Chapter 835: To Number One (5)

The intro to 'Stand Alone' began.

Du-du-du-dung.

A hip-hop beat with an EDM bass melody filled the stage. In sync with the music, Treviang began to groove slowly, moving into their dance routine.

Wearing Jason Cho's striking stage outfits, the members danced with a confidence that hadn't been there yesterday. Their voices carried power, and the lyrics hit harder, layered with emotion.

『I'm on my own now.

No more begging to stay.

Don't expect anything, just let it go.

It's your delusion if you think I'll come back.

From now on, I stand alone.

...』

I found myself marveling again and again at a performance more impactful than anything I had seen in rehearsal.

Then came the key choreography of Stand Alone—the pistol dance. The pistol dance involved extending one arm forward with a sharp flick of the fingers, mimicking a gunshot into the air. The move needed to be paired with a fierce expression to convey the act of breaking free from lingering attachment.

But yesterday, perhaps from pressure, they hadn't pulled it off well on stage. Yet the moment Treviang launched into the pistol dance today, every worry I had vanished. Fueled by newfound confidence, the members looked like elite snipers, shooting invisible bullets into the air with searing intensity.

Bang, Bang.

Their extended hands cut clean lines through the air, and every time they struck the pose, their faces were lit with raw charisma.

'

Treviang, today you're the real Treviang!

'

Treviang today were putting on a performance worthy of top-tier stars. The staff watching from below the stage began to murmur in awe.

-Whoa, since when was Treviang this good?

-They're not just confident, they're bursting with it.

-Damn, look at their eyes. They're eating those cameras alive.

-All three of them have beautiful lines when they dance, and with those outfits? The whole stage just pops.

Even the staff walking by paused, drawn in by Treviang's electrifying performance. However, the audience remained silent unlike the buzz backstage. Just like during Berry Six's earlier set, the fan clubs had kept their heads down, refusing to react. This was Bae In-Jung's handiwork of buying out the idol fandoms seated in the audience to mess with the performers' mental state.

While Berry Six had wavered slightly under that pressure, Treviang stood firm. Instead of shrinking, they stared the cold crowd down like they would devour them, singing with everything they had.

And then, it was the crowd that started to break. On the far left side of the audience, Vivid—the fan club for TK Entertainment's boy group Flyers, who often clashed with Petit Angel—lifted their heads. Like a ripple effect, the fan clubs around them began to look up as well. Treviang's energy on stage couldn't be experienced through ears alone.

'

There it is

.'

Before Bae In-Jung could intervene, the momentum had already shifted. One by one, the other fan clubs started raising their lightsticks, shrugging off any hesitation.

-Damn it. I give up. Treviang, fine. You win.

-Whoa, Oh Ji-Ah. Was she always this confident?

-Mal-Sook used to just be the tall one... but now she's got full-on supermodel vibes.

-Wow—Sung Ji-Hyo. She's sexy as hell!

-When does the brand for Treviang's outfits officially launch?

-

Ugh

, I'm jealous. Can't our Flyers oppas move to Hoop Entertainment too? The level of support here is on another planet!

Treviang didn't have a fan club of their own. And yet, they were now drawing admiration and envy from fans of other groups.

In that moment, the exhaustion that had built up from a sleepless night seemed to wash away in an instant.

『...From now on, I stand alone!』

With that final powerful line, Treviang brought their performance to a stunning close.

***

"Thank you!"

With Park Eun-Bin's performance marking the end, today's shoot wrapped up.

As the stage lights brightened, KBC

Music Stage

's AD Bang Joon-Sik called out to the artists below. "Everyone, please come up on stage!"

"Yes, sir!"

The performers waiting below the stage climbed the stairs and lined up in formation.

Treviang's leader Oh Ji-Ah glanced at me with concern. "Mr. Jung... even if we don't win first place, please don't be too disappointed. If not this week, we'll definitely get it next week!"

