Chapter 61
Chapter 61
I wasn't sure if you'd remember Moon Jeongjin's interview that was inserted into my first appearance scene in Episode 1 of <MAKE100%>. Well, I had remembered it ever since.
Rather than the impression being intense... he just appeared a lot. On broadcast.
He had big reactions and was a witty speaker, so he popped up from time to time as a comic relief character, and his personal story was given significant weight.
The character he showed on broadcast was sociable, funny, cute... In short, he was everyone's type of likable guy.
His most recent rank was 6th, and he had also placed 6th in the first ranking announcement ceremony. He was one of the figures who steadily maintained the upper ranks without dramatic changes.
'Hmm.'
Honestly... I had suspected.
Since going around suspecting everyone didn't exactly seem like a good look, I'd held my tongue, but Moon Jeongjin had been among the dozen or so pre-selected member candidates I'd singled out.
However, the reason I'd stopped at mere suspicion was simply because I'd found him likable too.
At one point I'd even considered recruiting him. He was a rapper, which I wanted, and I thought he could supplement the variety sense our team lineup lacked.
But now that things had come to this, I needed to address it.
'Was he not a pre-selected member?'
Seeing that the production team hadn't attempted any particular manipulation despite him securely maintaining a debut-zone rank at 6th... didn't that warrant some confidence?
First, let's find out the reason for his departure.
When I clicked the article and examined the full text, the reason for Moon Jeongjin's departure was stated as none other than 'health issues'.
'......That hyung?'
He was flying around though?
No, his condition could have suddenly deteriorated in a week, or there might have been something else I didn't know about.
Unless it was a forced withdrawal case like Park Hyeong-tae, they wouldn't necessarily root it out of the broadcast footage, so Moon Jeongjin's departure in today's episode wouldn't have a big impact on me.
'Besides, now I didn't care if it was a devil's edit or being cut entirely.'
Actually, in my current situation, an angel edit was the most dangerous.
We weren't on terms where I could ask if he was okay, since I didn't even know his contact info. I knew the company's contact, but going that far would likely be a burden for both of us.
As I was mulling it over while looking at my phone, a message notification popped up.
[Han Neuti: Where are you watching today?]
So it was a given now that I'd watch with this hyung.
I sent a reply right away.
[Me: Come over]
And he came.
Again with his hands full of snacks.
"He likes this kind of stuff so I bought a variety. Give them to him."
"Sanho?"
"Yeah, he's there, right?"
When I opened the bag Han Neuti handed me, it was stuffed with jellies.
There was no common theme in flavors, but instead, every single one was a jelly with a unique concept.
So this was the kind of 'stuff' Kim Sanho ate well?
'......Really?'
I thought he just liked anything sweet.
Well, Kim Sanho's palate preferences were irrelevant right now anyway.
I took the bag, and without a word, I entered the Hyeongwan passcode. When I opened the door, Han Neuti walked in with a more natural stride than last time.
And then he froze.
"Sanho, San... who?"
"Sanho isn't here today."
Kim Sanho had gone to meet that Cinderella today.
I didn't know if there had actually been any progress in the recruitment, or if he'd just made a new friend... but I had no reason to stop him, so I saw him off properly.
Anyway, for that reason, the viewing party today was three people.
Me and Han Neuti.
"Wow, he's so freaking handsome."
"......Yes?"
Jeong Sowol.
At Jeong Sowol's low-spoken remark, Han Neuti glanced at me and opened his mouth blankly. When I just tilted my chin in response without answering, Han Neuti turned his head stiffly.
"Ah, um, th-that... so, you're also hand..."
"But were you two close?"
Not even waiting for Han Neuti's sentence to finish, Jeong Sowol asked me.
I answered.
"Close."
I looked at Han Neuti, who nodded. That meant he agreed, right?
"Oh."
Jeong Sowol showed a surprised reaction, then asked another question.
"Then are you also close with An Jiwon hyung?"
