Chapter 50
Chapter 50
“I see. Participant Park Moon-dae, I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thank you.”
Cheong-ryeo accepted the rejection cleanly, without making any further fuss.
I had wanted to try drawing out the conversation more to get a desperate-looking cut as planned, but he didn't seem like the type of opponent such a scenario would work on.
‘For starters, his name value is just too high.’
As last year’s Grand Prize winner, the gap in our status was simply too wide. If anything, there was a high probability that only ‘Park Moon-dae’ would end up looking pathetic.
“Then I’ll destroy this contract.”
Cheong-ryeo picked up the contract, held it up clearly for the camera, and tore it in two.
‘A performance, I see.’
It seemed like an action he had been briefed on beforehand.
“You went through a lot making a difficult decision. I wish you the best of luck in the future.”
“Thank you. I hope you complete your promotions in good health as well, Cheong-ryeo sunbaenim.”
I matched the wrapping-up atmosphere by shaking his hand and bowing.
“Ah, have you seen our latest promotions?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
I thought the filming was over.
I wasn't sure why, but he was keeping the conversation going. I decided to respond sincerely.
“I’m really enjoying the new album.”
“Wow~ By any chance, do you have a favorite track?”
Is this guy doing this on purpose? Surely he’s not trying to screw with me just because I rejected the offer.
“Um, I especially like ‘Star Purple.’”
I randomly picked a B-side. To be honest, I hadn't had time to listen to it; it was just a song I’d seen mentioned in a fan post on social media while searching for ‘Park Moon-dae.’
“Ah, I wrote the lyrics for that one.”
Cheong-ryeo pointed to himself with a bright expression.
‘He’s even making sure to squeeze in some self-promotion.’
And this was while he was already so successful he couldn't possibly get any bigger. He truly was a veteran idol.
“Aha, so you mentioned it on purpose because I was here.”
I just laughed it off. It would be awkward to say no, and just as awkward to say yes, so there wasn't much else I could do.
Cheong-ryeo smiled back, then suddenly stepped out of the room as if he’d just remembered something.
‘What now?’
When Cheong-ryeo returned, he was holding a bag.
“It’s nothing much, just some red ginseng. I brought it so you can eat it and find some strength.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Seeing the brand logo clearly printed in gold on the red bag, it was definitely PPL.
‘Regardless, red ginseng is always welcome.’
As soon as I accepted it, Cheong-ryeo gave a final farewell.
“Well then, fighting!”
“Yes, fighting.”
The filming ended with us smiling brightly at each other.
Immediately, staff members swarmed in to take care of Cheong-ryeo.
While a few adjusted cameras or checked tablet PCs, it was clear the majority were attached to Cheong-ryeo. They were likely VTIC’s personal staff.
‘They’re really devoted.’
Well, considering how much he’s worth, I’d do the same.
After confirming that a staff member had collected the microphone attached to his clothes, Cheong-ryeo spoke to me quietly.
“Moon-dae-ssi.”
“Yes.”
Unlike before, his face was devoid of that idol smile.
It wasn't that he had a stiff expression; he just looked like a normal person striking up a conversation.
“It’s a bit awkward saying this myself, but LeTi really is a good agency. The settlements are fair, too. If the situation allows after the program ends, get in touch.”
“…!”
He was telling me to contact them if I got eliminated.
‘Is he serious?’
No, why is he, who isn't even a company executive, trying to recruit a trainee here?
‘Ah, maybe he owns company stock.’
If so, it made sense.
I still didn't know why he was being like this specifically to Park Moon-dae, but well… maybe their debut lineup lacked a decent main vocal.
I nodded without saying much.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The conversation ended there. Following the staff’s guidance, I naturally exited the room and moved to the waiting area.
They were likely isolating those of us who had finished from the participants who hadn't taken this surprise psychological test yet to prevent spoilers.
“Hyung!”
As soon as I entered, Kim Rae-bin, who was already seated, spoke to me.
“By any chance, where did you get an offer from?”
“It was LeTi.”
“I got LeTi as well!”
As expected, more VTIC members must have come.
Kim Rae-bin, uncharacteristically excited, began recounting his meeting with VTIC. As I sat there nodding along, Ryu Cheong-woo walked in with a tired face and acknowledged us.
“Ah, you guys finished first.”
Just looking at Ryu Cheong-woo’s face, it was obvious he’d gone through some mental conflict.
‘Don’t tell me it was VTIC for him, too?’
3 out of 10 would be too high a probability.
A participant I only knew by face cut into the conversation from the side.
“Hyung-nim! Where did you get a casting call from?”
“I got… Wonder Hall.”
That was T-Holic’s agency. A large company famous for picking talented idols for a long time.
‘That’s a good one, too.’
I heard the guy who asked let out a sound of admiration. However, Ryu Cheong-woo sat down with a drained expression, his smile not reaching his eyes.
‘That’s unexpected.’
It was a bit surprising that someone whose debut was almost guaranteed seemed to have considered an exit, but I suppose everyone has their reasons.
Participants returned to the waiting room one after another. Soon, all ten members of the first group were gathered.
‘Everyone rejected their offers in the first round.’
Honestly, I thought one or two of the lower-ranked guys might jump ship, so this was unexpected. The agency lineup was much better than I’d anticipated.
In the second round, everyone returned to the waiting room as well. By this point, a strange sense of camaraderie seemed to be forming, and many looked quite proud of themselves.
“Th-they seemed like a good person.”
Seon A-hyun, who returned late, muttered with a bright face. It seemed a certain solo singer had given him very kind words of encouragement.
“But you still rejected them.”
At my playful remark, Seon A-hyun jumped. He muttered with a shocked expression.
“O-of course I have to stay until the end…! If I go there… we can’t debut together…….”
