The Center's Burden
There's no other way now.
Even the only hope to save Won Ji-an, the contract, has been scrapped.
What remains is nothing but finding a way with my own strength, without the system's help.
'If this happens, I'll have no choice but to do whatever it takes.'
This situation where I need to make a decisive move in this mission.
Whether I die or live, I need to get noticed first. Only then can I slightly raise Won Ji-an's fallen rank.
First, I decided to give Won Ji-an as many parts as possible to make him stand out.
'...The more I think about it, the angrier I get.'
The person involved doesn't care if they die or not, but I don't understand why I have to do this, but anyway, I have no intention of just watching quietly.
I said I wouldn't care about what happens from now on, but in the end, I'm helping Won Ji-an.
'Is this unavoidable?'
To make this damned novel have a happy ending, there's no other way.
* * *
After the incident yesterday, we couldn't do team practice because we had to clean up the mess, so we had to return to the dorm after individual practice.
That's why we haven't properly decided on the parts yet. At this point, when the overheated atmosphere has calmed down, we decided to decide the parts late through a meeting.
"Anyone who wants to be the center, raise your hand."
All eyes turned to me. But I sat quietly without raising my hand.
The team members were surprised, thinking that I would naturally support being the center.
"Wait, no one raised their hand?"
"I didn't raise my hand because I thought Won-woo would be the center."
"Me too. I thought that for this mission, Won-woo should be the center to have some chance of winning..."
Hearing the team members' words, I could once again realize how poor our team's situation is.
No matter what, this is the situation where everyone relies on me.
But incidentally, I have no intention of being the center. Because in this mission, I shouldn't stand out.
"No one is supporting to be the center. Then, can I make a recommendation?"
"Eh? Who?"
"I recommend Ji-an as the center."
The trainees were surprised and looked back and forth between me and Won Ji-an.
"Ji-an...?"
Won Ji-an looked at me with a blank expression and blinked.
"I, but Ji-an doesn't seem to want to be the center?"
It looks that way even to me.
But to save Won Ji-an, this is the only way for now.
To push Won Ji-an to stand out in this mission as much as possible.
"No, in my opinion, this song suits Ji-an being the center."
And soon, all of them were convinced by my words. It can be said that it was all thanks to the system's effect.
This damned world's system is really annoying, but when help is needed, it helps.
"The song is bright and lively, but the lyrics say there's no happiness, and yet it carries a message of hoping for hope? So I think Ji-an being the protagonist of this stage suits better."
By this point, I don't know what I'm saying, but anyway, I did my best to make Won Ji-an the center.
"I believe Ji-an can fully understand and express those emotions."
Won Ji-an was still looking at me with an expressionless face.
The expression of why are you going to this much effort. If I see that expression, words would fill my throat, but I managed to hold back by exerting patience.
"Is that so...?"
The trainees who were convinced started saying one by one.
"Yeah. Hearing that, it seems Ji-an would be good at it."
"But Ji-an didn't raise their hand to support being the center, do you have the intention?"
Won Ji-an, who had been quietly listening to those conversations, finally opened his mouth quietly.
"No."
That idiot...?
'I already prepared everything, what is he doing?'
I almost said 'shut up' but maintained the smile.
"Ji-an has been feeling a lot of lack of confidence lately. Ji-an. I think you can do it well enough."
"......"
"I hope you would support being the center for the sake of our team too."
At my words, Won Ji-an looked into the void silently, then turned his head back.
"Yeah. Okay."
I don't know what he's thinking, but Won Ji-an changed his mind from not doing it to supporting.
"Hmm, there's only one center supporter, but let's see anyway?"
With Won Ji-an supporting to be the center, he handled the killing parts in front of everyone.
'...Why is he doing this again.'
I don't know what he's thinking, but Won Ji-an seemed to have less energy in dancing than usual.
Loose expression and movements. Anyone would think he looked depressed and listless, but....
"Well done, Ji-an."
"......"
"I was surprised because it matched the image I imagined too well."
If others heard it, they'd call it nonsense, but even I think it's nonsense.
But originally, that's what stirring is. Making nonsense logical to convince the majority.
If eventually they go along with that nonsense and the majority reacts, then it's no longer nonsense.
"I think the song's gloomy atmosphere and slow vibe were well melted into the dance. Don't you all think so?"
At my words, the trainees started to be led one by one to agree.
"Yeah?"
"Upon hearing it, it seems like that."
"Something seems deeper..."
One by one, the trainees convinced gave reactions that Won Ji-an suits being the center.
"Then, the center will be Ji-an!"
Through the meeting, Won Ji-an was finally decided as the center.
Won Ji-an had an expression that he didn't understand why he was chosen, but anyway, he would have to accept the result.
"Congratulations, Ji-an."
At my greeting, Won Ji-an let out a small sigh.
"Well, then shall we start practice?"
* * *
Inside the practice room, only the sound of feet dragging shoes echoed.
The practice that started from early morning continued until afternoon, and there were rest times in between to catch breath.
Throughout the practice, there was a subtle current. Needless to say Yoon Hyeon-min, Won Ji-an and I seemed awkward to anyone. The other trainees were just watching our eyes from a distance.
'I don't know anymore.'
I tried to save Won Ji-an but when I hit the limit, my mind went blank.
I don't know what to do now. I don't even know where I stand and why I'm doing this.
