Chapter 49
The first stage order belonged to Eden’s team.
Officially, the broadcast claimed it was decided by drawing lots, but the reality was different. PD Kim decided it after watching the three teams’ rehearsal stages.
And Se-rang knew why. Even during the interim evaluation, Eden’s team had shown the safest yet solid stage. The expectations for them were moderately high from the start, and their stage filled exactly that level of expectation.
There were no major surprises during rehearsal either. Eden’s team had definitely improved and become more refined, but their impression had not changed much from the interim evaluation.
However….
“That kid’s good.”
Just stand there for a second, Lady.
I’m clearly your type.
There’s no way I’m not, I fit perfectly.
“He uses his expressions well. His voice is charming too. His singing’s pretty good.” Se-rang gave a concise evaluation.
The trainees on Eden’s team all had strong personalities, which made each of them stand out on stage.
But among them, the one who drew Se-rang’s eye was Trainee Ha Jiho.
At first, she had not paid much attention to him because his facial style did not really match Se-rang’s current team. But from the interim evaluation onward, something about him started catching her eye, and during this stage, he definitely caught her attention.
“Jiho hyung? Jiho hyung is amazing….” Yuhyun nodded with deep agreement. “He looks cute, but… his skills are absolutely not cute.”
“True.”
Se-rang admitted that she had unconsciously not expected much from him just because of his completely baby-faced appearance.
His powerful dance lines and powerful voice created tremendous synergy when paired with his youthful face.
“As an idol, having that kind of gap is an incredible talent.” After saying that, Se-rang added one more thing. “He’ll place first in the overall popularity vote this time.”
“What?!”
Even the three trainees, who already rated Ha Jiho highly, were startled when Se-rang made such a definitive statement.
“Why are you all so surprised?”
“N-no, it’s nothing….”
“It’s a good thing this is rehearsal and there aren’t any cameras. Manage your reactions.”
“We’re sorry….”
Se-rang clicked her tongue once. “That kind of stan-attractor face always sweeps first place in popularity votes. Didn’t you know?”
(Translator’s Note: Stan-attractor face (씹덕상) — Korean fandom slang for a face or visual type that strongly appeals to passionate fans and is likely to gain intense fandom support.)
“Uh….” Taeha looked up at Se-rang with very shaky eyes.
“What? Is that unexpected? You think someone classically cool like Hyunseo would place first, don’t you?”
“…Yes….”
“That’s exactly what people who’ve never stanned idols always say.” After saying that, Se-rang focused on Ha Jiho again. “We need to recruit him too. Which agency is Jiho from?”
“Jiho hyung belongs to Rain Entertainment.”
“…That’s at least good news.”
Among the six labels under Imperial, Rain Entertainment was the one least connected to Se-rang.
If there was one thing that slightly bothered her, it was that Rain Entertainment’s CEO belonged to the pro-Yeon Sae-byeok faction….
Well, the moment they sent their trainee onto this program, they must have prepared themselves for the possibility that he might never return to their hands.
“Do you know what his personality is like?”
“I haven’t really talked to him much, but according to a friend, he’s very blunt.”
“Hm.” Depending on what kind of blunt he was, his charm could vary greatly. Se-rang tilted her head.
That was something to think about gradually. If Ha Jiho really did place first in the overall trainee popularity vote as Se-rang predicted, his pride would probably shoot up, making recruitment itself difficult.
“Kids.”
“Yes?”
“You guys really need to do well.”
“…….”
For Jiho to want to join our team, don’t you guys need to be damn impressive?
Instead of saying that out loud, Se-rang smiled at the three trainees.
And all three men understood the meaning of that smile very well.
[MC: And with that, Producer Seungha’s team, <Victory River>, has also completed their stage very successfully!]
“It’s better than I expected.”
“…Way better than the interim evaluation.”
After aggressively rearranging the song, completely changing the stage composition, and overturning the part distribution from beginning to end, Seungha’s team was not as bad as expected.
Imduk quietly admitted it.
Once the stage became fun to watch, the individual charm of each member finally started to show.
“Was it Jo Ideum? That kid was really pretty.”
“Ideum is famous.”
“Really? I told you, people all have the same eye.”
Instead of responding to her older sister, Imduk kept her mouth shut.
