Chapter 46
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 46
Chapter Title Park Sehans Scandal
In the idol industry, school violence scandals were a relatively common blunder.
No matter how much they declared theyd verify personalities, it was impossible to perfectly dig up someones past.
However, there were also an enormous number of false school violence exposés.
Vague memories often led to insufficient evidence, which happened frequently too.
That was why it was crucial how solid the evidence behind an exposé was.
Idol Training Simulation Park Sehan to Drop Out Due to School Violence Record
Idol Personality Issues Keep Coming... This Time Its Idol Training Sim
Idol Training Simulation Trainee Park Sehan Its All My Fault, Ill Drop Out of the Program
It didnt take long for the exposé post to go up, reach the production teams ears, and get delivered to Park Sehan.
Just an hour after receiving the news, his dropout was decided.
Hmm.
After the commotion in the filming set had somewhat died down, I entered my cell and turned on my phone for a bit.
Id known hed dropped out due to the controversy, but I hadnt remembered the details of the process.
Glancing at the articles about Park Sehans school violence, I figured out why he couldnt refute anything and decided to drop out.
Student records, teacher testimonies, hospital reports. A lineup of things that cant be faked.
It had been a similar situation in the previous round.
No one had even imagined that Park Sehan, who was running in the top ranks, had this kind of past.
And this time, hed even been handling both center and leader.
Hey, what are you guys gonna do?
Were screwed. Im in such a panic right now, I dont even know where to start.
Youre redistributing positions and parts again, right?
Ugh... How are we supposed to finish all this?
A trainees lament drifted in from outside Cell 12.
With midevaluations done and only days left until the main competition.
The group Park Sehan had been in was now in a truly hopeless state.
Knowing something like this would happen made it effective to absolutely avoid being grouped with Park Sehan.
It was unfortunate for the other trainees, but for me, everything was going according to plan.
Id made a name for myself in the first competition while snagging benefits.
And Id cleverly used the special benefit in reverse to ensure I wouldnt be on the same team as Park Sehan in the second round.
This brought me one step closer to a smooth debut.
While browsing the internet for a moment, I suddenly recalled the special rule that would appear starting from the second round.
The announcement should be out by now.
Searching for Fever Time, articles popped up one after another, just as expected.
Idol Training Simulation Launches New Public Vote Fever Time Starting the 14th
Idol Training Sim PD Shin Cheolwoo Fever Time Voting Will Be Quite Exciting... Hope the National Managers Enjoy It
What Format Will Idol Training Simulations Teased Fever Time Vote Take?
At this point, a new public vote was scheduled for the day after the second competition filming ended.
Both the media and viewers were showing interest in Idol Training Simulation and were extremely curious about what format Fever Time would take.
Park Sehans school violence exposé had unintentionally become noise marketing.
First things first, I need to safely get through the second competition.
No matter how chaotic the other groups were, we just had to focus on our own path.
The moment I stretched and tried to get out of bed.
Hidden Linked Quest Take 1st Place Overall in the 2nd Competition Has Been Generated.
Reward Skill Points 20
A new quest appeared along with golden effects.
Looking at the text 1st Place Overall in the 2nd Competition, I closed my eyes slightly.
Did I raise the systems expectations too high?
In the first round, it hadnt been just top 3it had been overall 1st.
Because of that influence, the difficulty of this hidden linked quest had gone up.
After pondering for a bit, I tapped the Lucky Draw Shop at the bottom of the status window.
Lucky Draw Coins Owned 2
Thanks to steadily completing hidden quests so far, I still had 2 coins left.
Id been saving them for use only in truly desperate situations.
Considering this quests reward is skill points, not lucky draw coins... I might not get more coins for a while.
Even so, I couldnt just ignore the skill points.
It was obvious that raising stats later on would require a ton of points.
After agonizing over it, I made my decision.
Proceed with Lucky Draw?
The moment I pressed Yes, the gacha machine sound effects blared loudly.
Watching the flashy lights, I prayed fervently inside.
Im not even hoping for Sgrade like last timejust please give me something useful.
A yellow capsule came out of the gacha machine outlet.
Check Your Results!
With a tense heart, I pressed the capsule, and a brilliant golden effect poured out.
Congratulations! You Have Obtained AGrade Item Random Stat Amplifier.
The name was almost identical to the Sgrade item Skill Amplifier Id gotten during the first competition.
From the name, it seemed like an item that raised stats instead of skills. The problem was the Random in front.
Does that mean I cant choose where to apply the amplifier this time?
The Skill Amplifier could be freely applied to any skill I wanted.
Thats how Id applied it to the passive Bow Down and Reverence, drawing out an insane stage response.
I steadied my breathing while looking at the yellow roulette wheel.
The best scenario would be... Charisma or Dance hitting.
If it landed on one of the stats essential for center, itd be perfect.
I swallowed dryly, then spun the wheel.
The wheel spun round and round before slowly coming to a stop.
Without blinking once, I kept staring at the tip of the arrow.
