I started thinking about the time of Idol Inc.
Even though I received a platinum ranking on my first stage, I didn't receive much attention in the beginning, ending with just a few comments.
But now?
Even though only my profile was public, new posts appeared.
[There is a fluffy and sweet man with glasses in LeTi's Survival Show: Wise]
[LeTi Survival trainee lineup that seems to have gone well]
[Where did LeTi scout these guys? (Summary)]
Every time I clicked on an article like this, most of the time I was included.
"…"
I scrolled down, then lowered my smartphone and was deep in thought.
My appearance stat… Was it everything?
Of course, the fact that I danced with FluffySweet just before seemed to have acted as a catalyst by appealing to the audience since 'I looked natural on stage'…
'Still, the difference in buzz amount is this big.'
I hesitantly touched my face. Then I went to the sink and looked in the mirror.
"Hmm."
I thought about it from the beginning, but it definitely seemed better than what I looked like originally when I was a civil service exam student before.
I didn't know if it was because the stats that were increased when I was Park Moondae stayed the same, or if it was because Ryu Gunwoo was living well here.
'Probably both.'
There seemed to be a difference of about one letter in my appearance stat. Still, to this extent?
- Damn, these LeTi trainees. Fuck ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Shin Jaehyun and Ryu Gunwoo, starting today, I will live with them. LeTi 1 LeTi! LeTi!
-This is the fundamental male idol agency.
'… I guess there's also a matter of taste.'
During TeStar, my appearance seemed to have blended in and became a bit more neutralized, but Ryu Gunwoo had a rather bleak look.
And I guess that was the so-called 'LeTi style'.
Things had yet to be aired on LeTi's in-house survival program. Naturally, only people who were originally interested in the agency clicked on the article, so it seemed like that factor was at work.
'This year's trainees are all like that without exception, so I think there's a greater synergy effect.'
All 14 people had a similarly gloomy feeling, as if they were chosen on purpose.
As a result, not only Ryu Gunwoo, but about four or five people also had quite a few posts about them just with from profile pictures.
'The VTIC guys are also mentioned quite a bit.'
The mention of Ju-Dan and Shin-Oh was also quite noticeable. One guy seemed to have suffered a loss because his profile picture didn't look as good as the real thing.
In any case, the program received quite a lot of attention for an in-house survival program and was steadily growing in mention.
Thanks to that, I also received this.
[Fame is increasing…]
+Exp 15000
Again, fame increased handsomely.
'Is this enough for 15 rounds of recruiting colleagues?'
I closed the pop-up and looked at the default status window list below it.
[Companion list]
Shin Jaehyun: Making a plan (*^^~♪)
Cha Eugene: In training (+ㅅ+=3)
They were both excited.
Cha Eugene was probably receiving special training with Kim Raebin in tow. Kim Raebin was the type of person who learned quickly, so if you told him how to dance, he'd probably need a routine.
"Hmm."
Still, it would be nice if Kim Raebin was listed here as well.
I thought about it for a while while looking at the pop-up this time, and then I decided.
[Hyung, would you like to recruit companions?]
Okay.
If Kim Raebin appears, it would be best given the circumstances, but from the moment Cha Eugene appeared first, I realized that it was impossible to predict. Still, if I looked at the probabilities...
'Cha Eugene also appeared after 8 pulls.'
So far, according to statistics, there seemed to be a good chance that someone I knew would show up. Good.
I increased the draw button to 10 consecutive draws.
And I saw reality.
[★★ Kang Seongbin / Sub Rapper]
[★ Kim Jaehoon / Subdancer]
[Failure!]
[★★]
[★]
… …
Nothing came out.
Only 10 times? There was no choice.
I wasted all my experience points in vain.
"…"
Was this a game?
No, was this reality? Without even knowing the odds, how could I end up tying my reputation to these odds in the future?
In the meantime, even more annoying notifications appeared.
[The companion bond archive is full! Would you like to expand?]
Use Exp 2000
"…"
Was it saying that my inventory was already full with only 1 and 2 stars? It was trying to take advantage of it.
Get out of here, bastard.
[You let go of your relationship with your companions.]
The breakup consolation money has arrived…
+20G
I decided not to spend the remaining 5000 and just left it alone. It was shit. Keundal created a large pop-up.
[Fi-fighting! Something will come out next time! (ง •_•)ง]
This guy also used emoticons, which I didn't know where he got them from.
"… Okay."
I rubbed my face and came to my senses. And I asked a question I had been thinking about before.
