The Second Succession Ceremony
The moment his name was called, Nam Ji-yu shot up from the front row as if he'd been waiting for this exact second. Wearing the bright, refreshing smile that made the "Vitamin" moniker fit him so perfectly, he took the microphone.
"Thanks to all the princesses who supported me, someone as lacking as me got to stand here among these incredible friends. I'm so grateful, and I really, truly love you all!"
Even though he'd dropped one place from his previous ranking, not a single shadow crossed Nam Ji-yu's face. A washed-up idol he may be, but a guy who's actually debuted before really is different, Ye-chan thought.
"And now, time to announce seventh place. The trainee who has claimed the seventh spot is one with outstanding vocal ability."
The MC was finally settling into his full dramatic-pause routine. Ye-chan ran a quick mental inventory of the remaining top-tier trainees in the vocal position.
Me, Woo Hwi-gyum, Jeong Ui-tak… that's about it.
Based on the rankings so far, only one person made sense.
"Jeong Ui-tak of Rubel Entertainment! Climbing four places from eleventh in the first ranking ceremony to land firmly inside the debut zone! Congratulations!"
Right on cue, the MC called Jeong Ui-tak's name. Ye-chan clapped on reflex and twisted around toward the seats behind him.
Is he crying?
Jeong Ui-tak's eyes were a little red, but he somehow managed not to cry. When his gaze met Ye-chan's, he turned toward the stage with a strangely resolute expression.
Ye-chan's eyes lit up with fresh anticipation.
Is he going to cry during his speech?
"Seventh place… I'm so grateful to our princesses for giving me such a high number. I'll always give everything I have so that none of you ever regret supporting me. That's the Jeong Ui-tak I'll be."
He finished his remarks without shedding a single tear, all the way back to his seat. Ye-chan felt a small pang of disappointment.
"Now we enter the mid-range of the debut zone. Which trainee received the sixth-most support from our princesses? His position is… rap!"
The room stirred at the MC's words after he checked the card. Ye-chan was a little surprised by the unexpected result himself.
Only two top-tier rappers remained.
Hae-sol hyung and Shim Sang-rok.
Their previous ranking ceremony results had been fourth and third, respectively. Both had placed at the very top in the last performance round, and the online votes had been tracking roughly the same. The online voting had switched to a closed system for the final two days of each week starting this round, and it seemed something significant had shifted in that window.
"This trainee served as his team's main rapper in the last performance."
You've got to be kidding. They were both main rappers.
Every trainee was listening with mounting irritation when the MC's mouth opened again.
"The proud center of Don't Bother Team 2, Shim Sang-rok of GE! Congratulations!"
Shim Sang-rok, sitting right beside him, rose to his feet. Dropping from third all the way to sixth was a steep fall.
Something uncomfortable twisted in Ye-chan's chest, and he couldn't bring himself to look up at Shim Sang-rok's face. But Sang-rok walked to the stage with perfectly composed steps.
"…"
The noisy hall had gone quiet without anyone noticing. Shim Sang-rok drew a deep breath and lifted the microphone.
"Participating in Choose My Prince 99 has given me so much. For someone who once gave up on his dream, every single day has been precious and something I'm deeply grateful for. More than anything, I'm thankful that the princesses who watched those days have looked kindly on me and cheered me on. The numbers you give me are always more than I deserve. I'll work hard to become someone who can repay all the love I've received in excess."
Clean.
Ye-chan was impressed by the unexpected speech. Applause poured out from among the trainees. Starting at first place and falling all the way to sixth — how could anyone truly be fine with that?
But at least on the surface, Shim Sang-rok looked perfectly all right. Ye-chan clamped down on the smile threatening to tug at the corner of his mouth, flush with the satisfaction of having chosen his teammate well.
"We've heard Shim Sang-rok's remarks! Now, shall we meet our fifth-place trainee? Oh ho — this one also performed Don't Bother in the last round."
He didn't even need to look. By now the screen was almost certainly split three ways between Ye-chan, Woo Hwi-gyum, and Seonwoo I-gyeong. He'd already predicted the result, but Ye-chan arranged his face into a carefully tense expression.
"In fifth place — the highest vote-getter from Don't Bother Team 2, Seonwoo I-gyeong of Ara Entertainment! Congratulations!"
Seonwoo I-gyeong, holding the same rank from the first ceremony, waved both hands at the camera trained on him as he climbed onto the stage. The guy always looked like he had energy to spare.
I never paid him much attention since he used to drop out whenever he got bored.
Handsome face and solid skills had made him a talking point early on, but in every previous run it had been perfectly natural for him to leave before the final ranking ceremony. Ye-chan had never even planned to talk to him much — yet this time, for some strange reason, he was throwing himself into the filming with real enthusiasm.
"Princesses, thank you for loving me this much! I guarantee you'll love me even more from here on out! I'll make sure of it!"
That face looked cold at a glance, but the second he opened his mouth it was pure chaos.
Really not my type.
In Ye-chan's experience, the greatest virtue an idol could have was a solid, steadfast personality that kept them out of trouble and let them go the long haul. He understood, logically, that the public went wild for the gap between that exterior and that personality — but his heart still hadn't quite accepted it.
"That's our Seonwoo I-gyeong! Always so full of energy — wonderful to see! Now then, only four seats remain in the absolute top tier. But before we confirm the trainees who will claim those glorious spots, let's first find out our final eliminated contestant."
The instant the MC finished speaking, every light except those on the stage went dark at once, and pin spots snapped on over the trainees in the back rows.
