Chapter 22
Chapter 22
The scene of the 1st Competition. The mentors had been watching the stages broadcast in real time from a separate relay room.
Reading off the prepared script, occasionally adding some genuine reactions.
"Ah, this team. We were pretty worried. We heard Mentor Park Hyeong-tae had a rough time with them."
That part was scripted. At Kim Ik-hyeon's words, Park Hyeong-tae shook his head with an exaggerated expression as if telling him not to even get started.
"Yeah, well. It was tough. They wouldn't listen to advice, and in the end......"
"Ah, the formation?"
"Yes, I saw it at yesterday's rehearsal, and it was still exactly the same."
Despite Park Hyeong-tae's advice, the Cucumber Team had stubbornly stuck to their original formation.
Joo Yeonhee, recalling how Park Hyeong-tae had roared like a grizzly bear yesterday, ducked her head low to stifle the laugh escaping her.
Putting aside her personal feelings toward Park Hyeong-tae, the audacity of those lowly trainees blatantly ignoring a mentor's word was just objectively hilarious.
"It's starting."
Joo Yeonhee fixed a fond, teacher-watching-her-students expression onto her face and lifted her head again.
The stage that eventually unfolded was, well, full of effort.
It was the kind of stage that would probably get a touching edit: managing to pull off a reasonably decent performance even with four failing grade trainees in tow.
However, to be brutally honest.
'They were too considerate.'
It was cleverly masked so it didn't show easily, but from an evaluator's perspective, the sacrifices made by the two of them were blindingly obvious.
The impractical movement paths constantly tracing from end to end, the drastically lowered difficulty to match the team members' skill level, and all the details inevitably abandoned because of it.
On top of that, though only two of them were dragging the stage along by the scruff of the neck, the part distribution was remarkably even.
To be precise, since he was the sole vocalist, Seo Cha-gyeom sang the most. But for each part, the formation was designed specifically for the person singing, arranged so each member could get a moment in the spotlight.
Joo Yeonhee clicked her tongue softly.
'This is what being a team is about, after all.'
But even if it was presented as a team battle, she couldn't forget that the essence was an individual competition. If they sacrificed themselves like this in the next mission, it might come across not as consideration, but as arrogance.
Even as she thought this, she found herself remembering her own early debut days and the older groupmates who had led her when she lacked in dance. For some reason, the tip of her nose stung.
"The dance break is starting!"
"Oh, Neuti took it off. Damn sexy."
At that moment, just as Kim Ik-hyeon said, Han Neuti ripped off his jacket and threw it aside.
"......Cough."
Joo Yeonhee bit her lower lip and barely suppressed a laugh.
'Does he seriously think he can get away with a trick that blatant?'
That was one of the styling tricks used to funnel all the attention to one person by making only their dress code conspicuously stand out.
Amid the dim lighting and a sea of all-black outfits, the presence of the white clothing was exponentially magnified. His skills were already exceptional enough that even if you tried to watch another trainee, your eyes would naturally drift his way.
Dancing a fraction of a beat ahead of the others was probably intentional too.
At times when Han Neuti had to fall to the back by formation, Seo Cha-gyeom would burst forward and fill the gap with uncanny precision, making the fumbling members' presence fade even further into the background.
They had walked a path diametrically opposed to Park Hyeong-tae's advice to stop covering for the less skilled ones and compete fairly.
'Oh, what's Park Hyeong-tae gonna do now? He's getting played, completely.'
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Having clicked her tongue cheerfully, Joo Yeonhee glanced at Park Hyeong-tae.
Fully expecting his face to be beet-red with rage.
"......?"
But there was no trace of anger on Park Hyeong-tae's expression.
If anything, the emotion floating on his ghostly pale face was something resembling bewilderment, or perhaps fear.
Baffled, Joo Yeonhee turned her head back to the screen.
The Cucumber Team, having finished everything including the ending shot filming, was immediately clearing the stage for the next team.
[Bolteok!]
At that very moment, Park Hyeong-tae shot up from his chair.
