Chapter 37
"...Would this work? "
The main writer looked back at the final version after editing and asked,
Then, the general producer sitting next to her silently nodded.
"Good job. I said it would be good to go with this kind of drawing, and you edited it appropriately."
"As always, there was nothing difficult. There was almost no deliberate cutting of other scenes. It was just shown as it was, with the focus on one side."
This episode mainly features the remaining stages and results from the first round, as well as edited behind-the-scenes footage.
This will be the last episode to announce the first rankings, so everyone will be waiting to see which trainees will get the spotlight and which trainees will be given stories.
And the person who must see through the needs and interests of such viewers better than anyone else is the main writer.
She sighed, running her hands through her hair.
"I'm a little worried. I wonder if it wouldn't be okay to give the other trainees another chance. But―"
"Time is time, and public opinion itself has already been firmly formed for a long time."
The general producer drank coffee and cleared his throat.
The dark circles under their eyes, which had developed due to working all night, stood out particularly.
"We are, after all, the people who make broadcasts. In order to successfully create a buzz in a short broadcast, we have to select the gems. It is our job to determine again what the public wants among those gems."
"That's what my senior always said."
"That's why it's better to put things like sympathy far away. There's no time to worry about ordinary kids without any special talents right now? There are so many gems that need to be processed more beautifully."
The conference room whiteboard was filled with photos of numerous trainees and writings related to future plots.
The main writer quietly closed her eyes and opened them again while looking at the category of 'Song Hyeong-bin'.
"If you're a smart kid, you'll know how to act in the future after watching the broadcast. Establishing an image is essential."
"Well, friends who can naturally develop their characters don't necessarily have to act intentionally. Friends like Karis, whom you were pushing so hard for,"
"Hmm."
When the general producer sent her a sly smile, she opened her eyes slightly.
"I remember that my senior liked it the most when I talked about things related to Karis."
"Hey, I'm just saying thank you for pushing so hard."
"You really do go around and around in expressing your gratitude."
The main writer also watched episode 3 that aired last week carefully.
She checked the real-time reactions and looked into whether the national managers felt the same way as the production team.
She had a strong impression that the narrative of a visual genius and a growing character was properly created.
'If you think about it, what my senior said is true. It felt like Karis also moved on his own in the direction I intended.'
From the moment they first met, she had a feeling that she had to hug Karis von Walden.
Because she had never seen looks of this caliber in the idol world, or even in the entire entertainment industry.
So, she planned to give a story of growth where he gradually improves despite his relatively low skills compared to other trainees.
Like knowing her intentions, Karis von Walden increased his practice every day and eventually even received praise from the judges.
"Karis is Karis, and Song Hyeong-bin is Song Hyeong-bin. This guy had a really hard time this time, didn't he?"
"I told you. There was nothing to add. It was just sent as is."
"okay."
The general producer put down his empty coffee cup and tilted his neck back and forth.
"I think things will be more or less set by tomorrow."
* * *
Episode 4 aired with the message that filming would resume soon.
This time, I was quietly watching TV alone, and I sorted out the situation in my head.
'The outline is beginning to emerge.'
As expected, the main characters of episode 4 were decided.
Song Hyeong-bin, Ji Yoon-cheol, and Chae Eun-gyu, who were in the debut group when Han Ji-hyeok participated, all received significant screen time.
Among them, the one who benefited the most from editing was none other than Song Hyeong-bin.
'We'll have to find out later whether this was an intentional edit by the production team or not.'
What I had said to Kang Si-yoon became reality.
If I were to be put on the same episode as powerful trainees, not only would my screen time be cut, but I would also lose the chance to create a buzz.
Song Hyeong-bin's group seemed like a stage just for Song Hyeong-bin.
If I think back, it definitely started out with a good vibe.
[Wow, Hyeong-bin hyung is in the same group as us.]
[I don't want to be pushed out of here!]
[Please, please. No one should come.]
The trainees who chose BoLu's
On the other hand, the trainees who were put in a confrontational situation swallowed dry saliva with a dejected expression.
But this hospitality soon changed into something else.
[I think the leader should be Hyeong-bin hyung!]
[The leader is definitely Hyeong-bin.]
[Put this sticker on right away, right now!]
[Ah, ahaha.]
Regardless of Song Hyeong-bin's answer, the leader's sticker was naturally placed on his chest.
Song Hyeong-bin, who had to shoulder the two heavy responsibilities of leader and center in just a few minutes, did not look very happy.
[Song Hyeong-bin: To be honest.... It's true that I feel a little pressure. My teammates all trust and rely on me so much, so I want to do a good job (of being a leader).]
[Song Hyeong-bin: But I actually haven't had that many opportunities to take on important roles like leadership... I'm a little worried about whether I can complete it safely.]
Song Hyeong-bin, who was leading the distribution of parts and organizing the route of
[Song Hyeong-bin: Is there anyone who is confident in the second part of the sub vocal?]
[....]
[Song Hyeong-bin: I think Kang Hoon's voice would fit well here. Do you want to sing it? (forced to laugh)]
[Choi Kang-hoon: I, I don't think it'll work.... I'll give it a try.]
There was quite a bit of discord from the very beginning when it came to distributing parts.
The trainees, who thought they would be able to perform on stage without a hitch thanks to the exceptional talent of Song Hyeong-bin, had a hard time with BoLu's song, which was more difficult than expected.
Considerable vocal range, fast-paced choreography, and complex movement.
