Chapter 28
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 28
Chapter Title Broadcast Night and the Wink Fail
Should we head down to the auditorium to watch, or just catch it from the dorm?
Kang Siyoon asked me this as we climbed up to the dorm wing after dinner.
I thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.
Im fine either way, but Im worried about whether Yubin has the energy for it.
Ah.
Our eyes naturally turned to Heo Yubin, who was trudging up the stairs behind us.
He blinked his big eyes, looking utterly confused.
Hyungs, whats up?
Nothing.
Its no big deal.
But you guys saying it like that makes it feel like youre talking behind my back!
Heh, we wouldnt do something that shameless.
In truth, we had been gossiping about him a bit, which left a faint pang of guilt.
Still, Kang Siyoon seemed to have made up his mind to consider Heo Yubins wellbeing. He placed a hand on his back and said,
Later, lets watch the live broadcast together while munching on some peanuts.
Peanuts! Awesome! Oh, but I hope they dont edit it weird.
Heo Yubin lit up at the mention of peanuts, only to deflate moments later.
Unlike us, who started at Tier 2, hed entered nameless at Tier 3 in episode 1, so the pressure must have been immense.
I gave him a boost by citing the most logical example.
Going from nameless to Tier 2 in the end is the perfect underdog growth story. If the production team has any sense, theyll spotlight you for sure. No need to worry.
RReally?
I believe it without a doubt.
Somehow, everything you say, Karis hyung, just feels extra convincing!
I couldnt exactly say it was the effect of a system skill.
Id only stated the obvious facts, after allnothing to go wrong there.
Ill go wash up quick!
Out of nowhere?
Gotta get my mind right and reverent before the show starts.
Thanks to Heo Yubins early shower declaration, we all ended up fresh and ready to watch episode 2 of Idol Training Simulation.
We tore open three bags of peanuts from the vending machine, and their savory aroma filled the room.
We chatted to ease the tension and kill time until finally, the theme song kicked in.
Its starting.
This episodes gonna be fun.
Hmm.
I chewed my peanuts with a neutral gaze fixed on the screen.
The trainees who didnt make it in episode 1 will show up first. Then cell training montages, followed by the final evaluations.
Itd be a while before our footage aired.
So I sprawled out comfortably to watch.
Jnext up, Jayki Entertainment.
??? Ah, its been so long since Ive felt this vibekinda nervous.
A familiar voice rang in my ears.
One trainees leg appeared on screen, then quick cuts of the others reactions flashed by.
Hey, isnt that guys face familiar?
Wasnt he on something back in the day?
I know him too.
Pale skin like porcelain, jetblack bangs sweeping down to his eyes.
Baek Sihwa, in a white shirt with a harness over it, bowed and introduced himself.
Hello, Im Baek Sihwa from Jayki Entertainment. Nice to meet you.
Baek Sihwa? Baek Sihwa... Whereve I heard that name? Ah!
What is it, Sangpil sunbaenim? You know him?
Baek Sihwa trainee flashes a subtle smile
Whats their story?
I thought he looked familiar at first too. Now I remember.
Whered you see him, hyung?
As if answering Heo Yubins question, Baek Sihwas solo interview cut in.
Yeah, this makes four years as a trainee total this year.
I was on another survival show a few years back.
Didnt debut, unfortunately. chuckles
Unexpected background.
Id assumed a firsttimer this round would have no history, but hed been training forever and had survival show experience.
His vibe felt off at first glance, but now I think I should keep an eye on him.
The next interview jogged that uneasy feeling right back.
Trainees I feel competitive with? Haha, honestly, I dont know most of you here that well since its our first time meeting... but theres one friend Ive known for a long time.
I know him well, and he knows me well, so hes the one I watch closest.
Minha. Lets do our best.
It was about time someone got asked about rivals.
But why direct it at Baek Sihwa?
No clue what went down between Yu Minha and Baek Sihwa.
They even slotted Yu Minhas footage right after Baek Sihwas stage.
Considering the original level test order, this screamed intentional editing.
Theyre forcing a rival dynamic on purpose.
Feels like theres already bad blood between them, though.
Yeah. PDs just rearranged the orderthey didnt fabricate the interviews.
Kang Siyoon and I munched peanuts in silence, watching Yu Minhas level test performance.
It was the polar opposite of Baek Sihwas calm, coolheaded vibe.
Hello! Im Yu Minha, turning 19 this year! Been a trainee for about three years total, and my strongest suit is rap! Mind if I demo it here? Oh, save it for later? Yep, got it!
