Chapter 48
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 48
Chapter Title Defeat by Two Votes
It was true that our team was the most targeted. After all, we had garnered an enormous response on par with theirs.
With Ji Yooncheol as a solid pillar, Kang Siyoons teamwhich had received rave reviews during the midevaluationwas also expected to rank high.
Honestly, our team drew more flak.
Park Jaehoon, who had been quietly sipping his water, chimed in.
Yooncheol did great, sure, but your team moved like a single unit. It just looked better overall.
That makes sense.
Siyoon hyung really is a hard worker. He even stuck with a klutz like me to teach me.
Does that mean I fell short?
Ah, ah, ah, nooo!
When Song Hyeongbin teased him, Heo Yubin panicked hard, freezing up like a buffering video.
His pupils shook like they were caught in an earthquake.
I shouldve taught you better. Sorry, Yubin.
Please, please! Stop teasing meeee! Im sorry!
Got it, got it. Any more and Yubin might faint for real.
Sniff.
Soon enough, the two teams took the stage.
Kang Siyoons team went first.
Commanding the center with confidence, Kang Siyoon nailed the fresh concept perfectly.
Even the members with relatively lower ranks wore assured expressions, delivering flawless teamwork.
Theyre killing it.
The energy is amazing!
Siyoon hyung, I knew you had it!
Heo Yubin snapped out of his pupil quake at the sight of his old roommates cheerful face.
He watched with sparkling eyes as his former roommate dominated the stage.
Karis hyung, doesnt Siyoon hyung seem even sharper than before?
I think I know why it looks that way.
Really?
I nodded while taking a sip of water.
Concept is more crucial than any other element. Siyoon has solid fundamentals and knows his strengths well. When a trainee like that wears clothes that fit him perfectly, those advantages get amplified far beyond normallike right now.
Unlike Kang Siyoons team, Ji Yooncheols team didnt deliver the destructive performance Id expected.
As I watched the stage quietly, a sense of déjà vu hit me.
It overlaps a bit with Song Hyeongbins vibe from the first round.
That team had received benefits, but aside from one new member, the lineup was the same as round one.
Which meant no issues with chemistry.
...It feels like Yooncheols the only one pulling off the concept.
I agree.
Song Hyeongbin nailed the analysis, as expected.
Excluding Ji Yooncheol, the other members looked like they were wearing illfitting clothes.
Their outfits and makeup both felt slightly off, floating awkwardly.
Ji Yooncheol alone exuded destructive presence from center stage.
In Siyoons case, he nailed the concept, but so did the rest of his team. That raised the overall stage quality and let him shine even brighter with total confidence. But here, only Yooncheol pulled it off... Its a shame.
Song Hyeongbin looked genuinely disappointed.
I kept a neutral expression while watching the screen, but inwardly, I let out a sigh of relief.
At this rate, the quest success odds are skyhigh.
I clenched my fist lightly and watched the remaining performances.
Once the final stage ended, a familiar announcement echoed from outside.
Well now move to the performance hall!
Time to check the results.
It feels kinda empty.
Definitely way more hollow than round one.
Only 51 trainees left in Idol Training Simulation.
Returning to the audienceless performance hall, the trainees felt the stark emptiness.
But that sentiment didnt last.
Trainees who completed the second contest without a hitchgreat job.
As Choi Sia took the stage, the hollow atmosphere shifted to tension.
Before we start, we mentioned that this round features both team benefits and individual ones.
Yes.
In round one, the top three teams got 5,000vote benefits. For this second round team benefit...
Huge numbers appeared on the LED screen behind the stage.
The trainees in the top three teams will receive 10,000vote benefits immediately. Double the previous amount. And thats not all. The top three teams get a special benefit an appearance on KNets music show, Music K Showdown.
The 10,000 votes were a hefty reward, but the trainees went wild at the music show news.
Dude, music show!
We get to hit music shows before debuting?
Im not even aiming for firstjust please let us sneak into the top three. I wanna do a music show so bad.
A golden chance to stamp themselves on more eyes.
Even I, who knew this benefit was coming, couldnt help nodding in satisfaction.
Song Hyeongbin, standing in front of me, turned back with a grin.
