154 - Upki Girl

< The Beginning of a Legend > The swimming prodigy from Hansei University, responsible for training Eunbit, evaluated her freestyle record as slightly above average for a non-athlete. However, what really surprised even the athletes who came to watch upon hearing a girl group was visiting was Eunbit's underwater swimming ability. Her speed in underwater swimming, propelled solely by her kicking, was so impressive that even the specialist swimmers applauded her. When it was mentioned that Eunbit's grandmother was a haenyeo, a traditional female diver, everyone nodded in understanding. "Oh, I saw that show. I thought it was just a concept, but she really was a haenyeo." "Not formally, but I learned it naturally by following my grandmother around." "No wonder. I noticed you could do a proper dolphin kick. Manager, what's the length of the competition course?" "20 meters." "Huh? That's shorter than a short course (25m) pool." "They said since it’s for girls and the preparation time was short, they reduced the distance a bit." "The swimming style is freestyle, right?" "Yes. As long as you don't touch the ground with your hands or feet, even dog paddling is allowed." "Eunbit, would you like to try with just underwater swimming?" Even though Eunbit wasn't a professional haenyeo, with years of following one, she could hold her breath for over three minutes and dive up to 10 meters. Thus, underwater swimming in a pool was overly easy for her. She completed the 25 meters entirely underwater, reducing her time by a remarkable three seconds compared to her freestyle record. The coach decisively provided guidance, indicating there was no room for confusion. “Then, she only needs to go 15 meters underwater.” *** ―Wow! What is happening here? Eunbit is not coming out of the water at all! Isn't that against the rules, commentator Park Taeyoung? ―No, according to the rules, you can swim up to 15 meters underwater. Originally, there were no restrictions, but ever since a Japanese swimmer won the gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics by swimming more than half of the 100m backstroke underwater, such regulations were introduced. ―Ah, I see. So Eunbit is cleverly using her strengths in diving? ―Yes, if you have the ability, there's no better strategy. The cheering section was obviously in uproar. Fans, unaware of the advantages of underwater swimming, joked that maybe Eunbit was too embarrassed to surface because of her diving outfit. Before even completing the 10-meter section, Eunbit had significantly widened the gap, the distance growing by at least a body length between her and the second group. By the 15-meter mark, where she was required to come up for air, unless she stopped to cook and eat ramen, her first-place victory seemed assured by a huge margin. ―Now, as Eunbit approaches the 15-meter line, she needs to come up, yes, she's up. ―The gap with the second group is so large that the race for second place is more thrilling. Currently, GIG's Rami is in second, followed by ‘Girl Power’s’ Kang Miseong in third! ―The top from each group advance to the finals, and the next two fastest times among second placers move on, so there’s no room for giving up. ―And in this moment, Eunbit finishes confidently in first place without allowing any surprise upsets. Could it be the result of the eagerness to wear a swimsuit? Eunbit broke her personal best set in practice, and the UpKi Girl supporters erupted with unified cheers led by the group members. “I love you, Yoo Eunbit!” “Unstoppable Yoo Eunbit!” “Endless Yoo Eunbit!” Unfortunately, the opportunity for Eunbit to wear a swimsuit did not manifest. Like an unexpected twist, the production team decided to challenge the regulations, and without consulting us, they immediately announced it. We only learned of the rule changes after the hosts delivered additional announcements. ―Oh, we just received that the production and judges' meeting ruled that Eunbit's underwater record cannot be recognized. ―Does that mean Eunbit is disqualified? ―Regrettably, yes. What in the world is this? The explanation was that the 15-meter underwater restriction rule applies to the minimum 50-meter distance in world competitions. To apply it to this mere 20-meter event was considered overkill; thus, they decided to cap it at 5 meters. I immediately went to seek out Director Jang Hojun, known for his absurd remarks, to protest. Our relationship had remained tense ever since the suggestion to remove the teaser performance vote scores first arose. “If this is the case, you should’ve told us from the start that underwater swimming was prohibited. If you pull this after everything, what's to become of the effort we put in? Not to mention, for the sake of entertainment, we even made her wear a diver's suit for laughs.” “I mean, who could’ve guessed someone would go 15 out of 20 meters underwater? It's not like other teams