In the 〈Wise〉 filming site, where practice was in full swing…
The trainees seemed to be extremely serious and focused solely on the finals, but that didn't mean there weren't conversations going on behind the scenes.
Who among the bottom-ranked contestants would survive?
-Who are you going to choose?
-I don't know yet.
Although it was said to be an anonymous vote, it was secretly mentioned in interviews.
-Have you already made up your mind?
Here, one participant from the inferior class also gave an appropriate answer, such as 'I'm thinking hard about it,' but in fact, he already made a decision.
Normally, it would be difficult if there was only one person who could stay. But since you could vote for the best person and then the second best person as well, there wasn't anything difficult about it.
'You can just leave out the other ones.'
First of all, one person already implicitly lacked qualifications.
-What, you bastard!
Ugh.
'Who would like to work with a bastard who suddenly gets aggressive and tries to beat people up while eating?'
The participant nodded, even though he was completely unaware that Shin Jaehyun, who knew that the assault incident would occur three years later, had clearly planned everything out from action to news dissemination.
So naturally, after excluding one person, there were three people left.
And it was simpler to exclude one more person from there.
Someone less close. Someone he didn't know very well. A person who had never been a trainee.
It was the most recently deployed supplementary team member.
Ryu Chungwoo.
'He will live well on his own.'
He had no close relationship with the former national team member, nor did he feel any closeness to him.
'Then, I can just choose the remaining two and it's over.'
Originally, the existing trainees had already made up their minds to choose the two who were familiar with each other during practice and somehow felt uncomfortable about having them get eliminated.
The parties receiving the vote could also vote, and since the two were already close, they had already created an atmosphere among themselves.
'I guess that's how it goes.'
After the participant came to that conclusion, he was lounging around again and enjoying himself.
Click.
The practice room door opened and words were heard.
"… That's why I'm having trouble voting."
"Yes, of course."
Familiar voices of participants.
'Uh.'
At that moment, the participant who was resting behind the sound system in the practice room realized that he could not be seen.
The voices of Ryu Gunwoo and Jung Woodan continue their conversation.
"Did you think of anyone?"
"Well… Are you going to vote for Ryu Chungwoo?"
"First of all, what about you?"
Have a conversation comfortably, they didn't know that there was someone else there. The inferior class participant quietly overheard the conversation without trying to.
"I'm thinking about Dahwan."
"Ah."
Kim Dahwan was one of the two people he was trying to vote for.
Because the topic they had just been thinking of came up, the participant held his breath and concentrated on the conversation for a moment.
"It's not a bad choice. Although the dance positions seem a bit full."
Ryu Gunwoo hesitated a little, but spoke comfortably, probably because he realized again that there were no cameras.
"Well, it doesn't matter to me. I'm a vocalist."
'… !'
Positions?
"Yes. It's beneficial if good people join and the average competency improves."
"Yes. I'm sure the president will worry about this."
Ah.
The two then asked each other more questions about who they would vote for and left the practice room, which still seemed empty.
"Not everyone is here yet."
"It's too early. Then, let's wait a bit…"
Click.
"…"
The door was closed. However, the participant felt somewhat disturbed.
Dance positions were full?
"… I see."
That was right. Of the people left now, there were at most four in vocal positions, including those two.
Considering that only the most impressive guys from the supplementary class were left in the rap positions, the dance position was too full with 7 people.
However, at the top, there was Shin Jaehyun, who was a monster, and Cha Eugene, a supplementary participant who came out of nowhere…
'… … There's no room.'
A difference of almost double. The participant, who was also in a dance position, swallowed his saliva. Moreover, something else bothered him.
-I'm sure the president will worry about this.
Members were not chosen by individual viewer votes, but rather were chosen by the president.
Naturally, given the president's inclination, he would select debut members based on position balance, so… It was really dangerous.
"…"
The participant bit his mouth due to the sudden sense of crisis.
In a situation where a person had the right to vote for whoever they wanted, people would eventually rationalize the choice that was beneficial to them.
Especially when debut was right around the corner.
So the conclusion was quick.
'… It's right to eliminate competitors as much as possible. I'm not a pushover either.'
-Pariticpants who are eliminated for dance positions must be sent here.
He hesitated for a moment, but then made up his mind and quietly left the practice room and ran down the hallway.
And Ryu Gunwoo and Jung Woodan, who were sitting in the vocal practice room across from him, confirmed it.
"He really came out."
"He did."
"Are you sure this would have worked?"
"Yes."
Ryu Gunwoo chuckled. There was one thing he was sure of.
A person's own position.
Among the participants, they were at the top in terms of public awareness, popularity, skills, and even high praise from the president.
'It's hard for the performer to ignore it.'
It wasn't about closeness, but the power of hierarchy and authority.
Since it was different from human liking, if you directly persuaded them, they may react with resistance, but if you subtly bypassed it, that would be more than enough.
