God Idol Project: Hope [GIPH]

Chapter 33: What exactly is your problem?

"Do you all know? We have fans?" 

During stretching, Chorok brought up the topic. I was so surprised that I stared at Chorok. 

We have fans? But we haven't even debuted yet? 

"Of course we know! How could we not?" 

"I know too. My fan." 

"Are those people our fans? I thought they were fans of SEED seniors." 

"Seohon, why don't you know that? How silly." 

"......" 

Ah, if you don't know that we have fans, it's like you're a fool. Even if I wanted to act like I knew, I couldn't know anything. 

"Ham Iwon, don't you know? Well, he's someone who wouldn't even notice if people were orbiting around him. He's not very perceptive." 

"I am perceptive. Very perceptive. It's just that I'm weak in relationships." 

Oran scoffed at my excuse. Then he gave an example. 

"Really? Then tell me. If someone calls from behind while you're walking, 'Hey, you good-looking guy!' how would you respond?" 

"...I'd look around to see if there's someone good-looking nearby?" 

"No! Iwon! In that case, you should turn around and see if they're calling you!" 

Isn't that a bit narcissistic? It wouldn't be strange for someone like Parkha, who has immense pride in their appearance, to turn around and ask, 'Did you call me?' But for an ordinary person, wouldn't that be considered pretentious? 

"But there are many good-looking people in the world, so it's not likely they'd call me..." 

"Your standards are off. Do you have some kind of problem with your aesthetic sense? If you had Iwon's face, you'd have been told you're pretty or handsome since you were young. Isn't that right?" 

Chorok interjected and placed his palm on my forehead. 

Why are you taking my temperature there? I'm fine! 

"If you're young, everyone is cute. And even out of courtesy, people would say you're cute or pretty, right?" 

"That seems to be true." 

"I wasn't an active child, and as I grew a little, kids seemed to avoid me. They didn't talk to me." 

Not being spoken to was quite comfortable, but on the other hand, it made me withdraw. Eventually, I got used to it and lived in my own world. 

"What do your friends say?" 

Oran asked nonchalantly. Everyone was curious and waiting for my answer, hoping that my close friends would give an objective evaluation. 

Sorry, but that expectation is bound to be shattered. 

"I don't have any friends." 

"What on earth is wrong with this guy?" 

Oran punched his chest as if he was frustrated. 

Is not having friends really a problem? It's a bit embarrassing as it seems to prove a lack of social skills, but isn't it not necessarily wrong? 

"I told you before. Iwon is like a 'lonely' genius type. I didn't know it was like this before high school though." 

Chorok gave a strange excuse that made it unclear whether he was defending me or making fun of me. 

"So Iwon has hardly ever heard that he's handsome until now. Even if he did hear it occasionally, he thought it was just flattery. Impressive?" 

Seohon's eyes widened as if he was genuinely surprised. Is it really that surprising? 

"I heard it often from my parents. But that's the same for everyone, right?" 

"Your perception is completely distorted. Should we fix this? Or just leave it as is? What do you all think?" 

If there's an error in my perception, shouldn't it be corrected? Are we really going to vote on this? 

The members' faces were full of mischief. Is it not that serious? It seems like they want to tease me. Should I just leave it as is? 

"One vote for leaving it as is because it's fun!" 

"Another vote for that." 

"Sorry, Iwon, but I'm also for the latter." 

"Why even say it." 

That was Parkha, Jion, Seohon, and Oran's responses in order. 

"Since it's unanimous, let's leave it as is. Iwon, it won't be a problem. The fans will like it, so it actually becomes an advantage." 

Chorok, who had finished voting, was persuading me. Contextually, it seemed like he thought it was amusing that I didn't realize my own handsomeness. 

But there's a saying that three people can make a tiger, so maybe the members are scheming to turn me into a prince syndrome case? 

The latter side had more weight. Because I've never thought of myself as particularly handsome. 

Inherited my parents' genes, so I think I'm above average, but isn't my face quite ordinary? 

"I'm a bit envious. That kind of uniqueness isn't something anyone can have. You have to be born with it." 

Oran, who had his arms crossed, nodded. Is he still acting? It's very much like Oran. 

"No way. A character that can exist in reality." 

"The topic drifted, but I was going to say that since we have fans, we should prepare even more diligently." 

"Do we really have fans? I haven't seen any." 

I still doubted that we had fans. How could there be fans before we even debuted? 

"There were people invited besides the officials during our debut evaluation stage. Those who have trained as long as Parkha have become noticeable." 

Ah. So that's how one becomes a fan. Even before debut, it's possible to have fans, though they're more personal fans rather than fans of the group itself. 

Having joined Hanul Enter five months ago, it's more likely that they're not my fans. I decided to set aside my expectations for now. 

"How did you all find the choreography draft? I think we need to go over it properly before the choreography is finalized. They said they'd reflect our opinions as well. Be honest." 

"The last two of the four were good. They fit the song. But if you ask if it suits us, well..." 