avoid underwater swimming because they can't do it.” “Then shouldn't it be a rematch, not a disqualification? We followed the rules, and it’s the production team that's lacking.” Director Jang seemed to treat this as a power struggle he couldn’t afford to lose. He stubbornly interjected, mixing in casual speech to irritate. “A rematch? So because of you, the other teams and crew have to reshoot? You think it's fair for one person to cause a reshoot?” “Excuse me?” Dumbfounded, I let out a short laugh, then retorted in a more dissatisfied tone. “Why are you pushing responsibility onto us? It’s the production team that made a mistake from the start.” “Right, sorry about that. Happy now?” Director Jang shrugged with a shameless face. It was, of course, a hollow apology signaling he didn’t want to engage further. This guy clearly took another directive from Chief Producer Jin Sangyoon···. “But considering the overall schedule, we can’t have a rematch. If the diver's suit embarrassment is the issue, we’ll compensate with extra airtime for that segment.” Ugh, he's so infuriating. Yet, even as I was protesting, a part of me felt a certain way. Fine. Bring it on; be even more petty and cowardly. Once the broadcast airs, I’ll pay you back two or threefold. Let's see who really regrets this in the end. The decision wasn’t overturned, and I didn't push further. I felt sorry for Eunbit, but it was time to take one step back. "That's how it went." "Unbelievable!" "They’re just openly saying they don't want to give us points." The UpKi Girls, gathered in the waiting room, were furious. Eunbit, gazing down at her half-taken-off haenyeo outfit, trembled with frustration. "What is this... In the end, we were just used... I didn’t wear this outfit for this..." Ultimately, her frustration was directed at me. "This is all your fault. If I had worn a swimsuit instead, it wouldn't have felt so unjust!" "Do, do you want to wear it now? You could wear it and post on social media from the audience, right?" "Really? I can do that?" So simple-minded. When I handed over the shopping bag, Eunbit’s expression grew more disheartened upon seeing the swimsuit inside. What I had bought was nothing close to sexy, resembling wrestling tights—a shorts type swimsuit. "What is this? You said it was a one-piece!" "Huh? It is a one-piece, see? It’s all connected. This is a professional swimmer’s suit, you know?" "I don't want a professional one! I wanted a purely visual one... Ugh, this is so upsetting..." Eunbit ended up biting at the swimsuit in tears, and her tearful display only fueled the members' resolve for revenge. Soon, a message from the production team was conveyed. "If any members from teams eliminated in swimming are participating in the ssireum event, please come and prepare for the preliminary rounds! Cheerleaders, please move with them!" "Ssireum! Hong, let's go get revenge for Eunbit." "Yes, yes. Eunbit, your sister will fight for your sake. Don't cry." "Right. Aliya will secure a sexy bikini somehow. So, stop crying, stop!" "No, no. I'm not crying because of the swimsuit." "Then why?" "I'm just sorry to Yonna’s dad and the coaches..." I thought she was crying about not wearing the swimsuit, but that wasn’t it. She wanted to express her gratitude during the gold medal acceptance speech to the Hansei University students who taught her for a week and to Yonna’s father who introduced them, but to have it end so hollowly was frustrating to her. "It wouldn’t matter if it was just me, but I feel sorry for the coaches who took time to help us." Could her tears, which seemed like childish whining, hold such deep meaning? Hearing that, the expressions of the other members also dimmed slightly, and my heart grew heavy. Indeed. Whether it's CP Jin Sangyoon or Director Jang Hojun, their absurd antics don't just harm us but squander the efforts and time of those who helped us. I should’ve fought harder, not just left it at that, even if it required a heated exchange to nullify the disqualification or at least get a rematch. I’ll deal with retribution later. "Jangwoo, take the girls. I’ll go have another word with the PD." While the members, led by Jangwoo, headed to the ssireum arena, I sought out Director Jang Hojun and addressed him directly with sarcasm. "Director, is there anything else specific to us that’s not allowed? Could you let me know now?" "What? What do you mean?" "I mean if other teams can do something but it becomes a disqualification for UpKi Girl, please tell us in advance." "Hahaha... Look, creating an adversarial relationship with me doesn’t do you any good. Why stir up trouble?" "Scrapping the teaser vote scores, banning underwater swimming—coincidentally, all these occurred when we were in first place. It's odd not to suspect anything after being hit twice. Cancel the swimming disqualification." "Ha... this is why I dislike half-baked celebrities..." ―Whack! Jang Hojun threw