At that time when I was in that daze.
"Um, Do Won-woo."
At the sudden sound, I turned my head, and Jeong Hui-min was there next to me.
Jeong Hui-min looked at my eyes, lowered his body a bit, and sat down. Then whispered softly next to my ear.
"Did you fight with Ji-an?"
"...Ah."
Won Ji-an had been leaning against the wall since earlier without saying a word.
Upon seeing that, he didn't speak all day today since yesterday's incident.
"It wasn't a fight."
It feels like one-sided betrayal. I'm desperately trying to save him, but Ji-an seems to have given up.
'Even if I want to save him?'
I don't know.
At this point, is it just a whim? Or do I really want to save Won Ji-an?
My mind was just complicated.
"...Hmm?"
"What are you doing?"
At the trainees' whispering, I looked up, and Yoon Hyeon-min appeared.
Suddenly, Yoon Hyeon-min stood up and went near the mirror and was doing some strange dance.
"......?"
Everyone was just staring at Yoon Hyeon-min in surprise.
'Why is he doing that again.'
The trainees stared blankly at the dragging Yoon Hyeon-min, then got up late and tried to stop him.
After yesterday, his condition seems to have changed drastically...
I don't know what happened, but anyway, it could be a good opportunity.
"Hyeon-min hyung, you look very unstable, can you do the part properly?"
This is a good opportunity to steal Yoon Hyeon-min's part and give it to Won Ji-an.
To save Won Ji-an now, I have no choice but to increase the volume as much as possible. Only then can there be a comeback.
No matter what someone calls bad, it doesn't matter. If I can save Won Ji-an, I'll do anything.
"While going like this, I worry that something might happen on the final stage."
Stirring is easy.
Touching the opponent's emotions.
On the final stage, something happens?
Leaving a stain on the stage that might be their last stage, from the trainee's perspective, it's quite a big stress.
"Hyeon-min hyung."
"......"
"Sorry, but it seems I need to change the part distribution, so I'm telling you."
In that way, Yoon Hyeon-min was almost notified of the part change.
If this was done in a normal situation, he would have been scolded, but since the opponent is Yoon Hyeon-min, it was possible.
Because Yoon Hyeon-min was doing weird sudden actions throughout practice and couldn't handle the parts properly, there was plenty of justification to take the part.
And above all, Yoon Hyeon-min had taken parts from Lee Hae-won almost forcibly in the last mission...
'Retribution.'
If it's returning what he did, there's nothing to say.
The viewers probably won't feel sorry for Yoon Hyeon-min because they remember the mischief he did, and from the viewer's perspective, reducing Yoon Hyeon-min's part would be better.
'In a situation where the majority wants to not see Yoon Hyeon-min, giving a lot of volume is also a disadvantage to the team.'
Anyway, just because he did well on stage with Yoon Hyeon-min, in the broadcast, he will be seen as a positive figure.
They can hear the evaluation of completing the stage somehow while holding Yoon Hyeon-min's strange behavior during practice.
'This way of using him feels a bit pitiful...'
I only think that it's too far to feel sympathy.
* * *
At team meeting time, I was able to talk to Jeong Hui-min for the first time in a long time.
"Something, it would be good if there was a special concept to make our team stand out more."
"Our song genre is hyperpop and has a strong futuristic feel, so maybe we can loosen the costume concept to cyberpunk..."
Throughout the meeting, Jeong Hui-min, as an idea bank, came up with various opinions.
Most of them were good opinions, and through adding flesh to them or Jeong Hui-min developing my opinions, it progressed in a synergistic direction.
In fact, the opinions given in the meeting were to be reflected on the stage through the production team.
Still, it was fortunate. It seems like there's a bit of hope that we can create a cooler stage than the original work.
But the team's atmosphere was floating overall. The current between me and Won Ji-an was strange, and Yoon Hyeon-min kept doing strange actions.
Yoon Hyeon-min was definitely looking bad. He wasn't stopping for a long time during practice, suddenly doing strange dances.
Sometimes he was wandering around muttering unknown sounds to himself.
I don't know why he's like that, but it seems like he had a big mental shock after that day.
I wanted to talk to him first sometime, but honestly, I was scared.
Because right now, Yoon Hyeon-min looks like he's not in his right mind to anyone.
* * *
Late at night, the team members went back to the dorm one by one.
I decided to stay and do more individual practice. After all, if I go to the dorm early, I'll just have idle thoughts.
I judged that dancing in the practice room without any thoughts would be more beneficial to mental health, even if the body is tiring.
"Sigh..."
At that moment in the practice room left alone, only rough breathing sounds echoed.
Suddenly, at the feeling of presence, I looked up, and someone was reflected in the mirror. It was Yoon Hyeon-min.
'...Why is he doing that?'
His motionless, dazed look at me seemed a bit strange.
I didn't want to talk, but eventually turned around because of the persistent gaze.
"Why are you doing that over there?"
Then, Yoon Hyeon-min, who had been standing quietly, finally started moving his feet.
As he approached me, his face became clearer, and it was definitely not a normal state.
'His eyes are a bit strange.'
If before there was a bit of sanity, now it seems he's completely lost his mind. I don't know why he suddenly became like that...
At that time, facing Yoon Hyeon-min in that confused state.
"......?"
Suddenly, Yoon Hyeon-min lifted the corner of his mouth and showed a strange smile.