036
The production team's explanation was simple.
Take some time to relax by playing and winning prizes.
In other words, this is what they meant.
'You guys should act cute and enjoy the school trip vibe and then we get to do some promotion for T1 products.'
Everyone probably guessed the nuance but compared to the aftermath of the ranking announcement ceremony, the atmosphere became better.
The product was good and the rules were loose.
"There is no ranking, so it will progress according to your will~"
"Ah…"
"If you come out, you can unconditionally win one of the prizes!"
"…Yes!"
The answering voices were more relaxed.
This was because it was a format where they had nothing to lose.
'The fact that there is no MC also played a part in making us really feels like we're taking a rest.'
…To be honest, I was tempted by the dryer too.
I lived in a one-room apartment so I had no place to put it, but I didn't expect such large electronics to come out as products of this hasty plan.
'I guess the program is going really well.'
As I thought so while looking at the picture of the kimchi refrigerator included in the product, the photos of the product disappeared from the screen and large letters appeared.
[Talent show: Random dance.]
[The one who stays until the end is the winner!]
'You guys even left the font as it is.'
The Hamchorong font was brilliant.
Regardless of my impression, soon there was a five-second countdown on the screen.
Then some of the guys who were in good condition ran out and began to wait.
[Start!]
And famous KPOP chorus came out one after another.
"Ugh."
"Hey, you're wrong! We have to go in!"
"W-what?"
At first, the participants joined in mechanically, but probably because of the amount of time, they almost made a skit to determine the winner in the end.
After about 12 songs, the winner came out.
"Ah, thank you~"
It was Keun Sejin.
"No one asked, but I'll tell you how I feel. I think the PR live sharpened my skills for this day. Hahaha!"
"Wow~"
Keun Sejin, who did similar content during PR, smiled brazenly and said that then he quickly put his hand into the draw box to pick a note.
"Now, my prize product is…"
[(Real) 1 box of boneless chicken feet.]
"I'll give it to Moondae."
The participants burst into laughter at Keun Sejin's rapid change of attitude. Even the staff covered their mouths and laughed, so there was no angle that showed me frowning at Keun Sejin who looked this way and winked.
'How long will this chicken feet image last?'
I had a foreboding feeling that if it continued being mentioned like this, it would follow me until I retired.
Anyway, the atmosphere became even more relaxed because Keun Sejin gave a big laugh.
"Give me the next one, please!"
"This is amusing, really."
After four or five more matches like this, the majority of the participants were serious about the talent show.
And there were still a few expensive home appliances left as prize products.
Then the sixth talent show appeared on the screen.
[Talent show: Random karaoke]
[The one who sings the first verse is the winner!]
"This is an event for me."
"Wow, I really want to go out, but haven't I already won? What should I do?"
Ignoring Keun Sejin who was being noisy, I hesitated for a moment and then moved forward.
"Oh~~ Are you confident, Moondae?"
In fact, I wasn't very confident. I didn't want to make it a big thing.
This was just a defense in case showing a passive appearance after ranking up made me look arrogant.
…If possible, it would be better to win and take the dryer.
There were seven products left, so the chance of getting it was 14%, which was good enough for me to be hopeful.
With four participants facing each other, I waited for the countdown to end. The production crew quietly left a microphone on the floor.
[Start!]
As soon as the screen changed, an intro immediately flowed.
Boom Clap Boom Clap Boom Shake Boom Clap~
An addictive melody resounded in the auditorium.
"…?"
"What?"
The faces of the participants, who thought KPOP would come out, became blank.
Yes, what came out was a K-trot karaoke accompaniment.
"Uh…"
"Wait, wait."
Participants listened to the intro with confused expressions, but they couldn't tell what song it was just by listening to the intro.
This was because there were more than one or two trot songs that started with an exciting rhythm in the intro
"…"
I was in conflict, but I eventually sneaked forward and picked up the microphone.
"…!"
"Moondae sings trot…?"
Gold 1's murmur was heard all the way here.
"Maybe he just grab it?"
"Does he really know that song?"
I didn't answer the shouts and just started singing at the end of the intro.
"It's raining on Namdaemun Street in Seou~ There's no one I'm looking for~"
"..!"
The participants were whispering.
"Heol."
"How did he know?"
How do I know? I've seen it a lot.
When I went to filmings a few times, I often saw the stage of trot singers.
Especially since it was often placed right before the idol stage, I had listened to quite a lot of songs that were popular with the elderly enough to show it later in the event.
The original singer's performance… Hmm, I probably saw it twice a day back when I saw this kind of event a lot.
Later, the singer recognized me and winked at the camera.
I remembered uploading the fancam on WeTube out of conscience. Hmm, it helped me this way.
"Ah~ The one I've been looking for~ The one I've been looking for~"
Since it was quite a famous song, the participants sang along when it entered the chorus. I wondered if the singer felt like this at the event.
"I left Seoul~"
"Ooh."
After I pointlessly sang the first verse following the mood, the participants applauded with admiration.
This was more than cheering… It was like a reaction you would show when watching a strange scene in a magic show.
It was a little embarrassing, but it was successful anyway, so I decided to focus on drawing the prize.
I greeted the participants a few times, then put down the microphone and grabbed the draw box.
When I opened the note, I could see a frozen silver body in the picture.
'Maybe the dryer…!'
[Kimchi refrigerator]
"…."
Crazy.
"Hey! Kimchi refrigerator!"
"What's up with Moondae's luck~!"
"It's the refrigerator Moondae was looking for."
Participants poured out and surrounded me with excitement. I looked at the note with a bewildered feeling and suddenly realized the reality.
'…Don't they give the goods without paying the taxes?'
I had no money to pay the taxes.
As soon as I received the product, I would sell it through a second-hand transaction, pay the tax, and fill up my bank account.
Anyway, it felt good to catch something expensive.
Keun Sejin, who was celebrating next to me, whispered softly.
"Moondae, let's exchange products…"
"I won't."
"Yes."
Eat your chicken feet.
After the last match, the talent show ended splendidly, and the filming of the team match began in a more relaxed atmosphere.
I wonder if it was difficult for the MC to proceed due to the adjusted filming schedule, and surprisingly, Youngrin took the lead and announced a new team match.
"Re-listed! Idol Inc., it's already the third team match. Participants, I'd like you to praise yourself for holding on from 77 people to 30 people."
Although it wasn't the MC's lively voice, Youngrin proceeded with the situation calmly and seriously.
Above all, they were words from an already successful idol, so the participants seemed to take it more meaningfully.
Right next to me, Gold 2 was smiling and stroking his own hair. It was quite a spectacle.
