Chapter 27
Chapter 27
I pulled up the achievement pop-up I had previously dismissed.
[Call of Fame!]
50,000 people have remembered your existence!
: Rare Trait Gacha ☜ Click!
Since this had appeared after the first episode aired, the pop-up was already several weeks old.
‘I ended up holding onto this longer than intended.’
In fact, not long after the third episode aired, I had also achieved the 100,000-person milestone, but that reward had been points.
As a result, my current status window looked like this:
[Name: Park Moon-dae (Ryu Gun-woo)]
Level: 12
Title: None
Vocal: A
Dance: C+
Appearance: B+
Star Quality: C
Traits: Infinite Potential, That sounds right (C), Look at Me! (D)
!Status Effect: Death if Not Debut
Remaining Points: 1
For the record, the practice points I earned during the team match had already been distributed—one to Vocal and one to Dance—before the team performance.
Ah, was it a waste not to put one more point into the Appearance stat to reach the A-tier? Especially since I had exactly one point left.
Of course, it felt like a waste.
‘But… unlike other stats, if Appearance changes too drastically, people suspect medical help rather than natural growth.’
This was especially true for a change significant enough to jump a letter grade.
I could justify the initial jump from C+ to B- as the result of receiving professional grooming while preparing for the broadcast. But jumping from B- to A- right now would be inexcusable.
Even moving from B- to B+ had been a stretch that I barely managed to cover for by using a month of time and a change in hairstyle as excuses.
‘Well… I was planning to reinforce the dog image anyway, so it worked out well.’
Looking at the search rankings, Golden Retrievers seemed to be the trend among dog breeds lately; it would be even better if people associated me with that.
Anyway, I’ve rambled enough. Let’s get on with the Trait Gacha from the pop-up.
‘I hope something useful comes out.’
In the new pop-up, the now-familiar roulette machine spun rapidly before coming to a stop. It landed on a bronze slot.
Once again, I missed the silver slot, which seemed to represent a higher grade. Just as I was about to feel disappointed, the name of the trait appeared.
[Trait: ‘Look at Me! (D)’ Acquired!]
People pay slightly more attention to your actions.
‘……?’
Why did this come out again?
The pop-up didn't stop there; a new message appeared.
[Duplicate Trait Confirmed!]
Would you like to synthesize ‘Look at Me! (D)’?
“…….”
This was… the classic ‘enhance with duplicate items’ mechanic found in every mass-produced trash game.
I had no idea where this system came from or why it took this specific form.
‘Once I debut and avoid sudden death… I’ll have to look into this.’
Regardless, it wasn't like I had any other choice, so I synthesized them.
[Synthesis Successful!]
Acquired ‘I want to be the center (C)’!
People pay a fair amount of attention to your actions.
- When active, ‘Star Quality’ increases by one tier.
“……!”
The name was cringeworthy, but the content was impressive.
I’d welcome anything that boosted my stats. It had been a lukewarm trait, but this felt like a miraculous revival.
But the ‘Star Quality’ stat, huh? That was a subtle stat to have boosted.
To put it bluntly, it was the ability to prevent dead air in front of the camera. To put it simply… well, I suppose it was star power.
Coincidentally, the participant with the highest Star Quality stat was right next to me.
“And with that! The teams have been decided~”
“Whoooo!”
It seemed the team recruitment was over, as I heard the MC’s transition.
I clapped along appropriately while stealing a glance at Cha Yu-jin’s status window.
[Name: Cha Yu-jin]
Vocal: C+ (B+)
(Rap: B)
Dance: A+ (S+)
Appearance: A (S)
Star Quality: A+ (EX)
Trait: Black Hole (A)
Even seeing it again, it was a terrifying status window.
A triple-threat of A-tier stats made me realize once more that this was the kind of person meant to be an idol.
In particular, Cha Yu-jin had the highest Star Quality—both current and potential—among all the participants.
Since it was higher than even the judge, Young-rin, it meant he was higher than most active idols.
And currently, one of the lowest stats on my status window was ‘Star Quality,’ which had just received a buff.
