The Second Ranking Announcement
The long-awaited ranking announcement day.
Filming began, and the trainees came out grouped by agency to offer their greetings before taking their seats.
Soon my name appeared on the screen, and it was finally my turn to step out.
"It's Won-woo."
"Oh, Won-woo's coming out."
The murmuring swelled. Interest seemed even more concentrated than usual, coming right on the heels of the last article that had caused such an uproar. Well — I'd received dozens of messages from trainees asking if I was okay at the time.
Still, the reaction's changed so drastically it's almost embarrassing.
Everyone seemed worried about my condition, and curious in equal measure.
"Hello. I'm Do Won-woo, a trainee who hopes to linger in your hearts for a long time."
The cheer that answered my greeting was unusually loud. Everyone knew what I'd been through, and they seemed to be throwing their support behind me even harder than usual.
"Won-woo, are you okay?"
"I was shocked when I saw the article."
Amid the barrage of questions from the trainees around me, Lee Hae-won in the next seat was watching me with worried eyes. He'd heard the news after going back to his family home, so he must have been restless, unable even to visit me in the hospital.
That's why he called me pretty much once a day.
Even though quite some time had passed since the incident, Lee Hae-won still looked worried. Having him fuss over me was a little burdensome, but the feeling of being cared for wasn't entirely unpleasant.
...Still, the atmosphere's gotten a bit better.
I glanced around at the other trainees. Their expressions definitely seemed improved compared to before. Since I'd changed the PD's disposition, the Evil Editing would have dropped off compared to the last broadcast.
With less evil editing, the trainees' conditions would naturally improve too.
But there was an exception.
One person alone appeared before everyone with a face that looked rotten through to the core.
Yoon Hyeon-min.
At his appearance, every gaze in the room converged on a single point.
"Hello. I'm Yoon Hyeon-min."
He came out with a face as stiff as a wax figure, offered a dry, unadorned greeting, and sat down.
Well. In this situation, he couldn't exactly bounce out with that fresh, cheerful energy like before. That would make him a genuine lunatic.
Yoon Hyeon-min looked practically like a walking corpse. I didn't need anyone to explain why. The angelic editing that had been protecting him had vanished, and every ounce of public hatred had come flooding his way. Having earned the title of the greatest villain in survival-show history, he'd been torn apart at a near-insane intensity for the past few weeks. On top of that, it had come out that the person spreading rumors about Hyeon Si-woo was one of Yoon Hyeon-min's fans, so he was taking extra heat for that as well.
Maybe that was why his face looked like it had aged ten years. And it wasn't just a figure of speech — it really seemed like actual aging had set in.
Honestly, I thought he'd drop out. I guess he's determined to keep going.
Whatever else you could say about him, I had to give him credit for sheer shamelessness.
Ugh, what's that smell.
The moment Yoon Hyeon-min drew near, an uncomfortable odor wafted over. Alcohol, by the smell of it. He'd probably gotten completely wasted over this whole affair. Even so — drinking the night before filming? Well, it wasn't exactly a situation you could endure sober...
Nobody's even asking if he's okay.
Until Yoon Hyeon-min finished his greeting and walked over to take his seat, not a single person met his eyes or spoke a word to him. That was only natural. He was currently getting beaten down at a near-insane level, so if you so much as mixed words with him and got painted as being close, you'd get dragged down right alongside him. Even the trainees who'd once been friendly with him were turning their backs, and from their perspective there was nothing strange about it. They'd only stuck around hoping to pick up scraps from sitting next to a high-ranking trainee. Now that they no longer needed him, that was that.
In the suffocating silence, Yoon Hyeon-min stared off into the distance.
I didn't particularly feel sorry for him. It was almost fascinating that I felt no pity at all, even looking at a person in that state.
...Come to think of it, the PD got replaced too.
After I'd used the Disposition Changer, the PD had submitted his resignation of his own accord, apparently unable to forgive himself for what he'd done. I hadn't used the item expecting that outcome, but it was a good result either way. With the PD swapped out mid-show, there wouldn't be any more editing that favored specific trainees.
"Hello, trainees."
Once everyone was seated, the host appeared. Emerging amid dazzling lights, he looked around at us and continued in a calm voice.
"Today, once again, your rankings will be revealed — determining who survives and who is eliminated."
He went on.
"Whether you'll make it through, or leave Dream Stage as you are. You'll find out once the ranking announcement is over."
I swallowed a sigh inwardly.
I have to do this insane thing again.
"Then, we will now begin the second ranking announcement."
In this second ranking announcement, there were thirty-five survivors. The steadily thinning number made it feel real that the survival show was drawing toward its end.
"Then, I'll announce thirty-fourth place."
Looks like thirty-fifth will be saved for last again today, as usual.
The host announced the rankings in order. With each name called, it became starkly clear who had survived and who had fallen.
I've been through this once already, and I still can't get used to it.
Not long after the announcements began, Yoon Hyeon-min's name was called.
"Twenty-eighth place. Trainee Yoon Hyeon-min."
When his name came up so early, the trainees murmured among themselves.
"Wow, he was eighth last time."
"That's a drop of twenty ranks."
