Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Dazed, Seon A-hyun accepted the balls Park Moon-dae held out to him.
Immediately after, his interview was spliced in.
[Seon A-hyun: T-To be honest, I... I can’t really eat... instant food.]
Then, like a flashback, footage from a fixed camera was briefly broadcast.
Seon A-hyun was seen faintly in the dim light from the bathroom, his head buried in the bed as if he felt sick.
[Park Moon-dae: You okay?]
[Seon A-hyun: I-I’m fine...]
[Park Moon-dae: Hold on.]
Park Moon-dae stepped out of the dorm.
A moment later.
[Participant Park Moon-dae, returning with digestive medicine]
He reappeared along with the caption.
In truth, this had happened during the initial grade evaluations.
At the time, Park Moon-dae had his ‘Sleep is for the Dead’ trait active, so he wasn't sleepy even late at night and had plenty of time on his hands.
Thanks to that, he simply had the leeway to respond to the voice of his conscience and return the favor for the chocolate Seon A-hyun had given him.
For the record, by the time he was preparing for the PR broadcast, Park Moon-dae had completely forgotten about this incident.
Seon A-hyun, who had no way of knowing that, spoke with a mix of guilt and gratitude during his interview.
[Seon A-hyun: I-I think he swapped them... because he was worried I w-wouldn't be able to eat.]
[Seon A-hyun: Th-thank you, Moon-dae.]
[Park Moon-dae: (Nods his head)]
Of course, the clip of Park Moon-dae was just a cut from a completely unrelated interview.
However, on the surface, it looked quite heartwarming.
If general viewers were reacting like this, the fans were even more intense.
Park Moon-dae’s fansite master was naturally delighted by the favorable editing and reactions, but she also felt a bit uneasy.
‘What if people start marketing him for his personality?’
Promoting an idol based on their "good character" was the perfect setup for a backlash.
This was especially true as the program progressed toward the end.
To make room for your own favorite, you had to pull someone else down.
"Character marketing" was something that could be shattered the moment someone reported even a minor immoral act from their school days.
And for several other participants, graduation photos were already being posted online.
‘Come to think of it, nothing is known about Moon-dae.’
Was it because he was such a quiet student?
Maybe he was from overseas or the countryside. She imagined Park Moon-dae sitting on a pavilion over a rice paddy, wearing a straw hat with an indifferent expression.
‘It suits him...!’
In the early stages of falling for someone, there was a symptom where you felt they looked like a picture no matter where you placed them.
Meanwhile, the broadcast continued showing various participants preparing for their PR lives.
From Kim Rae-bin, who picked an electronic piano and composed a logo song for Idol Inc., to Keun Se-jin, who promoted sneakers while performing a random play dance of idol hits.
There were many entertaining scenes.
Focusing on the top-ranking participants, the show also briefly highlighted the plight of those who failed to get any balls at all.
[For those without collaboration items, you can promote our very own program! <Re-listing! Idol Inc.>!]
Of course, most of them were participants who hadn't made it into the top 33 and barely managed to fill their ten minutes.
Since over a dozen people were doing the same cliché content simultaneously, it was bound to be boring.
Then, the show briefly featured participants who promoted unique collaboration items, and Park Moon-dae naturally appeared here.
The scene where Park Moon-dae set up the chicken feet and sat down was perfect, starting with the caption.
[Park Moon-dae (Chicken Feet Enthusiast) A.K.A. Mukbang Rising Star]
[Cha Yu-jin: It was really amazing.]
A short clip of Cha Yu-jin watching with his mouth agape passed by.
The fansite master’s timeline was once again flooded with comments saying he was "cute." Her own post was among them.
The PR broadcast preparation segment ended on a reasonably heartwarming note, just as the lives themselves had.
The fact that some participants accidentally exposed others' secrets or complained about sensitive issues during filming was glossed over as if it never happened.
This was despite two people having voluntarily withdrawn after being dragged through the mud online.
Now that the program was on the path to success, there was no need to unnecessarily reproduce participant controversies in the main broadcast.
Since most viewers had already guessed as much, they focused on the next segment after a few snide remarks or criticisms.
It was the long-awaited announcement for the team-based individual rankings.
[Everyone! Do you remember the reward for the participant who ranked first in the individual voting within their team during the first team battle?]
[Ah...]
[For the first ranking announcement ceremony, it was a guaranteed pass!]
The screen showed several participants muttering, "I hope it's me."
After the MC dragged out the time with flashy remarks and useless chatter, he called out the winner for each team one by one.
Naturally, most participants tried to at least pretend to congratulate them.
[Wow~!]
[Congratulations!]
In particular, the members of Ryu Cheong-woo’s team, which had been controversial, tried their best not to look upset when Ryu Cheong-woo was announced as first.
However, the broadcast once again aired it with a strange atmosphere.
[...]
[...Ah.]
[Congratulations.]
[Yeah, thanks. You guys worked really hard... I’m sorry.]
[...No. It’s fine.]
‘They’re trying too hard, it’s off-putting.’
Having grown accustomed to this pattern, the fansite master was starting to feel a sense of repulsion toward the editing.
