57. Various Ways to Drop a Nepo Baby (4)

Predicting the second mission wasn't difficult.

'Well, it's survival show gospel, isn't it?'

〜〚TO THE TOP〛〜

"Your second mission is a cover song."

Specifically, covering the legendary hits of sunbaenims who've already made it big.

"Countless stars shine in the music industry right now. Through this mission, you'll reinterpret senior artists' songs in your own unique style."

"You can choose to preserve 100% of the original's charm or completely transform it with your own color. What matters is how brightly you can shine within that framework."

No wonder he's a pro—Seo Tae-il flawlessly delivered that lengthy spiel without a single NG. In moments like these, staying too quiet won't cut it. At the very least, you've got to feign surprise to snag an extra reaction shot.

'But honestly, it's easy to guess what songs they'll pick.'

Copyright is trickier and more expensive than people think, so shows like this always pick tracks with minimal legal complications. Especially when outsourced to production companies scraping by—they'd want to save every penny on licensing fees.

So, the obvious solution for an in-house survival show like this?

'Use songs by seniors from the same company.'

If the company happens to have wildly successful senior idols like Miro's, the choice becomes even clearer.

The production company saves on copyright fees.

The broadcast station avoids risky song choices.

Senior artists get screen time as "mentors."

It's not just killing three birds with one stone—it's more like seventeen.

'The real question is, out of all those hits, which song will they pick....'

"Now, let's reveal the keywords for your cover mission songs!"

As Seo Tae-il announced this, the display board lit up. With a dramatic sound effect, text flashed across the screen.

〜〚TO THE TOP〛〜

BLUE SCANDLE (7)

CINDERELLA (6)

SAD ENDING (5)

"There are three songs in total. Starting now, you can choose based on your ranking from the last mission."

"Each song has limited slots available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once a team is full, elect a leader and begin your discussions."

'Three songs.'

I studied the three keywords on the display. Jung Si-woo, sitting beside me, leaned in and whispered.

"Where are you going?"

"Me? Why, hyung, are you planning to follow me?"

"Well, I get to pick before you, don't I?"

"...Can't argue with that."

I shut my mouth at the justified confidence of this pure-blooded Wings elite. Judging by the atmosphere, this was clearly reaction-baiting time. Well, playing along might earn me some extra screen time, so I kept my eyes on the display as I answered.

"Well... I'm leaning toward BLUE SCANDLE."

I already had a good idea what song it was.

"I like the color blue."

That's definitely Uphia's debut track. The title is "Ripples" (波瀾). Lyrics and composition by Seo Tae-il.

And—

—Try flowing the pronunciation more in the racing part.

—It needs to rhyme with "up to here," understand?

—Yes, Kang Hajin. Good job.

It was also my audition song for Miro.

'No point challenging myself with something else when I've already got the original composer's approval.'

With seven slots available, even if every Wings member lost their minds and picked the same song, it wouldn't matter. This time, I'd finally get the song I wanted—

"Before team selections, we have a special announcement."

—Or not?

"Han Seong-woo and Lee Yu-geon, the winners of the last battle."

"These two trainees have earned the right to assign their defeated opponents' songs."

'What kind of bullshit is this?'

I nearly popped my eyes out.

Since when was this a thing? There was no mention of this before!

I let out a disbelieving laugh and spotted Han Seong-woo across the room. No trace of surprise on his face—just a smug, smirking expression that looked like a squashed lip balm. Instantly, I knew.

'This bastard's doing.'

Did I provoke him too hard last time? Sure, I roughed him up hoping he'd snap and do something stupid, but I didn't expect his retaliation to be this swift and precise.

"Lee Yu-geon, please select your song and Kim Won-ho's."

Apparently ranked higher than Han Seong-woo, Yu-geon got first pick. The quiet ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guy who'd been sitting to my left hesitated before standing up.

'Come to think of it, I've never exchanged a single word with this guy.'

We just never crossed paths. Since he was right next to me, I took the chance to openly study his features. Sharp eyes and well-defined facial structure—his vibe was similar to Lee Do-ha, just like people said.

But if Do-ha gave off mafia boss energy—the type to wear three-piece suits with tie pins and gloves—Yu-geon was more like a graffiti artist who'd be skateboarding at dawn. The so-called "dinosaur face." Maybe it was his short jawline.

'And yet, he dances with surprising finesse.'

Yu-geon scratched the back of his head as he took the handheld mic from the assistant director. Across from us, Kim Won-ho wore the same "what fresh hell is this" expression as me.

"I'll pick... BLUE SCANDLE."

As Yu-geon made his choice, the display updated the team roster and remaining slots. Now it was time to assign Won-ho's song, but—

"Hey."

"Huh?"

Why's this guy suddenly calling me out?

"Kim Won-ho, what do you think he'd like?"

"Wha—?"

My eyes nearly bulged out again when Yu-geon set the mic down and turned to me. Why the hell are you asking me, dude?

"Uh... so you can avoid it and pick something else?"

"No, I'll pick that one."

"......?"

"Hurry up. You're friends with him, right?"

Now he's rushing me for an answer like it's a pop quiz. I glanced at Won-ho across the room. His face was scrunched up desperately, holding up two fingers and mouthing "PLEASE" with an impressively ugly expression.

