Chapter 374
Chapter 374
Let’s think back to the days of Idol Inc.
Even after appearing as a Platinum in the first performance, I didn't receive much initial attention—just a few comments here and there.
But now?
Only my profile has been released, and new posts are already popping up.
Every time I clicked on one of these posts, I was almost always included.
“...”
I scrolled down, then lowered my smartphone and suppressed a groan.
Was it really just the visual stats... all along?
Of course, performing as a 'soft and sweet' dancer right before this probably acted as a catalyst, making me look 'natural on stage.' But still...
To think the difference in buzz would be this huge.
I touched my face with a look of disbelief. Then I went to the sink and looked in the mirror.
“Hmm.”
I’d thought this from the start, but I definitely looked better than I did back when I was a civil service exam student.
I wasn't sure if it was because the stats I’d naturally increased as Park Moon-dae had carried over, or if this version of Ryu Gun-woo had just lived a better life.
It’s probably both.
There was likely a one-letter grade difference in the stat rankings. But even so, to this extent?
...I guess there’s also the matter of personal taste.
While my appearance as Park Moon-dae had been somewhat softened and neutralized, Ryu Gun-woo had a bit of a bleak impression.
And apparently, that was the so-called 'LeTi look.'
Since the LeTi in-house survival show hadn't aired yet, only people already interested in the agency were clicking on the posts, which seemed to be a factor.
It helps that all the trainees this time around are like that without exception, creating a synergy effect.
All fourteen of them had a similarly dark, brooding vibe, as if they’d been handpicked for it.
Because of that, it wasn't just Ryu Gun-woo; four or five others were getting quite a bit of buzz based on their profile pictures alone.
The VTIC guys are being mentioned a lot, too.
Mentions of Ju-dan and Shin-o were quite noticeable. Though it seemed one of them had been done dirty by a profile picture that didn't do his real-life visuals justice.
In any case, for an in-house survival show, the program was off to a smooth start, garnering a massive amount of attention.
Thanks to that, I received this.
[Fame is increasing...]
+Exp 15,000
Fame had increased generously once again.
Is this enough for fifteen Recruit Colleague attempts?
I dismissed the pop-up and looked at the basic list on the status window below it.
[Companion List]
Shin Jae-hyun: Planning (*^^~♪)
Cha Yu-jin: Training hard (+ㅅ+=3)
They both seemed excited.
Cha Yu-jin was probably dragging Kim Rae-bin along for special training. Since Kim Rae-bin was the type to dance well once taught, they were likely just running routines.
“Hmm.”
Still, it would be nice if Kim Rae-bin showed up here as well.
I stared at the Fame pop-up I’d just filled and hesitated for a moment before making up my mind.
[Hyung, are you going to try recruiting a colleague?]
Yeah.
It would be best if Kim Rae-bin appeared given the situation, but ever since Cha Yu-jin came out as the first pick, things had become unpredictable. Still, looking at the probabilities...
Cha Yu-jin came out in eight tries.
Statistically, the chances of someone I knew appearing seemed decent. Fine.
I pressed the 10-pull button.
And then I faced reality.
[★★ Kang Seong-bin / Sub-rapper]
[★ Kim Jae-hoon / Sub-dancer]
[Failure!]
[★★]
[★]
......
Nothing.
Only ten tries? It wasn't even close.
Just like that, I’d wasted ten thousand experience points in vain.
“...”
Is this even a game?
No, is this even reality? To not even know the odds and be in a position where I’ll have to dump all my Fame into these probabilities?
In the midst of that, an even more irritating notification popped up.
[The Companion Bond Storage is full! Would you like to expand it?]
Use Exp 2,000
“...”
So the inventory is already full of 1 and 2-stars? You’re really trying to bleed me dry, aren't you?
Piss off, you bastard.
[Released a Companion Bond.]
A parting consolation prize arrived...
+20G
I decided not to use the remaining 5,000. This was bullshit. Keun-dal brought up a large pop-up.
[F-Fight on! You’ll get someone next time! (ง •_•)ง]
Where did this guy even get those emoticons?
“...Right.”
I rubbed my face and pulled myself together. Then, I asked the question I’d been thinking about for a while.
To hear an answer that might serve as a hint for the current situation.
“By the way, what exactly is your current state?”
I meant Keun-dal’s current state.
He was communicating with me, but it was only through text. Since he didn't have a body, I needed to know exactly what his situation was.
