Chapter 161
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 161
When the first pre-release video dropped, not long after the second competition had ended, the Noeuls were at peace.
Thanks to the incredible performance of "Easy Tempo" that The Dawn had showcased in the first competition, every day was a joy.
[Kim Seong-hyeon ㅠㅠ He’s so, so, so handsome and cute I just want to devour him;;;;;;;;;;;;
└ Just reported this.
└└ ffs wait for me]
[I seriously can’t believe Seong Ji-won practiced for seven years with that holy face. If I were the CEO, I would’ve screamed 'Oh my god, oh my god' the moment he walked in and debuted him on the spot.
└ Seong Ji-won’s nose mole, seriously.... it’s driving me crazy.]
As Seo Ho-yun had predicted, almost no one was shipping them with Lia Purple.
Furthermore, in this pre-release video featuring the highlights, the protagonist of the buzz was snatched by The Dawn.
Specifically, Seo Ho-yun’s ribbon scene.
With a slight furrow in his brow and a languid gaze, the sight of Seo Ho-yun pulling the string tied around his neck to undo the ribbon was lethal. Everyone watching felt their brain circuits short-circuit simultaneously.
[Seo Ho-yun: "Sure~ I’ll kill you."
Noeul: "Sure~ I’ll die for you."]
[Ah, lolololol. So you want to get all dirty and tangled up with me, huh? See you in court. You’re going to regret this, you bastard.]
As the clip spread from Nutube to various communities and SNS, the speed at which posts were being uploaded became staggering.
[Dear God...... thank you for sending this god-tier bunny idol, a genius at his job and a genius with his face, to me. Living a good life was worth it.]
[Seriously, these guys live with so much grit...]
[They’re out for blood.. I see why they got 2nd place...]
With a stage they could obsess over for the next ten years and a decent ranking to boot.
The Noeuls, who knew they had ranked last in the final predicted ranking pre-vote during the first episode, smirked and were satisfied with the results of the first competition that had already spread far and wide.
However, happiness did not last long.
[Hey, spoilers for the 2nd competition are out.]
Because the spoilers for the second competition had appeared.
[5th place is The Dawn?!?!?!???]
Everyone was thrown into a panic.
[Wait, why??? Are they really 5th place material? How do you go from 2nd in the first competition to 5th in the second?]
[I heard they were 1st in the expert vote, so how did they get 5th?]
After synthesizing the various reviews and stories floating around, they arrived at one conclusion.
[It’s strategic voting.]
At that moment, a surge of rage boiled up.
[Fuck, are we screwed? ㅠ]
[Lmao, are they actually insane? They really used their heads for this one ㅗ]
[Ah, I’m seriously losing hope..........]
While speculations about the rankings and spoilers were flying, a leaked 30-second fancam of The Dawn’s second competition stage—filmed covertly with one side of the screen obscured—set the Noeuls ablaze once again.
[ㅠㅠㅠㅠ What do we do about Da-jun looking so flustered ㅠㅠㅠ ffs break that wheel.]
[Whoever made that thing heavy, come out...]
[Our baby ㅠㅠ But he kept his composure and finished until the end ㅠㅠㅠ]
Of course, not everyone was heartbroken and sad. The akgaes, who existed like a chronic illness in every fandom, weren't about to let this juicy prey go.
Within the Noeul fandom, which was already highly sensitive due to the 5th place ranking, they grew bold, inflating and nitpicking Jeong Da-jun’s mistake.
[Ah, fuck, he just blew an entire line.]
[Isn't it actually 5th place because of Jeong Da-jun? If we can see the mistake, imagine how it looked to the audience lol. It must have been so obvious.]
[Da-jun, damn it~~ ㅠㅠ I told you to practice ㅠ]
While Jeong Da-jun’s mistake wasn't without impact, it wasn't the deciding factor. Nevertheless, a small number of kka-ppas clung to it like mad.
Due to the strategic voting issue in the second competition, division and backroom dealings among the fandoms intensified.
In the midst of that, the filming day returned.
The 3rd competition: the Unit Competition.
Normally, it would have proceeded in a warm atmosphere, but...
“Isn’t it unusually cutthroat today?”
It was like walking on thin ice.
No one spoke easily, and when they did, it was in whispers.
One of the staff members muttered while scanning the atmosphere of the set.
“This is actually scary.”
The participating groups had clearly greeted each other with smiles, but from then on, it was so quiet you could hear an ant crawl by.
