The Position Battle
After filming wrapped, just like last time, the trainees were all given a vacation.
And the day before vacation, a chicken party was held as a reward from the horror survival show.
Each room received a box of chicken, and the roommates gathered to enjoy a small, casual party.
The noisy chatter drifting from the next room contrasted sharply with the relative quiet of ours.
“……”
“……”
Everyone was absorbed in eating.
“…Everyone worked hard.”
In the lengthening silence, Hyeon Si-woo spoke first, unusually breaking it.
“We still finished that mission well. You all worked hard.”
Han I-jae silently sipped his cola while Lee Won-jun quietly tore into his chicken.
Lee Won-jun looked thoughtful, but he wasn’t as extremely depressed as he had been that day.
“Oh, by the way, I had a really fun episode with Won-woo at the abandoned school.”
Wait.
Are you bringing that up here?
“Hyung.”
“Huh?”
“Y-you really have to say that right now? I’m so embarrassed.”
Hyeon Si-woo smiled silently.
‘You’re really going to do it?’
Using me as a sacrificial lamb to liven up this dying atmosphere?
Meanwhile, Han I-jae and Lee Won-jun were showing interest.
“Listen, I was on the rooftop with sore feet, so I took off my shoes…”
Lee Won-jun couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter first, while Han I-jae stared at me with clear interest.
“Really?”
“No, I thought you were dying and dragged you from behind…”
“Wow. Even I would’ve been confused and dragged you first.”
By turning me into conversation fodder, the atmosphere came alive.
Yeah, if I can use myself to revive the mood, go ahead and use me as much as you want. That was the point where I had resigned myself to it.
“You seem to have a lot of heart, actually.”
Han I-jae tossed out a single line.
“M-me?”
“Yeah. You.”
I had never heard anyone say I had a lot of heart before.
“Yes. You really seem to have a lot of heart.”
Lee Won-jun, who had been tearing into his chicken, added his agreement, and Hyeon Si-woo nodded in confirmation.
“…Thank you.”
I didn’t know what to say and just mumbled something.
“We seem to have become comfortable with each other now, so we have to part ways.”
“Thinking about it, that’s true.”
After today, after taking our luggage out of the training camp, we’d have vacation.
After vacation, there would be another ranking announcement, room assignments would change again, and our roommates would be different.
It felt a little sad to have to part at the point we had just become close, as Hyeon Si-woo had said.
“Well, whatever.”
At that moment, Han I-jae said it casually.
“The fact that we became close is what matters.”
“…That’s right.”
It was almost the first time I’d heard Han I-jae say something like that.
I was staring in surprise when Lee Won-jun spoke quietly beside me.
“But I might be leaving soon.”
All eyes turned to Lee Won-jun.
“My current rank is precarious. Who knows what will happen next.”
No one could say anything.
Everyone already knew Lee Won-jun had barely scraped by on the edge.
“I just… I wanted to say that it was fun.”
Lee Won-jun then looked at me.
“Especially you, Won-woo hyung.”
“?”
“I learned a lot. Thank you.”
I was blinking, not knowing what to say, when Hyeon Si-woo answered for me.
“What? It’s not over yet—don’t say things like that.”
“Understood. Sorry.”
I wondered how many times Lee Won-jun had said thank you to me.
Perhaps it was the first time. To do a reconciliation that wasn’t quite a reconciliation with someone.
When bad relations formed, they always ended that way. Even though our beginning with Lee Won-jun hadn’t been good, we could now speak while smiling.
‘Should I say it’s surprising…?’
I looked up at Lee Won-jun.
“I’m grateful too.”
“What?”
“Just… I learned a lot and am leaving.”
If Lee Won-jun hadn’t been there, it would have been an emotion and relationship I never would have learned.
‘But…’
I knew.
Sometimes, relationships could only end with bad relations.
‘Yoon Hyeon-min.’
When I left the training camp tomorrow, I would have to start seriously from now on.
The plan to end Yoon Hyeon-min.
***
Vacation had begun, and I quietly checked the calendar while waiting.
‘At this point, I can start soon.’
The editing schedule for the position evaluation battle would be this week.
And considering the editing schedule and the item’s duration, using it now wouldn’t be a problem.