[Umm... I’m not really sure. I’m definitely conscious, though...]
It was a vague answer.
I followed up with a few more questions.
Was the system trying to interfere? Were there any creepy or suspicious points, or any changes in the abilities he could use?
Most of the answers were vague denials.
So, it’s ambiguous but not necessarily bad.
The last question was the same.
“You can’t access your original body or anything like that, right?”
[No. T_T]
I’d expected that answer. The problem was the next one.
“...Does it feel like your body has disappeared?”
[No. Rather than that... it feels like I’m blocked by something! Like the internet connection is cut because there’s no Wi-Fi.]
It was a very unique analogy, but I understood. And it was a fairly reassuring statement.
[I-It’s good, but how is it reassuring...?]
I smiled faintly.
“Because it means the world where I lived as TeSTAR and you lived as a civil servant hasn't disappeared. If it’s just blocked, it means it’s still there on the other side.”
[Ah!]
The pop-up grew hopefully. I nodded.
“If being in that state gets too uncomfortable, let me know. I can at least listen.”
It couldn't be a pleasant feeling to be a bodiless spirit connected to someone else's mind.
[Oh, it doesn't hurt or anything! It’s a bit like... using the internet in a dream? That’s what it feels like!]
“I see.”
I was glad he seemed relatively peaceful for now.
I nodded and stepped away from the sink. Then I got dressed.
[Where are you going?]
“To see the kids.”
Since the gacha was a bust, I needed to see with my own eyes if the plan was at least going well.
Nursing my bitter feelings, I went to join Cha Yu-jin and Kim Rae-bin and spent half the day practicing routines with them.
“Good job, Kim Rae-bin! Let’s do it one more time!”
“I-I got it!”
It was a rare sight to see the two of them not shouting 'idiot' at each other, but by that night, they had both returned to a state not much different from their TeSTAR days.
And the real 17-year-old Kim Rae-bin seemed a bit flustered.
“I am not originally such an impolite person who speaks so casually to someone I have just met, but without realizing it, I found myself in this situation...!”
“If you’re comfortable, that’s a good thing. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on anyway.”
“Yes...”
“That’s right, Kim Rae-bin, just treat me however you want!”
“You’re being too—!”
Kim Rae-bin reflexively tried to snap back before his face took on an 'oops' expression.
No matter the situation, even if his memories were gone, he was the most consistent guy. I chuckled.
“Let’s do our best.”
“Yes!”
Thanks to Ryu Cheong-woo being away for the MT, the room was empty, so Kim Rae-bin was able to sleep at the officetel.
And the very next day, a new filming session began.
The start of the second survival filming was nothing special.
“Introducing your dorms!”
“Whoa!”
Entering the dorms.
Of course, in true survival show fashion, it was sadistically differentiated.
You know how it goes. The rooms were divided into good and bad ones for the Elite and Lower classes.
“Ah, so this is the Elite class...”
“But wait, the names of the kids in the Lower class are all on here too?”
“It means you can only use them once you move up to the Elite class!”
In the two sections divided by the living room, the name tags of all fourteen participants were attached in duplicate.
Well, the Lower class dorm isn't that bad.
It looked better than the studio apartment I had back in college. It was basically motel-grade. The problem was comparing it to the Elite class dorm, which was practically a hotel.
“...”
Still, showing the Lower class participants their spots in the Elite class and then not letting them unpack before taking them to the other dorm was very typical of a broadcasting station.
It made it awkward for the Elite class guys to openly celebrate while watching the others leave with gloomy faces.
I managed my expression, recalling my pre-interview with Cheong-ryeo.
Coincidentally, the guy was right next to me.
“I look forward to working with you, Hyung.”
“Yes.”
To prepare for any contingencies, I’d decided to share a room with Cheong-ryeo. As planned, our name tags were side by side.
Good.
It was clean. I intentionally didn't mingle much with the other Elite class trainees who were destined to be swept away anyway.
That bastard will definitely use some trick to send them packing.
No matter how much they claimed to cut people based on ability, there was no way they’d take kids who had turned into 'bombs' within three years.
Since he’d find a way to get rid of them, there was no need to engage in social posturing now that might become poisonous later.
In any case, the filming after that went smoothly.
“One more time.”
“Yes!”
The Elite class and Lower class each prepared a special stage.
It was the theme song.
