Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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After watching the broadcast, only one thought crossed my mind.
"The original story has changed so much."
Right after this episode aired, all sorts of reactions flooded the internet.
Lee Hae-won's stage, which should have been filled with praise in the original, was mostly met with complaints about unfairness in the comments.
Top comments claiming it made no sense for him to get a C despite messing up were sweeping up even those who hadn't thought much about it.
But this public backlash would surely fade soon enough. All that was left now was the episode where Lee Hae-won could show his true skills.
"...The real problem right now is Han I-jae."
With Do Won-woo's misfortune storyline transferred to Han I-jae, his bad luck was still piling up.
The comment sections were overflowing with complaints about Han I-jae's attitude.
"The reactions are... overall pretty harsh."
Of course, the original story had some similar responses, but they weren't the mainstream.
Even if he got called rude, far more people loved it as part of his charm.
But unlike the original, Han I-jae was getting trashed way more now. Maliciously edited shorts from his few-second reaction clips were mass-produced.
#shorts Dream Stage 2 trainee called arrogant
#shorts Dream Stage 2 trainee with A-grade skills but F-grade personality
#shorts Han I-jae mocking other trainees
From the premiere, the vibes had been turning sour, and after episode 2's reactions dropped, it plummeted.
"He's got popularity and buzz, but way more antis than in the original."
My head throbbed.
There's that saying: reality is harsher than fiction. I could really feel it now.
As the novel synced with reality, even parts that didn't need to be realistic became brutally so. It was bitter.
Especially the internet reactions. Anonymity made people spew whatever.
"...Humanity's starting to disgust me again."
I swallowed a sigh, jotting down changes from the original in my notebook to assess the situation.
The biggest standout was that Han I-jae had taken on Do Won-woo's early negative publicity fate.
Morning came, and I grabbed my phone the second I woke up. To check for messages from Lee Hae-won.
"...Nothing."
Even the day after the broadcast, no word from Lee Hae-won. He was basically ghosting the chats.
"Did his mental break?"
I decided to call first. He was the type to text even on his deathbed, but given the severity, I went for video call.
After a brief ringing, it connected, and Lee Hae-won's face appeared.
"...?"
I clocked it instantly.
Anyone could see he looked like he'd been crying.
"You okay?"
[Yeah, sure, I'm fine.]
His words said one thing, but he looked anything but.
"Why ignore the chats?"
[Just had my phone off...]
"Really? But it's on now."
[Just turned it back on...]
Maybe it was his first time facing hate like this—his face was pale, almost ghostly white.
"He wasn't the strong-willed type to begin with."
I'd expected this, but seeing him more wrecked than during filming tugged at me.
Call it guilt. I'd altered fates, and he'd gotten swept up. That feeling had lingered since early filming.
"...Don't worry too much."
All I could offer was clumsy comfort.
"You messed up at first, but you recovered later. Even the masters praised you during the signal song eval."
Lee Hae-won nodded, eyes brimming like he might cry any second.
"Once the good parts air next episode, all this noise will die down. I know how good you are."
[Really...?]
"Yeah. Trust me."
Lee Hae-won cracked a small smile.
[Hehe... Thanks.]
"Seeing him smile means he's a bit better. Good call making the video call."
He'd looked like a zombie at first.
His mood flipped with one sentence—made me think I should give more positive words for his mental health going forward.
"See you later."
[Yeah, you too.]
"Phew..."
I hung up, sighed, and set the phone down.
Then I got up and stood in front of the mirror.
"Time to practice."
This rare break was just a chance to regroup, not really vacation.
Others might slack, but with my current skills, no time for that.
"Only practice will improve me even a little."
And so, hellish practice in my semi-basement resumed.
After grinding through the break, my stats finally shifted.
Vocal and Dance both hit B-grade territory, and Charm rose after the broadcast praise.
This was meaningful progress.
"Back when I first saw my stats, I wanted to die."
When did I get this far?
Reflecting on the start felt emotional, but weirdly seeing B-grades and feeling happy seemed off.
No complacency here. Only aim higher.
"Gotta work harder."
Time passed, and the signal song mission episode aired.
With center assignments by rank and the official signal song stages out, certain trainees started gaining traction.
"So much has changed."
Won Ji-an from F-center still captivated in his mere 12 seconds of footage.
Post-airing, his popularity exploded, thankfully.
"At least I won't see Won Ji-an die at the end."
They'd call it my ego, but I felt I'd held my own too.
The B-grade performance segment had the most replays across all ranks—I wanted to pat myself on the back.
Taking Lee Hae-won's original center spot was pressure, but I'd pulled it off.
"Overall reactions are solid."
I scrolled the comments carefully.
What should've been a hate-filled comment section was full of praise.
Visually and numerically, it was positive.
