Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The First Spoiler
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Just a few minutes ago, the practice room had been empty, but when we returned to watch the unreleased footage from RED CUBE, a long table, chairs, and refreshments were set up.
The practice room mirror was covered with a white cloth, likely to serve as a screen for a beam projector.
“Alright. You can sit here.”
Our names were written in front of each chair.
[Yoon-seul, Ho-jun, Haru, Eun-woo, Ji-ham]
It seemed to be an arrangement where those with higher rankings sat in the center, and those with lower rankings sat on the sides.
As we took our seats, something appeared on the white cloth.
“It’s like we timed it perfectly.”
[RED CUBE - Unreleased Footage]
The thumbnail showed us practicing as a group for the ‘When the Red Moon Rises’ stage during the finals.
The view count had already surpassed ten thousand.
There were more than just a few comments, too.
‘Everyone’s so fast.’
“Okay, I’ll play it now.”
The manager pressed a button on the remote, and the video started with the RED CUBE logo, just like the actual broadcast.
[Sigh….]
A deep sigh was heard, and the screen slowly transitioned.
The one who sighed was none other than the 11th-ranked contestant.
With beads of sweat on his face, he roughly wiped it with a towel and let out another sigh.
[Let’s not think negative thoughts. It just makes me anxious, and nothing good comes from it.]
Just then, other contestants flooded into the practice room.
[What? You’re already up? No wonder I didn’t see you.]
It quickly showed the 11th-ranked contestant practicing, having woken up before the sun was fully up, even though he had only gone to sleep near dawn.
Inspired by him, the other contestants burned with motivation.
[We need to decide on our parts.]
The screen changed, showing us all gathered and having a meeting.
Since each person had to perform three stages, they must have thought viewers might get confused, so a small explanation in the top-left corner indicated which stage we were preparing for.
[How about we try a concept that no one has done before?]
“This is our meeting scene.”
“Come to think of it, our team ended up debuting together, didn't we?”
“Huh?”
The other members, as if just realizing this, exchanged glances with wide, startled eyes.
Thinking back, I had rarely seen the other members looking at social media.
‘Then again, the other members probably never had to deal with criticism on social media or be careful with their words.’
Everything was different for me now, so I thought maybe I didn't have to live in constant anxiety, checking social media.
‘I should live a little more comfortably. Be grateful for what I have.’
[A concept no one has done before?]
A scene played where I was explaining the concept I had researched to the members.
But after that, they had edited in a clip of a puppy with sparkling eyes, staring at a treat.
“Pwahaha.”
“What is that.”
The other members, except for me, couldn't hold back their laughter and burst out.
‘They’re really pushing the puppy image.’
Honestly, there was a time I was called a bear-mouse, so being a puppy is something to be grateful for.
[…so if we do this part like this!]
It was edited to look like the other members were watching me, the only one passionately explaining, with very fond smiles.
‘I don’t think they ever looked at me like that, though?’
They were just focused on the meeting; they didn't give me those kinds of looks.
There’s no way I, who was right there, would mistake that.
‘I knew about manipulative editing from watching so much of it, but I didn't realize they could completely change the mood of a scene like this with just a song and a sound effect.’
It was manipulative editing in a different sense.
After that, the story progressed at a very fast pace.
[I’m sorry for saying that.]
The conflict that arose while distributing parts was quickly resolved with a single apology.
Normally, they would have used manipulative editing, but perhaps because it was the last episode, they resolved it in a heartwarming way.
“This is a bit awkward.”
RED CUBE, which used to swing between heartwarming and cutthroat, was now armed only with warmth, and everyone seemed awkward, their chatter decreasing sharply.
In truth, watching the eliminated contestants struggle also played a part in weighing on our minds.
We were being filmed, so we had to say something, but it wasn't easy.
[Honestly, I’ve kind of let go. I’m ranked 14th, you know. If it were twelve people debuting, maybe… but with only five debuting, how could I aim for a spot? I’m just working harder because I think of this as my last chance.]
The 14th-ranked contestant's personal interview made the atmosphere even more somber.
There was no way to recover from this.
Our flustered reactions to RED CUBE’s changed editing style might have been seen as entertaining, but this was different.
[You guys can do well today, right?]
The dance trainer asked the contestants.
[Yes!]
A confident reply came back.
[Good. It’s nice to hear your strong voices.]
It would have been better if they showed the stage performance, but that part went by in a flash.
[Please check YouTube for the full performance video.]
Just enough time to read the caption at the bottom of the screen.
I doubt it was even five seconds.
‘Can we even get enough screen time out of this?’
The video was about an hour long, but it was obvious our part in the reality show wouldn't even last five minutes.
[Don’t think of this as the end. This is just a gateway to the next step. It doesn’t end here; different paths will unfold for each of you.]
Some contestants were tearing up at the vocal trainer’s words.
It was right before the performance, so they were desperately trying to hold back their tears.
‘My heart feels heavy for no reason.’
Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, I felt a persistent discomfort.
I think it was because I knew better than anyone how desperate they were.
[One, two! Let’s burn it up!]
A scene of us psyching ourselves up together before the stage also appeared.
“Ah, I never dreamed Haru would actually say ‘Let’s burn it up’ back then.”
“Me neither.”
Jung Eun-woo deeply agreed with Lee Ho-jun.
“Since it’s come to this, how about we use that as our team cheer?”
Park Ji-ham cautiously suggested.
“You know how groups shout a cheer before going on stage. Something like that can really give you strength.”
The sense of unity and energy that such a cheer could provide was surprisingly significant.
“Alright. Let’s do it then. We debuted through RED CUBE, after all, right? Red and fire go well together.”
Haru readily gave a positive response.
Neither I nor the other members saw any reason to object, so we nodded.
“Great. From now on, our cheer is ‘Let’s burn it up’.”
And just like that, our team cheer was decided.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere softened a little.
When other contestants appeared, we offered words of encouragement, and when we were on screen, we chatted lightly.
Slowly, the video was nearing its end.
“They won’t show the ranking ceremony, right?”
“Probably not, right?”
Park Ji-ham and Jung Eun-woo exchanged words.
“Right. They already showed all of that live.”
[The RED CUBE production team wishes for all the other unsolved cubes to be completed, so that all 51 contestants may find their rightful places.]
“I guess this is the end.”
RED CUBE was now truly over.
“This feels a little strange.”
“Me too.”
“It’s like… I feel like I should be packing my bags to move into the dorms next week?”
We had been thoroughly conditioned by RED CUBE.
For about three months, our entire schedule had been dictated by RED CUBE, so it was understandable.
It had become our daily routine.
[Static.]
With a sound of static, the screen flickered, and an image of a red-lit alleyway suddenly appeared.
‘An error? But there’s no way RED CUBE would make a mistake like this.’
[I'm mess.]
White cursive letters appeared, and then a pair of red lips swallowed them.
The screen turned black again, and the video ended.
As I shifted to get up, white letters appeared once more.
[To be continued.]
Only then did I understand the reason for that random clip.
“Wh-what was that?”
“That’s about us, right?”
The members’ reactions to witnessing the spoiler were pure shock.
It was about us, yet we had known nothing and found out through YouTube, so it was a natural reaction.
It felt like we’d been hit hard on the back of the head.
I was relatively less affected.
Because I already knew what RE-V's debut song was, the shock was less severe for me compared to the other members.
“Well, everyone. Did you enjoy the broadcast?”
The manager, as if he knew everything, smiled at us.
“Shall we go meet your debut song now?”