Chapter 19
Chapter 19
To be honest, I was quite tense until the moment I turned on my smartphone to check the reaction to the first episode.
I thought I might have been turned into too much of a laughingstock...
But surprisingly, the viewers' reactions were closer to favor than ridicule.
By the time the chorus of <POP☆CON> came on, public opinion had shifted completely.
And in a positive direction.
This is cute?
It was true that I had strategically prepared that song choice.
However, I expected the reaction to be more along the lines of "He worked hard, so I'll let it slide." This was an unexpected gain.
Wasn't the golden rule for audition show viewers to despise those who lacked talent?
I was a bit confused, but I soon understood the situation.
It’s because I sang well right before that.
Since I had satisfied the traditional expectation that a singer must, first and foremost, be good at singing, they were willing to be generous toward my dancing as long as it wasn't embarrassing.
On top of that, the fact that I provided a good laugh seemed to have highlighted my character even more.
Even if that "character" was a bit... disconcerting.
Even though I intentionally chose only the most generic answers, this is how it turned out.
Basically, I had done that to avoid giving them any room to find fault with me.
Furthermore, to emphasize my position as a main vocal, I had reacted moderately to everything.
In interviews, I never mentioned personal opinions and only said objective things that wouldn't clash with social norms.
But... to think they’d edit it to make me look like I have no soul.
Well, all roads lead to Rome. I tried to take the KTX, but taking the express bus was just as fine.
I’ve cleared the first stage well.
It was clear that I had secured some initial recognition. This wasn't just a hunch; there were visible results.
A status window popup had appeared while I was watching the broadcast.
[The Beginning of Fame (2)!]
10,000 people have remembered your existence!
: Point +1
[The Call of Fame!]
50,000 people have remembered your existence!
: Rare Trait Gacha ☜ Click!
The numbers jumped to 50,000 after just one broadcast.
This is starting to feel surreal.
I decided to look at the rewards later and opened a search bar instead to type in some keywords.
[Re-listing! Idol Inc. Viewership Ratings]
The results came up immediately.
[Average Rating: 3.7%, Peak Rating: 6.8%]
Good grief.
...Is this really the first episode of a failed cable variety series?
They must have succeeded in drawing some serious aggro.
Of course, objectively speaking, the ratings weren't insanely high.
Nevertheless, the fact that a hundred thousand people remembered Park Moon-dae meant that, regardless of whether they liked me or not, I had left quite an impression.
In that case, shall I take a closer look at the "likes and dislikes" section?
After finishing the general check of public opinion on the first episode, I immediately checked the clip of my evaluation.
[The Twist of a 100% Pure Non-Celebrity Participant! Park Moon-dae]
I felt like I was going to die of cringe.
...Let's erase this from my mind quickly.
I checked the top comments first.
"Hmm."
First of all... it was a good sign that comments liking me enough to make me blush were at the top. It felt a bit foreign, but... I was grateful.
However, the relatively high ratio of "dislikes" was a risk factor.
Compared to other participants who received favorable editing—Cha Yu-jin, for example—it seemed to be about 1.5 times higher.
This meant there were quite a few people who felt a sense of rejection toward the "Park Moon-dae" shown on the broadcast. It was probably because I came across as antisocial.
So, what was the most efficient appeal I could make at this point?
I couldn't help the negative image that had already been formed, but there were many idols who used such things as a gimmick to provide humor.
Just thinking about it now... Hmm, there was at least one in every successful idol group.
Therefore, there was only one thing I needed to do in the next filming.
I need to look approachable.
I immediately thought of the next search term.
[Idol Inc. PR Video]
The next filming was the production of a PR video.
With three days left, I decided to find as many meaningful examples as possible before then.
The PR video filming for <Idol Inc.> was conducted live.
However, the process of preparing the PR video was recorded like a variety show. It was filler content to be used during the ranking announcement ceremony.
"Everyone! Are you all ready?"
"Yes!"
The participants answered enthusiastically to the MC's predictable opening.
...I feel like I see this scene every time we film... Is it just me?
Regardless, the important thing was that the participants had become more desperate.
"I'm glad to see you all doing well! Now, do you know what we're preparing today?"
"PR videos!"
