broadcast while drunk, mistakenly called out the name of his secret girlfriend instead of a fan's, leading to a scandal.

Cases where discord among members was detected were not uncommon. In this way, idol live broadcasts are essentially a minefield of various incidents.

However, there had never been an instance of a wooden fish drum appearing in an idol live broadcast before.

[Why is there a wooden fish drum?] [Gunja, can you explain this?] [Did you go from changing your hairstyle to planning to shave your head?] [No way, right;;;;;;;] [I'm nervous because it's Gunjaㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [But this is really so randomㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [Seriously, who would have guessed this] [Did they just buy it because it looked cute and round?] [Will the mini 2nd album's light stick be a wooden fish drum?] [Are we going to have to hit the wooden fish drum at our concerts, Gunja?] [I'd rather it be a light stick] [I can hit the drum like crazy, but please don't join the Buddhist order]
The chat was blazing due to the wooden fish drum, but the members were too busy eating Gunja and Yuchan's cooking to notice.

Hyunjae, who was quick to catch on to the situation, hurriedly hid the wooden fish drum under the table, but the fans had already noticed its existence.

[What was that? Why did Hyunjae hide the wooden fish drum?] [Is there really something going on?] [If they all suddenly become bald monks and join Buddhism, I won't survive this] [That's a bit much, it's probably just some temple stay content] [I don't want to overreactㅠㅠㅠㅠ but these guys always exceed my expectations] [I can't deny that;;] [Gunja, just tell us already] [Why is there a wooden fish drum in your dorm?]
"Ah, well..."

Before Gunja could answer, one of the more educated members tried to calm the chat.

[Everyone, don't worry] [Have you heard of 'Revering Confucianism and Suppressing Buddhism'?] [Revering Confucianism and Suppressing Buddhism? How many billions is that?] [Tae-woong, turn off the chat] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [Let's stop with the jokes for a moment] [ㅇㅋㅇㅋ] ['Revering Confucianism and Suppressing Buddhism' means that during the Joseon Dynasty, they revered Confucianism and suppressed Buddhism] [But aren't Gunja and the others kind of like scholars from the Joseon Dynasty?] [So, whether it's a wooden fish drum or not, at least they won't be converting to Buddhism] [Wow, that's really smart] [PhewㅠㅠㅠㅠI feel a bit relieved now] [Imagine being more reassured by a lesson on 'Revering Confucianism and Suppressing Buddhism' than by denying dating rumors] [I guess I need to study too]
But then, Gunja spoke up.

"'Revering Confucianism and Suppressing Buddhism,' haha. Indeed, Confucianism fundamentally established Neo-Confucianism as the highest principle while rejecting all other philosophies and religions. However, the actual lives of scholars were somewhat different. Even King Sejong, in his later years, showed interest in Buddhism and tasked Grand Prince Suyang with translating Buddhist scriptures into Hangul. The great master of all Confucian scholars, Mokun Yi Saek, was also a believer in Buddhism. Although there's a saying that Joseon revered Confucianism and suppressed Buddhism, in reality, exceptional scholars embraced Buddhism without prejudice and studied it. The spirit of self-cultivation in Confucianism and the pursuit of truth within oneself in Buddhism share many similarities."

[He's so smart it's sexy but also unsettling] [Gunja, what are you talking about?] [You said you revered Confucianism and suppressed Buddhism!!] [I'm going to mute now] [Gunja, so why is there a wooden fish drum?] [Are you really going to become a monk?ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
"Ah, well... I can't say anything about that just yet."

With Gunja's vague response, the fans once again fell into chaos.

[Just tell us alreadyyyyy] [Don't leave us hanging like thisㅠㅠ] [Teasing fans with a wooden fish drum] [Is this some kind of Maha Prajna Paramita Hints?] [LOLㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [Okay, becoming a monk is really too much] [There's no way the Solar System would let that happen] [Solar System staff, sometimes you shouldn't respect the artists' wishes] [We're content with just one Confucian boy] [I'm not ready for a Buddhist boy yet] [Now I'm worried they'll introduce an Islamic boy next]
The live broadcast, which started as a cooking show, ended with the wooden fish drum incident. After hitting the live broadcast end button, the members looked at each other with expressions that said, "We're in trouble."

"Uh-oh, this is bad."

"The team leader told us not to drop any hints."

"But we ended up dropping hints anyway? Haha."

"By the way, why was the moktak there? I clearly put it away earlier."

"...I'm sorry."

"What, Gunja, did you touch it?"

"The sound was so clear that I just had to try it for a bit..."

"You don't even glance at luxury items but you like things like moktak."

"Luxury (明品)? Do you mean Ming Dynasty items? I like them."

"Let's drop it."

"Ugh, we're going to get scolded by the team leader."

"What can we do? We'll have to apologize in person tomorrow."

