Chapter 45
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45
“Great job, everyone!”
“Thank you!”
Leaving the thunderous cheers behind, we hurried off the stage. I pulled off my durumagi and swept back my sweat-soaked hair.
“Did it come out well?”
“Yeah. Insanely well.”
It looked much, much, muuuuch better than it did during the rehearsal when we weren't wearing the durumagi. Sure enough, the camera director gave us a thumbs-up as he passed by.
“Wow, that was fantastic. The look in the members' eyes was so intense...”
“Thank you!”
“Who decided to put in that dance break?”
“Oh, that... that was me.”
“The blocking was excellent. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen quality like this. It came out even better than the rehearsal.”
“Th-thank you!”
Kim Seong-hyeon, his ears turning red, bowed his head in gratitude. We scratched our heads as we watched the chuckling camera director walk away, then turned back toward the waiting room. In the hallway, Mars was heading up toward the stage.
“We’ll be rooting for you.”
“...Yes, thank you.”
Unlike before, the looks they gave us were filled with recognition and admiration. But the most prominent emotion among them was, without a doubt, wariness.
We did well. ...Especially Kim Seong-hyeon.
It was the ultimate compliment for a rookie group suddenly rising through the ranks. It had been worth making Kim Seong-hyeon the centerpiece.
Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing, as they all entered the waiting room with proud expressions.
“Alright! Let’s wait and see!”
“Yeah~, good work, everyone.”
As soon as we entered the room, Mars’s performance appeared on the monitor.
“Their vocalists are definitely good.”
I should have checked their stat windows when we passed them earlier.
Well, even if their vocals were good, they didn't seem to reach the level of Seong Ji-won or Ju Woo-seong yet.
Those ecosystem destroyers...
True to his diligent nature, Seong Ji-won was focused on the monitoring TV, as if determined not to miss a single moment of Mars’s performance. He only took a breath and gulped down some water after the song ended.
[The next performance is by Today!]
“Oh, it’s our Today sunbae-nims.”
Kang Yi-chae was being openly sarcastic.
Watching Today walk onto the stage, I scanned their outfits first. I could already see the angle.
Second Chance.
“They probably didn't have a choice.”
“True, they only have two songs, and we already used 'Glow'.”
We watched Today’s performance more seriously than anyone else. The stage setup was lavish, and they were decked out in luxury brands from head to toe, but Today’s faces betrayed an anxiety they couldn't quite hide. I smirked.
They’re scared.
It was the anxiety that surfaced after seeing our performance. Meanwhile, a familiar beat began to play.
[I’m telling you once more, this is the beginning for us
I will come back every time]
“The concept hasn't changed.”
“Yeah, looks like they just imported it as is.”
For this competition, we and Today had taken completely different routes.
While we had kept only the skeletal melody and core lyrics of 'Make Love' and rearranged it into a concept entirely different from the original, Today had kept the concept of 'Second Chance' exactly the same, only slightly tweaking the beat.
I guess their plan was to crush us with pure skill...
I gave an honest critique.
“They’re bad.”
“...!!”
“H-Hyung!”
Seong Ji-won gasped. Jeong Da-jun jumped in surprise and spoke to me.
“The cameras are rolling, you know.”
“Should I say it more prettily?”
Should I pull up a dialogue window in the system and make it 'They're super bad ♡'?
While I was pondering such useless things, the members (excluding Kang Yi-chae, of course) were staring at me with anxious faces, so I gave them a kind explanation.
“We’re already being maliciously edited anyway.”
Though I didn't think Kim Hee-yeong would go as far as to include this part.
At those words, everyone’s eyes darted around before they eventually nodded.
“Now that you mention it, that’s true...?”
Jeong Da-jun was convinced and immediately refocused on Today’s stage. He tilted his head while watching the part that used to be mine.
“Did they... understand the concept properly? It looked really cool when Ho-yun hyung did it, but why does it look so awkward when he does it?”
That’s because I’m just that good.
