Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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On the darkened stage.
Fans who had come as on-site evaluation panel members from the standing sections were holding up placards.
Each placard featured the name and photo of the trainee they were cheering for.
Meanwhile, the fan holding a placard with Do Won-woo's name had a face mixed half with anxiety and half with anticipation as they waited for the stage to begin.
When they heard it was Extra Syndrome, they thought it would suit him well, but they were also a bit worried.
'Won-woo will handle it just fine on his own, but it's such a famous song... I can't help but wonder if he can pull it off.'
At that moment, the lights came on, and cheers and shouts erupted from the audience simultaneously.
'It's Won-woo!'
Do Won-woo sat atop an iron ladder on the set dressed like a musical stage, gazing up at the lights while wearing what looked like blue coveralls.
And then the intro began to play. A saxophone melody with a different vibe from the original came drifting out.
'Did they rearrange it in a jazz style?'
― ♩♪♫~
The original song's sentimentality blended with jazz's sophisticated atmosphere, creating a fresh feel.
As the intro wrapped up, Do Won-woo sang the first verse.
― After the play ends
I'm here alone
Admiring reactions poured in the moment the verse started.
'Whoa, Won-woo's tone is this good?'
Above all, his growth since the ranking evaluation was obvious. You could immediately tell his singing had improved dramatically just from listening.
― On the stage where I lost myself
Not even mine
Just cheers and applause
Do Won-woo continued singing with full focus.
― I'll fail again
The broken ladder and me
Can I never be the lead?
I'm just used to losing games
GAME OVER lingers on my lips again
A song that let you focus more on Do Won-woo's tone and emotional delivery than high notes.
By now, the audience was starting to get curious.
'Where are the other members?'
As if answering that question, when the song entered the chorus, the lights on the side stage next to the center came on.
Behind the red curtain, Won Ji-an's silhouette was visible.
― Hey, Mr. Lee
Extra A B C D
What's your name
How was your day
I just want to know you
The black silhouette behind the curtain swayed and danced in time with Do Won-woo's singing.
Soon, during the dance break, the curtain parted to reveal him.
As Won Ji-an, dressed in a vintage classic suit and glasses, danced his way to the front of the stage, the cheers grew even louder.
― ♩♪♫~
A solo dance composed of jazz moves unfolded. It was hard to believe he'd been F-rank at the start—Won Ji-an had grown noticeably too.
After finishing his solo, Won Ji-an bowed politely in time with the trumpet and extended his arms to the side, as if passing the stage to the next performer.
Then the lights on another side stage came on, revealing Kang In-hyeok lounging on a leather sofa.
Wearing a checkered beret and vintage coat, Kang In-hyeok had his legs crossed as he read the newspaper on the sofa. He soon folded it and stood up.
'Newsboy concept?'
With members appearing one by one, each bringing their own story to the stage, it really felt like watching a musical.
― Walk on
Stand in
Bit Part, Bit Player
His rap started with short words spat out crisply, flowing naturally like water.
― (Hey, Breaking news!)
My name's nowhere to be found
I thought I was the lead, but nope
I snapped out of it—I'm just an extra
Who made me like this?
This rap he was spitting now wasn't in the original—it was one Kang In-hyeok had created himself.
Maybe because of that, he seemed more tense than usual. It was his first time being evaluated on his own original rap.
― These wobbly legs of mine
Whispering to myself, Don't worry
The city nightscape's just dusky light
No one cares about an extra's ending
A rapping style that was dry and flat, without much pitch variation, rather than aggressive or rough. It fit the song's mood perfectly.
There had been a lot of talk that he'd be good at rap because of his unique husky voice, and hearing it live now made it clear why.
― Even if no one calls my name
Even if no one remembers me
Behind Kang In-hyeok's rap, Do Won-woo's soft backing vocals layered in.
― (Oh, My Dear Extra)
Don't mind the ending ahead
Keep it up and go on
Keep going, don't lose yourself
As the rap part ended, the two members from the side stage headed to the center.
Do Won-woo, who had come down from the ladder by now, greeted them with a smile.
― Maybe from the start
There was no lead or extra at all
Under brighter lights than ever, the stage's highlight unfolded.
In the bridge, Do Won-woo grabbed the hands of the two members and walked forward.
― In a world without a script
You're just you
Confetti began to flutter down over Do Won-woo's beaming smile.
― Hey, Mr. Lee
Extra A B C D
What's your name
How was your day
I just want to know you
The song raced toward its end, and the three locked eyes as they sang the final part together.
― The name everyone pinned on you
You're not an extra anymore
Show us the real you
And with that, the stage ended.
Golden confetti sparkled down over Do Won-woo as he struck the ending pose.
The venue filled with cheers as the stage lights went out.
The reactions in the waiting room exploded after X Heroes team's performance ended.
Honestly, up until then, other teams had been pegged as top contenders for the win, but seeing the stage production live, X Heroes was getting an even better response than expected.
"That's no joke."
"Yeah."
Lee Hae-won and Kwon Hak-jin, sitting side by side, stood up in a standing ovation. Their reactions were practically identical, like decals.
"Ah, the response is too good."
"That team might take first."
"I got a little emotional watching it."
As Lee Hae-won and Kwon Hak-jin chatted, Na Jae-hyun poked his head in from the row behind.
"Doesn't Won-woo hyung suit emotional stages surprisingly well?"
Kwon Hak-jin nodded.
"Won-woo? He pulled off emotional with that butterfly theme last time too."
"Butterfly? Oh, yeah. I was wondering how they came up with that when I saw it, but this one's got a great idea too."