the cue sheet into the air and bolted up from his seat. Chewing on his lower lip, he placed his hands on his waist and shouted. "I didn’t cancel the teaser scores! I apologized for the underwater issue! So what’s the problem? You want me to kneel or something? Just because you’re trending a bit, you think you're A-list now? You might think you’re as big as Lizzy Girls!" Alright, you jerk. Let's settle this once and for all in front of everyone. Matching his volume, I responded assertively. "Is that how you talk to an artist on your program? Any agency would react when it’s obvious we’re being targeted. Our members are not disposable tools. Did anyone ask to be treated like Lizzy Girls? Just stop with the unreasonable oppression, damn it!" "What? Damn it? Wow, you're taking me for a fool, aren't you? Are you mad?" "The director cursed first." "Can't I mutter to myself?" "Sure, go ahead. Say it as much as you want. Damn it, I'm just talking to myself too." "Hey, why’s this happening?" Other directors and staff interposed, separating Jang Hojun from me. Appealing to Director Kim Gyuchul, who was holding me back, I expressed, "I tried to let it go as stepping on dung, but recalling the effort from the coaches who taught us for a week and Eunbit's hard work... I just can't. Cancel the disqualification or at least allow a rematch." "What if we can't?" Jang Hojun responded with a sneer, but I ignored him and spoke directly to Kim Gyuchul. Out of everyone I’d met so far, he seemed the most straightforward. “Anyone can see this isn’t right. If rules change, they should apply from the next race onwards. Isn’t that the fair thing to do?” “Yeah, yeah. I got it, just go for now.” "Ah, damn it, I can't stand being a PD anymore. To be pushed around by an idol manager not even six months into debuting, damn!" “If you don’t want to get pushed around, just do a better job. Do you think I’m doing this for fun?” “Yeah, when you begged for a spot on the show, and now you're all high and mighty because you're getting some attention!” “Hold on a second. Just let me ask one thing.” Releasing my grip on Kim Gyuchul and calming down, I addressed Jang Hojun seriously. “Why does UpKi Girl seem to be the target? If we're gonna get hit, at least tell us why.” “What! Why would I dislike you guys?” “No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. Logically, boosting popular contestants helps the show, right? According to brand rankings and current trends, we’re second only to Teenagers, or even beyond. So why are you so against us?” But Jang Hojun refused to answer. He kept his stance, claiming he didn’t know why we’d be disliked, and concealed his true intentions. Then, begrudgingly, as if to say, 'Take this and leave,' he canceled Eunbit’s disqualification from the swimming event. No matter where you go, it seems you only get results when you fiercely demand them. Closing that chapter, I stepped out of the tent, and a curse slipped out naturally. “Unbelievable, in the end, just doing well isn’t enough!” Trying to swallow my frustration, I was on my way to the ssireum arena with the girls when... ―Wooaahhh! An earth-shattering cheer erupted from the audience. Simultaneously, a girl was launched skyward from the ssireum ring, landing on the safety mat beside the sand pit in an almost doll-like, unreal pose. It was JV, the rapper from Applesoda. Hold on, what did I just witness? Did she just get flung about 2 meters in the air? Seeing medical staff rush over confirmed that my eyes weren’t deceiving me. And rising from the sand, brushing it off her behind, was none other than our Hong. She spotted me approaching the ring and offered an awkward smile. Ah, so that’s how it was. It was you who tossed JV like a rag doll. I gave her a thumbs up and applauded. “Well done, no need to feel shy.” It seemed the first round of a best-of-three match had just ended. The manager from Applesoda must have conceded immediately. The referee, whose hair was thinning considerably, raised Hong’s hand high. “Hong, victory by sseulba!” It was the start of a legend. And another legend was gearing up to roll. ―Brrrr Message from Maxim’s Jeong Ah-yoon Editor [The first covers featuring Yeonhong and Seowon’s S-type have been released, and both are selling out fast^^] Jeong Ah-yoon Editor [Seems like I owe you a drink, haha] A drink? For me? What angle is this now? But hang on. The new profile picture Jeong Ah-yoon is sporting is quite striking. I clicked on the photo to enlarge it. It looked as if it was taken casually during a photoshoot by the photographer and had been professionally edited. She posed with her legs up on a desk, themed around an office lady concept. Her high heels and black stockings complemented each other well. “Wow, Queen of Black Stockings indeed…” “Huh? Queen of what? What's that?” Gulp! “N-nothing, nothing.” “What, whose picture were you looking at?” < The Beginning of a Legend > End