TEW, who had taken 1st place in the second competition, wore triumphant expressions throughout, High Five remained expressionless, and the other groups seemed to be walking on eggshells.
It seemed the cold wind was blowing because everyone had been briefed on the overall situation through their respective agencies.
“Would the atmosphere of a survival program be warm otherwise?”
If it stayed like this, the viewership ratings were guaranteed.
She wasn't wrong.
Even so, Kim Hee-yeong didn't feel at ease.
Is their mental state okay?
While giving instructions to the surrounding staff, Kim Hee-yeong glanced toward The Dawn’s designated seats.
She wasn't worried about Seo Ho-yun to begin with. He seemed like the type who would just react with a dull "Ah, is that so?" even if the whole world was cursing him.
As she shifted her gaze, she caught one person who looked in bad shape. It was The Dawn’s maknae.
Well, if he saw the internet reaction, there’s no way he’d be in his right mind….
She also caught the TEW members sitting right next to him whispering while looking at Jeong Da-jun.
She didn't know the specific details, but she could feel that something was up.
Watching that shot captured on the monitoring screen, Kim Hee-yeong brushed back her bangs.
What is it? Did they fight? It’s a bit much to put it in like this.
But there was no more time to deliberate.
Filming began shortly.
To the sound of applause, the MC, Ha Seo-yeon, appeared.
“You all worked hard on the second competition.”
After Ha Seo-yeon efficiently gathered broadcast footage by asking for brief thoughts, the introduction to the third competition followed.
“The third competition consists of the Vocal Unit and the Performance Unit.”
Kim Hee-yeong, who had seen Ha Seo-yeon’s lines countless times, could recite them by heart without even listening.
This battle was largely divided into two categories: the Performance Unit and the Vocal Unit.
For the Performance Unit, one person from each group would compete in an individual match.
The Vocal Unit worked a bit differently; only one person from each group would be selected to form two teams, Team A and Team B, with five members each.
Votes would be allocated to each individual to produce a score, and the side with the higher total sum of individual scores would win. The winning team would receive bonus points.
Furthermore, even within the winning team, the person who received the lowest individual vote would have to hand over their points from this unit battle to the 1st place individual on the losing team.
In other words, it was a battle of wits and a devilish system where competition between teams and individuals was extremely intensified, allowing for not a moment of relaxation.
So the strategy you take changes depending on who your teammates are.
Regardless, there was a person who was a must-pick for the team to win.
They have to take Seong Ji-won.
In a competition, a "safe bet" meant at least securing the middle ground.
“First, the Vocal Unit. TEW, who took 1st place last time, and High Five, who took 2nd, will act as the leaders for Team A and Team B respectively and select their team members. TEW, the 1st place winner, will have priority, followed by High Five, and they will take turns selecting. First, TEW, please come forward.”
The members of TEW huddled together and talked with their heads down for a moment, then the main vocal stood up with a bright smile.
Ha Seo-yeon asked the TEW main vocal, who stood before the pre-installed stand microphone.
“Team A’s Jeong Won-ha, you can pick the person you like most. Is there a member you have in mind?”
“Ah, yes! Of course!”
The TEW main vocal, who still had a youthful face despite his years of experience, skillfully displayed a picture-perfect smile befitting someone who had rolled around in the entertainment industry.
“The person I have in mind… is here!”
He’d probably pick either The Dawn’s Seong Ji-won or High Five’s main vocal.
Thinking about losing him, he might pick Seong Ji-won first.
“Oh~, I see. Then who is that lucky protagonist?”
“I—!”
Jeong Won-ha’s head slowly turned toward The Dawn.
As expected, it’s Seong Ji-won.
“The Dawn’s——!”
Just as Kim Hee-yeong was about to turn her head, assuming there would be nothing particularly interesting in a predictable scene—
“I choose Seo Ho-yun!”
“……?!”
An anomaly occurred.
The cameras captured everyone’s shocked faces exactly as they were.
Even Ha Seo-yeon, who was always composed, looked a bit flustered, while only Seo Ho-yun stood up leisurely from his seat.
Without giving even a glance to Jeong Da-jun, who was staring at him with trembling eyes, he walked steadily and approached the beaming Jeong Won-ha.
“You really picked me right away?”
“Hey, it wouldn't be right if I didn't~.”
…Since when would it not be right?
The two whispered small talk to each other.
