Final (5)
Neoul’s hometown fan clasped both hands together and prayed.
There won’t be some ridiculous twist where Neoul falls out, right?
He had done well on this stage too, earned the benefit, had a solid core fandom, and the public sentiment was good. On top of that, the narrative of a boy who had overcome illness to chase his dream had won him plenty of sympathy from casual viewers. There was no way Gal Neoul had dropped below seventh place.
And yet, even while telling herself, Of course he’ll make it, a nameless unease kept pricking at her.
She had seen too many survival shows end with some insane, last-minute disaster. There had been rigging. There had been scandals that flipped the rankings upside down.
The end isn’t the end until it’s over.
But voting had already closed. Now everything had to be left to fate.
She kept her eyes fixed on the stage, praying all the while.
[I will now call the names in order, starting from sixth place, the first member of Jjokbit!]
Once again, tense background music rolled in and made everyone’s palms sweat.
Logan, who had placed sixth in the previous ranking, along with Baek Gi-yeom, Lee Gal-chae, and Son Ji-hu, appeared on the giant screen camera feed.
Sixth place... so there are four candidates? They all seem pretty likely.
She shifted her gaze back and forth between the likely sixth-place contestants and the seven chairs on stage, fiddling with her camera in the meantime.
Only seven debut spots. No matter how she looked at it, that felt far too few.
Maybe ten or so... is that too many?
Honestly, as long as Neoul survived, she didn’t care how many members debuted. Still, watching the show had made her unexpectedly attached to the other contestants too, and it was hard to bear the sight of them getting eliminated and crying.
But if there are ten members, won’t people who didn’t watch the show back away saying they can’t even memorize all the names...?
Right now, if one more person debuted, one more fan would follow too.
But for the group to grow, every member needed to build recognition. In a large group, that was always a disadvantage.
To the general public, only one or two members would stand out while the rest blurred into the background. The gap in popularity between first and tenth place would be huge, and there was a high chance their schedules would start being split up differently.
Friction between fans could get worse too. The members themselves could end up rubbing against each other because of one problem or another.
When she considered all the possibilities, seven did seem like a reasonable number.
Jung Ondo continued with the announcement.
[Sixth place is...! A contestant loved for his cavernous bass voice and rap, but who also showed a wide vocal range and composing skills, revealing just how versatile he is.]
With a smile, Jung Ondo kept explaining.
[In particular, he has been praised time and again for how charming his smile is. Among the contestants as well, if you ask who has the best personality and who people most want to become friends with, this is a name that always comes up.]
Anyone hearing that would know it’s Baek Gi-yeom!
Her prediction was dead on.
[Sixth place is... Baek Gi-yeom! Congratulations!]
Baek Gi-yeom’s face appeared on the camera.
[Contestant Baek Gi-yeom, please come forward to the protruding stage and say a few words.]
“Aaaaaah!”
The fans cheering for Baek Gi-yeom waved their slogans and screamed.
Baek Gi-yeom, who had been wearing a stunned expression, quickly broke into a wide grin and ran to the protruding stage at full speed, as if someone might steal his spot if he didn’t hurry.
He was so fast that his hair whipped around in the wind and turned into a mess.
With trembling hands, he took the handheld mic from the staff and bowed repeatedly, over and over again.
[Thank you! Thank you!]
Baek Gi-yeom bent from the waist in every direction and gave his speech.
[Um... first of all... thank you so much for letting me keep chasing my dream. I’ll never forget this gratitude or how I feel right now, and I’ll work even harder so I can become an idol named Baek Gi-yeom who brings you lots of laughter and happiness. Thank you!]
[Yes, we heard you well. Ah! Aren’t you doing your signature self-introduction today?]
[Huh? My signature self-introduction? Oh...!]
Baek Gi-yeom asked back in confusion, then immediately understood and lifted the corners of his mouth with a refreshing grin. Then he shouted cheerfully, without hesitation.