I'd expected his ranking to fall, but I never thought it would plummet this far. It made sense. With a historic personality controversy, both his fans and the people who'd voted for him as a likable pick would have receded like the tide.
As Yoon Hyeon-min was banished from the Top Nine, the quest was completed.
Your rewards have been delivered.
I hadn't done all this just to get a reward, but it was a relief all the same. A person with that kind of character gaining popularity behind a wholesome image was wrong in itself.
He's not eliminated, but kicking him out of the Top Nine is a meaningful result on its own.
Yoon Hyeon-min lowered his head, lips pressed tight, and headed toward the stage. Everyone's heads turned to follow the direction he walked. They all seemed curious about what he would say.
Soon he stood on the platform, his face deathly pale, and picked up the microphone.
"First of all... no matter what I say, it'll all sound like lies to you, but I just want to say I'm so sorry to those of you who believed in me..."
His voice trembled on the verge of tears as he went on.
"From your perspective, I must be trash. Trash — that's right. I am trash."
Is he being sincere? He's suddenly confessing that he's trash?
"You can curse me all you want! Because I really am the trash you say I am!"
Whether his agency had given up on him or not, the raw, unfiltered remarks kept coming. After throwing around the word "trash" over and over, Yoon Hyeon-min suddenly began to sob.
"But everyone. I don't want to remain as trash like this."
Hmm...?
"A lot of people advised me to drop out, but I've decided not to leave."
The emotional swings were so extreme it was like watching a comedy film, but nobody could laugh. The expression on Yoon Hyeon-min's face as he continued was far too grimly resolute for that.
"Even if, when this broadcast ends, I have to give up on my dream! I believed it was my duty to stay here and show a cool side, to the very end, to those of you who supported me!"
He broke into sobs again as he spoke.
"Hhk... Please watch over me until the very end, hhkk..."
At that moment, my eyes met Han I-jae's. We just exchanged a peculiar look, as if we were both thinking the same thing. The question was whether any of that would get edited — or broadcast as-is.
"Th-then, we'll continue with the next ranking."
The flustered host cleared his throat and pressed on with the announcements.
"Fifteenth-place trainee."
As everyone waited, he opened his mouth.
"Fifteenth place is trainee Lee Hyo-seop."
The trainees murmured at the announcement.
"Hyo-seop's in fifteenth?"
"Wow, he really climbed a lot."
"That's insane. Talk about a human-victory story."
It was certainly an impressive record. A trainee who'd barely survived at fifty-ninth place in the last ranking announcement had risen a full forty-four ranks. It was the result of his Double Personality stage from the last position-battle evaluation going viral everywhere. After the broadcast, it kept popping up in algorithms, and the original song even reverse-charted — to the point that even complete outsiders who'd never cared about the survival show were looking it up.
I expected his ranking would rise, of course, but it went up even more than in the original.
In the original novel, it had been more of a "how was a talent like this going unnoticed" kind of rise. This time it felt different. With his partner Lee Won-jun putting on that disastrous acting performance on stage, rather than drawing attention purely for skill, it felt more like the buzz had grown from sheer entertainment value — the kind of viral spectacle that pulls eyes for all the wrong reasons.
"Thank you."
But Lee Hyo-seop didn't seem to have the bandwidth to care about any of that. He looked so overwhelmed that his ranking had risen this much that an irrepressible exhilaration was written all over his face.
Fair enough.
Unlike last time, when he'd barely scraped by, this was a climb of a full forty-four ranks.
I'm glad, though.
I'd been worried that the variables I'd created might end up hurting Lee Hyo-seop, but he'd gotten an even better result instead.
"Next, thirteenth-place trainee."
In the tense atmosphere, the ranking announcements continued.
"Trainee Jeong Hui-min."
When his name was called, Jeong Hui-min rose from his seat in an awkward, half-crouched motion. His face was expressionless as always.
Jeong Hui-min is thirteenth?
A ranking with no change from last time. In the original progression, he should have entered the Top Nine at this ranking announcement...
The rankings have changed.
In the original, he'd received a narrative of being unfairly targeted by evil editing, and his ranking had rebounded in the latter half. But with the original plot altered and destinies rewritten, the attention that would have gone to Jeong Hui-min had shifted to other characters. He was barely holding on with his existing fanbase, but he still hadn't shown any notable upward momentum.
...Is Jeong Hui-min in a dangerous position right now too?
I'd been so preoccupied with Won Ji-an's situation that I hadn't been able to pay attention to anyone else. A lot of thoughts crowded in at that moment.
The host continued announcing the next rankings, and before long the announcements had reached the vicinity of the Top Nine.
"Next, I'll announce tenth place."
Soon we'll know who the new Top Nine are.
I was watching in a slightly dazed state, not thinking about anything in particular, when the host's mouth slowly opened and a trainee's name tumbled out.
"Tenth place is..."
"Trainee Won Ji-an."
The moment that unexpected name was called, I froze solid.
What...?
A name I had never expected to come up at this timing. The instant I heard Won Ji-an's name, my mind went hazy and my breath caught in my throat.
Won Ji-an...?
Among the murmuring trainees, I couldn't react at all, locked in place — when Won Ji-an passed silently in front of me and headed for the platform.