"The two trainees standing on the border between survival and elimination — please come up to the stage!"
The two of them dragged what looked like impossibly heavy legs forward one step at a time. One of those faces was very familiar. As the trainees climbed the stage with the expressions of men walking to their deaths, the MC put a question to them.
"Kang Chang-hee, how are you feeling? Do you think you can make thirtieth place?"
"Uh… I'm really nervous and scared. I-I really want to be thirtieth."
The MC turned to the other one.
"Gi Tae-rang — you've stood in this spot again, just like at the first succession ceremony. Do you think you can stay this time as well?"
One of the elimination candidates was Gi Tae-rang, who had been on Ye-chan's team.
Last time he'd scraped by at forty-eighth place, and now he was back on the cliff's edge again. Gi Tae-rang took the microphone with a face gone deathly pale.
Ye-chan clicked his tongue inwardly.
Whether he went from forty-eighth to thirtieth or thirty-first, that's a solid showing — but there's no way to say that in a situation like this.
"I-I, uh, I'm so glad I got to be on such a great show, and even though I'm not enough, I really worked hard…"
That was basically a farewell speech for someone already eliminated.
Show a little more fight, will you.
Unlike the cold-eyed Ye-chan, the MC nodded at both trainees with a fairly warm gaze. Right on cue, a staff member approached, placed a brown envelope in the MC's hands, and withdrew.
"Thirtieth and thirty-first. A single step of difference. One trainee will once again take the stage to become a true prince for our princesses — and the other will bid this stage farewell forever. Whose dream continues? The answer is inside this envelope."
After letting the silence hang while he surveyed the room, the MC slowly opened the envelope and drew out the paper inside.
"The thirtieth-place trainee who will remain on the dream stage is…"
Kang Chang-hee squeezed his eyes shut. Gi Tae-rang dropped his head.
"Congratulations, Gi Tae-rang!"
"Keuhh…!"
Applause filled the stage. Gi Tae-rang, true to form, poured out tears and snot without the slightest restraint.
At least today he'd done his makeup with waterproof products, so only clear water ran down his face.
"Th-thank you… uhhng, thank you!"
Ye-chan calmly watched Gi Tae-rang's black history update itself in real time. Once the remarks were over and the noise had settled somewhat, the MC shifted the mood again.
"And now for today's highlight — the Top 4 of the second succession ceremony."
Confirming a camera was approaching, Ye-chan put an extra bit of force into the already straight line of his spine. Beside him, Beom Se-hyuk wore a natural smile, as if he weren't tense at all.
Come to think of it, has that guy ever been nervous?
Even outside this run of Chumaf, Ye-chan couldn't remember a single time.
While Ye-chan was sifting through his memories, the MC's announcement began.
"Fourth place goes to a trainee of outstanding ability!"
Empty words. The deliberately vague phrasing that refused to narrow down the candidates drew jeers from the seats where the already-qualified trainees sat.
"Thank you for the enthusiasm. Everyone's looking forward to this, I see?"
The shameless MC finally pulled the paper from the envelope marked with the number 4.
The fact that he'd pulled the joke without even checking who it was yet earned him another round of jeers from the trainees — until he raised a finger to his lips, and the room went quiet as if nothing had happened.
After a few throat-clearings, the MC spoke.
"In fourth place — Woo Hwi-gyum, who shone as main vocal of Don't Bother Team 1! Jumping two full places from sixth! Congratulations!"
Woo Hwi-gyum rose from his seat and strode onto the stage. The fake school-violence scandal must have put him under enormous stress, but it seemed to have become the spark that rallied his existing fandom and drew in new fans.
"…I'm honored to receive such a high ranking."
That's word-for-word identical to last time. Say something else, anything.
Whether Ye-chan's desperate wish reached him or not, Woo Hwi-gyum opened his mouth again — calmly, but with real sincerity.
"Being here… makes me truly happy."
…Come to think of it, this is the first time Woo Hwi-gyum has ever stood in this spot.
Considering that in every other run he'd been driven out mid-show by the rumors, the words carried a surprising weight.
Only three people remained. MC Andrew began in a tone of open admiration.
"Well now — three more incredible trainees left. Beom Se-hyuk, who claimed first place at the first ranking ceremony; Kang Hae-sol, who led his team to victory over Beom Se-hyuk's; and finally Ha Ye-chan, who earned the most benefits in the last performance round! It wouldn't be strange for any of them to take first — and it wouldn't be strange for any of them to take third!"
Arms spread wide as if delivering a speech, the MC stopped and opened the envelope engraved with the number 3.
"Third place!"
Then he held the paper high and cried out,
"Kang Hae-sol of AOB, who brilliantly led Last Circus Team 2! Congratulations!"
Ye-chan clapped toward Kang Hae-sol's back as he strode toward the stage. He would have gladly given his admirable hyung a standing ovation, but held himself back for fear of being misread as celebrating his own escape from third place.
Hae-sol hyung in third…!
He'd helped him fasten that first button properly, and now watching him climb on his own was endearing, impressive, and magnificent all at once.
"Thank you. I'll continue to work even harder."
Unaware of any of Ye-chan's feelings, Kang Hae-sol delivered his remarks with the same composure as always.
"And now — only two remain. The same faces as the last succession ceremony, once again."
Ye-chan naturally turned to look at Beom Se-hyuk beside him. Beom Se-hyuk looked back at Ye-chan the same way.
"Will we get the same result this time — or the exact opposite?!"