TEW had definitely been giving off a strange vibe while looking at Jeong Da-jun. If the cameras caught it and it entered her eyes, there was no way Seo Ho-yun hadn't noticed.
Yet, the current Jeong Won-ha treated Seo Ho-yun like a trusted close older brother.
And Seo Ho-yun accepted it as if it were natural.
“Then next, High Five, please come forward.”
From High Five, not their main vocal, but Kang Yeon-hu stepped forward without a moment’s hesitation.
“Kang Yeon-hu. Would you like to pick a member for Team B?”
“I… will pick Seong Ji-won.”
Kang Yeon-hu chose Seong Ji-won to ensure a definite victory.
Afterward, Jeong Won-ha pointed out Try’s main vocal, and it was Kang Yeon-hu’s turn again.
Kang Yeon-hu, who had been carefully scanning all the idols, smiled brightly.
“I’ll pick TEW’s Ju Hyeong-jin.”
He was an idol whose name frequently popped up on various communities, Nutube, and SNS due to talent controversies.
“……!”
It could easily be a bad move, and while people were buzzing because they didn't know the criteria for the selection, the corners of Kim Hee-yeong’s mouth curled up.
It’s a sniper pick.
Things were getting interesting.
The High Five leader was smarter than she thought and seemed to have grasped the rules quickly.
“Now, the Team A and Team B lineups are complete.”
Kim Hee-yeong looked over the ten vocal unit members selected evenly from each group.
Team A, which included Seo Ho-yun, Jeong Won-ha, and High Five’s main vocal, was strong in its own right, but it couldn't compare to Team B, which had Seong Ji-won and Kang Yeon-hu.
If you excluded Seo Ho-yun, Jeong Won-ha’s selection criteria weren't entirely incomprehensible, but...
“Do your best, Jeong Won-ha.”
“Let’s definitely win~!”
…Why on earth did he pick Seo Ho-yun first?
After the vocal unit team formation was finished, it was time for the performance units to be selected from each group.
It seemed like Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun from The Dawn were talking for a long time, then—.
“The Dawn’s performance unit.”
An unexpected situation occurred where Kim Seong-hyeon pushed forward a dejected Jeong Da-jun.
“Jeong Da-jun will be participating.”
“……??”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward The Dawn, as they had naturally assumed Kim Seong-hyeon would come out.
“Jeong Da-jun?”
“Heol, I thought Seong-hyeon would come out….”
But soon, everyone’s expressions turned to relief.
Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been quite famous in the dance scene since high school and was the biggest beneficiary of Shining Star Season 1, was not coming out.
Instead, the one selected was Jeong Da-jun, who was considered the weakest link in The Dawn.
For the other groups, it was a gain, never a loss.
“…Wow, look at the relief on the contestants' faces. This is going to be a huge blow to his pride.”
The assistant director standing next to her whispered softly enough that only Kim Hee-yeong could hear.
As he said, Jeong Da-jun bit his lower lip hard for a moment, then soon stepped forward and stood in line with the performance unit.
“Jeong Da-jun is here. …I’ll choose 'Ride with You' as the song.”
“Yes, thank you!”
Seo Ho-yun, who was laughing at Jeong Won-ha’s whisper, had his eyes following his team’s maknae the whole time.
What exactly is he thinking?
Just then, Seo Ho-yun’s head turned, and their eyes met.
“…….”
Seeing Kim Hee-yeong flinch slightly, Seo Ho-yun’s eyes crinkled playfully.
Looking at him, Kim Hee-yeong realized.
He knew everything after all.
She was at a point where she was confused whether she was filming an idol survival show or a court intrigue drama disguised as modern times.
Fine… do whatever you want.
It would be better if he made it interesting anyway.
She knew well enough that she couldn't guess a madman’s thought process by speculating.
* * *
“Ho-yun hyung! Then are we starting practice right away this afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“Should we start a group chat?”
As the red light on the camera went out, I gave a half-hearted response to the excited TEW main vocal, but I felt a piercing gaze. When I looked up, Kang Yeon-hu from Team B gave his habitual bright smile.
“Work hard.”
I nodded, gathered the members, and returned to the dorm.
There was no way Seong Ji-won hadn't picked up on this strange atmosphere, and he intentionally spoke to Jeong Da-jun.
“Da-jun, are you going to practice?”
“Ah, yes. …With Seong-hyeon hyung.”