Heard hes got high energy
Im always in a good mood! Practice rooms used to feel lonely and boring alone, but now with all these hyungs and dongsaengs chasing the same dream, my passions on fire. I worked super hard on this level test stage too...
Fastforward 2x, 4x, 8x
This trainees got serious motormouth energy
Heo Yubin, whod polished off a whole bag of peanuts without a word, muttered offhand.
Thats exactly how he was during nametag ripping.
Yeah. I was kinda thrown off too, and the interviewers face says the same.
How does he talk nonstop like that? Id never do it, even for money. Just watching drains my energy.
I burst out laughing.
Anyone could see Heo Yubin and Yu Minha were total opposites.
If they ever ended up prepping a stage on the same team someday...
Itd make for some hilarious scenes.
Setting aside their clashing interviews, both stages were impressively clean.
The judges praised them, and they both snagged Tier 1 without issue.
One dancer, one rapper. Easy to grab eyes with standout performances.
Long training periods dont lie.
No other level tests really stood out besides Baek Sihwa and Yu Minha.
Then came the longawaited cell training segment, flipping the mood entirely.
I was shocked. I figured theyd group us by rank...
Turned my head to check my cellmatestotal rainbow of top colors. deep sigh Meanwhile, Im stuck with drab gray.
Mental breakdown city.
No confidence to start, and seeing the guys next to me pick up choreo at warp speed just made me panic...
Mainstream trainees laserfocused on their mirror reflections.
Underground ones flailing, eyes darting everywhere.
The contrast painted a vivid picture of their mental strain.
And as expected, the judges brutal critiques aired in tasty bites.
Ha Sangpil Hyeongbinah. I dont get it. Whyd I give you Tier 1? This is all youve got?
Song Hyeongbin Sorry. Singing threw off my choreo
Ha Sangpil Threw off implies you learned it at all. Feels like you rehearsed that one song from level test a hundred times and nothing else. Zero foundation.
Song Hyeongbin ...... bows head quietly
The roasting zeroed in on Mainstream ranks over Underground, ramping up the drama.
And Song Hyeongbin, whod gotten the best reviews before, hogged most of the airtime.
Only Hyeongbin hyungs showing up.
Look, theres Karis hyung and Siyoon hyung in the back!
Hm. Just background props, huh.
Id said it as a joke, but it didnt sit great.
Plenty got chewed out by Ha Sangpil, yet only Song Hyeongbin got the screen time.
Meant the production team planned to push him here.
Song Hyeongbin Makes me wanna work harder.
Song Hyeongbin Gonna prove this rank wasnt a mistake.
Song Hyeongbin Actually glad you laid into me. smile
Song Hyeongbin polished off the feast theyd laid out.
He couldnt have predicted this edit, but his interview lines paid off big.
So they funnel the training arc straight to him.
That thought crossed my mind when
Quitters popping up left and right?
Nah, theyre fired up instead
With those words, a very familiar practice room appeared.
Three trainees huddled late at nightlooked awfully familiar.
Way better than three days ago. Lines cleaner, more power too. Hmm...
If theres still room to improve, where?
Thats what Im puzzling over. Ah!
Cell 31 Karis von Walden, Kang Siyoon, and Heo Yubin.
Kang Siyoon snapped his fingers midconvo, grinning.
Expression. Yeah, thats it. Karis, youre handsome no matter what, right?
The wallmounted minicam caught it all raw and unfiltered.
Facing the fullbody mirror, Kang Siyoon earnestly explained something to Karis.
...Not overdoing itstart with a wink?
After the pitch to work expressions, they dove straight into wink practice.
Winks might seem like babylevel aegyo, too easy to impress viewers.
But after nailing the chorus choreo with his confident moves, Karis von Walden froze like a buffering video.
Uh?
Uh?
Our startled voices hit just as the minicam zoomed tight on my face.
Behind a genuinely shocked Karis von Walden, Heo Yubinfreaking out even harderdropped his water bottle on the floor.
KKKaris hyung. Whys Karis hyung glitching out just like me?
II dunno. Why wont the wink work?
You cant do this, hyung! No ones allowed to mess up that face! This is blasphemy against your faceblasphemy!
CCalm down. First try, bound to glitch. Karis, one more time.
Kang Siyoon barely wrangled control for round two, but Karis von Waldens face just quivered uselessly.
A beat of silence.
Then Kang Siyoon and Heo Yubin cracked up.
......
I watched Karis von Walden groan and slump his head.
Guess in this episode, Id been relegated to gag character fate.