Those Who Push and Those Who Don't

Those who push, and those who don't.

After the team selection, the next segment was song selection.

I still remember it clearly.

The cyber roulette the production staff forced me out to spin against my will.

And then Tailoz's Where is my first love! came up.

Even in the comments, there were opinions that my image didn't fit Tailoz.

That same sentiment continued after Yu Seol's team finished their song selection.

With me and Yu Seol landing songs with completely opposite images, you could feel the comments heating up with a mix of worry and anticipation.

There's no way the production staff intentionally rigged the roulette for this, right…?

…Somehow I got the feeling that if it was the NAA production staff, they absolutely might have.

Well… it ended well enough, so I decided to leave it at that and focused on the next scene.

I was curious how the production staff would edit this part. Depending on the degree, it was a segment that could send Seo Yujin straight into the abyss.

Since I didn't want her to come off badly, I had no choice but to watch the broadcast with full concentration.

And then…

As if they'd read my mind, our team's rank selection scene came first.

When Seo Yujin raised her hand for leader ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠during the rank selection, the comments sent her nothing but fond looks.

Apparently a girl who was clearly the youngest position declaring she wanted to be leader just looked adorable.

Since Seo Yujin had no real issues ability-wise, most people were fine with her taking leader.

And so Seo Yujin became our team's leader. Of course, the real problem exploded right after.

The moment she said they should pick the center, the comments naturally assumed I would take it.

But…

The part where Seo Yujin, already the leader, said she wanted center as well went out on air completely uncut.

Damn it…

I clicked my tongue watching that.

I'd hoped the production side might cut it, but of course from their perspective it was too good a ratings booster to just skip.

Naturally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the comments exploded.

Just as Seo Yujin's public opinion was about to freefall into the dirt…

"Hmm…?"

…the cleanup began.

The production staff immediately cut to an interview that showed Seo Yujin's competitive fire.

Once the scenes continued like that, she started forming into a character who was trying hard but a little tone-deaf, which made it harder for viewers to keep roasting her.

On top of that…

Her peeking at the vote results through narrowed eyes and the way she accepted the outcome so quickly flipped the viewers' opinion in an instant.

Apparently the production staff decided to keep Seo Yujin under their wing rather than send her to the abyss.

And just like that, the part I'd been fretting over passed without any major disaster.

Once the leader and center ranks were decided, our team's screen time ended and the broadcast moved on to the other teams.

After the other teams finished their rank selections, it was time for each team to dive into stage practice.

Up to this point, our Mackerel Sandwich Team had been given a pretty ordinary amount of screen time.

But then, in the next segment—the mid-check…

Our team suddenly exploded with main-character-level screen time for the entire episode.

In particular, I got singled out by Han Siwoo as the source of our team's issues and received a massive amount of camera focus.

Han Siwoo's continuous cold remarks set the comments on fire too.

On top of that the production staff layered on heavy, grand BGM, and the atmosphere grew heavier by the second.

With Han Siwoo's final line, the screen went dark and the commercials rolled.

When it came to cutting on a cliffhanger, the NAA production staff were absolute geniuses.

For the full minute of commercials the comments kept up a heated debate over whether the center should be changed or not, but the broadcast resumed before any conclusion could be reached.

The next scenes coming up were… Seo Yujin raising her voice to demand a center change, and Lee Hyejeong collapsing from malnutrition.

I focused on the screen, trying to predict how the production staff would use those moments.

And then…

Watching the scenes that followed, I couldn't help but be thrown off.

Because…

"…Unni's collapse scene got cut?"

Lee Hyejeong collapsing and going to the hospital had been completely deleted, as if the moment had never existed in the first place.