Chapter 51
Chapter 51
‘A standout participant, huh?’
Even as Cheong-ryeo finished filming with the Aju-sa participants with a smile, he remained skeptical about their long-term success.
While the current top-ranking members of the program were doing well thanks to the momentum of the audition survival show, competitiveness in the actual market was a different story entirely.
‘They might just look like they’re doing well within the context of the show’s narrative.’
After all, many of them were cases who had already been eliminated in their own agencies' internal competitions and pushed out into audition programs.
Cheong-ryeo was about to go back to discussing the lunch menu when a certain participant crossed his mind, and he spoke the name aloud.
“Park Moon-dae?”
“Ah, Chicken Feet?”
Hearing a younger member chuckle, Cheong-ryeo didn’t join in the laughter.
“His survey answers were identical to mine.”
“Whoa! Really? That’s fascinating. …Is his personality similar to yours, Hyung?”
“…To some extent.”
“Heck, seriously?”
Ignoring his shocked younger teammate, Cheong-ryeo felt a slight sense of regret.
‘It’s good to have one person of that type in a team.’
It was clear that Park Moon-dae thought the survey options were stupid. There were obvious signs that he had carefully chosen neutral answers to be mindful of the broadcast.
“Hmm, if he has a personality like yours, Hyung… he must be very… cold-hearted?”
“You mean realistic, right?”
“Y-Yeah, exactly.”
The type who doesn’t get emotionally swept up in others' circumstances and struggles with unrealistic thinking. The kind of talent better suited for a general corporation than as a celebrity.
Generally, idol trainees—especially the talented young ones—possessed both the strengths and weaknesses typical of those in the arts and entertainment fields.
In both a good and bad sense, it meant they were less cold.
However, the reality these youngsters would face was an adult society dominated by the logic of capitalism.
“Well, it’s good to have someone like you as a leader, Hyung.”
“Is that so? Thanks.”
Some might see it as self-praise, but Cheong-ryeo agreed with his teammate’s words.
‘It’s better to have someone level-headed setting the tone.’
Just like VTIC, where he served as the leader.
In that sense, Park Moon-dae was a fairly decent candidate for a future debut group.
‘If he grinds for a year or two, his dancing will catch up.’
And with that personality, even if he were younger, his influence within a team would naturally grow strong even with a short career. Cheong-ryeo could guarantee this from his own experience.
‘Then he’d be easy to work with.’
It would be a good thing for both the team and the company.
However, just because VTIC had received some shares upon renewing their contract with the company didn't mean they needed to—or had the leisure to—worry about the next boy group.
Once they debuted, they would be competitors all the same.
He had done enough by offering a suggestion out of good conscience.
‘If he’s interested, he’ll reach out.’
With that brief conclusion, Cheong-ryeo crossed out the ‘already finished schedule’ from his mind and moved on. It was a busy season.
Inside the Idol Inc. filming set, not long after the ranking announcement ceremony had begun.
The format was the same, but the number of people had drastically decreased.
Only 20 could survive.
That alone created a thick tension in the room.
And there was still one element left that could cause a shift in those narrow numbers.
“Will the leaders of the two candidate teams for first place in the third team match please stand up!”
It was the team victory benefit. A ‘Survival Pass’ that allowed one member, agreed upon by the winning team, to unconditionally advance to the next round.
On our side, the agreement was naturally settled on Gold 1. We had already submitted this during the pre-interviews before filming.
“Our Moon Rabbit team… has selected participant Ha Il-jun.”
However, even after Keun Se-jin finished speaking, Ryu Cheong-woo, the leader of the Husky-ya team, remained silent for a long time.
There clearly seemed to be a problem.
“Husky-ya team, please announce your selected team member.”
The MC’s urging sounded almost excited—though that might just be my own paranoia.
Ryu Cheong-woo slowly opened his mouth.
“Our team had originally selected participant Choi Won-gil.”
“…!”
Wow, he really managed to pull one last stunt on his way out.
‘Was he actually more of a wild card than I thought?’
Honestly, I didn’t expect him to have secured that. It meant Choi Won-gil had boldly abandoned his 50% chance at a free pass and jumped ship.
And regardless, thanks to him, the situation had become awkward.
