Chapter 152
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152
“Big brother’s here.”
“Oh, you’re back?”
Kang Yi-chae had followed me all the way to the back, teasing me relentlessly with nonsense like “I’m actually a cat person” and “How-How.” I shut him up by shoving a can of Sol-ui-nun into his mouth.
After downing a can myself, I returned to my seat to find Jeong Da-jun peacefully daydreaming about Korean beef.
“I want to eat Hanwoo, but it’s so expensive…”
“Da-jun, that’s because you ordered five servings last time.”
I guess nothing happened while I was gone.
I wanted to ignore them if possible, but I’d been a bit worried because of the occasional sharp glares directed our way. Fortunately, it seemed like there hadn't been any major trouble.
However, Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been wearing a sour expression, looked at me and arched an eyebrow.
“Seo Ho-yun.”
“Yeah?”
“Stay away from the maknae… No more than this.”
What the hell was he talking about?
“Ahaha, right. Ho-yun, keep your distance a little.”
Even Seong Ji-won, who was sitting nearby, laughed and agreed with Kim Seong-hyeon.
Seriously, what was their problem?
I wasn't particularly curious, so I didn't resist when Kim Seong-hyeon grabbed my arm and led me to the seat furthest away from Jeong Da-jun.
As I sat there killing time and scanning the surroundings, the set suddenly grew noisy.
“Hello!”
High Five had arrived.
The set buzzed with excitement. Behind the bright smiles of the contestants lay hidden rivalries and strangely affectionate attitudes.
“We are High Five.”
For a moment, my eyes met Kang Yeon-hu’s as he entered the set at the front of the group with perfect posture. He gave a slight bow, his eyes crinkling into a soft smile.
Naturally, I greeted him back with my best "nice guy" smile.
Other group members quickly flocked to Kang Yeon-hu.
“Yeon-hu hyung, how have you been?”
“Ahaha, senior, please don't be like this.”
I wasn't the only one who noticed the atmosphere; Kang Yi-chae was watching him with a look of utter indifference.
[Welcome to Shining Star.]
Just then, a synthesized mechanical voice rang out.
Simultaneously, text appeared on the massive screen installed on the set.
[Will you be able to become the brightest star?
Revealing the predicted rankings for the final winner.]
In the first season, everyone wrote down their predicted rankings for the groups and revealed their own group's rank. This time, however, a pre-vote had been conducted for the group most likely to take first place.
[4th Place: Try
3rd Place: Verci
2nd Place: TEW]
And naturally, first place was…
[1st Place: High Five]
“High Five!!”
While all the other groups were making a fuss over the rankings, Kim Seong-hyeon’s face went stiff.
“…5th place?”
“……Zero votes?”
The relaxed expressions of the members vanished, replaced by hollow laughs.
Since they had been gaining momentum and taking pride in their skills and performance lately, their pride seemed wounded by the blatant disregard shown in the voting results.
I rested my chin on my hand as I watched them.
Guys.
To me, a variety show without a narrative is like a burger without a patty. I was actually enjoying this situation.
This is going to look great in the final edit.
“Hyung, Yi-chae is sad…”
“Get lost.”
Except for this guy, who clearly didn't care about other people's opinions.
I used my finger to push away Kang Yi-chae’s head as he tried to lean on my shoulder, whining pathetically.
At that moment, a spotlight hit the entrance.
The doors swung open, and a man in a suit and two women in evening gowns walked in.
“Hello.”
It was the appearance of the MC and the mentors.
“I’m Ju Woo-seong.”
Setting aside Ju Woo-seong, who looked so incredibly good in a suit it was as if he’d been born wearing one, the others were equally notable.
“I’m Ha Seo-yeon, and I’ll be your MC.”
The MC was Ha Seo-yeon, the actress famous for youth dramas whom I’d seen near the smoking area last time. Beside her stood Han Chae-ri of White Cherry, beaming brightly in her role as a mentor.
“I’m Han Chae-ri!”
So.
That meant he had two ex-girlfriends standing on either side of him.
You crazy bastard…
Knowing the full backstory, I couldn't hide my shock. Fortunately, everyone else likely assumed my reaction was just a response to the arrival of the MC and mentors.
Ju Woo-seong, who was leisurely scanning the set, gave a playful wink in my direction. I had to try my hardest to keep my face from twitching.
“Once again, a formal welcome to Shining Star. I watched Shining Star Season 1 very closely myself. It’s deeply moving to see Season 2 come to life like this.”
Ha Seo-yeon, possessing the refined aura typical of an actress, calmly proceeded with the hosting.
“Excluding the face-to-face ceremony, Shining Star Season 2 consists of a total of four competitions. The team that earns the highest total score will become the brightest star. Now, Woo-seong, shouldn't you tell them about the special privilege given to the winning team?”
“Yes, Seo-yeon.”
Ju Woo-seong continued with a brazen, slick smile.
“The final winning team will be granted the privilege of their own solo reality show and a gala concert at this very venue.”
On the screen behind Ju Woo-seong, concert footage of various famous idols began to play.
Everyone gasped at the sight of the brilliant lights, the booming sound, and the ear-piercing cheers of the fans.
“Wow, there…”
It was a famous stadium, one of the largest indoor venues and considered a dream concert hall for idols.
“Whoa!”
Every time Jeong Da-jun blinked in awe, the blue light from the screen reflected in his eyelashes.
I let out a small smile.
Looking forward to it?
I was more than confident in my ability to hand that kind of privilege to Jeong Da-jun.
Ju Woo-seong and Han Chae-ri, who had toured the world so many times that such things were no longer a big deal, wore warm smiles as they watched the contestants staring at the screen with sparkling eyes.
