Chapter 23
Chapter 23
The arrangement meeting had been led by Keun Sejin. Consequently, he received a fair amount of screen time.
[Kwon Hee-seung: It was a relief that Keun Sejin-hyung was the leader!]
[Ha Il-jun: He’s definitely a guy with leadership skills.]
Seeing interviews like that from Gold 1 and 2, it seemed the production crew intended to push Keun Sejin’s leader position.
“Heh, thank you, everyone~”
“If you’re grateful, mention me in your next interview.”
“Me too!”
“Ah, of course~”
In contrast to Keun Sejin’s relaxed expression, one participant in the living room was staring intently at the screen.
I glanced at Choi Won-gil.
“…….”
Choi Won-gil, who had been silent since arriving at the gathering, now had tension written all over his face.
I wondered how the production crew would edit his provocation toward me.
From my perspective, as long as they didn’t make it look like I was the one picking a fight, it was fine. Honestly, other than that, I didn’t really care.
However, the editing took an unexpected turn.
They had completely edited out Choi Won-gil’s provocation.
[It’s a good idea, but if we’re not careful, won’t it look like we’re mocking the original song?]
Furthermore, Keun Sejin’s rebuttal to my words was also cut.
Instead, a shot of Keun Sejin looking up seriously was inserted.
[I’ve thought about it, and I think… there might be a way to keep the original vibe while making it intense.]
Then, it immediately cut to me presenting my opinion as if it followed naturally.
‘I guess they decided Choi Won-gil wasn’t necessary for the story.’
To maintain the dramatic flow of the arrangement process, they had simply erased the awkward conflict from the picture.
‘Now that I think about it, they just glossed over the part where we swapped roles at the beginning, too.’
Choi Won-gil looked relieved, but I wasn’t sure if he should be.
In the end, Choi Won-gil didn’t get a single proper shot until the very end. He didn’t even get a decent interview clip.
He probably said so many negative things about the parts or the arrangement during his interviews that there wasn’t much they could use.
Anyway, that didn’t matter; what was important was my own edit.
On the screen, Park Moon-dae was finishing his sentence with a faint smile.
[Let’s mix in some horror.]
[…!!]
The camera then pulled in for close-ups of each team member’s shocked face.
‘…This is a bit much.’
The editing made it look like I had come up with the idea of the century.
Then, another interview clip appeared.
[Ha Il-jun: Wow! The moment (Moon-dae) said that!]
[Kwon Hee-seung: I knew right then that this was it.]
[Lee Sejin (A): So that’s… what talent looks like.]
The actor Lee Sejin’s words sounded somewhat bitter for some reason. But more than that, I couldn’t believe even this guy had given an interview like that.
Thanks to those cringeworthy interviews, the living room was filled with playful jeers and teammates targeting each other. Lee Sejin kept his mouth shut and stared fixedly at the screen.
Then, Keun Sejin’s interview appeared, turning everything into a fit of laughter.
[Lee Sejin (B): Isn’t Moon-dae hilarious? (Laughs) No, I mean, he has this face like a Tibetan fox, but then these explosive ideas just come out of him. It was so funny, seriously!!]
With Keun Sejin’s voiceover in the background, a montage of ‘Park Moon-dae’ reacting to various situations was shown.
During Seon A-hyun’s rank evaluation:
[I… I, when I was… u-uh, young, I was in an accident…….]
[Oh no…….]
While the general sentiment of sympathy passed by, the camera zoomed in on Park Moon-dae.
“…….”
Even I had to admit, I looked like the definition of composure.
Then, a caption appeared.
[Park Moon-dae: (Nod)]
“Ah! That’s right!!”
“He really was like that! Bwahahaha!!”
Next was the scene of the trainer’s harsh criticism.
[This kind of review would only be a compliment at a school talent show!]
[…….]
Among the team members who hung their heads and bit their lips, Park Moon-dae’s face alone remained serene.
[Park Moon-dae: (Peaceful)]
That was it.
In every situation where other participants were shaken, Park Moon-dae alone had dead fish eyes.
“Pffft!!”
“That face! It’s too funny!”
“…….”
Only then did I realize my mistake.
Because I was the only one like that among participants who were overreacting as much as possible, I didn’t look calm—I looked like I genuinely had… some kind of mental issue.
‘I shouldn’t be blaming the production crew.’
I reflected in silence, dodging Keun Sejin’s hand as he slapped my back while laughing hysterically and apologizing.
Afterward, the broadcast briefly showed the arrangement process proceeding smoothly, without giving away too many spoilers.
[Lee Sejin (B): We’re going to do great!]
[Park Moon-dae: …Fighting.]
I have no idea why I shouted "fighting" with so little enthusiasm…….
Shortly after, the stage began.
The team members, who had been chatting about all sorts of things, fell silent and focused on the screen.
I looked at the face of ‘Park Moon-dae’ in stage makeup with a sense of unfamiliarity. To think that guy is me.
[Oooooh—.]
