Chapter 35
Chapter 35
I met Seon A-hyun and Keun Se-jin at a restaurant after they insisted on grabbing a bite before heading to the filming set.
"Hey, Moondae, hi~"
"H-hi..."
Despite the food in front of them, both of their expressions were incredibly grim.
One had turned into a social-interaction robot, and the other looked like he was on the verge of bursting into tears.
Is it because of the negative voting?
It was the most logical assumption.
I considered leaving them be, but seeing them like that while trying to eat was bothersome, so I decided to ask.
"Are you worried about the votes?"
"H-huh?"
"You both look terrible."
At that, the two reflexively looked at each other's faces. It seemed they hadn't realized the other was in a bad mood because they were so caught up in their own misery.
"...Ah, Moondae, you're sharp. Well... it's hard not to worry. I guess I spent too much time looking at the internet, haha."
Keun Se-jin let out a hollow laugh. Seon A-hyun nodded with a dejected face.
"I-I'm afraid people... might really hate me..."
Good grief.
It looked like they had scoured the internet and read every single comment they shouldn't have. Judging by the atmosphere, they had clearly spent all night glued to social media, searching their own names.
Since they were about to head to the set and see exactly how many people disliked them in cold, hard numbers, it was understandable that they were having trouble swallowing their food.
...Still, they need to eat before going in.
I pondered for a moment, then let out a sigh and spoke.
"Since it's an audition program, wouldn't there be more people voting against you out of strategic rivalry rather than genuine hate? Having a lot of votes deducted could just mean you're seen as a threat."
"......!"
Just look at the last team match—the team made up of the highest-ranking contestants ended up in third place in the on-site voting.
"My point is, unless the numbers are ridiculously high, there's no need to worry."
Of course, saying that doesn't mean they'll actually stop worrying. But having a logic for some mental gymnastics might help.
As expected, Keun Se-jin was the first to recover.
"I guess that's true."
He gave a bitter smile, picked up his spoon, and muttered as if to himself.
"...I really need to achieve something this time. My trainee period was way too long... Well, anyway, let's eat up and give it our best!"
He quickly reined in the words that had slipped out and resumed eating with a vengeance.
Seon A-hyun still looked anxious, but at the suggestion that 'it's better to eat before going,' he also began eating aggressively.
It's hard just to have a simple meal.
I suppressed a sigh and went back to my food.
Even these guys—who had decent name recognition and hadn't been butchered by the editing—were like this. It was obvious how the other contestants would be feeling.
The atmosphere at today's shoot is going to be insane.
And that prediction was spot on.
"......"
From the contestants at risk of elimination to the high-ranking ones, the entire place felt like a funeral home.
Ever since the 'Sell-off' vote was introduced, slander and rumors about the contestants on the internet had only worsened.
The only one who seemed excited was Cha Yu-jin. It wasn't the confidence of being rank 1; it just seemed to be his personality.
"Why didn't you come with us?"
He even came over to me and excitedly rambled about the day he went to see the advertisements. He really had an incredible personality.
Before long, filming began.
"Welcome to the second ranking announcement of <Re-listing! Idol Inc.>!"
I didn't know how it would look on broadcast, but the ranking announcement proceeded in an atmosphere more depressed than ever before.
"Today, we will announce the first rankings that include the newly introduced system, <Stock Sell-off>. The rankings have been determined by how many people bought and sold your shares."
Gulp. I heard someone swallow hard, and the faint sound of someone praying.
I couldn't help but think that these adults were doing something truly cruel to these kids.
"Before that, we must announce the final 1st place for the last team match, right? I mentioned that a massive prize awaits the winning team."
The MC remained cheerful despite the heavy atmosphere, doing his job perfectly.
"That prize is... the nullification of <Stock Sell-off>!"
"...What?!"
"No way."
Instantly, the room was filled with shock.
"The team that took 1st place will have their rankings evaluated based on figures that do not include the negative values from <Stock Sell-off>!"
The reactions didn't grow louder; instead, they died down weakly. Someone muttered softly.
"That's too much."
It was certainly an idea that couldn't have come from someone who respected the contestants. It was as if the production team was just tacking on or stripping away benefits at their own whim.
Then again, these are the same people who dropped the negative voting bomb along with Episode 6 without any prior notice. What did I expect?
"1st place goes to... Congratulations! Team 'Gigantic' with their reinterpretation of <Fingerprint>!"
The team Choi Won-gil had picked ended up taking the final 1st place.
For Choi Won-gil, who was almost certain to be eliminated because of the <Stock Sell-off> system, this was essentially a rescue signal.
Choi Won-gil wept with relief, but in reality, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.
That guy is in trouble.
If he had been eliminated because of the negative votes, there was a high chance that public sympathy would have surged.
But since he survived through sheer luck like this, negative public opinion was bound to explode unless he pulled off something miraculous in the next team match.
Regardless, the 1st place announcement concluded with a few brief speeches.
"Now, we will begin the ranking announcement!"
The total number of survivors this time was 30. Just like the last announcement, they began calling names from 28th place, leaving the final two spots for later.
"28th place, contestant Park Jun-kyung!"
Actually, there weren't many major shifts up to 20th place. No one had an exceptionally high or low number of deducted votes. The contestants who were expected to make it at those ranks were called without much of a twist.
The anomalies started appearing within the top 20.
"20th place is... contestant Choi Won-gil!"
"Whoa."
"Unbelievable."
His rank was even higher than Gold 2.
