Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Teaser
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“I’m home.”
As I passed through the entryway and into the living room, I saw my mom, dad, and older sister looking at me with sparkling eyes.
It seemed they had been waiting for me, even though it was 1 AM.
“How was it? Was it okay?”
“Come on, tell us.”
“Yeah. Your mother and I have been waiting for so long.”
They were rushing me to tell them what happened at the shoot before I even put my bag down.
“It wasn’t bad. I don’t think I’ll be eliminated right away.”
“Really?”
Mom’s voice went up an octave.
She must have been worried the whole time that I’d come home because I was eliminated.
‘I should’ve told them I was just coming home for a break.’
I was so out of it that I'd only messaged them I was coming home today, which must have caused this whole situation.
“Yeah.”
“That’s a relief. A huge relief.”
“Why are you all still up?”
“Mom and Dad said they couldn’t sleep after getting your message, so I stayed with them. Seriously, you’re all so dramatic.”
My sister said in a grumpy tone, but I knew she didn’t mean it.
She was so embarrassed she couldn’t keep her lips still; they kept twitching.
“You must be tired. Go get some sleep.”
“Okay. You, Mom, and Dad should get some sleep too.”
“Alright. We will.”
Everyone seemed relieved as they went to their rooms with bright faces.
I also washed up quickly and went to my room.
By the time I finished unpacking my bag, it was already 2 AM.
“I should just sleep for now.”
I’d been sleep-deprived during the entire shoot, so I passed out the moment I lay down on my bed.
* * *
“Ugh…”
I slowly opened my eyes.
I felt strangely refreshed.
I checked my phone and saw it was 1 PM.
I had slept for about eleven hours straight.
“Wow. I really slept a lot.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept for so long.
I stretched and went out to the living room.
It seemed I was the only one home.
“Guess I’ll just grab a bite.”
I took out a few side dishes from the fridge and turned on my phone while I ate.
When I logged onto social media, I saw ‘RED CUBE’ was trending.
‘Looks like the teaser is out.’
[The Full-Scale Idol Re-Debut Project. ‘RED CUBE’.]
There was a separate account for it.
When I went to the account, the profiles and self-introductions of all 51 contestants were uploaded.
I scrolled up to find my profile.
The very last one.
Number 51.
[Seo Yoon-seul.
Age: 20.
Hobby: Nothing in particular.
Special Skill: Singing.
Distinguishing Feature: Golden Retriever-like.]
‘A Golden Retriever?’
I’d never heard that one before.
I figured they gave me that nickname because my hair was light brown.
‘My original nickname was Bear-Mouse.’
That nickname was also because of my light brown hair.
[Ugh. Seo Bear-Mouse, please just disappear. I’m so annoyed.]
↳I know, right? If he had any sense, he’d just leave. Can’t he see how the other guys are suffering because of that bastard?
↳lololol I saw ‘that bastard’ and for a second I read it as ‘rat bastard’.
↳Me too. Seriously, whoever came up with the nickname Seo Bear-Mouse deserves an award.
While other idols got cute nicknames like bear, chick, or cat, my official animal was a mouse.
Not a hamster, but a mouse.
It was a little disappointing.
So much so that I even looked up ‘bear-mouse’ by myself, trying to find its good qualities.
[A word on your determination for the program: I will show you my sincerity.
Anything you want to say to the public: Please don’t hate me too much.]
Countless comments were posted below it.
↳So Seo Yoon-seul is on the show too. But asking people not to hate him… that’s heartbreaking. They say pity is the fastest path to love…
↳Other people wrote things like, “Please cheer for me,” or “Please love me,” but seeing Seo Yoon-seul write, “Please don’t hate me too much,” is just so sad.
↳Why does my heart ache so much? I just want him to do well.
I could see people feeling sorry for me after reading what I wrote in my self-introduction.
Still, pity is better than hatred.
[‘RED CUBE’ Teaser.]
I clicked on the teaser video.
[Doo-doo-doong-doo-doo-doo-doong.]
A grand piece of music started playing, layered with the sound of drums.
It sounded like something you’d hear before a superhero movie begins.
[Are you worried about school violence controversies?]
The sentence appeared in large letters on the screen as a narration began.
It sounded like the director’s voice.
[No!]
A scene of the writers calling schools while checking a list was shown.
[Our writers personally called the schools to verify. Still don’t believe us?]
[Beep.]
[Absolutely not. We scoured social media, and if there was even a shred of suspicion related to school violence, they were mercilessly excluded.]
The show didn’t shy away from showing the writers getting progressively more exhausted.
[So you can trust us. We’ve only selected those who are completely clean of serious social issues like drugs and school violence.]
It briefly showed clips of the contestants practicing.
[They’re working hard, aren’t they?]
Are they going for a B-movie comedy vibe?
Just as I was thinking that, a scene from my pre-show meeting appeared.
[I decided I’d go to Japan once I succeeded. That’s why I’ve never been. I asked my family to wait just a little longer, but now I’m just so ashamed.]
It was Haru.
As if the B-movie vibe had never existed, they built a narrative with soft, gentle music.
