GIJS

Chapter 142 Synergy

"Gunja... Hmm—"

As Pael rested his chin on his hand, contemplating, Ji hyunsu confidently began speaking.

"Hehe, it seems even you, hyung, don't have any feedback for our Gunja."

"No, that's not it. I was just trying to figure out where to start."

"Gosh, does that mean there's a lot to correct..."

"Yeah."

Pael's cool response shocked both Ji hyunsu and Gunja simultaneously.

Even though he thought he had built up his skills as an idol over the past few months, it seems that from the perspective of the seniors, there's still a lot lacking...

Gunja, who had knelt down in front of Pael, felt his eyes well up with tears.

"Hyung..."

"What's with you?"

"Please teach me... I'll do my best in both dance and singing..."

"You seem to be misunderstanding something."

"...Yes?"

"What you lack isn't dancing or singing. From a technical standpoint of performance, neither Leon, nor I have any advice to give you. Honestly, you're really doing well."

"Really?"

Gunja's face brightened immediately, but Pael's words were not yet over.

"However, we are not just performance robots performing like machines. We need to move the emotions of those who are watching us."

"..."

"Of course, up until now, fans have accepted Gunja's awkward and unique appearance as part of his character, but from now on, you need to think more about your expressiveness. Especially about how to use your facial expressions and immerse yourself in various concepts."

"...Yes, hyung."

"You can't keep just playing the polite and courteous scholar forever, can you?"

"That's right."

Gunja humbly accepted the advice and nodded.

The criticism was so accurate that there was no room for rebuttal. He had realized this for the first time during [Mission Impossibuddha] when he attempted acting. He didn't have the expressive range to portray diverse personalities.

While he could soar high when dressed in the perfect outfit, as an idol, he couldn't always choose only the concepts he liked.

To show fans more varied sides of himself, he needed to work even harder from now on.

As he bit his lip and nodded, Pael couldn't hide his satisfied smile. Trying to conceal his twitching mouth, Pael continued with the feedback.

"Other members have trained in these aspects during their trainee period, but Gunja, you haven't. So, you need to help each other in these areas. Especially with expressions, the current members like Hyunjae and Si-woo can assist you a lot."

"Got it!"

"It's good to praise each other, but a true teammate will point out the areas that need improvement when they see deficiencies."

"Yes!"

Gunja, now with a renewed sense of motivation, eagerly asked:

"Pael hyung, what should I practice first!"

"Hmm... First of all, you're too modest on stage."

"Is that so..."

"Modesty is good, but sometimes you need to act like you're the best in the world. You need to flaunt it."

"Flaunt..."

"Throw out some cocky, arrogant looks too."

"Arrogant..."

For a moment, Gunja was mumbling about propriety, seemingly filled with self-doubt. However, he quickly slapped his cheeks and seemed to gather his resolve, strengthening his gaze once again.

"Alright. Arrogance! Can you check my expression?"

"Oh? Sure."

"I'm a very bad person!"

With self-hypnosis, Gunja frowned and shot out a menacing aura. His extremely serious expression made everyone struggle to hold back their laughter. If Pael hadn't stopped him, even Leon would have burst into laughter.

"Haha, Gunja! Are you filming a sitcom?"

"Isn't this it?"

"It doesn't just happen suddenly. You need to keep practicing in front of the mirror. Eventually, bringing out different personas inside you will become as natural as turning a sock inside out."

"Oh, really..."

Listening to Pael's words, Gunja nodded repeatedly. From today, he would cultivate a truly bad persona within him.

Though it seemed it wouldn't be easy, it was undoubtedly a necessary process to become the best idol.

"Alright, let's think about what we talked about and try the group performance again."

"Got it!"

The practice continued for quite some time. In the end, not only the members but also Pael was drenched in sweat and collapsed on the floor.

"Phew—."

"Come on, let's take a short break."

"A short break? Just rest. We're done!"

"Ahh, thank you for your hard work—!!"

"Thank you, hyung!"

As they gathered their remaining strength to thank Pael, a status window suddenly appeared before Gunja's eyes.

"!"

What was even more surprising was that translucent status windows appeared above the heads of all seven members, including Gunja.

[Synergy among members activated.] [Stage 1 Synergy is now active.] [Performance ability slightly increased during group performances.]
"Oh!"

"What's this, Gunja? Do you still have energy left..."

Although everyone was in a near-exhausted state, Gunja was the only one with a face beaded with sweat, smiling brightly. The rare appearance of the status window brought another great gift to Gunja.

Wow, you really are limitless!

* * *

The massive project [Dynasty], with capital from three countries, had a challenging task of appointing a general PD.

China had invested the most money, but they had no experience in producing high-quality idol survival shows.

Japan, known as the origin of idol survival shows, had a media style that was too unique to create a global broadcast.

Ultimately, the answer was South Korea. Currently producing the most sophisticated content in the world, Korea also excelled in idol survival shows.