It seemed his fans, conscious of the negative voting, had banded together and poured their votes into him, actually causing his rank to rise.
Choi Won-gil tacked an apology onto the end of his long, rambling speech.
"...Also, I am deeply reflecting on my immature attitude... I-I will show you a better side of myself from now on, hic."
He then walked to his seat, sobbing.
Wouldn't it have been better to just point out Gold 2 and apologize to him directly?
Well, it wasn't my problem to worry about. I needed to worry about my own rank.
To summarize the rankings after that... Lee Se-jin (Actor) plummeted, and Kim Rae-bin successfully recovered, landing in 6th place.
Contestants who were on Choi Won-gil's team, like Keun Se-jin, saw their ranks rise. Since they were already on an upward trend and had their negative votes removed, their ranks shot up.
Looking at the flow, I figured I might drop a bit. So, I was ready to react immediately even if I was called early.
However, that wasn't necessary.
My rank went up.
"4th place is... contestant Park Moon-dae!"
"...?"
It was an unexpected success in this chaos.
Since they hadn't called me by 5th place, I had wondered if I'd plummeted below 28th, but I never imagined they'd call me at 4th.
As I stood up in a daze, something even more bewildering happened.
"Congratulations!"
Ryu Cheong-woo stood up, approached me, and patted my back with a proud expression. Cha Yu-jin also came over, mimicking Ryu Cheong-woo, and offered his congratulations.
"Congratulations!"
I was just planning to give a casual nod on my way up...?
It seemed that because the reaction to our stage had been so good, they had decided to close the distance between us on their own.
In Ryu Cheong-woo's case, it probably helped that he didn't have many close contestants left since everyone from his previous team had been eliminated.
I gave a vague acknowledgment, high-fived Seon A-hyun—who was standing there awkwardly—and headed up to the podium.
I felt like I had suddenly become some legendary social butterfly. It was a very foreign feeling.
"...First, I want to thank the shareholders who bought my stock. I will keep in mind that this rank is more than I deserve for my skills, and I will always strive to produce results worthy of your investment."
As soon as my textbook speech ended, the MC jumped in.
"Contestant Park Moon-dae, you delight the shareholders with your sparkling ideas in every stage. Is there an idea you'd like to try next?"
That was a damn difficult question. Asking me to do some aegyo would have been easier.
I decided to give a broad, safe answer.
"...I have been thinking that I'd like to try something more upbeat next time."
"Haha, are you starting to miss <POP☆CON>? Contestant Park Moon-dae, we'll look forward to your next stage."
An MC who links 'upbeat' to Popcorn? Really?
Of course, I couldn't glare at the MC, so I just bowed politely and went up to my seat.
The fancy sofa given to 4th place was honestly embarrassing to sit in. But my lower back was honest, and I waited for the rest of the announcement in much more comfort.
"3rd place is~ contestant Cha Yu-jin!"
"No way."
"He was 1st."
Cha Yu-jin, who was 1st in the last announcement, had dropped two spots.
However, he didn't seem to care much. With a bright speech saying, "I'm happy to get a high rank," he came up and settled into his sofa.
And then, the grand battle for 1st and 2nd.
The two finalists were Ryu Cheong-woo and Seon A-hyun.
Is he going to faint?
Seon A-hyun stood on the podium, swaying. He looked like he might lose consciousness at any moment if he actually took 1st.
"The glorious 1st place of <Re-listing! Idol Inc.> is... Congratulations! Contestant Ryu Cheong-woo!"
"Thank you!"
1st place was Ryu Cheong-woo. Honestly, I expected this unless there was a major upset.
As a former national athlete with a likable broadcast image, he probably wasn't affected much by the negative voting.
After Ryu Cheong-woo and Seon A-hyun finished their speeches, the exhausting announcement of the 29th and 30th place contestants followed. They dragged it out so much that my back was starting to ache even on the sofa.
But the true highlight came after that.
"This is what the rankings would have looked like if the <Stock Sell-off> system didn't exist!"
The production team had decided to reveal all the 'Buy' and 'Sell' counts, re-sort them, and blast them onto the screen.
Groans erupted from all over.
"I can't look."
I quickly found 'Park Moon-dae' on the screen.
[Buy: 893,452 / Sell: 12,257]
[Combined Rank: 4th / Buy Rank: 3rd]
3rd?
When I checked who was in 4th—my original rank—it was Seon A-hyun.
It seemed that because the vote counts at the very top were so close, the negative votes had made a significant difference.
But rather than regret, I felt a different emotion.
This is actually... unsettling.
[Sell: 12,257]
That was it. Even though the result was good, seeing a five-digit number representing the will of people who wanted 'Park Moon-dae' to fail... felt a bit strange.
The impact of this is stronger than I thought...
...Wait!
Stop talking nonsense.
My goal is to debut and avoid a sudden death.
I shouldn't even have enough mental capacity to think about anything else, so what does it matter if one out of every ninety voters dislikes me?
Let's just be grateful for the 890,000 votes that will prevent my sudden death.
I defined the situation and shut down that line of thought.
However, looking around, most of the others had 'I'm freaking out' written all over their faces, regardless of how their ranks turned out.
The next team match is going to be a total mess.
I could already see the snot and tears coming.
"Please wait a moment!"
The production team seemed flustered by the funeral-like atmosphere as well. The filming for the next team match, which should have started immediately after the ranking announcement, was temporarily halted.
Instead, the production team brought out some strange mini-segment.
<Idol Talent Show>
...True to its rushed nature, it was tacky as hell.