You Won! Looks Stat Will Rise by One Level.
System Error Looks Stat is Already at Max Level.
Looks Stat SSS Will Be Maintained as Is.
...Fuck.
A curse slipped out of my mouth before I knew it.
The worst possible outcome. Nothing could be worse than this.
Out of all those stats, it had to land on Looks, which was already maxed out.
This was an unbelievable probability.
The item effect is completely gone... Its like I just wasted one lucky draw coin.
My head spun.
I pressed my forehead and squeezed my eyes shut for a moment.
In the end, that means I have to tackle the second competition as I am now.
I had to do it with my own power, without the systems help.
No point in complaining morenothing would change.
Instead of that, I needed to practice even a little more.
I shook my head quickly and stood up.
For some reason, I have a bad feeling.
Checking the time, only minutes were left until the scheduled practice session.
Normally, Id be heading to the practice room thinking only about formations and choreography.
Karis, you okay? You look a bit tired.
Ah, Im fine. The midevaluation had me so nervous, but since we got through it safely, the tension released, and now the fatigues hitting all at once.
Song Hyeongbin, who was warming up vigorously before proper practice began, looked at me with worried eyes.
Weve progressed way faster than the other groups anyway, so we can take it easy, right? If youre tired, tell me no matter what. Got it?
Got it.
You guys too! If youre tired, say so and lets rest a bit.
Yes!
With the abnormal status Indecisive turned off, Song Hyeongbin led practice with a much more relaxed face.
And for some reason, he kept paying extra attention to me.
Karis, this part might be tricky. The choreography changes a bit for center, right? So, adjust the feel like this...
While receiving oneonone coaching from Song Hyeongbin, I smiled inwardly.
It felt like he was taking even better care of me after that dawn counseling session.
Is Song Hyeongbin expressing his gratitude in his own way?
I had no reason to refuse help from a toptier allrounder.
Thanks to Song Hyeongbin, I could shake off distracting thoughts and focus on practice.
Okay, should we tweak the formation here one more time?
How about going this way for the first verse instead?
As practice went smoothly, ideas seemed to naturally emerge from the other team members too.
Sweating it out together until late hours, the ominous feeling from before eased somewhat.
Just do it like weve been doing.
And so, the day of the second competition arrived quickly.
The area in front of the filming set where Idol Training Simulations second competition was taking place was packed with people.
Many had come from far away for audience seating.
A considerable number had already brought homemade placards and slogans.
Of course, homma was one of them.
Hmm. My merchmaking skills havent rusted after all!
That was the conclusion after comparing her Karis slogan to those of other trainees around her.
For something made after so long, the quality was impressively high, and she was very satisfied.
Wonder what legend will come out this time.
After a long wait, she could finally enter the filming set.
Standing quite close to the stage, homma checked her filming equipment while listening to MC Choi Sias announcements.
Welcome, National Managers, to Idol Training Simulations second competition. The theme for this round, prepared by the trainees, is Yearly Hit Song Showdown. The voting method is quite simple this time. Every time a groups stage ends, if you think they did well, please press the O button on your remote. And once group voting is done, please press the number of the trainee you thought did the best in that group. Massive benefits will be given based on overall rankings and individual rankings.
This time, there was even individual voting.
That meant the benefits this round would definitely be way stronger than the 5,000vote benefit from the first round.
First up is the 2020 team...
And so, the main competition began in earnest.
Homma was only waiting for Karis von Walden to appear.
She had zero interest in whoever came from other groups.
Hello, were!
The fizzy, poppinglikecider Cider team!
Unavoidably, attention focused on the 2020 hit song group.
With four singledigit rankers in it.
Chae Eungyu, Baek Sihwa, and Yoo Minha in one group? That must be insanely strong.
In fact, just as homma thought, an enormous response erupted.
They were trainees who already had a solid number of personal fans.
And the stage itself was completed in a truly fresh and energetic way.
Thats my number one rival to watch out for. They did too well.
Recalling the trainees who hadnt appeared yet, homma desperately hoped Karis had good teammates.
As the heat was building up.
Next group up. The team that prepared for the 2010 megahit Pathfinder. Pathfinder team, please come up!
In hommas sharp gaze, golden hair caught her eye.
And soon, the owner of that extraordinary visage slowly walked up onto the stage.
Karis!
A loud shout burst out of her before she knew it.
The new hairstyle, which shed only seen on broadcast screens, suited him perfectly.
The outfit even stimulated her heart.
Hhalfup uniform? Are they insane?
Black uniform adorned with luxurious embellishments.
Karis von Walden, with his great build, showed off perfect visuals, as if born to wear a uniform.
Homma unconsciously pressed the shutter while gaping.
Same team as Song Hyeongbin? This is totally crazy.
Waving next to Karis was Song Hyeongbin, who had shone in 1st place at the last ranking announcement.
Both tall, they created a truly sparkling twoshot.
With a lineup like this, they can definitely take on the Cider team.
As homma inwardly ignited her fighting spirit, the stage lights dimmed.