Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Clearing a Name
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Although Kang Ju-hyeok had left the show, filming continued as if nothing had happened.
“We will now begin selecting parts for the group performance.”
The group performance was for “When the Red Moon Rises,” the theme song of RED CUBE.
Since we were all familiar with the choreography and the song, we just needed to assign parts and sort out the formations. It seemed like the practice time wouldn't be too long.
“To select the parts, we will first decide on the main dancer and main vocalist. The selection will be done by secret ballot. Please write down the name of the person you think is best suited for main dancer and main vocalist and submit it. You may only write the name of another contestant, not your own.”
We went into a space crudely partitioned off by a tarp and began to vote.
The fact that I had to write someone else’s name made me think even harder.
‘Who should I write down?’
In a way, this was a battle of wits.
If you were aiming for main vocalist or main dancer, you had to write down a name that you thought no one else would pick.
‘The problem is, others might be thinking the same thing.’
If this went wrong, it would be a nightmare of a performance for everyone.
If someone without the right skills took a key position, the quality of the performance would naturally drop.
Since this was the final stage, no one was disastrously unskilled, but the difficulty of “When the Red Moon Rises” was so high that such worries naturally arose.
‘Let’s just think about the performance.’
I came to the conclusion that a successful performance was ultimately what was best for me. I wrote Haru for main dancer and Lee Ho-jun for main vocalist.
“Alright. Next person, please.”
The voting proceeded step by step.
It didn’t take very long.
The production staff began to check the ballots in front of us.
‘I’m getting nervous for no reason.’
This might be the last time, and I wanted to put on a good show.
“We will now announce the results of the vote.”
The staff member dragged it out as if they were a famous MC.
They opened their mouth very slowly, drawing our attention.
“The main dancer is…”
Just when I thought they were about to announce it, they took another breath.
After RED CUBE was over, I felt like I wouldn’t want to watch any slow-paced broadcasts for a while.
‘I think I’m going to get some serious PTSD.’
The ranking announcements were bearable, but this was not.
Honestly, it would be nice to stand out a little more by being the main dancer or main vocalist, but this wasn't the only performance we had.
“Haru, with a total of five votes.”
Haru bowed his head to the other contestants to express his gratitude.
Frankly, he was such a good dancer that it was only natural for him to be the main dancer.
Even if he stood at the very end instead of the center, he would still steal your gaze.
It was actually more beneficial for the rest of us that Haru, as the main dancer, would draw attention where needed and step back when not.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
A round of formal applause followed.
“We will now immediately announce the main vocalist. The main vocalist is!”
My throat went dry with nervousness, and I swallowed hard.
“Seo Yoon-seul, with a total of six votes.”
I got it.
I also bowed my head to the other contestants to thank them.
“Now, you can decide the remaining parts through discussion.”
With that, the staff member lowered the microphone.
Discussion.
Never before during filming had there been any conflict within a team, so I never dreamed things would turn out like this.
“No. This part is just not right. It doesn’t even suit my voice, so let’s not pretend you’re doing me a favor. You just want part B for yourself.”
“That wasn’t my intention at all. Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions?”
To explain the situation, it went like this.
While discussing how to divide the most eye-catching parts of the song, the so-called “killing parts,” it was natural that most of us wanted the same ones.
The same went for the parts nobody wanted.
At first, everyone was smiling, appealing how well they could pull off their desired part.
“This is a gentle part, right? So I think I can bring it to life with my falsetto.”
“Since the overall feel of the song is mellow, wouldn't it be more refreshing to have a low voice like mine to anchor it?”
The ordinary appeals gradually turned into a war of nerves, leading to this situation.
“Jumping to conclusions? No. That’s how it sounded to my ears.”
“Hold on. I think we should all calm down.”
“That’s right.”
Haru and I tried to mediate.
“Those of you who’ve already secured your parts, please stay out of it for a moment.”
But we were shut down instantly.
I could understand how they felt.
If I hadn't become the main vocalist, I would have also been racking my brain on how to stand out even once in this performance.
There were fourteen people, but the song was only about three and a half minutes long, so many of us had parts that were less than a single line.
It was even worse than during the grade-level filming.
At this rate, it seemed unlikely we would be able to divide the parts by the end of the day.
“Let’s be honest, who would want this part? We don’t have much practice time, so how about we just draw lots?”
Lee Ho-jun carefully suggested.
Everyone seemed to like the suggestion, their expressions softening.
