Chapter 60
Chapter 60
The audience caught glimpses of modern combat gear through the dark silhouettes of the participants on stage.
It was the outline of bulletproof vests and harnesses.
“Gasp.”
The moment the excited audience let out internal screams, a sudden electronic sound echoed through the venue again.
It was a modulated, gender-neutral human voice.
[Searching for a match...]
[Search successful.]
[Location confirmed.]
[Round thirteen. Commencing...]
To the rhythm of that voice, various classic game button sounds formed a new melody.
BBi BBi— Ding dong! BBibibibibiBBi, BBi, BBi--------!
The participants on stage moved in sync with the sounds.
Their movements, punctuated by unnatural popping, brought to mind dolls or robots.
Then, in an instant, they froze.
Thud.
As they stopped after a brief sequence of movements, the lights flickered on above them.
—VICTORY is in your hands
I’m the one making it real
A clear human voice pierced through the modulated accompaniment.
Under the spotlight, Seon A-hyun, striking a classic shooting pose, smirked at the end of the line.
“Aaaaahhh!!”
An explosive cheer instantly filled the venue.
As if responding to the roar, the participants began to move with dazzling precision.
—The stage is always a thrill
My heart feels like it’ll burst
Keun Se-jin slid across the floor to make his entrance, and Kwon Hee-seung took over the next line.
—My WEAPON held tight in my hand
I’ll never let go, you know it
Every time a vocalist pushed to the center, complex movements were added in between, and the stiff, game-character-like motions soon vanished.
Combined with the synergy of their outfits, it felt as if a player had just selected a character from a modern game’s character select screen.
—Adrenaline overflowing
Surging POWER sent flying
The final SHOT!
—Drink in your excitement
The sensation left behind makes me shudder
The final ROUND!
Kim Rae-bin, who rarely took on vocal parts, let his voice soar over the microphone.
The choreography, which involved forming a formation and pulling back their arms in a unique shooting motion, was clearly designed for the audience to follow along.
Then came the chorus.
Riding the rising scale, Park Moon-dae hit the high notes.
—Shoot and blast, the final Match—!
Because I’m the one smiling at the highlight
—That VICTORY you hold—!
I gave it to you, you’ll like it too
Following the chorus, the beat that had been rising frantically dropped momentarily.
Boom!
Amidst the heavy, echoing bass, the theme melody flowed out once more.
On stage, they formed a triangular formation and began to stomp their feet.
—VICTORY is in your hands
I’m the one making it real
—The CHALLENGER you choose
Is right here, it’s me
Moving their bodies with power, choreography suited for the heavy beat unfolded on stage.
The dynamics were so distinct that a strange sense of intimidation was felt with every popping motion.
Every time they shook their hair or snapped into a sharp angle, the audience watched the stage with their mouths agape.
The viewers at home were no different.
The comment section paused for a moment when the performance began, only to be flooded soon after with short words like "Crazy," "Whoa," and "Wow."
Even with the terrible camera work, the quality of the performance was undeniable.
As they moved into the second verse, a new formation appeared.
—Your expectations are always ecstatic
My heart feels like it’ll stop
The figures on stage moved to their parts first, adjusting the formation individually as if leading the other team members.
It was cruelly difficult to perform alongside live vocals, but it looked absolutely magnificent.
In the bridge, after Kim Rae-bin and Lee Se-jin exchanged a short but sophisticated rap and vocal sequence, the chorus returned.
Bang!
The iconic shooting choreography reappeared here, preventing any potential fatigue.
And then, a drop that utilized the melody and feel of the demo version that viewers had heard repeatedly on the broadcast.
—VICTORY is in your hands
I’m the one making it real
—The CHALLENGER you choose
Is right here, it’s me
This time, Seon A-hyun came forward to lead the choreography. Dazzling footwork moved over the heavy beat.
Overall, this meticulously constructed stage captured both the joy of seeing and hearing, heightening the level of immersion.
Thanks to this, when the performance ended, viewers flooded the chat with question marks, saying it felt like it was over in the blink of an eye.
[Take this crown.]
[You’re welcome!]
The end of the stage. While narration similar to the electronic sounds from the beginning played, the participants stretched and cracked their necks before waving and disappearing behind the stage.
The 8-bit melody rang out as if it were breaking.
BBi— BBi— BBibibibibiBBi, BBi-------!
As lights burst from behind the stage, their silhouettes slowly faded away.
Normally, it was standard for choreography to end with a pose. This was a composition that bordered on a gamble.
However, thanks to choosing such a unique ending, they looked like characters disappearing after a fun game.