[Disposition Changer]
I opened my inventory and checked the item obtained through the draw ticket from last time.
‘Well, where should I use it?’
To push Yoon Hyeon-min out of the top nine, this would be the best method.
When I pressed the item use button, the system window appeared.
[Target for Disposition Changer]
‘PD Oh Man-soo.’
[Current trait of PD Oh Man-soo is ‘Greed’. Please choose the trait to convert.]
Many traits appeared in the list below, but the situation had already been decided.
‘Justice.’
The one thing that didn’t exist for PD Oh Man-soo was justice.
Because PD had accepted bribes from the company and given favorable editing only to specific trainees, Yoon Hyeon-min had received a high rank despite lacking skill and personality.
So, people hadn’t known how bad Yoon Hyeon-min truly was.
‘How nice. Being able to reverse the sin I committed with my own hands.’
Of course, realizing justice wasn’t something anyone could do easily.
Although it was a forced trait change for the sake of justice, thanks to me, the thing I couldn’t do because I lacked courage was now being accomplished. So, I should be thanked.
“I should reverse it now, anyway.”
The rank that had been far too much for Yoon Hyeon-min. And the love of the people.
But that ended now. From here on, everything would be exposed.
“Farewell, Yoon Hyeon-min.”
***
Inside the meeting room where a heated discussion was underway.
Everyone was talking lively when PD suddenly stood up from his seat.
The people in the meeting room were all taken aback by PD’s sudden action.
“PD-nim?”
“Where are you going?”
PD slowly walked toward the window and suddenly drew the curtains.
“Ah, it’s dazzling.”
Everyone stared with the expression “what are you doing?” at the suddenly pouring sunlight, while PD looked up at the sky with eyes full of emotion.
“Is it dazzling?”
“Yes?”
“Even though it’s this dazzling, why is our world filled with dark shadows?”
“…What?”
Despite everyone’s reaction of “are you crazy?”, PD continued without caring.
“Do you think justice lives in this world?”
“…Suddenly?”
PD turned to face everyone.
“Do you think that’s right? Do you think it’s right to play with the dreams of young trainees?”
Everyone remained silent. They just stared at him with eyes that said “what nonsense is that?”
“Suddenly what…?”
“PD-nim, are you doing undercover filming?”
PD yelled loudly.
“You think this is a joke?!”
After the sudden declaration, everyone could only watch in silence, and the main producer who couldn’t take it anymore spoke up.
“Last time PD-nim said that. If the broadcast is good, it’s not fun.”
“……”
“PD-nim said that. Trainees are just products. You have to classify what products are worth aggro, what products will sell, what products are good.”
Then PD suddenly wailed.
“Hwaeeeeeee!”
People’s faces went blank at the unexpected development.
“Eh… PD-nim, why are you doing this?”
“Are you sick somewhere?”
“Um, it would be better to rest today…”
PD banged the table while sobbing.
“How, how! This world! This world can be so cruel! Hwae!”
The people in the meeting room thought PD had finally gone mad.
“In this world, I will resurrect the dead justice with my own hands. I will protect the dreams of the trainees. I…”
Then PD left the meeting room.
“……”
“……”
No one could speak about the situation that had just occurred. It was a truly insane situation.
***
Time passed, and the position evaluation battle round was about to air.
Today too, without fail, a talk from Lee Hae-won came an hour before the broadcast.
「Lee Hae-won: Today is the day Dream Stage airs!」
「Lee Hae-won: You’re watching live, right?」
「Lee Hae-won: I have to run with you lol」
I couldn’t ignore it.
「Me: Yeah, I’ll talk later.」
After sending the reply, I set the phone down and took a deep breath.
I usually didn’t expect much when monitoring, but today I had no choice but to expect. Yoon Hyeon-min’s evil deeds would soon be exposed.
‘Finally.’
The broadcast began, and talks from Lee Hae-won came one after another.
「Lee Hae-won: (photo)」
「Lee Hae-won: (photo)」
「Lee Hae-won: (video)」
Explosive talks again. By the way, what was the video? Curious, I clicked and saw it was a short video of me that had been filmed and uploaded later.
“Mind-blowing.”
