Chapter 34
"Hmm, I guess this is okay."
I stood up, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
I don't know when was the last time I cleaned this thoroughly.
No, it's been so long that I don't even remember having another guest come to the place I live.
Although it's a studio apartment, it's not terribly cramped, which is fortunate.
Because soon, not one but three guests will be barging into this place.
I didn't want to give the impression that I lived in a dust hole, so I started cleaning my room diligently in the morning, vacuuming and mopping at the same time.
Around 4 p.m., I was spending my time exercising.
"What is it? "
-Hey, what kind of chicken do you like? Fried? Seasoned? Boneless? Meat?
"I'm not particularly picky about what I eat, so you can choose whatever you want."
-Okay! I'll go get it! Considering the time it takes for the chicken to come out, I think it'll arrive in about 30 minutes?
"Okay, take your time—"
-Tut. Tut. Tut.
Now, I got a one-sided phone call from Kang Si-yoon, whom I had become somewhat accustomed to.
Judging from the noise around him, it looks like three people met up and came together.
And just as the living room clock was striking 6 o'clock, the doorbell rang loudly.
Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!
"Can you please just press it once? "
Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!
"It's like talking to a wall."
As I opened the door with a sigh, Kang Si-yoon, who was smiling brightly, handed me some piping hot chicken.
"The chicken delivery has arrived."
"Karis hyung-nim! It's been a while! "
"It's only been a few days since we last saw each other."
"Karis nim! You're amazing! I watched a basketball video on my way here today, and I realized once again how amazing your jumping ability is! You have the jumping ability to be a professional athlete, but what's your secret? Please tell me too! "
Then the sound of chicks talking, pouring down like a waterfall, hit my eardrums.
I had a reflexive reaction as I retreated into the room.
"First, put down your luggage and wash your hands―"
"Hey, you surprisingly take good care of your house. It's really clean."
"There is hardly any furniture."
"It's 180 degrees different from my room? "
"...No one listens to me."
I barely managed to wash my hands after coaxing and calming the excited guys.
The chicken and drinks were laid out on a folding table, creating a real party atmosphere.
... Depending on the length and content of the broadcast, it could be a party or a ritual.
"Will we get our share today, hyung?"
"Well, it depends on what the production team thinks."
Heo Yu-bin tilted his head as he grabbed a piece of chicken with steam rising from it.
On the other side, Yoo Min-ha, who was diligently eating chicken dipped in hot sauce, heard Kang Si-yoon's words.
"I think the people who appear in episode 3 will have a huge advantage. The first round of voting will end with episode 4, so the trainees who appear in episode 3 will basically be given an extra week."
"That's true. If you appear in episode 3 and get a narrative and screen time, you'll get more attention first, so you'll have more points to get more votes in the first round of voting."
I nodded too.
It was the same last time.
The production team sends out trainees who they think deserve even more push to Episode 3.
However, there are often times when big names are given in episode 4, which can be interpreted to mean that they want to pass on the entire story of episode 4, not just a part of episode 3.
'Based on the current situation and public opinion, it's likely that the group with Song Hyeong-bin will be pushed back to episode 4.'
Assuming this, we absolutely have to appear in episode 3.
If we don't come out, we could be completely consumed by Song Hyeong-bin's screen time.
"The broadcast is one thing, but the full stage videos and fancams that are uploaded to YouTube are also released a week in advance. I think this is really important. People who missed the live broadcast often search for stage videos on YouTube. There will be a lot of people coming in from here."
Kang Si-yoon reminded us of an important part.
One well-shot fancam can easily spread the word.
At a time when the power of SNS platforms is growing stronger than that of the original broadcast, if it is released a week earlier, the number of views and interest can increase.
I ate two chickens in an instant.
As I looked at the empty box, something occurred to me.
'Come to think of it, how long has it been since I've had chicken in such comfort?'
Even though I was the crown prince, I spent more time leading friendly forces at the front lines than staying in the imperial palace.
It was not possible for me to take the royal chef with me. There was no need to explain how miserable the food was.
And even after returning to the palace, I never once ate a chicken dish coated in batter like this.
'After all, fried chicken is better than baked chicken.'
I think I was so touched by just one ordinary piece of chicken without even realizing it.
Maybe that's why my hand kept reflexively reaching for the chicken.
"Weren't we going to eat chicken while watching the live broadcast? "
"uh?"
"I know, right?"
There was silence for a moment.
Kang Si-yoon, who had been looking blank, eventually shrugged his shoulders and gave a clear answer.
"I'll order one more later."
"Great!"
"It's fun to replenish energy! "
I sighed internally as I counted the calories in my head.
I need to double my exercise tomorrow.
Just before episode 3 of
We, who do not drink alcohol, toasted with cola and cider and listened to the brilliant intro of
[???: How many times have I told you not to do that? To be honest, I'm frustrated too. It's frustrating, but what if you can't follow along when I'm talking so nicely? ]
[???: Let's not do that and take it a little slower.]
[???: We don't have time; we're all screwed up because of *** right now. How on earth can we slow down....]
[(sound of door slamming)]
[... I am very desperate. I absolutely have to debut. So I plan on doing everything I can.]
[EP 03: Spark]
The screen was black from the start.
In the preview-style scene where only sound is heard, someone's voice that is slightly reminiscent of the above can be heard.
The phrase 'Fireworks' was engraved in a grand manner, and scenes of the trainees practicing were quickly played as if in a movie.
