Chapter 39

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Are you having a hard time?”
I asked vaguely on purpose. I really hoped that the guy listening would also answer moderately.
However, with the chocolate bar in his mouth, Cha Yujin began to shed tears even more sorrowfully.
This is driving me crazy….
I don’t know if everyone’s sensitivities were keen because it was the field of arts and physical education, or if it was because the survival was blood-curdlingly hard, but I seemed to be seeing too many guys crying lately.
“Everyone is fighting… If I talk, I-I’m scared, kheung.”
“……Hm.”
Cha Yujin seemed completely dispirited. The bright, random-talk bomber from not long ago was nowhere to be found.
Apparently, that team really turned into a mess in just one day?
‘They called it the , and it’s following its name.’
If those guys were broadcast as they were, their future of being mocked in connection with the room name was clear.
Still, it was also a bit funny for ‘Park Moondae’ to give any advice to Cha Yujin.
No matter what I said, if I moved my tongue even slightly wrong, it would be easy to get hit by a barrage of posts like ‘Is it just me or is Park Moondae cold?’ and for my internet reputation to plummet. Because we were on different teams.
‘I should send him back once he calms down a bit.’
I just seriously said something else.
“Want more chocolate bars?”
“……”
Cha Yujin nodded his head. I took out another handful of chocolate bars from my bag and handed them to him.
‘…It’s a good thing I brought a lot.’
Fortunately, there was still one more large bag left. If I looked like I was being stingy, it would spoil everything.
In that way, with the sound of water flowing from the bathroom in the background, I spent some time in silence with Cha Yujin, who was munching on chocolate bars.
Not long after, Cha Yujin stood up from his seat, clutching chocolate bars in both hands and bowing his head deeply.
“Thank you.”
He seemed to be thinking of going back, perhaps having calmed down a bit. I couldn’t be more grateful that he didn’t recite the detailed circumstances.
Even if it wasn’t from my heart, let’s say something appropriate for the situation just once.
“Is it okay if you go without seeing Raebin?”
“Yes… It will be okay.”
“Sure.”
Whether it was because he stopped crying or because he regained some composure, Cha Yujin looked a bit more spirited than before.
‘Is that a sugar high?’
I was suspicious whether he would wander around crying again once his blood sugar dropped, but for now, sending this bomb away was the priority.
I watched Cha Yujin walking down the hallway in a trudging manner for a moment before closing the door.
And I let out a sigh of relief.
‘I’m busy enough as it is, but there are landmines everywhere.’
Since I had entered the latter half now, I had to be more careful not to get caught on anything during the broadcast. Because once I plummeted, there might not be time to rebound.
The problem was that I couldn’t control all situations just by being careful.
‘Let’s just not stand out…. As long as I keep going like this, I’ll make it to the final.’
I reminded myself once again and sprawled out on the bed. And I fell asleep in an instant.
It was the next morning when I realized that I had slept without even washing.
* * *
Around the time the participants were suffering from the planning and creation, where it was like banging their heads against the wall, and were clinging to stage preparations.
Outside the filming set, Episode 8 of was broadcast.
– Heol
– Why him?
– Daebak lol
– ??
The closer it got to the top ranks, the more unexpected rankings were rampant, and the real-time viewers’ reactions fluctuated between astonishment, but the reaction was most intense toward the previous team match’s winning reward.
[Minus Vote Invalidation]
The fact that only some people could avoid the cruel voting method intended to reflect ‘how much they were disliked’ made people furious.
– lol backstabbing was crazy
– I was a fool for spending money on a program like this
– There’s 100% a participant being pushed by the production team in the winning team lol They let only these guys avoid this?
The ironic point was that this anger was directed at the participants rather than the production team who created the system and planned the winning reward.
As the biggest beneficiary of this reward, Choi Wongil, who stayed despite originally being at an elimination rank, was of course being hammered by public opinion until he turned into dust.
But the viewers’ anger did not end there.
