Chapter 28
"Are you going to see it in the auditorium or at our dorm? "
While I was going up to the dormitory after dinner, Kang Si-yoon asked me a question.
I thought for a moment and then shrugged.
"I don't mind going down and looking, but I'm worried that Yubin's energy will weaken."
"aha."
Our two gazes naturally turned to Heo Yu-bin, who was climbing the stairs behind us.
Heo Yu-bin displayed his large eyes and a look that indicated he did not understand it.
"Hyungs, what's wrong? "
"no."
"It's nothing."
"When you say that, it feels like you're gossiping about me behind my back! "
"Hey, we wouldn't do something that shameless."
Actually, I feel strangely guilty because I said some really bad things behind people's backs.
Still, Kang Si-yoon put his hand on his back and said, perhaps deciding that he had to make a choice that would be considerate of Heo Yu-bin.
"Let's watch the original broadcast later while eating peanuts."
"I like peanuts! Sounds fun! Oh, but I don't want the editing to be weird."
Heo Yu-bin, who heard the peanut story, immediately became excited and then gloomy.
Unlike us, who started out in Tier 2, Tier 3 must feel a lot of pressure because they appeared in the first episode without even a name.
I gave examples of the most reasonable materials to give hope.
"You've risen to the final rank of Tier 2 without a name, so you're the most reasonable person to receive a dramatic growth story, Yubin. If the production team were in their right mind, they would have taken care of you no matter what, so I guess there's no need to worry."
"I guess so? "
"I have no doubt."
"I always feel like when Karis hyung-nim speaks, it strangely becomes more persuasive! "
I can't say that it's the effect of the skill that the system gave me.
Since I have only spoken the truth from the beginning, there is no way I could be wrong.
"I want to wash up quickly and come out! "
"Suddenly?"
"Before starting the broadcast, we must control our pious minds."
Thanks to Heo Yu-bin, who declared an early shower, we were all able to wait for the second episode of
As I opened the three bags of peanuts we had bought at the store, a delicious smell filled the room.
As we were spending time chatting and relaxing, the theme song
"Let's get started."
"I think today's broadcast will be interesting."
"Hmm."
I stared at the screen with blank eyes while crunching peanuts.
'The trainees who couldn't appear in Episode 1 will appear. Next will be the cell-by-cell practice process, and then the final ranking evaluation.'
We're still a long way from getting our due.
So I tried to watch the broadcast while lying down in a somewhat comfortable state.
[Next is Jakey Entertainment.]
[???: Ah, it's been a while since I've felt this kind of atmosphere, so I'm a little nervous.]
A voice I had heard somewhere reached my ears.
A trainee's leg appeared on the screen, and immediately the reactions of the other trainees flashed by.
[Oh, I recognize that face.]
[He used to be there?]
[I know].
Pale white skin and black bangs that reach down to the corners of the eyes.
Baek Si-hwa, wearing a harness over a white shirt, bowed and introduced himself.
[Hello, my name is Baek Si-hwa from Jakey Entertainment. Please take care of me.]
[Baek Si-hwa? Baek Si-hwa.... Where have I heard that name? Ah! ]
[What is it, Sang-pil? Is he a friend of yours? ]
[(Trainee Baek Si-hwa is smiling subtly)]
[What on earth is the story? ]
"At first, I thought he looked familiar. Now I remember."
"Where have you seen him, hyung?"
As if answering Heo Yu-bin's question, an exclusive interview with Baek Si-hwa was inserted.
[Yes, my trainee period has been 4 years this year.]
[I also participated in another survival show a few years ago.]
[Unfortunately, I couldn't debut. (Laughs)]
It's an unexpected career.
I assumed that since that was the first time I'd seen that trainee, I thought he wouldn't have much of a background, but he's been a trainee for a long time and has already experienced other survival shows.
'I was a little disappointed with the first impression, but after seeing this, I think I should keep it in mind a little.'
And in the interview that followed, the bitterness he felt back then was recalled again.
[A trainee who is being held in check? Haha, honestly, I don't know much about the trainees who are here because it's my first time meeting them... But there's one friend who I've known for a long time.]
[I know that friend well, and that friend knows me well, so I am the most restrained.]
[Min-ha, let's try hard.]
It's time to ask if anyone is being held in check.
But why was that question asked to Baek Si-hwa?
'I can't figure out what happened between Yoo Min-ha and Baek Si-hwa.'
Even after Baek Si-hwa's performance, Yoo Min-ha's part was immediately added.
Considering that the level test was originally conducted in order of entry, this was clearly an intentional edit.
"They're doing that on purpose to create a rivalry."
"It seems like there's already something going on between those two, so it's hard to say it was intentional."
"That's true. The PDs just changed the order; they didn't edit the interview content."
Kang Si-yoon and I quietly chewed peanuts while watching Yoo Min-ha's level test stage.
An interview was being broadcast that was 180 degrees different from Baek Si-hwa's, who exudes a calm and cool atmosphere.
[Hello! My name is Yoo Min-ha, and I'm 19 years old this year! I've been a trainee for about 3 years, and what I'm most confident in is rapping! Can I show you a demonstration here? Oh, this later, oh, oh. Okay, I understand! ]
[(The tension is high)]
[I always feel good! When I'm in the practice room, I feel lonely and bored, but when I'm with my hyungs and dongsaengs, who have the same goal, I feel more passionate. I also prepared really hard for this level test stage... ]
[▶▶Fast forward 2x, 4x, 8x ▶▶]
[This trainee, the energy of a talker flows strongly.]