"In this third team match, the team is built in a rather unusual way."
Let's see, so far, the team has been formed by the choice of participants, so it's time for other factors to intervene.
But the element was a bit unusual.
"It's the big data algorithm."
"…What?"
"Big data?"
When the concept we usually saw on IT news suddenly appeared, the participants looked at Youngrin with puzzled expressions.
Youngrin smiled and continued speaking.
"Idol Inc. analyzed the patterns in which shareholders buy your stock. So the team is formed around stocks that a number of shareholders bought together at the same time."
In other words, it meant that the money-spending viewers were tying us together and forming a team of their favorite participants.
"Detailed analysis data can be found on Re-listed! Idol Inc. website. Everyone, are you ready to meet your team members selected by the big data of shareholders?"
"Gasp."
"It's so exciting."
Participants began whispering with silly expressions and looking around to see who they would be with.
I also looked around the participants in moderation.
'First of all… I think Seon Ahyeon and Keun Sejin will be there.'
I knew it would be these two just by looking at SNS. Unsurprisingly, Seon Ahyeon waved to me with his eyes shining brightly.
Keun Sejin took a step forward and patted me on the back and said.
"Hey, I look forward to your kind cooperation."
"Yeah. Okay."
Keun Sejin giggled to himself at my blunt answer. I guess he thought my words were a joke.
"Looks like you're ready. Then come out in order and pick up the box."
Behind Youngrin, a table with black boxes was set up.
"There are badges in the box. After receiving the box, go down the hallway and enter the room marked with the badge."
Then Youngrin called the participants in alphabetical order and began handing the boxes to them.
Of course, 'Park Moondae' was called quite early.
"Participant Park Moondae. Please take the box."
I took a box that had the name 'Park Moondae' on it and went out the door.
Of course, a staff with a camera was waiting in the hallway. When I opened the box in front of them, a rabbit head-shaped badge appeared.
"…Rabbit?"
I murmured a little bewildered, then quickly closed my mouth, conscious of the camera.
Then I looked up and checked the rooms lined up in the hallway. Each room had a nameplate.
Chicken
Cat
Deer
Puppy
Bear
And I found the name I was looking for in the last room.
Rabbit
"…"
Overall… The naming sense that felt like a kindergarten class stood out.
'Well, it's just dividing the team.'
Presuming it was meant to be humorous, I immediately opened the door.
I wasn't too nervous because all the participants who were likely to be on the same team would be called later than me.
'I'm probably the first one.'
But as soon as I opened the door and stepped in, the person sitting on the floor suddenly raised his head and looked at me.
"…?"
It was Kim Raebin.
Why are you here…?
"Park Moondae hyung."
Kim Raebin jumped to his feet with a happy face, then he slowly moved over and stepped aside.
It seemed he was being considerate by letting me sit in the middle.
But, there are only two of us…?
"I didn't know I could be on the same team again. It's really nice to see you."
"…Right. I look forward to your kind cooperation."
"Yes."
It was a peaceful conversation, but complex reasonings flowed in my head.
'Why is Kim Raebin on the same team as me?'
It was only in the previous episode 7 that I had an interaction with Kim Raebin.
So the percentage of votes after episode 7 was big enough to affect the 'big data algorithm'?
'Of course, it would be possible if we only considered the stocks of the previous ranking announcement ceremony, but…'
As I weighed the possibilities, I realized a simple fact.
'Aha.'
It was because Kim Raebin was rarely involved with other participants.
I didn't know how it was weighted, but it was quite convincing that he joined the team because the only participants involved with Kim Raebin were me and Cha Eugene.
'Well, it's good to have high-ranking participants.'
I neatly organized my thoughts and sat down on the floor. Kim Raebin immediately talked to me again.
"Hyung, the song you just sang at the talent show, it's my favorite song too."
"…Really?"
I wondered if I really needed to know that Kim Raebin liked trot, but anyway, we passed the time by chatting roughly until the next team member came in
Then, after quite some time, the next team member opened the door and came in.
037
The participant who entered the Rabbit room after me was Seon Ahyeon.
"…Ah!"
Seon Ahyeon sneaked into the room with a nervous face, and as soon as he met my eyes, his expression brightened and he quickly ran inside.
And smiled broadly.
"I-it's nice that we're together t-this time."
"Yeah, please take care of me."
"Hn, I-I will do my best…"
It was at that point that Seon Ahyeon, who was excited and opened his mouth right away, made eye contact with Kim Raebin, who was looking this way.
"…!"
Seon Ahyeon was shocked and stiffened the moment that he realized Kim Raebin's existence.
'Come to think of it, these two have no contact with each other.'
Because their grades were different and they'd never met in a team match.
Seon Ahyeon hurriedly stepped forward, looked between me and Kim Raebin, swallowed his saliva, and greeted Kim Raebin.
"P-p-please take good care of me…"
He was so serious.
"Yes, I look forward to your kind cooperation."
"N-no, it should be me…"
Kim Raebin also bowed his head with a serious look. Then Seon Ahyeon quickly slammed his head down to the floor.
It was a strange scene that I had only seen happen in Internet humor.
'If these two are left alone, the conversation won't proceed.'
As I watched Kim Raebin and Seon Ahyeon's personnel battle, which was likely to continue forever, the fourth team member opened the door vigorously and entered.
"Who's the rabbit?!"
It was Keun Sejin. I didn't know why, but it seemed he was completely absorbed in the room concept as he waved the rabbit head-shaped badge in one hand.
Keun Sejin quickly confirmed Seon Ahyeon and Kim Raebin. And then he looked at me and laughed.
Why again?
"What, why are you here, Moondae?"
"…?"
When I looked at him with a look that asked what nonsense he was saying, Keun Sejin continued to slowly speak.
"No, there is a Puppy room so I thought you naturally would be there. I thought we couldn't do it together this time."
"…"
Was the Tibetan fox interview not enough? I intended to take on the puppy image, but the reality check was a separate matter, I wanted to hit this guy at least once.
Keun Sejin quickly approached the people and changed the subject.
"Anyway, isn't it good to do it together~ Our team is good this time too! Let's do well! Is there one more person left?"
The total number of room with nameplates were six. Considering that there were currently 30 active participants, there was an extremely high probability that each room would be assigned five people.
'Then since there are four people who have come so far, there's only one person left.'
But I didn't know who would come.
'For now, we've got all positions as they are.'
The team members were evenly distributed without overlapping images and both our ranks and skills were good.
Kim Raebin would arrange the song, and Keun Sejin would likely pick the leader role anyway, so it was good too. All-rounder Seon Ahyeon made the stage easier.
In fact, it meant that it didn't matter if there were just four of us like this.
