Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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After the game ended, Choi Young-hoon stormed out of the set and never came back.
I later found out that he'd given his notice to leave right after the incident.
He was originally fated to pull off some villainous antics in the next mission, so his departure had clearly thrown the story off course.
'No way he just drops out like that?'
Han I-jae looked troubled when he heard the news about the dropout, his expression darkening.
It was unexpected. Honestly, I'd thought he wouldn't care one way or the other.
'Does he think it's his fault?'
Curious, I subtly probed.
"Why, you worried about it?"
"Ah..."
Han I-jae shrugged. A silent way of saying he didn't care.
But he couldn't quite hide the faint unease on his face.
'Well, it's not really his fault anyway.'
He'd been the one acting infuriating throughout the shoot, practically begging for someone to snap at him.
If anything, Han I-jae had basically cleared out the villain who was supposed to show up later.
"Don't let it get to you too much."
"I'm not."
"...Alright, got it."
Han I-jae narrowed his eyes.
"What's with that tone?"
"Nothing, I said I get it."
Still, it was clear the earlier incident had brought us a bit closer. We could toss around jokes like this now.
'Haven't snagged the "friend" title yet, though...'
Eh, we'd get there slowly over time.
The next morning, as soon as dawn broke, an announcement called everyone to assemble at the set.
Right as we entered, we saw several placards stuck to the wall, each covered with stickers hiding what was written underneath.
"Keyword group battle, right?"
"Yeah, probably."
The keyword group battle divided the 16 trainees into pairs of teams competing with the same keyword but different songs. The team earning more points from the audience won, with benefits going to the victors.
'In the original story, the protagonist's team took the win.'
The novel had no choice but to hype up the protagonist.
But now, anything could happen. Especially since team compositions could shift unpredictably.
"Wonder what keywords they've got."
Amid the murmuring trainees, I was the only one who knew what lay ahead.
There were eight keywords total, and the one to avoid at all costs was Horror. The songs assigned to it were notoriously tricky.
'So, as long as we dodge Horror, we should be fine.'
Before that, though, team assignments were my main worry.
Teams were formed by having high-ranking trainees from the evaluation pick members in order. Ranks 1 through 8 chose concepts, songs, and even their rival teams.
'No picks for me. My evaluation score wasn't that high.'
I could only hope a top contender called my name.
"Hello, everyone."
As all the trainees sat, the set lights brightened, and the host appeared.
"With evaluations wrapped up, another mission awaits: the keyword group battle."
The explanation dragged on with details I'd already read in the novel, until finally, it was time to reveal the keywords.
"You're all dying to know what keywords we have this time. Let's unveil them along with the songs."
The host peeled off the stickers one by one.
Eight keywords emerged, each with a song title printed small below.
[Youth] [Love] [Death] [Hope]
[Fate] [Passion] [Happiness] [Horror]
"Kinda like Season 1, huh?"
"Nah, some are different."
"Horror? That's new."
Horror stood out amid the trainees' whispers.
Everything else was fine, but that one had to be avoided. In the story, every team stuck with Horror crashed and burned.
'To land a safe keyword and song, I need to get into a team with picking rights...'
"Han I-jae, please step forward and call the trainee you want on your team."
First up was Han I-jae.
The undisputed ace who'd claimed first in evaluations and the A-rank center spot.
In the novel, his team was dubbed the Avengers. Though the plot had him lose to Lee Hae-won.
'They picked Youth, but Han I-jae's side went intense while Lee Hae-won did fresh and bright.'
Intensity seemed like the winner at first glance, but Lee Hae-won nailed the fresh concept so perfectly that he pulled ahead.
'He might pick differently this time...'
I secretly hoped. Maybe he'd call me instead of following the script.
But Han I-jae didn't spare me a glance, filling his roster solely with A-rankers. Straight out of the novel.
'Guess his "only the skilled" trait doesn't budge.'
Even with his killer visuals, Han I-jae despised anyone lacking skills.
That's why in the original, he barely acknowledged Do Won-woo as human.
'Kinda stings.'
The next ranked trainee stepped up and called their picks.
Honestly, I'd held a sliver of hope. I'd made B-rank center and shone a bit, after all.
'Not calling me.'
