Chapter 58

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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On the internet, rumors about Park Moondae were being corrected rapidly. Thanks to the person involved directly stepping forward to clarify, there were almost no people making useless quibbles anymore. However, only the persistent sarcasm of malicious commenters, who could no longer vent their anger on a ‘rightfully deserving of hate’ Park Moondae, remained.

– Impressions changed? Setting aside other things, plastic surgery is definitely true. Ugh, a loser with a persecution complex got surgery and is acting like he’s something lol. Fantasy completely shattered haha.
– He acted all tough and went his own way on the broadcast, but he was just a loser. Isn’t that and the sanitary pad theft all just deception?
– Yeah, the fact that Park Moondae is a dropout hasn’t changed. Why would anyone stan an adult who couldn’t even graduate high school?

As the final was right around the corner anyway, fans suppressed their anger while watching people rush in to damage his image even a little bit.

– Humanity is shattered…
– Moondae isn’t doing anything wrong, so why do psychopaths keep sticking to him?
– He absolutely must debut… If Moondae doesn’t debut, I don’t think I’ll be able to live out of frustration.
– Taking all the PDFs. Just waiting for Moondae to get an agency.

It was at that timing that the post by Gold 1, Ha Il-jun, was uploaded. As soon as Ha Il-jun was eliminated, he opened a social media account and was posting his thoughts on participating in the program and practice logs.

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[The final is soon! I’ll be watching the live broadcast too!]
+) Supporting my October 31 hyung-nims and brothers. Especially #Moondae! He was a legend among us because he practiced for a week without sleeping for even a day during the grade evaluation? Fighting!
#Ajusa #LiveBroadcast #HaIljun #Traveler
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Ha Il-jun had mentioned him half out of pity for seeing Moondae being pummeled and then recovering, and half for the purpose of garnering attention, but the content was the problem. No one had known that Park Moondae had stayed up all night during the grade evaluation. Since the amount of mentions of Park Moondae was skyrocketing on the internet at that time, this social media post became an excellent source of attention.

– A true ‘Sleep is for the dead’;;;
– Is he crazy, a whole week…
– It must be an exaggeration.
– lol Doesn’t it just mean he worked hard without sleeping properly?
– He said it was a legend among trainees lol. Is there a need to exaggerate to that extent?

Eventually, Ha Il-jun replied to several questions posted on social media.

– I’m always supporting you, Ha Il-jun-nim! Regarding the participant Park Moondae you mentioned, did he really not sleep for a week?
└Ha Il-jun: Yes! We were in the same room. Moondae always came in briefly at night, just ate a snack, and went out~ He started sleeping around just before the grade evaluation? Saying he was managing his condition lol

And Park Moondae’s fans fell into a crucible of shock.

– Our kid is too serious?
– Hey, what should we do… I thought Moondae was a genius so his skills just improved rapidly T_T But he did it without even sleeping? Why was it never shown on the broadcast…
– Whenever Moondae had screen time, they always gave him a character like ‘he came out for fun but why is he so good’ lol… Ha…
– If you think about it, a person without passion couldn’t come out having grown every time and bringing ideas every time.
– He must have done it while gritting his teeth, ah T_T I’m so glad we know even now. Il-jun-a, thank you T_T

After the shock faded, every community burned with a sense of mission to make Park Moondae debut by any means. Many fans posted promotional posts and became even more enthusiastic about promoting his stocks. And several fans independently began to look into third-party accusations against malicious commenters through lawyers.

– I can’t take it anymore.
– Let’s just post that we’re accusing them to at least set the mood!

Originally, since there was no way results would come out before the final no matter how fast it was processed, they intended to start once an agency was established, but several fired-up fans could no longer bear the bullsh*t about Park Moondae. Thus, this task, which started with the goal of at least warning the malicious commenters, discovered something unexpected.

– What is this?

While identifying the malicious commenters, they found their group messenger room. And it was revealed that several of them had illegally trespassed into Park Moondae’s house. They had been taken to the police without much result but were soon released with a warning, and there was only one thing they were able to take in that process.

It was Park Moondae’s resident registration abstract. Of course, Park Moondae had already cut up that abstract and put it in a box for recycling. He would never have dreamed that lunatics who would dig through a trash can to take even a fragmented abstract would break into his house.

Based on that abstract, they dug up the fact of Moondae’s dropout and his school of origin and posted them on the internet. They didn’t reveal the fact that Moondae was an orphan ‘because there was room for sympathy,’ but countless insults mocking this were rampant in their messenger room.

– These crazy things are really…
– How can a person live like this?

While being furious, the fans who were proceeding with the accusations naturally intended to proceed with the work quietly without announcing this fact. However, as always when many people process such a thing together, it was leaked.

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[(1st place!) Park Moondae is an orphan (1373)]
: They say a sasaeng broke into Park Moondae’s studio apartment and discovered his resident registration abstract. Both parents are deceased. No siblings. [Captured photo of group messenger room] [Photo of the abstract with tape on it]
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Naturally, many people criticized the post, telling them to take it down, but the number of views did not lie. Before long, articles began to appear.

[ Participant Park Moondae, An Audition Challenged After Overcoming the Sorrow of Losing Family.]

This also faced enormous criticism and the article was taken down after a few hours, but there was nothing that could be done about the already known content. However, this brought about an unexpected positive effect. Immediately, one would become trash if they cursed at Park Moondae. Furthermore, to people weak to emotions, the tragic past of an audition participant naturally became a selling point.