“Waaaaahhh!!”
The viewers were beyond excited.
After a period where only fragmented words flew by, comments capable of communication finally began to appear around the time the mid-roll advertisement ended.
And just as the viewers expected, the next team’s performance was bland.
This team, composed of relatively lower-ranked participants, was given screen time showing them engaging in friendly competition for main positions and building teamwork.
And like the previous team, they also tried to utilize the keyword "Final."
However, the lyrics and choreography, which focused on effort, passion, and desperation, lacked sophistication and instead felt burdensome.
Because the previous team had constructed their stage with a mix of humor and fantasy, the comparison was even more striking.
Amidst somewhat dry reactions, the second team’s performance ended.
And in this loose atmosphere, the final team’s performance was revealed.
The preparation process was similarly unremarkable, but a bit more screen time was given to Ryu Cheong-woo overcoming his slump.
Whether he actually overcame his slump is unknown. However, on the broadcast, it was portrayed as if he had excellently performed the leader role he had been repeatedly declining.
The reactions from hardcore viewers were somewhat lukewarm. Ryu Cheong-woo getting good screen time wasn't anything new.
If Ryu Cheong-woo hadn't been a former national athlete, who knows what kind of backlash he would have faced, but regardless, nothing crossed the line.
And then, the stage.
Cha Yu-jin tore up the stage again.
In fact, because of his personality—not caring much about harmony with others—his presence didn't make other people's parts look better.
It was just that the stage looked cool because Cha Yu-jin was shining.
He could be seen as a talent optimized for solo performances or competition programs.
Viewers chatted happily.
The major announcement from Young-rin, who was hosting again, remained.
“How did you enjoy the ‘Final’ team stages prepared by the participants? Yes, it seems you enjoyed them thoroughly. ...Now, the time for the major announcement has arrived.”
Young-rin pointed to the screen with her hand.
“It is the announcement of the number of debuting members!”
The participants, having finished all their performances, were gathered below the stage to prepare for the final segment.
A popup about a successful stage or something appeared for the first time in a while, but I obviously wasn't in a situation to look into it.
I didn't know when my face would be broadcast live.
Cameras were following each participant team, trying to catch their reactions in case any announcement was made on stage.
And just then, the number of members was being announced above.
“How many do you think?”
“You?”
“Me... ten?”
Keun Se-jin shrugged. It sounded like an answer mixed with a bit of wishful thinking. Kim Rae-bin, who had just finished getting his makeup touched up nearby, chimed in seriously.
“I think it will be an odd number. Usually, an odd number is preferred considering the formation of an idol group.”
“That makes sense.”
The thing is... it wasn't going to be like that.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and turned my head. I made eye contact with Seon A-hyun, who had just finished praying.
“How many do you think it’ll be?”
“W-well... m-maybe... 7?”
“7?”
“Isn't that too few?”
Various guys chimed in with rebukes, having overheard. It seemed they were all on edge, despite pretending otherwise.
Seon A-hyun flinched, but he didn't retract his opinion.
‘Has his personality really changed?’
I shrugged.
“I think 7 is the most likely guess. It’d be better if there were more, though.”
“Y-yeah!”
Seon A-hyun nodded.
While listening to Cha Yu-jin mutter something like “I like even numbers” next to me, the sound of the audience screaming above echoed all the way down.
“What is it?”
It was a vibration that felt almost like a tremor.
While the participants were flustered, Young-rin’s voice through the microphone rang out clearly even below.
“The average number of desired debut members chosen by the shareholders of this ‘Re-listing! Idol Inc.’ was... 6.47!”
All the participants froze.
“As a result of rounding the number to a whole integer... the final number of debuting members is six!”
And once again, the area above became noisy with screams and curses.
“What did she just say?”
“6.4..., what?”
Behind the bewildered voices of the participants, I let out a sigh.
‘This is the final episode bait.’
They had simply averaged the number of desired debut members people had chosen.
The vote for the number of debut members could only be cast once and could not be modified.
Thanks to that, the numbers people had mindlessly voted for at the beginning of the show’s success—the ‘ideal number of members for an idol group’ in their minds—were factored in exactly as they were.
By a narrow margin, the most common choice was 5 members.
However, the series was a massive hit, and this was the result of the production team’s tearful attempt at a workaround to somehow increase the number.
Since the sample included trolls from large, aggressive internet communities who voted for 1 member as a joke, it ended up only increasing by one.
Already imagining the predictable internet reactions, I shook my head.
‘Let’s just prepare ourselves.’
Once the final stage was over, it would be the final ranking announcement ceremony.