Because if she showed off her fan rambling again, she would definitely hear, “What the hell is that, you nerd?”
“But still, my type is….”
“Unni, Hyunseo’s your type, right?”
(Translator’s Note: Unni (언니) — Korean term used by a female speaker for an older sister or older close female.)
“Is his name Hyunseo? The one with the jacket showing his chest.”
“…Yeah. That’s him….”
She had no idea where to even begin correcting her.
“Yeah. I thought he was the coolest. I didn’t know idols like that still existed these days. These days, kids are kind of….”
“Cute and adorable, but he’s hot. Is that it?”
“Yeah. That. He reminds me of the idols I liked back in the day.”
“Yeah….” Imduk almost nitpicked that the “idols her sister liked” probably did not even count as being a light fan and were more like idols she only had a favorable impression of, but stopped herself.
[MC: Now there’s only one team left. This is a team that went through many twists and turns from the very first casting.]
“Looks like they’re coming out now. The kids you like.”
“I keep telling you, I don’t especially like anyone more than the others.”
“Don’t make me laugh. There are definitely kids whose appearance makes your eyes sparkle more than usual.”
What a sharp bitch…. Imduk stubbornly ignored her sister and fixed her gaze on the screen.
[MC: However, they are also a team that showed unexpected skill during the interim evaluation and are now receiving the full attention of viewers.]
[MC: Will they continue to show one reversal after another today, or will they return to square one? I’m most curious about this team myself. Let me introduce them.]
[MC: Producer Yeon Se-rang’s team, <UnderDog>!]
The screen then changed, and the three trainees appeared.
“Wow. What’s with that center kid? He’s crazy handsome.”
“Seo Dowon.”
“See? You know all their names.”
“…….”
Instead of answering, Imduk focused on the three trainees. The three of them wore outfits that looked similar but different.
They all shared the same white shirt and black pants, but Dowon wore a black necktie, Taeha wore a harness, and Yuhyun wore shirt garters.
All three wore black chokers, but somehow Dowon’s stood out the most. Maybe that was just her imagination.
A small ring was attached to the center of each of their chokers.
Imduk was wondering about the surprisingly simple outfits when her sister spoke beside her.
“But their earrings are pretty.”
They had earrings?!
Startled, Imduk looked at their faces again.
All three really were wearing different earrings. Dowon wore silver cross-shaped earrings, Taeha wore large, ornate black jewel earrings, and Yuhyun wore a thin black ribbon. It fluttered slightly whenever he moved.
Faced with accessories half-hidden by their faces, Imduk briefly became solemn and straightened her posture.
[MC: Before starting the stage, could you briefly introduce the song?]
At the MC’s words, Dowon gripped the microphone tightly with a very nervous face. With both hands, no less.
Wearing such sharp clothes while looking that nervous was exactly the taste of a rookie….
Imduk smiled in satisfaction.
[Dowon: Yes! The title of the song we’ll be singing is <Nevertheless>.]
[MC: That’s quite an unusual song title. What kind of song is it?]
[Dowon: It’s a song about craving love. It’s about not even knowing whether you truly love me or not, but still, nevertheless, I’m begging for your love.]
[MC: It sounds desperate just hearing that. Have the three of you ever experienced that kind of love?]
This question seemed to have already been within their expectations, because Dowon immediately passed it to Taeha.
They had probably agreed in advance that Taeha would answer if this question came up.
[Taeha: Yes. Actually, our producer wrote the lyrics after listening to our story.]
[MC: Uh, wait a second. Is it okay for idols to talk about this kind of love?]
[Taeha: It is. Because the target is everyone watching this program.]
[MC: Excuse me?]
[Taeha: ]
After saying that, Taeha glanced slightly at Yuhyun.
[Taeha: Right, Yuhyun-ssi?]
[Yuhyun: Yes. Honestly, these lyrics are really pathetic, and depending on how you look at them, they might seem kind of pitiful too. But that also means they’re desperate. That’s exactly how we are right now. Haha.]
[Dowon: We’ll show you this stage… with all of our sincerity…!]
[MC: Then please show us right away!]
With those words, the three of them began pulling something like black cords from their pockets.
At first, Imduk wondered if they were stage props, then doubted her own eyes.
The three of them… attached those cords to their chokers!