Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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Sharing a room with Han I-jae. What kind of face was I supposed to make in a situation like this?
The moment I first learned I'd been assigned to the same room as him, I froze up right outside the door, unable to even step inside.
"What're you doing? Come on in."
"Ah, yeah..."
Only after hearing that did I snap out of it and start moving my feet.
As I stepped inside and set my bag down, my eyes met Han I-jae's.
An awkward silence flowed between us.
...This isn't a situation where I should feel sorry, but damn, it's uncomfortable as hell.
If things had gone according to the original story, Han I-jae would be smiling peacefully right about now.
He wouldn't have faced any backlash, and he'd be basking in his current popularity as a top contender alongside Lee Hae-won at the first ranking ceremony.
But with fate altered, he'd dropped to fourth place, mass-produced malicious comments and hate-filled shorts were flooding in, and his recent remarks might stir up even more noise.
He wasn't stupid despite his arrogance—he knew all that and charged ahead anyway.
This is all because Han I-jae stole Do Won-woo's tragic backstory.
To reiterate, it wasn't my fault. I didn't point anyone out to take that misery.
But that didn't mean I could just sit back and watch comfortably.
"Congrats on first place."
"...Thank you."
Han I-jae leaned his arm on the bed frame and smiled at me.
There was a faint bitterness in that smile, but I could understand it.
Back at the first shoot, I was down low while he was up high. Now our positions had flipped completely, so it made sense for him to feel a twinge of sourness.
"Congrats to you too, hyung."
In response to my congratulations, Han I-jae gave a quiet smile.
"Yeah, well. Gotta work harder to hold onto this rank."
Not talking about climbing higher, but just maintaining it...
Even if he acted nonchalant, the barrage of hate comments had left him half-broken, it seemed.
The overflowing confidence was gone, replaced by a shell forcing a strong front.
Knock knock.
At the sound of knocking, our heads turned in unison.
Who would step through that door? Anticipation bubbled up for a moment.
"Hello."
It was Hyeon Si-woo who appeared.
Ah, Hyeon Si-woo.
Hyeon Si-woo wheeled in his suitcase with an awkward smile.
Neither Han I-jae nor I were close to him. We'd exchanged words, but it was always surface-level.
He knew that too, so he set his bag down in the heavy silence, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"......"
"......"
Three people in the room, yet the conversation—or lack thereof—was utterly dry.
In the previous room, at least Kwon Hak-jin, Lee Hae-won, and Na Jae-hyun kept things lively. All three were outgoing types who drove the chatter themselves.
But the vibe in this new room was barren beyond belief.
Just one more roommate left, right?
It'd be nice if the last one was outgoing.
Someone sunny who could thaw this frozen atmosphere a bit—like Kwon Hak-jin or...
Then the door burst open without a knock.
"Hello."
In walked Lee Won-jun, his eyes puffy and swollen.
Lee Won-jun. The trainee who scraped by at 60th place in the first ranking ceremony, the last one to survive.
The final four-way split came down to him as the sole survivor, and he'd sobbed his heart out.
Originally, he wasn't supposed to hit 60th, but even a scrap of screen time boosted his votes, I guess.
Most reactions were negative, but his rank climbed anyway—proving malicious edits beat total blackout.
"Uh..."
Meanwhile, Lee Won-jun went pale as a ghost the instant he spotted me.
Suddenly, I recalled his teary speech at the ranking ceremony.
—Thank you so much. I also want to apologize to any viewers who felt offended by what I said... I'm sorry to our Blood Love team for being a burden, and to Won-woo hyung too...
His entire statement was packed with apologies for his on-screen self.
He must've been shocked back then. No cameras in the hallway, so he never expected that conversation to air unedited.
Having his worst side broadcast to the nation— I could only imagine the turmoil.
He took a ton of heat too.
After the broadcast, Lee Won-jun got flak on Han I-jae's level.
Some said it was par for a cutthroat survival show, but they were the minority. Negativity dominated, especially comments tying it back to me.
No wonder he blanched at the sight of me.
The production team, man. They knew it'd be awkward and assigned rooms like this anyway.
With everyone arrived, the mood grew even more desolate.
Four guys in here, and not a peep from anyone.
In a way, this setup might actually help Lee Won-jun. Getting cozy with me on camera could salvage his image a bit.
