109 - Upki Girl

< Why Target Our Hong > Producer Ju couldn't suppress the smug grin that curled up from the corners of his lips. Just like a dark sorcerer reveling in his orchestrated scheme or a mad artist who sold his soul to the devil to produce works beyond his natural talent. That man undoubtedly knew that Laragott was a misogynist terrorist. "Senior, what do we do about that? If we're not careful, we might have to cut it all out," one of the intermediate writers asked Writer Wang. Those of us, including managers and stylists, observing the recording close by all heard it. Writer Wang made the decision autonomously even with the PD right beside him. "Just leave it for now." From the staff's bewildered expressions, it seemed only a couple of main writers, including the PD, were aware of Laragott's true identity. At that moment, Dante, Hong's mentor, frantically skimmed his script card, as if noticing something was wrong. After confirming he wasn't mistaken, he mumbled to the assistant next to him. "What's up with that?" "Why? Is there a problem?" "Both of them are members of my team, so why are they sabotaging each other?" Right, indeed. Both Baldy Red and Hong were on Dante's team. What the hell is wrong with that idiot targeting our Hong? Though there was a minor commotion, the recording wasn't halted, and Kang Baek-ho's diss towards Hong began. In an unexpected way, it piqued curiosity. What nonsense will he spout to bewilder the audience? "Girl rapper battle program, Girl Crush? No, no, why put gender in front? 'Rapper' includes women, too. It should just be a rapper battle. Female actress, female writer, female driver, all these male-centric frames need to go!" You idiot, that's not discrimination, it's differentiation. It's the same as ladies' shoes and men's clothing. If that's discrimination, why not just label baths as "bath" instead of separating them into men's and women's, and check every time you open the door? Pathetic manchild. There's science behind the self-fabrication. Do you know Koppino? Disgusting lolicon. Visual harassment as a given. Second rounds at full salons. This is the current state of the men in our nation. Ah, I thought at least he could rap decently. Laragott's rap was more a derogatory tirade against men than a diss towards Hong. The final syllables mostly ended in '~no' or ‘igi', a jab at a particular president, filled with jargon only understood by a niche circle, difficult to make sense of without interpretation. The only somewhat understandable part was where he called Hong a 'girl who survives by pretending to suck up to men.' However, Hong seemed not to comprehend the meaning, maintaining a blank expression. “Is the small pepper spicy? No, small peppers are hateful! Yeah!” Laragott concluded his rap, expressing discomfort towards undersized male genitals. Even without knowing much about rap, it's clear that his skills aren’t up to par. The rhyme barely matched, there wasn’t a punchline, and the rhythm was mundane and predictable, reminiscent of 90s idol rap. The lyrics, far from appropriate, would mostly be muted in the broadcast. It was the moment it became certain Laragott was a noise marketing tool for the show. “Well, good job…” Jakdu, holding the mic, asked a question from the script. “What does Laragott mean?” “It’s taken from Lara Croft, the Tomb Raider protagonist.” “It's not specified in the profile, but if I understand correctly, you identify as a feminist, right?” “Yes.” Jakdu's expression filled with curiosity. “Um, can I ask about your intention for appearing on this program?” Seizing the moment, Laragott answered without the slightest hesitation. “To expose the misogyny and oppression and discrimination against women that have been rampant in Korea, and to spread awareness of women's superiority.” “Um… well, alright then.” He had much to say but simply let it go. The microphone passed to Hong. The script contained another question, and Jakdu didn't seem pleased. It was evident he was forcing himself for the sake of the show. “Have you ever experienced discrimination because you're a woman, Yeonhong?” “What…?” Hong, glancing at Kang Baek-ho, hesitantly opened her mouth. “I’ve been teased for my appearance, but I don’t really know about being discriminated due to being a woman…” Then Laragott jumped in enthusiastically. “That’s it! The prejudice that women have to be beautiful! The corset concocted by these chauvinist pigs! I’m speaking for women here.” “But Yeonhong doesn't have an appearance to be teased about, does she? Who mocks an idol-like appearance, hehehe,” Assistant commented, causing Hong to wave her hands as if she heard something absurd, “No, no.” Meanwhile, Laragott self-righteously mumbled to herself. “Wow, what a downer. Classic crude manchild. Looking like something that belongs on an ancestor's altar, thinking he can judge a woman's appearance.” “What did you say?” “Well, there are plenty of pretty feminist women, okay? Why assume all feminists are fat and ugly?” “No, who said that? Why take it out on me?” “If it’s a rap battle, then judge by the rap, not appearance.” “Fine, I’ll judge by rap. Your rap totally sucks.” Following Kang Baek-ho's incoherence, Assistant's fiery temper flared. Yet she shut her ears to unfavorable comments and instead jeered calmly. “Look, look. From the outset, when all the mentors