Chapter 44
Chapter 44
After finishing their performance, Team Moon Rabbit returned to the group waiting room for reaction shots. It was a room equipped with a large monitor so they could watch the other teams' performances.
For the record, as soon as they stepped off the stage, everyone—regardless of who they were—had burst into such heavy sobbing that their eyes were now as swollen as goldfish.
Honestly, they had every right to cry. They had spent over ten days without proper rest, gritting their teeth to prepare, and they had finished it without a hitch. If I were actually twenty, I probably would’ve been bawling my eyes out, too.
"Hey, Mundae, how come you didn't shed a single tear? Are you really from the NIS or something...?"
"No, I'm not."
I cut off Gold 1’s attempt to revive that stale joke. Around us, the teammates chuckled.
The atmosphere was relaxed.
'They know they did well.'
Since we were with participants from other teams, no one said it out loud, but the verdict was already in based on the mid-term evaluations and rehearsals.
Unless someone from another team suddenly displayed insane potential and started teleporting across the stage, this was a game we had already won.
Thanks to that, our reactions were particularly good whenever another team’s performance came on.
Since our minds were at ease, we could enjoy the other teams' stages without any ulterior motives.
'This is interesting.'
For the first time in a while, I returned to the mindset of a spectator and enjoyed the performances. Of course, I made sure to keep an eye on my surroundings and react appropriately.
'The second and third teams are definitely out.'
The second team’s arrangement was completely random, and they failed to finish their choreography in time, causing more than half the members to mess up their moves during the dance break in the latter half.
The third team seemed to want to push a sexy concept like Keun Se-jin, but they lacked sense and overdid it so much that it was... a bit off-putting.
'Women would probably hate that even more.'
The real question was how much the production team would fix it through editing.
The fourth team, at least, seemed to have broken even.
This team, which included Gold 2, chose a cute and upbeat song. They didn't deviate much from the original arrangement, but it suited them well.
"Hee-seung is doing great!"
Gold 1 shouted excitedly when Gold 2 came out as the center. I joined in the applause.
Now, only one team remained.
It was the "hellfire" flavor of Ryu Cheong-woo’s group.
'Poor guy.'
If you didn't feel a sense of pity for Ryu Cheong-woo at this point, you’ve clearly never done a group project before.
It was obvious even to me that the relationship between Lee Se-jin and Choi Won-gil had completely soured. Yet, he had dragged them along, managed a troll, and even looked after Cha Yu-jin to complete the stage?
That achievement alone deserved a paycheck.
For the record, Cha Yu-jin was still feeling down, and he had been coming by every two or three days to scavenge snacks from me.
I didn't know if he would put in as much effort on stage as the cost of the chocolates he’d eaten, but it didn't matter if he didn't. He wasn't on my team, after all.
"Good luck!"
Keun Se-jin, who had been sending encouragement to every team leaving the waiting room for the stage, cheered for Ryu Cheong-woo’s team as well.
After a short while, Ryu Cheong-woo’s group appeared on the monitor.
"It's starting!"
Even a rotting herring is still a herring—since the team was composed of high-ranking and high-grade participants, an air of expectation filled the waiting room.
Of course, that expectation might have been for them to fail rather than succeed.
However, Ryu Cheong-woo’s team did not fail.
'...Why is that guy flying?'
It was because Cha Yu-jin was carrying the team by the scruff of their necks.
Every time he stepped forward as the center during the chorus, it created the illusion that the overall quality of the stage was high.
'So that's why he took first place.'
I thought he’d lost his mind, but he became a different person the moment he stepped on stage.
'Is it because of his trait?'
I recalled Cha Yu-jin’s trait, which I had checked during the last team match.
[Trait: Black Hole (A)]
: A gravitational pull that absorbs everything. Stage Immersion +150%.
With something like that, it was almost impossible for him not to debut.
"Ooh!"
When Ryu Cheong-woo’s team finished their stage, the participants in the waiting room marveled and applauded.
"Cha... Cha Yu-jin is really good."
"I know, right?"
I heard the Moon Rabbit team whispering beside me. However, their voices didn't betray any anxiety.
It was likely because they believed that no matter how much Cha Yu-jin soared, there was a clear difference in the overall level of completion.
'The problem is that we were the opening act.'
Impressions naturally fade as time passes. It would have been better if we hadn't messed up the mini-game to decide the performance order.
I didn't expect Gold 1 to get crushed that badly.
I remembered Gold 1’s majestic declaration when he stepped out as the team representative for the mini-game.
...But that declaration never came to fruition.
Gold 1, who had exhausted all his luck in the team’s rock-paper-scissors match, suffered a string of pathetic defeats in the subsequent representative matches.
What if we failed to take first place by a narrow margin because of this order?
Actually, the only one who would truly regret it was Gold 1. The rest of the team members were likely to make it to the finals even if their rankings dropped a bit.
Gold 1’s ranking was precarious, so winning this team match was crucial for him.
Based on past trends, the production team would surely give a reward that would help with survival.
'They'll announce it soon.'
Since the last team's stage was over, there was about an hour left until the team rankings were announced.
There was a high probability they would pull that nonsense again where they only leave the 1st and 2nd place candidates and postpone the rest until the next ranking announcement, but the general outline would be clear anyway.
And an hour and a half later, the results were exactly as predicted.
"The two remaining candidates for first place! Team Moon Rabbit and Team Husky! Which team will claim the glory of the final victory?"
