Chapter 73
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 73
Chapter Title Preview Frenzy
Idol Training Simulation had passed the halfway mark and was heading into its second half.
The national managers were desperately craving spoilers for the third competition.
It would be a stage with a massive impact on the third ranking announcement, where tickets to the final round were handed out.
Ah, will Yooncheol drop a preview?
Im betting on Karis.
The two sisters were just as eagerly awaiting the latest news.
Pyo Joohyun rested her chin on her hand and scrolled through her phone screen.
Does it usually come out this late?
Ive been refreshing nonstop, but no tweets yet from my friend whos at the audience seating. Maybe theres a slight delay?
I wish theyd post right away on their way out.
Pyo Joohyun probably didnt realize it herself.
How quickly shed fallen for Karis von Walden.
Shed checked every recent tweet.
Watched all the videos fans proudly posted.
Voted for him diligently every day.
And when Kariss ranking rose, she felt immense joy knowing her efforts had borne fruit.
That made her even more curious about what hed shown in this competition.
Pyo Jihyun, who was monitoring the timeline alongside her sister, suddenly let out a gasp.
Holy crap, Yooncheols preview is up.
Where, where? Show me too.
It wasnt Karis von Waldens preview, but knowing other trainees concepts could paint a picture.
Sometimes your fave appeared right after someone elses preview.
Unfortunately, though, nothing about Kariss face or name was mentioned in the Yooncheol posts.
No way, sis. Yooncheol and Hyeongbin are on the same team.
Maybe Karis got posted without tags, just casually? Why isnt anything about him popping up?
Thats not the point right now. Look at this guys faceits like he rolled a seven on the looks die.
Pyo Jihyun shoved her phone forward with a goofy grin.
Yooncheol in the preview... yeah, he was handsome, no doubt, but he still looked way too young.
Pyo Joohyun nodded tepidly and voiced her honest take.
Totally your type. Too babyfaced for me.
See? I told you from the startyoud love Karis.
Ah, seriously. Did all the fans go to Estonia as a group or what? Whys everyone posting except Karis stuff?
Time had flown past 1 a.m.
Her stomach rumbling, she boiled some ramen and headed back to her room, only to find a surprise gift waiting for Pyo Joohyun.
A notification from the Karis fan account shed followed.
Heart pounding, she opened Twitter, and there it wasa totally unexpected photo greeting her.
2X0406 Karis Karis KarisVonWalden Karis
...Hey, look at this.
Karis finally dropped one?
Pyo Jihyuns eyes went wide at Kariss preview, brimming with refreshing vibes.
No way, he went refreshing? For real?
Karis had gone with charismatic concepts for both the first and second stages.
Heavy eye makeup, black outfitsmature and intense impressions.
But this preview showed the total opposite coord.
White jacket, light blue jeans.
Subtle makeup that made his pale skin tone pop even more.
Flashing a cool smile in that getupit was straight out of a shonen manga panel.
Wow, but his face is straightup cheating. Nothing looks off on him. I honestly thought refreshing would be super awkward on Karis. His face just makes it believable.
He could rock a headband and itd still work.
Look at that face. Hed pull off a clown outfit.
Pyo Joohyun had no comeback to her sisters heavyhitting fact bomb.
Others were just spamming quotes with gasps of awe.
Refreshing suits him so damn well??
God of faces, authority of faces, ruler of faces, dominator of faces, ugh too lazy whatever face something
Takes good pics even in group shots. Last time at the group greeting, Karis was next to me in all the photos and they all came out great
Cant you just give me one solo Karis pic next time? Plz
Ah.... sorry, no time gotta go
Karis cutie pie
It seemed like the audience members finally had time to check their phones.
Starting with this preview, all sorts of spoilers and quick anecdotes started popping up everywhere.
2X0406 3rd comp thread.... jotting down what I remember
Concept battle as expected!! 5 teams total, two intense ones per song, dreamy, refreshing, sexy vibes...? Deep house, synthpop, funk pop.... bad at genres just FYI
Biggest reactions Bet on You intense, Starburst refreshing top members I remember
Bet on You Song Hyeongbin, Ji Yooncheol
Starburst Chae Eungyu, Karis, Yoo Minha, Baek Sihwa
Think thats it but maybe more!! Couldve missed some....
Bet on You was deep house, insane choreo Not easylistening singalong but replayworthy quality. Songwise Id pick Bet on You!! Center Ji Yooncheol
Starburst synthpop, most mainstream of the five songs! Catchy chorus easy to sing along but I forgot it writing this at home lol
Center kinda confusing Everyone came center a lot.... But refrain center was always Minha so prob Yoo Minha!
And Karis absolutely shredded the killing part midsong, flipped the audience.... Watch the main broadcast....
Hey, Yooncheol and Song Hyeongbin are teamed up?