Music show would be fun.
Who else but us? Its a lock.
Oh, Karis saying it outright like this? First time.
Thats because Id been babying your fragile mentality until now.
I fixed a confident gaze forward.
We did everything we could.
Theres also the individual benefit youve all been dying to hear about. The highest voter in each group gets a separate 10,000vote individual benefit. In other words, a trainee in a topthree team who also wins their groups individual benefit walks away with 20,000 votes total.
Crazy.
So even if your team misses top three, snagging first in your group keeps you safe.
It was impossibly sweet news.
Despite knowing the cameras were rolling everywhere, the trainees exchanged glances.
No one could stay unmoved by a benefit this close to survival.
Well reveal the results now. 1990s first team, Ruthless Love. Show the vote count!
Out of 500 total, how many Os did each team get?
And who racked up the most individual votes?
Averages are landing between 300 and 400.
So far, Kang Siyoons team led with a whopping 418 votes.
Plus, Kang Siyoon snagged the individual benefit with his standout center performance.
Come to think of it, that status ailment Kang Siyoon triggered during level testing didnt flare up this time either.
Kang Siyoons status ailment Inhibition.
His stage balance and composure crumbled midlevel test, leading to a chain of mistakes.
Still couldnt pinpoint the trigger.
As I stared at Kang Siyoon, he mustve felt ithe turned and looked right at me.
Then shot me a wink.
Thats definitely caught on camera.
We passed 2000s and hit 2010s.
Please, please.
We need over 400 for sure.
Hashimoto Ken and Heo Yubin gripped hands tight, chanting like a spell.
Park Jaehoon couldnt hide his tension, already frozen stiff.
Song Hyeongbin, meanwhile, watched the screen casually.
First. We need first.
Not just top threestraightup overall first.
Hearts pounding desperately for the numbers...
441 votes
...!
441 votes!
Whoaaa.
An overwhelmingly dominant score.
My eyes widened involuntarily.
Shock hit first, then massive relief.
Were good. This is safe territory.
Other teams topped out in the low 400s so far.
441 was an insane high score.
Top Voter Karis von Walden 234 votes
I even beat Song Hyeongbin for the individual benefit.
Congrats, Karis!
Karis hyung!
Knew itd be Karisnim!
I thanked the cheers, but my mind was locked on the other teams scores.
First hurdle cleared.
Now just Ji Yooncheols team and the last one left.
409 votes
Ji Yooncheols team scored relatively low.
A clear step below ours.
Good work!
Aw, still feels off.
You too, Yooncheol. Great job.
...Good work, hyungs.
Despite the disappointing result, Ji Yooncheols team patted shoulders and exchanged encouragements.
Ji Yooncheol bowed deeply to his hyungs, but his eyes shook faintly.
The guy whos always stonefaced.
Even with minimal expressions, his competitive fire burned hot.
He wouldnt show it, but to hold second place, he needed a bigger impact than this.
Top ranks were the goal this contest, no doubt.
Just one more team to beat.
Hitting 2020s, my pulse quickened.
Quest success was so close.
Victorys sweetness tingled on my tongue.
But they say it like this
Chilling premonitions always hit the mark.
Last song of the 2020s. Only one team left. The votes show it was neckandneck to the very end. Reveal the result!
The spinning numbers locked in one by one.
443 votes
...No way.
I stared at the resultseparated by just two votesin stunned disbelief.
As if to hammer home the reality, the system alert popped up.
Hidden Linked Quest Win First in Second Contest has failed.
No rewards granted.
Warning!! Penalty activated due to quest failure!
Penalty? What penalty out of nowhere!
I nearly reached out to the system window on reflex.
Barely holding back, my fingers twitched as I glared at the golden screen.
Never had a penalty before. Not once! Not even a warning.
Screaming injustice in my head changed nothing.
Penalty activated.
Due to Hidden Linked Quest failure, one of Possessors stats will drop two stages.
Select stat to drop... Stat Vocal drops from B to B.
Damn it!
I clenched my fist on instinct.
A string of absurd events.
How did it randomly pick Vocalthe one stat Id barely raised!
Khk.
Right then.
Something unknown crushed my throat.