"Husky" was Ryu Cheong-woo’s team name. Up to this point, it was a predictable development.
"The results... will be revealed at the ranking announcement ceremony!"
Yeah, I expected that too.
"But if we do this every time, you all will get too exhausted, right? So, we will announce the winning benefits for this team match right now!"
"Huh?"
That... I didn't know.
"The winning benefit is... guaranteed survival in the next ranking announcement!"
"...!"
It was too good. There were only 30 people left; why would they offer such a reward?
Sure enough, the MC paused for effect.
"However, only one person can receive that benefit! Before the next ranking announcement, the candidate teams for first place must select one participant to receive the benefit through internal discussion!"
"......"
The production team’s ideas were becoming more and more bizarre as the program entered its latter half.
Isn't this... a "winning penalty" for the rest of the team who doesn't get it?
Even the person who receives it is likely to get bombarded with hate from the fans of their own teammates.
Then again, from what I remembered as a civil service exam student, the production team never gave up on generating drama until the final episode.
They were truly something else.
Anyway, it wasn't really a problem for Team Moon Rabbit. The person to receive it was already decided.
'Giving it to Gold 1 is the most utilitarian choice.'
The rest of us didn't seem likely to be eliminated anyway. Rather than causing a controversy by taking it, they would prefer to give it away cleanly and maintain their image.
The only potential issue would be if Seon A-hyun, who had been getting roasted online until recently, got scared and said he wanted it, but knowing his personality, that wasn't going to happen.
Keun Se-jin’s public opinion had flipped after the school violence rumors were debunked, so he probably had a good idea of his own ranking.
I scanned the team members' expressions. Seeing them glance at Gold 1, it was clear they were all thinking the same thing. Gold 1 looked embarrassed, but he didn't look like he was going to refuse. He’d probably just decline a few times out of politeness.
'No problems on this side.'
The real issue seemed to be the other team.
I could practically see the production team’s hearts fluttering in anticipation of who would throw a fit in Team Husky.
"Then, we will conclude the third team match of 'Re-listing! Idol Inc.'! Shareholders, we'll see you at the ranking announcement ceremony—"
Clap, clap. The filming ended with the participants bowing toward the camera.
"Good work, everyone~"
"See you at the next shoot!"
While the voices of polite participants echoed everywhere, Team Moon Rabbit, now changed into their regular clothes, gathered together.
And in an instant, they pushed the winning benefit onto Gold 1.
"Since we all worked hard, should we let the eldest take it?"
"Yes."
"I agree."
"S-sounds good!"
"Hey, I'm really grateful, but maybe we should discuss it a bit more..."
Keun Se-jin chuckled and wrapped up the conversation.
"Hyung-nim, don't you know? The more we discuss, the later we get to sleep..."
"Ah."
Once the tension completely vanished after filming, the sleep they had missed over the past ten days came rushing back relentlessly.
Thanks to that, everyone was talking with their eyes half-closed.
"R-right. Thanks, guys. I'll buy you dinner."
"Haha. Thanks, hyung! I won't ask for anything unreasonable like beef."
"......"
It felt like a jab aimed at me, but I ignored it. I was too tired.
Anyway, Team Moon Rabbit disbanded in a warm atmosphere.
I suppressed a yawn and looked up the bus stop on my smartphone's navigation.
"M-Mundae."
"Yeah."
I turned my head to see Seon A-hyun standing there with his fists clenched. Surely he wasn't going to hit me.
"What is it?"
"D-do you want to go home together? M-my parents came to pick me up..."
"Oh... sure. Thanks."
Given the program's popularity, it would be difficult to take the bus now, so I was actually planning to call a taxi.
'I'll save some taxi fare thanks to him.'
Meeting another participant's parents was a bit burdensome, but I figured getting a ride wouldn't be a big deal.
"N-no! Don't mention it!"
Seon A-hyun walked ahead excitedly and stopped in front of a black sedan by the roadside.
It was a foreign car.
'As expected, his family seems well-off.'
I had guessed as much after seeing the place where Seon A-hyun lived alone.
I followed Seon A-hyun into the car and greeted them as politely as possible.
"Hello."
"So you're Mundae! Nice to meet you."
"Get in, get in~ Did our A-hyun do well this time too?"
"D-Dad!"
The family atmosphere was even more harmonious than I had expected. As Seon A-hyun’s face turned bright red and he flustered about, I could see his parents looking at him fondly.
"Yes. He did well. You'll be surprised when you see the broadcast."
"That's my son~"
Seon A-hyun buried his face in the back of the front seat as if he were about to die of embarrassment. Seeing his family made his expressions much more free.
'As expected, the root of all evil was his peer relationships.'
I politely gave them the address of my studio apartment and enjoyed the comfortable ride while leaning back against the seat. It was a sweet deal since I only had to answer questions occasionally.
I had long since passed the stage of feeling strange watching a friend's harmonious family. Thanks to that, I could fully enjoy this comfortable seating.
"Get home safe~"
"Yes. Thank you."
"I-I'll call you!"
"Sure."
I was only able to get off at my address after saying goodbye to Seon A-hyun’s family several times.
'I heard way more TMI than I expected...'
I wasn't sure if I needed to know that Seon A-hyun had studied abroad in Europe and learned ballet, but I decided to consider it the price of the ride.
I walked past the old stairs and hallway toward the studio apartment I had rented.
Once I get inside, I'm going straight to sleep...
'Ah.'
Holy shit...
The door was open.