The team members, who felt like they were blocked by a wall, continued to lose confidence.
[(Trainee Hwang Jun-bin visits leader Song Hyeong-bin during a practice break)]
[Hwang Jun-bin: Hyung. I have something to tell you....]
[Song Hyeong-bin: What?]
[Hwang Jun-bin: No matter how much I practice, the main vocal part is too high, and the sound keeps breaking. I think it's going to be too hard.]
[Song Hyeong-bin: Um, do you get left out a lot?]
[Hwang Junbin: Yes. So I wanted to ask if it would be possible to change the part....]
Suddenly, there were even trainees who wanted to change parts even after a certain period of practice had passed.
Song Hyeong-bin, who wanted to somehow resolve his team members' complaints while being pressed for time, kept apologizing and asking for their understanding.
In the end, they received harsh criticism for not being able to properly implement the stage until the midterm evaluation.
[Hyeong-bin, I know you guys worked really hard. But that's all. I don't know what to listen to, what to evaluate, and what to tell you. What should I look at and evaluate when nothing is finished?]
[...sorry.]
[If you're a leader, you have to know how to make decisions like a leader. There are only a few days left until the main stage, so what are you going to do now? ]
Song Hyeong-bin, who tried to eliminate discord among his team members even at the cost of inconvenience, was unable to let go of his indecisiveness.
Still, after listening to the judges' advice and saying that he would no longer allow part switching, they continued practicing somehow.
[Song Hyeong-bin: I think it's because I'm such a lacking leader. (Holding back tears) I wanted to create a great stage that would satisfy everyone, but I wonder if we can complete it properly... ]
In the end, he ended up shedding tears during the interview.
Watching the scene up to this point, I felt only one thing.
'If Song Hyeong-bin becomes the leader again in the future, he will give a narrative that he has grown as a leader. Even if he no longer becomes the leader, he will create an image of sincerity in that he did his best in the given situation.'
Even just looking at the stage, the message the production team was sending was clear.
Despite so many adversities, trials, and errors, Song Hyeong-bin steadfastly carried out his part more than 100%.
The only person who caught my eye on stage was Song Hyeong-bin.
Even if another team member couldn't sing the notes properly or another team member made a mistake in the choreography, Song Hyung-bin didn't waver.
Rather than being influenced by the surrounding circumstances, he gradually increased his presence.
I checked people's reactions by looking at my phone.
As expected, the majority of people were arguing about situations that were revealed on the surface.
―Kong Ging is really pitiful ㅠ It's like the shrimp gets broken in a whale fight
[○ + 애깅
└What the heck is a whale fight lol. It's just the minnows gathering together and joking about how they're incompetent.
└minnows f*ck ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└I understand that the song is difficult…. They just have to match the parts, but I don't understand why they started relying on Hyeong Kong from the beginning and trying to bury it
└agreed didn't they come out because they wanted to debut?
―Honestly, the leader was a bit hesitant… After three days of practice, most of the routes would have been set, but they had to change everything.
└Yeah, f*ck, Hyeong-kong created all about that route.
└What do you mean, hesitant? If Kong Ging says that it can't be done there, it's certain that he'll come off as a piece of trash who can't even communicate.
└In the end, the kids who changed their parts died, and Hyeong Kong was the only one who survived.
└ㅇㄱㄹㅇ… Song Hyeong-bin, who perfectly performed all his parts while going through all kinds of hardships and exhaustion, is just a legend
└Since it has come to this, Kong Ging will definitely debut.
With this, it has been established that the originally favorable public opinion of Song Hyeong-bin will continue to grow stronger.
In addition, there were Ji Yoon-cheol and Chae Eun-gyu who received a definite push, although not as much as Song Hyeong-bin.
[Baek Chae-hyun: That guy is amazing every time I see him.]
[Ha Sang-pil: Right? I've been teaching dance for almost 20 years, but this is the first time I've seen someone like Yoon-cheol. He took a quick look (The choreography video) and immediately copied and danced, and even the feel of it was good.]
[Baek Kang-woo: His physique is also amazing. His arms and legs are so long, but he's so flexible that you can't see any unnecessary movements. (On stage) you can only see him.)
Ji Yoon-cheol didn't have much screen time like in the previous
Since he was not originally a talkative and active person, interviews and daily life content were almost non-existent.
However, he left a lasting impression with his unique physique, visuals, and genius dancing talent.
If Ji Yoon-cheol was given editing focused on skills, Chae Eun-gyu was given a role that contrasted with Song Hyeong-bin.
[I felt secure because Eun-gyu hyung was there.]
[Even though we were in different cells, he treated me so kindly....]
[It was really comfortable. Thank you, Eun-gyu hyung!]
If Song Hyeong-bin's group felt like a total mess, then Chae Eun-gyu's group gave off a really peaceful vibe.
Intuitively speaking, it was similar to our group, but the focus itself was different.
While they focused on showing each individual's effort and ability, this group emphasized Cha Eun-gyu's experienced leadership as much as possible.
'Get a good lead role early and get in..'
I turned off the TV and got up from my seat.
Now, almost all the organizing is done.
If I watch the dynamics of YouTube and other social media platforms over the next few days, I will be able to get a rough idea of what the first ranking announcement will look like.
'What I have to do before the ranking announcement ceremony is... '
I looked in the mirror for a moment and lost myself in thought.
As I gazed upon the perfectly beautiful Karis von Walden, one thought occurred to me.
Okay, let's start by looking for a good beauty salon.
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