Chapter 37: Those Who Reach for the Sun (3)
37. Those Who Reach for the Sun (3)
'Kim Won-ho and Lee Do-ha.'
I briefly pondered over these two candidates, each with clear strengths and weaknesses.
I still didn't fully grasp how this "Comrade Recruitment" system worked. But if I could bring one person in, it'd be better to choose someone who'd be useful moving forward.
And in that regard, one candidate was overwhelmingly superior.
'Where else would you find a more solid card than a guaranteed debut team member?'
Bringing Do-ha on board as a comrade would make things easier, but one thing bothered me—his response rate was just too low.
'If it were at least 70%, I could've mentally bullshitted my way through this.'
"Hyung-nim Kang Ha, stop spacing out and look at this already."
"Yeah, yeah."
Kim Won-ho's sharp eye for calling me out the second I got distracted was actually pretty useful. I almost felt bad for lumping him with the other two as the "Hopeless Trio" earlier—his situational awareness was quick.
'This is tough.'
Why are these guys so set on resonating with me on their own? The longer I agonized over it, the more my head throbbed. I wanted to focus and think properly, but this damn maze escape seemed endless.
"......"
"Hyung-nim, what're you doing?"
I stared up at the only open space in this claustrophobic square—the ceiling, lined with blinding studio lights and rigged cameras placed at intervals.
"That should be enough, right?"
"For what?"
"For jumping over. With that camera angle, they'll catch it well, won't they?"
"Jump over what?"
Ignoring Won-ho and Do-ha's dumbfounded expressions, I stepped in front of the sturdiest-looking wall. Since it was covered in artificial foliage, there were plenty of footholds.
"Hyung-nim, what the hell?!"
"If you're not following, I'm going ahead."
After a couple of jumps, I easily scaled the wall. Since this would be my first on-screen impression, I had to calculate it carefully—but honestly, this would probably just be a five-minute highlight clip anyway. No need to overthink it.
"Damn, sometimes that hyung-nim's more reckless than me."
Left behind, Won-ho muttered something under his breath before he and Do-ha soon followed, their feet thudding as they vaulted over the wall. Won-ho's dance skills alone told me he had good reflexes, and Do-ha, while terrible at dancing, wasn't completely useless physically.
This might work.
I pointed at the floating timer for the timed mission.
"Our goal is to break through this maze in five minutes. How? By jumping over walls."
"Sometimes, that hyung-nim scares me."
Do-ha muttered, "Sometimes?" but I brushed it off as we charged forward—toward the exit.
Back in the control room.
"Who are they again? Kang Ha-jin, Lee Do-ha... They're all Wings trainees?"
"Yeah, that's right."
As a PD, this was the most entertaining cast lineup imaginable. Kwon PD's eyes sparkled as she turned to the second writer beside her, asking for the trio's names. Who's their assigned writer? Make sure to mark them for the pre-meeting later, she reminded.
'Off to a decent start, I guess?'
Sweating bullets in the back, Soo-ho watched the situation unfold with cautious relief before relaxing his stiff posture and resuming his monitoring.
On the maze above, the three scaled walls effortlessly, quickly finding their way to the exit.
—Lee Do-ha, Kang Ha-jin, and Kim Won-ho have escaped. Audio checks complete, standing by.
—Trainees in Zone B2 have escaped within five minutes.
—Zone C1 will wrap up in three minutes.
"Good work. Send the mic'd trainees to the fifth-floor practice room. We'll do a quick orientation and meeting there while we wrap up elsewhere."
—Got it.
—Roger.
As the other trainee groups who'd entered the maze earlier began escaping one by one, Kwon PD stood up. Soo-ho, who'd received the shooting schedule beforehand, knew the opening shoot was almost over—but just in case, he quietly asked another PD organizing the schedule next to Kwon PD.
"What's left on the shooting schedule?"
"Hmm, a quick orientation in the practice room... Once the main spot's prepped, we'll film Seo Tae-il's survival overview... Then individual interviews, and we're done. Since it's the first shoot... Oh, wanna take a look at this?"
Soo-ho gestured that it was fine before standing up with Kwon PD.
"Ah, Team Leader Ji. Let's go together. I'm heading to meet the trainees now."
"Sure, I'll guide you."
Kwon PD followed Soo-ho without hesitation, her script in hand. Soo-ho pretended not to notice the name "Kang Ha-jin" clearly written at the top of her notes as they walked.
"Alright, mics on—let's move to the practice room!"
After escaping the maze at lightning speed, we were greeted by the familiar faces of the production staff (familiar to me in more ways than one). A short-haired assistant director led us to the audio team, who approached to fit us with our mic packs.
"Ah, I'll do it myself."
"Huh?"
Damn. Occupational hazard strikes again.
Seeing the flustered assistant director fumbling with my mic pack, I instinctively took it and clipped it on myself. Some habits from my assistant director days never fade—like fitting mics on talent in a pinch.
"This mic's on, right? I know how to clip it, so help those two first."
I pointed at Do-ha, struggling with his mic, and Won-ho, blankly waiting his turn. The assistant director gave me an awkward look before shuffling over to them.
