Chapter 22

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Until the day the 3rd episode was aired, I tried to build up my physical strength by combining exercise and practice.

Fortunately, as if Park Moondae’s qualities were not at the bottom, he followed along well as much as I did.

The regrettable point was that I had already filled most of the practice achievements up to 500 times.

‘It seems it will be difficult to quickly fill the stats through leveling up anymore.’

It was a relief that stat rewards occasionally appeared in the fame or stage success event popups.

Anyway, a Friday that returned after spending a reasonably faithful week.

I headed to the appointment place around five o’clock in the afternoon.

It was an officetel located quite a distance from a station on the outskirts of Seoul, and it seemed to be the studio apartment of one of my former team members.

And I experienced an amazing thing in the process of coming out of the subway station.

“Excuse me!”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps… are you the one from Idol Inc.?”

Someone asked this.

In fact, it was only a question in form; the person’s eyes were already sparkling with conviction.

I contemplated for a moment and then nodded.

I had come out without even wearing a mask. If someone were to take a photo, it would become a situation where I lied without any excuse.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Ah, as I thought!”

The woman who spoke to me was noticeably happy.

“I’m really enjoying watching it. Like, you’re so good at singing…… Excuse me, but could you take a picture with me?”

What should I do?

I did come out reasonably dressed up, thinking Big Sejin might leave a verification shot. But unlike during filming, it was my bare face.

I know because I’ve taken them before. If possible, even idols needed retouching for bare-faced photos.

‘…So when I occasionally took photos during rehearsals, I used to put in some overall retouching out of conscience before selling them.’

However, in the current situation, it was more important that no noise was made.

“Yes. Should I look here?”

“Ah! Yes, yes, one moment…!”

The woman quickly turned on a camera retouching app and took a photo together in selfie mode.

Fortunately, she was someone who knew the ways of the world.

“Ah, really, really thank you. I’ll definitely vote, no, I’ll buy the stock!”

“Ah, thank you.”

Seeing as she couldn’t even remember Park Moondae’s name, the probability was high that she wouldn’t do it, but since she said she would, let’s at least say thank you.

By the way, perhaps because of this person’s reaction, gazes began to gather subtly. People passing by began to steal glances, and it slowly became burdensome.

I quickly gave a short bow and threw out a concluding remark.

“I have some business to attend to….”

“Ah, yes! Thank you for the photo…….”

The atmosphere felt as if the question ‘But what business?’ would come out at any moment, so I quickly left the place.

And as soon as I went out of the station, I bought a mask at a convenience store first.

One could call it self-consciousness, but since a case had already occurred, I intended to be careful on the way back.

But to think a person who recognizes me on the street came out already. I already knew that this season 3 was doing well, but it was surprising.

‘It’s going to be no joke by around the latter half of the broadcast.’

The place I’m currently staying at was just a cheap room, so the security was poor. If Park Moondae continues to avoid being edited out altogether like this, I might need a countermeasure for this later.

While walking with various thoughts, I soon arrived at the appointment place. It was called an officetel, and it looked neat and had good security, as if it were newly built.

I don’t know whose house it is, but they seem to live quite well. I’m envious.

“Oh~ Moondae is fast? Welcome!”

“Ah, hi.”

When I pressed the doorbell, Big Sejin and Seon Ahyun popped out.

“The living room is this way~”

As Big Sejin guided, Seon Ahyun followed closely behind. It seems this is Big Sejin’s house.

Well, it was a natural picture for the organizer of the gathering to invite them to his own house.

Looking around the quite nice interior of the officetel, I was honestly impressed.

“The house is nice.”

“Right? I keep saying I wish it was our house!”

“……?”

Does that mean it’s a monthly rent and not his own?

The short question ended with Seon Ahyun’s words.

“Th-thank you.”

“…….”

So this… was Seon Ahyun’s house.

In the meantime, Big Sejin almost lay down on the living room sofa, and Seon Ahyun sat upright in the corner of the sofa.

I looked at this strange situation where the guest and the host were reversed for a moment, and then stopped thinking.

Whatever. Let’s just watch the 3rd episode and leave quickly.

* * *

In the editing room in the corner of the 9th floor of the Tnet building, the production team of is working overtime again today.

“The editing was pushed back too much because of the PR video live preparation.”

