Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Broadcast Night
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Somehow, we ended up gathering at Jung Eun-woo's apartment to watch the live broadcast.
Just visiting a few of the electronic billboards was more tiring than I expected, and while we were resting at a café, we got hungry.
We naturally decided to grab dinner, and while we were eating at a nearby restaurant, a preview for Red Cube started playing on the TV in the corner.
“Come to think of it, today's the day of the broadcast.”
“You're right.”
We paused our meal for a moment and fixed our eyes on the TV.
[Tonight at 8 PM, Red Cube!]
“That's soon, isn't it?”
The clock on the restaurant wall showed it was about 6:45 PM.
“Well, since we're all together, want to watch it at my place?”
And that's how we ended up here.
“Aren't you guys a little hungry? Want something to eat? I'll make something.”
“Hyung, you cook?”
“Yeah. Cooking for yourself is the cheapest.”
Jung Eun-woo replied to Lee Ho-jun's question.
“I'll make some simple tteokbokki.”
With that, Jung Eun-woo got up and headed to the kitchen.
“Is tteokbokki simple?”
“I've ruined a kitchen trying to make it before...”
I replied to Lee Ho-jun's question.
Back when I was in the second generation of GANGSTER-M, I was the oldest, so I tried to cook for the others.
I thought it would be a good way to get closer to the members.
To cut to the chase, it was a disaster.
I don't know what gave me the confidence to try when I couldn't even cook.
Not only did I just create a bunch of food waste, but I also made a huge mess in the kitchen. Instead of bringing us closer, it made things worse.
“Same here. I can make something edible if I follow an online recipe exactly, but it's not something I'd do for fun.”
As Lee Ho-jun and I were talking about our cooking failures, Jung Eun-woo returned with the tteokbokki.
It looked incredibly appetizing.
“Hyung. Whoa, you're a good cook.”
“I used to cook at our old dorm too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“That's amazing.”
Lee Ho-jun said as he popped a piece of tteokbokki into his mouth.
“This is delicious.”
“What, did you think it would just look good and taste bad? Yoon-seul, you try some too.”
At Jung Eun-woo's urging, I took a bite.
It was delicious.
So good it made my eyes widen.
“Hyung, you could probably open your own tteokbokki place...”
Jung Eun-woo burst out laughing at my review.
“You think so? Then if things don't work out this time, I should switch careers and start a tteokbokki business.”
It was a joke, but the mood in the room instantly grew somber.
Because there was a hint of truth in his words.
After all, I was the only one who knew that Lee Ho-jun and Jung Eun-woo would make it to the final debut lineup.
“What are you talking about? You have to debut.”
“That's right. It would be great if we all debuted together.”
Jung Eun-woo replied to my comment.
“Seriously. The team chemistry would be amazing.”
[The puzzle pieces come together again. Red Cube!]
Before we knew it, the show had started.
“Looks like they're announcing the eliminated contestant right away.”
“But isn't the system really cruel? You pack all your things, and then you're eliminated as soon as you arrive.”
“And it was even more brutal this time since only one person was being eliminated.”
Since we were in a private setting without cameras or mics, our conversation became unfiltered and natural.
[The number of contestants who will taste the bitterness of elimination today is...]
“I seriously thought my heart was going to stop right there.”
No sooner had Lee Ho-jun finished his sentence than his own frozen face filled the screen.
“Hey, what the heck.”
Jung Eun-woo and I couldn't hold back our laughter.
Because Red Cube had used a dramatic *thump* sound effect while showing a close-up of Lee Ho-jun's expression three times in a row.
“Everyone else's face was frozen too, so why only me?”
“I bet they'll show the others next.”
[Just one person.]
Just as I'd said, they showed close-ups of the other contestants' faces.
I was among them.
I thought I'd kept a calm expression, but I was completely wrong.
The corner of my eye was twitching, however slightly.
“Yoon-seul. Seeing you makes me feel a little better.”
Lee Ho-jun said, lightly patting my shoulder.
Honestly, I looked more pathetic.
Lee Ho-jun's expression had just frozen, but I was a mess with my twitching lips and awkward eyes, trying desperately to act unfazed.
[Before we reveal the results, let's watch the video of the contestant who took first place in views.]
Soon, Haru's individual video began to play.
“No matter how many times I watch it, he's so good.”
“That hyung is a natural.”
The exclamations of awe were automatic.
I felt like I'd have the same reaction no matter how many more times I watched that video.
“I still can't believe he's Japanese.”
“During our theme song mission, he figured out all the formations by himself and gave them to us.”
“Oh, I saw that. It was incredible. How can someone memorize the formations for ten people, not just one or two, in such a short time?”
“His ability to focus in the moment must be insane.”
Haru's video ended, and after Wi Yeo-jun said something, Choi Seon-il's video played immediately.
Honestly, looking at it on its own, Choi Seon-il's performance wasn't that bad.
It wasn't like it was lacking in any particular area.
It just didn't have that special something to really capture people's attention.