Because they had already informed the production staff of their selection before filming.
Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed the production team hadn't given the okay to change the selection in a hurry after Choi Won-gil’s departure.
But now, the production staff made a show of having a hurried meeting as if they were flustered, then sent a signal to the MC.
The MC slowly completed his lines after looking at the production team’s sketchbook.
“An unexpected situation has occurred. In principle, if a voluntary withdrawal occurs, that participant’s benefit naturally disappears. However, considering the special circumstances of the Casting Call, we will give the Husky-ya team an additional 3 minutes for consultation!”
“…Understood.”
Ryu Cheong-woo bowed slightly, sat down, and gathered his team members.
Internally, I clicked my tongue.
‘…It’s over.’
Even without looking, that team is taking first place.
‘After pulling out all that screen time, the picture won't work if they don't give them the benefit.’
The production team weren't fools; they wouldn't have set the stage like this otherwise.
In the end, it meant Gold 1 had to survive on his own.
‘The bye is out the window.’
Looking at Gold 1’s face as he tried his best not to look nervous, it seemed he was also sensing an ominous vibe.
And sure enough, the winner wasn't the Moon Rabbit team.
“Congratulations! First place is… the Husky-ya team!”
“Thank you.”
But the ridiculous situation didn't end there.
“According to the Husky-ya team’s additional agreement, the participant who receives the unconditional survival benefit is… participant Cha Yu-jin!”
Those crazy bastards gave the benefit to Cha Yu-jin.
‘It’s one of two things.’
Either the agreement fell through, or Cha Yu-jin had somehow gotten on their bad side to an unbelievable degree.
Regardless, that was their business to handle, and the atmosphere on the Moon Rabbit team was decidedly ‘second place.’
“That’s a bit disappointing.”
“Y-Yeah, it is.”
“Hey, hey, it’s fine! We’ll just get our rankings fair and square!”
Gold 1 was shouting as if he were being a good sport, but honestly, it wouldn't have been strange if he were cursing the Husky-ya guys out in his head.
‘I would have already done it.’
The announcement for the team match victory concluded like that.
And then, the real ranking announcement began.
“17th place is… participant Kwon Hee-seung!”
As if the relaxed atmosphere from the Casting Call had been a lie, the air tightened every time a rank was announced.
“T-Thank you….”
Gold 2, who was called second after 18th place, climbed onto the podium with a look of blatant relief.
‘That guy is hanging in there surprisingly long.’
I didn't think he'd make it to the finals. Even if it was by the skin of his teeth.
The rankings up to 10th place were announced without any major upsets. It meant the people who were expected to pass were passing.
If there was anything surprising, it was that Lee Se-jin’s rank had risen slightly.
“11th place is… participant Lee Se-jin… A!”
It was a decent result considering he had openly fought during the last team match. Perhaps he received a mysterious boost for clashing with Choi Won-gil, who had been branded a villain.
Beside me, Keun Se-jin was sighing in relief and clapping for Lee Se-jin.
“Ah, I’m so jealous.”
Keun Se-jin murmured with a slightly wistful tone, as if he were worried he might be eliminated.
“…….”
Isn't that just a humblebrag at this point?
Based on his momentum, anyone could see he was going to pass.
He was definitely chanting ‘Please call me as late as possible’ in his head.
It was a truly professional display of camera awareness.
“Congratulations~”
On the podium, the MC continued to announce the rankings one by one, taking his time with the pauses.
Most of the participants I was close with had their names called and went up to the podium.
And Park Moon-dae’s name was called not much later than before.
“Thank you.”
I took my seat in 6th place.
It was a slight drop from last time.
‘As expected, my rank fell.’
It wasn't that my vote count had decreased. It was just that my votes hadn't increased as much as the inflation among the top ranks.
The reason for the inflation was simple.
Since people could vote as much as they spent money, the more fans became conscious of negative voting, the more they bought votes out of anxiety.
And this tendency was bound to be stronger the more desperate a participant appeared.
‘It’s basically telling them to spend more if they’re nervous.’
The production team really had a knack for finding ways to squeeze wallets dry.