Whether he was bold or just quick-witted, Kang Yi-chae—who never cared about the cameras to begin with—was crunching on a piece of candy. When a member of Today messed up his rap and skipped an entire line, Yi-chae burst out laughing.
“What is this? This is fun~. Is this a comedy show?”
Classic Kang Yi-chae. He really had a lethal tongue.
[Because I’ll find the way—!]
“Aaaack!”
The main vocal even let out a massive voice crack. He hurriedly tried to play it cool with a 'Kaaak↗' to recover, but the viewers cringed so hard they clenched their fists.
“Ah...”
“I can’t watch this...”
Jeong Da-jun screamed, seemingly hitting his limit for secondhand embarrassment. I snickered while sucking on a pouch of red ginseng extract.
“That voice crack must be so embarrassing...”
“Our vocal range is a bit high, to be fair.”
“No, but still, they’re idols...”
= It’s a bit much that they can’t pull that off...
That was what he meant.
It was quite scathing. Having said everything they wanted to say, everyone looked as refreshed as people who had just scrubbed off a layer of dead skin at a bathhouse.
The chatter continued for a long while even after Today’s stage ended.
“Man, what would you guys have done if you’d held all that in?”
“Hyung, you were the worst.”
I put on an innocent face and tossed the empty red ginseng pouch into the trash can.
“The Dawn, it’s time to go up!”
“Yes!”
At the staff member’s call, everyone scrambled to their feet.
Stepping out the door and heading toward the stage, we locked eyes with the group Nightmare.
“S-Seo Ho-yun sunbae-nim!”
“...?”
Then, as if he had been waiting, Nightmare’s maknae, Lee Han-seong, spoke to me.
“I’m not a sunbae. It’s only been a month since I debuted.”
“Ah? Is that not right? Then Seo Ho-yun-ssi? Or Hyung-nim?”
“....”
“You were so cool earlier!”
What is this now?
Lee Han-seong clenched both fists, said his piece, and walked away with a flushed face. The other Nightmare members patted his back with strangely proud expressions.
“...What was that?”
I muttered, feeling dazed. Kang Yi-chae leaned in and whispered.
“You’re popular, Hyung~.”
“Why me?”
“Last time, you could have picked Nightmare, Mars, or Refined, but you specifically went after the biggest of the big agencies. They think you were being noble and did them a favor on purpose.”
“What?”
I let out a hollow laugh.
I swear, that was not my intention.
“Those kids are so sweet. Thinking of it in such a positive light.”
“Why? You were cool, Hyung.”
Kang Yi-chae grinned and walked ahead. I frowned slightly, then shrugged and shook off the stray thoughts.
Let’s focus.
As we stepped onto the stage, a massive roar filled the hall.
“Now then, it’s the announcement time we’ve all been waiting for, right?”
Yoo Ji-ah smiled brightly. I thought to myself that she really was something else.
“First, we will announce 4th place. They captured the hearts of the evaluation panel with a refreshing concept that was different from their usual style.”
The preamble was long. It was the typical survival show tactic of dragging things out to build tension. Meanwhile, the cameras were pointedly focusing on us.
Jeong Da-jun looked the most frozen, his nervousness plain to see.
“4th place! Refined!”
Whoops.
The Refined members looked a bit disappointed, but they quickly masked their expressions. Their leader then smiled brightly and waved to the fans.
They weren't bad. I guess the on-site voting had a big impact.
This round had turned into a complete battle of factions.
Up until the 1st competition, perhaps because of the egg-throwing incident and all the noise marketing, our fans had been overwhelming.
However, after I picked Today, public opinion shifted completely. Today’s fans, who were already numerous, flocked to this competition and glared at The Dawn as if they wanted to kill us.
This is going exactly the way I wanted, isn't it?
A small smile threatened to break out. I shouldn't be doing this.
Yoo Ji-ah announced 3rd place in order.
“3rd place is Nightmare!”
“Wooooo!”
The Nightmare maknae who had greeted me earlier stood up in shock. They were 5th last time, so 3rd was a huge leap. It was even more significant considering they had the least experience among the contestants.