But his mental had shattered from the hate; he just hunched in the corner, head down, silent.
Han I-jae was equally battered from his own backlash, and Hyeon Si-woo—fresh off becoming the infamous "statue" from the first ceremony—was brooding darkly again.
The room vibe is basically a funeral...
The silence dragged on for minutes as I pondered how to salvage this.
In the end, I took the plunge first.
"We're roommates for a reason—let's all get along from now on."
I could hardly believe those words had come out of my mouth.
"Sure."
"Yeah, let's do that."
They responded one by one, but silence reclaimed the room soon after.
In a way, it suited me fine. I'm the quiet type who barely talks anyway.
But the issue was, zero dialogue meant we'd get totally edited out. No footage for the producers to bother airing.
"Si-woo hyung."
So, I had to say something—anything.
"I'm glad we're roommates."
I ditched my real personality again, spewing whatever came to mind.
"I've always wanted to get closer to you, hyung."
Han I-jae, quietly unpacking, glanced over.
His lips twitched downward—he didn't look thrilled. Like he didn't care about other guys at all, yet subtly stung by exclusion here.
"Oh, and I wanna get tight with you too, I-jae hyung. Lots of chats with you here, Won-jun."
Only then did Han I-jae shrug, pretending satisfaction.
Lee Won-jun's face stayed ghostly white, his lips barely quirking up.
Lee Won-jun. Up close like this, he almost seems pitiful...
Our eyes met. A flicker of resentment passed in his gaze—unmistakable ill will.
Not surprising. No way he'd feel warmly toward me after getting trashed over our interaction.
But it left a bitter taste, wondering if his on-air apology to me was just performative.
Hope things smooth out without drama from here.
With that silent prayer, I finished unpacking.
We changed into training clothes and gathered back at the set.
The familiar scene. Placards dotted the area, stickers concealing the songs for the next mission.
Having read the original, I had a rough idea of what tracks awaited.
"Hello, trainees."
The special MC took the stage.
"First, sincere congrats on surviving the first ranking ceremony. Now, let me brief you on the next mission."
The MC continued.
"The mission awaiting you is the Position Evaluation Battle."
As expected.
"In the Position Battle, trainees select one position—rap, vocal, or dance—and compete. This round combines team and individual battles."
The explanation went on.
"After performing, you'll receive team and individual scores from the on-site evaluation panel, by position."
I already knew from the original, but I listened intently anyway.
"The top team in each position gets benefits for all members, and the top three individuals per position also receive benefits."
Benefits. Meaningless for top ranks, but a lifeline for the bottom-dwellers.
Just look at the survivors boosted by benefits in the first ceremony—they had no choice but to crave them.
"Now, time to choose your positions. But first, let's reveal the songs."
The MC peeled off the stickers one by one.
Trainees erupted in hot reactions as the tracks were unveiled.
Some real tough ones, some balanced positions, others skewed heavily one way.
Each song had different position lineups. Some all-vocal, others with one each of vocal, dance, rap.
Team sizes varied too—from duos to octets.
"Got your desired songs picked in your minds?"
The trainees chorused "Yes!"—and the MC dropped it.
"However."
The mood sank instantly, murmurs rippling through.
"Ah..."
"No way."
A trainee nearby muttered about growing to hate "however" in survival shows.
"Not every trainee gets their preferred song and position."
Of course not.
It'd been common knowledge in this game for ages.
Lower ranks meant fewer perks and choices.
"First, from first place down to the top nine trainees get priority to pick their song and position."
Envious glances poured in as the words landed.
"Once the top nine have chosen, the rest pick in order. If your song or position fills up, you might end up with something you don't want."
Awful.
Low rank? You could get shoved from rap to vocal.
The underdogs had no shot. Grumbles rose everywhere—then worse news hit.
"And we have new info to share."
New? What fresh hell?
"The Penalty System."
The brutal penalty from the original, newly introduced in season two.
"As mentioned, top scorers per position get benefits. Conversely, the lowest scorer in each position gets a penalty."
The buzz turned icy as trainees' faces hardened.
Last place sucked enough—now they'd rub it in too.
"Harsh."
"Tell me about it."
In the sunken atmosphere, my name rang out.
"Trainee Do Won-woo. Please step forward and choose your song and position."