"Oh, that's our group."
"What, what did you say? "
"Did you guys have that conversation just now? "
"Yes!"
Yoo Minha nodded as if nothing had happened.
"They even made a trailer like that. Does this count as part of the footage? "
"That's true, but... Wasn't the preparation process smooth? It seemed like there was a lot of fighting?"
"I think it couldn't be helped because there were people who were trying to match the chords for the first time. But I'm not worried because the stage was good!"
What on earth happened in Yoo Min-ha's group?
Judging from the voice... The tone mentioned above seemed to be Baek Si-hwa's.
'Surely you didn't fight with Yoo Min-ha from the beginning.'
Even if you say you're going to turn off the aggro, it's suicidal to immediately start an argument with a trainee you openly mentioned during the level test interview.
I don't know how the editing will turn out, but there's a 90% chance that it'll be bad.
[After selecting a song for each cell, you decide whether to go to the Red Team or the Blue Team. You will be grouped into a randomly matched cell. The Red Team and Blue Team formed in this way will have a rival team battle over the same song.]
[Teams with lower average cell ratings are automatically pushed out. In other words, the higher the rating you get in the final rating evaluation, the more certain you are of selecting the song you want.]
When the team selection method was announced, the trainees' expressions of shock were eerily captured.
Especially the trainees who received low grades cried and grabbed their hair.
On the other hand, the upper-tier trainees were jumping around with their fellow cell members.
[Hey, hey! Our level is so high! ]
[I don't think we'll ever be pushed out! ]
[....]
[Karis: Soulless]
Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin were also captured, excitedly pulling my arms from both sides.
Among them, Karis von Walden, fluttering around like a paper doll, looked so comical.
"Hahaha! Oh, you were really doing that back then? "
"I think Karis nim was swearing inwardly?"
"I was thinking that it would be nice if they just stopped pulling."
In the song selection scene that followed, we had almost no screen time.
Since the cell number was the second from the end, the sight of us waiting endlessly was captured from far away.
[Yubin. If you fall asleep here, you'll be in big trouble.]
[Oh, gasp! Sorry!]
[I'll give you some tissues here, so wipe the drool from your mouth first.]
Heo Yu-bin, who woke up in a hurry after dozing off, showed off his tremendous presence.
Kang Si-yoon, who had already pressed the laughter button because of my soulless expression, burst into laughter when he saw Heo Yu-bin's head bent at a 45-degree angle.
"I should have slept like that too."
"It came out cute because it's Yubin. If it were you, you wouldn't have gotten any screen time."
"Hey, why do you have to keep hitting people like that? Stop throwing facts."
After a long wait, the time has come to select Cell 31.
The flashback scene where Kang Si-yoon and I briefly talked about
[....]
[... ?]
[No one is here?]
Even though it was almost the last turn, an empty waiting room greeted us.
Our rounded faces were zoomed in, and we were even able to see ourselves looking around the waiting room like fools.
'There are hardly any edited parts? '
I watched the broadcast with a feeling of surprise in my heart.
The scene where the team formation is completed with Park Se-han's cell joining and the selection of trainees who were pushed out of the existing waiting room is completed, completing the
"Will it be okay that we didn't contact Sehan hyung? We were in the same group."
"I guess it's okay since he didn't contact us first. He seems to know a lot of people, so he might be busy calling them?"
Heo Yu-bin seemed worried that we didn't call the other members of the same team.
Well, it worked out that I hadn't contacted him since the team battle ended. I'm glad I shook it off at the right time.
He's going to disappear from the dormitory building next week anyway.
The song selection portion is now complete.
As the long line of national managers who had arrived at the scene began to appear, Kang Si-yoon spoke in a solemn tone.
"This is where it gets really important."
"Hmm."
I agreed too.
The production team can arrange the order of the competition stages however they want.
So, at some point, nobody knows when we will appear.
'No matter how good the third episode is, the first one is really bad.'
When I checked my watch, I felt like the previous parts had been edited down to be very short.
It is natural that the team itself runs quickly since there are as many as 16 of them.
Clearly, the difference between the trainees chosen by the production team and those who were not chosen stands out.
"It feels like the practice went by really quickly?"
"There wasn't even a single bit of material before the midterm evaluation."
Other guys were also experiencing the difference firsthand.
Teams that don't seem like they'll be a hot topic are brought to the main stage in an instant.
Without any narrative that could be created during the training process.
Trainees with relatively low skills and ranks have no choice but to go through this process.
"Still, everyone did well on stage! After all, never giving up is the most wonderful thing."
Yoo Minha, who had even finished her meal by herself, watched the other teams' performances with sparkling eyes.
But this peace was short-lived.
[Next up. This group has been creating a huge buzz since their debut and even wrote a reverse run legend. The two teams that will be battling over Crescent's
"Oh, our group is already in."
The
"You were in episode 3, huh? Congratulations, congratulations."
"Thank you, hyung. Oh, I hope it was edited in a fun way!"
"I, I'm shaking."
Heo Yu-bin was trembling, even though it wasn't even his own fault.
I didn't show it, but I was a little worried as I recalled the brief argument I had heard in the preview today.
And soon, the team interview scene appeared.
[Q: Do you like the team?]
[Baek Si-hwa: (Tilts his head slightly) Can I just be honest?]
[Baek Si-hwa: I don't like it. (Meaningful laugh)]
I had a feeling that those worries would come true.
—