Hardcore survival show viewers likely felt the same.
Of course, the individual first place for Park Moon-dae’s team, ‘October 31,’ was also announced.
[The first place for October 31 is... Congratulations! Participant Seon A-hyun!]
[...!]
The members of October 31 surrounded a startled Seon A-hyun.
[Oooooh!!]
[I knew A-hyun would do it~]
[Congratulations!]
[You worked hard.]
[Th-th-thank you...]
It was a suitably harmonious scene.
‘Thank goodness!’
While relieved, she also felt a bit of regret.
‘I thought Moon-dae might have a chance.’
She knew that winning that benefit didn't offer much practical merit and might even make him a target for attacks, but she still felt a lingering disappointment.
Similar sentiments flickered across her social media timeline.
If she searched more explicitly... she could probably find reactions like this too:
Of course, those were likely malicious solo fans.
Fortunately, the topic quickly shifted thanks to Moon-dae’s new visuals as he offered his congratulations on screen.
She quickly captured a close-up shot of Moon-dae and uploaded it.
On the broadcast, the MC was saying something ominous again.
[But what if a participant who was originally supposed to be eliminated ends up passing?]
[Oh...!]
[Ah, no way.]
[Everyone, the lowest-ranked survivor will be eliminated instead!]
For the record, the fansite master, who was watching, wasn't interested in that at all.
‘Moon-dae, please don’t be called too early...!’
She was just anxiously hoping that Park Moon-dae would be called later in the rankings.
[Now, I will announce the 47th place participant.]
She intended to make a promotional video for WeTube while the lower rankings passed by, but she couldn't quite grip her mouse properly.
‘What is this? Why am I so nervous...!’
Unable to stand it, she went to get a soda, and by the time she sat back down, the announcements had finally reached the 30s.
This was after another break for a boring beverage PPL segment.
‘Moon-dae hasn't even appeared in a single cut...!’
It was because she hadn't touched her drink since nearly spitting it out earlier, but as a viewer, the reason was unknown.
It was only around the announcement of 31st place that a scene she could care about appeared.
[31st place is... Participant Kwon Hee-seung!]
He was the October 31 member whom Park Moon-dae inwardly referred to as ‘Gold 2.’
Among those greeting him as he walked to the podium was Park Moon-dae.
[Congratulations.]
The way he awkwardly gave a high-five with a serious expression was incredibly cute.
Meanwhile, the MC made a lame joke.
[He’s the first October 31 member to advance to the next round! Is that why he’s 31st?]
[I think so!]
Starting with Kwon Hee-seung, the members of October 31 began to be called to the podium one by one at intervals.
After Choi Won-gil and Ha Il-jun (Gold 1) were announced in the mid-to-low 20s, no more names from the team were called for a while.
The next was 13th place.
[Congratulations. 13th place is... Participant Lee Se-jin! Oh, there are two of you!]
Both Lee Se-jins reflexively snapped their heads up. One laughed sheepishly while the other’s expression hardened before they both returned to their original positions.
[Between the two... it’s Lee Se-jin B! Also known as Keun Se-jin! He was the leader of October 31.]
[Ahaha!]
Keun Se-jin laughed brightly and offered a handshake to Lee Se-jin, who accepted it reluctantly.
Afterward, Keun Se-jin ascended the podium amidst cheers and acknowledgments from various participants.
[Wow! 13! That rank feels just like our team. It must be fate.]
Keun Se-jin made a joke fitting for the situation.
Then, after delivering a clean, sincere-sounding message of gratitude and encouragement, he went up.
He at least made it into the top 12!
The fansite master swallowed hard and waited for the next announcement.
Since Park Moon-dae had almost zero recognition before the first episode aired, this alone was a massive achievement.
[The participant who took 11th place is... Seo Hyun-chul!]
And even up to 11th place, Moon-dae’s name was not called.
Finally, they entered the single digits.
10th, 9th...
[The participant in 8th place is... Ah, it’s a participant who performed a song by Malang Dalkom in the first team battle.]
‘This is it...!’
She relaxed her shoulders and let out a breath.
They would probably call Moon-dae. She took it almost as a given.
She figured that since child actor Lee Se-jin had overwhelming initial recognition and Seon A-hyun’s metrics were so good thanks to the last stage, those two would be called later than Moon-dae.
[This participant, who showed off an unexpected charm, is...]
After alternating between the three remaining October 31 participants for quite a while, the MC finally continued.
[Participant Lee Se-jin!]
[...!]
Lee Se-jin stood up abruptly, his face stiff.
Seon A-hyun and Park Moon-dae, who were still in their seats, offered their congratulations out of habit.
[Congratulations.]
[C-Congratulations...]
[...Thanks.]
The broadcast caught Lee Se-jin faintly smiling and awkwardly accepting the greetings.
And the fansite master screamed out loud.
"Whaaaat!"
Reactions in the online communities were also exploding.
Lee Se-jin left the podium after leaving a short and impactful message: "Thank you. I will work with everything I have," while keeping his head bowed low.
The fansite master gripped her mouse.
‘Then just what rank is Moon-dae?’