To hear an answer that might be a hint about the current situation.
"But what exactly are you in right now?"
The current state of Keundal.
He was talking to me, but it was just through text. Since he didn't have a body, I needed to know what the situation was.
[Uhm… I do not know. I'm definitely conscious…]
It was an ambiguous answer.
I followed up with a few questions.
Wasn't the system trying to interfere? Was there anything he felt uncomfortable about, had any doubts about, or changed in his ability to write?
Most of the time, the answer was vague and negative.
'Vague, but it's not bad. It's tidy.'
The last question was the same.
"You can't access your original body or anything like that?"
[Yesㅜㅜ]
I guessed this answer. The problem was what came next.
"… Do you feel like your body has disappeared?"
[No. Rather… I feel like I'm blocked by something! It's like the internet connection is lost because there is no Wi-Fi.]
It was a fairly unique analogy, but I understood it. And it was also a quite reassuring statement.
[I-it's good, but how can I feel safe… ?]
I smiled faintly.
"Because it means that the world in which I lived as a TeStar member and you as a civil servant has not disappeared. If something is blocked, it means there is something beyond it."
[Ah, ah!]
The pop-up grew bigger as if it were hopeful. I nodded.
"If the situation is too uncomfortable, talk about it. But I can still listen."
Wasn't it a refreshing feeling to be connected to someone who had no body but only a mind?
[Oh, I'm not sick or anything! It's a little… It feels like using the Internet in a dream? That's what it feels like!]
"Okay."
Still, I was glad that things seemed to be quite peaceful so far.
I nodded and pulled myself away from the sink. And I got dressed.
[Where are you going?]
"Seeing the kids."
Since the lottery failed, I needed to see with my own eyes whether the plan was working.
After suppressing my sore stomach, I joined Cha Eugene and Kim Raebin and practiced the routine for half a day together.
"Good job Kim Raebin! Let's do it one more time!"
"O-okay!"
It was a rare sight to see two guys who didn't yell at each other for being stupid, but by that night, they both came back looking no different from when they were in TeStar.
And Kim Raebin, who was really 17 years old, seemed a little embarrassed.
"Originally, I'm not the type to speak casually to people I'm meeting for the first time like this, but I find myself in this situation without realizing it…!"
"It's good if you feel at ease. We will have to keep seeing each other in the future."
"Yes…"
"That's right, Kim Raebin, don't do anything!"
"You are so… !
Kim Raebin was trying to respond reflexively, but ended up making a face like he was trying to hold it in.
He was the most consistent person in any situation, even when his memories were lost. I chuckled.
"Let's try our best."
"Yes!"
Kim Raebin was able to sleep in the officetel because Ryu Chungwoo was still at his membership training and the room was empty.
And the very next day, new filming began.
• * *
The start of the second survival shoot was uneventful.
"Introducing your dorms!"
"Wow!"
Entering the dorms.
Of course, as a survival show, it was differentiated in its sadistic nature.
What could it be? The good and bad rooms were divided into honors and inferiority classes.
"Ah, this is the honors class…"
"But they also have the names of the guys in inferior classes on them?"
"You have to be in the honors class to use it. This must be it!"
In the two areas divided by the living room in the center, 14 people's name tags were posted in duplicate.
'Well, inferior classes aren't that bad.'
It looked better than when I lived alone in college. It was just like a motel. It was a problem compared to the honors class' dorms though, since they didn't have separate rooms.
"…"
Still, it was typical of a broadcasting station to show the inferior class what the honors class' dorms looked like, not let them unpack, and then take them to another dorm.
Wasn't it strange that the guys in the honors class felt refreshed when they saw the guys leaving with gloomy faces?
-Will they use evil-editing that highlights personality?
-If you are a trainee who is not preferred by the company.
I managed my facial expression while remembering the preliminary questions and answers with Cheongryeo.
Coincidentally, there was a guy next to me.
"Please take care of me, hyung."
"Yes."
I decided to share the same room with Cheongryeo in case of an emergency. As planned, the name tags were placed side by side.
'Good.'
It was clean. I purposely didn't talk much to the rest of the honors class, who were going to drift away anyway.
'That bastard will do whatever he can to send them away.'
He would probably get rid of the people who had bombs exploding on them even 3 years later.
He'd find a way to send them away somehow, so there was no need to engage in friendship now that would be toxic later in the game.
Anyway, the filming that followed went smoothly.
"Let's do it one more time."
"Yes!"