I hoped I could get a hint during this team match on whether it would be better to raise Dance or Star Quality first.
“Now, everyone, please start by greeting your teammates! Once you’re done, we will immediately introduce the second team match!”
The problem was that it was currently questionable whether this team match would even end well.
I watched the faces of my teammates as they obediently gathered to sit, thinking silently.
‘No matter what kind of mess breaks out, let’s just not get dragged into it.’
“Ah, I look forward to working with you.”
Ryu Cheong-woo, who had secured the leader position after suppressing the subtle power struggles of the other participants, greeted the team with a smile.
Everyone clapped, but the underlying tension was palpable.
‘This… even without editing, the camera is going to catch it.’
The production crew was incredibly skilled at capturing this kind of rivalry.
“Is everyone done with greetings?”
“Yes!”
“Ah, what a heartwarming sight~ Then, shall we announce the second team match assignment?”
“Uwaaaa!”
Even as the other participants cried out at the MC’s words, the members of this team maintained a relatively composed attitude.
‘It feels exactly like that cautious vibe when you’re put in a group project with students from other departments for a GE class.’
Anyway, it wasn't a problem I could solve, so I decided to leave it be and focus on the MC.
“For the second team match, we have a recurring segment that Idol Inc. has always done~ Do you know what it is? Ah! That’s right. It’s the ‘Hidden Masterpiece Rediscovery’ project!”
They were doing that this season too, then.
“That’s the one where they were taking votes for 50 songs on the website, right?”
“Yeah.”
Whispers broke out around me. The other participants seemed to know about it already, as they were only giving perfunctory reactions.
“Masterpieces that unfortunately failed to see the light for various reasons! This is a project where Idol Inc. reinterprets them to present them to the public once more. This year, our shareholders have selected several idol masterpieces for us!”
To put it bluntly, it meant they were going to take songs that didn't get popular but were actually good, remake them, and use them as if they were their own.
‘They save on composition fees, so it’s the ultimate creative economy.’
While I was admiring the production crew’s remarkable cost-cutting abilities, someone suddenly spoke to me.
Surprisingly, it was Lee Se-jin.
“…Is there a song you want to do?”
“Hmm?”
Even though he looked like he regretted asking, a question was a question, so I answered.
“I’d like something addictive.”
It meant I didn't want to do a song that lacked public appeal, especially since the songs were already obscure.
“What about you, hyung?”
“I… I hope we get ‘Base.’”
It was a good choice. ‘Base’ was the title track from a popular idol’s unknown days, much like Malang Dalkom’s debut song that the previous team had performed.
I remembered seeing the stage before; the concept was strong and the melody was catchy.
“That’s a good song. I think it would be great for a performance.”
“……Right.”
Lee Se-jin nodded in agreement.
Just as I thought he was finally starting to show some social skills, Cha Yu-jin suddenly barged into the conversation.
“I like that song too! ‘Base~ Uh, the thumping heart~’”
“……Ah, yes.”
Lee Se-jin shut his mouth with an uncomfortable expression.
‘This guy is like this every time.’
I wanted to ask him why he even came on the show if he was going to act like this.
Regardless, since the cameras were rolling, it was better not to have dead air. I decided to smooth things over.
“I see. It would be nice if we could do that one.”
“Yes!”
Cha Yu-jin agreed brightly with an oblivious expression.
‘He lacks tact and context, but he’s a positive guy.’
As I was slightly upgrading my evaluation of him, the MC finally announced the selection method.
“On that~ table you see in front of you, there are seven items!”
Sure enough, there was a table a considerable distance away from the participants.
“These items are the personal belongings of the original artists of the ‘Hidden Masterpieces’! You must use your reasoning and intuition to choose one of these belongings.”
“Gasp.”
“Ah~ I’m bad at this kind of thing!”
“The method is~ ah, traditional. It’s a race! Leaders, please get ready!”
“A race?”
A situation had arisen where we could benefit from having the athletic Ryu Cheong-woo as our leader.
Of course, that would only be effective if he could correctly guess the song just by looking at the artist's item.
