The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 131
“Yes!”
Outgram is a microblogging network service that mainly focuses on photos and short videos, unlike other community or SNS platforms.
You can’t post unless you attach a photo or video, and lately, it’s been testing live-streaming features.
Before I came back, influencer Gao Yan had hit 15 million followers on that very SNS platform, Outgram. Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.
As I remembered that, I glanced toward Gao Yan, only to meet his gaze, since he’d been staring at me the whole time.
‘I! Can help! You!’
Oh, seriously.
Pretending not to see his silent cry, I turned back to the front.
“My Outgram follower count just hit 3 million a few days ago, so thank you all! Since we’re all here, why don’t we take a group photo?”
At some point, Choi Gaon had pulled out his phone, grinning brightly.
“My phone is connected to the screen, so you can see the photo along with me.”
A junior writer held up a sketchbook with the words ‘Trainees, please gather close!’ written on it. As we gathered, Choi Gaon set his phone to selfie mode and called out loudly.
“Alright, I’m taking it! One, two—”
Click!
With expert flair, Choi Gaon demonstrated his selfie skills and marveled briefly at the picture that appeared on the auditorium screen.
“Now, I’m going to post this photo on my Outgram. Don’t worry, everyone looks great!”
The screen, still connected to Choi Gaon’s phone, now showed the Outgram interface.
As Choi Gaon tagged the post with hashtags like #TargetingStar and #StarShooter, a flood of notifications appeared instantly.
[always__GAON__ liked your post 0 seconds ago]
[whathappenow liked your post 0 seconds ago]
[GG_ON started following you 0 seconds ago]
[whyamicrying_OPPA commented: My Boyfriend Material ♡♡ 0 seconds ago]
…
“Wow…”
The sudden barrage of notifications made several trainees gasp.
It was a prime example of what the notification screen of a solo idol with 3 million followers looked like.
As the auditorium screen threatened to overload from the rush of notifications, Choi Gaon smoothly unplugged his phone and continued the session like a pro.
“Haha, I didn’t show you that to brag about my follower count. It’s all related to today’s mission!”
As he spoke, small beeps and vibrations started coming from the phones that had been collected from the trainees earlier.
At the same time, the giant ‘MISSION TIME’ text on the auditorium screen changed to ‘CRIRP! SNS TIME.’
“You may have guessed it, but yes, today’s mission is related to Outgram. Your task is to gain followers and likes!”
As the cameras zoomed in on the trainees’ surprised faces, Logan quickly leaned over to me and whispered.
“Jesus, Chunyong hyung. Can trainees even use SNS? I remember, didn’t the writer say something before the first shoot about that…?”
“Right. They specifically said personal SNS accounts were forbidden.”
For trainees, or even rookie idols, there was hardly anything good that came from using SNS.
Once you let the trainees out of their protective bubble, it was only a matter of time before mistakes started piling up.
Accidental posts, drunken live streams, leaked relationship photos, and even posting the wrong pictures—it was a mess that could fill entire research papers.
[<GramNews> Jooyoung♡Billy, secret dating feed caught—fame skyrockets?]
[Singer Ahn Jae Ho’s younger brother Ahn Semin apologizes for his troublemaker sibling: ‘I’ll beat him up myself.’ Followers up by 200K↑]
And that wasn’t even the worst of it. For those who already had issues, just being on SNS could cause massive blowback.
Like me, before I came back.
[Arrows’ Rex avoids apology for stage departure—deletes Outgram profile, sparks controversy…]
[??: You seriously don’t know what “Trash Rex” means?;; Hilarious comments from Rex’s live stream meltdown ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
But as much as it could cause trouble, it also generated a lot of buzz.
“Starting today, until the day before the mid-rankings, you’re free to communicate with fans and gather as many followers and likes as you can!”
“Whoa, so we can even do live streams…?”
That’s why Targeting Star’s production team imposed certain restrictions, to minimize any major incidents while letting the trainees use SNS.
“Ah, I should explain that part. Production team, could you display the rules?”
Responding to Won Hyeop hyung’s surprised voice, the screen lit up with big red X’s and warning messages.
[1. Live streams are only allowed after practice, using the personal cameras provided for WeTube content filming during designated hours!
(The schedule will be announced on the same day.)
- No live streams with more than three trainees at once.
(Violation results in a one-day Outgram ban.)
- No spoilers related to the fourth mission.
(Violation results in a two-day Outgram ban.)
- No creation of accounts other than the one assigned by the production team.
(Violation results in a permanent Outgram ban.)]
“You all heard your phone notifications earlier, right? Those were the accounts created by the production team for each of you! Please read the restrictions carefully and try to complete the mission without penalties!”
As Choi Gaon explained, the trainees’ reactions varied as they read the rules.
Some understood immediately, others were confused.
And, of course, someone who was hoping to eliminate me…
“……”
Stared coldly at the screen, as always.
It was clear that Liu Wei wasn’t focused on the rules themselves, but on the parts about the “fourth mission” and “penalties.”
He was probably checking to make sure there was nothing wrong with the information he’d received.
He already knew about the “Crucial Boy” mission beforehand, so there was no way he hadn’t been tipped off about this as well.
Fortunately for me, I was already aware of this, too.
As I watched Liu Wei from a distance, Logan leaned in, whispering uneasily.
“Huh… Bro, there’s more we can’t do than I thought. I figured we’d need things like that to rack up followers and likes.”
“You mean having multiple people appear together on camera?”
“Yes. I understand the last rule, but the second and third ones don’t make much sense. Don’t people love spoilers?”
“You’re right, they do. But I think the point is to figure out how to work around it strategically.”
“Huh, what? Sometimes I really don’t get you, Chunyong hyung.”
“You’ll see soon enough, man. Even if we play this just a little smart, we’ll be halfway there.”
I patted Logan on the back, scanning the auditorium.
They’d explained the mission, so…
“We’ll take a short break! Afterward, there will be an announcement about the mid-rankings filming, so don’t be late!”
Now, time to hear what’s coming next in the main event.
