Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Genius Idol's Entertainment Conquest Method
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Skills can be built up over time.
But if you don't catch the viewers' eyes from the start in some way, you won't get any votes.
And if you suddenly become handsome later on, you might get dragged into plastic surgery rumors.
Plus, with limited screen time early on, when are you supposed to show off your pea-sized skills? Being handsome is unconditionally the best.
...That's what the agency bastards I used to work for kept nagging in my ear. Thinking back on it now, they're total dogs.
I didn't completely agree with them, but after some thoroughly rational thinking, I decided to raise my Charm anyway.
"Hey, stop sleeping while walking and snap out of it."
For the record, I'm the type who can have profoundly rational thoughts even while asleep.
"Our room's this way. 312."
Ban Yo-han yanked me along with Zero consideration for my clothes, dragging me in the opposite direction from where I was headed.
'Ah, we've arrived at the dorm.'
We were currently checking room assignments and climbing the dorm stairs.
Worried I might trip and cause an accident, I slapped both cheeks with my hands and consciously blinked my eyes several times.
Ban Yo-han gave me a weird look, but thanks to that, my foggy, hazy mind cleared up a bit.
The moment we opened the door to room 312, I spotted five suitcases lined up neatly near the entrance.
Mine was a bit smaller than the others, but seeing the name tag with my name on it was a relief—they'd handled the compensation flexibly, it seemed.
Jing Xiao and Nagase Ritsu, who had arrived first, were standing awkwardly at a distance. They brightened up when they saw us enter.
"Ah, hello."
"Hello..."
They sounded utterly exhausted; their greetings lacked any energy.
"Whoa, beds. Whoa."
"Get your soul back in your body."
I kicked off my shoes, went inside, and sprawled out flat on the floor.
There was a bed right next to me, but I couldn't defile that sacred space with my body covered in sweat and all sorts of filth.
"Did you catch the announcement earlier?"
"I heard it, but I don't remember. What'd it say?"
"Change clothes and wait. When they call your room number on the broadcast, head to the cafeteria."
Kim Jun-woo answered as he came in.
Me, Ban Yo-han, Kim Jun-woo, Jing Xiao, Nagase Ritsu.
These five of us were assigned to the same room for the duration of the camp.
Come to think of it, we're all from Hye-seong's class. They must've grouped us by class.
"Whoa, cameras."
"There's one here too."
"We're gonna be filmed the whole time—how do we change clothes?"
"Wriggle around under the covers or go to the bathroom to change, duh."
While I was half-asleep on the floor, Kim Jun-woo and Ban Yo-han discovered the cameras in the corner and whispered about them.
Watch your words, watch your actions.
I resolved to be careful and was just about to close my eyes for a quick nap when Ban Yo-han flashed a super sweet smile and spouted some nonsense.
"Alright, then Raon can sleep on the floor with a blanket down."
"What?"
"I'm fine with a bottom bunk?"
"Yeah. I want the second floor."
"Excuse me?"
"[What about Ritsu? Bottom? Or top?]"
"[I'm fine with either.]"
"I'm not fine with that?"
By the time Jing Xiao—who could handle everyday conversation in Korean—cheerfully claimed a top bunk, I realized there was no reversing public opinion.
Quickly accepting reality, I crawled over to the nearest camera and decided to report these ungrateful bastards' misdeeds in full.
"Viewers, are you watching? I've been abandoned. I worked so hard earlier helping hyungs and Xiao, but these guys don't know gratitude or favors, and they're making a good little dongsaeng like me sleep on the floor. What can I do? The good one has to endure. PD-nim, please air this later. Please."
Kim Jun-woo, who had been watching me, sneaked over and draped an arm around my shoulder.
"Raon-ah, you know hyung treasures you, right?"
"Yeah. Too late now."
I tried to coldly shake off Kim Jun-woo—who reeked of sweat since he hadn't showered—but failed due to my lacking Strength stat. Damn it.
Only after straining with all my might could I finally peel off the gum-like clinginess on my back.
And Ban Yo-han and the other two, don't just watch without helping and give me those pitiful looks.
Anyway, after all that hassle, I opened the wardrobe.
A bright yellow hoodie, just like the vest I'd worn while practicing in the studio earlier, hung neatly inside.
"Whoa, total chick color."
"Peep!"
Why is he like that?
Ban Yo-han, clearly thinking the same as me, chimed in.
"Jun-woo hyung, you look like a sick chick."
"This punk's words hit harder than they seem."
I grabbed one that looked about my size.
"I'm gonna go wash up."
They'd started calling rooms from the second floor via broadcast, so ours was still a ways off.
I figured I'd take a quick hot shower in the meantime.
"We'll lay out your blanket nicely for you."
If there were no cameras here—if I weren't a trainee—I'd be proudly showing that despicable guy my middle finger.
But I couldn't start a personality controversy on day one of possession.
