Chapter 46

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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In fact, the viewing atmosphere wouldn’t be ruined just because Cha Yujin was included.
However, it would become quite solemn when the scene of Cha Yujin’s team atmosphere falling into hellfire appeared in Episode 9.
Was there a need to feel uncomfortable for nothing?
I held my smartphone and pondered for a moment. It was to choose an appropriate refusal phrase.
It was around then that Big Sejin stepped in.

“What is it?”

“Ah, Kim Raebin is asking if Cha Yujin can join.”

“Hmm… I think it’ll be fine?”

Big Sejin grinned.
“Do you think the production team would release that team in Episode 9? It’ll probably appear in the Episode 10 preview or something!”

“…….”

Wow, I didn’t think that far.
Moreover, to say it so blatantly. It seemed like cases of speaking out grew since a strange sense of trust was established after the school violence controversy.

“It’s better to build friendships on this occasion too~ Ah, right, the house owner’s intention is important! Ahyun, what do you think?”

“I-I’m fine!”

“He says so!”

Seon Ahyun coolly shouted yes and focused on reading the board game rules.
This guy’s personality seemed to have changed a bit too.
To think he would readily invite participants he hadn’t even dropped honorifics with to his house.

“Well… if that’s the case.”

Let’s just tell them to come.
I sent a reply to Kim Raebin with a lukewarm feeling.

* * *

It was after lunch when Kim Raebin and Cha Yujin arrived.

“Oh~ Welcome!”

Big Sejin greeted them cheerfully.
For reference, Gold 1, who had hurriedly joined due to Big Sejin’s remark, “Since it’s become like this, I should call hyung too,” was also sitting in the living room.
It was true that the picture would be strange if only Gold 1 was not called among the teammates, but Cha Yujin joining here was equally strange.

“Hello. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

Cha Yujin bowed his head unexpectedly and held out a standard garbage bag he was carrying. For reference, everything inside the bag was snacks.

“I’ve ordered chicken for now, so if there’s anything more you want to eat, let’s order again.”

“Yes.”

Kim Raebin nodded and sat quietly in the corner. It meant he wouldn’t order.
However, Cha Yujin asked with sparkling eyes.

“Then can I order pizza?”

“Of course!”

“Wow!”

Cha Yujin only left an exclamation and turned on the delivery app. I thought he would still be dispirited, but he was still as bright as ever by himself.
Kim Raebin calmly exchanged greetings.

“Did the hyungs join in the morning?”

“Ah, I did~ Moondae came even earlier.”

“Pardon?”

There was no need to hide it, but it was a bit annoying.
Anyway, I couldn’t ignore it, so I explained the grand disaster that happened in the studio apartment. Seon Ahyun cut in from time to time to supplement the story.
It was like this.

“…So when I went inside the entrance door, there were other people too.”

“Hieek!”

“I-It wasn’t just one person, but three more!”

“…Hmm, right. So it took some time for the police to take them away.”

“T-The police were so half-hearted, as if it were nothing… I-It was too much.”

“It was… too much. Right.”

As I repeated this process, the incident gradually became exaggerated and changed into something like an internet fabrication story.
Thanks to that, the participants who finished listening to the explanation clicked their tongues.

“Wow, it’s good that you came to Ahyun’s place. It’s scary.”

“Right. Hey… someone has visited the front of my house too, and I’m worried it might be like that. I have a younger sibling at home too…….”

“Heol, who came?”

“Yeah. I heard later that someone kept pressing the doorbell and sitting in front, so my sibling couldn’t go outside.”

“Ugh…….”

Similar experiences came out one after another, mainly from those who lived alone or in the agency’s dorm.
It was a chilling topic suitable before watching the main broadcast of in shock and horror.

By the time we ate chicken, the story of an idol friend of a participant we knew even passed by.

“……So when they went in, the lens detector sound ‘beep-beep’ echoed in the shower room….”

“Crazy.”

When we were chewing on the pizza that arrived next, the rerun of Episode 8 finally started on TV before the main broadcast of Episode 9.
We watched Episode 8 while adding appropriate comments. By the time it ended, even Cha Yujin was well-integrated into the atmosphere.

“Were you really not disappointed with 3rd place at all?”

“I was disappointed, but it was good.”

“Hey, that’s cool.”

“Heehee.”

Cha Yujin grinned at Gold 1’s admiration. I wondered what kind of mess happened in the team to make such a guy lose heart.

Only after the pizza boxes were cleanly emptied did Episode 9 begin.

[Re-listed! Idol Inc.!]

The logo that was becoming tiresome appeared, and the amount that came out first was the talent show.
Here, the participants who participated took their share of the screen fairly evenly.
I didn’t know if it was a content conducted under the guise of healing, or an attempt to make up for the hasty and poor progress with warmth.
Anyway, most of them took humorous scenes that appropriately highlighted their characters. Big Sejin was representative.

The problem was my screen time… It started with a gag and ended with a gag.

[At this moment… dominates the stage!]

[Park Moondae, is he sincere about trot?]

They put this kind of caption while I was singing.
Since they made it blatantly cringy, it meant to laugh.
And everyone laughed quite well.

“Ukeekeek!!”

“Pffft…….”

“It’s an amount where your personality looks really good. Congratulations, Moondae-ya!”

The last one was Big Sejin. I silently hit Big Sejin’s back, who was drinking soda.

“Kehek.”

I would rather you just laughed.
Park Moondae’s screen time didn’t end here.
At the end of the scene where the participants ran out on a kimchi refrigerator and it became a crucible of enthusiasm, an interview was even inserted as if to stamp it.

[Q: Do you like trot?]