Since the last second competition, Jeong Da-jun had become noticeably less talkative. He didn't run around or play jokes. He was just busy walking on eggshells around the older members.
As I dragged my tired body and lay down on the sofa, Jeong Da-jun approached me and hesitated.
“Um, hyung….”
“What?”
“That…… it’s nothing.”
He fidgeted with his fingers as if he had something to say, but then shook his head, stood up abruptly, and left, saying he was going to the practice room.
“We’ll go too. To look after Da-jun.”
Except for Kang Yi-chae, who went into his room saying he’d follow later because he had things to pack, Seong Ji-won and Kim Seong-hyeon followed Jeong Da-jun to the practice room.
I smirked as I looked at the closed front door.
“So he’s grown up a bit, huh?”
I thought he would whine about something, but it seemed he had figured out how to pull himself together in his own way while being depressed for a few days.
I was about to check the Item Shop when the system window popped up clearly.
[Seo Ho-yun.]
[I’ve been watching with admiration at how you spent the last few days painstakingly making the TEW vocal fall for you head over heels, but.]
“…….”
[Why???]
[Why on earth did you join Jeong Won-ha’s team? And practically voluntarily??]
I tried to ignore it because it was annoying, but—
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
—…!
The notifications kept ringing.
“Ah, my ears hurt.”
[Why on earth??? What benefit is there?]
Why wouldn't there be a benefit?
I never move for free.
Kim Hee-yeong was exactly as I expected. Since we’d reached the 3rd competition, she was planning to sprinkle in some spicy drama.
Thanks to that, a scenario where I could secure a narrative and receive generous points dropped right in front of me.
Namely:
‘Seong Ji-won and I both taking 1st place in our respective teams.’
In this competition, whether we win or lose, there’s nothing to lose as long as we snatch 1st place.
Even if you’re on the losing team, if you get 1st place, you can take the points of the last-place person on the winning team.
And I had known even before the competition.
“Hyung! Do you know about this??”
From the phone call I got from Jeong Won-ha the day before filming.
Actually, the friendship with TEW’s main vocal, Jeong Won-ha, was something I had lightly cultivated as groundwork. I didn't expect this bastard to actually call me so familiarly.
“This is what our members are thinking.”
Whether he got information in advance through the power of a large agency, Jeong Won-ha told me the format of the 3rd competition and suggested we form a team.
His plan was simple. Since TEW’s scores hadn't been bad so far, and whether they won or lost, at least one person from each team would get points, his goal was just not to come in last.
“So let’s team up!”
“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
The TEW members thought I was the biggest contributor to the first competition. Excluding their rival High Five, there weren't many people with decent recognition in Shining Star, so it was a reasonable choice.
One thing that was a bit funny, though.
“Yes! Hyung, you’re a pretty decent person!”
Was that Jeong Won-ha actually trusted me easily.
Without even knowing what I was thinking.
Well, even if I let that side slide—.
Kang Yeon-hu is the problem.
—It was very annoying that Kang Yeon-hu was thinking the exact same thing as me.
Seeing him pick the member from TEW who gets all the hate, his objective was crystal clear.
He must have formed the team that way to make up for losing to TEW and getting 2nd place in the last competition, and he’s confident he can win even then.
Well, anyway, I just need to do my part well.
There’s nothing to worry about with Seong Ji-won. The problem is me, who has to completely dominate everyone in Team A with skill.
“Hey, show me.”
I unwrapped a candy that was on the table and rolled it in my mouth. The system window brought up the screen with a lot of noise, as if it were grumbling.
While the slots were still mostly empty, the few products that were up weren't anything special.
In the midst of that, one item highlighted with a sparkling mark caught my eye.
This is appropriate.
It was a self-development item that I could use perfectly, but one thing bothered me.
[※ Caution: Use may result in status effects such as vomiting, gastritis, and body aches.]
“……Mmm.”
Because there’s a certain guy in our group who looks like a total delinquent but turns into a maniac when it comes to the members' health.
I was silent for a long time, re-reading the text, when Kang Yi-chae came out of the room, plugging earphones into his ears.
“Hyung, I’m heading out first too~. To comfort Da-jun, who’s all depressed because of the eldest hyung~.”
“…….”
Kang Yi-chae, who was humming and speaking playfully, saw my expression and his eyes narrowed.
“Hmm?”
“…….”
“Why are you acting so suspicious?”
Hey.
“……When did I?”
If I use this, am I going to die by your hands?