After coming back home, Mae started working on Five. She checked the views on YouTube and the comments. It was filled with English comments rather than Korean, it was clear that their marketing is doing better in the global market rather than in Asia. The agency, TK Entertainment, wasn't a large one so they didn't have as much exposure as a rookie group of the big 3 would. However, they weren't insignificant either. They have a contract with the Lowen Entertainment, a definite advantage, which will allow Five's official music video to be on their YouTube channel that has millions of subscribers. They will also be promoted by Lowen Entertainment in various other ways.

"Buzz——Buzz——" Mae's phone vibrated, it was a notification from TK Entertainment's YouTube channel. They uploaded the trailer of a web series produced to promote Five. Mae quickly downloaded the video and uploaded it on her Facebook page.

She didn't directly promote this video, instead, she spent $200 promoting a quality post of an idol group who's already famous - WT. Her goal was to attract the WT fans into liking Five. The more percentage of WT fans she has in her followers, the higher the chance that they will start to like Five, given the fact that both the groups produce music of the same genres. However, that was just one of the factors. Another reason to do this is to hide her intention - consumers tend to buy products that are suggested by ordinary people than direct commercials.

After she was done with Facebook, she went on weibo and made a list of most followed marketing accounts and categorized them into kpop and non-kpop related accounts. In China, social network marketing is more straightforward and more used than other parts of the world. There are a lot of accounts who would share a post for money and earn even up to 30000RMB (5000USD) per post. Even though Sina Weibo now opened the same system as Facebook to promote other accounts, these marketing accounts still didn't go out of offers.

She analyzed these accounts closely, from the type of followers they have, the number of shares and comments they get to the quality of feedbacks.

After she was done, she looked at the clock, it was already 5 p.m. She texted Dang Sikyeong to ask when his training will end and waited for twenty minutes. He didn't reply, he was probably too busy to even look at his phone.

Mae changed to go to his agency. To be able to become the head fan, she needs to get to know those fans who are already there. She wore a more casual outfit than she usually would to make herself look more approachable and made her makeup soft and natural.

Unlike other rich chaebols you would see on Asian dramas, Mae was used to taking the bus. In fact, the chaebols in real life don't necessarily live a life as high-key as everyone fantasizes. While there were rich kids who loved to exploit their resources, those who received a good family education were usually more low-key. Mae was one of them. She was the type who would nail a high-end haute couture but wouldn't mind slaying a sweater bought from the underground wholesale market; she could elegantly taste Foie Gras and Château Margaux but would also enjoy hitting the street vendor for some soju and chicken feet.

When she reached TK Entertainment, there were already a few fangirls waiting to see the trainees. Most of them were wearing a school uniform, chewing on the chips they bought from a nearby shop and gossiping with each other.

These girls were clearly trainee stans. In Asian pop culture, the fans who start stanning the group early usually get to have a good relationship with both the idols and the management company. After these trainees debut and become famous, these early stans becomes the fan the other fans talk about. Sometimes, if they are capable enough, they might even become the most influential people in the fandom, other than the idol himself. Most of the time, these trainee stans would just wait in front of the company and decide to stan a trainee based on their looks or the vibes they give off, completely trusting their own instinct.

Mae didn't directly go to them, she first bought a few fish cakes from a street vendor and then slowly walked towards them and greeted: "Hi, are you guys waiting for Five?"

One of the schoolgirls asked: "Unnie, you too? I have never seen you before. "

"Yes, I'm a new stan. How long have you guys been liking them?" She smiled, the soft rosy tint on her cheeks made her more amiable.

"We started a few months back, the agency is close to our school, so it's pretty convenient for us." One of the girls replied, "And unnie, how did you notice them?"

"I saw them on YouTube a few days back and decided to start stanning them." She smiled as she answered, didn't forget to introduce herself: "I'm Im Yeomrim, you guys can call me Yeomrim unnie. "

"I'm Jang Yi Na. You can call me Nana."

"I am Hong Dong Mi."

"Seung Hyeon."

The three girls introduced themselves and exchanged their kakao with Mae. They chatted with each other, sharing their knowledge about Five while waiting for them to come out.

"Unnie, is this your first time stanning an idol group?"

"No, I stan WT as well."

"I like them too, their performances are just so explosive I can't!" Nana became so excited and couldn't stop jumping like a cartoon character when W.T.'s topic came up.

"Unnie, are you a foreigner?" Hong Dong Mi asked while stuffing her mouth with the fish cakes Mae bought for them.

"Yes, I'm Chinese Canadian."

"Wow, so your family lives in Canada?"

"My brother lives there, my parents live in China."

"So unnie don't get to see your family pretty often, do you?"

"Yeah, the only time the whole family get to spend time together is during the lunar new year. " She sighed, being a celebrity is not the only profession that has a downside like this.

Just as they finished talking, several men exited from TK Entertainment. Dang Sikyeong's mouth fell agape when he saw Mae.

"Oppa-deur, you got a new fan. "Nana screamed as she waved at the five men.

The men paused for a while, their eyes narrowed, then they speeded up their pace to approach the girls.

"Hi, I'm your new fan, Im Yeomrim!" Mae smiled softly as she greeted them.

The members of Five were clearly excited to see this new fan, their face brightened up at the mere presence of her. Trainees from small agencies are usually the most simple creature on Earth, it's very easy to make them happy. All you need to do is let them know you are there to cheer them on and give them small gifts or snacks from time to time.

Mae smiled at them and then turned to Dang Sikyeong.

"Sikyeong Oppa." She uttered slowly, not making any eye contact with him.

Sikyeong's lips twitched, he cringed at the way she called him "Oppa" but still tried to act normal: "Ye... Yes?"

"I'll be your fan from now on, I'll come and see you often, okay?" She looked up now, her voice still soft.

"Yeah, sure!" He fake smiled.

"Five hwaiting! I really loved your dance practices!" Mae glanced at everyone, cheering them on.

All the trainees bid each other goodbye and went home with their fans.

"Please, never ever call me Oppa again." Sikyeong blurted out as soon as they were alone, he was still cringing remembering that moment.

Mae laughed and then started telling him the flaws she realized in their video and how he could improve it. Sikyeong listened carefully, until she started comparing them with WT.

"Can you not always talk about WT.? I get that you like Min Cheol, but it's sometimes annoying to me to be compared to him. " Sikyeong frowned.

"But I can't find anyone better. You need to have someone from whom you can learn." Mae's eyebrows furrowed, she didn't expect to hear this from Sikyeong. Little did she realize that the trainee life was wrecking him and being compared to his successful old schoolmate only made the matter worse.

"Just not WT, okay?"

They didn't speak to each other on their way home. When Sikyeong reached his dormitory, he sighed.

"Bye, Yeomrim."

"Bye."

Chaebol: A large family-owned business conglomerate.

Unnie: Big sister. In Korean, a femjale calls an older female unnie. 

If you liked this chapter, please do not forget to vote and/or comment.

And I know these two chapters are a bit crappy and boring, but these two chapters are needed for the story to flow. The next chapter will be better, I promise.

Min Cheol will show up XD