Chapter 31
Chapter 31
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Gangster Balloons
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[……? Not sure what happened, but something’s definitely up with Seo Yoon-seul, right? lolololol]
↳ We've got a psycho over here, rejoicing in someone else's misery!
↳ lolol why. Is that not allowed? It's a survival show. Isn't it natural to be happy when a competitor runs into trouble? Why are you acting all high and mighty?
↳ lololol These are the types with zero social skills. In the end, they'll have to work in the same group as that competitor if they both make the final lineup. This isn't a solo debut. And the contestants themselves seem to get along, so look at you trying to sow discord and make things awkward.
↳ You must've failed to get a ticket to the live recording, huh? lololol It's okay. I can see why you'd think that.
↳ lolololol If you'd gotten a ticket and seen the performance, you wouldn't be saying a word.
[Seriously, what kind of performance did Seo Yoon-seul give for his fans to be this calm? Based on the preview, they should be freaking out right now?]
↳ We're not calm. Those of us who went to the recording know something, but we can't make it public yet, so we're just trying to find our inner peace until next week. Haa……. If only I had the money, I'd spill everything!! I'm going crazy from the frustration.
↳ Same here. I want to start a chat room for people who can prove they were at the recording, but I'm worried someone will use fake proof of attendance to get in and leak everything...
↳ Exactly. But seriously, this is ridiculous.
[Putting the pieces together, isn't it that Team 'Friendly'? They copied Seo Yoon-seul's team, right? Not sure what exactly they copied, though. If so, what's the name of the guy who objected? He's the only sane one there.]
↳ I want to know his name too. I don't want to hate on a decent guy.
↳ I think it's Park Ji-ham. (Screenshot with brightness maxed out) Based on the height difference and build, it's highly unlikely to be any other member.
↳ I thought it was Choi Young-jun, but I guess not. The voice sounded like his.
↳ Is it okay to spread unconfirmed facts like this? What are you going to do if you're wrong?
↳ I agree with that person. You could get sued for this… Just delete it.
↳ Looks like a war is about to break out here. Bookmarking this.
[Stop messaging me telling me not to run my mouth with unconfirmed facts. I'm only going to explain this once, so open your eyes and read carefully!
(Screenshot with brightness maxed out) If you look here, the person with their mouth open is the second tallest.
(Screenshot of Team Friendly lined up) The second tallest person here is Park Ji-ham.
(Video comparing Park Ji-ham's voice) You heard the voice here, right?
Still want to say it's not him?
And finally, the smoking gun.
(Screenshot from the preview with a circle around Park Ji-ham, who is running off somewhere alone as soon as the performance ends) He's storming off alone because he opposed it. He’s not sharing in the joy with his team after the performance.]
↳ Wow. The dedication. That's seriously impressive lolololol Who are you?
↳ Are you part of the cyber police or something? How did you manage to piece all that together?
↳ You're a genius. Seriously. That clip in the preview is so tiny you can barely see it. How much did you have to zoom in? The quality must've been terrible, you probably had to enhance it yourself.
↳ So Park Ji-ham was the good guy.
↳ Wow. That's actually terrifying.
The public consensus soon shifted to the belief that Park Ji-ham was the only normal one.
Of course, we would have to wait another week for the episode to air to know exactly what had happened.
* * *
“That time has come around again.”
A week and a few more days had passed since I watched the live broadcast of RED CUBE with Jung Eun-woo and Lee Ho-jun.
And now, we were awaiting the ranking ceremony.
A lot had happened since that preview aired.
First, my family wouldn't leave me alone.
“You’re really okay, right?”
My sister had tried to get tickets for the live recording but failed miserably, so she hadn't seen the performance. I knew her anxiety came from not knowing the situation, but it was still a little tough.
On top of that, messages started coming in from people I’d all but lost contact with.
They came through various channels.
[I don't have your number, so I'm messaging you on social media. I saw you on RED CUBE. Looked like something happened, but I hope it all works out.]
It wasn't just DMs on social media, chat apps, and text messages.
There were quite a few people who commented on my old posts, flaunting our supposed friendship.
Of course, I didn't reply to a single one of them.
Not one of them had offered even a half-hearted apology.
‘Do they think their actions were perfectly justified?’
I was well aware that an entertainer's career lives and dies by their image.
And that if a friend you hang out with gets into trouble, you get lumped in together.
Hadn't the same thing happened to me?
I was bundled together with my members and made to suffer just because they had caused trouble.
So, I understood and let it go, even when they treated me like a stranger.
‘But that didn't mean we could go back to how things were before, as if nothing happened, once the misunderstanding about me was cleared up.’
Their attitude was a stark contrast to Wi Yeo-jun’s.
Even though we had lost touch before my scandal broke, the first thing Wi Yeo-jun did was apologize.
Well, none of that mattered anymore.
