Chapter 90
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 90
Chapter Title The Shocking Displacement
Excuse me... Ill take this spot.
Song Hyeongbins resolute tone rang out.
The moment he grabbed Ji Yooncheols shoulders with both hands, a hush fell over the room for a split second.
Everyone must have worn the same expression.
Mouths agape in stunned silence, or eyes wide like full moons.
Then, as their brains processed the fact that Song Hyeongbin had shoved Ji Yooncheol aside.
Woooah!
Whoa, hold on!
No way.
Whoa, this is seriously shocking.
Gasps of disbelief erupted from all directions.
Someone was bound to get pushed outit was inevitable.
The number one contender, the top predator Song Hyeongbin, voluntarily stepping aside for an empty spot? Impossible.
But the trainee who got displaced being Ji Yooncheol, who had held second place right before him? That was pure shock and horror.
......
The person at the center of it all remained silent instead.
He trudged after Song Hyeongbin to the remaining position on this side subvocal 2.
My teammates could only stare at the two trainees in stunned horror.
The established rule of the final round.
If you displace a trainee from their desired position, you must assign them to one of the available empty spots.
In other words, if theres only one spot left when you get pushed out, you have no choice but to take it.
......Sorry.
......Its fine.
Their exchange was brief and ended there.
Song Hyeongbin patted Ji Yooncheols shoulder once more before striding to the center position and standing tall.
The other trainees were still reeling from the shock.
I feel like Im watching a horror movie.
Yooncheol was second place, right? Wow, I never imagined second place getting pushed out.
And of all the last spots left, it had to be on the opposite song. Not only does he lose his position, but he ends up on the total opposite track from what he wanted......
Hey, I told you guys? Thats why center is the most dangerous spot.
Good thing we didnt pick center, seriously.
The center position was just too tempting.
It guaranteed screen time and drew intense focus from the national producers.
But sweet fruit always comes with risks.
The pressure of the finals, and the need to choose so carefullythats why the center spot stayed empty until the end.
If your rank was low, you had no choice but to yield to higherranked trainees.
And the top contenders either had prior center experience or were perfectly suited for it.
No way theyd pass it up.
The others had consciously avoided center for that very reason.
To dodge ending up like Ji Yooncheol.
Even if it meant a part with less screen time, they wanted to secure at least their preferred song.
Of course, not every trainee pulled off that strategy successfully.
Id have to hear the details to know.
If they all shared that common mindset of avoiding center, then clashes among the lower ranks must have happened in certain positions.
Which means even picking a lowrisk spot could still get you displaced.
In the end, the fierce, bloody game of chicken wrapped up just as the production team wanted with maximum drama.
Idol Training Simulation final roundsong and position selection is now complete. Pour everything youve got into practice with your teammates to create the best stage possible. Filming will resume after lunch. Good work!
Good work!
Thank you!
The official filming in the auditorium concluded.
After a brief reorganization period, the trainees would head straight to their assigned group practice rooms and dive into repetitive drills.
The moment the slate clapped, a notification window appeared in my vision.
You have met the clear conditions for the Emergent Mission.
I had successfully secured the center spot.
The moment the status ailment lifted, the electric tension coursing through my body vanished.
I rolled my neck around, mulling over one realization from earlier.
Whenever the status ailment flared up before, the crown princes manic ego would ignite a burning heat in my body. His inherent arrogance would also force my true personality to slip out uncontrollably. But in a situation like today, I could somehow maintain my usual tone.
Earlier, when polite speech had flowed naturally against Chae Eungyu and Song Hyeongbin, Id felt something off.
During the sports day, Id deceived Chae Eungyu with an arrogant, haughty tone.
Comparing the two scenarios led to one hypothesis.
The crown prince was canonically not just a battle maniac but also a brilliant tactician. So, in moments like today where I had to maximize brainpower, it makes sense that his cold, rational side overshadowed the mania and took hold.
Ultimately, even this status ailments influence varied by situation.
In scenarios demanding physical exertion, it overwhelmed me with heat and uncontrollable frenzy.
Conversely, in brainintensive ones, it sharpened my cold judgment and composure.
For someone like me who always had to brace for this status ailment, it was incredibly useful intel.
Lucky. As long as its not excessive physical strain, I can maintain my original composure to some degree.