Kim Seok-hoon, a former PD at Music Planet, a media group under MP, who had recently become a freelancer, was appointed as the overall PD for [Dynasty].

"I was going to stay low as a freelancer, but I guess it's my fate to attract attention."

Kim Seok-hoon redefined the foundation of the project.

The only demand from the investors was to create a program with the highest level of buzz and viewership.

The budget was more than sufficient. [Dynasty] was set to be ten times bigger in scale than [AYukSi's].

"I'll just do what I'm good at."

On such a grand stage, Kim Seok-hoon painted his picture in his own way. More provocative, more attention-grabbing. The name of the program, 'Dynasty,' perfectly matched Kim Seok-hoon's taste.

Kim Seok-hoon, who rebuilt the program planning with his production team, gathered the seven idols participating in [Dynasty] in Korea. It was the first production meeting for the worldwide idol survival show [Dynasty].

It was also the first opportunity for the participating teams, including 7IN, to meet face-to-face. Dozens of idols gathered in one place, awkwardly bowing and greeting each other.

"Hello."

"Kon'nichiwa-."

Gunja observed the surroundings, bowing in all directions as if he were a greeting machine.

These are idols from other countries. Soon, we'll exchange idol cultures from each country, so they are like ambassadors.

Historically, it was customary to act respectfully towards foreign delegations. It was an act that enhanced the pride and dignity of one's own country.

The reactions of the idols from different countries to Gunja's polite greetings were varied.

Japanese idols were more dramatic. When Gunja bowed at 90 degrees, they bent their waists at 100 degrees.

Moreover, even when just making eye contact, they would exclaim "Hee~" or "Hoo~" and smile with their eyes, making it hard for Gunja to find where to look.

"Hey Gunja, Japanese people definitely have great reactions."

"Yeah, it seems like that..."

"Isn't it a bit overwhelming?"

"That's what I'm saying..."

However, there were other hurdles. When avoiding the gaze of the Japanese idols, Gunja faced the American idols, who had a more casual demeanor.

"Hey, What's Up!"

"Wow, you're here? Hmm, you're here..."

"I saw your clip on YouTube!"

"Uh, haha, yeah yeah."

Seeing them use informal language right off the bat, Gunja wondered if this was the culture of the Americans. Although it was awkward to use informal language on first meeting, Gunja decided to respect their culture.

While Japanese and American idols were sociable, the Chinese idols behaved differently.

They seemed uninterested in interacting or greeting idols from other countries. From the moment they entered the meeting room, they only conversed among themselves.

Though it wasn't a major concern for Gunja, it was not easy to ignore. Their loud voices made it difficult to disregard them.

"Ugh, it feels like my ears are going to bleed..."

Thanks to Kim Seok-hoon's request for quiet, the loud voices subsided. Though it took three requests for silence before it finally calmed down, Gunja and the members' eardrums were finally able to find some peace.

"Everyone, hello. I'm Kim Seok-hoon, the PD for [Dynasty]. Nice to meet you."

He was a familiar face to the 7IN members. Seeing Kim Seok-hoon's face brought back memories of [AYukSi], causing a few members to shudder.

"Ugh, that was really tough during [AYukSi]."

"It was a valuable program, but it was definitely tough."

"This one should be less tough, right? I hope."

However, the details Kim Seok-hoon announced were contrary to Ji hyunsu's expectations.

"The teams participating in [Dynasty] will be staying together in the dormitory for a month and will compete in four rounds."

"Ugh—"

"A month in the dormitory?"

"But don't worry. The facilities at the filming set will be top-notch. In fact, they will be much cozier and more comfortable than the space you're living in now."

With a playful expression, Kim Seok-hoon looked towards the 7IN members.

"Of course, it will be far superior to the facilities during [AYukSi]."

"Phew—"

"This is the place where you'll be living for a month, 'Dynasty Castle.'"

A large screen displayed an overview and interior preview of the set. As Kim Seok-hoon described, the facilities resembled a luxury hotel.

"Wow—!!"

"But not everyone will get to enjoy these facilities."

"...?"

As the slide changed, photos of dark, grim dormitories appeared. The atmosphere of the dorms was reminiscent of Slytherin house, with a dark, spider-webbed look.

"There are also dormitories that look like this in Dynasty Castle."

"So, how will the dorms be assigned..."

"'Dynasty' means 'royal family.' If there's a dynasty, there will be nobility, and if there's nobility, there will be commoners and slaves."

"!?"

"There will be a class system in [Dynasty]."

"—!?"

"Your status will be determined through the competitions held every week."

"——!?!?"

"The king will have control over everything in Dynasty Castle. However, the slaves will not be able to have anything."

The surprising plan left the members with their mouths wide open. Gunja also looked dismayed.

"Just when I refused to start a revolution, they're telling us to establish a dynasty here!"

But there was no turning back now. If he couldn't establish a dynasty, he'd have to make sure his teammates weren't left in some dark, uncomfortable place.