‘He's a rapper, but the song doesn't have a single rap verse, and the dance style doesn't suit him well, so it can't be helped.’
I knew this well because I was on the same team as Choi Seon-il.
Choi Seon-il's dance lines are better suited for hip-hop-based choreography than a song like this.
The same went for his vocal tone.
It had a slightly rough quality to it.
[Now, let's watch the video from the grade with the lowest number of views.]
It was the F-grade video.
“Honestly, at that moment, I thought our grade's video would be shown.”
“Huh? Hyung, you didn't check the view count?”
Strangely enough, Red Cube didn't confiscate our phones.
It seemed to be because they made us promise not to upload anything on social media during filming.
And even though we had our phones, the cameras were monitoring us 24/7, so that was also a factor.
‘If you're constantly on your phone, girlfriend rumors are bound to pop up.’
I'd seen countless cases like that.
[Hey, why is he always on his phone in the behind-the-scenes content? I don't get it. Does he have a girlfriend?]
↳Does being on your phone automatically mean you have a girlfriend? He could just be on social media or talking to his family.
↳Sure, in the waiting room. But even in the behind-the-scenes content? It's a bit weird for it to be social media. He's looking at it that often but not posting anything? That's too much.
↳Are you just naive, or are you defending him to the death? A dating scandal is coming soon, lol. I got burned hard by a situation just like this.
Anyone in the entertainment industry would have seen fan reactions like that at least once.
Their agencies would have advised them to be more careful.
“I was just too scared to look.”
“Not at all?”
Lee Ho-jun raised his voice in surprise at Jung Eun-woo's answer.
“Yeah.”
“Hyung, your self-control is amazing. I checked it so many times.”
I was similar to Lee Ho-jun.
Even when I tried not to, my fingers would move on their own.
Besides, even if I managed to resist checking, my efforts were futile because accounts that tallied the rankings in real-time had popped up on social media.
“I wanted to, but I couldn't bring myself to look. But who knew that mistake would actually be a catalyst? The view count difference with A-grade was almost nonexistent.”
Jung Eun-woo said, popping a piece of tteokbokki into his mouth.
[When you watch YouTube, there's one feature that always catches your eye, isn't there?]
“I seriously never imagined that.”
“That they'd use the 'dislike' button like that.”
I nodded my head vigorously in agreement.
I truly never would have dreamed of something like this.
The camera captured my pale face.
Then, it even zoomed in on my hand clenching and unclenching.
Tense music began to play softly in the background.
[That thing that's probably on your minds right now. That's right, the 'like' and 'dislike' buttons.]
*Thud.*
With a dull thud, like a heavy rock falling, they showed the contestants' faces once more.
Even though it was a similar editing trick, it didn't feel boring or drawn out, probably because the first elimination announcement was imminent.
“The fans who don't know the results must be going crazy right now.”
***
The reactions of those watching the live broadcast were blowing up on social media.
Every time you refreshed the timeline, a stream of new posts appeared.
[And conversely, the contestant who received the most 'dislikes' is Seo Yoon-seul.]
The college student who had won an audience ticket and become a fan of Seo Yoon-seul knew he wouldn't be eliminated, so she was watching the broadcast leisurely. But upon hearing Wi Yeo-jun's comment, she sat up with a start.
“Seo Yoon-seul got the most 'dislikes'?”
She straightened her posture.
“No. I just don't get it. What did my boy do wrong?!”
Before she knew it, Seo Yoon-seul had become "her boy."
She quickly scanned the reactions on social media.
[Wow. So Seo Yoon-seul is number one in dislikes, as expected. He got so many...]
↳His view count is high, but his 'dislike' count is no joke. If things go wrong, Seo Yoon-seul's ranking could be in danger, right?
↳But if you watch the show, it seems like Seo Yoon-seul's screen time is starting to disappear... I think he was just used for bait in the beginning. Seo Yoon-seul probably noticed that and acted that way even more.
“Yes! This is exactly it. Ugh...”
Since his performance was scheduled to air in next week's episode, the college student pounded her chest with her fist in frustration.
“If they just saw that performance, everyone would change their minds! Why is it next week?”
The college student's lips started to form a pout.
Meanwhile, the elimination announcement came to an end.
The other contestants offered words of comfort to the one who was eliminated.
As if Red Cube also felt it was cruel to eliminate just one person in the first round, they delved into the eliminated contestant's backstory.
They showed his journey chronologically, from his early debut days to the story of why he joined Red Cube, making it feel like a flashback scene from a drama.
[What the heck, why am I suddenly crying... I was anxious because Red Cube was dragging out the announcement, then I was annoyed, and now I'm crying.]
↳Kim Tae-jin? I hope you do well.
↳Seriously. Kim Tae-jin, be happy!
↳Kim Tae-jin... I'm rooting for you. I can really see how hard you've worked with just the dream of being an idol.
Right now, social media was flooded with a wave of support for Kim Tae-jin, the first eliminated contestant.
‘I'm actually starting to root for him too. Still, my pick is Seo Yoon-seul.’