Hong Mal-Sook and Sung Ji-Hyo chimed in with the same spirit. "Yes, like Ji-Ah said, we will give it everything. If we just have one more week, I really think we could take first."

They were clearly worried I might be let down. They knew better than anyone how hard I had worked and how little I had slept, all to push Treviang to the top.

Looking at them, I couldn't help but smile. "Why worry before the scores are even in? Don't you remember what our president always says? It's not over until—"

At that moment, the Treviang girls finished the sentence in unison. "It's over!"

I nodded with a proud grin. "Exactly. I'm fine, so don't worry. And once you're up there, stand tall. As far as I'm concerned, you owned the stage today."

I didn't know what the final results would be, but as their talent agent, I couldn't show any hint of doubt. That's when I remembered something I had forgotten.

"

Oh

, right. Ji-Ah, what did So-Jung say to you earlier?"

Right before Treviang took the stage, Berry Six's leader Yoo So-Jung had whispered something into Oh Ji-Ah's ear. I finally had the chance to ask.

Oh Ji-Ah responded with a playful smile. "I'll tell you after the results are out. We're going up now~"

Oh Ji-Ah, Hong Mal-Sook, and Sung Ji-Hyo dashed off toward the stage.

Chief Han So-Yoo shook her head and stepped beside me. "What do you think she said?"

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't figure it out.

Meanwhile, the MCs called the top three nominees to center stage.

"First-place nominees, please come to the center. Park Eun-Bin, Berry Six, and Treviang—in that order."

Once the three acts were in place, the MCs continued.

"First, the broadcast appearance scores. Park Eun-Bin, 1,034 points..."

As they announced the lowest-weighted category, the results appeared on the stage's LCD screen.

[Broadcast Appearance Score]

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

-Park Eun-Bin: 1,034 points

-Berry Six: 639 points

-Treviang: 177 points

Being rookies, Treviang naturally had the lowest number of broadcast appearances. Berry Six should have had fewer too, but thanks to Chief Yoon Dong-Gu's lobbying, they had been booked on multiple shows this week. As a result, the point gap turned out wider than expected.

Han So-Yoo whispered with a guilty expression. "I should've booked more shows... I'm sorry."

"No regrets. We did what we could. And besides, it's not over yet, right?"

Moments later, the more heavily weighted category—viewer preference votes—was announced. This time, everything changed.

"And the viewer vote scores... Treviang, 2,223 points..."

[Viewer Preference Voting Score]

-Park Eun-Bin: 2,012 points (Total: 3,046 points)

-Berry Six: 1,801 points (Total: 2,440 points)

-Treviang: 2,223 points (Total: 2,400 points)

A ripple of murmurs spread through the venue. As good as Treviang's performance had been, no one had expected them to beat Park Eun-Bin, who had a massive nationwide fanbase.

Sure enough, the audience section filled with Petit Angel fans, including Bae In-Jung, began to stir like someone had dropped a bomb.

-Hey! Who are the traitors?

Bae In-Jung hissed and tried to stir up commotion, but an AD quickly stepped in to hush her.

Once the stage quieted again, it was time to reveal the final and highest-weighted category: digital music scores.

Han So-Yoo sighed with regret. Over the past week, the chart's number one and number two spots had been traded between Park Eun-Bin and Berry Six. Treviang had only hovered between third and tenth place.

"If only we'd had one more day... we might've had a shot at a better result."

Today was the first time Treviang had topped the music charts, and Han So-Yoo couldn't hide her frustration.

I shook my head. "If a talent agent doesn't believe in their own artist, who will? You've got to believe to the very end."

"I want to, but... our girls only ranked high today. Even if the digital score is based on actual data, not just rankings, still... huh?" Han So-Yoo trailed off, then turned to me in surprise. "Wait... are you saying there's a real chance?"

It seemed she had caught on to what I was thinking.

I smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"Is that even possible?"

"We'll see."

I kept my smile and turned back toward the stage.

Just then, the MC spoke again. "Now, we'll announce the final digital stream scores."