[That was Baek Gi-yeom!]
The fans burst out laughing.
[Hahaha! Yes, congratulations once again! Contestant Baek Gi-yeom, please take the seat marked sixth place in First Class at the front.]
Baek Gi-yeom handed the microphone back to the staff and went to sit in the chair marked with the number 6.
[Next, we’ll announce fifth place.]
Son Ji-hu, Logan, Baek Yuri, Daiki, and Woo Cheong’s faces flashed across the screen in turn. The tense contestants held their breath and waited for Jung Ondo to speak.
[Fifth place! A contestant who always showed amazing dance skills and beautiful original choreography! At first, he seemed uncertain in vocals, but as time went on he improved steadily and achieved tremendous growth!]
Jung Ondo turned toward one person and called his name.
[Contestant Woo Cheong!]
Oh...?
The fan at the venue widened her eyes. He had dropped two places. For a top-ranked contestant, that was a pretty big shift.
Woo Cheong was third in the last ranking announcement.
But now that he had made debut, what did it matter whether he was third or fifth? Woo Cheong himself was ecstatic, beaming as he bounced out toward the stage. Then he shouted at the top of his lungs.
[Woooaah! Chairman! I’m alive!]
[Who is “Chairman”?]
[My mom! Thank you, everyone! I’m really going to do my best!]
Laughter broke out all over the place at Woo Cheong’s noisy acceptance speech, but the fan couldn’t laugh.
What if Neoul dropped too?
He had been second in the last ranking, but nobody knew what had happened this time.
Whether her heart was bouncing around or not, the announcement kept going.
[And next is fourth place! This contestant’s skills are outstanding, but more than anyone, he has worked tirelessly. He even pulled the other contestants along and brought out their abilities, showing us that if you work hard, you truly do not fail.]
This one’s obvious too.
A person who looked as though he had never once in his life been lazy, someone who probably didn’t even know the first letter of the word. He was such a relentless practice addict that just watching him made everyone else tired.
And yet he never skipped meals and woke up at the same time every morning with such disciplined habits that nobody even dared worry about him.
No wonder posts like this kept popping up online from time to time:
[Contestant Baek Yuri!]
At the call of his name, Baek Yuri’s eyelids on the screen trembled violently. He looked so tense his face had gone chalk-white, as though he were a corpse.
Even after taking the microphone, Baek Yuri couldn’t continue easily. He just opened and closed his mouth, as if the words had caught in his throat and refused to come out.
In the end, he barely managed a trembling word of thanks before heading to his seat.
Even when he had taken first place in the mission before the one before last, and fifth place in the last mission, Baek Yuri had kept his composure and offered his comments with a gentle smile. But now he looked as though he couldn’t control his emotions at all.
It made sense. This was the moment his debut had been confirmed. On screen, he bowed his head and wiped at his tears. Watching him made everyone else’s nose sting too.
[Next, we’ll announce third place. Third place! This is truly a contestant who wrote his own drama by showing a dramatic leap in rankings. With each round, hidden skills and charm have been revealed, and as his true worth came to light, he has received an enormous wave of support!]
[Third place is... contestant Yeo Do-bin!]
Yeo Do-bin, who had barely survived the first ranking announcement with the Parachute Card, capped things off with a high third-place ranking. If there was anyone who had delivered the most reversals, it was unquestionably Yeo Do-bin.
He had cried his eyes out through the first, second, and third ranking announcements, but this time he didn’t cry. Instead, he smiled brilliantly.
[Thank you...! For letting me rise to such a high place... and for letting me keep making music in Korea, I’m really... really happy. I’ll work even harder so I can be bban-ddeut? bban-ddeut-i?]
[Definitely?]
[Right. Yes...! Thank you!]
Yeo Do-bin bowed politely to Jung Ondo, then turned back toward the camera.
And then the greatest scene in the episode was born, one that would be pinned forever in internet communities.
[I will definitely become the best idiot!]
[Huh? What did you just say...?!]