'As long as a troll doesn't come.'
I remembered several of them, including Choi Wongil. It didn't really matter who came if it wasn't for them.
The problem was that until now, the team members had never been smoothly organized.
I assessed the situation.
'From here… I can cover up for Lee Sejin.'
Because even though he was uncooperative, he wasn't the type to bombard others for profit, so I just had to be gentle with him.
Still, there was a possibility that his mentality died down because of the ranking announcement ceremony, so it was better not to do it together with him if possible.
Then the last team member I am hoping for… Well, in alphabetical order, there was only one person left besides the ones that were already sold out.
'Gold 1 is the most comforting.'
When thinking of the participant with the highest possibility, Keun Sejin smiled and suggested.
"Why don't we hide behind the door? He's the last one, it would be nice to welcome him with all of our heart and sincerity."
It was an obvious idea, but it was also a joke that would come out well on the show if the last team member's reaction was okay.
The problem was that if Choi Wongil came in like this, the atmosphere would be weird, but the other three already went behind the door so I just gave up.
If I stopped them, I would be the one who looked weird in front of the camera.
The small murmur of the team members from behind the door was heard in one ear, and Keun Sejin, who was attached to the wall, shouted quietly.
"He's here!"
Then he boisterously raised his index finger and put it on top of his lips. I was keeping my mouth shut anyway, so I just continued to stay silent.
Soon the door opened with the sound of footsteps.
"Excuse me… Eh?"
"Ta-da!"
After a while, a head popped out from behind the door.
"Gyaaah!"
The participant, who opened the door and looked inside, jumped into the sky and moved funny. The guy was more of a scaredy-cat than I expected.
'Congratulations on getting a broadcast portion.'
The last team member who rolled around with a strange scream had a familiar face.
"Aigoo, I'm sorry. Hyung!"
Unexpectedly, Gold 1 joined.
'…This is fine.'
For the first time, I gave a positive evaluation after seeing the team composition.
"Please take good care of our rabbit class~"
"Wow!"
Clap clap clap. The discussion began with an ordinary reaction without any expression.
Including my college life, the atmosphere was the most harmonious among the team projects I'd ever been through.
With the camera on, no one was swearing or doing anything else.
'It's like a real kindergarten.'
Of course, not all teams were on the hopeful side like the Rabbit class.
For example, the two or three teams that were tied with the lower ranks due to the crowding of ranking sections had already given up halfway.
"Ah…"
"Well, let's do well…"
"…So it becomes like this."
However, unexpectedly, the despair came out from a different team consisting of top-level trainees. Choi Wongil and Lee Sejin joined Ryu Chungwoo and Cha Eugene's team. In addition, the troll who grabbed Kim Raebin by the collar was on that team.
Some of the participants murmured.
"How can they get tied up like that?"
"The combination is amazing."
I could hear Ryu Chungwoo's stomach melting down all the way from here.
'It's unfortunate, but it's rather good for me.'
It would be convenient if they took all the aggro editing.
By the time I drew this brief conclusion, Keun Sejin was proceeding with the discussion.
"Now, let's talk about the song first! Is there a song you want to sing?"
A number of team members raised their hands with their eyes shining. Even Seon Ahyeon slowly lifted his hand up, everyone looked pretty excited.
It was understandable. Since 'Free Song Selection' finally came out for the first time.
I remembered the MC's announcement I had just heard.
'You can choose every detail you want, including songs, choreography, and concepts that suit your team! It's called Self-produced Stage!'
In other words, the production team wanted to eat it raw.
'Last season, they picked using mini-games.'
This meant that the production team had already prepared the concepts in advance, including the costumes and stage equipment. It was a structure in which the participants chose what they wanted from among them.
However, this season, without any such thing, they were telling us to come up with it on our own.
Perhaps at the time of this season's planning, they couldn't plan ahead due to a lack of budget.
By the way, the show was successful and gained a lot of additional budgets, and one of its advantages was that there were few budget restrictions on the content now.
'That's probably why they're all excited.'
I listened to other team members' opinions one by one.
The order of the speaking was set clockwise, and Seon Ahyeon, who got the right to speak first, shouted a little.
"H-how about I Like the Wait…!"
I Like the Wait. Its distinctive features were the high notes and musical-like choreography.
The refreshing and sophisticated teen sensibility hit the target audience properly.
As of this point, it was a song released by a nine-member boyband five years ago, and it gave the group the honor of winning first place.
Looking back on his track record, it was a song that Seon Ahyeon would surely like.
"Oh, the first nominated song is great."
"That's right. We're all young! Refreshing! The concept has never been shown before."
I added a word, too.
"It's fine."
"H-Hn!"
Seon Ahyeon lit up and nodded wildly. Even if it wasn't chosen like this, he looked like he was going to die from just positive reactions.
'How can you live like that with that face?'
It was a bit pitifully absurd.
"Next is Raebin!"
"Considering the composition of the members, I think VTIC sunbaenim's Soul(Hone) is the most effective choice."
His comments poured out as if he was prepared for this.
"It used a lot of oriental sound samples, so the concept is unique, and the range is appropriate. It's a song with a difficulty level of choreography, so it's easy to show performance elements, and it's easy to put a dance break interlude. I can draft the arrangement within a day!"
"Yes…"
'You must really want to do it.'
Maybe I wasn't the only one who thought so, the other team members responded slowly with bewildered expressions.
Then Kim Raebin looked around and hesitated.
"Well, of course… if you have any other good opinions, that's fine."
"Okay okay, I also like the song that Raebin chose. Let's listen to other opinions slowly~"
Keun Sejin shrugged it off.
'But it would be better to listen to the opinions of the person who will arrange the song in detail.'
It seemed Keun Sejin didn't intend to accept Kim Raebin's words more, perhaps there was a song he wanted to push for.
'Should I take it?'
I opened my mouth.
"What was your favorite part among the things you said?"
"What? …Ah, well, rather than liking a particular element, I took into account the overall best fit for the task."
It meant that his focus was on the overall perfection of the stage. I nodded.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"That's right. I was surprised."
"Raebin has a plan!"
"…Thank you."
When the team members praised him, Kim Raebin bowed his head and muttered.
After a brief atmosphere of warmly watching the awkward Kim Raebin was created, Keun Sejin finally gave his opinion.
"Now is the time."
"…?"
"We've come this far, so it's time for a sexy concept…!"
"S-s-sexy…"
"Argh!"
"Ugh…"
Cringed reactions followed. Keun Sejin laughed out loud.
"Hahaha! Can you honestly deny it? Can you?"
"…"
It was silly to brazenly say it out loud, but…
'…That makes sense.'