Saw that. Ugh, Yooncheol needs to think before picking teams. Nailing centers great, but pairing with Hyeongbin means hell steal all the screen time. Why team with the top 3 guy who gets the least footage already? So frustrating.
But sticking with Hyeongbin might get him more accidental shots. Probably ended up that way.
For an accident, Kariss team is stacked though?
Fair point.
1st and 3rd place together? Instant dream team label.
Kariss group had 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th all lined up.
They checked a few more immediate reactions.
Checked my TL and others
Dance Bet on You Song Starburst seems right yeah everyone loved these
Others sucked? No mentions
Didnt go so idk lol but vibe wasnt bad, just overshadowed by Bet on You and Starburst
Upper comment, went to comp?? Ask me anything
How was Yubins team? Pls dying to know, fave Yubin and its all Starburst talk
Yubins team song DeeperDeeper, he carried vocals solo lol high low mid all him hard carry
Save 19yo family man Yubin
Hyeongbins visuals Yoonface combo is insane
Wait fr Yoonface was center? Not Hyeongbean?
Feels like Hyeongbean yielded...
Yielded to Sma last time, now Yoonface
Not yielding, just suited Sma or Yoonface better for center, stop overhyping Hyeongbin ffs
Who are these psychos raging whenever Hyeongbean mentioned? Makes me sick lol
Starburst center Minha was HUGE
That outfit that look, could straightup shoot XKaris ad push it ᴗ
Thought center Eungyu or Smile but Minha? Thought clickbait but real
Fr?? Not buried by EungyuSma?
Yup Minhas toomuch power activated onstage too but good way
Ah fml lololol
Not being centers a bit disappointing.
Karis mightve yielded on purpose. Third straight center solo? Even Song Hyeongbin, whos 1, hasnt centered much except first comp. Monopolizing would get hate. Plus first time refreshing, maybe felt the pressure.
Classic survival addict little sis.
Pyo Joohyun pondered the logical answer.
Better than weird antis swarming like last time. Skipping center once is smart.
Spoilers mentioned a solo part for Karis too, so expectations stayed high.
But how killer was it to flip the audience?
Spoiler guys a Karis fan. Probably overhyping from solo shots alone.
Not your fave and acting all...
As they bantered.
Starburst Karis bridge part wtf
A 6second video hit the timeline.
Whoa, someone filmed video?
Insane....... but whys the quality this bad?
As Pyo Jihyun said, the clip was ridiculously lowres.
Focus shook wildly even on tiny movementsprobably max zoom from far away.
Right now this feelings name is
Love
Kariss voice came through the speaker.
Pyo Joohyun strained her eyes at her fave in the crap quality.
Right before the last line, Karis paused dramatically, shaping something with his hand.
A super unique heart with just index and middle fingers.
He blew lightly like wind, then spread his fingers to the sides.
......
......
The sisters fell silent for a beat.
No words needed their eyes said it all.
This was it.
The moment audiencegoers called the best.
Even in the disastrously blurry footage, Kariss stunning looks shone fiercely.
Eyes slightly downcast, high nose bridge.
Low voice paired with the quirky choreounforgettable iconic scene burned into the brain.
When Pyo Joohyun reflexively hit retweet, she watched the numbers skyrocket by hundreds in real time.
Staring at the unreal vertical climb, she whispered to her sister.
...Third vote fever times gonna hit way faster, right?
If this pace holds? Gotta wait for the full stage vid first.
Karis, now up to 4th and knocking on concrete top 3s door.
More anticipation than ever for the third vote drama.
Next up coming in!
Idol Training Simulation was on a brief break.
Third round footage for episodes 9 and 10 was all recorded.
With two weeks of global voting ahead, trainees got a few days off.
Before heading home, interviews sharing third round thoughts were scheduled.
So now, the youngest writer was jotting notes furiously while chatting with trainees.
Hello.
Oh, Karis trainee! Sit here.
Yes.
Next up Karis von Walden trainee.
The writer inwardly marveled at his extraordinary looks up close.
Always shocks me seeing him this near.
Perfectly sculpted features, like God handcrafted him.
Not just visualsrumors swirled of his dogged daily practice building skills too.
A flawless complete package in the making.
Ahem. Ready to start the interview?
Yes, please.
The writer fired off prepared questions, scribbling Kariss answers intently.
...Really from overseas?
Korean so flawless, youd buy him being born here.
Come to think, ranking announcementshe always stuck to Korean.
Idol Training Simulation was a global broadcast watched worldwide.
Foreign trainees milked it, using foreign languages at announcements to woo overseas fans.
Karis von Walden never didalways caught her off guard.
The thought struck youngest writer tossed the question.
Oh, one thing Im curious about.
Yes.
Youre from Estonia, right? I thought itd be special to send a message in Estonian or English to parents, friends back home, or overseas fans watching. If you survive to the third announcement, any plans to try?
Ah.
The word Estonian hit, and Karis von Waldens calm expression flickered.