Chapter 31
Chapter 31
“Whoa, they’re in third?”
“Wait, they did so well, though.”
“Their ranks were the highest to begin with...”
“And the reaction was insane.”
When we were announced as third place, the other contestants around us began to whisper in disbelief.
I appreciated the sentiment, but honestly, I had seen this coming the moment they announced that each audience member had two votes.
‘They all cast strategic votes.’
Anyone dedicated enough to attend a live recording is likely a heavy viewer with a fixed favorite. These audience members would naturally cast one vote for the team containing their top pick.
For their second vote, they likely chose a team with ‘low rankings but good skills.’
There was no way they would give a vote to our team, as we were the biggest threats to their favorites.
Thinking about it that way, third place was actually a decent save. It meant that on top of the fans who actually supported the members of this team, we had swept up the votes from the few people who had just come to watch without a bias.
However, my teammates seemed quite shocked.
“...Thank you!”
Ryu Cheong-woo, responding a beat late, bowed deeply. The others followed suit, offering their thanks, but it was obvious they were struggling to maintain a composed expression.
“Thank you.”
I nodded along with them.
The announcement for first and second place was postponed until the ranking ceremony. Among the contenders was the team Choi Won-gil had assembled, which was ‘similar to the Team 1 lineup.’
“Well then, Shareholders! Re-listing! Idol Inc. will return with the news of the first-place team at the ranking ceremony!”
After the MC’s closing remarks, I caught Choi Won-gil glancing our way with a triumphant smirk.
‘Is he an idiot...?’
He’s like this every time. Is it because he hasn't tasted the sting of malicious editing yet?
Regardless, the rest of the team wasn't in the right headspace to notice. Ryu Cheong-woo patted the shoulders of the dejected members as they clapped.
“Good job, everyone. We did our best, so I’m sure we looked great. Let’s not worry.”
“Yes...”
“He’s right. We did well!”
Well, as Cha Yu-jin said, there was no doubt the performance itself was a success. So, even if we didn't get the win, we’d likely get sympathy votes rather than criticism.
Besides, no one on this team seemed at risk of being eliminated in the upcoming ranking ceremony anyway, so this was actually an optimal result.
The only concern was the editing. Unless they pulled another stunt where they only highlighted Ryu Cheong-woo and buried everyone else, we should be fine. The performance was just that good.
Since everyone here already had established fandoms, most malicious editing would be neutralized by public opinion anyway. Kim Rae-bin was a prime example—his first team battle broadcast was a disaster, but his fans fought a persistent battle of public opinion to bring him back into the rankings.
Ah, speaking of the devil, he was approaching me.
“Um... Moon-dae hyung.”
“Yeah, what is it?”
Kim Rae-bin bowed his head.
“Thank you for everything. Would it be alright if we exchanged contact information?”
“Sure.”
I readily gave him my number. He wasn't a bad contestant to be on good terms with. Thanks to his broken ‘Composition’ trait, I’d managed to get a free ride on the arrangement, after all.
Plus, looking at his personality, he didn't seem like the type to call incessantly like Keun Se-jin; he’d likely keep it brief and strictly business.
After receiving the number, Kim Rae-bin bowed again.
“I will reach out to check in on you occasionally.”
“...Sounds good.”
I couldn't tell if I was talking to an idol trainee or a junior officer in the military.
‘Oh, wait...’
Was this an opportunity to switch to a different ‘group of associated contestants’?
Since this team battle ended successfully, if I leaked a few sightings of us being friendly around the time the next episode aired, the fandoms might naturally realign.
The guys I was initially grouped with as ‘Park Moon-dae’s circle’ had too many risk factors, ranging from future drug scandals to low final rankings. Furthermore...
‘Isn't my survival rate higher if I’m grouped with someone likely to have a higher final rank?’
If I was linked with Kim Rae-bin, there was a chance that Cha Yu-jin’s fans would be less hostile toward me.
