Chapter 46
Chapter 46
In truth, having Cha Yu-jin join wouldn't necessarily ruin the atmosphere of the viewing party.
However, once Episode 9 reached the scene where Cha Yu-jin’s team atmosphere plummeted into the depths of hell, things were bound to get incredibly awkward.
Is there any need to make things uncomfortable for myself?
I held my smartphone and hesitated for a moment, trying to pick the right words for a polite refusal.
That was when Keun Se-jin chimed in.
"What is it?"
"Oh, Kim Rae-bin asked if Cha Yu-jin could come along."
"Hmm... I think it’ll be fine?"
Keun Se-jin grinned.
"There’s no way the production team would release that team’s drama in Episode 9. It’ll probably just be in the preview for Episode 10!"
"……."
Wow, I hadn't thought that far ahead.
Moreover, I didn't expect him to be so blunt about it. It seemed like he’d developed a strange sense of trust in me since the school violence controversy, as he was speaking his mind openly more often now.
"It’s a good chance to bond, too~ Oh, right, the homeowner’s opinion is what matters! A-hyun, what do you think?"
"I-I’m okay with it!"
"He says he’s fine!"
Seon A-hyun gave a cool 'yes' and went back to focusing on reading the board game rules.
This guy’s personality seemed to have changed a bit, too.
To think he’d so readily invite a participant he wasn't even on speaking terms with to his house.
"Well... if you say so."
Might as well let him come.
I sent a lukewarm reply to Kim Rae-bin.
Kim Rae-bin and Cha Yu-jin arrived after lunch.
"Oh~ Welcome!"
Keun Se-jin greeted them cheerfully.
For the record, Gold 1 was also sitting in the living room, having hurriedly joined after Keun Se-jin remarked, "Since it’s turned out like this, I should call the older brother, too."
While it was true that leaving only Gold 1 out of the teammates would look strange, having Cha Yu-jin here was equally bizarre.
"Hello. Thank you for having us."
Surprisingly, Cha Yu-jin gave a polite bow and held out a standard-issue plastic trash bag. Incidentally, the bag was filled to the brim with snacks.
"We ordered chicken for now, but if there’s anything else you want, let’s order more."
"Yes."
Kim Rae-bin nodded and sat quietly in a corner. I took that as a 'no' to more food.
However, Cha Yu-jin’s eyes sparkled as he asked.
"Then can we order pizza?"
"Of course!"
"Wow!"
Leaving only that exclamation behind, Cha Yu-jin opened a delivery app. I thought he might still be feeling down, but he was as bright and cheerful as ever.
Kim Rae-bin calmly exchanged pleasantries.
"Did you hyungs join up this morning?"
"Ah, I did~ Moon-dae got here earlier."
"Pardon?"
There was no reason to hide it, but it was a bit of a hassle to explain.
Regardless, I couldn't just ignore him, so I explained the chaotic situation that had occurred at the studio apartment.
Seon A-hyun chimed in every now and then to supplement the story.
It went something like this:
"…So, when I stepped inside the front door, there were other people there."
"Hieeeek!"
"Th-there wasn't just one person, there were three more!"
"…Um, right. So it took the police a while to take them away."
"The, the police were so half-hearted about it, acting like it was nothing… It was t-too much."
"It was… too much. Yeah."
As we repeated this process, the incident gradually became more exaggerated until it sounded like some fabricated internet creepypasta.
Thanks to that, the participants who heard the full explanation were left clicking their tongues in disbelief.
"Wow, it’s a good thing you came to A-hyun’s place. That’s terrifying."
"Seriously. Man… someone once came to my house, too, and I’m worried something like that might happen again. I have a younger brother at home, too……."
"What? Someone came to your house?"
"Yeah. I heard later that they kept ringing the doorbell and just sat in front of the door, so my brother couldn't even go out."
"Ugh……."
A string of similar experiences followed, mostly from those living alone or in company dorms.