“This is driving me crazy.”

It was a precarious situation where the final version came out only a few hours before the broadcast.

Writer Ryu Seorin thought irritably.

‘That’s why it would have been good if the PR was just outsourced.’

Even though they pushed in advertisements, they only raised the production cost by a pittance, so they couldn’t use outsourcing.

Thanks to that, her schedule, which was only just past being the youngest writer, was also a series of all-nighters.

Furthermore, the edited version she checked while working on the subtitles was… too much beyond expectation.

‘Why did they kill them off and push those ones?’

Ryu Seorin’s own suggestion was not properly reflected!

She wanted to grind her teeth, but she didn’t even have the energy for that. Her eyes were yellow because she had stayed up for two nights.

‘Anyway, it’s not like I have any power.’

Still, it was suggested for the fun of the program, so it was a shame.

‘Looking at the editing direction of episodes 1 and 2, I had some expectations.’

She sighed and left the editing room.

With one hour left until the broadcast, she planned to go and catch some sleep in the duty room for a moment.

* * *

“It’s starting!”

“Huha-huha! Please, our team this episode! Please!”

The former team members gathered at Seon Ahyun’s house spent time eating delivered food and chatting about their current status.

Mainly, they each talked excitedly about the reactions of their acquaintances after episodes 1 and 2 were aired, but there was no nutritional value.

– Moondae-ya, shall we order chicken feet?

…The fact that he asked that while grinning remained the most memorable.

Anyway, as I was roughly half-listening, it soon became time for the broadcast.

‘It’s good to watch on a large screen.’

I thought instinctively while looking at the huge wall-mounted TV that occupied a quarter of the living room wall.

“Ah, it’s starting.”

Seeing the guys who had been stretched out on the sofa or the floor because their stomachs were full sit up straight, it seemed monitoring wouldn’t be interrupted, so that was also quite okay.

But it was an illusion.

[Since it’s the first team battle, you all must have a participant you want to be with, right?]

As the MC’s words were broadcast, an interview was inserted immediately.

[Cha Yujin: I wish I was with Raebin!]

[Lee Sejin (B): Me? (Edited) Ah, Moondae is good too!]

[Park Moondae: (Shakes head)]

“Uaaah, hyungs appeared!!”

“Big Sejin hyung, you’re receiving the interview cuts well.”

“Wow, I mentioned you! It didn’t come out.”

Whenever one of the team members was captured on the screen, everyone made all sorts of reactions.

It was driving me crazy because it was hard to concentrate on the screen.

In the meantime, Big Sejin even laughed out loud. It seemed he didn’t care that he was appearing as Lee Sejin (B) because there was someone with the same name.

“Park Moondae, were you really like that? Keuhahahat!”

“……No.”

As if that could be the case.

That guy Big Sejin also mentioned about seven or more names as if to just catch one, but it was clear that only my name was broadcast.

Anyway, let’s at least try to continue concentrating on the screen.

Even while they were chatting, the broadcast was continuing.

[Waaa!!]

[Our team is good?]

First, the moment this team was decided came out warmly.

Since they showed mainly the parts where they hugged each other and spun around, it looked as if they were purely happy to be with the participants they wanted to be with.

What was unexpected was the editing direction of the opponent team where Ryu Chungwoo, a former national archery athlete, was.

[Lee Dojun: Ah, a bit…….]

[Park Jeongseop: Does it have to be like this?]

[Choi Sangjin: Was it very enjoyable? (Edited) It wasn’t that kind of feeling.]

[Ryu Chungwoo: Oh dear. (Short laugh)]

The atmosphere was relatively low, but it was a team that had been quickly settled under Ryu Chungwoo’s leadership, yet on the broadcast, it came out as if the atmosphere was ruined.

“Uh…….”

“Hmm.”

An ambiguous exclamation came from the side, as if it were difficult to make a comment.

It was a situation where it was hard to be happy and ambiguous to criticize.

After showing the formation process of other teams once, the next was the song selection process.

Ha Iljun (Gold 1), who pressed the button on the panel along with a scream without even looking properly, came out as a solo cut.

“Aaaah…….”

Ha Iljun suffered while looking at his own dark past. Because on the screen, he was babbling something foolish.

[O-is it an error?]

And the editing that followed… was not serious.

Along with a comic BGM, the interviews of the team members appeared.

