Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: A Villain's Fate
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After Kim Tae-jin packed his things and left, the team selection began in a slightly somber atmosphere.
They quickly edited and showed only the parts likely to be broadcast before moving on.
It seemed they had already spent too much time on the elimination announcement at the beginning.
The story progressed quickly.
After the teams gathered to check their mission songs, they continued their meetings with serious expressions.
[We're planning to perform a song by GANGSTER-M, the group contestant Seo Yoon-seul was in.]
More than one or two teams expressed their desire to perform a GANGSTER-M song.
[What the heck? Are we just going to get GANGSTER-M songs all day?]
↳ lololol My thoughts exactly.
↳ But it makes sense. GANGSTER-M's songs are the most well-known. Of course, the stage reaction will be good.
↳ Right. Honestly, you have to know the song to scream along...
↳ No way RED CUBE is just gonna sit and watch that happen.
↳ lolololololol For real. They probably pressured the trainers to make them change songs. It's so obvious.
↳ lololol You should work for the network. You nailed it. It hasn't even been 5 minutes since I saw this comment, and everyone's starting to change their songs lolololol.
It was time for the mid-point check.
Seo Yoon-seul's team came out last.
The college student rubbed her palms together, excited for the screen time she had been waiting for.
“So this is where that legendary performance happened, right?”
She licked her lips in anticipation.
The team that Seo Yoon-seul went in with was the one that ended up performing GANGSTER-M's debut song.
[Oh? It's a GANGSTER-M song? They must be nervous singing it in front of the original artist.]
“They were actually pretty good.”
Remembering their quality had been generally decent, the college student watched without much thought.
“Huh? What are they doing?”
It was completely different from her memory.
Something about it was awkward and childish.
“What the hell. Aren't they embarrassed in front of the original artist?”
The performance was so bad it felt disrespectful to showcase it with the original artist right there.
“That's really something.”
The college student's expression soon mirrored that of So-jeong on the television.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“That's just not right.”
[I'm just so baffled right now. Someone, say something.]
So-jeong's voice was filled with unconcealed anger.
“She has every right to react like that. How frustrating must that be? Ah. But this means our Yoon-seul, who must have prepared well, has to read the room now. He's probably pissed that they ruined his song, too!”
[Did you guys just not understand the song? What kind of song is this? The leader, you tell me.]
Under So-jeong's pressure, the one who appeared to be the leader cautiously opened his mouth.
The atmosphere only got worse.
[And you do this knowing that? Do you know what you guys look like right now? You look like a bunch of top students who went to an arcade after an exam. Like nerds desperate to imitate the cool kids. It's embarrassing just to watch. It's like someone who can't sing pretending to be a great singer. It's almost pathetic.]
At So-jeong's harsh critique, everyone lowered their heads and clasped their hands in front of them.
It was a posture that came naturally when being scolded.
Just then, So-jeong called Seo Yoon-seul's name.
The college student unknowingly swallowed hard.
“Why is she calling Yoon-seul now?”
[It's your song, so you can do it well, right?]
As soon as she finished speaking, the instrumental for 'PUMP' began to play.
A bewildered Seo Yoon-seul suddenly began to sing and dance.
The college student was deeply impressed by the sight of Seo Yoon-seul perfectly executing a song meant for five people all by himself.
“Wow. He'd kill it as a solo artist later on, right? Since he's the main vocalist, he'll definitely have solo activities after a few years. Just imagining it is overwhelming.”
That brief thought alone brought a rush of anticipation.
After So-jeong's praise, Seo Yoon-seul's team also presented what they had prepared.
“So he's not just good on the main stage. He's great here too. How does he do all that by himself?”
They surely had the same limited amount of time as the other teams, but the quality was clearly different.
[What's with them? Why are they so good? I just thought these five were already a team. Choi Seon-il... what happened to him in that time? No, honestly, besides Kang Ju-hyeok and Seo Yoon-seul, wasn't everyone else in this group just so-so?]
↳ My thoughts exactly.
↳ When I first saw Seo Yoon-seul's team lineup, I thought it was a disaster, but I was totally wrong. Once they found a concept, song, and teammates that fit them perfectly, their synergy exploded and now they're flying.
RED CUBE immediately followed up by showing their smooth meetings and practice sessions.
[Is this the 'group project: hope' edition??]
↳ Seriously. I wish I could get teammates like these. No one raises their voice, they just exchange and accept each other's opinions... Is this genre fantasy?
↳ For real, this team is good for my mental health. This is a first. It's so refreshing.
↳ Right? I've only ever seen them smiling on the outside but engaging in a war of nerves like it's high society in a romance fantasy novel, or just a total mess with people storming out. The sudden change in atmosphere is hard to get used to. But it's really new. I almost forgot this was a survival show made by PD Kang Hyung-joon.