‘Good grief.’
Calculating things like this gave me a massive sense of disillusionment, but who cares about dignity when you’re facing sudden death?
“Good work today~!”
“You worked hard!”
I was packing my things to head out, my mind still spinning with strategies, when someone tapped me on the back.
“U-um, excuse me.”
“Hmm?”
I turned around to find Seon A-hyun looking incredibly solemn. This guy, who had been so busy for the past week that we’d only managed to exchange greetings, was suddenly approaching me with a look of grim determination?
‘Is there a bad rumor going around?’
Seon A-hyun scanned the surroundings, and once he was sure no one was watching, he whispered with wide, intense eyes.
“Y-you know Choi Won-gil.”
“...? Yeah, what about him?”
Why was he bringing up Choi Won-gil all of a sudden?
‘Did he come here to complain because Won-gil threw another fit about wanting more parts?’
Surprisingly, my random guess was half-right.
“H-he’s... he’s such a mean person...!”
“......”
Seon A-hyun was practically huffing with indignation. Honestly, what kind of jerk move did Won-gil pull to make this pushover this angry?
“Why? Did something happen?”
“Y-yes!!”
Seon A-hyun nodded vigorously and began to cautiously explain what had happened during their team preparations.
“A-at first, he kept... d-demanding his own parts.”
Oh, my prediction was spot on.
“And h-he kept bringing you up! He was so s-sarcastic...”
To summarize Seon A-hyun’s explanation of Choi Won-gil’s behavior, it went something like this:
‘I didn't get any screen time in the first round, so it’s only fair I get some now. I put this team together, shouldn't you guys be grateful?’
‘Why did you give Moon-dae hyung all the parts but won't give me any even though I’m a main vocal now? It feels like you’re discriminating based on friendship.’
Apparently, he even said the latter while crying during an interview with the production crew.
‘I guess he learned from the last team battle that the first one to strike wins.’
When the teammates, caught off guard, were fumbling for a response, Keun Se-jin had stepped in and smoothed things over by placating Won-gil.
‘A wise choice, considering the broadcast.’
But because of that, the teammates never got to speak their minds, and their pent-up anger had nowhere to go. By the time Seon A-hyun finished his story, his initial caution had transformed into pure righteous fury.
He was stuttering so much it felt like he was doing it out of sheer rage.
“Y-you have to be c-careful...! I was worried he might s-say something weird about you... so I wanted to l-let you know.”
Even with his face flushed bright red, Seon A-hyun’s focus remained on me. His words eventually circled back to worry. I guess that was his main point.
The situation was a bit ridiculous, but... well.
‘I’m actually kind of grateful.’
In this survival audition where everyone is busy looking out for themselves, here was a guy treating me like a real friend rather than a networking opportunity. It made me feel like a fool for trying to rank the kids in my head.
‘It’s not like we’re being assigned to middle school homerooms.’
My future knowledge was already being shredded ever since my team blew up in the first round, so maybe I was being unnecessarily paranoid.
I gave a small smirk and replied.
“Yeah, okay. Thanks.”
“O-oh, it’s nothing...”
Seon A-hyun looked startled, then hurriedly waved his hands, reverting to his usual timid self. Taking advantage of the opening, Keun Se-jin suddenly appeared and threw an arm around my shoulder.
This guy seriously seemed to have a supernatural ability to insert himself into any conversation.
“Yo~ friends, what are you up to?”
“I-I was... just telling him.”
“What? Ah... him.”
Keun Se-jin shrugged. It seemed Choi Won-gil had been branded a troll to the point where he was referred to by pronouns instead of his name.
“We just won't work with him next time~ The one who gets stressed loses. Hey, look at this. Life’s too short to look at anything but the good stuff.”
“H-huh?”
Keun Se-jin naturally shifted the topic, pulling up something on his smartphone and turning the screen toward Seon A-hyun and me. It was a social media post featuring photos of subway station advertisements.