[I said I’ll become the best idiot...! Thank you!]
With a face full of excitement and pride, Yeo Do-bin walked to the third-place seat and sat down. He really did look like a cheerful fool.
What is up with that guy. Is he seriously an idiot?
At that moment, Ha On-ha, who was speaking in a whisper to Gal Neoul while the remaining contestants were shown on screen, appeared.
He still doesn’t know what that means?
Since you were the one who caused the misunderstanding, you’re the one who should explain it later.
Weren’t we all in on it together?
You were the one who drove the final nail in.
...or so it seemed.
The contestants weren’t wearing microphones, so the conversation couldn’t be heard clearly. But reading their lips gave her a clue, and she remembered something.
The first broadcast reaction video.
Ah, right! Those guys were the culprits!
Others too, having realized the full story behind the idiot remark, laughed out loud. But Yeo Do-bin still wore a face that said he had no idea why everyone was laughing.
Leaving behind the unsuspecting Yeo Do-bin and the laughter he had caused, the ranking announcement continued.
[Ahem, y-yes... Contestant Yeo Do-bin. I hope you achieve your goal. Hm hm.]
Jung Ondo kept going, biting his lip hard as he struggled not to laugh.
[Now then, only the long-awaited first and second place, along with seventh place, remain! Unlike before, when we called the first-place candidates and started from first place, this time we’ll announce second place first! Second place is!]
Neoul’s name still hasn’t been called!
Half thrilled and half terrified, the fan clutched her pounding heart and looked up at the stage.
Second place? Or maybe first?
[A contestant who has drawn in many fans by leaving a powerful impression from the moment he appeared until now, overflowing with charisma and talent.]
Gal Neoul? Ha On-ha?
Both of them had strong impact. And both were overflowing with talent.
[Second place is... contestant Ha On-ha!]
[Thank you!]
“...!”
Ha On-ha was second? Then that really meant Neoul...?
[I’m grateful and happy to finish with such a high rank, but more than anything, I’m happiest that I get to see you all again.]
At Ha On-ha’s words, some fans broke down and cried at once. Someone shouted, in a voice so loud it sounded as though he had eaten a whole train whistle, “Me toooo!” and the tear-soaked scene turned into one big laughing fit in an instant.
Ha On-ha had heard it too, apparently, and he finished his speech while doing his best to hold back his laughter.
[Tha, hahat, thk, thank you!]
Ha On-ha sat down, and Jung Ondo flipped one page back on the cue sheet.
[I’ll now announce the long-awaited first place. First place is the contestant who appeared like a comet, or rather was discovered like a pearl buried in sand on a beach! He’s been loved for his quirky charm, his uncanny flashes of inspiration, and his outstanding vocals.]
As Jung Ondo’s words went on, the fan’s heartbeat kept getting faster and faster.
[From overcoming illness to joining Idol Travel, even starting from walking practice and making a dramatic leap in dance skill! He shed so much sweat and left us deeply moved with results worthy of all that effort.]
Gal Neoul! It’s really Gal Neoul!
[First place is... contestant Gal Neoul! Congratulations!]
“Kyaaaah!”
“Waaah!”
Gal Neoul!
Neoul’s fans shouted until their throats hurt, cheering with all their might. Before she knew it, the fan had joined in among them, yelling at the top of her lungs too.
He’s the best! First place!
I knew it! I believed in him!
Truthfully, she had only hoped for it deep down and hadn’t really expected it, but she erased the memory of those nervous, uncertain minutes from her head. She felt so happy she could almost float away.
At this rate, even if Mom’s son sneaks snacks from my room today, I think I could generously forgive him.
Even if he left crumbs on the bed, she might just laugh and hand him another snack. Of course, Mom’s son would probably stare at her like she’d gone insane.
For the time being, she felt like she could laugh even if a bird dropped a mess on her head, even if her shoes got soaked in a puddle.
Because Gal Neoul had taken first place!
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