Chapter 29
Chapter 29
The judges looked like they were about to drop a line like, "So, are you saying this is all Rae-bin’s fault?"
I had to choose my words carefully.
I shouldn't sound like I'm making excuses. It needs to sound like a simple statement of facts.
"Yes. Since Rae-bin... is capable of arranging, he consulted with the professional arranger, and we all brainstormed to decide on the direction together."
"…!"
Kim Rae-bin flinched.
You, keep your mouth shut.
Fortunately, Ryu Cheong-woo jumped in immediately.
"That’s correct. We will discuss the issues you’ve pointed out as a team and resolve them. We’ll make sure to show you the best possible performance on the day of the team match."
"……."
Saved.
Ryu Cheong-woo and I took the hint and didn't say another word.
The judges looked like they were weighing their options, but they soon nodded.
They must feel like the timing for a lecture has already passed.
What a relief.
"Then you’ll have to start over from the arrangement itself, which means you'll be significantly behind the other teams. Can you handle it?"
"We will make it happen. We can do it, right guys?!"
"Yes!"
"We can do it!"
Unless someone had thrown their common sense into a trash can, they wouldn't give a half-hearted answer after we'd dragged them this far.
Fortunately, even the troll had come to his senses this time and answered vigorously.
Young-rin, one of the judges, nodded.
"Alright. However, you must keep in mind that this could be a reckless gamble given the time constraints, and you will have to take full responsibility for the results."
"She's right. There's no guarantee that changing it now will make it better than what you have."
But if we didn't change it and the performance was mediocre, the reaction would be, "Why didn't they change it after getting feedback?"
And then they’d edit in some narrative about us "lacking a sense of challenge," so their words were essentially meaningless.
In the end, the process is always edited and evaluated based on the final result.
Since every contestant implicitly knew this, a sense of discipline and tension settled over the team.
"Yes. We will keep that in mind and take on the challenge."
Just as Ryu Cheong-woo’s response seemed to wrap things up, a voice cut in.
"May I say something?"
It was the original artist of the song, holding a microphone.
"Ah, yes… Please go ahead."
The judges responded somewhat awkwardly to the original artist's sudden intervention, and he raised the mic with a profound look in his eyes.
"In your performance… I didn't feel the power inherent in the song 'Burning Like the Sun'."
"……?"
What was he talking about so out of the blue when the discussion was already over?
While everyone was left in a state of subtle confusion, the original artist continued to run his mouth.
"This song is supposed to instill courage and passion into people's hearts, you know? But you guys… just because you're handsome and good at dancing doesn't mean that message gets across."
"……."
Oh, is that so…
"Back when we were active, we really tried to convey that feeling. You shouldn't forget the respect due to such a song just because you've gained a little fame now."
Was he really not embarrassed to say something like that to contestants on an audition show who hadn't even debuted yet?
It felt like he was mistaking his "boomer" remarks for advice while putting the kids down. He seemed to have a bit of an inflated ego, too.
The annoying part was that his reaction would likely be included in the final edit, so I had to take it into account.
As if squeezing out an alternative arrangement wasn't hard enough, did I really have to endure this nonsense too?
It was irritating, but if anyone talked back, the narrative would just turn into "arrogant trainees stealing a song from a poor, forgotten idol," so everyone just answered obediently.
"Yes!"
"We will keep that in mind."
Well… that’s just how social life goes.
After the mid-term feedback for all the other teams ended, it was finally time to restart the discussion on the arrangement.
The troll hesitantly approached Kim Rae-bin.
"Um, I'm sorry…."
"……."
Should I let him apologize in front of the cameras?
Well, since I’d already provided cover for the team as a whole, cleaning up his own mess was his business.
Kim Rae-bin remained silent for a moment but soon nodded.
"No, it's fine. It is true that I took charge of the arrangement."
Honestly, it wouldn't have been strange if he’d snapped back with, "No, fuck, you're the one who told me to do it that way."
Regardless, Ryu Cheong-woo patted both of them on the back to end the conversation.
"Good work, guys. Let's talk about the arrangement again as soon as we're ready."
For the record, "ready" meant once the production crew had finished setting up the cameras.
"Yes!"
During the brief break, the contestants scattered for a moment, still looking tense.
Because the mid-term evaluation had been such a close call, their expressions weren't great, but since things had been salvaged at the last minute, it seemed hope was still alive.
But that hope is only useful if we actually come up with an alternative.
From the look of it, no one had a "this is it" idea for the arrangement; they just seemed to be hoping that something would come up if they kept talking.
In other words, they were running on pure optimism without any actual substance.
The future isn't looking too bright.
"Um, Moon-dae hyung."
"Oh, yes."
While I was sitting in a corner trying to use my own brain, Kim Rae-bin approached me.
That’s unexpected.
He was someone I hadn't really talked to over the past three days.
…Actually, come to think of it, I’d barely talked to anyone over the past three days.
I was busy enough just trying to survive the practice; where would I find the leisure for small talk?
Anyway, Kim Rae-bin awkwardly crouched down next to me and spoke solemnly.
"…Thank you."
"No problem. For what?"
He was probably thanking me for cutting off the troll earlier.
"It’s just… it’s the first time someone else has helped me in a situation like that……."
Just as I thought. I understood the situation well enough.
Kim Rae-bin had been worried too.
If he were edited to look like he was fighting and failing to adapt to his team again, public opinion would likely declare him beyond saving.
No wonder he’s being so humble.
Sure enough, he started rambling.
"I was really worried that I’d be criticized for lacking teamwork again following the first round, but thanks to you, Moon-dae hyung, I made it through the crisis. As I thought, it was a wise choice to recruit someone with good teamwork as my first teammate."
"……?"
Was the reason he picked Park Moon-dae first really because of "teamwork"?