'They'll believe it more if they think they have figured something out on their own by analyzing another person's words.'
In fact, position oversaturation may push one side as the main force depending on the group's tendency, so it was hard to be confident about it.
Of course, since he had no intention of saying that much, Ryu Gunwoo neatly said this.
"I can bet money that the mood will change by tomorrow."
"I don't fall for such uncertain gambling advice, but I respect it as a courtesy to the key player."
"…"
Ryu Gunwoo closed his mouth. Anyway, after briefly admiring his appearance, he placed his hand on his chin.
"How many times do we have to do this?"
"One more time."
"Will that be enough?"
"Words are bound to get around anyway. The remaining trainees are all in similar situations, so they will try to get together. You saw him run away."
Now that TeStar and VTIC had taken over the vocal positions, the situation of the remaining trainees in the dance positions was similar.
They would then share this strategy among themselves. There needed to be meaningful numbers, and as long as they were all in similar situations, they would be able to communicate easily.
'Then, roughly how the votes are distributed, even if Ryu Chungwoo takes only 1/3 of the votes, he is guaranteed to pass.'
There were 6 people, including VTIC and TeStar, whose memories had already been restored.
He had already secured half of the potential votes, so this should be enough.
Ryu Gunwoo shrugged his shoulders, and Ju-Dan looked quite serious… He sympathized with him.
"It seems like you think a lot about human psychology. I do that too sometimes. It's a pretty interesting habit."
"…"
Ryu Gunwoo did not bother to reply, but decided to quietly continue explaining the next target.
Meanwhile, beyond the hallway they were looking at, something that even Ryu Gunwoo could not have predicted was happening.
"Heok."
1. The participant fell while running down the hallway.
"Ouch!"
2. He felt pain in his ankle.
"Are you okay?"
3. Ryu Chungwoo, who was returning from the interview, witnessed it.
And he moved right away.
"Wait a moment. Don't move."
Ryu Chungwoo reflexively responded to the situation as he had been taught during training.
"Does it hurt here?"
After checking the pain in each area…
"I think your muscles are a little strained, but you don't have to worry about an injury."
He provided reassurance by comparing it to his own experience. And he even found a spray-type paste in a nearby break room and handed it over.
"Use this."
"Ah… yes. Thank you."
And then he left without trying to say anything further or giving advice.
It was a light favor that could perhaps just be treated as routine. Something Ryu Chungwoo always did.
However, the situation was a bit special.
"… … Hmm."
The participant who got up after spraying all the paste began to evaluate him.
Ryu Chungwoo looked calm, courageous, and reacted quickly. He didn't graduate from a national university for nothing.
'If we're on the same team, he can be more dependable.'
And… He was a vocalist. There was no need to compete for positions.
When the participant thought about it, if he didn't vote for Kim Dahwan, who was in the dance position anyway, the only remaining candidates were Ryu Chungwoo and the quick-witted idiot.
If this happened, common sense would arise.
'… Isn't it better to choose someone who is a good team player rather than that guy with anger management disorder?'
The participant secretly modified the words he was trying to tell others about voting. And then he walked slowly down the hallway and headed toward his dorm.
And a few days later, it was the long-awaited final broadcast.
-Wow, finally
-Oh, I want to see them, but I also don't want to see them. Will the kids be okay?
-Is it true that it'll be fun?
In a situation where viewers were unable to overcome their curiosity and were watching the live broadcast, the president himself announced the bottom-ranked survivors.
In order of who received the most votes.
[This is a survivor who received a total of 11 votes and will join the final stage.]
-Wow, overwhelming
-At this level, it seems like he is already an existing trainee?
-Dahwan?
Amidst light speculation, the voting screen passed through the VCR, and the participant was finally confirmed.
[It is Ryu Chungwoo.]
[…!!]
Ryu Chungwoo became the first successful candidate, receiving 11 out of 12 votes.
In fact, except for one vote from the bottom tier, who was at risk of being eliminated, the results was almost like a sweep.
-????
-Ryu Chungwoo with 11 votes?
-Is this possible?
Viewers were confused, but were convinced when they saw the participants applauding with smiling faces without much agitation.
-Ryu Chungwoo must have a nice personality.
-There's something different when you're an insider
-Are these people not close friends at the agency? Haha, it's awesome.
But in fact, Park Moondae was a little flustered.
'What?'
He had no idea that Ryu Chungwoo would have an overwhelming victory like this.
'I imagined about 8 or 9 votes.'
And then he realized.
'He didn't make empty promises.'
-I'll take care of my votes.
Ryu Chungwoo was truly confident in his popularity.
Even if he hadn't done such a thing, he would have easily ranked second, which proved that his confidence was not groundless.
'… Because he's a guy with sense.'
Didn't he act as a leader in
'It must have been similar this time too.'
Park Moondae happily accepted his miscalculation.