Meanwhile, the trainees confirmed for my team rushed over to share their relief.
Karis hyung! I was seriously dying out there.
Whats wrong?
Heo Yubin was the first, clinging to my arm and unleashing a torrent of complaints.
I mean, I step up the stairs, and boomDaehyeon hyungs in the main vocal spot. Total mental breakdown......
So Daehyeon originally picked this song.
Yeah. I was like, Id rather die than do dance. Actually, Im not confident in rap either. Shuffle steps scare me, so wave might be betterIve gotta get this spot! But to do that, I had to shove Daehyeon hyung aside. Man, I was losing my mind!
For someone who hated it that much, you sure shoved him without mercy.
I had no choice...... The silver lining? Main vocal opened up, so Daehyeon hyung smiled and asked to switch to subvocal over there.
A shame about the song switch, but Kwon Daehyeon kept his positionlucky break.
Yu Minha, grabbing my other arm, shared some intriguing info.
Hyung, you know what? Sihwa originally picked the opposite song but ended up here.
Got pushed out, huh.
But not just oncehe kept getting pushed multiple times.
Baek Sihwa bounced around until landing here?
Makes sense he wouldnt pick a lowvisibility, ambiguous spot like subvocal 3.
That explains why he seemed mentally frayed from the first glance.
Ken told me earlier he originally wanted main dancer but got bumped to main rapper. Then from main rapper to subvocal 1, then sub 2, and with everything else filled, bumped again straight to this opposite side.
I... I didnt know that. So he got pushed out four times solo?
Thats how it shakes out!
Yu Minha beamed innocently as he dropped this bombshell.
Seeing his smiling face, a new wave of emotion washed over me.
To think he can talk so freely now about Baek Sihwa, who he used to despise so onesidedly.
The day Baek Sihwa had tried to sabotage Yu Minha.
Hed spilled his past while looking dejected and deflated.
Even after I told him it wasnt his fault, he mustve harbored inner anxiety.
But now, he seemed to have shaken it all off, focusing solely on himself.
Midgrin, Yu Minhas mouth twitched as something occurred to him.
Then he whispered softly in my ear.
What if Sihwa stirs up trouble again?
That wont happen. No one knows better than Baek Sihwa himself. He knows he cant afford another controversy here.
You think so?
Even if his debut odds on this show are slim, showing bad attitude to the end would tag him forever.
I knew exactly what worried Yu Minha.
With his image already trashed and elimination all but certain, Baek Sihwa might deliberately cause more chaos.
But this program was also a showcase of future value.
Staying uncooperative and problematic till the end? No agency would touch him after.
So the odds of intentional trolling were slim to none.
Since we had practice ahead, lunch was light.
After a simple sandwich, we headed to the practice room and naturally linked up with Chae Eungyu.
Looking forward to working with you again.
Same here.
Haha, looks like you ended up center again.
Just got lucky. If Hyeongbin hyung had wanted this song, Id be the one pushed out.
Oh, right.
At my words, Chae Eungyu let out a small sigh and scratched his head.
I think Ive got a read on the others, but Yooncheol? No clue whats going on in his head.
Same here.
Figured. I halfexpected you, Karis, to have chatted him up or something.
......Feeling uneasy?
Not fullon uneasy, just worried.
Chae Eungyu sighed deeply again.
Yooncheols only 17, right? The youngest guys also the quietest. Kids who hold back words and emotions like thatyou worry theyre suffering inside.
Fair point.
Ji Yooncheol was currently 17. Trainees naturally started way younger.
Spending the age for playing with friends and going to school alone in a practice room.
And with such a stoic, impassive personality, no wonder Chae Eungyu worried.
Maybe getting pushed by Song Hyeongbin had shocked him.
But there wasnt much we could do right now.
Best to watch and wait for now. Asking him directly if hes okay would be rude.
Yeah, probably.
Chae Eungyu nodded in agreement.
Lets keep an eye on him during practice.
That seems like the best approach.
Expectations are high this time. Great lineupshould be fun.
All survivors to the finals had the skills to back it up.
So Chae Eungyu probably anticipated a smooth, stable practice.
......The timings a bit off here?
Here too.
Guys, our overall movement lines arent syncing up.
Life never goes quite as planned.