[Kwang!]
And then he frantically dashed out of the relay room, nearly tearing the door off its hinges.
Joo Yeonhee, who had quickly covered her ears, lowered her arms and muttered in utter disbelief.
"What the? Why's he acting like that......."
"Leave him be. The air's cleaner now, so it's a win."
At Kim Ik-hyeon's comment, all the mentors nodded and opened their scripts.
* * *
Park Hyeong-tae walked down the hallway, cursing under his breath.
"F**k......."
'How dare that punk screw me over like this?'
Han Neuti, the hand gesture that bastard did right before the dance break started.
That was unmistakably a signature pose representing him.
And the second motion that followed.
"F**king punk."
Among street dancers, there were several hand signs used during battles to communicate intentions without using their voices.
And the motion Han Neuti had just done—crossing both arms horizontally and slamming them together.
That was a sign meaning plagiarism.
"Now's my chance to crush him for good. I let it slide, and he just keeps getting worse......."
Hand signs weren't something easy to notice. They were primarily widespread in the street scene, where battles were the main stage, after all.
Among the trainees, production crew, and audience members here, the only ones who would recognize it were probably himself, who knew the inside story, and Han Neuti.
So if he went right now and properly shut him up, and then just covered the stage by telling the PD to use reaction cuts.......
"Where are you going?"
"Uh, oh? Ah, Cha-gyeom."
It was the corner turning toward the trainee waiting room. Standing there was Seo Cha-gyeom.
As if he had been waiting for someone, he was leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. He greeted him warmly.
"Where is Rei...... I mean, where's Neuti?"
"Why?"
"Ah, I just have something to say to him. Would you mind stepping aside?"
At Park Hyeong-tae's words, Seo Cha-gyeom nodded and pushed off the wall.
But instead of stepping aside, he completely blocked Park Hyeong-tae's path and just quietly looked down at him.
Park Hyeong-tae swallowed dryly. He was on the shorter side among dancers, and the significant height difference between them made him feel even more crushed in that moment.
"Are you going to apologize?"
"......Huh? What are you talking about? Why would I apologize?"
"Ah, so you're not."
Seo Cha-gyeom smirked and murmured again, "So you're not...." The laugh mixed in made his tone sound even more mocking.
Park Hyeong-tae wasn't too dense to catch that nuance. Scowling, he shoved Seo Cha-gyeom's chest hard enough to make a thudding sound and moved forward.
'Just you wait.'
He had to let it slide for now.
Let it slide, then grind him to dust with the editing later. It felt like it would be so much more amusing to watch this arrogant trainee realize he was nothing, regret it far too late, and come sucking up to him.
"Teacher."
But he kept stubbornly clinging on.
Grabbing his wrist, Seo Cha-gyeom exerted force and turned Park Hyeong-tae's body back around.
"You've never been on a broadcast before, right?"
"......I'm busy right now, Cha-gyeom?"
"You'd better listen. I'm trying to give you some advice."
Hmpf. Park Hyeong-tae, who had meant to laugh it off and immediately shake off his arm, ended up being the one who got laughed at primly.
Because contrary to appearances, his strength was considerable.
Seo Cha-gyeom looked down at the startled Park Hyeong-tae, laughed lightly, and released his grip. Then he put both hands in his pockets.
Still blocking Park Hyeong-tae's path.
'This brat.......'
That was a display of ease, a boast signaling that he could never be beaten by force.
His face flushed with humiliation, Park Hyeong-tae trembled, his fists shaking.
After shooting a glance at his simmering rage, Seo Cha-gyeom got straight to the point as if he had no time to waste.
"The moment you appear on broadcast, it'll be different from everything up to now."
"What the hell are you......."
"People who don't even know me will dredge up my past like they know me best, condemn me... People won't even listen to explanations, they'll just point fingers."
Park Hyeong-tae, who had been contemplating whether to just kick him in the shin, found his own past flashing before his eyes even before Seo Cha-gyeom finished speaking.