However, compared to other top-tier participants who had issues with screen time, rankings, pasts, or controversies, the recent ‘Park Moon-dae’ hadn't had any particular hooks to grab onto.
‘Can’t be helped, I guess.’
Even so, creating a controversy would be insane. I wasn't the one controlling the intensity of the editing; the production team was.
‘It really is a bit of a waste that I just let the Casting Call pass by.’
I felt a slight pang of regret, but that ship had already sailed. Once VTIC appeared, it was impossible to secure screen time centered around Park Moon-dae anyway.
“Congrats~”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Keun Se-jin, who finished in 7th place after a slight rise, requested a high-five with a beaming smile. It was a textbook reaction for a fellow participant.
‘Looking at his momentum, this guy will probably debut too.’
Excluding the negative votes he got during the school violence controversy, Keun Se-jin had more votes than Park Moon-dae.
It seemed the voters had rallied as expected.
To think his good deeds would threaten my position.
‘Was it a sucker move after all…?’
I didn't have much choice since we were on the same team at the time. Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit of a sting. I clicked my tongue inwardly and turned my gaze back to the MC.
1st place was Cha Yu-jin.
“Wow!!”
Cha Yu-jin laughed excitedly as he received his 1st place badge, then suddenly straightened his posture and shared his thoughts and gratitude with a serious demeanor.
“Being here… I learn a lot, and I think a lot. I will work harder and show a cooler, stronger side of myself in the future. Thank you so much for 1st place.”
His grammar was still bizarre, but his voice was more solemn than he had ever shown before. It was an aspect that would synergize well with his recent screen time.
‘That’s why he got 1st.’
The fact that it didn't seem calculated made him truly worthy of having the highest Star Quality stat here.
“The number one stock chosen by the shareholders, participant Cha Yu-jin! Congratulations once again~”
With a moderate round of applause, Cha Yu-jin went up and sat in the 1st place seat.
The remaining survivors were the bottom two spots.
And even now, Gold 1 had not made it onto the podium.
‘At least he’s among the candidates.’
When the four candidates for 20th and 19th place appeared on the electronic display and Gold 1’s face was visible, the situation still looked hopeful. The probability was 50%, after all.
But the moment Gold 1’s name was called…
“20th place! The final participant to advance to the final stage of Re-listing! Idol Inc. is… Seo Tae-mun!”
…never came.
Just like during the team match victory, the 50% probability had betrayed Gold 1 once again.
It was a result that made me wonder if he had some kind of personal vendetta against a 50% chance.
“I will return home with pride in having made it this far. Shareholders who voted for me, thank you so much!”
In the end, Gold 1, Ha Il-jun, concluded his participation in the audition in 21st place.
“Hyung!!”
“Hey, call me!”
As soon as the MC’s closing remarks ended, the eliminated participants had a farewell time that was less formal than before. Since they had been living and working together for months, most of them had at least three or four close friends.
I ended up greeting Gold 1 after Gold 2 and Seon A-hyun, who were both streaming tears.
With the cameras rolling, it was incredibly burdensome to have a conversation right after those two, who were completely soaked in emotion.
Let’s just start with a proper handshake.
“Moon-dae~”
But this guy had also built up quite a bit of emotion, as he started with a hug.
‘I can’t exactly push him away.’
Just as I was starting to feel uncomfortable, Gold 1 spoke calmly.
His words sounded like he was suppressing his regret.
“I think you’re going to debut. Hang in there.”
“…….”
If someone had told me, when I had just entered ‘Park Moon-dae’s’ body, that I would feel complicated by the well-wishes of an idol trainee a few months later, I wonder if I would have believed them.
‘Good grief.’
Instead of a sigh, I returned the well-wishes.
“You too, Hyung.”
“What?”
“I think you’ll be debuting soon too, Hyung.”
Gold 1, Ha Il-jun, pulled back from the hug and grinned.
“Right? I told you, I’m ready to succeed.”
I didn't know. Whether he could actually achieve results with an ambiguous final rank of 21st.
But I just nodded.
Surprisingly, it wasn't an action born from the thought of just getting it over with because the cameras were rolling.
“Thank you for everything.”
“I’m the one who’s grateful!”
The 20 participants remaining after 57 had been eliminated. Now, only the finals awaited them.