Chapter 91: Bomb? (2)
91. Bomb? (2)
Without giving me a moment to process, the next commentary continued.
—Hajin is someone who inevitably ends up taking the leader role.
—He sees everything. It's all visible to his eyes.
—Who's struggling with what, who excels at what...
—It's instinct. Pure instinct. He can't help it.
Footage of me was superimposed over the audio.
They must have combed through every frame of the timeline to find these tiny moments.
—That's why he keeps expressing regret. He sees his own past mistakes and regrets reflected in them.
—Ultimately, being an idol isn't just about the group—you have to shine individually too, right?
—But sometimes, it feels like Hajin lacks that ambition now.
'...They saw right through me.'
Listening to Seo Tae-il's interview, which perfectly dissected psychological aspects even I hadn't recognized, left me with an odd feeling.
Back then, my confidence in my own skills and performances had been at an all-time low.
Even if I believed I could deliver a decent stage, I couldn't be sure how far that stage would take me.
'...But not anymore.'
It would take time for the ingrained sense of defeat to completely fade, but now that I'd regained the feeling of "I'll be okay," things were clearly different.
"......"
Come to think of it, there was someone sitting right beside me who had seen through me just as accurately as Seo Tae-il.
Though it wouldn't make the broadcast, Lee Do-ha had bombarded me with brutal truths after that moment.
Lee Do-ha, whose trust in me still hadn't crossed 70%.
'Could his trust level be tied to my attitude back then?'
If so, now that I've regained some confidence in myself—unlike before—maybe I could raise it by 2%?
'I should talk to Do-ha soon.'
This damn quest to find the First Returnee was turning me into an overly diligent social butterfly.
As I turned my attention back to the TV—
—Slate!
"Ugh, please no."
—March 2nd, 8:42 PM. Team B mid-check, one-two-three!
Clap!
An absurdly cheerful round of applause echoed through Joo Eun-chan's living room.
Even without looking around, I could feel everyone staring at me with bewildered expressions. In the heavy silence, Dan Ha-ru—who had been casually rolling up two extra slices of delivered pizza—tilted his head.
"Hmm... Seems like you're shining plenty on your own already..."
I quietly drizzled garlic sauce over Ha-ru's pizza slice.
Is my image really okay like this? No matter how I looked at it, Kwon PD had gone way too hard.
'...The editing was too favorable.'
Thinking about the scenes yet to come, I had a bad feeling.
I might have to pull an all-nighter monitoring reactions tonight instead of putting it off until tomorrow.
"Ugh, they're fcking shoving Kang Hajin down our throats, these crazy bstards."
If they're gonna push him this hard, why not just debut their own damn favorites instead? F*cking hell.
The unfiltered stream of vitriol poured out. Slumping back with a scowl, he emotionlessly opened his SNS app.
Kim Makki @makkiii
This jumping runt's fake persona makes me wanna puke
Seo Tae-il's old ass must've gone blind
Once talent's gone, you're just dead weight tbh
Pushing this ugly-ass main character syndrome
Trying to force-feed us some 4D sht like we're dumb
Disgusting how they're propping this trash up lmao*
Kim Makki's face showed not a flicker of emotion as he posted his latest blind hate. To him, this was just casual banter—equivalent to saying "Miro Maze is boring because they only push one guy."
A quick scroll through his timeline revealed countless similar posts sh*tting on various celebrities—aside from "Jumping Runt" (Kang Hajin + Grasshopper), his current target.
—Seryeong unnie pls get a nose job omg it's like Namsan Mountain
—Choi Kyung-nu this btch should just strip for her thirsty fans instead of pretending to be a ~real musician~ comedy gold
—Dating some nobody's fangirl then getting dumped? Wangttu fans, listen to noona—quit stanning now. I've been there.*
Following: 0. Followers: 0.
An account that only sparked brief reactions when his scathing quotes got retweeted by celebrity birds.
Occasionally, some righteous fan would report him or flood his DMs with hate, but Makki would simply deactivate temporarily before returning with a new ID, nickname, and profile.
'Sometimes psycho fans follow to stalk, but blocking solves that.'
To Kim Makki, this was just a fun daily sport.
Celebrities make millions just for smiling on TV—someone's gotta keep them in check.
That was his twisted logic.
"Stop shoving that jumping runt at us and push someone actually good-looking, you tone-deaf producers."
And now, Miro Maze was his latest prey.
With top male idols either enlisting or failing contract renewals, and rising stars drowning in scandals, the pre-debut trainees stirring up buzz were perfect targets.
No established fandom, no solidarity as survival show contestants—this was prime entertainment for Kim Makki.
'Time to stir the pot.'