There was no denying that it was a good idea.
'If we pull it off properly, there's no stronger concept than this.'
The sexy concept had traditionally been proved as a route to success, If you could look great while keeping the level of sophistication,
I crossed my arms and asked Keun Sejin.
"What kind of song do you want to do?"
"Oh? As expected, Moondae has a good eye. Actually, I don't want to push for one song in particular, but rather, compare several songs… I'd like to discuss and decide on a song that will most successfully show the sexy concept, what do you think?"
"…"
It was good.
But the other two opinions were also good.
I turned my head and looked at Gold 1, who had not yet spoken.
The figure of Gold 1 was burned white.
"I… don't know. I was just trying to live it up with rabbits. But everyone… seem to have… A very clear vision…?"
It seemed other opinions were so firm that he lost his fighting power. It was understandable. I shrugged my shoulders.
"M-Moondae… W-what do you want to do?"
"Me? I haven't decided anything in particular."
When I answered Seon Ahyeon's question right away, Keun Sejin's eyes shone.
"Oh, then I want to hear Moondae's choice! Which of our opinions do you like best?"
"…!"
Sejin Keun's words caught the attention of the rest of the team.
It was very burdensome. However, it was a situation that couldn't be ignored.
'Which do I like best?'
I was lost in thought.
038
"First of all, I want to do I Like the Wait."
"…!"
Seon Ahyeon looked visibly shaken.
His attitude showed that he didn't expect I would sympathize with his song selection.
"R-R-Really?"
"Yes."
It was true that I Like the Wait was a good song, and the fact that it was a song from 5 years ago added an extra point.
Soul that Kim Raebin mentioned was a song two years ago.
'I thought about it during the first team match, but VTIC's latest song is burdensome.'
Kim Raebin himself seemed confident, but we didn't have to take risks.
However, I had to reflect on the opinion of Kim Raebin, the person who would lead the arrangement.
To take advantage of his characteristic, Maestro, I had to throw a keyword that suited his taste.
Contrary to Seon Ahyeon's expression of joy, Kim Raebin looked a little gloomy. I guess he already expected that his opinion wouldn't be accepted.
"But 'self-production' is the theme of this team match, so it's hard to put up the original song as it is."
"Ah…"
"So I wish there's an unconventional arrangement. Personally, among what Raebin suggested earlier, 'Oriental style' seems the best."
"That."
Kim Raebin looked dazed as if lost in thought and immediately rejoiced.
"Certainly, the lyrics aren't awkward either… With the right instrument, I can come up with a very interesting arrangement. If we modify the choreography according to the arrangement, we will be able to create very impressive stage scenes."
"That's a relief."
For once, Raebin let it pass.
Then all that's left is Keun Sejin and Gold 1.
I turned my head and scanned the two.
As soon as our eyes met, Keun Sejin smiled calmly.
"What about arranging it in a sexy oriental style?"
"…!"
"Even if we go with the oriental style anyway, we have to decide what kind of atmosphere we want to use in it. If possible, let's put on sexy impact, that's all!"
His words weren't wrong.
'You must have thought of this since the beginning…'
Among the opinions that came out so far, no one commented that we couldn't use the 'sexy concept' so he probably intended to tie it up like this regardless of my answer.
'Funnily enough, it's hard to refute him.'
Sure enough, Gold 1 sighed playfully.
"You're such a great guy, really…"
In fact, he meant it. Looking at the other two's expressions, they already let it pass.
"Haha, am I like that?"
Keun Sejin shrugged. With this, the opinions of the four team members were reflected in the song selection.
'Since it's like this, let's take the remaining one.'
There were few viewers who hated a warm and democratic team atmosphere. I opened my mouth again calmly.
"Shall we use the rabbit, too?"
"What?"
Gold 1 waved his hand.
"Oh, what I said? It's all right. I was just saying it."
"No, I thought it will suit us well."
"…The rabbit?"
"Yes. There are rabbits in old Korean stories."
The other team members seemed to have come up with their own ideas.
"B-Byeoljubujeon?"
(TL: Byeoljubujeon or 'The Story of the Rabbit' is one of Korean classic novels from the Joseon Dynasty.)
"That… Is 'The Tortoise and the Hare' a Korean story?"
"It's Aesop's Fable."
Keun Sejin laughed secretly among the team members. A quick-witted guy.
"Moon Rabbit?"
"Moon Rabbit. That's right."
It was the rabbit in the old story of pounding rice cakes on the moon. It was also known as the Jade Rabbit.
It was also famous for the nursery rhyme with the lyrics under the katsura trees.
"…How do you make it sexy?"
Gold 1 murmured in dismay, saying that it might be a destruction of childhood innocence. It must have reminded him of the playboy-magazine style rabbit.
But it seemed Kim Raebin liked this keyword, his face cleared up and his eyes shone. It was honestly comfortable that I didn't have to open my mouth.
"I think we can reconstruct it by just taking the motif instead of using it as it is. It's an attractive concept if we can make good use of its image as a fantasy animal."
"Oh, is that so? Of course, it would be nice if you could put in my opinion."
Gold 1 nodded shakily. Keun Sejin immediately cleared up the situation.
"Hmm~ I like it, too! Shall we decide by raising our hands?"
A few nearby teams had already decided on a song and were informing the production team.
Due to the time limit, it was time for our team to conclude the song selection and move on to the details.
"Raise your hand if you agree with the idea of reinterpreting I Like the Wait with the Moon Rabbit's sexy oriental concept!"
Immediately, everyone's hands came up. As soon as he finished speaking, Keun Sejin also raised his hand and laughed.
"Wow, that was really democratic~ All of our opinions have been taken into account. Let's work hard!"
"Yes!"
"Yay-"
The discussion ended with friendly applause just like when it began.
It was then.
"I don't want to!"
Someone got up screaming from the other team over there.
I happened to catch his face. It was Lee Sejin.
"What's going on?"
"Uh…"
"Are they fighting?"
The participants around quietly whispered.
But everyone seemed to be reticent. Because saying useless words was like sending a signal that you wanted to be a victim of editing.
Meanwhile, Lee Sejin was staring at the participants on the opposite side.
I could see Choi Wongil with a stiff face and Cha Eugene with a dead expression.
But the standoff did not last long.
Lee Sejin got up, turned around, and ran out of the set with his teeth clenched.
"…!"
"Heol. They're…."
Fortunately, Ryu Chungwoo immediately regained his composure and followed Lee Sejin.
"You guys wait a minute. …Sejin? Lee Sejin!"
A camera hurriedly followed Ryu Chungwoo.
"…."
Wow, over there is really…screwed.