Soon, an eerie intro played along with the opening choreography, and the performance unfolded in earnest.
Shocked faces of other participants waiting backstage were inserted every time the parts changed. Good grief.
Fortunately, the editing was well-done, so the stage didn’t feel too fragmented.
‘Hmm.’
Regardless, the stage definitely came out well.
In particular, Seon A-hyun looked like a fish in water, practically flying across the stage. It almost made him look like the main dancer instead of Keun Sejin.
‘Seon A-hyun’s rank is going to skyrocket.’
The next most visible person was Keun Sejin, and the others also handled their parts well. Surprisingly, Lee Sejin used his expressions effectively, so he didn’t look awkward.
Choi Won-gil seemed to have lost out a bit because the camera focus shifted to Seon A-hyun during the chorus when he was at the center, likely due to the choreography.
And as for me… fortunately, the bridge part was shown properly.
[Can’t You feel me?]
This single line was followed by two or three overlapping reaction shots.
‘…It’s practically a round song at this point.’
I was grateful, but at the same time, I suspected their intentions.
‘Are they pushing the "clueless genius" gimmick again?’
So, when the trainers’ conversation was inserted as a reaction to the bridge part, I watched the screen with suspicious eyes.
[Mudie: That was originally Won-gil’s part?]
[Jeok Tae-song: Really?]
[Mudie: Yeah, Won-gil said he couldn’t do it, so (Moon-dae) gave him his own chorus part and even did the arrangement himself…….]
To think they would use this story here.
Moreover, if you only listened to the trainers’ conversation, it sounded like I had swapped parts with Choi Won-gil out of the goodness of my heart.
Well, technically, that was true in the end.
Mudie even had an interview cut.
[Mudie: Moon-dae is surprisingly soft-hearted.]
[Mudie: But his singing is powerful!]
Thank you.
Even for the same character, "He's a nice kid even if he's clueless" was much better than "He's so clueless it's infuriating."
If I managed to avoid sudden death, I felt like I should send her some red ginseng as a token of gratitude.
The stage ended with the enthusiastic reaction of the audience shouting for an encore.
[Encore! Encore!]
The sight of the team hugging each other in joy was also successfully broadcast.
“We were awesome.”
“Honestly, it’s my own stage, but even I think it was good.”
“Agreed.”
The living room echoed with the satisfied conversation of the former teammates, accompanied by meaningless applause.
Since I was focused on myself, I only mentioned my own screen time, but overall, the team members received relatively equal amounts of coverage.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere in the living room remained harmonious.
Though I didn’t know for sure, there were probably many participants whose rooms felt like a funeral home right now.
For instance, Ryu Cheong-woo’s team, who came after us… I felt like offering a moment of silence for them.
Let me extract a few captions.
[They chose the best song?]
[H. O. W. E. V. E. R.]
[Team members who keep failing to focus on practice]
[Leader Ryu Cheong-woo’s lonely struggle]
The finishing touch was Ryu Cheong-woo’s interview, where he looked visibly exhausted.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: …I have to make it happen.]
‘Wow, they really threw them under the bus.’
Even though I already knew it wasn’t quite that bad, watching it made me feel uncomfortable.
Even the guys on our side were inadvertently chatting with pity as they watched.
“Man, what are they going to do?”
“Cheong-woo hyung did have a hard time. Still… wow.”
To summarize, the narrative was that Ryu Cheong-woo endured a time of suffering to complete the stage with teammates who lacked skill but had plenty of complaints.
“Cheong-woo has a good personality, but…. Man, seeing it like this, he’s a saint.”
Gold 1’s bitter mutter accurately explained the editing direction.
Anyway, the broadcast went on to show us easily defeating Ryu Cheong-woo’s team.
[The score is… a staggering 82 to 401!]
[Waaaaah!!]
It was a cut that portrayed us in a good light without any particular friction.
As for the individual voting, it ended with a strange edit that made people want to support Ryu Cheong-woo’s individual vote.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: I believe my shortcomings were great.]
[Park Jung-seop: Honestly, shouldn’t he win (the individual vote)?]
[Lee Do-jun: The responsibility of the person who led the team….]
Well, it was clean and nice that our team didn’t even mention the individual voting.
Whether on-site or on the broadcast, it was a complete victory for this team.
When Episode 3 ended, the former teammates collapsed onto the floor and sofas here and there.
“Wow… that was draining.”
“I thought I was going to die from the tension!”
“I-it was scary.”
Even Seon A-hyun added his two cents.
It seemed everyone had exhausted a significant amount of mental energy.
Keun Sejin spoke while lying on the sofa.
“Ah, it might be a bit late to say this, but… everyone really worked hard. Man, seeing the broadcast, everyone did so well!”
“You’re the one who worked hard, Keun Sejin~”
“I’m glad it came out well.”
Gold 2 left these words with his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“The reaction will be amazing, right?”
And as if someone had granted a wish, those words came true exactly as said.