Stretching his shabby pajamas, he logged into his usual haunts.
Had Hajin not taken down Yoon CP, Episode 2's protagonist would've been Han Seong-woo.
But his disgraceful exit made the network avoid any risk of association.
[Look how they're treating the dropout lmao]
The way they're desperately hiding him is lowkey hilarious
—Wait so the full shot only shows 8 members? Insane
—Earlier previews had him first too WTF how'd they manage this
—Editing team went feral
[TM dropout rumors]
(Gossip post about Han S.W. getting axed for trying to bribe staff)
This is the TM dropout rumor going around
No proof, take with salt
Gonna delete soon
—Where'd you see this?
└Just searched randomly
—Heard it was gambling debts
—Wait wasn't he the chaebol trainee who flexed money here before?
└Nobody knows~
—Production team's shady justice... kinda iconic tho
The producers minimized Seong-woo's mentions and screen time just enough to maintain plausibility.
With Hajin's battle opponent erased, the narrative of their clash couldn't be highlighted either.
Forced to abandon the Seong-woo storyline, the staff found a new comparison—Team A's leader, Jung Si-woo.
[Who'd make a better leader?]
Team A: Stacked individually but dysfunctional
VS
Team B: Weaker skills but strong teamwork
Survival shows always flop for A and boom for B but
This A team's too stacked to predict
—Look at this wording lmao "dysfunctional" dead
—Was gonna ride A's hype but seeing Si-woo's mask slip ep2... yikes
└His stans kept calling him a mastermind but 2 eps in he's just a loser lol embarrassing
—Why keep shoving these ugly kids together? A team sweep
—?? Why's this thread so toxic am I in the wrong place?
└Brigading happening just report and lock
Si-woo's struggles leading his individualistic team aired in full.
Particularly highlighted was his tense dynamic with Yu-geon, who wavered between "lazy" and "just laid-back."
—I don't expect anything from you. But at least voice an opinion.
—So I can do my job too.(sharp sound effect as Si-woo glares)
—No, I mean—(Yu-geon's frustrated expression)
—How many times? I don't care. Just give me leftovers.
In reality, Yu-geon never complained despite having the smallest parts. Post-argument, Si-woo also stopped singling him out.
True to its "no villains" branding, the show presented this neutrally—but viewers weren't having it.
[Watching this gave me PTSD]
Reminded me of group project freeloaders turned it off
—First time seeing someone outright demand leftovers lol
—If you're like this just quit??
[But kinda harsh no?]
I get his point but delivery was reckless
—(Anon1) He's been sketch since ep1. Physiognomy don't lie
└(Anon2) Oh here comes the face reader so professional~
└(Anon3) These types always analyze without watching
└(Anon1) I watched it all? He half-assed missions for screentime
└(Anon3) Lazy my ass he danced 10 girl group songs straight??
[Did y'all even watch??]
Yu-geon kept saying he'd take leftovers from the start
Editing made it seem worse
He was smiling the whole time
Si-woo overreacted
I'm a fan this is unfair
—(Reply1) Yu-geon stans delulu as always
└(OP) Unlike you whose life's work is hating
└(Reply1) Says the one dickriding fish-eyed trainees
—(Reply2) Si-woo did snap kinda randomly tho
[Current Miro Maze trainee discourse]
(Screenshots of Si-woo/Yu-geon argument)
Problem: Si-woo's outburst
VS
Problem: Yu-geon's non-cooperation
Where do you stand?
The community erupted—but thankfully, the fire didn't spread further.
Because during Team A's performance, Yu-geon absolutely killed it. Despite minimal parts, he exploded center stage during the dance break like a fish returned to water.
Beaming with genuine joy, he executed complex moves effortlessly.
The clincher? Right before the break, he caught nervous Won-ho's eye and flashed a playful grin.
This single moment spawned a flood of new posts.
—I'm deceased this smile is lethal
—HOLY SHT SO CHARMING
—Others treat this like survival but he's just vibing
—"Lazy" my ass he ate that*
Now utterly charmed by this roguish main dancer, fans began rewriting history—downplaying his weak vocals and clashes with Si-woo.
[So the "fight" was actually...]
Talented but insecure maknae taking scraps
VS
Heartbroken hyung wanting him to try
Today I start Yu-woo shipping
—The delusion is strong
—This ain't healthy
—Just give him the W delulu wins count too
Both fandoms backed off uncomfortably, wary of feeding trolls targeting Miro Maze's rising hype.
'We need a bigger villain to absorb this hate.'
Someone, somewhere, might've wished for exactly that.
The spotlight on Miro Maze was dangerously hot—one spark away from explosion.
And then...
[They ARE pushing Kang Hajin right?? lmao]
The match was struck.