The faces he couldn't even remember—the ones he had beaten, made kneel, and grovel.
"......It means it won't be a world you can control with your own hands anymore."
Those small-fry bastards dared to leave a stain on his life?
He'd never once thought about something like that.
But.
'You never know. Just look at that bastard Han Neuti right now.......'
In front of Park Hyeong-tae, who was chewing on the inside of his cheek, Seo Cha-gyeom folded his fingers one by one as though counting, and spoke.
"There's not much time left until the first broadcast."
His tone was gentle, as if he truly had Park Hyeong-tae's best interests at heart.
"Even starting from now, try earnestly begging."
"......."
"They'll forgive you. People aren't that heartless, after all."
Finishing his piece, Seo Cha-gyeom gave a brief nod and disappeared around the corner.
Left alone in the hallway, Park Hyeong-tae thought calmly.
He had always considered himself an intellectual, capable of accepting helpful advice regardless of how hostile the speaker was.
'Yeah! What's so hard about a measly little apology?'
He was different from some gutter punk who'd ruin his entire life over pride. Compared to the fame he'd gain once the broadcast aired, an apology was absolutely nothing.
Park Hyeong-tae turned on his phone to look for the contacts of those faces he couldn't even remember.
* * *
"Where'd you go?"
"I went to get my makeup touched up."
Back in the waiting area after finishing my talk with Park Hyeong-tae, I answered Han Neuti's question and stood beside him.
'The stage has... already started.'
I held a damp towel to my cheek pretending to wipe off sweat while I took in the performance.
"Wow."
Gyu-min let out an involuntary exclamation, then quickly covered his mouth and glanced at me sheepishly.
No need to be so conscious of me. I was surprised right now too.
'Baek Gyeonwoo in a rap position.......'
He looked like he'd handle nothing but ballads.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
Han Neuti pointed at the stage with his chin and whispered softly.
"That guy's good."
It felt like a thought that needed to be said that secretly?
I swallowed that reply. Conscious of the cameras, I spoke in a purely admiring tone.
"Right? Wow, he's good."
"......."
"......."
Han Neuti's profile as he refocused on the stage in silence was quite serious.
Was he wary because they were in the same position? I brushed it off as nothing important and waited for the stage to end.
"Cucumber Sparkling Team, come on up!"
Once the opposing team's stage finished, we walked back up onto the stage.
The view of the audience seats, which I hadn't been able to see properly before, came into view. Even though the trainees' names hadn't been publicly revealed yet, plenty of people had found ways to make slogans.
'Flying, flying, airplane.......'
Was that for me? Or Baek Gyeonwoo?
Just as I was carefully observing the slogan with only text written on it, the audience member quickly caught on and flipped it over to confirm my face printed on the reverse side.
Only then did I grin brightly and bow in greeting.
"Then first, our Cucumber Team who showed us a wonderful performance! Let's reveal your names and agencies!"
At the MC's words, starting from Gyu-min standing at the very end, they began revealing their profiles in order.
Gyu-min, Seongjun, and then me.
I took the mic that Seongjun handed over and opened my mouth.
"I'm―."
"Seo Cha-gyeom!"
My name was called from somewhere in the audience, then the place went dead silent, as if the person had suddenly become self-conscious.
'Well, the sasaengs would all know, anyway.'
Some people might find it weird that mere trainees, not even program cast members, have sasaengs, but it was surprisingly common.
A unique breed of people who fulfilled their egos with the superiority of knowing information others didn't.
On top of that, being from Mary was practically a certified mark guaranteeing future success. They'd been stashing away photos and stories like stocks, fully intending to sell them for pocket money the moment I made it big.
So... they were basically sasaengs from the start.
But before that, the high probability was that if I weren't from Mary, they wouldn't have paid me any attention at all.
"I'm Seo Cha-gyeom from Sorasum Entertainment. I look forward to working with you!"
Would the ones who always charged at me on my commute, saying they'd wait until I debuted, still be there now that my agency had changed?
It suddenly began to sink in that this was a new beginning. Only now.