"The choreography Oran mentioned was okay but needs modification. It might not showcase our strengths well." 

Oran's picky evaluation had some alignment with my own views. 

"I liked the last choreography. The points were clearly defined, making it stand out." 

"The second to last. It's easy to follow and addictive." 

Seohon and Jion each had different focuses. 

"I'd like to combine the two choreographies! What if Chorok participates?" 

If we could piece together the two choreographies into one, we'd get the advantages of both. It might be difficult, but wouldn't it be worth trying until we succeed? And if Chorok adds his strength? We might create a choreography considering our characteristics. 

"Good. That's what I hoped for." 

Chorok also wanted to create choreography. He said he thought he'd have to take a leading role next time. 

Chorok had outstanding talent as a choreographer. He received praise from teachers every time he presented new choreography. However, he had never used his choreographies commercially.

He had mainly created choreography for monthly evaluations or school stages. The company likely wouldn't take the risk of entrusting the debut album's title choreography entirely to Chorok. 

"Let's discuss it with the company and see if they agree." 

After a harsh diet, we had a profile shoot along with album jackets and concept albums. It was delayed to ensure we were in the best condition, even though we should have shot earlier. 

We studied how to pose for the profile shoot in advance. We practiced poses and expressions. 

"Nam Chorok, your left side is better." 

"Chorok, smile like a fox! More! More!" 

"Oran, try smiling brighter. Hmm, it's subtle... you seem tired. Oran? Should we skip it and focus on getting it perfect during the actual shoot?" 

"Jion, tilt your head a bit more. Let the gaze show. Don't tilt too much. It's scary." 

"Parkha is always perfect. The main version looks great on him." 

Perhaps thanks to his long experience as a shopping mall model, Parkha was an expert on how to look more handsome. I became doubtful of his expertise while coaching me. 

"Iwon! Look more drowsy!" 

"Our album concept is refreshing, right?" 

"The album is one thing! What suits you best is aloofness and abstinent sexiness!" 

"...Aloof? Abstinent? Sexy?" 

The choice of words made me doubt my hearing. Is that really suitable for me? Are you serious? 

"No, no! That's not it! It's natural that you're attracted to me, but that's not my responsibility. You might not touch a fingertip, but if you want to like me, feel free to. Be an arrogant person who thinks that way!" 

"...Isn't that trashy?" 

"Can't you take responsibility for everyone who falls for you?" 

"...No. But what does that have to do with aloofness or sexiness..." 

"It means to look down on them! Treat them disdainfully! Fans want that!" 

"......" 

I was only freed after making the expression Parkha wanted. 

There are people who like that? Perverts...? Maybe not? I couldn't understand no matter how much I thought about it. I could only accept that such things exist and that there is an unknown world out there. 

And finally, we arrived at the shooting location. 

After all preparations, each of us took profile photos one by one. We were told that we would take profile pictures first and then shoot the album jackets. 

The photographer in charge was a woman known for her delicate expression of moods, one of the best in that field. 

To capture and show differences in fleeting moments was admirable. 

As I waited excitedly, when it was my turn, I was shocked to find proof that Parkha's words weren't lies! 

"Perfect! It's so good! You look like a duke ruling the Northern Territory!" 

"......?" 

Click, click, click? 

What on earth is that descriptor? A duke? Why specifically ruling the Northern Territory? My head was a mess, but my body was faithfully striking different poses. What's with the photographer? 

"You seem to have done a lot of shoots! You're natural, so it's easy to shoot. Tilt your head slightly to the right. Good, great!" 

Click, click, click? 

Parkha's nose was raised as if showing off. The staff, manager, and members at the shoot were all exclaiming in admiration. The photographer was being praised for her high level of skill. 

...Didn't they say she was a difficult person to hire from the company? At this point, I started to think I might have misunderstood. Parkha's taste might be more common than I thought. 

"Next, we'll go for the refreshing version. Iwon, change your clothes and fix your makeup. It's break time!" 

In a daze, I moved to get my hair and makeup done. 

We pondered for a long time. How should we express our song visually? 

Usually, refreshing concepts are shown through school uniforms or colorful street fashion. However, our debut was in the middle of winter. Plus, it wasn't a glittering refreshing concept. 

The director and staff, along with the members, concluded after several days of meetings. We decided against shorts or excessive color coordination.

The basic frame was set as school uniforms. Instead, we opted to use pastel-toned knits and woolen accessories to create a difference. 

"Looks unique, doesn't it?" 

They were crochet gloves that only covered the backs of the hands. Since they were called gloves, they must be gloves. 

Faint refreshment. I wondered how to express that subtle feeling, but after doing the concept album's individual shoot, I got the hang of it. A vague expression, as if I were about to cry but without strength in my eyes, was the sign for approval. 

The album jacket shoot was the hardest. Since it was a group shoot, it took quite a while to synchronize each person's expression. The result was satisfying. 

Did I have such expressions? I felt a new sense of emotion. 

Idol, is it more fitting for me than I thought?

˚˖✧✧✧˚.