Ah, it was already that time.
Placing advertisements in public facilities is one of the representative ways idol fans show support. I remembered seeing the photos I’d taken put up a few times.
‘Of course, they were posted under the names of the fan accounts that bought the data from me.’
Anyway, I thought he was just showing off his own ad, but that wasn't all.
“Ta-da! This is the three of us!”
“Hmm?”
Looking closer, the photos showed three adjacent advertisements facing each other. Below the photos was the accompanying text:
=========================
[I’m at Hongdae Station and the October Same-age Group ads are up together! So cute T_T I left a post-it note!]
=========================
Keun Se-jin grinned.
“Hey, isn't this crazy? How did they put the ads up in a row like this? Did they coordinate?”
“......”
No. They probably fought for the spots.
It was almost pitiable to think about how much money and time they must have spent to snag large billboards in a prime transfer station.
‘Well, thank you for... investing in Park Moon-dae’s survival.’
A new concern arose. Even if I debuted and avoided sudden death, I felt like I’d have to faithfully complete the contract period to avoid going to hell.
While I was spiraling into a strange sense of debt, Keun Se-jin got to the point.
“Should we go see this? Fans even left messages, so isn't it our duty to go check it out~?”
“......”
Couldn't we fulfill that duty individually?
However, Seon A-hyun’s eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed.
“I-I’d love to!”
“Good, good. Moon-dae, you’re coming too, right? When should we go?”
The way he started by taking my attendance for granted was exactly how I’d been baited into the group viewing of Episode 3.
Still... as Keun Se-jin said, it was only right to go see the ads. It would be easier to handle being recognized if I was with them rather than alone.
I looked back and forth between the two for a moment before finally nodding.
“If we’re going, we should go within this week.”
“The sooner the better!”
“G-great!”
As I listened to the two of them excitedly picking a date, I finished packing my bag.
Well, it didn't feel too bad.
Two days later.
I pulled on the black cotton mask I’d bought at the convenience store. Our destination was Hongdae Station. Since I’d been cooped up at home whenever we weren't filming, it had been a while since I’d gone out.
[Seon A-hyun: Should we have lunch after looking at the ads? I found a few places that look good, if you guys are okay with it... (See more)]
A message came from Seon A-hyun.
‘Still writing long messages, I see.’
I checked Keun Se-jin’s response, which was littered with emoticons, then headed out and caught a bus. Since I’d rented a cheap room, there were no subway stations within a 20-minute walk.
‘I’ll just get off at the stop near Hongdae Station and move quietly.’
...Or so I thought.
“Gasp.”
“Isn't that Park Moon-dae?”
“No way... Hey, hey, over there!”
This happened the moment I stepped off the bus and crossed the street. I hadn't even reached the meeting spot yet, but people were already starting to gather.
Only a few people recognized me instantly, but because it was a busy area, the crowd began to draw more people.
“Who is it?”
“Is it a celebrity? An idol?”
‘This isn't going to work.’
After a moment’s thought, I gave a quick bow and started running. I wanted to be more responsive if possible, but the atmosphere was becoming precarious. The impact of the most popular audition program at this point in time was staggering.
Then again, these days, if you opened any entertainment news site, there was bound to be at least one story about Idol Inc. in the rankings. I’d been naive because I hadn't gone outside.
‘At this rate, I have to see the ads quickly and disappear.’
My phone vibrated as I sprinted down into the subway station, but I planned to check it once I’d lost the crowd.
And... I realized the situation the moment I reached the spot where our three ads were displayed.
The two who had already arrived were surrounded by people with smartphones.
‘I guess they were messaging me to say they’d already arrived and it was a mess.’
Those idiots hadn't even worn masks.
In the midst of it all, people who recognized Park Moon-dae cheered.
“Moon-dae!”
“Moon-dae’s here too!”
It was a bit overwhelming, but I was grateful. Truly.