The next day at the meeting time, Team Leader Seo Eun-woo glared at the members as they entered the meeting room and crossed their arms with a stern expression. Before Seo Eun-woo could even greet them, the members bowed their heads 90 degrees.

"We're sorry..."

"...It's okay. What's done is done. There's nothing we can do now."

"That wasn't our intention..."

"I understand. Still, it's fortunate that nothing like cigarettes or alcohol came out from the dorm. But in the future, please manage any items that could be potential spoilers."

"Yes, we will!"

Although the members were scolded, the moktak incident had a positive effect as well. It succeeded in creating curiosity about new content.

What on earth were they planning that they brought a moktak to the dorm?

Seo Eun-woo was also curious.

"By the way, why a moktak specifically?"

"Oh, I was thinking of preparing a presentation on Buddhist cultural artifacts."

"Buddhist cultural artifacts?"

"We have so many beautiful temples and impressive pagodas in our country, hehe."

"Since Buddhist cultural artifacts are the core, I thought it would be good to include music sampled from the sound of the moktak in the presentation."

"I see."

"And hitting the moktak also has a purifying effect on the mind."

"Gunja, do you still have a mind to purify?"

"Hehe, for a scholar, self-cultivation is a lifelong task."

"Buddhist cultural artifacts... I don't think that's a bad idea. For now, we should have another meeting with Officer Gong Yu-min."

As soon as Seo Eun-woo contacted her, Officer Gong Yu-min rushed to the Solar System office. Unlike their first meeting, today Gong Yu-min wore full makeup and a bright blouse and skirt.

"Wow, Officer, you look so radiant today."

"Ehehe, actually, I don't usually come to work like this..."

"Really? Were you not coming from the company?"

"Well... I didn't know when the meeting would be, so I brought my clothes to the company locker room..."

"Pff, Officer! Can you really enjoy work meetings this much?"

"W-Well, hehe."

Seeing Gong Yu-min blush, Gunja said in a soft voice.

"Why are you surprised? Officer Gong Yu-min has always been beautiful."

"Gasp—."

Gong Yu-min felt her heart melting from Gunja's sweet words. Current's words were right. Is it okay to enjoy work meetings this much? But it was a good thing, after all.

"You are a wonderful person who works to preserve and promote cultural heritage. That alone is truly admirable and beautiful."

Not wanting to continue chatting, Gong Yu-min quickly brought up the agenda. Today's meeting was to share the cultural artifacts and video storytelling methods chosen by the members.

"So, we looked into Buddhist cultural artifacts."

"Aha, Buddhism?"

"Yes. We found Buddhist cultural artifacts with interesting legends and plan to create videos reinterpreting those legends."

Gong Yu-min nodded with a bright expression after listening to the members and Seo Eun-woo's explanations.

Although the time was short, the members had already prepared a lot.

The way to introduce the cultural artifacts in the video content, and the way to introduce the legends related to those artifacts.

After hearing the explanation, Gong Yu-min understood the full story behind the moktak incident.

"Aha, so that's why there was a moktak at the dorm..."

"Wow! Officer, do you also watch our live broadcasts?"

"Of course! I bought all the merchandise! I always make sure to set an alarm for the live broadcasts and sit properly to watch... Wait a moment."

Gripping her thoughts tightly to avoid slipping into fan signing, Gong Yu-min continued with the meeting.

"The things you mentioned are all really good."

"Really? Yay!"

"Officer Gong Yu-min, you need to stay calm."

"Hmm, even if I stay calm, it's quite good. It's much more exciting than the boring video synopses made by the previous production company."

"That's a relief."

"But the presentation method is as important as the content."

"The presentation method?"

"Yes."

Gong Yu-min's expression darkened a bit as she spoke.

Chillin Pictures came up with a proposal that was far better than she expected. However, it was uncertain whether that proposal would be enough to persuade the decision-makers.

"Those people will probably focus on the presentation. They might have already made up their minds."

"...I see."

"We need to make them open their eyes and ears. They should be completely focused on the video. We need to show them just how good our work is."

"Hmmm, focusing..."

After thinking for a moment, Seo Eun-woo asked Officer Gong Yu-min a question.

"By the way, how old are those decision-makers?"

"Age?"

"Yes."

"Well, they're probably in their late forties to mid-fifties?"

"I see."

"That's why I'm worried. Since they're older, it might be difficult for the younger Chillin Pictures to persuade them..."

"No, that's not the case."

"Really?"

"Being in their forties or fifties... that might be a good thing."

With that, Seo Eun-woo gave a confident smile.

Exactly two weeks later.

In the Central Auditorium of the Cultural Heritage Administration, a competitive presentation for selecting a promotional content production company was held.

The decision-makers, who had been sitting with a relaxed expression as if they were digesting lunch, had to adjust their posture as soon as Chillin Pictures' presentation began.

"...Ohhhh?"