Nightmare bowed repeatedly in greeting.
The remaining ranks were 1st, 2nd, and 5th. Just as she was about to announce 5th place first, Jeong Da-jun grabbed my sleeve.
...Oh boy.
Jeong Da-jun’s head was bowed low, and his fingertips were trembling slightly. It seemed like a mix of tension, anxiety, and dread.
Maybe it was because he was a minor, but he looked particularly young. I called out to him.
“Jeong Da-jun.”
“Oh, yes, yes.”
“Keep your head up.”
We haven't done anything wrong.
Yoo Ji-ah looked our way and gave a slightly pitying smile. Then she spoke.
“5th place, taking home 1,500 points, is The Dawn!”
“...!”
Kim Seong-hyeon’s face went pale. I nudged him. Then I gave him a smirk.
Kim Seong-hyeon didn't react; he just kept his mouth shut. His face practically screamed, 'I’m so sorry I could die.' He definitely thought he’d ruined everything because of his school violence scandal.
“Thank you.”
We bowed to Yoo Ji-ah and the fans. The faces of the evaluation panel were starkly divided. 'Serves them right,' 'I feel bad for them,' 'I’m sorry.'
The ones looking sorry were definitely our fans. I waved and smiled brightly.
“1st place is Today! Congratulations to Mars in 2nd place as well!”
“Whoo!”
“Thank you!”
Today smiled brightly and waved to the cameras and fans. I didn't particularly want to watch any more of it.
After a whirlwind of greetings, we came down and changed out of our costumes.
“Guys! Great job!”
“Yes~.”
The manager put on a bright face, trying to lift the mood. But it didn't work on Kim Seong-hyeon at all. Kim Seong-hyeon pressed his brow and let out a small sigh.
“Guys, I’m sorr—”
“Do you guys want to get tteokbokki on the way back?”
“Huh?”
“Tteokbokki! And sundae!”
“Oh, then can I order fish cakes too?”
“Sure. There’s a street stall on the way.”
“Manager-nim, can we stop for tteokbokki on the way?!”
The moment Kim Seong-hyeon tried to apologize, all the members pretended not to hear him. Just as Kim Seong-hyeon stammered and tried to speak again:
“Guys, about that... getting 5th place, it’s all my fault...”
“Kim Seong-hyeon.”
I draped an arm around Kim Seong-hyeon’s shoulders. He frowned deeply.
“Seong-hyeon, then what does that make me? I’m the biggest contributor to this situation.”
“What? No way...”
“If there’s 'no way' it’s me, then it’s not you either.”
“Hyung, why are you being so mopey? It doesn't suit you.”
Kang Yi-chae clung to the flustered Kim Seong-hyeon, poking and teasing him.
Kim Seong-hyeon, he really was too soft-hearted.
“Seong-hyeon, do you know what the most important thing is in a competition program?”
“....”
“It’s the narrative.”
It had been a long time since everything had fallen into place exactly as I’d planned.
Everything was in the palm of my hand.
“Think about it. We get 5th place here, and then we take 1st. How do you think that’ll look, Kang Yi-chae?”
“It’ll be legendary, Boss.”
Kang Yi-chae chimed in from the side with his usual sly tone. I patted his back with satisfaction.
“Exactly. Legendary.”
Kang Yi-chae excitedly rattled off all sorts of memes.
'The 1st place group that awakened after being in last place.'
'The powerhouse who was hiding their strength.'
'The talented idol group that was unfairly suppressed.'
Nice. I liked all those titles.
“Let’s see how far this goes.”
How well would this play with a Korean audience that’s grown accustomed to 'spicy' drama?
* * *
[Title: Today’s Rankings
Nutube is already up so you probably know
1st TDY 2nd MRS 3rd NTM 4th RFN 5th TD
└ LOL is there even a point in using initials?
└ LMAO
└ What???? The Dawn is 5th????
└ Weren't they 1st last time? What happened?
