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Join the Server“I thought the CEO was going to tell us himself…”
After waiting long enough, Yoonbin finally spoke up.
“Our group name is changing.”
“…Out of nowhere?”
It was exactly the kind of chaotic management you’d expect from a tiny company.
Originally, the group had been called OOO.
The CEO’s brilliant reasoning had been that since their rival was PPP, they’d use the letter that came before P in the alphabet—O.
It was a name practically designed to get them cursed out by PPP’s fandom the moment they debuted.
Honestly, Jaemin thought changing it now was for the best.
The old name hadn’t exactly been pretty anyway.
“And nobody even told us?”
“So… what’s the new name?”
“Don’t tell me they actually renamed us The Ten Symbols of Longevity?”
Just as Yoonbin was about to answer, the staff began calling them in one at a time for their concept photo shoot.
“We haven’t even released our debut timetable yet.”
“That makes me even more nervous.”
“Jaemin~! Look over here!”
Since Q2P couldn’t afford to hire a production crew to film behind-the-scenes content, they bought the cheapest camera they could find and made the members record everything themselves.
James walked over carrying the camera, a magical longevity herb sticking out of his head as part of his costume.
“Hello~”
Jaemin instantly switched into idol mode.
He smiled brightly and waved at the camera.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Woohyung glance at him before looking away.
“Woohyung’s here too!”
“Woohyung-Jaemin! Brothers~”
James had once struggled with Korean.
Now he’d suddenly become surprisingly fluent.
Jaemin was already annoyed that James had put his own name second.
But being paired with Jung Woohyung under the nickname “brothers” annoyed him even more.
To make matters worse…
Jaemin was actually older.
Yet somehow he ended up being the “little brother.”
“I don’t remember having a younger brother.”
As always, Woohyung beat him to the insult.
Like I’d want one either.
Keeping his smile fixed for the camera, Jaemin shot Woohyung a glare behind its back.
Woohyung didn’t even react.
Turning back toward the lens, Jaemin smiled even wider.
“I’m actually the older one~”
“Jaemin looks so young~”
“Thanks, James-hyung!”
It felt satisfying.
James had unintentionally complimented Jaemin while indirectly calling Woohyung old.
“Woohyung!”
“Say something to the fans!”
Jaemin watched nervously.
At this rate, he half-expected Woohyung to lose his temper and become the subject of an “Idol Personality Controversy” compilation before they even debuted.
“I’ll let our performances speak for themselves.”
Even though this footage was meant for fans…
Woohyung answered in a completely businesslike tone.
“I can’t wait to meet you all~”
The final shot belonged to Jaemin.
Determined to steal the spotlight, he exaggerated every ounce of cuteness he could muster, stretching out his words in an overly adorable voice.
The kind of babyish tone that people online loved mocking.
“Ugh.”
Woohyung pretended to gag before walking away.
That bastard…
Hidden from the camera, Jaemin silently mouthed every curse word he knew.
That behind-the-scenes video—
“[4LAB] The Ten Symbols of Longevity Concept Photo Shoot Behind the Scenes”—
would be uploaded one week after their debut.
It would finish its first week…
…with exactly 92 views.
“But… if our group’s called 4ever, shouldn’t there only be four members?”
Unable to stop thinking about it, Eunhan tilted his head in confusion.
Their new group name, announced at the last minute, was 4ever.
“Usually, if a number’s in the group name, it’s related to the number of members.”
The CEO proudly introduced 4ever, insisting there was a profound reason he’d chosen the Ten Symbols of Longevity concept.
The CEO really must want to live a long life.
Though considering how much we badmouth him behind his back, he’ll probably live forever anyway.
Still…
For something that came from the CEO’s imagination, the name was surprisingly tolerable.
It was cheesy.
But at least it wasn’t completely unbearable.
“Could the debut lineup still change at the last second?”
Jaemin asked, secretly hoping there was still a chance Woohyung might somehow get dropped.
“When members leave because of scandals, having the group name tied to the member count becomes a problem.”
The CEO’s eyes suddenly grew misty.
Two years earlier, Q2P had proudly launched a boy group called Jumping Jumping.
One member had abruptly left the dorm, demanded to terminate his contract, and even filed a lawsuit.
The CEO firmly believed he’d treated that kid well.
In the end, they settled.
The trainee paid a reduced penalty fee in exchange for ending his contract early.
He’d been willing to pay money just to escape.
Unfortunately…
He also happened to be the group’s center.
Its visual.
Main vocalist.
And main dancer.
After lengthy discussions, the remaining members eventually agreed to disband.
They stayed until their contracts expired…
Then every single one of them left.
The CEO desperately wanted another chance.
Everything rested on 4ever’s debut.
Which was precisely why…
He refused to compromise on his artistic vision.
“This is going to be a hit…”
At least…
He was the only one who believed that.
“I already released the official news article yesterday.”
“So be careful.”