The scene changed.
This time, it was me.
[I’m fine. Public opinion has been bad ever since the leader left like that, so I’m used to it. In fact, I’ve never once been cheered for.]
Even the music stopped.
Only a quiet silence remained.
[So… does this mean I can be on the show?]
The order of my lines was changed.
The line I’d said later came first.
‘So they even chop up and use things like this.’
I thought I’d become an expert on evil editing after suffering from it so much, but NTV, the originators, were on another level.
[Thank you for sending me the message. I was so happy when I got it. It just felt like… I might still have a chance left.]
The screen changed, and another contestant appeared.
He was sobbing his heart out.
Wailing like a child.
A song by a band known for their youth anthems started to play. Then, the volume slowly increased.
[Welcome to my world.]
As what could be called the song’s climax played, past performances of the contestants flashed by quickly.
Their lives as idols before coming on RED CUBE.
I was there, too.
Since GANGSTER-M was the only group where every other member had caused a social scandal, my clip was filled with mosaics.
[So that everyone can shine once more.]
And with that, the teaser ended.
I moved my finger to check the comments.
↳About how I was cackling at the beginning but got all solemn by the end.
↳Why am I crying?
↳NTV, this isn’t like you… You’re supposed to be provocative. Starting fights on purpose, that’s your style. This emotional stuff isn’t you. It doesn’t suit you.
↳They smoothly turned potentially controversial stuff into comedy and then added a drop of the contestants’ desperate backstories. Watching that, I realized the pros are really different.
The reactions weren’t bad.
I could see why there were articles saying RED CUBE’s ratings beat most cable dramas.
I left the account page and searched for ‘Seo Yoon-seul’.
[Why is Seo Yoon-seul on the show? I don’t want to see him.]
↳Why? He didn’t do anything wrong.
↳A person’s environment is so important. Do you think a kid who grew up surrounded by guys who got their girlfriends pregnant, committed school violence, and did drugs would be mentally sound?
↳…? Just say you hate him for no reason. Your reasoning is giving me the creeps.
↳But I think there’s some truth to it. The fact that he survived among guys like that must mean Seo Yoon-seul is pretty cunning himself, right? There’s a reason they say “birds of a feather flock together.” It’s an immutable truth; there are similar proverbs in other countries too.
It wasn’t that shocking.
It was better than before.
‘Compared to being treated like a criminal and told to go die, this is much milder. Being a cunning kid is better than being a criminal.’
I nodded and moved my finger again.
[The mosaic that neutralizes my sadness. It’s hilarious how everything around Seo Yoon-seul is just a mosaic. (Screenshot of Seo Yoon-seul’s past performance video)]
↳I know, right? But the production team must have struggled with it. Since they were all problematic, they probably wondered which era to use, then decided, “Let’s just use it all and mosaic everything!” It’s true they were most popular when all four were together.
↳lololol The moment I saw the mosaic, the wave of sadness I was feeling subsided a little.
↳So I’m not the only one.
[When is RED CUBE starting? There are a lot of survival shows with trainees now, but isn’t this the first re-debut project? I’m curious. Since they’ve all debuted once, won’t they be good?]
↳We don’t know yet. There might be a reason they were nobodies.
↳Ah… that’s sobering.
↳FR. Honestly, there’s always a reason a group doesn’t make it… If the members are fine, then the songs are bad, or the company’s marketing sucks, or the timing is off, etc.
[A ‘RED CUBE’ account was made on YouTooV. But who taught them about premieres? So annoying. You can see the video thumbnail and title, but you can’t watch it. Confiscate their premiere privileges.]
↳Ugh. Are they trying to kill us with anticipation?
↳Don’t do this.
↳As expected from the masters of clickbait. Seriously, who makes teasers like that?
Curiosity got the better of me, and I went on YouTooV.
[RED CUBE]
Even though the show hadn’t aired yet, a list of videos appeared.
I went to the main ‘RED CUBE’ channel at the top of the list.
[Contestants Faltering from the First Evaluation?!]
The thumbnail was a collage of a contestant in a ridiculous pose, about to fall after messing up a step, and another contestant with a pale face and sealed lips, having forgotten the lyrics.
The production team had made a blooper reel.
‘That’s really cruel.’
↳What’s with that pose? It’s hilarious lolololol
↳I thought they were all guys who had debuted before. Why are they like that?
↳lolololol Looks like more than one or two of them messed up. Look at the video length.
↳Whoa. The first episode is going to be packed.
[Judge’s Reaction Compilation]
There was another video below that one.
It juxtaposed a judge’s frowning face with another’s gentle smile.
↳lolololol Isn’t that expression change too extreme?
↳lolololol They’re not judging with their faces, are they? Just by looking at their expressions, I feel like I know what the verdict will be.
↳Ah. How can I stand the curiosity?
↳Survival shows are always most fun at the beginning when everything’s a mess.
I should have been happy that I wasn’t the one being ridiculed, but I couldn’t bring myself to laugh.
Because I never knew when I’d get caught on the production team’s radar and become the next target of ridicule.
‘I have to be more careful.’