"...Well. CINDERELLA?"

"I'll pick CINDERELLA."

The moment I suggested CINDERELLA—likely Endway's recent hit—Yu-geon confirmed it without a second thought. Won-ho, who'd been praying for this, yelped and jumped in shock.

Completely baffled, I stared at Yu-geon, but he just calmly returned the mic and sat back down next to me.

"You..."

"Next up, Han Seong-woo?"

I wanted to press further, but realizing this wasn't the time, I quickly turned away. Han Seong-woo, looking like an exploded dumpling wrapper, stood up.

"I'll take... BLUE SCANDLE."

'Damn it, we're screwed.'

The way he picked without hesitation suggested he knew exactly what BLUE SCANDLE was. Well, of course he would—he's got ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the CP backing him.

But that wasn't the real issue. There's no way Seong-woo would let me into the same team, so BLUE SCANDLE was out. And since he knows ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm close with Won-ho, the chances of him putting me in CINDERELLA were zero.

Which left...

"Hajin, I'm assigning you to SAD ENDING."

The third option—a song I couldn't even begin to guess. Fuck!

The one silver lining? My team wasn't half bad.

"Dan Ha-ru, come here. You've got water on you."

"Ah, yes!"

Seo Tae-hyun called over Dan Ha-ru, who'd been buzzing around the practice room like a bee. SAD ENDING had five slots. Aside from me (forced here by Han Seong-woo) and two Feather-tier trainees with no choice, Seo Tae-hyun and Dan Ha-ru were unexpected wins.

Especially Seo Tae-hyun.

'I totally thought he'd pick CINDERELLA.'

That song was most likely Endway's latest hit, "Mood Night." Out of all Endway's dark fantasy concepts, it's their only (relatively) cute and (somewhat) glamorous track.

'It's practically made for Seo Tae-hyun.'

Well, he must've had his reasons. Either way, it worked out great for me. Even the two Feather-tier guys dragged here against their will weren't bad.

"Park Jae-young, come sit here too."

"Yes."

Park Jae-young, who I thought would drop out, had thankfully recovered from his illness and rejoined the program. Apparently, he'd desperately convinced his parents, who'd been firmly against it.

About Jae-young's return, the System chimed in:

[System Notification: Park Jae-young's dropout was originally a fixed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠event.]

[System Notification: But for some reason, this timeline added his return.]

[System Notification: The "Survival" element might be the variable. Missing the first mission alone satisfied the fixed event conditions.]

It was a confusing concept, but as someone who'd secretly felt guilty about him, I was relieved. The last member, Jayden, hadn't caused any issues last mission either.

"Alright, let's reveal our song."

The five of us huddled together. Holding the cue card from the staff, I prayed desperately.

'Please. Don't let it be some absurdly difficult wildcard pick.'

Frugal production team, I'm trusting your instincts here.

If some over-the-top full-band rock sound (courtesy of the former department head) from that disbanded Project W suddenly blares out, I swear I'll punch Han Seong-woo just once and regress.

[System Notification: Threatening regression is a very bad habit!]

Unless you're offering to punch him for me, shut up.

"Should I open it? Me? Really?"

"Wait! Ah! No! I can't look!"

"What do we do! Tae-hyun, my heart's racing!"

"If it weren't, you'd be dead! Agh, Ha-ru!"

"H-Hyung! I c-can't breathe!!"

This kind of banter needs a little teasing to be fun.

As we flipped the cue card and hammed it up, Seo Tae-hyun—well-versed in variety dynamics—played along, clutching Dan Ha-ru's head. Even the Feather-tier guys, who'd seemed indifferent, started covering their mouths in exaggerated shock.

"Dugudugudugu—"

"One, two..."

"Ah, I'm gonna lose it."

"Three!"

Written on that rectangular card was, thankfully, not some obscure nightmare pick.

〜〚TO THE TOP〛〜

SAD ENDING

<Sarin - To You>

Though it was still unexpected.

"Sarin sunbaenim?"

Who is Sarin?

In an industry where everyone debuts in idol groups, she boldly staked her claim as a soloist. A female ballad singer signed to Lime Entertainment—one of the agencies I'd auditioned for—known for her emotionally charged breakup songs.

Every OST she sings becomes a hit, earning her the title "Queen of OSTs." And out of all her iconic tracks, this was the one crowned as her signature song: "To You."

So why would this tear-jerking ballad, neither from a company senior nor an idol, suddenly appear in Miro's survival show?

"Ah, this song... Wasn't it composed by Seo Tae-il sunbaenim?"

That's why.

'Maximizing diversity while minimizing copyright costs—peak efficiency.'

"At least it's a song we know."

"I love this song too! I've already memorized all the lyrics."

Luckily, even though it's an older track, everyone seemed familiar with it. Small mercies.

"......."

I pressed my lips together, conflicted, and locked eyes with Seo Tae-hyun. He didn't look surprised at all—probably figured out the song beforehand and chose it deliberately.

Well, he's sharp, so no shock there.

'Forget why Seo Tae-hyun picked this song....'

Humming the melody that automatically played in my head, I let out a dry laugh.

'Why does nothing ever come easy?!'

Damn you, stingy production team.

Sure, it's cost-effective, but who the hell slots a brutally difficult deep ballad into an idol survival show?