One nagging doubt, though: pure curiosity about my popularity.
"...Am I really this good?"
The comments were all praise, but honestly, I wondered.
Am I skilled enough to shine like this?
Such skeptical vibes were emerging: "Is he really that good?"
But they got buried under Han I-jae's overwhelming hate.
After that clip, Han I-jae was getting obliterated.
The original had some negative notes here, but nothing this bad.
Positive spins like "unique character" or "refreshingly honest trainee" dominated back then.
Blame the shifted misfortune arc—the comment vibe was vicious.
"...Reactions are really bad."
A few fans tried cleaning up the comments, but it was futile.
Not just casual viewers—even fans of other A-rank non-centers hated him now, tearing in properly.
Han I-jae wasn't the friendly type with others, making him an easy target.
"Honestly, does he deserve this much hate?"
He might come off arrogant or annoying to some.
But he got center because everyone on-site had to acknowledge his skills.
Plus, saying that meant risking humiliation if he didn't get it—that was on him.
Despite that, he said it: he had that much pride in his abilities.
"Not weird to have that much confidence in your skills."
Those weren't just raw talents. Effort had honed them.
Unfortunately, not everyone saw it my way.
"Lee Hae-won's opinion recovered, but Han I-jae's seems hard to flip."
Hated from ep1 as unfriendly and arrogant, the image had set.
Not even close friends, but I was genuinely worried. Lee Hae-won pulled through, but Han I-jae's misfortune kept stacking.
"...Maybe text him."
I decided against it.
Not close—reaching out now might seem like pity.
I trusted Han I-jae to handle it, setting my phone down.
"...Headache."
I cleared my cluttered thoughts and flopped onto the bed.
When was the last time I fell asleep instantly, no thoughts?
"Just... don't wanna think at all..."
With that, eyes closed, sleep came.
"...Ah, damn it."
That dream again.
In the dream, I always rewound to the same day: the college entrance exam day I died in a traffic accident.
A ear-splitting horn blared soon after. I turned— a sedan hurtling madly at me.
Screeech—
Right before impact, time froze, the world turning black and white.
Even in monochrome, clearest was the driver's face beyond the window.
"He's... smiling."
Right before hitting me, a bright grin on the driver's lips.
Drunk, probably. Slack eyes, flushed face, messy hair from a disheveled collar.
Who knows. Drunk, crazy, or both. Didn't matter.
"Why me?"
I wanted to ask.
"Why did it have to be me?"
"Thought I'd ace the exam, get scholarships, enter a top uni..."
I muttered to myself in the frozen world.
"Why... me?"
The moment of impact jolted me awake.
"Damn."
I cursed inwardly, trying to get up quick. But my body wouldn't move—sleep paralysis.
Then, a weird noise from the window.
"What’s that?"
I rolled my eyes toward it.
"...?"
Beyond the closed window, an indistinct black silhouette.
Dim figure due to the glass, but definitely human-shaped.
"Okay, moving now."
I finally broke free and sat up—just as the shadow vanished.
"...So tired I'm hallucinating now."
It happened often.
Studying late into dawn led to paralysis sometimes.
But visions like this? First time. Usually just couldn't move.
Shaking it off, I grabbed water from the fridge, then checked my phone.
"Why so many messages?"
Oh right—this episode, I missed the live and crashed from practice fatigue.
Checking them, something felt off instantly.
「Won Ji-an: Won-woo, did you watch?」
「Won Ji-an: Seems unedited? You didn't know you were being filmed?」
"What?"
Rubbing my eyes, I reread. Something happened on air while I was out.
"This ep had the keyword group battle footage, right?"
I fired up the OTT app, found today's upload.
Scrubbing to my part.
"Ah, why this...?"
Unimaginable scene.
Speechless at that clip.
"We talked in a camera-free hallway—secretly filmed?"
Handheld phone footage: shaky, bad audio, but dialogue clear.
"Haa..."
Dizzy.
A convo thinking no one heard—broadcast worldwide.
Even seeking no-cam spots was pointless.
Now I knew: be way more careful.
"...Just embarrassing."
And sure enough, my advice to Lee Won-jun aired fully.
From my lines, touching BGM kicked in.
Editing magic. Plain talk turned cinematic inspiration.
"Insane."
What kind of edit made me look like the trainees' mental coach?
Then footage of me comforting crying Hyeon Si-woo in the practice room sealed the image.
Comments already: "Love how he cares for teammates," "Young but mature," "Surprisingly sweet personality."
"...Me?"
I questioned myself again.
"Me?"
First time hearing this—left me baffled.
"Wasn't really caring out of kindness; just aiming for good team results in a group mission."
The more footage aired, the better reactions got, but it felt weird.
I was confusing myself about who I even was.