Still, it was a good feeling that someone liked me so much.
[Is this not the case?]
And the actual position evaluation battle meeting scene began.
[You shouldn’t assign parts like this.]
[Tae-in-ah, calm down.]
[How can I calm down.]
‘Finally this is coming out.’
At the time, I had thought this fight would be edited. Because I had only sent favorable editing to Yoon Hyeon-min.
But this time would be different. Because I had completely changed PD’s trait to an incompatible righteous one.
[I heard everything while passing by the bathroom earlier. Well, what should we do with the part? What would you want me to do? If I vote, will you vote for me too? That’s what I said. But it happened like that. What is this?]
The part Kim Tae-in said was transmitted without any single word being edited.
And PD, true to his righteous trait, transmitted Yoon Hyeon-min’s excuses and political maneuvering without editing.
‘Since both opinions are being transmitted, we can’t call it evil editing.’
I checked the viewer chat reactions for a moment.
The opinions were divided.
There were reactions saying it seemed Yoon Hyeon-min’s group had faked it, but there were also many shields that it seemed Kim Tae-in had misunderstood.
Probably because Yoon Hyeon-min was a top nine trainee, Kim Tae-in, who had a relatively low rank, tended to be pushed in public opinion.
[Aaaaa!]
Next, the scene of Yoon Hyeon-min practicing the bridge part came.
But Yoon Hyeon-min couldn’t properly handle the bridge part. Transmitting the blooper without editing, Yoon Hyeon-min’s incompetence was properly revealed.
And that night, the scene where Yoon Hyeon-min called Kim Tae-in to his room came.
[Tae-in-ah. Just do the bridge part I decided to do.]
[What? What do you mean? Suddenly telling me to do the bridge?]
The conversation scene between Yoon Hyeon-min and Kim Tae-in that we hadn’t seen came.
[Since you seemed anxious about the part at the last meeting, I thought a lot and gave it to you.]
[What? But if I give the part suddenly the day before the middle evaluation…]
Yoon Hyeon-min patted Kim Tae-in’s shoulder a couple of times and said.
[Kim Tae-in. Come to your senses. Do it with your life on the line. Your rank is low, if you don’t show properly this time, it’s over. I’m giving it to you to make you stand out. Do you understand?]
Kim Tae-in hesitated because he didn’t want to, and Yoon Hyeon-min sighed. It was a sigh with the intention of putting direct pressure.
[…Yeah. Then I’ll do it.]
[Give thanks to hyung.]
[Thank you.]
Finally, the scene where Kim Tae-in agreed was broadcast as is.
‘This must be that today they plan to send Yoon Hyeon-min away with this broadcast.’
Yoon Hyeon-min’s evil deeds took up almost all the length, even less than a dedication broadcast for Yoon Hyeon-min.
The usual talks from Lee Hae-won had been cut off long ago.
[Sorry. It seems all my fault. I just wanted to create a moment where Tae-in could shine because his rank is low and he seems lacking in confidence…]
And in the middle evaluation, the scene where Yoon Hyeon-min cried was transmitted.
But instead of sad music, a harsh background music as if for a detective drama flowed during the crying scene.
And the reaction cuts of the trainees looking “why is he like that” came consecutively.
But, as it went on, the fans also felt the harshness, and the shields gradually disappeared.
And after the middle evaluation, the scene where the trainees wrote feedback on their own evaluation sheets came. At this time, Yoon Hyeon-min sitting in the corner of the wall appeared writing something diligently.
There was no camera around, but a hidden camera installed above that Yoon Hyeon-min hadn’t noticed was there, and soon the screen switched.
‘Impossible.’
The cut from the angle where Yoon Hyeon-min’s evaluation sheet was fully visible was transmitted.
The blurry image cut gradually enlarged, and the sharpness rose sharply.
The enlarged Yoon Hyeon-min’s evaluation sheet. Because the sharpness had been deliberately increased, it was blurry but enough to see the outline of the letters. And what appeared on the screen was…
[From beginning to end, the feeling of beating a drum and playing a janggu alone. It’s a bit funny.]
‘…I didn’t expect this.’
As Yoon Hyeon-min’s written feedback was broadcast as is, the reactions were reversed.