Surprisingly, the top ranks skipped me entirely.
A few turns later, it was Kwon Hak-jin's pick.
'Please call me here.'
I shot him desperate eyes, willing him to notice.
And he did. Finally, Kwon Hak-jin called my name.
"Trainee Do Won-woo."
Relief washed over me.
I let out a breath and stepped forward.
"Hey, let's do well."
"Yeah, let's crush it, hyung."
Not bad, but not ideal either. We might miss out on prime keywords and songs since earlier teams would snag them first.
"Next, trainee Na Jae-hyun."
Na Jae-hyun bolted out, beaming at his name.
A few more trainees followed, mostly extras.
'Whatever. My strategy was always avoid Choi Young-hoon, and he's gone, so anyone should be fine.'
With that lax mindset, I waited for Kwon Hak-jin's next call.
Even knowing the script, he had the picks, so I couldn't dictate.
Unknown extras trickled in one by one.
"Our final trainee is...!"
That's when my eyes met Hyeon Si-woo's across the room, waiting eagerly.
'Don't pick Hyeon Si-woo.'
For some reason, since that meal, he'd been nagging at my thoughts.
Seeing him pushed aside by Choi Young-hoon during yesterday's games yesterday only made it worse.
'Hyeon Si-woo...'
I muttered inwardly.
"For our team's final pick, trainee Hyeon Si-woo."
No telepathy needed—it was like he'd read my mind. Kwon Hak-jin called him.
Hyeon Si-woo's eyes sparkled as he hurried forward.
'He looks thrilled.'
It had been ages since I'd seen Hyeon Si-woo this happy.
He greeted the team, smiling, then stood beside me.
'Overall, not a bad lineup.'
The team looked solid. The issue was where we'd end up assigned.
"Han I-jae, select your keyword and song, then choose your rival team."
Han I-jae huddled briefly with his members. Too far to catch their words clearly.
"I don't wanna face them, no way."
"Right? All aces over there."
Whispers from avoided teams drifted over.
Han I-jae ended the huddle and grabbed the mic.
"Our team picks... the Youth keyword's [Flying Boy]."
No twists—he stuck to the original exactly.
"Han I-jae, which team do you want to face?"
His gaze swept the floor, briefly locking with mine.
'No way he's picking us?'
Our eyes met, but he looked away fast.
The moment for his rival pick arrived. His lips parted as I watched anxiously.
"B Team."
As expected, Lee Hae-won's team got tapped.
'Skipping the weak ones for the next-best powerhouse.'
Classic Han I-jae. So far, it tracked the novel beat for beat.
Then the next team pondered before heading somewhere ominous.
'Wait, why there?'
My unease spiked as they approached the Horror placard.
"We'll take the Horror keyword's [Whispers in the Dark]."
'Why the hell...?'
I wanted to scream for them to stop.
Why jump into the fire pit with picking power?
I didn't care—as long as they didn't pick us as rivals.
That would auto-assign us [Crimson Hunger], a total disaster path.
The original description alone marked it as pure poison.
Boy group XIC's [Crimson Hunger], a vampire song with cringey lyrics that sparked massive buzz back then—or so the setup went.
The original artist pulled it off without ridicule, but trainees at this stage? Perfect punchline material. The novel described exactly that fiasco.
'The team that sang it bombed hard and got laughed off stage.'
So I clasped my hands, praying they'd spare our team.
"Our rival team is..."
Please...
Anyone but us.
"D Team."
It hit like a death sentence.
My eyes met Hyeon Si-woo's. Same dread mirrored back.
'Ah...'
Why us?
Out of all those teams, why?
'There were weaker ones—why not them?'
One oblivious teammate cheered wildly amid our gloom.
Yeah, no helping it. I schooled my face and moved to our spot.
'Ha...'
As I stood there dejected, my gaze crossed with Lee Hae-won on the neighboring team.
He grinned brightly. I barely mustered a smile in return, swallowing a sigh inside.
'Ha...'
Keyword group battle.
Right after the signal song video dropped—this was prime time to cement a strong image.
But if we ended up mocked instead?
'...Gotta change this.'
I resolved then and there. No way I'd let it turn into the original's laughingstock stage.