– How easy could it have been for a young thing to challenge like this after losing his parents. Park Moondae-kun, hang in there and I hope you win.
– It is truly touching how he could appear so resolute on the broadcast. Your parents in heaven will also be proud of you.
– Participant Park Moondae, hang in there~ T_T You sing so well, fighting!

Of course, like all information, once this atmosphere settled, the fact that Park Moondae was an orphan could be used as a tool for mockery. But not now. Thanks to that, Park Moondae faced the final amid enormous public opinion of support and sympathy. It was thanks to having inadvertently secured the ‘desperate image and narrative’ he had wanted.

* * *

What on earth is all this. On the internet, which I looked at after a long time, various crazy situations had occurred in succession.

‘Everything has been laid bare.’

Those four people who trespassed seemed to be out of their minds, but I didn’t expect them to have gone as far as digging through the trash to piece together the torn paper. And to think it was leaked and known to the whole nation that I was an orphan. I had wondered why things had turned out this way, but I felt somewhat relieved instead.

‘Well… it doesn’t matter if others know I have no family.’

I had already said it at the point I was cast for the audition program, but it was known too late because the production staff didn’t even mention it. The problem was that the momentum was unusual as the timing of this being revealed coincided.

‘I think I’ll debut…?’

No, it wasn’t a matter of debuting… I might even get first place?

“…….”

This… was not good. Debuting was good, but not first place.

‘There’s a landmine there.’

Feeling like I was about to break into a cold sweat, I first moved away from the computer. I had borrowed it under the excuse of revising the stage lyrics and took a peek, but I didn’t expect to learn so much.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

Kim Raebin, who was searching with me next to me, grasped the situation and asked. He must mean if I was okay with the fact of being an orphan being revealed.

“Yeah. I already said it during the interview, but it just wasn’t aired.”

I nodded. Kim Raebin’s expression became much more relieved, then his eyes flashed as if an idea suddenly occurred to him.

“Hyung, then how about following this momentum and revealing your amnesia as well?”

“What?”

This guy had also heard the situation on the morning the matter was settled, so he roughly knew about the amnesia. But regardless of that, what kind of random talk was this?

“If you reveal that in the current public opinion, it seems that malicious comments about you will be fundamentally blocked! And the votes will definitely increase…….”

“No.”

“Pardon?”

If I received more votes and got first place here, I’d receive a landmine field as a prize. Since I couldn’t say that, I just made up a reasonable excuse.

“There’s no evidence. It’ll only make the atmosphere strange.”

“Ah, if you upload a medical certificate…….”

“There’s no such thing.”

“…You lost your memory but didn’t go to the hospital…?”

“My body is fine, and I don’t have the money for that.”

Boom. Kim Raebin, who had a face like he was struck by a rock, muttered quietly.

“I see…….”

It was fine as long as he understood. Kim Raebin and I left the room with the computer. A camera immediately followed.

“Did you find the words well?”

“Yeah. That was indeed the meaning.”

At the words that there were no revisions, a small round of applause broke out in the practice room. Even though they clearly knew I went there for the purpose of secretly peeking at the internet, it was an action conscious of the broadcast.

“Now, the final is tomorrow… Leader-nim, could you say a few words?”

“Ooh!”

“Let’s do it in turns.”

I hurriedly cut him off. Then the team members, who chuckled, cleared their throats and began to state their respective impressions. They looked happy. Gold 2, whose elimination was almost confirmed, unexpectedly didn’t seem to have given up. Probably the fact that the number of debut members still hadn’t been announced gave him hope.

There was only one person in the team with a long face.

‘Lee Sejin.’

I mean that Lee Sejin who was a former child actor. He managed to follow the practice by exerting himself to the utmost, but his reactions and such screen time for the broadcast were not satisfactory at all. Still, he didn’t particularly object during this team practice. It’s just that he had zero sociability and didn’t seem to want to do this.

‘If possible, I’d prefer someone else rather than this guy.’

Since I felt like I would debut, I was now sitting around weighing the guys who would debut together. I sighed and discarded the thought.

‘Let’s worry about myself.’

“Now! Finally, Park Moondae Leader hyung-nim~ Please say a word!”

“…So that no regrets remain, let’s show everything we’ve prepared.”

“Oh~”

Even at the reasonably cliché remark, they reacted well since it was the end. I shrugged and sat on the floor of the practice room. Unexpectedly, a sense of tension rose steadily.

‘It’ll be over by tomorrow.’

An almost certain opportunity to delete the status abnormality.

“Now, let’s practice again!”

The final was right around the corner.

* * *

The place where the final filming of was being held was a concert hall of a famous university. As it was being held as a live broadcast, the hall, which accommodated nearly 3,000 audience members to boost the excitement, was already filled with sticky heat.

Thousands of people stood holding signs or slogans for the participants they each supported, waiting for the broadcast to start. The MC and the judges entered one by one and took their seats. At the cheers from the audience, several judges returned the favor with a light greeting.

And at the exact time of the broadcast. The broadcast started without delay.

” Thank you to everyone who has joined us on the long journey of the past 12 episodes!”

Inside the huge darkened concert hall, Young-rin’s voice echoed everywhere.

“Now, what remains is the one and only decision for the formation of the group! Shareholders, have you made up your minds?”

From here and there, sounds of ‘Yes!’ like screams rang out. Or ‘No’ that sounded painful were mixed in.

“Then, I will introduce the participants. …Do you have your stocks?”

Kyahhhh!!!
Argh!!!

With overflowing cheers and screams, the lights on the stage came on. Amid the lights shooting out in all directions, the participants came up onto the stage using stage equipment.

“Please invest now!”

Episode 13 began like that.