Endure. Endurance brings blessings.
Ignoring the giggling Ban Yo-han and Kim Jun-woo, I pulled a transparent pouch of shower supplies and change of clothes from my name-tagged suitcase and headed to the communal shower room.
"Hello."
"...Hello."
I ran into Seo Moon-gyeol at the shower room entrance—he'd brought similar items—and we greeted each other before going in together.
The shower room was divided into stalls and was clean and quiet, apparently unused so far. Perfect.
I left Seo Moon-gyeol, who had paused to look around, and entered the nearest stall, drawing the curtain.
A moment later, I heard another curtain snap shut.
I peeled off my sweat-soaked clothes onto the shelf, let hot water pour over me, and felt my aching body loosen up languidly.
Even after finishing, I hated to turn off the hot water and wasted quite a bit before reluctantly closing the faucet with lingering attachment—and that's when I realized.
'I'm screwed. No towel.'
I considered just wiping off with the clothes I'd worn and leaving, but after the first truly comfortable and satisfying moment since entering this game world, I didn't want to do something so sloppy.
Even as a gaming shut-in, I was a perfect person who showered cleanly once a day in the attached bathroom.
I struck all sorts of dramatic poses in front of the mirror like always, but unsurprisingly, the face that once evoked Narcissus-level self-love was gone, replaced by some underbaked punk. Bitter.
'Life is but a dream in one night...'
That's when I heard a curtain swish open from another stall.
I couldn't see him behind his curtain, but the name tag floating above his head confirmed it was Seo Moon-gyeol.
I mindlessly listened to his slippers slapping against the floor as he walked away, then suddenly blurted out.
"Gyeol hyung! Could I borrow a towel? I forgot mine..."
The shower room echoed sounds well, so he probably heard, but no reply came. Did he just leave?
Might as well wait a sec, just in case.
Standing still in the winter shower room with the window open for ventilation, I got cold again and was about to turn the hot water back on when...
Someone entered the shower room, hung a towel over the top of my stall partition, and left.
It was Seo Moon-gyeol. The world was still worth living in.
"Thank you!"
Same agency or not, his personality was worlds apart from Ban Yo-han, who had banished me to the floor.
He reminded me of my old self, blessed with both looks and character.
Unlike Ban Yo-han, who had a bright, flower boy image anyone could see, Seo Moon-gyeol's dry expression gave him a somewhat sensitive, sharp impression.
I'd wondered if someone I'd barely exchanged greetings with on the way in would grant such a sudden request, but people shouldn't be judged by appearances.
After drying off and changing into fresh clothes, I returned to the room to find the other four listlessly sprawled on the floor, sickly. They sat up when they saw me.
"They haven't called us yet?"
I'd thought plenty of time had passed during my shower and they might've gone to eat already, but luckily not.
I shook out the remaining water from my hair and set the towel aside neatly. The guys stared at me with dumbfounded expressions, throwing out comments.
"How could we go without you?"
"Obviously we waited for you."
"[Yeah, right. Waiting to go together.]"
"We're not that disloyal. They called our room on the broadcast earlier, but we waited for you, hyung."
...The world couldn't possibly be this warm.
Seo Moon-gyeol had granted my awkward request without a word, and now this barrage of fresh shocks left me speechless. Kim Jun-woo eyed me cautiously.
"You're not actually mad, right?"
Ah, right. This was the game world. Game, game.
Repeating that addictive word in my head a few times made their sudden friendliness click instantly.
I smiled readily, saying no, I'd just taken time to shower so it was this late. Relieved, they clamored about starving to death and urged us to hurry.
'Whoa, this really doesn't feel natural.'
We headed down to the first-floor cafeteria, where—arriving late—we scooped meager portions of stir-fried pork and rice onto our trays and sat at an empty table. Hardly enough to fill up.
"You guys probably all know, but while we eat, wanna quickly sort out ages?"
"Sure."
"Uh, Ritsu... Yo-han hyung, translate for him?"
"Got it."
No matter how I looked at him, I couldn't fathom why someone with Ban Yo-han's specs wanted to be an idol. He fluently translated Kim Jun-woo's words into Japanese for Nagase Ritsu.
Nagase Ritsu nodded that he understood and flashed an OK sign.
In the meantime, my Beginner Japanese skill proficiency rose smoothly.
"I think I'm the oldest here at 22."
Kim Jun-woo was 22, Ban Yo-han 21, Nagase Ritsu 20, me 18, and Jing Xiao 17.
Having heard everyone's ages, Kim Jun-woo suggested readily.
"Should we drop formal speech?"
"Maybe?"
"I've already been doing it."
"You, what..."
"You, what..."
I'm glad it boosted my precious Charm, but why does it leave this awkward, unsettled feeling?
Probably because slapping an "innie" like me with a social butterfly title feels all wrong. I'm not that outgoing type, you know.