“Watch what you say.”
Those words came from the one person least qualified to give that advice.
The day before, Q2P had finally uploaded 4ever’s debut timetable to the company’s social media.
The design quality…
Made it painfully obvious they hadn’t spent a single won on a graphic designer.
“If I’d turned in a university group presentation looking like this, I would’ve gotten an F.”
It honestly looked like it’d been made in Microsoft Paint instead of Photoshop.
Simple.
Yet somehow…
Still unbelievably tacky.
They’d obviously gone out of their way to avoid paying for commercial fonts, settling for whatever free font came pre-installed on Windows.
At least it wasn’t Gulim or Gungsuh.
Maybe they deserved praise for respecting copyright laws.
Or maybe…
Given the company’s staffing situation…
The CEO had designed it himself.
“Jaemin-hyung!”
“Did you see the article?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course.”
Jaemin searched for news about himself at least five hundred times a day.
There was no chance he’d missed it.
Whenever other companies prepared to debut new groups, fans and insiders would already be spreading leaked member profiles online.
Names.
Positions.
Graduation photos.
Old school pictures.
Everything.
Naturally…
Nothing like that existed for Q2P.
Hardly anyone even followed the company.
And except for Woohyung…
This was everyone’s first agency.
Every now and then, though…
Posts about Woohyung did appear.
Does anyone know which company Jung Woohyung joined? 😭
└ I think he’s just studying songwriting now and becoming a producer.
└ That’s such a shame… I was going to stan him if he debuted.
Is Woohyung some kind of secret weapon?
Why does nobody know he’s debuting?
For a moment, Jaemin considered anonymously leaking the information himself.
Then he stopped.
If he did…
The attention might all end up going to Woohyung instead.
“But the article didn’t make the portal site’s front page, right?”
Of course not.
The CEO’s connections didn’t extend that far.
Even the article titled—
“Q2P Launches New Boy Group!”
—came from a tiny media outlet nobody had ever heard of.
It wasn’t linked to any major portal site.
Clicking it opened a webpage plastered with advertisements.
Mature webtoons.
Erectile dysfunction pills.
Weight-loss supplements.
Only after closing every popup one by one could you actually read the article.
DD Weekly | Reporter Kim Chun-ok
Rising entertainment company Q2P Entertainment is preparing to launch a brand-new boy group.
Following the debut of Jumping Jumping two years ago, Q2P has officially announced the upcoming debut of another male idol group.
The agency states that the new team consists of stable members who possess both outstanding visuals and talent.
However, both the group name and member lineup are still being kept secret, further fueling public curiosity.
Photo provided by Q2P Entertainment Official SNS
To be fair…
The reporter had written a perfectly decent article.
The problem was…
Because it wasn’t connected to any major portal, there wasn’t even a visible view count.
Unless someone created an account on that obscure website, they couldn’t even leave comments.
Nobody had any idea what the public thought.
“Do people even know we’re debuting?”
There was no way to measure public interest.
No follow-up articles.
No discussions.
Who would voluntarily search for Q2P, anyway?
At best…
Someone might accidentally mistype P2P into the search bar.
“I’m so excited.”
“You’re seriously excited?”
I wish I could be like Eunhan.
Just endlessly optimistic without overthinking everything.
Hoping to create some buzz himself, Jaemin shared the article across several online communities.
The response…
Was complete silence.
The only comment he received read:
They’ll probably disband within two years just like Jumping Jumping lol
“…Two years?”
“I’ll already be twenty-six.”
“It’d be almost impossible to debut again.”
Objectively speaking…
The debut schedule itself wasn’t bad.
Jaemin was only worried because he already knew exactly what kind of content they were about to release.
Maybe…
He should’ve listened to the CEO and gone even more outrageous.
Looking back…
Even those bizarre concepts now felt too weak to attract public attention.
“Honestly…”
“Our teamwork isn’t exactly great either.”
Even if idols weren’t actually family…
Fans still loved seeing members who genuinely looked close.
That chemistry was part of the appeal.
4ever had none of it.
Everyone operated independently.
Yoonbin constantly tried to bring the team together.
But it wasn’t easy.
Woohyung shut himself inside his own world.
Eunhan and James floated through life without a care.
And once Jaemin started spiraling into negative thoughts…
He dug himself deeper than anyone.
It was too much for Yoonbin to carry alone.
“…Can a group this dysfunctional really debut?”
Jaemin was glad they were debuting quickly.
That…
Was the only good thing.
Everything else filled him with anxiety.
As debut day drew closer, excitement faded.
Fear took its place.
The song.
The choreography.
The concept.
Everything was a disaster.
Could he really survive in an industry this competitive?
Even among the members…
He wasn’t irreplaceable.
He didn’t have one defining role that only he could fill.
Day by day…
Jaemin’s confidence sank lower and lower.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Run! This Saint Is a Monster!! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Run! This Saint Is a Monster!
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