[Am I the only one who double-checked who the director is? You... your nickname was the devil, wasn't it? Kang Hyung-joon, you've made more than a few aspiring celebrities cry. Park Ye-in, who was on Kang Hyung-joon's first idol survival show, even said on a variety show that she resents the PD but is also grateful. She said she's confused herself. Looking at the results, she knows she should be thankful, but she keeps remembering how hard it was during the show, so it's not easy.]
↳ I haven't seen that show, can you tell me why it was so hard for her? I looked it up, but everyone just says to watch the show... I don't want to watch the whole thing.
↳ To put it simply: 1. Everything was ranked. That might sound normal, right? But it wasn't. Even their weight was ranked, so the skinny girls got meat side dishes and delicious food, while the slightly chubbier ones only got salad. At the time, Park Ye-in was apparently a bit swollen because she was unwell. I heard she asked for a proper meal because she needed to take medicine, but they refused. 2. The schedule was so tight they couldn't sleep. She said she doesn't even remember standing on stage. 3. They asked her to send an outfit proposal, so she sent a super detailed PPT, but what she got was just a pink frilly dress. There's more, but you get the gist, right?
↳ So he's an angel now by comparison... I know that pink frilly dress. It was seriously awful. So the production team just gave it to her and told her to wear it.
↳ I heard he got a ton of hate for it and improved things a bit.
The college student had never watched a girl group survival audition from start to finish, so she let out a sigh of relief after reading the comments.
“Wow. To think it's gotten this much better. Amazing.”
As she was clicking her tongue, thinking about the PD, the screen changed.
It was 'Friendly', the team that had just gotten thoroughly chewed out by So-jeong.
They were gathered in a circle, continuing their meeting in a dark, unlit practice room.
The atmosphere was a stark contrast to Seo Yoon-seul's team, 'Villain', which had been shown just moments before.
Their faces were invisible because the lights were off, but it was easy to tell that the mood was tense.
[Haaah... Are you seriously suggesting we go with that? Are you insane?]
The subtitles were on, but it was impossible to tell who was speaking.
Because their lips couldn't be seen moving.
The production team gave no information, as if their goal was to hide who was saying what.
[They hit us with the 'group project: despair' edition right after the 'hope' edition? We worried for nothing, huh? It was just that Seo Yoon-seul and Kang Ju-hyeok's teammates were nice...]
↳ lolol Seriously. What a twist.
↳ But why are they fighting? Is it about to be revealed?
[If we change it like that, everyone will say we copied them. Are you really okay with that?]
It was the same voice as the one who had sighed at the beginning.
[No. Honestly, our concept was already similar to begin with. Besides, you heard the evaluation just now. That we look too much like model students. That we need to have more of a 'playing around' vibe.]
It was a gentle voice, as if trying to persuade the one who was angry.
[Still, I really don't think this is right. I can't do it if this is how we're going to do things.]
After saying that, someone stormed out of the practice room.
They wanted to see who ran out, but just as the practice room door opened and light streamed in, RED CUBE cut away, leaving the person's identity unknown.
“What the heck!”
Just like that, the red cube logo appeared, and it cut to the preview for the next episode.
“It just ends like that?”
The college student couldn't contain her anger, pounding her thigh with her fist and writhing in frustration.
But that lasted only a moment.
Because Seo Yoon-seul appeared in the preview.
Seo Yoon-seul's team was moving hurriedly with serious expressions.
“Huh? Those weren't their outfits.”
It was only for a split second, but the college student noticed that the outfits they were wearing were different from the ones they had worn on stage.
“Those are... what the other team, the one that was fighting, was wearing!”
* * *
[What will be the fate of Team Villain?]
And with that, the RED CUBE broadcast ended.
“I thought your outfits were similar, but I assumed it was all a coincidence... I guess it wasn't.”
I could feel a slight tremble in Jung Eun-woo's voice. He seemed flustered.
I hadn't expected RED CUBE to air a scene like that.
‘And who was the owner of that voice?’
The person who objected to the team's plan.
I wanted to know who it was.
One thing was for sure: it wouldn't be Choi Jeong-un.
The guy who constantly glared at me and tried to pick fights, never hiding his hostility—there was no way it was him.
“More importantly, social media must be going crazy right now.”
There was no way it would be quiet in a situation like this.
‘What on earth is RED CUBE thinking?’
If a scene like that airs, my teammates and I will naturally get the sympathy vote.
But the opposite isn't true for them.
Since it wasn't specified exactly who said what, they might not receive harsh criticism individually. But the entire team would be branded as unlikable.
‘Of course, considering what they did, I don't feel sorry for them or anything. But this is going to have a huge impact on the voting results.’