[Park Moondae: Yes.]

A cut of me raising my thumb after an immediate answer was inserted.

‘That was the interview where they asked if I liked the team.’

What kind of fabrications were these crazy people doing every episode?
The caption was driving a nail into it.

[Participant Park Moondae, a trot lover, be happy with the kimchi refrigerator!]

I haven’t even received the kimchi refrigerator yet, you bastards.
The more annoying point was that my screen time in Episode 9 ended with that.

‘They only gave me things that are terribly unproductive.’

If it were the beginning, I would have been thankful for the positive screen time for now. But not now.
Because it was not an editing that would be particularly beneficial at the point where the last team match was approaching.
There were few words as fatal to a survival final vote as the comment, ‘He doesn’t look desperate.’
And Park Moondae on the broadcast so far… honestly, he didn’t look that desperate.
I thought it would be understandable if I said there were rather more funny scenes than scenes that looked earnest.
So I worked harder in this team match, but if this trend continued, it didn’t seem like ‘desperation’ would be highlighted.

‘Is it unavoidable?’

I didn’t come out with the decision to make my final debut here in the first place. I hadn’t shown enough to aim for such a cut, and the timing to pick it up had passed quite a bit.
It wasn’t like I had some backstory that fans could create and share a desperate image by themselves.

‘It’s a bit funny.’

In fact, the most desperate one among the people here was me. I was probably the only one who would die if I didn’t debut.

‘Should I prepare my mind a bit?’

Even if my ranking suddenly plummeted in the final episode and I dropped out, I should just accept it. Whoever picks me up, I’ll be able to debut quickly anyway.
I smacked my lips. Somehow… I was a bit disappointed.

‘If I’m going to promote, it would be better to do it with guys who are a bit comfortable.’

Probably more than half of the people here would debut. Thinking that I might not be able to join them, I also felt a strange sense of defeat.
Compared to when I first started filming, I seemed to have changed quite a bit.

However, there was no room to be soaked in sentiment.
Surprisingly, at the end of Episode 9, the production team put in the ruin of the team as a whole.

[Choi Wongil: So, hyung can do at least this much.]

[Lee Sejin: Isn’t there a strictly different meaning between being able to do it and wanting to do it?]

[Choi Wongil: Hyung, it’s the moment when you have to prove your skill right now. If you think carefully…….]

[Ki Jeong-gyun: Since he’s talking like that, why don’t you try challenging it a bit? Don’t regret it later.]

[Lee Sejin: ……Stop it.]

The broadcast captured and aired the scene of Lee Sejin’s face rotting for several long seconds after this conversation.
And in a state where emotions were completely hurt, the appearance of them looking at each other as if a fist would fly and briefly exchanging questions and answers came out again.
It was clear that they were holding back because they were conscious of the camera.
As it happened at the disaster that occurred when Ryu Chungwoo went to submit the song selection to the production team, there was no one to mediate.

[Cha Yujin: …….]

For reference, Cha Yujin was ignored as if his remark didn’t exist after cutting in once.
I knew it would be like that because it was not a remark suitable for the atmosphere.

“…….”

Cha Yujin looked at the screen with a gloomy face, and soon buried his face in a cup and started drinking soda.
In my opinion, it seemed like he passed well without any reason to get cursed thanks to that, but his position seemed different.

[Ryu Chungwoo: …What happened?]

Episode 9 ended with the returned Ryu Chungwoo being flustered as he saw the completely broken team atmosphere.

[The atmosphere of a critical moment, did they successfully complete the stage?]

“Ah, they completed it~ Right?”

“Right. They did well.”

Big Sejin appropriately cut in and relaxed the atmosphere. I didn’t know the reason why he specifically induced a response from me, but I appropriately played along.
Cha Yujin finally took his face off the soda and smiled.
Is he addicted to sugar high by any case?

‘…Is it my fault by any chance?’

I quickly erased the ominous thought.
On the screen, the end advertisement disguised as a middle advertisement was now coming out.
Looking at the time, probably after the advertisement, the broadcast would end immediately with a short preview or a behind-the-scenes cut.

“They’re only showing the preparation process today.”

“Right. We didn’t appear much.”

The team was shown only briefly at the beginning of the formation, and there was almost no screen time.
Although the production team could adjust the order arbitrarily, I still expected to be caught at the end of Episode 9 since it was the first stage, but to think they wouldn’t arrange any stage at all.

‘Doesn’t the viewership rating drop like this?’

While I was wondering for a moment, the middle advertisement ended and started appearing on the screen again.
The MC appeared on the screen.

“……I have a bad feeling?”

“You too? Hey, me too.”

Because it was never good when the MC appeared alone on the broadcast, the participants reflexively swallowed their saliva in tension.

[, did you enjoy watching today too?]

“No.”

“No.”

Faint denials came out from here and there. It was a minor deviation that couldn’t be done during filming.

[What I will announce this time is… the stock status so far!]

“What?”

“Hmm, I don’t think he’ll tell us so easily. He’ll probably only reveal a few people with specific ranks…….”

[However, we will only announce the ‘sold stocks’! Shareholders, which stocks did you sell the most?]

“My god.”

Kim Raebin sighed. It was understandable.

‘What kind of crazy person came up with the idea of only revealing the negative vote figures?’

Since I already knew most of the big aggros, I thought I wouldn’t be surprised by most things.

‘But I didn’t know there would be a surprise like this.’

The boldness of not putting a stage in this episode clearly came from here.

[Then right now, we will reveal the selling rank!]

Along with the MC’s words, the ranks with minus signs were arranged in a row on the screen.
And the living room was enveloped in silence.