After last week’s episode aired, public opinion of me had completely changed.
[What the? Team 'Villain'? Why are they so good. They absolutely killed that ending. Have you seen the comparison video with the original? They completely dominated. Just destroyed the original song… My palms are stinging from clapping so hard. (Screenshot of Villain's final pose)]
↳ There was a reason Seo Yoon-seul's fans weren't worried.
↳ lolololol Wow. So this is why the people at the recording were saying the chains were insane. It's so intense I feel like it's bad for my health.
↳ This is why singers need to be good on stage. I mean… there’s just no comparison. They're so good that you remember them first without even trying.
↳ I thought Seo Yoon-seul was just good at singing, but he's a total all-rounder on stage. The other guys were incredible too. Their chemistry was just insane. I hope they debut together just like this.
↳ This lineup, forever. I know it won't happen, but I'll shout it anyway.
[Since this is a redebut project, their skills are undeniably top-tier. Even the way they find the camera is on another level. But couldn't they change the lyrics? The lyrics for some of the performances were just… I had to turn my brain off to listen. It got better as I listened, though. But that other team, you know. Choi Young-jun's team. They really… must have boiled their conscience in a soup somewhere. They copied the concept, the arrangement, and even the outfits. It was so bad that NTV had to show it. Even the production team must have thought it was out of line.]
↳ lolol For real. I was horrified when I saw the outfits. After the preview, I was like, "Eh, how unique could it be? Both songs have a bit of a delinquent vibe, so there might be some similarities." But no, they basically copied the entire outfit. You can't even call it a coincidence since they were right there listening to everything Team 'Villain' said in the fitting room. So creepy.
↳ My jaw dropped when I saw them rush into the prop room for an emergency meeting. What on earth happened in there? There were no cameras, so we'll never know unless they tell us themselves. But I doubt they'd answer if asked.
↳ They'll definitely keep their mouths shut. It's not something to brag about. Even though Team Villain are the victims, you know some people will still find a way to give them crap.
↳ But the key point here is that even after copying, they still couldn't win… heh. Pathetic.
↳ Seriously lololol As expected, those who use dirty tricks can never win.
[Team 'Boss' seems to be the only one that couldn't beat the original song. They fell into their own trap. But I don't want to do anything that benefits those criminals. So right now, I'm just listening to the part Seo Yoon-seul rearranged himself in the fitting room, but it’s not enough. I don't want to use AI to generate it either. Is there no other way? Can't they just get Seo Yoon-seul to record it alone now? I feel like he could totally do it.]
↳ It's annoying, but those criminals were talented. When their agency first debuted them, the CEO boasted that they had been trained rigorously and would show everyone what a truly skilled idol group looks like. I just feel bad for Seo Yoon-seul.
↳ FR, those criminals had the devil's talent. Why did you do this to my ears? Why did you make it so I can't listen to anything but the original and then just leave?
↳ But isn't it a bit much to call one of them a criminal? School violence and drugs are definitely crimes, but…
↳ I knew someone would say this. But isn't it annoying to have to specify? Besides, they weren't even veterans. A rookie getting his girlfriend pregnant before marriage? That's as good as a crime. Especially when the group's leader had just left due to a school violence scandal. There were only three members left. What were the remaining members supposed to do when he caused trouble like that?
And just like that, the tide of public sympathy turned completely in my favor.
Once the broadcast revealed that Team ‘Boss’ had copied not only our team’s concept and arrangement style but also our outfits, the arrows of criticism were aimed elsewhere.
I had anticipated it to some extent, but I hadn't expected such a drastic shift.
[Everyone's making a fuss, so let's just unify what we call them. It's confusing for us too. I've given it some serious thought, what about balloons? Like deflated balloons. They ran out of air and just flew away.]
↳ lolol Just "balloons" is confusing. Let's call them Gangster Balloons.
↳ Gangster Balloons lololololololol Ah, why is this so funny. Gangster Balloons it is.
↳ Balloons lolololol It fits them so well. They were flying high with a good tailwind, but they flew right into a tree branch themselves and popped.
[I laughed so hard at Gangster Balloons that I don't think I need to do my ab workout today. Seriously, why are people so creative? The future of Korea's arts is so bright. Can you all tell me what kind of education you received as children?]
↳ lolol I concur.
↳ Seriously, why is everyone so smart? I feel like I'm the only dumb one.
↳ It’s okay. I’m dumb too…
↳ Good to know I’m not alone.
“Gangster Balloons.”
Reading it, I let out a small chuckle before I could stop myself.
“I shouldn't be laughing at this.”
I wasn't in contact with them anymore, nor were we close, but they were still people I had spent several years with.
They had made a huge mistake, of course, but I didn't want to laugh at posts that mocked them.
Deciding that scrolling through social media would only tire me out, I put my phone away and started packing for the next shoot.