An Jiwon would be older than you...
Well, it's common for viewers to just call TV people by name.
Still, just in case, I'd have to train him starting today to tack on "sunbaenim" or "sir" to every sentence.
"Well, I don't really know."
"What about with Kim Hanul?"
"We're sworn enemies."
Perhaps his curiosity was sated, as Jeong Sowol's attention turned back to Han Neuti.
"Why don't you appear, hyung?"
"Huh? Ah, I dunno... Maybe the filming people didn't like me?"
Maybe because Jeong Sowol looked so young, he was reacting more comfortably than he did to Kim Sanho.
...More than that, this hyung had been thinking his lack of screen time was due to the disgusting friendship between Park Hyeong-tae and PD Lee Wiyeon.
Thinking that might be half right, I was about to wrap up the idle chatter when the broadcast started right on cue.
As I watched the intro, I recalled a conversation I'd had with Han Neuti last week on the way home in the manager's car.
―Was there any trouble at this training camp?
―Trouble? None. That An Jiwon, he's got a good personality.
Then he'd probably be cut out of the broadcast smoothly again this time.
But that wasn't the case.
Han Neuti finally got screen time.
It was after the explanation of the 3rd battle competition rules quickly passed, and the selection of each song's muse proceeded without issue.
At the point of the first team member selection, Han Neuti's interview when he was first chosen by An Jiwon appeared.
[Han Neuti: (bewildered) ......Me?]
It was an unremarkable scene.
But Han Neuti jumped to his feet and pointed.
"Huh, what's this? That interview wasn't from that moment."
"That happens often on these shows."
"Wow, but why is my expression so... dead serious? I was smiling, like I was laughing."
Was this hyung shy around his TV self right now?
Even though the broadcast was nearing its end, he was like this. A fan would probably find it heartbreaking.
Of course, since I wasn't a fan, I was actually thinking it was a relief. Because thanks to that, I had been able to minimize the waste of my image.
The scene where I selected Baek Gyeonwoo came on. Baek Gyeonwoo's interview from that moment also made a brief appearance.
[Q. When you were chosen by trainee Seo Cha-gyeom, what kind of song did you predict it would be?]
[Baek Gyeonwoo: A sexy... concept?]
"......."
As soon as possible, I needed to do something about Baek Gyeonwoo's misunderstanding.
"He's saying 'sexy' and all that."
Jeong Sowol added a cynical comment from the side.
The internet was probably reacting similarly to Jeong Sowol right now, so there was no need to go look.
'More importantly, the screen time for our PD's anti-picks seemed generous today.'
Hmm, since the first chosen trainee was a scene they absolutely couldn't cut, it was too early to judge.
After all the teams were assembled, the episode moved on to the sports competition.
The broadcast returned to its usual self. That meant Han Neuti was nowhere to be seen again.
Objectively, it was true that Han Neuti hadn't shown much activity in the sports competition. He really was bad at games.
However, to use that as an excuse, Baek Gyeonwoo and I, who had similarly not performed well in the games, had received screen time.
It was that scene from the sports competition where we struggled with the 'airplane' keyword.
'......They're showing this?'
Now that it had come to this, it was tiring to analyze every edit the production team made. Before guessing, let's check the reactions first.
I searched for 'Airplane-z'.
―Whoa, doesn't Gyeonwoo know Airplane-z?
―Airplane-z disband already, they're not even close
―Looking at how Ch-gyeom picked Gyeo-nu for his team, it seems like Ch knew about Airplane-z and chose him on purpose lololㅜㅜ
―After Lee Bonda's preview dropped, Airplane-z fans were already acting like they debuted in the same group, what a splash of cold water lol
'Ah-ha.'
So that's what it was.
Now that I thought back, the part where Baek Gyeonwoo reacted as if he understood when he saw the 'airplane' answer card had been cut.
They really put effort into this......
But even if the production team went out of their way now to worsen my relationship with Baek Gyeonwoo, I had nothing left to lose.