"Uh, we're all mic'd now."
"Alright, let's head to the fifth-floor practice room."
"The fifth floor?"
"...Ah. The walls are all cleared now. Just a sec."
The assistant director's breezy reply left me speechless. Did they really set all that up just for a quick shoot? The same question popped into my head again.
'Did Miro hit the jackpot or something?'
Once our guide arrived, Won-ho and Do-ha, now properly mic'd, stuck close. I adjusted Won-ho's crooked mic on his hoodie and muttered,
"Be careful—if this hits your necklace, it'll clatter. And during interviews, that ~임 speech tic makes you sound like a punk, so filter yourself."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
"Everything's being recorded, so watch your mouths. Both of you."
"...Hyung-nim, you sounded just like Team Leader Ji just now."
Exactly. This damn occupational hazard. It's the problem.
With no good comeback, I shut up and followed the staff, soon reaching the fifth floor that had thrown us off earlier. They must've only dressed up the area near the elevator—now, the hallway stretched wide and open.
"Wait here for a bit."
"Got it, thanks."
"Hyung-nim! You're here?"
Entering the fifth-floor practice room as directed, familiar faces greeted us. Joo Eun-chan and Dan Ha-ru, who must've escaped early, had already claimed spots in the center.
"Where's Seo Tae-hyun? He said he'd come with us today."
"Tae-hyun hyung-nim's over there."
"Where? ...Oh."
Ha-ru pointed to a corner where Tae-hyun lay like a corpse, hood pulled over his head, hands neatly folded over his chest—completely knocked out.
'...I don't even need to ask.'
He must've burned out trying to rein in Ha-ru's competitive streak and Dan Ha-ru's natural stage presence.
"Ah, the other hyung-nims are coming too."
More trainees filed in. Do-ha exchanged a brief nod with Jung Si-woo, who strolled in alone. They didn't seem close enough to stick together—Si-woo scanned our group before settling at a distance.
Amid the trainees' chatter about monthly evaluations, vacations, and the hot topic of escaping the maze, I discreetly pulled up the system window.
[Ji Soo-ho (Awakened)]
Titles: 'Burning Passion', 'Darkest Shadow'
Trait: Star Maker☆
—'Fatefully' recognizes star potential. (Accuracy: 77%)
—Auras manifest in different colors based on potential.
Unique: Affected by 'passed timelines' due to contact with a chosen regressor. (Déjà Vu)
[Recruited comrades can be tracked in real-time and summoned when needed (10 Cash cost).]
'Where's the mute button? If he calls now, I can't answer with this mic on.'
Shouldn't telepathy be a given when recruiting comrades? Who benefits from leaving a paper trail?
After that realistic complaint, I summoned Soo-ho, trusting he'd have the sense to text, not call.
And once again, the effect was astounding!
<MiroEnt_Team Leader Ji ‖ Kang Ha-jin?>
'Damn. This is good.'
The satisfying buzz of my phone was worth the 10 Cash. I quickly replied.
<The scale's insane.>
<MiroEnt_Team Leader Ji ‖ Figured you'd prefer no forewarning. Yeah, well, that's how it turned out.>
<Did Miro win the lottery or something?>
<MiroEnt_Team Leader Ji ‖ Tae-il did win once. Third prize, though.>
Ah, so Seo Tae-il invested too? That explains about a third of this budget. Either way, at this point, he's easily top five in Korea for copyright earnings.
'And that guy won the lottery too? Life's really pay-to-win.'
The harsh reality of the rich getting richer sank in as I memorized Quest 1's reward. Young & Rich, Tall & Handsome. Just you wait.
<MiroEnt_Team Leader Ji ‖ As for details... Let's discuss in person soon.>
<Got it. Thanks for your hard work.>
Any longer and I'd risk looking like I was glued to my phone during filming, so I ended it there. I deleted all traces of the exchange (years of web novel experience taught me these things bite you later) and stuffed my phone deep into my pocket.
Just then, the practice room door opened, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright, everyone, hello~."
Ji Soo-ho entered with two women. All eyes turned to the trio at the center.
"Pretty surprised, huh? We wanted genuine reactions, so we prepared a little initiation. Everyone did well escaping the maze?"
"Yeah~."
"Good work today. Sorry for not giving a heads-up. Must've been chaotic, right?"
Soo-ho smiled as he scanned the trainees. But with no time to process, the trainees—aware this was their first shoot—buzzed with excitement, eagerly responding.
"This is PD Kwon Myung-eun and Writer Go Se-hwa. They're the main PD and writer for our upcoming survival show, so you'll see them often. Be polite."
"Yes!"
Amid the cheerful first meeting, only one person wasn't smiling.
Me.
"We saw some very impressive performances today. Now, let's briefly discuss the show and today's schedule."
'Why... why is that sunbae-nim here...?'
After four regressions to become an idol trainee, how does it feel when the PD in charge of your debut survival show is your former boss from your first life?
'I'm screwed.'
As applause filled the room, I could only cover my mouth in despair.