“…….”
It seemed Seon A-hyun had become extremely hyper-fixated on the first positive peer relationships he’d ever experienced.
‘If the deals had been just a little bit better, everyone else would have bolted.’
I looked at him with a bit of pity before simply nodding.
“Right.”
“Y-yeah!”
Seon A-hyun affirmed energetically. Kim Rae-bin was staring at Seon A-hyun from the side as if he were looking at something fascinating.
Amidst that subtle atmosphere, the third group began to trickle back in.
“LeTi is such a waste~ A real waste!”
As soon as Keun Se-jin returned, he sat down and spoke with a beaming smile.
So this guy got an offer from LeTi too.
‘Kim Rae-bin, Keun Se-jin, and me?’
It could be a coincidence, but seeing the agency’s tendencies was quite interesting.
And Keun Se-jin’s words were even funnier. A waste?
‘He’s saying things he doesn't mean.’
His goal seemed to be debuting as quickly as possible; there was no way someone as shrewd as him would have gone to LeTi.
However, after confirming that the microphones were off and the cameras weren't rolling, Keun Se-jin whispered softly.
“Ah~ maybe I should have switched. It’s a bit of a shame.”
“…….”
Wait, did he actually consider it more than I thought?
It seemed those words slipped out naturally because his current agency wasn't very reliable.
In fact, it was a rare opportunity. In this industry, switching to a better agency before a contract expired was practically impossible.
The fact that Idol Inc. could transfer the contracts of the final debut members was essentially no different from the tyranny of a giant broadcasting station.
To put it bluntly, it was thuggery.
The original agencies had no choice but to comply, but since these were trainees who had failed to debut anyway, it seemed they were being sent on the show to be recycled.
‘It acts as a lubricant for the relationship with the broadcasting station.’
But because this season was doing so well, there seemed to be some subtle pressure.
Pressure for the trainees to drop out voluntarily and stay with their original agencies.
I recalled something Keun Se-jin had mentioned in passing during a break in filming.
—Oh, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. ‘Wouldn't it be better to debut with the younger guys you’ve been practicing with all this time?’… People are really something, aren't they?
They weren't even offering any benefits to entice them; with that kind of attitude, there was no way anyone would feel inclined to stay.
“Just kidding. I’ve gotta debut here~”
Keun Se-jin joked and bantered, but it was clear he had genuinely agonized over it.
‘Surprisingly, a lot of the high-ranking guys were wavering.’
I shrugged. I wouldn't have minded if someone left to reduce the competition.
But unfortunately, that didn't happen.
Only one person from the lower ranks dropped out.
“Participant Choi Won-gil has responded to the casting call from the agency Traveler and will be leaving Idol Inc. as of today.”
I was impressed.
‘He read the room well.’
He must have decided to cut his losses quickly after seeing the public opinion from this episode.
He seemed unable to control his emotions because he was young, but since he had some brains, he probably didn't leave with a beaming smile.
“O-our agency?”
From behind, I heard Gold 1 muttering in confusion.
‘Ah, that guy was from Traveler too.’
I heard he had a hard time rejecting an offer from T-Holic’s agency. It seemed he had some level of attachment to his original company.
‘And he seemed to have the guts to keep trying.’
Anyway, with that, the <Casting Call> event came to an end.
I felt a bit bitter that I didn't achieve my goal, but I had secured enough screen time.
‘They won't cut VTIC’s footage.’
There was no way they’d scrap it after going through the trouble of recruiting them.
The production crew took a few reaction shots of the trainees regarding Choi Won-gil’s departure and immediately began preparing for the ranking announcement ceremony.
As a result, the participants had to endure a tedious waiting period, sitting in the same seats they had occupied before the <Casting Call> event began.
However, perhaps because the topic of conversation was so exciting this time, everyone seemed busy chatting.
“Heol, that agency?”
“Daebak.”
“Wow… what does Cheong-ryeo-nim look like in person?”
Even the tension right before the ranking announcement had subsided.
“Whew~ the lineup was insane. No wonder so many kids were conflicted.”
Keun Se-jin whistled as he listed the agency names one by one. Then, after glancing around slightly, he whispered with a peculiar smile.
“Hey, you know what?”
“What.”
“I heard that hyung-nim over there with the same name as me was really conflicted too.”
He seemed to be referring to Lee Se-jin, the former child actor.
‘Come to think of it, he was the last one to join us.’
Lee Se-jin had arrived almost at the same time as the news of Choi Won-gil’s departure.
I hadn't paid much attention because I wasn't interested, and well… honestly, I’m still not interested.
Keun Se-jin had never seemed to have particularly good feelings toward Lee Se-jin, but perhaps because he’d grown comfortable with ‘Park Moon-dae,’ he began to reveal his true thoughts with a smile.
“He was originally with an actor agency. Did he really want to switch to an idol one?”
“Could be.”
If it looked like he was going to be eliminated but still wanted to be an idol, switching was a viable option.
Given his age, it would be hard for him to aim for a future team unless he debuted right now, though.
‘Well, he’ll handle his own business.’
Realizing I wasn't very interested, Keun Se-jin shrugged.
“I guess.”
That was the end of the downtime.
And then, the filming for the ranking announcement ceremony began in earnest.
Around the time the participants were preparing for the ranking announcement.
The celebrities who had made surprise appearances for the <Casting Call> event had already left for other schedules.
The same went for VTIC, whose schedule was packed down to the minute once they started promotions.
The two people in the van were staring at their respective smartphones, only speaking up when it was time to order lunch.
“Hyung, how was it?”
“It was just work.”
Cheong-ryeo answered calmly.
“Did you see three people too, hyung? Anyone catch your eye? The kids I met were pretty good.”
“I wonder.”