When the video ended, Han Chae-ri took the microphone.
“That’s enough for introductions, right? Let’s get straight to the point so it doesn't get boring!”
As she spoke, she snapped her fingers. The room instantly went dark, and a spotlight illuminated a small table placed on the stairs.
A small box sat upon it.
“What’s that?”
Ha Seo-yeon waited a moment for the contestants' murmuring to subside before she spoke.
“I will now announce the theme for the 1st Competition.”
“……!”
“The ‘Your Song, My Song’ mission. It’s a cover song competition.”
With those words, a list of song titles scrolled down the screen.
Most were songs by first-tier idols that almost anyone would have heard at least once.
“You will write down the song you want to perform from this list and put it in that box. Then, you will draw. Simple, right?”
I scanned the list from top to bottom as I listened to Ha Seo-yeon’s explanation.
My eyes snagged on a song in the corner.
“Hmm.”
The corners of my mouth curled up in satisfaction.
“So, what’s the catch here?”
When Han Chae-ri asked the light question, the main vocal of Verci raised his hand. He took the microphone and spoke cautiously.
“…Does that mean someone else could pick the paper I wrote?”
“……!!”
“Yes! Exactly!”
“It would be frustrating if the song you wrote ended up in someone else's hands, wouldn't it? Depending on how you plan, this could be a blessing or a curse, so please choose your song carefully.”
As Ju Woo-seong took the mic, I saw the corners of Han Chae-ri’s smiling mouth twitch.
It would have been funnier if Ju Woo-seong was the one trembling, but seeing his smooth, unbothered face made me even less interested in their romantic history.
The other groups quickly huddled together, putting their heads together for a meeting.
“What should we do?”
“Should we go with something really powerful? …But what if it gets stolen?”
Holding the paper the staff had given us to write our selection, I looked over the song titles on the screen once more.
As long as the song remained until my turn, I wasn't particularly worried about it being stolen. I had a skill I’d learned from a certain someone. And even if it was stolen, it would make for an interesting picture.
However, I weighed the benefits we would gain, the impact on other groups, and whether there was something to be gained even if things didn't go according to plan.
Having finished my calculations, I looked at the members.
“Guys, there’s something I want to do.”
“You can do it if you stop calling yourself ‘hyung.’”
“Ho-yun wants to do something.”
“…….”
I quickly scribbled something on the paper.
The expressions of the members watching me gradually turned strange.
“This one.”
“……?”
As I picked up the finished paper, Kim Seong-hyeon leaned in close and whispered quietly.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Of course.”
“If it goes to another group…”
“Whatever happens, that’ll be fun in its own way too.”
Kim Seong-hyeon stared at me for a moment.
I could explain it if he wanted, but even if I did, it wouldn't be easy to get his agreement.
I was busy thinking about how to make him do it since he was soft on the members anyway, but he just nodded without a word and tapped my shoulder.
“Fine, I get it.”
What I saw in his eyes was trust.
Kim Seong-hyeon. I told you not to trust people so easily.
Suppressing a chuckle, I obtained the consent of all the members, folded the note neatly, and dropped it into the box.
Once all the groups had finished their selections, Ha Seo-yeon, standing by the box, took the mic and said with a smile.
“High Five, please come forward first.”
“Yes!”
As High Five’s leader, Kang Yeon-hu, strode forward, Ha Seo-yeon playfully tapped the box.
“Shall we see what you draw?”
Unless they were incredibly unlucky, I could guess roughly what kind of song would come out.
Everyone would have plastered the box with famous first-tier boy group songs as a safety measure to avoid getting stuck with something bad.
However…
“Next, The Dawn. Please come forward.”
It’s no fun if everything is the same.
Ding!
[Are you really going to pick that?]
I shrugged as if it were obvious and stood up with a calm expression.
The system window rang noisily the entire way I walked.
[Are you sure this is okay?]
[The quest is to take 1st place overall?!]
[Are you confident you can pick it? It’s random.]
There’s no such thing as "impossible" in this world.
Stopping in front of the box, I turned my head to look at Kang Yi-chae before drawing a song.
Yi-chae.
Our eyes met, and Kang Yi-chae narrowed his eyes as if wondering what I was plotting.
Thanks. I’m going to put your skill to good use.
“Oh boy, this is a tough choice.”
“Haha, isn't it the same no matter how much you think about it?”
As I scratched my head, pretending to be deeply conflicted, laughter erupted from behind me. As if to say that thinking about it was meaningless.
“Still, I have to be careful. Everything depends on the luck of the draw, right?”
I recalled that moment.
The conversation I’d had with Kang Yi-chae after we finished filming self-produced content in the countryside.
“You… you folded it slightly before putting it in the box, didn't you?”
It was when Kang Yi-chae had managed to pick the luxury restaurant in a draw for dinner.
“You actually saw that?”
At the time, Kang Yi-chae had laughed at my question as if it were amusing.
“Well, if you fold it, you can tell by the feel.”
Bingo.
This is it.
I felt the sensation of a slightly folded paper at my fingertips.
I pulled the corners of my mouth back and drew the note out of the box.
“The Dawn has made their pick.”
All eyes were fixed on me.
“Ah, it’s the one I wrote.”
And this was the stage I had personally prepared.
How could this not be a benefit?
As I smiled, holding the card I’d drawn, Ju Woo-seong’s expression stiffened.
“It’s Lia Purple senior’s…”
“……?!”
The room was already in an uproar just from the mention of the artist's name.
As I waved the paper toward our leader, Kim Seong-hyeon just massaged his eyebrow with an ambiguous smile.
Hey, kid.
“It’s ‘Easy Tempo.’”
Hyung is going to show you something fun.