As a reference, Ha Iljun is Gold 1 and Kwon Heeseung is Gold 2.

[Lee Sejin (B): Did you see our faces?? Just like this!]

[Kwon Heeseung: What should we… do? Ehehe…….]

[Seon Ahyun: (Shrugs shoulders while laughing)]

[Ha Iljun: …I’m sorry. Keuheueuk.]

[♡ To a New World / SoftSweet ♡]

The panel flickered in the background like a joke.

…And here, for some reason, Park Moondae’s interview appeared.

[Park Moondae: I liked it. (Thumbs up)]

A subtitle appeared.

[Fan heart wins everything…! ☆]

The living room became a melting pot of laughter.

“Ahahaha!!”

“Hahat, ugh, my stomach hurts from laughing too much…!”

Even Lee Sejin was holding back laughter with a red face.

“Keuheup, is that real? Were you really like that?”

“…I said the team was good.”

“Heo-hum, kkeum, ah~ is that so? Thanks.”

Big Sejin snickered and then slumped onto the sofa.

I… just stuffed chicken into my mouth.

‘Let’s not get involved.’

After that, the atmosphere was set not to be too serious, even until the choreography practice and the trial and error of the trainer’s feedback.

[Let’s match it like this!]

[Hmm, I got it.]

Because the early practice, which was appropriately dismal in reality, was edited as if they were working hard without knowing much.

The first time a tense background music came out was when they received the choreographer’s sharp words.

[No one catches my eye. …What do you want to do?]

After that, the personal attacks that followed were transmitted as they were, with the words emphasized with large subtitles.

“It’s really strong hearing it again.”

“I’m saying this only now, but it was really scary.”

“Yeah. You looked like it.”

“Uh. You too.”

As the screen showed the team members with stiff expressions, sincerity went back and forth in the living room like a joke.

Fortunately, the scene where Seon Ahyun was criticized by the choreographer didn’t focus on me but showed mainly the shocked Seon Ahyun.

And at an unexpected timing, an unexpected scene came out.

[Are you tired?]

[A-no…….]

A scene appeared where I spoke to Seon Ahyun, who was receiving editing like ‘Participant Seon Ahyun who cannot focus on practice’.

It was that conversation where I used the ‘Now that I hear it, you’re right’ trait.

Furthermore, even the timing didn’t match. That was a conversation we had after deciding on the arrangement.

“Eh, eh?”

“What is it?”

Seon Ahyun dropped the chicken he was eating, as if he were flustered.

I was also a bit puzzled.

‘That was said when all the main cameras were gone and only the corner installed cams were running.’

I didn’t think they would specifically use it for the broadcast.

However, since the camera was fixed, it rather felt like an off-the-record feeling.

Thanks to that, the conversation sounded a bit more sincere.

[D-do you really think I-I-I can do w-well?]

[Why would I lie?]

[…!!]

When touching editing was added to it, it looked as if it were a scene of recruiting a comrade in a shonen manga.

I became confused.

‘No, it’s good that they edited it well, but…….’

It was an unexpected choice considering the character trait for me that the production team guys had been building up since the 1st episode.

Did they decide to replace it because the editing wasn’t coming out at all?

In the meantime, Park Moondae on the screen brought out ‘that line’ along with a cool BGM.

[Just think about ‘I’m going to pull this off’.]

And the living room echoed with reactions.

“Oool~”

“I’m going to… pull this off?”

“Mr. Moondae usually has such thoughts, kya~ a famous quote!”

Let’s just… ignore it.

Amid the overflowing teasing, whether it was boos or exclamations, the broadcast showed Seon Ahyun’s short interview.

[Seon Ahyun: I-I-I was very grateful…….]

[Seon Ahyun: I should (work hard)… I thought so. I-I have to pull it off.]

Even if Seon Ahyun’s spirit is a bit weak, he certainly has loyalty. I immediately expressed my gratitude.

“Thanks.”

“U-uh… ah, no, I’m the one who’s thank…….”

“Ah, it’s heartwarming.”

“That’s right.”

While Seon Ahyun, whose conversation was hijacked, became more flustered, a cut finally appeared on the TV screen where the arrangement was proceeding under Mudie’s advice.

[Guys. First, I’ll have to set the direction.]

Right, this was important.