were men, it was clear. With no female mentors among the four, will you still claim there’s no sexism?” “Ah, damn it. Why are you telling me this? Tell the production team.” Ignoring Assistant’s response in succession, Laragott silently turned her target towards Hong. < Why Target Our Hong > "Go ahead and rap. Let's see how well someone who supports misogynists can perform." I'm getting infuriated. Hong's got a real nuisance attached to her. Megal? Womad? Whatever it is, that's not feminism. Even they define themselves not as feminists but as 'a group that detests misogyny.' I've met a woman genuinely striving for gender equality on a blind date. A high school nutritionist, she didn't define herself as a feminist but rather as a proponent of gender equality, explaining it in Korean as "양성평등주의자." She argued that women should also serve in the military. While combat units requiring exceptional physical attributes might be challenging, administrative roles were well within reach. She pointed out that comparing optional pregnancy to mandatory military service is a major fallacy feminists often make. Moreover, she declared that having men pay most of the dating expenses was an act of women declaring themselves as societal underlings. Naturally, we split the cost of our meal and coffee that day. She approached other topics like marriage, parenting, dual-income households, and women's positions in the workplace with a rational and pragmatic perspective, allowing me to grasp what true gender equality might look like. Though she claimed it wasn't feminism, if that was feminism, I believed I could support it. So let me state it clearly: Megal and Womad are not feminists. They demand privileges without responsibilities, like robbers aspiring for women's blind preference. They are lunatics who'd even view their own fathers and brothers as psychopaths. They lack conviction and logic, fueled only by rage and delusion of persecution, they are losers. These maladaptive individuals fabricate the narrative of being ‘women’ to mentally gloss over their miseries borne out of being incompetent idiots. These water ghosts drag everyone down into the depths of despair, declaring, 'Since I'm unhappy, let's all be unhappy.' What they desire isn’t a “world without Korean men” but merely an outlet to project their insecurities and rage. Moreover, they are cancer cells, fostering discord, mistrust, violence among social members, infringing on the rights and lifestyle of people with sane, common thought processes. The most aggravating part is how they pull even well-adjusted people into this baseless, chaotic mud fight. Groups of morons like them, with just a drop of political manipulation, could ignite a war. When you consider that the shared keywords of past wars and current global conflicts are 'superiority,' 'exclusion,' 'hate,' it's clear I’m not exaggerating. Thus, I've always equated them to criminals and terrorists, not as a latent threat, but as an ongoing harm already inflicted on others. Discovering Laragott's true nature made me want to smash that face with a well-worn slipper. "Are you ready, Yeonhong?" Prompted by Dante's question, Hong nodded with a shaky expression. "Uh? Oh, yes..." "Okay, drop the beat. Let’s get it, Hong!" “Wow, wow, wow.” For a favorable scenario to unfold, Hong needed to outshine at this point, yet disappointingly, the opposite occurred. ―Bim Bim Bim, Dooms Tak Tak Dooms Tak Tak "Uh, uh, yeah. Honestly, I don't get what this is about. Why criticize me for being in a girl grou... Sigh, sorry, can I try again?" Hong was off her rhythm. Had she faced Yona, who made her way up through countless trials, it might have been better. The unexpected character had startled Hong into losing her mental footing. “Is this rookie even trying?” Laragott sneered, tilting her head arrogantly at Hong. Thankfully, mentor Dante gave her another chance. “It’s okay, relax and try again. Drop the beat!” ―Bim Bim Bim, Dooms Tak Tak Dooms Tak Tak "Uh, uh, yeah. Honestly, I'm lost on what this is about. I'm a girl group member, and... sigh..." But even in her second chance, Hong couldn’t find her groove and hung her head. *** After the end of Laragott vs. Hong’s cypher battle, the recording paused for a break. I tailed Producer Ju, who was heading to the restroom, to request a private talk. "PD, this isn’t right." "What isn’t?" "Laragott’s Megal. Can you air this on TV?" "Ah, but she claims she’s not Megal." "Sorry?" "She says she’s Han-nam Phobia, like they split from Megal and created something new." "That’s the same thing. From the name, it sounds even more extreme." "And what's wrong with being Megal anyway? Even Ilbe stuff gets broadcasted just fine. Don’t they post Ilbe materials on public TV too? Haha." Amused by something, Producer Ju stroked his scraggly beard, grinning as he continued. “Make it work.” “How could this work? Hong was completely thrown off and couldn’t showcase her skills. You know, our Hong isn't usually like this." “I do. But she hasn’t been eliminated; what’s there to worry about? Just perform well at the real battle stage. Justice triumphs—everybody loves those reward and punishment dramas, right?” Justice triumphs? What’s going through this man’s mind? “Feminism is profitable. I assure you, Hong and Laragott’s tracks will hit No. 1 and 2.” < Why Target Our Hong > The End