Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Villain
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After getting our hair and makeup done, we were waiting in the dressing room for our turn.
The dressing rooms were assigned to each team, and cameras were mounted on every wall.
The intention was clear: they wanted us to share the room with people we'd befriended during practice, hoping to capture our relaxed reactions.
“That’s four teams down, right?”
“Yeah.”
I answered Kang Ju-hyeok’s question.
There were still five teams ahead of us.
I was almost envious of the teams who had already finished their performances and were now chatting away, carefree.
[Please give a big round of applause to team ‘Three O’Clock’ for their amazing performance.]
Thanks to the monitor in the dressing room, we could watch the stage in real time.
[Next up is team ‘Boss’.]
It was Choi Young-jun’s team’s turn—the one we’d had the mid-term evaluation with.
‘Looks like they changed their team name.’
So-jeong had told us that a team name represents its identity, so sticking with ‘Friendly’ probably seemed like a stretch.
But their concept for ‘PUMP’ was rebellious high schoolers, so why ‘Boss’? Something about it felt off.
‘Villain’ and ‘Boss’.
‘Why does it feel like they’re targeting us?’
As a strange feeling of connection washed over me, I wondered if I was just being overly sensitive.
I fixed my gaze on the monitor.
The stage lights came on, revealing the outfits of team ‘Boss’.
‘Huh?’
Even though I knew the cameras were rolling, my eyebrows furrowed for a moment.
I quickly schooled my expression.
A look like that was perfect fodder for anything.
Especially for evil editing.
I couldn’t just hand the production team bait.
‘Let’s deal with that first. That’s the priority.’
“Aren’t their outfits a little too similar to ours?”
Lee Seok-kyung said in a low voice.
His tone was extremely cautious.
He seemed to be aware of the cameras too.
“They are.”
I replied, my eyes still fixed on the monitor.
On the screen, team ‘Boss’s outfits were strikingly similar to what we were wearing.
Leather jackets were common enough, but even the silver chain accents were identical.
There was no way for us to change our outfits now, and my mouth went dry.
‘Since we’re performing after them, people are definitely going to say we copied them.’
There was a high chance the show wouldn’t clarify the situation properly.
It wasn't a huge issue, and they could just write it off as a coincidence. Plus, the debate on social media over whether we copied them or not would generate continuous buzz.
‘What should I do?’
While I was trying to figure out a solution, their performance began.
A familiar piano melody brushed past my ears.
In that moment, the team members’ gazes met in mid-air.
Their eyes reflected a shared sense of crisis.
“Shouldn’t we go outside and have a meeting?”
I nodded at Kang Ju-hyeok’s question, and we started searching for a place without cameras.
It would be a problem if our current conversation was broadcast.
But, as if to prove this was a close-coverage show, finding a camera-free spot was difficult.
There wouldn't be cameras inside the restrooms, but there were too many people coming and going.
We were trying to escape prying eyes, but going somewhere with listening ears would be just as bad.
“I don’t think there are any cameras here, though.”
“You’re right.”
The place we ended up was the prop room.
Just in case, we searched every inch of the prop room, but we couldn’t find a single camera.
They probably didn’t install any since they didn’t expect contestants to come this far.
Thanks to that, we could breathe a sigh of relief.
The room was packed with props, forcing us to huddle close together as we talked.
“This is driving me crazy.”
Choi Sun-il spat out in an irritated tone, roughly messing up his hair.
His carefully styled hair was now a complete mess.
“They have absolutely no conscience, do they?!”
I understood why Choi Sun-il was exploding with such fierce anger.
I was feeling something similar myself.
“The outfits? Sure, they could be similar. It’s not like we’re wearing clothes with frills and lace. But the accent pieces are identical too? Even the way they’re styled? And the arrangement? Ha. How can they be so shameless?”
Honestly, if it were just one or two overlapping elements, we could have written it off as a coincidence.
Our song concepts already had some similarities to begin with.
‘But this really crosses the line.’
“They’re obviously trying to screw us over. Why else would they do this? Honestly, it doesn’t do them any favors either. Since we’re on later, they must be trying to make our performance look less impactful. What other reason could there be? It’s like they’re praying for us to fail.”
I agreed with Hwang Jae-hyun.
Watching a performance similar to one you’ve just seen naturally makes it less interesting.
The audience’s standards would be higher after watching nine teams, and their concentration would have waned since the beginning of the show.
“Haaah…”
Kang Ju-hyeok let out a low sigh.
It was an incredibly frustrating situation.
“Let’s put aside being angry for a moment and focus on putting out this fire.”
At Kang Ju-hyeok’s suggestion, everyone, including me, nodded.