However, this kind of approach was possible:
“That pouch! I think it belongs to a woman!”
“The baseball… are they a baseball fan?”
“Oh, it’s a skull pencil. That’s unique.”
Noisy whispering broke out everywhere. Everyone seemed to be racking their brains in their own way.
Ah, this team reached an agreement in an instant.
“I’d like you to bring the item that looks the most expensive when you see it up close.”
“Hmm, okay!”
It seemed to be the reasoning that someone who would put out an expensive item in a place like this would likely be a currently successful celebrity. It sounded plausible enough.
It was likely a decision made with broadcast screen time in mind as well as the song selection.
Ryu Cheong-woo nodded in agreement with Kim Rae-bin’s suggestion.
Before long, the MC called the leaders again.
“Now, leaders. Are you ready?”
“Yes!”
“Then… start!”
The leaders sprinted forward and reached for the side table.
‘No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like they have the luxury to choose anything.’
In that case, wasn't this song selection just down to luck again?
“Nice, got it!”
However, Ryu Cheong-woo snatched something and returned with a beaming smile.
Then, with a face full of confidence, he held out the item he had grabbed.
It was a baseball.
“This was a ball personally signed by Ryu Wan-bum!”
“…!!”
“Wow.”
Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise. Ryu Wan-bum was a famous hitter who had made it to the Major Leagues.
Cha Yu-jin asked immediately.
“How do you know?”
“I watch a bit of baseball myself. So I recognized it right away.”
Ryu Cheong-woo grinned as he tossed the baseball up and caught it. The feeling that things were going well temporarily eased the tension within the team, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
But it didn't last long.
“The owner of the baseball is… ah, Lee Chan-woo, the vocalist of the idol band ‘Taeyang Island’!”
“…??”
It was because the owner of the baseball was… an unfamiliar middle-aged man whom no one knew.
“Who is that?”
No one on the team could answer Cha Yu-jin’s innocent question.
“Whoooo!”
Right next to us, Choi Won-gil’s team was making a huge fuss in excitement.
“Hello. I am Jung Ha-im, currently active as a film actress.”
“Whoa….”
The owner of the pouch that Keun Se-jin, the leader of that team, had chosen was a famous actress.
Perhaps because of the first team match, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
I shrugged my shoulders.
‘Well, this can happen.’
The most important thing was the song anyway.
Of course, having a currently famous celebrity appear would be advantageous for securing screen time.
Furthermore, it had the advantage of preemptively blocking reactions like, ‘They’re even stealing precious songs from poor, unknown idols.’
But in the end, having a good song was an overwhelming benefit. On an audition program, the performance had to be good.
So, once we check the song…….
“The song I’m entrusting to you is… ‘Burning Like the Sun’!”
Oh.
Oh…. What… are we going to do about this?
“Ah!”
“I know that one!”
The other teammates exclaimed.
“I’m glad it’s a song I know….”
“Sunbaenim, I enjoy listening to your music!”
Relief flooded the team.
They seemed to have regained their energy upon realizing it was a somewhat recognizable and good song.
The original artist seemed excited by their reaction and enthusiastically introduced the song.
“‘Burning Like the Sun’ was released seven years ago, but it’s still loved as a cheering song today. If you like baseball, you’ve probably heard the chorus at least once.”
“Ah, I know it well. It’s a great song.”
When Ryu Cheong-woo answered genially, the original artist smiled warmly. Cha Yu-jin widened his eyes and asked a question.
“What’s the chorus like? I don’t know baseball well!”
As if he had been waiting for that question, the original artist cleared his throat.
“Ah, ahem. ‘Now, rise up~ like that burning sun~’ This part.”
“Aha. I see.”
“Haha!”
The teammates laughed harmoniously at Cha Yu-jin’s clumsy grammar.
The sight of them creating a heartwarming atmosphere with the original artist looked much better compared to earlier.
The problem was… the outlook was not good.
That’s right. I could already see the ‘Two Days Later’ caption appearing after this cut, followed by a preview of the team’s atmosphere in shambles.
Because that song was completely unsuitable for an idol survival show…….