The first sign of the reaction appeared on WeTube.
The stage video of <October 31>, the team Park Moon-dae belonged to, ranked 9th on the real-time trending videos.
The comments were in an uproar.
-From the arrangement to the stage presence, everything was insane.
-A stage this precious on a show as trashy as Flop Inc?;;
-Everyone, this is the stock that’s going to skyrocket.
-What? Vampires? Just wait, I’m driving the blood donation van right now.
-I organized the names! 0:12 Seon A-hyun, 0:21 Lee Sejin (B) … (see more)
-Octobers, please just debut like this ㅠㅠ
-Seeing the preparation process, they all seemed so soft and friendly, it was so cute ㅠㅠ Is that gap on stage for real?
Immediately after the broadcast, similar recommendation posts or reviews topped the popular posts or were shared tens of thousands of times.
[The Idol Inc. stage that reinterpreted a girl group debut song]
[The participant team that turned Malang Dalkom into art]
[Idol Inc. Episode 2, where the rankings are likely to shift drastically]
Cases of people discovering Idol Inc. through this stage and becoming viewers began to emerge.
-I saw that vampire concept stage, is this a new season of Idol Inc?
-I thought it would flop, but what is this stage quality?
-I’ve never liked idols, but how do I vote for this? ㅠㅠ
Perhaps because of this, posts saying they liked the team as a whole were not uncommon.
-It would be great if they debuted just like this!
-I’m rotating my votes among the kids ㅠㅠ Why aren’t they a group already!
A few quick-witted hardcore K-POP reaction channels also moved.
They posted reactions comparing Malang Dalkom’s original song with October 31’s arranged version.
[WOW! It’s like, one of a kind, right?]
Those videos were re-uploaded to reaction translation channels with subtitles, constantly regenerating domestic and international interest.
In this process, the frequency of mentions of the team members on SNS and related communities also increased overwhelmingly.
It was practically a tectonic shift.
The crowning stroke occurred when Malang Dalkom themselves posted a video reacting to this stage on WeTube.
[The viral Idol Inc. stage! Malang Dalkom watched it themselves? October 31’s ‘Into the New World’ reaction video]
The members of Malang Dalkom, whose peak had passed and whose group activities had ended, were living as SNS celebrities, except for one member who had succeeded as an actress.
Two of the members had joined forces to open a YouTube channel, riding the current trends.
And they hadn't missed this trending content related to themselves.
Thus, all the members, except for the one busy with an acting schedule, sat together and watched October 31’s arranged stage.
“Wow~”
“Ah, this is a difficult part.”
“The person doing Yu-eun’s part, Seon A-hyun? He’s my pick now.”
“Oh~ The main vocal says he’s our fan! Park… Moon-dae!”
“Thank you~”
The reaction started with ritualistic exclamations, followed by impressions of details and praise for the participants.
“Ah! Dried flowers on the costumes!”
“They put them in according to our individual symbolic flowers. Wow…….”
“They’re so detailed.”
Of course, they all gasped when the bridge came out.
“He’s raising the key like this?!”
“It’s the original key!?”
“Wow, it’s really cool…….”
“He really must be our fan.”
And in the end, it finished with them tearing up.
“Wait, why am I crying? Why am I crying?”
“Aww~ They did so well, we must have been really moved.”
The members, who were fanning their eyes while sniffling, slowly began to speak.
“We… received more love than we deserved with a fun B-list concept. But originally, our debut song was like this.”
After debuting as flower fairies, Malang Dalkom had shot to fame with a so-called ‘campy’ concept.
Because of that, there was a famous meme on the internet at the time.
-From flower fairies to crazy girls with flowers in their hair lol.
It was from the day they appeared on the <POP☆CON> stage wearing hairpins that symbolized their respective flowers.
Someone had posted that comment while comparing a screenshot from that day with a photo from their first album stage.
“Actually, it’s true that we were more loved because people liked the… gap from our debut song, but still, it was a bit… disappointing.”
It was true that the song <POP☆CON> became more of a hot topic because that comment became famous.
They also had more good feelings than bad memories about the campy-cute concept that brought them their prime.
However, that didn’t mean they hadn’t felt any sorrow at all.
“We could have done various concepts too…….”
No one would be unhurt by subtle mockery.
That was why they were deeply moved by the participants who approached their debut song—which hadn't received much public attention—with such sincerity.
“Thank you so much. For pulling off Malang Dalkom’s… um, innocent concept so wonderfully!”
“Yes. We loved the reinterpretation too. Vampires… if we get the chance, we’d really love to try it too!”
The fact that the stage was a cool reinterpretation that didn't damage the original vibe also added to their impression.
They concluded their words with slightly tearful voices.
“It was a truly… wonderful stage. We’ll all buy your stocks too!”
“October 31, fighting!!”
“Fighting~”
As screenshots of this video were posted on communities and SNS, the view count of October 31’s stage video surged once again.
And before Episode 4 was released.
The individual fancams for all the team battles were released first.