NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36 - Internship Practice (2)
I slightly lifted the bag I was holding to show Choi Jeho and said:
“They allowed me to check out the filming set, so I thought I’d express my gratitude while I’m at it. Is the shoot done?”
“Yeah. We’re on standby now, but they said we’ll shoot some sunset shots when the sun goes down.”
I heard it took two nights to shoot one music video. It really did take up an entire day.
“Okay. Then I’ll go move these bags.”
“Who told you to move those?”
“I volunteered. If I don’t work while others are working, I feel like my heart will sprout thorns.”
I was about to send Choi Jeho, who must be tired from acting, to the manager and continue moving the luggage, but Choi Jeho followed me.
“Do you really need to go that far?”
Choi Jeho asked. He must be afraid that someone might hear his question.
“You might want to be careful with how you phrase that; it could be misunderstood. Besides, I’m helping out because I’ve learned something valuable here. Even if I can’t help much, I can still contribute.”
“You’ve learned something?”
“The atmosphere on set, or things like that. You should observe carefully too. That way, when we shoot our music video, you can run simulations with Kiyeon.”
“…”
“How often do you get to see experienced professionals working right next to you? You can’t buy experience even with money.”
I was basically trying to get some tips at someone else’s workplace, so carrying luggage was no big deal.
In a world where it was hard to get proper handover even at my own workplace, this special treatment was a luxury.
I’d even run to the convenience store right now and buy drinks for everyone if someone asked me to.
After hearing what I said, Choi Jeho walked quietly behind me, seemingly thinking about something.
Then he suddenly turned back, went to the staff members gathered a few steps away, explained something enthusiastically, and came back with a piece of luggage.
“What are you doing?”
“When I asked if there was anything else to carry, they gave me this.”
“Oh. Are you sacrificing your precious break time?”
“I don’t want to cause a controversy about my personality by resting alone while the members are working.”
This guy had a talent for twisting words around. Still, I decided to let it slide since he was actually thinking for once.
Maybe the sight of two young rookies trying to help out was endearing, because by the end of the shoot, we were even allowed to take a few pictures of the set with the manager’s phone, under the promise that we wouldn’t share them publicly.
I couldn’t help but hum a little at this unexpected gain. I’d organize everything as references and use them to have mock training with Kiyeon.
“Iwol, I heard you were interested in planning, but I didn’t know you were interested in directing too.”
The manager said to me as I was eagerly looking through the photos in the car on the way back.
“I thought there might be some tips to share with the kids. I’m glad I came along. Thank you for bringing me.”
“It’s good to make an impression early. And it seems you should share the tips with the kids as soon as we get to the dorm tonight.”
“Huh?”
“They’ve been messaging me all afternoon. They must be really curious about how your shoot went.”
The manager then smiled, saying that the kids were getting along well.
‘I think they’re more worried than curious.’
The fact that they had been in contact with the manager all afternoon meant they had taken the laptop with the PC chat program to the practice room.
I should have at least messaged them that Jang Junhoo wasn’t coming. I felt a bit sorry for making them worry pointlessly when they should be focusing on practice.
With this unexpectedly heartwarming news, I resolved to share the details of the shoot with my teammates as vividly as possible when we got back to the practice room.
Up until this point, I had no idea.
That I, who had been forcibly cramming the process of shooting music videos into my head, would end up planning our own content.
* * *
It all started with a single task.
+
[SYSTEM] ‘New task’ has been assigned.
▷ Content: Set dorm rules
▷ Reward: Exp (5)
+
How annoying. We had been living fine for months without rules.
Even I, who found Spark awkward to be around, hadn’t found dorm life with them particularly uncomfortable.
Despite being at an age of peak puberty, no one in the dorm raised their voice.
At most, some guys occasionally didn’t fold their laundry on time.
Even that wasn’t a problem since I folded them when doing my own laundry.
Like now, for instance—I was folding the thirteenth communal towel that’d been sitting on the drying rack for three days.
‘But I can’t ignore the experience points they’re offering.’
I accepted everything offered to me, as long as it was not work.
Maybe because I’d lived my whole life with this principle, it was hard to ignore the clear instructions from the system.
So, just as I was wondering how to bring it up…
“Hyung, what do you think about having a group discussion about our dorm life together?”
As if by fate, Jeong Seongbin brought up the topic. This guy really had the makings of a great leader.
I was so excited about the experience points falling into my lap that I almost immediately agreed… but then,
≫ What were those clueless UA guys doing, not filming videos of those faces?
While others promote their trainees through survival shows and self-cam content before debut, we’re the only ones with a surprise debut. They keep it a secret so thoroughly that no one knows about them.
└ Did they think everything becomes wild ginseng if you keep it hidden
I automatically remembered the community’s reactions.
It seemed that due to my overzealous vicarious proxy fangirling, information related to Spark was engraved in my bone marrow.
“I think it’s a great idea. But could you give me two weeks?”
“Two weeks? It’s not urgent, so that should be fine…”
Self-cam content was definitely needed to establish each member’s image.
Moreover, the more content, the better.
For a newly debuted group, fans had extremely limited content to enjoy, so it was better to prepare as much as possible.
But that didn’t mean I could do everything from filming to editing by myself.
I could if I tried, but if I did it alone, the sustainability would drastically decrease.
In the end, I needed the company’s help.
Given that all the planning resources were tied up with album preparation, it was unlikely that someone would suddenly shout, ‘Ah! Let’s film some self-cam content for our kids too!’.
So, that left me with only one option—pleading. And I was quite good at begging desperately.
I immediately thought of the three planning documents the system had provided.
‘If I tweak the structure a bit, I can use these as content plans.’
I turned on the shared laptop, determined to stay up all night.
I was overflowing with inspiration, making me feel like I’d returned to my days as an assistant manager at Hanpyeong Industry, when my mind went slightly dizzy from frequent overtime work.
* * *
“This is a proposal for self-produced content?”
“Yes. Even if it doesn’t get approved, your feedback on any shortcomings would be greatly appreciated.”
I handed over the proposal I had written overnight to the planning team manager I was introduced to at a recent presentation, bowing at a 90-degree angle.
It would be nice if they introduced an electronic approval system instead of exchanging paper reports like this.
I wonder why both Hanpyeong Industry and UA were so obsessed with analog methods. I was curious, but I didn’t really want to know.
“I heard you were enthusiastic, but you’ve really outdone yourself. But it might not work out. The company doesn’t have the manpower right now…”
“If there’s a chance, please review it! I’ll come up with alternative solutions if needed!”
“Alright. You’ve worked hard.”
I already had a backup plan in mind.
If the company really couldn’t help at all, I was prepared to endure the hell of self-filming.
We could buy a tripod and set it up. Of course, if anyone moved even slightly from their fixed position, they wouldn’t appear on screen that day.
The important thing was to keep the footage, even if we couldn’t upload it right away.
Whether it was for making a documentary later or creating content about our early debut days, we needed material to work with.
If records were needed, it was best to have as many as possible, preferably in video format.
So I emphasized this point heavily in the proposal.
I wrote about it as if discussing the importance of the
Annals of the Joseon Dynasty
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