The atmosphere was transparent enough that even Cha Eugene got dragged into it.
"Aigoo…"
Gold 1 sighed briefly.
Kim Raebin's face became dark as if the trauma of the last team match had relapsed.
However, no one was ignorant enough to approach that team and ask questions or offer comfort.
It had been several weeks since filming, so there was no participant who still couldn't understand the situation.
'If you're meddling, you'll just become the broadcast's scapegoat.'
So, the Rabbit class quickly finished reporting the song to the production team and moved to the practice room.
It was a wise decision.
It was long past midnight when the Rabbit class returned to the dorm.
Everyone looked like a withered bean sprout.
"The bedroom is nice…"
Keun Sejin made a dying sound and fell on the bed.
He couldn't stand the crazy schedule of taking care of the arrangement, revising the choreography, and performing stage concepts for 10 days, so he was K.O.
"I-I'm going to wash up…"
Seon Ahyeon said those words and couldn't get out of bed.
"…"
He'd been in a state of extreme tension as he continued to recreate the choreography according to the process of the arrangement, and in the end, it seemed his mental strength couldn't stand it.
Gold 1 limped to another room, saying he needed to eat something. I think he was going to get Gold 2's cup noodles, but he'd take care of it.
"…May I use the shower first…"
"Yes."
Kim Raebin called Seon Ahyeon a few times, and when there was no answer, he asked me for permission and went into the bathroom.
So I'm the only sane person left in this room.
Ah, why am I relatively fine?
Of course, it's the status window. I thought of the new characteristic that floated at the bottom of the status window.
[Characteristics: Bacchus 500 (B)]
– Clear mind and healthy body!
: Fatigue accumulation rate -50%
After the last team match stage was aired, it was a characteristic selected as a reward for the next stage of 'Fame Achievement'.
[Calling for fame!]
500,000 people remembered your existence!
: Draw Rare Characteristics Click!
Quite frankly, it was an unrealistic number.
500,000 people?
How many alternative programs had been released that had more than 500,000 people remember one participant? It was a surprising number even for the top participants.
Considering the speed, it was a little terrifying to think that the number of people would surpass one million soon.
'One million people… No, isn't it 'Park Moondae' whom they remember?'
At times like this, I thought it was rather fortunate that it was someone else's body.
In any case, the 500,000 units fame achievement draw hit the jackpot. It was the most useful thing I'd gotten so far in this survival environment.
There was no immediate increase in lung capacity or muscle strength, but busy and physically exhausting days had certainly become easier to bear.
'Even after running so hard, I still have room to organize my thoughts.'
I got up from my seat and stretched briefly. Anyway, I was tired and drowsy.
'I should wash up and go to bed as soon as Raebin comes out.'
Then, there was a sound from the door.
Knock. Knock.
"…?"
Gold 1? But if it was him, he wouldn't have come in with a knock.
'If it were a staff member, they would have already said who they were.'
I couldn't guess who it was.
Knock. Knock. Knock!
But the knock continued. However, the team members that might get a visitor were passed out.
'…It's bothering me.'
I sighed then got up and opened the door.
"…!"
Cha Eugene was standing outside.
It was surprising, but it was also understandable. He must have come to meet Kim Raebin who was from the same agency.
The problem was that he was crying.
Cha Eugene was sobbing, wiping away all his tears and snot.
"…"
'…Why are you crying here?'
It was very disconcerting.
Fixed cameras were also installed in the hallway and rooms of the accommodation. If so, he would have been caught coming here and crying, but I had no idea how it would turn out on the show.
No, more than that, why did you have to crawl in here?
'Isn't it common sense to consult with Ryu Chungwoo?'
Considering Ryu Chungwoo's personality, he would have comforted him well already. Why do you come to another team and make a fuss?
'Come to think of it, I don't think he's smart in that area…'
In a moment of silence, I thought of all sorts of things and finally opened my mouth.
"…Did you come to see Raebin?"
"I came here to meet hyung and Raebin."
Cha Eugene replied with an unclear pronunciation.
'Why me?'
I didn't think we'd made that much of a connection. Well, I guess you liked the last team match.
The results were good and the process (from Cha Eugene's point of view) might have been mindlessly fun.
'After tasting the hell of this team match, you must have missed it again.'
Anyway, if I sent him back, I didn't think it would be edited positively no matter what kind of pictures appeared on the broadcast.
I sighed and answered.
"Come on in. Raebin is washing up."
"Yes…"
Cha Yu-jin kept sniffling and entered the room.
Other team members were sleeping soundly in bed. I didn't bother to lower the volume because I was certain that they wouldn't wake up with this much noise.
I sat down in front of a nearby table for now.
'Should I give him something?'
I looked at Cha Eugene's upset face, then pulled out a few chocolate bars from my bag and handed them to him.
You'd feel better with something sweet.
"Thank you…"
Cha Eugene took the chocolate bar with a ruined pronunciation and put it in his mouth.
"…"
Only the sound of chewing chocolate echoed through the room. I was uneasy.
'This… Should I ask this bastard something?'
There was no worse situation than having to ask and intervene in other people's team circumstances.
However, it was also a problem if I kept my mouth shut and let Kim Raebin talk.
'Kim Raebin isn't the social type either.'
I had no idea what kind of situation this would turn into. I would be in trouble if the arrow came back to me who was just passing by.
In the end, feeling like I was clearing out landmines, I opened my mouth again.
039
"Are you having a hard time?"
I asked it vaguely on purpose. I hoped the listener would respond appropriately.
However, Cha Eugene, who put a chocolate bar in his mouth, began to shed tears more sorrowfully.
You're driving me crazy…
I don't know if everyone is sensitive because the field is arts and physical education, or if it's because survival is brutally hard, but I think I've seen too many people crying these days.
"Everyone is fighting… If I say nothing, it gets scary, sniff."
"…Hmm."
Cha Eugene looked completely dead. There was no trace of the bright loudmouth from a while ago.
No matter how you look at it, isn't this team ruined within a day?
'It really is just like the name Puppy room.'
(TL note: because dog could also mean a swear word, that's why Moondae said that.)
Those guys, if it aired like this, people would ridicule them by tying them up with the room name.
However, it was funny that 'Park Moondae' gave advice to Cha Eugene.
No matter what I said, if I made a single mistake, Internet public opinion would bombard me with posts such as 'Am I the only one who thinks that Park Moondae is wrong?'. Because he was from a different team.
'I'll send him back when he calms down.'
Instead, I just said something else seriously.
"Do you want more chocolate bars?"
"…"
Cha Eugene nodded. I took another handful of chocolate bars out of my bag and gave them to him.