"Self-introductions!"
"That's right!"
Everyone must have seen the reactions to the first episode.
They must have realized that no matter what they did in front of the camera, if it wasn't broadcast, it was as if it never happened.
So, they can't help but be desperate for the PR video, which will be broadcast live.
In truth, it was by no means a fair competition.
A live broadcast competition held after recognition had already been determined by the first episode meant the results were already halfway decided.
However, since there was always someone in every season who managed to turn things around with their PR video, everyone seemed to be desperately preparing their videos without complaint.
A live broadcast featuring 77 amateurs naturally brought all sorts of controversies as a bonus... but for some reason, no one seemed to care.
The participants probably thought it was fine as long as it wasn't them, and the production crew would be happy that the buzz was increasing.
"At 8 PM tonight, you will be conducting a live stream solely for yourselves on Tnet's global YouTube channel!"
"I'm really nervous."
Keun Se-jin, who was standing near me again due to the arrangement, whispered softly.
He didn't look nervous at all. What a deceptive guy.
"Oh, wait a moment. I think I misspoke!"
"?!?"
"It won't be a live stream only for yourselves!"
The MC encouraged a reaction with his arms as if enjoying the moment. The flustered participants let out groans.
"What do you think is the dream of a celebrity?"
"A dream...?"
"It's advertisements, everyone!"
"......!"
The MC spread his arms wide.
"Each of you must choose one collaboration item to advertise and promote both yourself and the item together!"
"What?!"
These guys are really determined to get a free ride.
That "collaboration item" sounded fancy, but I could bet my left hand that it was a product from T1, which owned Tnet as a subsidiary.
They probably figured it would be great if even one or two of them went viral, and if not, it didn't matter.
Among all the crazy marketing tactics of <Idol Inc.>, this was one of the most capitalistic.
I bet someone from the top brass hurriedly shoved this in.
They probably abandoned the series thinking it was a failure, but now that it was getting a reaction, they were trying to jump on the bandwagon.
Regardless, the MC's words sounded plausible.
"You might feel like this item is a burden you have to promote, but please remember that it can also be used as a prop to appeal your charms!"
"Ah~"
The participants seemed to accept it. Well, it was a wise attitude, since there was nothing they could do even if they didn't accept it.
"Then, how will you obtain these props?"
"Running?"
"Rock-paper-scissors?"
"Karaoke?"
Examples from previous seasons and similar programs popped up from here and there. The MC shook his head with a look of regret and then shouted the answer.
"It's... a treasure hunt!"
"What?"
"The production crew has hidden 'treasure balls' containing items all over the dorm. You have 15 minutes from now! Go find the treasure balls!"
Keun Se-jin whispered with a slightly impressed look.
"This looks like it might be fun."
"...Sure."
It was a setup that would be fun for the viewers. For the participants, however, it was perfect for a dogfight.
With 77 people scouring one building, feelings were bound to get hurt.
Of course, the side content for the ranking ceremony was meant to relieve tension. It didn't seem like it would get excessively serious.
But they had always been good at dropping subtle hints.
I can already see the scene where all sorts of speculations and rumors will be posted on the internet.
"Oh! As expected of an audition program, the treasure balls have grades. Please keep that in mind and look at the balls carefully!"
They probably just painted them gold, silver, and bronze.
"Now, get ready..."
Everyone took a running stance.
"Start!"
"Waaaaah!!"
With a scream, 77 people sprinted into the dorm. I slipped away and turned my steps.
Let's go through the back door.
No matter how I thought about it, if I went in through the front door with everyone else, there was a high probability I wouldn't get a single thing.
If I went around to the back and entered through the side door, I'd face less competition from the other participants.
Then, Keun Se-jin and Gold 1 followed right behind me.
The way they were smirking made them look like sycophants.
"Thanks, Moon-dae. This is a comfortable ride."
"You're smart, hyung-nim."
"......"
I didn't mind having two people tag along, but... for some reason, it was annoying.
Gold 2 and Seon A-hyun, who had been standing a bit further away, seemed to have been swept away by the crowd and gone through the front door.
Life really is all about timing. Too bad for them.
"Oh, Moon-dae~ You found one right away."