When I asked, he nodded.
"Yes. I saw how you treated your teammates in a rational manner. And of course, your vocal skills were excellent as well."
"……Uh, right. Thanks."
He was a peculiar guy, having been destroyed by the show's editing once already, yet still believing what he saw on the broadcast.
To think he believed in the teamwork skills of Park Moon-dae, who had been edited to look incredibly socially inept in the beginning…….
Truly amazing. I would have understood if he’d picked Keun Se-jin instead.
Ah, maybe he didn't pick him because his role as a leader would overlap with Ryu Cheong-woo.
I guess he had his own criteria.
While I was feeling bewildered, Kim Rae-bin spoke again.
"Oh, hyung. You can speak comfortably with me."
"…Um, okay."
Well, there was nothing bad about being on friendly terms with someone high in the rankings.
As I responded casually, I realized there was a question I needed to ask given the current situation.
"Speaking of which, do you have anything in mind for the arrangement?"
"…To be honest, it’s a bit of a difficult situation."
Kim Rae-bin’s sharp, delinquent-like impression softened into a gloomy expression.
"Even if we start the arrangement over, the problem is where to start and how much to change."
He meant he didn't know how much he could tweak while still meeting the deadline, since they’d already practiced everything to the current version.
"I don't think we should change too much… but the current feedback is so all over the place that there's no unity. I don't know what to touch."
"That’s true."
So, he didn't have any specific ideas and couldn't decide what to fix. He was in the same boat as me.
Once Kim Rae-bin started venting, he couldn't seem to stop, mumbling his worries in a stream of consciousness.
"We should also reflect the original artist's advice, but honestly, I don't really understand what 'instilling courage and passion' specifically means."
"……I feel you."
That… was really true.
It could hardly even be called advice.
Idols aren't 1980s American cartoon superheroes; how are they supposed to instill courage and passion?
"……?"
Wait. I think I just… realized something.
As I retraced that thought, I realized I’d caught onto a strange idea.
But the more I thought about it… the more that idea fit this situation perfectly.
A concept idea that would allow for an arrangement where we could still pull off the original key.
We wouldn't have to change much of the cheerleading-concept choreography we’d already practiced, and we could even capture that damn "courage" and "passion."
It seemed like a brilliant solution. But the problem was…….
…It’s too much.
Exactly. It wasn't just "too much"; the problem was that it could end up looking incredibly childish.
If that happened, it would be worse than not changing it at all. If even one person messed up and created a gap in the performance, it would definitely become cringeworthy.
Wait?
"…No."
"Uh, hyung?"
"Hold on."
I ignored Kim Rae-bin’s question for a moment.
Instead, I watched the teammates who were slowly trickling back as the break ended and shouted internally.
Status Window!
I quickly scanned the teammates' statuses.
"……!"
Regardless of their other stats, their 'Star Quality' stats were all B- or higher.
For reference, reaching Rank B meant the stat was at a level where it could be utilized in a main position.
As expected of a team made up only of high-ranking contestants.
This… might actually work.
No wonder the judges didn't criticize the outdated cheerleading concept that much.
"Rae-bin. About the arrangement."
"Yes, yes?"
I blurted out the idea that had come to mind to the bewildered Kim Rae-bin.
"Pardon……?"
Kim Rae-bin seemed even more flustered at first. But as I added more explanations, he gradually calmed down, and soon his sharp eyes began to sparkle.
The reaction was even better than I’d expected.
"W-wait a second."
Kim Rae-bin ran over to the keyboard set up in a corner of the practice room and began hammering something out.
I recalled Kim Rae-bin’s status window from earlier.
[Trait: Maestro (A)]
: All that is needed is a small spark.
When inspired, creation speed +120%.
"……."
Between him and Seon A-hyun, some people really were born with silver spoons in their status windows.
Is there no function to… copy someone else's trait? I see that a lot in webnovels.
I wanted to complain, but I had to do my part first. I quickly pulled up my status window.
Then, I invested my remaining points into the 'Star Quality' stat.
With this, I had also entered the B- rank.
Good. The numbers are set.
"Moon-dae, why did Rae-bin suddenly go to the keyboard?"
Ryu Cheong-woo approached me, unable to interrupt Kim Rae-bin as he pounded away at the keys.
I shrugged.
"I gave him a concept idea, and he seems to like it."
"What kind of idea?"
"A transformation hero concept."
"…?!"
Behind a confused Ryu Cheong-woo, Cha Yu-jin whispered to the person next to him.
"What is a 'trans-formation hero'?"
There were five days left until the performance.
And five days later, on the day of the performance.
The area in front of the building where the second team match of Idol Inc. was being held was packed with people.
It wasn't that the number of audience members had increased significantly. It was just that thanks to the skyrocketing viewership and buzz, more people were hanging around outside just to try and catch a sound.
Even though it wasn't the final episode yet, people handing out slogans or photo cards were already a common sight.
Wow, this is insane.
A woman moved awkwardly through the crowd, avoiding the throng as she joined the entrance line.
She had applied for the audience lottery with a friend, but only she had won. She’d debated whether to even come, but eventually decided to skip her classes to be here.
Well, it is really famous lately.
Of course, a big part of her decision was her friend’s plea, backed by tears and a free meal: "Please, just let me know how our Moon-dae is doing!"
At the same time, a thought lingered in the back of her mind.
Is he really that good…?
She had seen photos of the golden-brown-haired Park Moon-dae on social media.
He was quite charming, but she didn't think he was handsome enough to warrant that level of obsession.
Still, since she’d been treated to a meal, she figured she should keep an eye on him. With that thought, she finally entered the building.
She had no idea that by the time the recording was over, she’d be the one begging her friend for photos of Park Moon-dae.