“We still have two more stages to practice for besides this one. Our time is limited. And even if we decide by discussion, it’s obvious that not everyone will be satisfied with the result.”
“That makes sense.”
“That would be better.”
And so, we asked the production staff for paper and a pen to draw lots.
“How should we decide the order?”
“Let’s do rock-paper-scissors.”
“Sounds good.”
After that, everything went smoothly.
Thanks to that, we managed to set the formations for the day.
It was nearly dawn by the time I washed up and could finally lie down in bed.
This time, too, we were assigned rooms by team.
Our team had five members, so there were two bunk beds and a single bed.
I ended up sharing a bunk bed with Haru.
“Is it okay if I turn off the lights?”
Lee Ho-jun asked cautiously.
“Yes.”
Everyone was so exhausted that they answered in weak voices.
With a click, the room went dark.
Though only a few seconds had passed, I could hear what sounded like sleeping breaths from all around.
I felt like my eyes could close at any moment, but I pulled the covers over my head and lowered my phone’s brightness to the minimum.
‘Let’s just scroll through social media once and then sleep.’
I was worried about Kang Ju-hyeok.
[Hello, this is Kang Ju-hyeok. It is true that I went to the same middle school as Park Su-hyeol, the former leader of GANGSTER-M. It is also true that we were close at the beginning of the school year. I will not deny that fact. However, the school violence allegation is completely false. After I learned that Park Su-hyeol was committing school violence, I did not associate with him.
Although it is an untrue rumor, I want to express my apologies to the many people who were harmed by this.
Lastly, I have some very unfortunate news to share with the fans who have supported me until now.
You made a digital billboard for me and worked tirelessly to encourage votes, but I have decided to leave RED CUBE as I feel this incident will harm the program.
But please don’t worry too much.
I will be sure to successfully debut with my current agency and come back to see you all again.
It’s shameless of me to ask, but please wait for me until then.
Hoping that all the contestants of RED CUBE will debut and meet one day on stage,
Kang Ju-hyeok.]
Kang Ju-hyeok’s statement was released.
The reactions were clearly split in half.
Just as I expected.
Some believed in Kang Ju-hyeok’s innocence, while others claimed he left because he had something to hide.
Another mud-slinging fight, devoid of any logic, had begun.
↳ So tired of these kinds of statements.
↳ LMAO his agency probably wrote that for him. Birds of a feather. It’s science.
↳ What kind of science is that? People like this are so weird… It can't be science, but they call everything science.
↳ You don't get probability, do you? lol
↳ Let’s just drop it. I’m only hurting my own fingers typing this.
↳ Ju-hyeok. We will always support your decision. It couldn’t have been easy to give up your spot in the debut-safe ranks to avoid being a burden on the program, but you are truly, truly amazing. We won’t forget your decisiveness. And we will wait. We won’t go anywhere; we’ll be waiting for you, so let’s meet again after you debut as you promised.
[Hello, I am a victim of Park Su-hyeol’s school violence. After first exposing Park Su-hyeol, I thought I would never have to write a post on the internet again. But that wasn’t the case. To get straight to the point, Kang Ju-hyeok is not a perpetrator of school violence. When I was being bullied by Park Su-hyeol, Kang Ju-hyeok was the kind person who reported it on my behalf. I hope that people will no longer criticize an innocent person based on uncertain facts.]
Fortunately, the victim posted, and the situation was quickly resolved.
[Wow. Kang Ju-hyeok was almost framed. Is Park Su-hyeol an actual idiot? If you say you were close with someone back in middle school, not even high school, isn’t it obvious a school violence controversy would erupt?]
↳ That’s what I’m saying. It’s so obvious he’s thoughtless, which makes me hate him more.
↳ But you know that saying, ‘the position makes the man.’ I’ve keenly realized that now. When he was the leader of GANGSTER-M, he had a really mature and tidy image, right? But now that he’s doing internet broadcasts, he just seems like a thug.
↳ Seriously, what did our Ju-hyeok do to deserve this, and the victim too. They must have gone through so much. I don’t understand why a guy like that is still streaming. Why are people even watching him?
[I’m so grateful that the victim showed courage for Ju-hyeok’s sake that I’m planning to open a fundraiser for the Committee for the Prevention of School Violence. Anyone who wants to join, please check the link below.]
↳ I love this so much.
↳ I’ll participate.
↳ I’m planning to send a petition to his company to ban Park Su-hyeol from streaming! Please show some interest in this too.
Perhaps out of relief, my eyes slowly closed as if I had passed out.