As soon as we entered through the back door, I found a ball right at the threshold.
It was silver.
Just as I expected.
Keun Se-jin also nodded as he looked at the opaque silver ball.
"It looks like they divided the grades into Bronze, Silver, and Gold, right?"
"Hey, let's use our beautiful native language! Gold, Silver, and Bronze! How nice is that!"
"Wow~ What a patriot."
If they talked any more, I was going to leave them behind.
"...Shouldn't we hurry with the search? The others will be here soon."
"Yes~"
"I feel relieved because we have the realistic Moon-dae with us."
I quickly moved my feet. Surprisingly, the two followed without any more chatter.
First, the storage room.
"It's easier to think about this in reverse. A place where the production crew would hide things... Hmm, here?"
Keun Se-jin gave a smirk and pulled a bronze-colored ball out of a chalk box in front of a camera.
"......!"
"Wow~ Bronze? For real?"
"Ah, dammit. My 'poop hands' never go anywhere."
Surprisingly... he was useful.
These guys were fast. Thanks to that, we divided the area without a word and scoured the entire storage room in an instant.
"Ah, found another silver one! Shall we move now?"
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Their judgment was also quick. Without lingering, we quickly moved to the next area.
"Where to?"
"Let's go to the cafeteria first. There's a camera."
"Moon-dae has good eyes."
"As expected of the man who found the back door."
"......"
It would have been better if they didn't say things like that, though.
There was no time wasted in the cafeteria either.
The three of us implicitly began to search around the areas where cameras were installed.
It was when I opened the cutlery box.
"Found it."
"Whoa!"
"It's gold."
I obtained a gold ball.
"Why is it that we're the ones in the Gold grade, but Moon-dae finds it first?"
"It can't be helped, hyung-nim. It must be because Moon-dae has 'gold hands'."
"True. You can't beat natural talent~"
"The others are coming."
"Oops."
I finally found a way to make them shut up. I just had to give them work.
Anyway, after hearing the sound of many footsteps rushing toward us, we quickly left the cafeteria.
"Upstairs?"
"Yep."
We repeated the same search on the upper floor. It was efficient.
"Wow~ I'm glad the three of us came together!"
"I know, right! Honestly, Moon-dae agrees with this too, right?"
"Yeah."
"Oh~"
I'll be honest.
I benefited thanks to these two. Searching as a trio was highly efficient.
Overall, their observation skills and mobility were good, so it was convenient to search and move quickly. Their judgment was decent, too.
Since they weren't the type to be stubbornly difficult, the distribution ended cleanly as well.
"So... we found 4 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze balls, right?"
Keun Se-jin divided the palm-sized plastic balls.
Gold 1 spoke cautiously.
"That's right. Hmm... Let's each take one of each color, and since Moon-dae led us, let's give him a gold one instead of a silver one. How about it?"
"I'm fine with that~"
It was good that it ended cleanly, but I had to make sure not to leave any room for "evil editing."
After experiencing the power of editing once, I felt quite uneasy about it.
"Ah, then I won't take the bronze one. You two take two each."
"Oh~ Thanks!"
"Okay!"
As we were each packing our balls, an announcement broadcast echoed through the dorm.
For reference, we were currently hiding in the storage room next to the back door again to avoid the swarming participants.
It would be too ridiculous to get robbed here.
"Hyung, the kids are swarming over there!!"
"Hey! Let's run!"
We quickly slipped out the back door and headed toward the gathering spot.
"Ah~ Nice farming~"
"As expected of our teamwork. No mercy."
Those guys, their mouths became free-spirited again now that the tension had eased.
At the gathering spot, participants who had already found one or two balls were opening theirs.
There were no attempts to forcibly take them yet.
They must have noticed the cameras planted everywhere.
It seemed they were psychologically reluctant to openly snatch a ball someone else was holding.
"Wow, shall we open ours too?"
"Sounds good~"
"Sure."
After returning to our spots, we began to open the balls.
Since Keun Se-jin and Gold 1 had many balls in their hands, they drew quite a few envious stares.
Still, two high-grade balls would be better. Getting several mediocre ones would only make it difficult to choose.
I twisted open the two gold balls.
And then I froze.
"......"
Wait a minute.