└ Their performance this time was insane though;;;; Year-end stage quality
└└ Don't exaggerate
└└ Go watch the pre-release...]
[Title: All that talk about rigging
The Dawn proved they aren't rigged by getting 5th place
└ LMAO for real, they’re the biggest victims of this show
└ Proving it through malicious editing ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That’s so creative
└ The production team needs to compensate them
└└ What compensation lol The Dawn’s fandom grew like crazy this time ㅋㅋㅋ
└ Just thinking about this gives me a mental breakdown ffs. Everyone was dragging The Dawn for being rigged, but they’re all quiet now, aren't they??]
[Title: Today’s voice crack
It’s already turned into a meme and is everywhere ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ But they got 1st place
└ The Dawn set the table for them and they set it on fire
└└ The Dawn: ???
└└ Seo Ho-yun: Wait, you can’t even eat what’s handed to you..? (Baffled)
└ Today fans must be so embarrassed ah
└ Today: Because I’ll find the way-aaaack↗↘ack↗
└└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah, I can hear the audio ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
The online communities were on fire.
[Pre-release / Shining Star 2nd Competition The Dawn 'Make Love'
└ So damn cool (Likes 3241)
└ Honestly, this should be 1st... I wonder if everyone who was there was blind.. (Likes 10453)
└└ Half of them were Today fans ㅋㅋㅋ They probably know too... that Today isn't 1st place material..
└ Attack Kim Seong-hyeon’s personality if you want, but don't attack his skills (Likes 241)
└└ Delete this comment --
└└ Yeah Kim Seong-hyeon school violence Kim Seong-hyeon school violence Kim Seong-hyeon school violence
└ What’s the original song? I can’t listen to the original anymore because lowering the key is so boring (Likes 3152)]
Nutube was also on fire.
[Shall we start again click.... Shall we start again click.... Shall we start again click.... Shall we start again click....]
[Seo Ho-yun is a god-genius-bunny-idol and I only accept rebuttals in the form of the most expensive Seo Ho-yun photocard]
[Seong Ji-won I Love You: There cannot be two suns in this world (Meme of someone pointing a gun at the sun)]
[Yi-chae I’m Your Noona: Mom, why is my friend’s name Kang Yi-chae?
That’s because his mom loves Kang Yi-chae.
Then what about my name?
That’s a good question, Shining Star 2nd Competition Make Love Kang Yi-chae.]
Social media was on fire too.
Every possible meme was attached to us.
But there was one place that remained quiet.
The accounts of Kim Seong-hyeon’s fans.
Most of them had switched to private accounts after the school violence incident broke out, and they were quietly lamenting.
[ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Honestly ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Kim Seong-hyeon killed it this time ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Seong-hyeon was the center ㅠㅠㅠ But why do I have to walk on eggshells and can’t even fangirl.... My heart is breaking...]
[I cry whenever I think of Seong-hyeon]
[Graduation photo verification? There are so many people who buy those and fake them ㅋㅋㅋ If that counts as proof of being a classmate, then I’m best friends with Yoo Ji-ah and childhood friends with Ju Woo-seong, okay??? They’re bashing him everywhere based on one graduation photo, f*ck... it’s so miserable, really]
[When they got 5th place, his face literally said 'I’m so sorry.' Seong-hyeon did so well, so why.... He did well, so why does he have to look so apologetic?]
[I sent another PDF of malicious comments to the agency today. I hope today is okay for Seong-hyeon...]
With the 3rd and final live competition approaching, all sorts of fuel were being gathered.
Rigging controversies, school violence scandals, all kinds of insubordination, malicious editing, and brand-new performances.
With such unprecedented moves, Shining Star’s viewership ratings weren't just skyrocketing; they were about to break through the atmosphere.
I waited and waited.
Only after the 4th episode of Shining Star aired, recording an unprecedented 5.7% rating for a cable competition program, did I pick up the phone.
“Yes, Kim Jae-yeon-ssi.”
To put it another way.
“Did you find the photo evidence?”
It was about time for some 'cider.'