It was a chilling topic, fitting for the atmosphere before watching the shock and horror of the Aju-sa broadcast.
By the time we were eating the chicken, the conversation had moved on to stories about idol friends of participants they knew.
"……So when they went inside, the lens detector in the shower started going 'beep-beep—'..."
"That’s insane."
While we were chewing on the pizza that arrived next, the Episode 8 rerun finally began on TV, leading up to the live broadcast of Aju-sa Episode 9.
We watched Episode 8 while adding occasional comments. By the time it ended, even Cha Yu-jin had blended into the atmosphere quite well.
"Were you really not disappointed about 3rd place at all?"
"I was disappointed, but I was happy."
"Man, that’s cool."
"Hehe."
Cha Yu-jin grinned at Gold 1’s admiration. I wondered what on earth had happened in the Husky team to make a guy like this lose his spirit.
Only after the pizza boxes were cleared away did Episode 9 finally begin.
[Re-listing! Idol Inc.!]
The logo, which was starting to get tiresome, appeared, and the first segment shown was the talent show.
The participants who took part got a decent amount of screen time.
I wasn't sure if it was because the content was promoted as 'healing,' or if it was an attempt to cover up the poorly planned, rushed proceedings with a heartwarming vibe.
Regardless, most people got humorous scenes that highlighted their characters. Keun Se-jin was a prime example.
The problem was that my screen time… started as a gag and ended as a gag.
[In this moment… he rules the stage!]
[Park Moon-dae, is he truly serious about Trot?]
They actually put captions like that over my singing.
Since they made it overtly cringeworthy, it was clearly meant to be funny.
And everyone laughed quite a lot.
"Pffft-hahaha!!"
"Pfft……."
"That’s a segment that makes you look like you have a great personality. Congrats, Moon-dae!"
The last one was Keun Se-jin. I silently smacked the back of Keun Se-jin, who was drinking soda, once.
"Gah-hurk."
You should have just laughed.
Park Moon-dae’s screen time didn't end there.
After the scene where the participants jumped out and turned the place into a frenzy over the kimchi refrigerator, they even inserted an interview as if to seal the deal.
[Q: Do you like Trot?]
[Park Moon-dae: Yes.]
A cut of me giving a thumbs up immediately after the answer was inserted.
'That was the interview where they asked if I liked my team.'
What kind of fabrication are these crazy people doing in every single episode?
The captions were driving the nail into the coffin.
[Participant Park Moon-dae, the Trot Lover, may you be happy with your kimchi refrigerator!]
I haven't even received the kimchi refrigerator yet, you bastards.
What was even more infuriating was that this was the end of my screen time for Episode 9.
'They only gave me stuff with absolutely no substance.'
If it were the beginning of the show, I would have been grateful for any positive screen time. But not now.
With the final team battle approaching, this wasn't a very beneficial edit.
There were few things more fatal to votes in a survival show finale than the critique that a contestant 'doesn't seem desperate.'
And honestly, Park Moon-dae on the broadcast so far… didn't look particularly desperate.
I think it’s understandable if I say there were more funny scenes than scenes where I looked earnest.
That was why I worked even harder in this team battle, but if this trend continued, it didn't seem like my 'desperation' would be highlighted.
'I guess it can't be helped.'
I didn't come here with the initial resolve to make my final debut, anyway. I hadn't shown enough to aim for such cuts, and the timing for that had mostly passed.
It wasn't like I had some backstory that fans could use to create and share a 'desperate' image on their own.
'It is a bit ironic, though.'
In reality, I was the most desperate person here. I was probably the only one who would die if he didn't debut.
'Should I start preparing myself mentally?'
Even if my rank plummeted in the final episode and I got eliminated, I should just accept it. Whoever picks me up, I’ll probably be able to debut quickly.
I smacked my lips. For some reason… I felt a bit of regret.
'If I’m going to promote, it’d be better to do it with guys I’m comfortable with.'