Drumroll from the house band echoed across the studio and all eyes turned to the MC.

My hands, clenched tight, were damp with sweat. I pretended to be calm, but part of me was still bracing for disappointment.

"The digital music scores: Park Eun-Bin, 3,273 points. Berry Six, 3,017 points. And Treviang... huh?"

The MCs froze in surprise as they reached Treviang's score. On the large LCD screen, the scores were being updated, then abruptly stopped.

[Digital Music Scores]

-Park Eun-Bin: 3,273 points (Total: 6,319 points)

-Berry Six: 3,017 points (Total: 5,457 points

-Treviang: — points (Total: 2,400 points)

For a moment, confusion spread not just among the staff but onstage as well.

-What's going on?

-Why is it blank?

-What happened?

Amid the confusion, MC Gu Min-Ji pressed her intercom.

"Sir? Is this... is this right? Yes? Okay."

With trembling hands, Gu Min-Ji turned back to the mic and shouted.

"Treviang's digital score is 5,223 points! Congratulations! Thanks to today's explosive stream count, they've received an incredible score. As a result, with a total of 7,623 points, Treviang is today's winner!"

At that moment, fireworks burst open.

Pop Pop!

Gold and silver confetti rained down from above.

The MCs handed Treviang the trophy. Still in shock, Treviang accepted it with stunned expressions.

Then, the large back panel updated once more.

[Digital Music Scores]

...

-Treviang: 5,223 points (Total: 7,623 points)

[Overall Ranking]

1st: Treviang – 7,623 points

2nd: Park Eun-Bin – 6,319 points

3rd: Berry Six – 5,457 points

Treviang had done it. They actually took first place.

Han So-Yoo started bouncing in place, her voice trembling with disbelief. "Mr. Jung... is this real? It's really real, right?"

"It is. It's real."

Suddenly, Han So-Yoo covered her mouth and let out a muffled scream. "

Mmffmmmh

~!"

One day was all it had taken for Treviang to clinch their first win. Overcome by the miracle they had just witnessed, Han So-Yoo kept jumping up and down like a kid.

Then, from the stage, the MC shouted, "Treviang! Let's hear an encore!"

As the encore stage was prepared, the other artists began stepping off the stage.

That's when Oh Ji-Ah, holding the trophy, approached Berry Six's leader Yoo So-Jung near the back of the stage. Smiling brightly, Oh Ji-Ah leaned in and whispered something into Yoo So-Jung's ear, her mic discreetly covered. In response, Yoo So-Jung visibly flinched.

'

What was that? What did she say?

'

Oh Ji-Ah gave Yoo So-Jung a sweet, radiant smile before returning to the front of the stage. Yoo So-Jung stood frozen, trembling as if trying to do something. However, the other Berry Six members looking flustered quickly pulled her offstage.

'

What on earth did Ji-Ah say to her?

'

Meanwhile, the encore performance began.

***

After finishing their encore, Treviang came down from the stage steps and ran toward us with their arms wide open, calling everyone's names.

"Ms. Han! Mr. Jung! Ha-Na unnie! Jenny unnie! Ms. Lee! Mr. Seo! We got first place!"

Even with their faces covered in silver and gold confetti, no one seemed to care. The joy of their first win overshadowed everything else.

Han So-Yoo rushed in to hug them. She had discovered Treviang, switched companies to join Hoop Entertainment, sided with Kim Dong-Soo at first, then eventually shifted over to my side. It had been a whirlwind of a journey, and this moment was the payoff.

The four of them hugged each other tightly, tears flowing like waterfalls. A few moments later, after they calmed down, Treviang turned to all of us and bowed deeply. Then they looked at me.

"It's all thanks to you, Mr. Jung! Thank you so much!"

It was an overwhelming moment, but I gently lifted their heads. "No. This wasn't just me. Everyone here helped make this happen. And especially Ha-Na worked her butt off."

Beside me, Kang Ha-Na had practically produced an entire special episode around Treviang today.