The public opinion of the participants in the winning team whose rankings rose significantly also temporarily worsened a lot.
– Heol, Seon Ahyun pushed Cha Yujin to 2nd place…
– Is he crying again? I’m sick of him squeezing out juice
– Must be nice that his votes weren’t cut. My kid smiles and says thank you even after being pushed down, but it’s even more annoying to see that stuttering bastard making a long face after hitting the jackpotㅠㅠ
– Ugh. Seon Ahyun, who can’t even speak properly, is 2nd place lol Wake up, you face-fans giving pity votes to a disabled person who will stutter through his acceptance speech even after debuting lol
└ Are you crazy with that comment;; Shouldn’t you at least keep a line?
└ lol Stutterer’s fangirl, welcome
└ You guys are really beyond imagination, disgusting.
└ Since you can’t refute, you start swearing lol S-S-Surely you don’t think it’s a legitimate 2nd place? lol
Even primitive accusations that had not surfaced until now out of awareness of minimum morality appeared in the comments.
There were many people who were appalled or tried to stop them, but by nature, when the numbers are similar, aggressive public opinion tends to momentarily gain momentum.
However, as a reaction to that, a friendly public opinion was formed for the participants who showed a resolute appearance even after their rankings were pushed down due to the minus votes and the winning team reward.
– Kids, you worked hardㅠㅠ
– Where there is light, there is originally a shadow. Don’t worry too much about those strange losers who cut votes~ I’m rooting for you ^^
– You must have been disappointed, but thank you for showing a spirited appearance.
Thanks to that, Park Moondae, whose ranking before the adjustment was higher, luckily avoided the enormous public condemnation even though his ranking rose.
Instead, there was a slight change in his fan base.
As the people who liked Moondae’s team as a group in the 1st team match were intimidated by the public condemnation, the fans who preferred Park Moondae’s appearance in the 2nd team match took the lead.
– Moondae-ya, congrats on 4th place. You worked so hardㅠㅠ (Video of being congratulated by the 2nd team members)
– Moondae’s expression at the triple ‘Hyung, what are you doing?’ lol ‘Why is a cat doing this to a puppy..?’ (Captured video of extra footage with Cha Yujin) (Humorous photos of a cat and a puppy)
– It’s so funny that Moondae became a semi-forced insider this time because he couldn’t withstand the kids’ clumping together lol
– Look at this corner, Moondangdang is sharing snacksㅠㅠㅠ Argh angel… angel puppy… (Short video)
Fans of the other two participants, who didn’t have a group of participants with strong relationships until then, also excitedly joined the trend secretly.
They were the fans of Cha Yujin and Kim Raebin.
– Moondangdang, Kim Rabbit, Cha Goyoung. Puppy, rabbit, cat—isn’t it a completely heart-fluttering combination? Try it just once, try it try it (Photo)
– My kids look like they would ignore me if a loser like me talked to them on the street, but the fact that they are soft-hearted cuties is so cuteㅠㅠ (Video adjusted for screen time)
– Animal Heroes out! (Fan art)
Here, combinations that occasionally included Ryu Chungwoo even flooded SNS.
As people newly fell for the program due to the broadcast of the 2nd team match mixed with people who poured out anger and checks at the participants, the overheating of the atmosphere became even worse.
Because of this over-immersion that crossed between hellfire and an ondol room, the internet was literally a mess.
It was even worse because the program was on a path of extreme success.
Beyond entertainment-related communities, posts about could now be seen in any online community.
And every post was crowded with people gushing and people fighting.
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[Participant of a survival program that is said to be doing well these days]
: (Photo) This is a participant named Cha Yujin. Do women these days like kids who look like gigolos like this? Tsk… the world is coming to an end.
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– The gleam in his eyes… like a stray wildcat… an unlucky… face…
– Ajusshi, you’re pathetic lol
– Why, he’s a handsome young man^^ My daughter likes him.