'…I'm glad I brought a lot.'
It was fortunate that there was still one more large bag left. If I looked like I didn't want to waste the chocolates on him, I might get in trouble.
With the sound of running water coming from the bathroom in the background, I spent the moment in silence with Cha Eugene who was chewing on chocolate.
Soon after, Cha Eugene got up and bowed his head, holding a chocolate bar in both hands.
"Thank you."
He seemed to have calmed down a bit and was thinking of going back. I couldn't thank him enough for not giving me the details.
Let's just say something that fits the situation.
"Will it be okay to not see Raebin?"
"Yes. …I'll be fine."
"Okay."
Cha Eugene stopped crying and seemed a little more energetic than before.
'Isn't it because of the sugar high?'
I wondered if he would start crying again once he ran out of sugar, but the priority was to send this bomb away.
I watched Cha Eugene for a moment as he trudged down the hallway and then closed the door.
Then I breathed a sigh of relief.
'I'm so busy that I'm going to die, but there are mines everywhere.'
Now that we were in the second half, I had to be more careful not to get caught in the broadcast. Because once things plummeted, there might be no time to rebound.
The problem was that I couldn't control everything just by being careful.
'Just, let's not stand out… If I keep going like this, I'll make it to the end.'
I reflected on it and stretched out on the bed. And I fell asleep in an instant.
It was the next morning when I realized that I had slept without washing up.
While the participants were struggling with preparing for the stage and suffering from planning and creating everything from scratch.
Outside the set, episode 8 of Re-listed! Idol Inc. was aired.
– Heol
– Why him?
– Awesomeㅋㅋ
– ?
The higher the ranking, the more unexpected it was, and the real-time viewers were shocked, but what was even more unexpected was the reward for winning the last team match.
[Negative vote is invalid]
It infuriated people that some of them were able to avoid the brutal voting methods that would reflect on 'how much they are hated'.
– ㅋㅋㅋIt's amazing
– I'm a fool for spending money on a program like this
– The winning team has a participant pushed by the production team 100%ㅋㅋㅋ You're going to let them avoid it like this?
The irony was that this anger was directed at the participants rather than the production team that created the system and planned the prize.
As someone who benefited the most from this reward, Choi Wongil, who was originally eliminated, was criticized by public opinion.
But viewers' anger didn't end there.
Even the public opinion of the participants of the winning team, whose rankings had risen significantly, temporarily deteriorated significantly.
– Heol, Seon Ahyeon pushed Cha Eugene to second place…
– Is he crying again? I am tired of the tears
– It would be nice if his votes didn't get cut. My child laughed and said thank you even though he was pushed back while that guy stuttered and looked deadㅠㅠ
– Ugh. Seon Ahyeon who can't even speak properly is in second placeㅋㅋㅋㅋ Fools who give sympathy votes to the disabled who will stutter his thoughts when he debuts, you guys need to wake upㅋㅋ
└This comment is crazy;; Aren't you crossing the lines?
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋThe stutterer's crazy fans are coming soon
└You guys are beyond imagination, disgusting.
└You're cursing at me because you can't refute itㅋㅋ D-d-don't tell me, you really think he deserves second place?ㅋㅋ
Even the main criticism that hadn't appeared on the surface, conscious of the minimum morality, had appeared in the comments.
There were many people who were astonished or tried to stop it, but if the number of headcounts was similar, the aggressive public opinion was bound to gain strength,
But with that reaction, favorable public opinion was formed on the participants who showed determination even though their rank was pushed back due to negative voting and the reward for the winning team.
– Guys, you've worked hardㅠㅠ
– Where there is light, there are shadows. Don't worry too much about the weird losers who use negative voting~ I'm rooting for you^^
– It must have been a bummer, but thank you for showing your courage
Thanks to this, Park Moondae, who had a higher rank before the correction, fortunately avoided huge criticism even after his ranking rose.
Instead, there had been a slight change in the fan base.
Fans who preferred Park Moondae's appearance in the second team match took the lead while people who liked Moondae's team in the first team match were discouraged by the criticism.
– Moondae, congratulations on winning 4th place, you've worked hardㅠㅠ (Video of getting congratulated by the 2nd team members)
– 'Hyung, what are you doing?' the triple shot of Moondae's expressionㅋㅋㅋㅋ 'Why is the cat doing this to the dog…?' (Captured video with Cha Eugene) (Humorous photo of a cat and a dog)
– It's so funny that Moondae couldn't win against the other kids this time, so he was half-forced to be an insiderㅋㅋㅋ
– If you look at the corner, Moon Puppy is giving out snacksㅠㅠㅠ Ahh an Angel… Angel Puppy… (short video)
Fans of the other two participants, who hadn't had a strong group of participants until now, were also excited and sneaked into the flow.
They were fans of Cha Eugene and Kim Raebin.
– Moon Puppy Kim Rabbit Cha Kitty, dog rabbit cat, Isn't it a heart-throbbing combination? Try it just once. Try try (photo)
– My kids are so cute even though they look like they'll ignore me when I talk to them on the streetㅠㅠ (Video from the show)
– Animal Heroes, dispatch! (Fan art)
Even the combination that included Ryu Chungwoo was overflowing on SNS from time to time.
As people who fell in love with the program through the second team match were mixed with the people who poured out anger and kept the participants in check, the overheated atmosphere became worse.
Because of this over-immersion which crossed over between fire hell and ondol rooms, the Internet was literally in chaos.
(TL note: Ondol or gudeul in Korean traditional architecture, is underfloor heating that uses direct heat transfer from wood smoke to heat the underside of a thick masonry floor. Sumber: Wiki.)
It was even worse because the program was running on the road of extreme box office success.
Beyond the entertainment community, if you looked at any online community now, you could see articles about Idol Inc..
And every article was filled with people fighting and stressed out.
[Survival pro participant who is popular these days]
: (Photo) It's a participant named Cha Eugene, but do women like this kind of feminine men these days? Tsk… The world is ending.
– The eyes… He looks like a wildcat… It's an unfortunate impression…
– Ugly old manㅋㅋ
– Why? He's a handsome young man^^ My daughter said she likes him.
– This program is popular among young kids these days~ There's a fellow who sings really well, I'll give him a vote if he goes to the final~
└You mean Park Moondaeㅋ He looks good-natured, but… Aren't singers supposed to be the best at singingㅋ
└Wake up, are you too old to see? Cha Eugene is very clever. The young man who used to do archery is also very good. I support these two.
└Ahjumma, you're the one who needs to wake up
When the comments caught fire like this, someone captured it on SNS, and dozens of fights emerged in the articles every day.