The honor class had a special stage with each other, and the inferior class had a special stage with each inferior class.
This was the theme song.
-Yes I am
There's so much you can do
Pull the gear and go up there
(Who can be a star?)
Yes I am
〈Yes I am〉
It was like a title for first-year middle school students learning English, but it was chosen well, like the opening of a reality show.
Moreover, unlike 〈Idol Inc.〉, where I had to throw everything and memorize it, everyone had already practiced it anyway, so all I had to do was follow the daily routine, and then I was done.
'It's peaceful.'
It was a bit thrilling, but did I think it was less vicious than the company survival show from a few years ago?
I'm sorry, but that would be a misunderstanding.
The real thrill poured into the kids' heads this evening the moment they finished their performance and strengthened their resolve.
"Great job!"
"Wow!"
When the subjects had finished filming and were running wild among the pouring pin lights and pollen…
A new episode began.
"Well done, everyone. Let's continue like this in the future."
"Yes!"
The president sitting in front of the stage nodded and took the microphone.
"While doing this program, you will constantly face challenges."
The artist held up a sketchbook titled 'Arrangement of Locations.' Participants who sensed the atmosphere moved slowly and stood at an appropriate angle.
The atmospheree was calling for meaningful BGM to be added.
"Even if you debut and are loved for a long time and perform well, eventually new rookies will come out and you will have to keep competing."
I saw people here and there nodding their heads with stern faces.
I guess he would be getting to the point soon.
"〈Wise〉 is the final gateway to debut, a microcosm of the entertainment industry, and we will apply realistic evaluation methods to you."
The president raised his hand.
"So I prepared it now. Your first competitors."
Papang!
"Oh, oh!"
Next to the people flinching in surprise, a huge stage set covered in dry ice opened and seven people walked out.
"Your current quota is 14 trainees, seven in the 'honors' class and seven in the 'inferior' class."
The boss made a cool face.
"These people are the 'supplementary group', the number of people outside the quota."
"… !"
"If the supplementary class nominates one of you, the winner will participate as a contestant in 'Wise.'"
A gasp was heard from next to me.
This was because no trainees were informed up to this point.
"And whoever doesn't win the supplementary class is at risk of being eliminated."
The dry ice cleared and seven people appeared.
And then I saw a familiar face.
Cha Eugene, with a confident smile on his face.
And Kim Raebin, whose expression changed and gave the impression of a mid-boss.
Yes.
In the last filming, there weren't any of them among the 14 participants. Because those guys weren't LeTi trainees.
The time for those guys to join was now.
This filming set became chaotic due to the addition of the supplementary team.
"Win and survive."
The supplementary group walked over and lined up on the other side of the stage.
Participants with shaking eyes were unable to control their expressions in front of the supplementary class. A tense atmosphere.
And I thought deeply.
'Well, most of them are just trash to create tension.'
The more intense the fight, the better it was to attract aggro and highlight the winner. Of course, since it was for use, most of them were unsuitable candidates.
So, except for Cha Eugene and Kim Raebin, the rest were faces I didn't know… Wait a moment.
[Ugh! That person!]
Actually, there was one more familiar face.
"… !"
[It's a VTIC member, right?]
Chaeyul.
A VTIC member who had not appeared until now.
A young guy with sparkling eyes and brown hair who looked to be in his late teens… He was standing at the very end.
"…"
That was the guy being put in here?
Is that why Cheongryeo didn't look for him? Did things originally play out like this? Or did he intentionally place him there just this time?
No matter how I thought about it, filming was progressing steadily.
"Now, supplementary class, please find the contestant you want to compete with and stand in front of him."
Cha Eugene and Kim Raebin moved their feet. We definitely discussed who to nominate…
Why was that bastard going there?
The reason Cha Eugene stopped walking was… It was in front of Cheongryeo.
"Ah."
"I'm looking forward to it!"
[Guaaaa!!]
"…"
This crazy guy… !
I bit my tongue and caught the expression that was about to change.
But the unexpected situation did not end there.
[Why is someone coming here?]
… Among the supplementary classes, there was a guy who walked in front of me.
He walked briskly with a flushed face, but soon stood in front of me with an excited face and bowed his head.
"I'm looking forward to it!"
"… … Yes."
Chaeyul.
This guy pointed me out as his opponent.
"…"
I looked away. Cheongryeo, with Cha Eugene in front of him, was smiling.
[Shin Jaehyun: Making a plan (*^^~♪)]
Was this what he was planning?