Chapter Twenty-Two: Special Training

..is someone who's being introduced to the sketchbook for the very first time."Yu Xi Lie said, looking up and smiling at the audience, and the audience on-site also responded with a timely cheer, as i...After the debut video released by Ji-sung on February 20th, ** company successively released pre-debut videos of other members in the following days.

On February 22nd, a joint video of LAY, Kim Jong-dae (Chen), and Baekhyun was publicly released.

Following that, on February 23rd, a teaser video for Park Chan-yeol was released. Then, on the last day of February, the 29th, and March 1st, teaser videos for Kim Jong-in Kai and LAY and Oh Se-hun were released respectively. With this, all of EXO's debut teaser videos have been fully released, totaling 23 videos.

>Most of the videos were actually pre-recorded, only Chikyeong's was filmed just a couple of days ago. Due to time and planning constraints, he only has one teaser video, while most other members have 2 to 3, with Kim Jong-hyun taking up almost half by himself.

This was originally no problem, after all, they hadn't officially debuted yet and everyone had relatively few fans. However, after Chi Jingyuan's video was released on the 20th, his unit, which originally had no fans at all, suddenly exploded in popularity. His fan count surged to the top of the team within just ten days, with some even establishing a fan club dedicated to him. In these same ten days, his debut video views surpassed all other members.

But after all the debut videos were released, his fans discovered that their idol only had one debut video, expressing great dissatisfaction. Many went to **'s official website to leave messages, angrily criticizing ** for unfair treatment. Obviously, someone so talented only has one video, while that guy with a broom-like hairstyle has released so many. It's really an eye opener.

Here, a peculiar phenomenon occurred. It's unclear if it's because the style of Ji-yuan Chi's debut video differed greatly from others, but those who like him truly like him. However, most of these people are indifferent to other EXO members, liking only him.

This kind of behavior, where one only likes a single member from a group, is called ‘stanning’ (or ‘being a stan’). Conversely, liking all members of a group because you like the group as a whole is called ‘fandom’. Generally speaking, the number of stans for a single member won’t be many compared to fans who like the whole group. However, in Ji-seong’s case, his solo stans are incredibly numerous, with a significant number being toxic stans.

"Toxic fans refer to those who only like one member in a group while simultaneously disliking the other members."

So recently, the ** official website's bulletin board, and each member's debut videos

"Trash **, we Yuan are so excellent, there's only one video of us, what a shame."

"My God! How dare these ugly bastards stand with us Yuan"

I've watched all the videos of this group, and besides Yuan, I can only say that the style and temperament of the others are indescribable.

"That Kai is so ugly, he has so many trailers. Is he royalty"

Could you please not use other people's videos

"All part of the same team, right"

"It's obvious to everyone that Cody, who designed Yuan's image, and the PD who filmed the video, are at a higher level than the other members. That's why the style feels off and makes the others look cheap."

"** is really speechless. They could have made the video so much better, Yuan's hairstyle and outfit are great, right Why can't the other members be the same I feel sorry for my LUHAN."

"This rookie group hasn't even debuted yet and they're already tearing each other apart internally. They should disband as fast as possible and get out of the way so they don't steal resources from our group."

"Because of this group, Shanshan's resources have been significantly reduced lately. Can you guys please go back"

“…………”

Such heated discussions and attacks also caught the attention of ** Entertainment's publicity department, but this wasn't a bad thing for them. After all, for a newly debuted group, the most important thing is attention. Only with attention can popularity come, even if a large part of the comments are insults, attacking EXO. But for the company, being hated is also a form of being noticed. Being infamous is still being famous.

They are very experienced with this kind of hype surrounding Black and Red (Blackpink and Red Velvet). Most groups that have debuted under ** Entertainment have basically used this method to promote themselves.

As for the fact that Yuan's fans have even outnumbered the group's fans, **'s planning department sees this as a good thing.

Because every company has limited resources and it's impossible to focus on everyone equally, a team usually focuses on promoting two or three individuals. These individuals become the main attractions, drawing significant attention to the group. This individual popularity then translates into increased team popularity.

This set of plans can be applied to all idol group companies on the peninsula.

While Yuan only released a low-budget debut teaser video, he managed to gain such high popularity and attention. This was a pleasant surprise for the company, boosting their confidence in successfully debuting EXO.

After releasing pre-debut videos for all the members, a week later on March 8th, they released the MV for their pre-release song "History", followed by the audio release of "History" one day after.

As the company is busy preparing for their debut, launching various materials, the members are also working hard. They are not only practicing non-stop but also receiving a final round of 'debut training'.

Still in that practice room, all twelve EXO members were sitting in two rows on the wooden floor, while a woman in her thirties stood facing them, giving them a lesson.

The teacher first emphasized the etiquette that must be paid attention to after officially debuting. When meeting seniors, one must bow. When encountering senior seniors, one must maintain the bowing gesture until the other party leaves before taking action.

"Boys your age sometimes have inflated egos and do some ridiculous things. Don't think being polite is a bad thing, if you pay attention to etiquette, seniors and fans will only think you are polite. All newcomers go through this, and after you debut for a while, there will be new people coming to greet you."

“If you go outside, for example to a TV station. Don't eat any food or drink any water given to you by anyone other than your manager or assistant. Never forget what happened to Woohyun. Also, even if it's your own water or food, don't eat it after leaving your sight for a while if there is no manager watching over it.”

“Always pay attention to your expressions in front of the camera. Every action and subtle expression of yours will be recorded completely. Whether it's paused as a screenshot or maliciously edited, it's easy for people to take it out of context. Therefore, expression management is very important. If you don't know how to do it, just smile all the time, just like Yuan. His smile is really good.”

“When you're asked sensitive questions on variety shows, there are specific tactics to deal with them. Your teachers probably covered this before, so I'll give you a quick review. When asked about seniors, always be polite. If you're asked about internal conflicts or fan conflicts, deny them.”

"There's also a very common question that frequently pops up in variety shows, which is the ideal type question. If you're asked about your ideal type, say someone much older, like a senior female figure, or directly name a foreign female celebrity. Basically, just choose someone who has nothing to do with you. Definitely don't mention a female idol group member who you've worked with, as that would easily hurt fans' feelings. Let me ask you a question, Yuan, who is your ideal type"

"Me..." Ji Jingyuan didn't expect to be called out. He blurted, "Senior Lim Yoon-ah"

"Ani! Although she is a senior female, she isn't old enough! Plus, being from the same company could cause misunderstandings. Seolhyun's male fans are quite crazy."

Let me know if you have any other translations you need help with!

"That... Senior Lee Young-ae"

"Correct! Se-hoon, what about you Who is your ideal type"

"Well...Miranda Kerr."

"The correct answer..."

First published on the繁體小說網o catch up.The two of them chatted casually as they walked back along the corridor, their voices deliberately kept low. Occasionally, if they encountered someone passing by who hadn't left the audienc...