Heo Yu-bin, who had already eaten a pack of peanuts without saying anything, blurted out a word.
"It looks exactly like what I saw when we tore off the name tag."
"Yeah. Honestly, I was a little flustered, and I think the person being interviewed now is the same back then."
"How can he talk so nonstop? I could never do it, even if I was paid to do it. Just watching it makes me lose all my energy."
I burst out laughing.
Anyone can see that Heo Yu-bin and Yoo Min-ha are polar opposites.
If the two of them were to prepare for the stage as part of the same team in the future...
I think it's going to be a really fun sight to see.
Aside from the conflicting interviews between Baek Si-hwa and Yoo Min-ha, the stage itself was very clean.
Both trainees received favorable reviews from the judges and easily earned Tier 1.
'One is a dancer, one is a rapper. They are the guys who can show a performance that is easy on the eyes.'
As expected, a long period of training never betrays.
Other than Baek Si-hwa and Yoo Min-ha, there weren't any notable level test stages.
As the long-awaited cell-specific training session arrived, the atmosphere was completely opposite from before.
[I was so surprised. I naturally thought that people with the same rank would be grouped together and practiced together....]
[I turned my head and looked at the trainees I was assigned to. But their tops were all colorful. (Deep sigh) Mine is this dull gray.]
[It was a total mental breakdown.]
[I didn't have any confidence, but when I saw my friends on both sides learning the choreography so quickly, I started getting impatient... ]
Mainstream trainees who look in the mirror and are only obsessed with their own appearance.
And the underground trainees, who are at a loss and are desperately looking around.
This contrast between the two images is so striking that it makes you realize how mentally exhausted the trainees must have been.
And as expected, the judges' harsh criticism scenes were also broadcast in a tasty way.
[Ha Sang-pil: Hyeong-bin. Honestly, I don't understand. Why did I give you Tier 1 when I said you were good, and this is all you're showing me now?]
[Song Hyeong-bin: I'm sorry. I made a mistake in the choreography while singing―.]
[Ha Sang-pil: You don't have enough knowledge to call it a mistake. It really seems like you just danced to the song you prepared for the level test a hundred times. You can't do anything else.]
[Song Hyeong-bin: ... (quietly lowers his head)]
In the harsh criticism scenes, the focus was more on the mainstream level than the underground, making it much more dramatic.
And Song Hyeong-bin, who received the highest ratings, took most of the screen time.
"Only Hyeong-bin hyung comes out."
"I see Karis hyung-nim and Siyoon hyung back there! "
"Hmm. It came out like a folding screen."
I said it as a joke, but honestly, I didn't feel all that good about it.
There were many trainees who were scolded by Ha Sang-pil, but only Song Hyeong-bin got a lot of screen time.
This means that the production team planned in advance to give this part to Song Hyeong-bin.
[Song Hyeong-bin: I felt like I needed to work harder.]
[Song Hyeong-bin: I will prove that the grade I received was absolutely not wrong.]
[Song Hyeong-bin: I was glad that I said it so strongly. (Laughs)]
And it was Song Hyeong-bin who cleaned up the deliciously prepared table.
Of course, I didn't know this kind of editing would come out, but an interview with appropriate lines really paid off.
'Is it okay to just keep pushing the practice narrative like this?'
The moment I was thinking that,.
[Are there a lot of trainees giving up like this? ]
[-No, rather, the fever is starting to rise.]
Along with this phrase, a rather familiar practice room scene appeared.
The three trainees gathered in a circle late at night and looked very familiar.
[It's much better than three days ago. The dance moves are cleaner, and it feels more energetic. Hmmm...]
[If there are any areas that still need improvement, what are they? ]
[I'm also wondering what exactly that is right now. Ah! ]
It was Cell 31, which included Karis von Walden, Kang Si-yoon, and Heo Yu-bin.
Kang Si-yoon, who was in the middle of a conversation, snapped his fingers and laughed.
[Expression. Yeah, this is it. Anyone can see that Karis is handsome. Right? ]
Because it was a makeshift camera installed on the wall of the practice room, it had a somewhat more unadorned appearance.
Looking at the full-length mirror, Kang Si-yoon desperately explained something to Karis.
[... Let's start with a wink—not too much? ]
After the explanation of how to use facial expressions appropriately, the two immediately became absorbed in practicing winking.
In some ways, winking is such an easy way to show cuteness that even viewers might find it boring.
Karis von Walden, who performed the chorus choreography with confident body movements, then paused as if buffering.
[uh?]
[uh?]
Along with the two of us voices in confusion, the makeshift camera view zoomed in on my face in an instant.
Behind the genuinely surprised Karis von Walden, Heo Yu-bin, who was even more shocked, dropped the water bottle on the floor.
[Ka, ka, Karis hyung-nim. Karis hyung-nim, why are you lagging just like me? ]
[I, I don't know either. Why can't I wink? ]
[You can't do this, hyung-nim! Where did you hear that you shouldn't use your face like that? This is an insult to your face, an insult!]
[Okay, okay. That's possible, since it was your first try. Karis, let's try again.]
Kang Si-yoon, who barely managed to get the situation under control, took the lead again, but Karis von Walden's face only trembled.
After a moment of silence,.
Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin burst into laughter.
"...."
I looked at Karis von Walden, who was drooping and hanging his head.
It seems like he's destined to be reduced to a gag character in this episode.
—