Ryu Chungwoo blushed slightly but seriously announced his thoughts on being a successful candidate before entering.
[As much as my colleagues have trusted me, I will show you that I can also perform well in a team in today's final stage.]
TeStar's Park Moondae, in the guise of Ryu Gunwoo, happily applauded the leader.
And as another vocal position trainee was called, the two eliminated candidates were confirmed.
It was a cold thing, but since they were at the bottom of the polls anyway, there wasn't a huge repercussion.
-Oh my gosh ㅠㅠ
-They should still let them do the stage, it's cruel.
-Everyone is still young, so I hope they debut somewhere else!
After a short period of time to allow viewers to feel appropriately sad…
[Yes I am!]
The final stage unfolded.
Thanks to the four lower-ranked members taking on the same part and practicing the movements, the performance of the 10 people continued smoothly.
And naturally, viewers expressed their emotions as expected during the last survival show broadcast.
-ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Please let everyone debut
-Taein-ah, it's not too late. No, the leader of K-pop, please let them all debut.
-Taein-ah, please use common sense.
People cried, saying that 10 people was not that many and that even people with more than 11 members debuted well these days.
This was because there seemed to be no other batting line.
However, it was impossible to read the face of President Kim Taein, who was sitting in the judges' seat.
Thanks to this, viewers were pouring out curses, resentment, and criticism.
Suddenly the screen went blank. And… Although he was wearing a mask, it was a familiar face.
-???
-Hey, just now.
-What?
-Isn't that Lee Sejin?
A handsome man with his arms crossed was standing in front of the standing seats.
-Crazy
-Hey, why would Lee Sejin be here?
-Th-th-that's right.
-Is Lee Sejin a member of LeTi?
└Is that possible? ㅋㅋㅋ
Lee Sejin.
Here, it was Bae Sejin, an actor who had not yet changed his name.
An actor who had very little media exposure and was famous for filming movies suddenly appeared in the audience for the final episode of the male idol survival show.
Naturally, reactions to him poured out like crazy in an instant.
And from the moment the camera director and producer recognized Lee Sejin, he started appearing on screen quite often.
[Who can be a STAR?]
Every time he crossed the stage for a second or two, the comments alternated with passionate support for the trainees and stories about Lee Sejin.
Because his reaction was visible.
[The talent crossing the stage is mine]
When someone was caught on screen, they opened their eyes nervously or swallowed their saliva.
-He's rooting for Ryu Gunwoo.
-That's right.
-He seems to like Cha Eugene.
-Lee Sejin, you like talented people, I do too.
-His lineup is just like mine? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Even viewers who were tired of cuts of the audience members were quite amused by the appearance of the mysterious actor.
-It seems very transparent who he's rooting for.
-Fuck, why does it look like he's still acting in real life? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-That's the reason why he's good at playing psychopaths. He's already so immersed in a field that he can't see anything else.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The fun of it soon subsided, but it had the effect of attracting quite a bit of attention as it was posted on social media in real-time.
-Is this the survival show where you can see Lee Sejin?
-I will support whoever you guys want me to, please just tell me quickly.
-What's the fun of watching this if you aren't really interested?
As the last episode came in, the final was ready to enter its climax.
And there was one more element that could not be left out in the original climax.
It was empathy and tears.
And the easiest way to derive this element was already standardized.
[Surprise letter sent to trainees]
A warm middle-aged voice rang out from the electronic display board on a quiet stage.
[?? : Is our Yoonshin doing well?]
Family.
"… !"
Bae Sejin, who was in the audience, almost gritted his teeth.
'… No way.'
Video calls and affectionate recordings that were briefly edited passed by as if they were taken from all the trainees.
'No.'
Bae Sejin did not know much about Park Moondae's, or current Ryu Gunwoo's, 'real' family history.
However, if he looked at his honest reactions when the story of his parents came up, it was impossible to not know. Ryu Gunwoo's situation was not much different from Park Moondae's.
'… How about here?'
Because the topic had never been discussed before, Bae Sejin broke into a cold sweat and alternately looked at the electronic display board and Ryu Gunwoo on the stage.
He confirmed that Ryu Gunwoo was standing still without any expression.
[Our Gunwoo. How are you?]
The electronic signboard screen turned black, and Ryu Gunwoo's name began to appear.
[These people sent us an email all the way out here, so I made a call.]
[Letter from the Antarctic base]
Comments were pouring in.
-Wow, Ryu Gunwoo's parents are both researchers?
-See how cool it is in Antarctica;;
-I'm losing my mind. He really belongs to an elite family.
-I'm jealous of the golden spoon.
Ryu Gunwoo bowed his head slightly.
At first glance, it seemed as if he was listening with emotion to his parents' voices, but Bae Sejin, who had been with him for several years, caught the emotion of the gesture.
'Hold on.'
Bae Sejin clenched his fists.