The girls rushed to hug her.

"Ha-Na unnie! We're going to treat you like our lifelong savior!"

"Yes, unnie! We'll do whatever you ask!"

Kang Ha-Na gently stroked their heads and spoke with warmth. "Never forget today's stage. Every time you step onto a stage, perform like you did today. That's all that matters."

Seeing Kang Ha-Na care for the girls so tenderly, as both a sunbae artist and a sister figure, made my heart swell. I wanted to brag to the whole world that Kang Ha-Na was my artist!

Treviang, overwhelmed by her kindness, hugged her even tighter.

"Yes, unnie!"

"We will!"

"Thank you~~!"

We basked in the joy of their victory for a long while.

Then Han So-Yoo turned to me with a big grin. "Mr. Jung, tonight's dinner is on me at Myeongrang Hanwoo right in front of the station! And I'm paying with my own card! After all, I owe you for making me rich with those company shares!"

'

Oh, right

.'

She too had followed my advice and bought into our company stock.

I nodded. "Sounds good. But first, let's go thank the PD."

"Of course." Han So-Yoo turned to Team Lead Seo Joon-Hyung and Stylist Song Jenny. "You two pack up our stuff and head to Myeongrang Hanwoo. We'll catch up after we thank the PD."

"Okay."

Kang Ha-Na, Seo Joon-Hyung, and Song Jenny exited the stage. I took Han So-Yoo and Treviang with me to the control room to thank Cha Tae-Hee.

On the way, I finally asked the question I hadn't had a chance to earlier. "Ji-Ah, what did So-Jung say to you before the performance? And what did you say back?"

Oh Ji-Ah hesitated for a second, then answered. "Right before she came off the stage, she told me... I'd always be her lackey."

I let out a scoff of disbelief. "

Hah.

So what did you say?"

Looking a little embarrassed but with a smile tugging at her lips, Oh Ji-Ah replied, "After we won first place, I whispered, 'Looks like

you're

the lackey now.'"

"What~?

Pfft. Hahaha

!"

I couldn't help bursting into laughter. I hadn't expected such a bold response from Oh Ji-Ah.

***

We arrived at the control room to meet Cha Tae-Hee. After we exchanged pleasantries, she surprised us with a generous reward.

"Last week's broadcast only had a 0.7% viewership rating. But thanks to today's buzz, it shot up to 3.5%." Then she smiled and added, "Since Hoop invested big today, KBC will cover your stage production costs for the next four weeks. Don't hold back and go all out!"

Everyone, including Han So-Yoo, was left speechless. When a broadcasting station committed to production support, it could turn a weekly music stage into a concert-level spectacle.

"Thank you, Ms. Cha!"

Just as we were about to leave, Cha Tae-Hee called out to me. "Mr. Jung, can I have a quick word?"

"Of course."

I turned to Han So-Yoo and told her to head over to the restaurant Myeongrang Hanwoo with the others for the celebratory dinner. She nodded and took Treviang with her out of the control room.

Once we were alone, Cha Tae-Hee spoke frankly. "Please make sure the situation with Chief Yoon, CP Ahn, and the department head doesn't leak outside."

I smirked. "For that kind of favor... I think we'll need a little more room in the budget."

Cha Tae-Hee chuckled, clearly expecting it. "Fine, fine. The president already signed off up to 200 million won over the next four weeks. That's a huge commitment. You know that, right?"

Fifty million won per week was massive.

I bowed deeply, idol-style. "I don't recall visiting KBC today."

Honestly, I was so tired I barely remembered anything. But for that amount, I would happily erase my memory.

"

Pfft.

You really are something else."

Grinning, I straightened up and gave a polite farewell. "I'll see you next week, then."

I left the control room and hurried to the KBC parking garage. As I made my way to my car, I pulled out my phone to check the news.

That's when I saw it. Treviang-related articles were exploding online, far more than I had anticipated.

'

Wait... What is all this?

'