[Idol Inc. Boomer community ]
: (Capture) ㅋㅋㅋThe crazy collaboration between an old man who is being severely dealt with and an old man who scolds himㅋㅋㅋ
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋCha Eugene is a superstar. All of my friends saved pictures of Cha Eugene, he's a 180-tall baby kitty
– It's ridiculous that Seon Ahyeon who is not mentioned here is in second place, really..
└This article doesn't represent every netizen's opinions, so why do your thoughts flow that way;;
└ㅋㅋJust by mentioning Seon Ahyeon, I get labeled as a bastard by the fans rushing in, so I shouldn't mention himㅇㅇ
└What you're doing right now is slandering, not criticizing. What did Ahyeon do wrong?
└Look, it's starting againㅋㅋㅋㅋ
And at this time, participants were able to access this turbulent Internet public opinion in real time.
To be honest, this was my first thought.
'I survived.'
I was lucky enough to avoid public criticism and I was in a good state because I wasn't praised aggressively enough for the backlash to come.
I was even secretly grouped with top-ranked participants.
However, nothing was more rewarding than the relief.
I rubbed the screen with my thumb. A scroll appeared on the side and all kinds of abusive comments were swept up.
'Somehow… I feel bitter.'
To be honest, none of the contestants who were being criticized right now had shown bad personalities except for Choi Wongil.
Most of them were just hard-working children, but did they have to be beaten up like this?
It had nothing to do with me, and to be blunt, I would benefit from other people falling, but even when this gave me benefit for survival, it left a bad aftertaste.
'Besides, this timing…'
– We will distribute equipment to search data~
Since this team match was self-produced, our smartphones were returned for a while to search for specific concept materials.
Originally, carrying a smartphone was prohibited during the filming.
This allowed the participants to be isolated from public opinion outside, but the rule was broken in this team match.
In addition, because the program was so popular, it was impossible to avoid posts related to it when accessing the Internet.
Thanks to that, I'd been looking through posts about the situation of these guys.
"…"
The dorm room was quiet with team members staring at their smartphones without saying a word.
Maybe the other rooms were in a similar atmosphere.
Moreover, apparently, this team had a participant who was currently facing heavy blows from the internet.
Seon Ahyeon.
'Isn't he going to cry?'
I broke out in cold sweats as I thought that I should check Seon Ahyeon's awful state in the bunk bed below.
Because I had an ominous hunch.
'Isn't this going to cause him a mental breakdown and deactivate his characteristic?'
If Seon Ahyeon's 'Grit' characteristic was deactivated again, the 'lack of self-esteem' status abnormality would be revived.
Then, would Seon Ahyeon, who received a crazy penalty that lowered his overall ability by two grades, be able to properly perform on the stage?
It wouldn't be surprising if both the stage completion and the team match editing were ruined.
I sighed silently.
'…I knew these team members are too good to be true.'
There was never a day when a team match went comfortably well.
'I'll have to check his status first.'
"Seon Ahyeon."
I dragged my face out of the bed and bent down. Seon Ahyeon, who was sitting on the bed, turned his head.
"Y-yes!"
"…?"
Why is he okay?
040
I was a little bewildered.
Due to Seon Ahyeon's personality, I thought he would be stuck in a corner crying, but his face showed more composure than I thought.
How should I say this? Rather, it felt like he'd entered a military regulation.
He wasn't even holding a smartphone.
On the contrary, it was only when I called him and didn't say anything that he started looking frightened.
"W-What is it…?"
"No, um…"
There was no need to scratch the wound. I glossed over my words, and instead took a chocolate bar out of my bag.
It was an action I learned through the Cha Eugene incident.
"Do you want some?"
"H-Hn! Thank you…"
Seon Ahyeon accepted the chocolate bar with both hands as if he was accepting an offering and put it in his bag.
"…?"
Aren't you going to eat it?
As if conscious of my question, Seon Ahyeon hesitated.
"I-I have to take care of my weight… W-When my body gets heavy, my dance becomes weird. I-I shouldn't get used to late-night snacks."
"Is that so?"
He used to be a dance major. I was going to accept it and move on, but then I suddenly found a contradiction.
"Didn't you give me a chocolate bar past midnight during the evaluation?"
"M-Moondae is fine! You were so skinny back then…"
"…"
There was a story like this?
To my surprise, I heard a laugh from the bed next to me.
"That's right, Park Moondae was really thin back then, so I thought you were over-managing yourself."
"But your body? When I see you eat… You don't gain weight compared to what goes in your mouth. If it were me, I would have turned into a pig."
Keun Sejin and Gold 1 each chipped in. Oh, dear.
'I ate a lot on purpose because of my stamina, but it seems I have been misunderstood.'
It was unpleasant, but thanks to this nonsense, the atmosphere in the room seemed to have loosened up a bit.
Seon Ahyeon also laughed a little below me, and when my cold eyes met his, he was startled and started coughing.
"…"
Really… He's an unusual guy.
I silently threw the bottle of water by the bedside.
Seon Ahyeon took the bottle after struggling a few times and drank it.
And murmured softly.
"I-I want to do well. Better."
"…Right."
Judging from his remarks, it seemed that Seon Ahyeon had checked public opinion on the Internet. But I didn't look too closely so I wondered if he was just maintaining his composure.
After pondering about it, I quietly tried my luck.
"…Let's not look for anything else on the Internet and just research the data because it might get you concerned for no reason."
"Ah…"
Seon Ahyeon exclaimed with a mysterious face and suddenly answered with a shout.
"I-I already knew, so it's okay. I-I'm ready."
"What?"
'What are you talking about?'
Seon Ahyeon muttered with an embarrassed expression.
"I-I already saw all those posts before the filming. A-As I kept looking, it kept coming out…"
"…"
That's why he looked so gloomy when I met him on the day of the shoot.
At that time, public opinion was not as bad as it is now, so isn't that kind of comment normally kept out of the surface of the Internet?
Perhaps Seon Ahyeon, who wasn't very familiar with the Internet, had looked into everything without knowing the extent.
'How far did you search?'
I felt like he'd been looking at the ridiculous bullshitting posts where there were only abusive comments about idols all day long.
Seon Ahyeon continued to speak as if he was making excuses.
"I-I knew this would happen someday. I-I'm ready. I-It's okay. I-I'm used to it."
"Is that so?"
"Y-Yes!"
Seon Ahyeon nodded quickly, but I was secretly disturbed.
'When he said he was used to it, it seemed he was talking about being criticized for his stuttering.'
I had thought about it for a long time, but it was clear that he had tasted hell in peer relationships. Teenagers these days are scary.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
"Don't worry, it won't last long. If we do well on stage, it will disappear again."