The title sounded like something out of a middle school freshman's English textbook, but it was well-produced, fitting for a reality show opening.
Furthermore, unlike Idol Inc., where they just threw it at us and told us to memorize it, everyone had already practiced this, so it was just a matter of coordinating the formations for a day.
It’s peaceful.
Does it seem less cruel because it’s an in-house survival show from a few years ago, even if it pretends to be spicy?
I’m sorry, but that’s a misunderstanding.
The real capsaicin is poured over their heads the moment the kids finish the stage and steel their resolve that evening.
“Great job, everyone!”
“Whoo!”
As the participants who finished filming the theme song were running wild amidst the pouring spotlights and confetti...
A new episode began.
“You did well, everyone. Let’s keep going like this.”
“Yes!”
The CEO, sitting in front of the stage, nodded and picked up the microphone.
“As you do this program, you will constantly face obstacles.”
A writer held up a sketchbook that said 'Organize positions.' Sensing the atmosphere, the participants slowly moved to stand in formation.
The mood was perfect for some ominous BGM.
“Even if you debut and are loved for a long time, eventually new rookies will come out, and you’ll have to keep competing.”
The camera caught the participants nodding with stiff faces here and there.
The main point was coming.
“Wise is the final gateway to debut, a microcosm of the entertainment industry, and we will apply realistic evaluation methods to you.”
The CEO raised his hand.
“So, we’ve prepared this. These are your first competitors.”
Pop!
“Whoa!”
As the participants flinched in surprise, a massive stage set piece covered in dry ice opened, and seven people walked out.
“Your current capacity is seven in the Elite class and seven in the Lower class, for a total of fourteen.”
The CEO struck a cool pose.
“These people are the extra personnel, the Supplementary Class.”
“...!”
“If a member of the Supplementary Class challenges one of you and wins, they will join Wise as a participant.”
I heard a gasp from beside me.
This was because no trainee had been told about this until now.
“And anyone who cannot defeat the Supplementary Class will be at risk of elimination.”
The dry ice cleared, revealing the seven people.
And I saw familiar faces.
Cha Yu-jin, with a confident smile plastered across his face.
And Kim Rae-bin, whose expression had vanished, giving him the look of a mid-level boss.
That’s right.
Those two hadn't been among the fourteen participants in the previous filming. Because they weren't LeTi trainees.
The timing for them to join was right now.
In this filming set that was turning into a madhouse with the introduction of the Supplementary Class.
“Win and survive.”
The Supplementary Class walked over and lined up across from the stage.
The participants, eyes trembling and unable to control their expressions, faced off against the Supplementary Class. The atmosphere was tense.
And I thought indifferently.
Well, most of them are just throwaway pawns to create tension.
The fiercer it was, the better it was for drawing attention and highlighting the winners. Since they were clearly meant to be used, most of them were unsuitable candidates.
So, it was only natural that the others, besides Cha Yu-jin and Kim Rae-bin, were faces I didn't know... Wait.
[Whoa! That person!]
There was one more familiar face.
“...!”
[That’s VTIC, right?]
Chae-yul.
The VTIC member who hadn't appeared until now.
A young kid in his late teens with sparkling brown hair... was standing at the very end.
“...”
So he was the one being inserted here?
Was that why Cheong-ryeo hadn't looked for him? Because he was supposed to appear around now anyway? Or was he intentionally inserted just this once?
Regardless of how my mind was racing, the filming proceeded steadily.
“Now, members of the Supplementary Class, please find the participant you wish to duel and stand in front of them.”
Cha Yu-jin and Kim Rae-bin moved. We had definitely discussed who they should point at...
Why is that punk going over there?
The person Cha Yu-jin stopped in front of... was Cheong-ryeo.
“Ah.”
“I look forward to working with you!”
[Gaaaaah!!]
“...”
This crazy bastard...!
I bit my tongue to keep my expression from changing.
But the unexpected situation didn't end there.
[W-W-Why is that person coming over here?]
...One of the Supplementary Class members had walked up to stand in front of me.
He walked over with a face flushed with nerves, then bowed his head with an excited expression.
“I look forward to working with you!”
“...Yes.”
Chae-yul.
This guy had picked me as his opponent.
“...”
I turned my head. Cheong-ryeo was smiling as he faced Cha Yu-jin.
[Shin Jae-hyun: Planning (*^^~♪)]
So this was what he meant.