Once the program ended, 'that story' would probably start being discussed among fans.
For the sake of easing their heartache, it would be better to shake off one-time relationships in advance.
Around the time I was thinking that, a message came from Kim Sanho.
[Hyung, do you still drink coffee often these days?]
"......?"
Why was the word 'these days' in there? I'd never had coffee in front of him.
[No]
I sent a short reply and lifted my head.
In the meantime, the broadcast had moved on to each team's full-fledged practice scenes.
For reference, this episode was scheduled to reveal everything up to the performances. Since there were only four teams.
The first to appear was Han Neuti's <no matter what> team.
Since it was the team with pre-selected members An Jiwon and Kim Hanul, the story would probably unfold around those two.
As it turned out, that was only half right.
<no matter what> unfolded with Kim Hanul at the center.
The beginning clearly looked like a growth narrative for Kim Hanul to make up for his mistakes during .
[Kim Hanul: I will definitely create a perfect stage this time.]
Just like his track record from the grade evaluation where he first established himself as a Tier 2 leader, Kim Hanul led the team and directed practice this time as well.
However, during practice, team member O Yunhwan repeatedly made mistakes in the same part, and Kim Hanul kept pointing it out.
What mattered was the scene that followed next.
[Han Neuti: Hey, mind your own business.]
[Kim Hanul: (flustered expression) What?]
[Han Neuti: I said mind your own business. Yoonhwan didn't mess up just now.]
[Kim Hanul: (a brief silence) Don't you see the formation's off?]
[An Jiwon: Hyungs, what's wrong.]
[Team atmosphere plunging toward its worst......]
[(During interview)]
[Kim Hanul: I... I did that out of a desire for the team to run smoothly, but in Neuti's eyes... I guess I came off as butting in?]
[Han Neuti: It was nothing.......]
"......."
"Oh, Neuti hyung is the main character."
Next to the admiring Jeong Sowol, I was speechless, ruminating over the onslaught of Han Neuti's screen time.
'What the.'
That Han Neuti could appear on broadcast this much?
Weren't they supposed to blow up the station if he got more than a minute of airtime?
"No, what kind of devil's edit is that obvious......"
"Huh?"
Han Neuti, unperturbed, picked up a snack and crunched loudly.
"It's not a devil's edit? I really did say that......"
"......."
"Ah, ah, wait, but that was when he got it wrong, and they cut the part after. Look, like this, originally the formation was like this, and then he went like this here......"
"That's exactly a devil's edit, you know?"
"Ah, this kind of thing is a devil's edit?"
Han Neuti, who had been explaining his innocence with hands and feet, sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
Then he said, puzzled.
"......Why'd they do it?"
They probably did it because he gave them the material.
No matter how correct the words were, if the tone was sharp, they easily transformed into words that got you hit. Especially in this industry.
It was a moment to miss Baek Gyeonwoo, the totem of being completely cut.
I opened Kim Sanho's jelly to cool my head.
Han Neuti fidgeted and seemed to be gauging my reaction for some reason, and Jeong Sowol interjected.
"They said that guy is sworn enemies with Chaegyeom hyung. I'm on Neuti hyung's side."
"......Sowon? Sowol?"
"Wol as in Wallace."
"Anything you want to eat?"
While Jeong Sowol and Han Neuti opened a social gathering, the <no matter what> team's sequence headed toward its finale.
[Kim Hanul: I'm sorry.]
[Han Neuti: Uh, me too. (Sorry)]
It was the epitome of burying one's head in the sand.
It wasn't even like making kindergarteners hold hands and make up......
'What kind of surprise was this at the last minute?'
I considered checking the community reactions, but in the current situation, Han Neuti was obviously getting cursed out, so I let it go.
The bigger problem was that this wasn't the worst.
In the last, fourth-revealed practice process of my team .
"......What the."
Watching the screen, I let out an involuntary sigh.
'Why am I... being shown this positively?'