– This program seems to be popular among young kids these days~ There was also a friend who sings very well, so I’m thinking of giving him a vote when it reaches the final later~
└ You mean Park Moondae lol He looks a bit bratty.. but shouldn’t a singer be good at singing in the first place? lol
– Get a grip. What will you do if you even lack an eye for things when you’re old? Cha Yujin-gun is very clever. The young man who did archery is also very good. I’m rooting for these two.
└ Ahjumma, you get a grip. Being into entertainers, what kind of talk is that?
When the comments caught fire like this, someone would capture it and post it on SNS or elsewhere, and a fight would break out on that post as well, dozens of times a day.
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[Reaction of Idol Inc. in a latte community.jpg]
: (Capture) lol A grand mess collaboration between an ajusshi getting hit hard and a kkondae shouting lol
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– lol Cha Yujin is a superstar. Everyone of my age saved photos of giant baby cat Cha Yujin who is 180cm tall~
– It’s ridiculous that Seon Ahyun, who isn’t even mentioned here, is 2nd place, really…
└ This post isn’t a representative post of netizens, so why do your thoughts flow like that;;
└ lol As for Seon Ahyun, even if you just criticize him, his fans drive you to be a total bastard, so you should just not mention himㅇㅇ
└ What you guys are doing now is not criticism but condemnation. What did Seon Ahyun do wrong?
└ Look at this, another sudden outburst lol
And unfortunately at this timing, the participants could encounter this turbulent internet public opinion in real-time.
* * *
Honestly, the first thought I had was this.
‘I survived.’
Luckily, I avoided the large public condemnation, and since I wasn’t being actively praised enough to cause a backlash, it was a perfect state.
I was even secretly grouped with the top-ranked participants I was considering switching to.
However, I didn’t feel a sense of accomplishment more than a sense of relief.
I rubbed the screen with my thumb. A scroll was created on the side, and all sorts of hate comments were swept upward.
‘Somehow, it’s a bit… bitter.’
To put it bluntly, among the participants getting cursed at now, excluding Choi Wongil, there was no guy whose personality was that rotten.
Most are just young kids working hard, do they have to be hammered this much?
It has nothing to do with me, and honestly, if the others plummet, I’ll see a windfall benefit, so it’s a part that benefits my survival, but the aftertaste is quite bad.
‘Besides, of all times, this timing….’
– We will distribute devices for data exploration~
Since this team match was self-produced, they briefly returned the smartphone devices for the purpose of exploring data for specific concepts.
Possessing smartphones was originally prohibited during filming.
Thanks to that, the participants could be isolated from outside public opinion, but that rule was broken in this team match.
Moreover, because the program was doing so well, you couldn’t avoid related posts as long as you accessed the internet.
Thanks to that, every guy has checked all their own posts.
“…….”
The dormitory bedroom was silent with teammates staring at their smartphones without a word.
The other rooms are probably similar.
And unfortunately, there is a participant in this team who is currently under concentrated fire on the internet.
Seon Ahyun.
‘Is he crying?’
I think I should check the state of Seon Ahyun, who would be in the bottom bunk of the bunk bed, but I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.
It’s because of an ominous premonition.
‘Could it be that his mental state is gone and the characteristic is becoming deactivated again…?’
If Seon Ahyun’s ‘Grit’ characteristic was deactivated again, the ‘Deficiency in Self-Esteem’ status effect would come back to life.
Then, could Seon Ahyun, who took a crazy penalty where all his stats dropped by two levels each, properly handle the stage?
It wouldn’t be strange if both the stage completeness and the team match editing were ruined.
I let out a sigh without a sound.
‘…I thought the teammate luck was good for some reason.’
There isn’t a single day where even a single team match goes smoothly.
‘I should check the state for now.’
“Seon Ahyun.”
I poked my face out from the bed and leaned down. Seon Ahyun, who was already sitting on the edge of the bed, turned his head.
“Y-Yes!”
“……?”
Why is he okay?