"I-Is that so?"
"Yes, it's a survival program."
It was always like that with those cheap bastards. The reality is sh*tty, so it's fun to curse at someone you can bite on the Internet.
If another celebrity became a hot topic, they would move on.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"I might get cursed at from tomorrow onwards."
"Huh? N-No…! Y-You didn't do anything wrong…"
"You didn't do anything wrong either."
"…"
When Seon Ahyeon got flustered and closed his mouth, Keun Sejin answered instead.
"So what you want to say to Ahyeon is 'Don't take insults for granted', right? Kya~ Isn't Moondae too cool? If I were a viewer, I'd already bought stocks."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Wow, this doesn't work anymore?."
Keun Sejin laughed and rolled around the bed. Gold 1, who was using the lower bed, was terrified but gave words of encouragement to the team members.
"Stop it, you crazy punk! The bed is going to collapse! …Yes, let's just work hard. Let's do our best for this performance!"
"Let's do it!"
The constant effort to somehow sublimate the situation into motivation raised the mood of the bedroom. A friendly atmosphere was vigorously incited.
And Kim Raebin, who had been keeping his mouth closed, muttered in a small voice.
"Yes. In that sense, I found and organized the example materials for costumes and patterns for props, is it okay to post them in the group chat room now…"
"…Ah."
"Oh."
Right. That's the purpose of holding the smartphone.
He must have found it earlier, but it seemed that he couldn't speak because of the atmosphere.
From Kim Raebin's perspective, he had received all kinds of curses during the first team match, so the internet for him right now must be like a fairy. He would have no problem exploring around.
"…Um, of course."
"Yes, I will send them."
The sound of Gold 1's dry cough echoed through the bedroom along with the sound of smartphones vibrating here and there.
I checked the data posted by Kim Raebin.
[Color_material_arrangement of pattern_clothes_ ]
[Prop pattern_Detailed list_No ]
When I clicked on it, it was not an ordinary skill to sort them by category. The production team probably didn't expect this much either.
'You have good skills.'
As if everyone had similar thoughts, exclamations and simple compliments came and went. Keun Sejin even whistled.
"…Thank you."
After Kim Raebin's awkward thanks, the team members continued to discuss the costumes and stage props until 3 a.m.
It seemed that the determination to make a good stage was somehow expressed through the act of 'Sleeping only after you die'.
I had a status window, but these guys were really great.
After two more days of labor and practice from dawn to dawn, It was time for the damn midterm evaluation again.
This time, the stage director, the music director, and the costume team also sat down and evaluated us along with the trainers.
First of all, if I had to evaluate myself, even if I thought about it as objectively as possible, the current direction of this team was good.
Still, I wasn't expecting much. Because I had never received good reviews in the evaluation so far.
But this time the result… It was honestly good.
"I love it."
"Let's just go like this!"
For once, the feedback started with these sentences.
Looking at the smiling trainers and the admiring judges, the team members gradually realized the situation.
First, the choreographer.
"Who made the choreography? You did it all together? No, there must be someone who planned it. …Wow, you guys got it right, right? You really did it together? …Yeah, whoever did it will show up on the broadcast. Anyway, I have nothing to say because you did well."
Next up was vocal trainer Muddy.
"First of all, I'm so proud that everyone moves like that and the pitch doesn't change! Also, it's attractive how you changed the way the original song is sung, and the way you sing according to the newly interpreted parts. Let's sing the whole song with this feeling!"
Even Youngrin who rarely complimented openly.
"I know it's a stage with a lot of thought and practice, but the best thing is that it doesn't feel like the work of an amateur. Even though it's a mid-term evaluation, your stage is already complete. I can't wait to see you on stage."
Up to this point, the team members had become 'thank you' bots and only expressed gratitude.
Amid a series of favorable reviews that would have made anyone shed tears, even the director and the costume team gave praise.
"Looking at the draft you wrote here, we immediately felt that you paid a lot of attention to detail. From what you've prepared, I think it'll look good on stage."
"It's a team that arranged the song very easily. I have a lot of friends, and it was fun for us to pick the sound without talking about anything else. Seeing it today, the stage is just as cool as we expected."
"The team's outfit entered the production stage very quickly. The concept was clear and there weren't many ambiguous parts. I can't wait to see you perform on stage wearing the clothes we made~"
After this whirlwind of praise, the faces of the team members were really worth seeing.
Perhaps because they were so happy, they didn't realize that they were nodding their heads with stupid expressions.
Even Keun Sejin couldn't finish his words properly.
"Team, no, uh… Thank you. We'll work harder!"
"Don't get hurt by working too hard!"
Clap clap clap. Then, with the sound of applause from the judges, the group bid farewell and returned to their seats.
The team members, who were completely blown away, watched the rest of the other teams' performances and only showed reflexive reactions that followed the trend. There was no other audience.
I was stunned, too.
'It's going so well?'
I couldn't sleep well for a few days and I was just focused on completing this so I wasn't sure how good this would look.
At best, it would end with 'it's fine'.
'…Anyway, I feel good.'
The sense of accomplishment was somewhat uplifting.
I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment for a while as I stared at the performances of other team participants.
It was close to midnight when the midterm evaluation was completely over.
"It was so good."
"I think so, too."
"Same."
The team members murmured in their beds. It was only after it was over that I could feel it properly, and a sense of happiness that had never felt before flowed through my voice.
"I think we can do really well."
"T-That's right."
This conversation pattern repeated several more times.
'Are we going to bed just like this today?'
It had been a while since I'd slept for more than four hours.
I quickly closed my eyes. But at that moment, talk about work came out again.
"Oh, I haven't decided on the color of the sleeves."
"Oh, right."
These guys were really tough. I forced myself to open my eyes. Damn it.
"I have a few things to look at too, wait a minute."
The sound of Keun Sejin's tapping on the smartphone screen rang out.
"I saw it here…"
But the next words did not come. Keun Sejin stood still holding his smartphone.
"What is it?"
"Why are you like this?"
Keun Sejin, whose face was white, was looking at the screen.
The colors of the smartphone screen shining in the dark bedroom were clearly visible even though the distance was quite far away.
'It's a gossip board.'
Linked to a portal site, it was a bulletin board famous for all kinds of conflict materials, rumors, and controversial articles.
Without saying anything more to Keun Sejin, I accessed the bulletin board with my smartphone.
And I saw a post that had already entered the rankings even though it just appeared 30 minutes ago.
[3rd place! Idol Inc. Keun Sejin is accused of bullying] (425)]
It was a big beautiful landmine.
'Oh, sh*t.'
No wonder I was so lucky today.