As they talked, Kwon Hak-jin glanced sideways for a moment.
He'd noticed Jeong Hee-min sitting quietly off to the side, not joining in.
"If Hee-min and Won-woo teamed up, their ideas would explode."
Jeong Hee-min's eyes went wide in surprise at his name being mentioned out of nowhere.
"Hee-min's an idea bank too."
"Yeah. If those two teamed up, the synergy would be insane."
Caught off guard by the sudden praise, Jeong Hee-min cleared his throat awkwardly, his face flushing red.
He was usually expressionless, but the type whose emotions showed plainly on his face when he couldn't hide them.
"Haha, look at Hee-min's face turning red."
"Ugh, don't tease."
As the lively conversation continued, Yun Hyun-min sitting next to them looked like he'd bitten into something bitter. He wasn't even managing his expressions on camera anymore.
'Why isn't anyone talking to me? Did Do Won-woo say something to the other trainees?'
He couldn't hide his anxiety that their conversation from that day might have spread.
In truth, Do Won-woo hadn't told anyone about his talk with Yun Hyun-min, but Yun Hyun-min was acting like the guilty one anyway.
"Phew..."
Only after coming down from the stage did it finally sink in that it was over.
Position evaluation battle. Yun Hyun-min had required extra attention, but we'd put in a ton of effort for this stage anyway.
And that went for the other team members too, including me.
'Kang In-hyeok. He got picked as worst a lot in self-evals and was struggling.'
Still, Kang In-hyeok proved his skills on his own.
I wouldn't say it out loud, but I think he's the one who fits this song best. After all, Kang In-hyeok really was an extra in this novel.
"In-hyeok hyung, good work."
I held out my fist, and he grinned as he bumped it.
"Yeah, you too. Tough being leader—good job."
Won Ji-an, watching us, timidly extended his fist.
It was subtly cute, making me chuckle. After bumping fists, we headed to the waiting room.
The moment we got back, the other trainees showered us with welcomes.
"Great job."
"You guys were amazing."
As I exchanged greetings, my eyes met Yun Hyun-min's.
He'd been fidgeting uncomfortably, shaking his leg, but jumped like he'd seen a ghost when he saw me.
"What?"
To my question, Yun Hyun-min forced a casual smile.
But the emotions already showing on his face couldn't be hidden.
"Um, Won-woo?"
Finally, he approached me and whispered.
"Wanna talk for a sec?"
"Pardon?"
"Let's step outside."
Hmm...
Honestly, it was a hassle, but I was curious. What did he want to say?
"Sure."
With a mental shrug of let's hear it, I followed him out.
Yun Hyun-min stood at the end of the hallway, looking around to make sure no one was there before turning to me.
"Won-woo. You remember that day, right? I said a bunch of stuff to you."
"Yeah."
My indifferent attitude made his voice shrink in real time.
"Haha, yeah. You remember. I don't even know what got into me to say all that..."
Of course not.
He'd hidden his true nature well until I forced it out of him.
"I still regret why I said it. Must've been stress—I've been out of my mind lately."
"Yeah. You do seem out of your mind these days."
His face stiffened for a moment. My response must've been unexpected.
"Ah, ahaha, do I?"
"Yes."
"I see. Hmm, yeah..."
God knows what's wrong with people like this.
I just agreed he seemed out of his mind since he said it himself, but this reaction—what response was he even hoping for?
"Ah, anyway, sorry to you too. What I said might've sounded like backstabbing, and you had to hear bad stuff about your friend unwillingly."
I almost let out a hollow laugh.
To be precise, it hadn't just sounded like backstabbing—it was straight-up backstabbing.
Not just backstabbing, but laced with low-class curses.
"Um, Won-woo."
His voice lowered. He was hesitating, so it seemed like he was finally getting to the point.
"You didn't tell anyone about that, right?"
"Who?"
"Ah, I mean... like Hae-won or your close trainees."
I slowly shook my head at the anxious Yun Hyun-min.
"I didn't tell anyone."
"...Really?"
"Yes. What's the point of spreading bad talk?"
His eyes lit up. The moment he heard I hadn't told a soul, color rushed back to his face.
The more I saw, the more baffling it was. Personality-wise, this guy was way worse than Do Won-woo, so why did the author write him as the refreshing punisher of Do Won-woo?
"So you won't tell anyone from now on either, right?"
I nodded vaguely, and the smile on his lips twisted.
"Thanks..."
I nearly burst out laughing.
Did he know what was coming and was thanking me for it?
"But."
"Yeah?"
"You think everything's fine just because I won't say anything?"
To my question, Yun Hyun-min blinked wide-eyed and tilted his head.
"Then?"
"......"
"If you don't say anything, no one knows."
Which meant...
Yun Hyun-min knew. That his solid company backing was there for him.
No matter how dirty his deeds, no matter the low-class backstabbing, he had confidence the PD would edit it out.
"I meant, don't you feel sorry toward Hae-won, Tae-in, or the other teammates? Even if I don't say anything, badmouthing someone isn't okay."
He let out a laugh. A sneering one he couldn't quite hide.
"Oh, that's what you meant. Of course I'm sorry. But like I said, I've been out of my mind lately..."
"What, like split personality? Did another self pop out suddenly?"
"Ah, ahaha. Is that really it?"
It wasn't a joke—I meant it sarcastically—but he pretended not to get it.
The way he looked at me, smirking as if I was ridiculous. An expression born of arrogance and confidence that the PD would cover for him.
Suddenly, I wanted to twist that smug, overconfident face.