We didn’t even have time to be angry.
“First, the outfits. As for the song, people might think the program’s arrangers pushed for a similar vibe, and we have footage of us coming up with the concept first. Of course, whether the producers will air that is another story…”
Perhaps because he was flustered, Kang Ju-hyeok dropped the formal speech.
“Anyway, if we try to mess with the song now, we’ll probably just make it worse. So let’s just give up on that.”
If even one of us had professionally studied composition, we would have tried something, but with our current skills, it was impossible.
Just as Kang Ju-hyeok said, we would only ruin the song.
“So, let’s figure out what to do with the outfits first.”
It would have been great if we had enough time to go out and buy something, but we only had about thirty minutes.
We had to create new outfits with what we had on hand.
‘What should we do?’
I sank into thought.
The other team members didn’t seem to have any brilliant ideas either, their faces scrunched up as they remained silent.
The silence stretched on.
“…What if we take off the leather jackets?”
I suggested cautiously.
“That might be better… but wouldn’t we lose our key feature? Just a T-shirt, ripped jeans, and silver accessories. It feels too plain.”
Choi Sun-il countered my suggestion in a very careful tone.
He seemed to agree with my idea but was worried about the lack of something impactful.
I agreed with him on that.
Visual stimulation was incredibly important for idols.
‘Especially now, in the early stages of the show, before the fanbase has solidified.’
“That’s why I was thinking. What if we find that key feature somewhere?”
After all, we were in a prop room.
At my words, the other team members turned their heads and started looking around.
“You’re right.”
“Let’s have a proper look in here.”
* * *
This performance was also good, but it lacked a special pull.
Besides, she kept comparing it to the original.
‘Honestly, there’s a reason GANGSTER-M blew up right after their debut.’
They might have already fled the K-pop scene, but their skills were top-notch.
There’s always a reason when a rookie from a small agency makes it big.
‘There are going to be so many comparison posts on social media.’
The team that had just performed was her favorite so far, but she quickly dismissed the thought.
Once the comparison posts go up, it’ll be the start of a war.
[LMAO Boss? They’re not as good as GANGSTER-M. They couldn’t capture that addictive quality….]
↳So I wasn’t the only one thinking that. I just kept feeling like something was missing while watching their stage. Not that I want to watch those criminals.
↳LMAO, in the end, they couldn’t live up to the original.
↳They’re good… but something’s lacking. The vibe is different. Like a soda that’s lost 2% of its fizz?
↳Seriously, why compare them to the original? Just say they’re good. Why bring up those criminals?
↳Can’t I even make a comparison if I want to? And did I compare their personalities? I compared their skills. If you’re going to be a celebrity and go on a survival show, you should be prepared for that much.
↳I hate people like this. I can’t stand it when they say celebrities should just put up with everything.
The university student, a master of social media, briefly imagined the reactions that would follow right after the episode aired.
‘Ugh. Just thinking about it is exhausting.’
She quickly shook her head.
A true fan dives into the fire pit knowing it’s a fire pit, but she didn’t feel like doing that right now.
“That was a great performance from Boss. It was truly impressive.”
Wi Yeo-jun conducted an interview to buy time for the next stage preparation, drawing the audience’s attention.
After that, a few more teams’ performances went by.
There were a few who stood out, but it wasn’t enough to make her a fan.
‘Ah. Becoming a fan is supposed to be like a revelation from the heavens, a sudden spark that tells you to like someone, even if they’re not your usual type.’
“And just like that, we’re down to our final team.”
At Wi Yeo-jun’s words, the university student felt a sense of urgency.
She was sure she would regret it for a long time if she didn’t become a fan of someone today.
‘The last team?’
Since she hadn’t voted for any team yet, the university student couldn’t help but feel dejected.
‘Is it going to happen again?’
She always became a fan close to the final stage and had lost out on so much because of it, so a sigh escaped her lips.
“This is the final performance. Team ‘Villain.’ Let’s watch the stage together. Red Cube.”
As Wi Yeo-jun made a square with his fingers, the lights slowly dimmed.
Faint silhouettes appeared.
The university student clasped her hands together and began to pray earnestly.
‘Please. Let me become a fan this time.’
A blue light rose from the stage floor.
Thanks to the light, the figures standing on stage became clearly visible.
They were wearing slightly sheer black shirts and ripped jeans, their bodies wrapped in silver chains.
But that wasn’t all.
In their hands, they held the chains that bound them to one another.
‘No way. Is this for real? Am I really allowed to be watching this for free?’
Feeling as if her heart was about to leap out of her mouth, the university student brought a hand to her lips.