More than half the people here would likely debut. Thinking that I might not be among them gave me a strange sense of defeat.
Compared to when I first started filming, it seemed I had changed quite a bit as well.
However, there was no time to wallow in sentimentality.
Surprisingly, the production team included the entire downfall of the Husky team at the end of Episode 9.
[Choi Won-gil: I mean, hyung, you can at least do this much.]
[Lee Se-jin: Isn't there a clear difference between what I can do and what I want to do?]
[Choi Won-gil: Hyung, this is the moment where you have to prove your skills. If you think about it carefully…….]
[Ki Jung-gyun: Since he’s saying that, why don't you try challenging yourself? Don't regret it later.]
[Lee Se-jin: ……Just stop.]
After this dialogue, the broadcast aired a shot of Lee Se-jin’s face rotting away for several long seconds.
Then, it showed them exchanging short, tense answers while looking at each other as if they were about to throw punches, their emotions completely frayed.
It was obvious they were holding back because they were conscious of the cameras.
It was a disaster that happened to occur while Ryu Cheong-woo had gone to submit the song selection to the staff, so there was no one to mediate.
[Cha Yu-jin: …….]
For the record, Cha Yu-jin tried to intervene once but was ignored as if he hadn't even spoken.
I figured that would happen since his comment didn't fit the mood.
"……."
Cha Yu-jin watched the screen with a gloomy face, then promptly buried his face in his cup and started chugging soda.
From my perspective, he actually got off easy without any reason to be criticized, but he seemed to feel differently.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: …What’s going on?]
Episode 9 ended with Ryu Cheong-woo returning and looking bewildered at the completely shattered team atmosphere.
[A desperate situation. Will they be able to successfully complete their stage?]
"Ah, they did complete it~ right?"
"Yeah. They did well."
Keun Se-jin chimed in appropriately to lighten the mood. I didn't know why he specifically tried to get a reaction out of me, but I played along.
Cha Yu-jin finally lifted his face from the soda and smiled.
Is he addicted to a sugar high or something?
'…Could it be my fault?'
I quickly brushed away the ominous thought.
On the screen, the closing commercials, disguised as mid-roll ads, were now playing.
Looking at the time, the broadcast would likely end right after a short preview or behind-the-scenes cuts following the ads.
"They only showed the preparation process today."
"Yeah. We barely appeared."
The Moon Rabbit team was only shown briefly during their initial formation and had almost no screen time after that.
Even though the production team could adjust the order at will, I had slightly hoped we might be featured at the end of Episode 9 since it was the first stage, but to think they wouldn't schedule any performances at all.
'Won't the ratings drop like this?'
While I was wondering about that, the mid-roll ads ended, and Idol Inc. began playing on the screen again.
The MC appeared on the screen.
"……I have a bad feeling about this."
"You too? Yeah, me too."
Since nothing good ever happened when the MC appeared alone on the broadcast, the participants instinctively tensed up and swallowed hard.
[Did you enjoy today’s broadcast of <Re-listing! Idol Inc.>?]
"No."
"Nope."
Feeble denials came from here and there.
It was a small rebellion they couldn't do during filming.
[The part I will be announcing this time is… none other than the current stock status!]
"What?"
"Hmm, I don't think they’d tell us that easily. They’ll probably only reveal a few specific ranks—"
[However, we will only be announcing the 'Sold Stocks'! Shareholders, which stocks did you sell off the most?]
"Oh my god."
Kim Rae-bin groaned. It was understandable.
'What kind of lunatic came up with the idea to only reveal the negative voting figures?'
I thought I wouldn't be surprised by much since I already knew about the major 'aggro' tactics.
'But I didn't expect a surprise like this.'
The audacity to not include any performances in this episode clearly came from this.
[Then, right now, we reveal the Sell-off Rankings!]
Along with the MC’s words, a list of rankings with minus signs attached was sorted on the screen.
And the living room fell into a heavy silence.