Chapter 38
"Quickly, quickly! Turn on the TV! "
"Let's eat first―"
"It's about to start! Ah, hurry up! "
These days, every Friday, the house becomes noisy.
Pyo Joo-hyun, who is enduring her third year of college, which is said to be the hardest, witnessed her younger sister throw her bag on the sofa.
"Kids, you must be hungry after studying, so eat something before you go."
"Mom, I'll bring Jihyun food. She'll never leave the TV."
"Tell her to eat quickly before the ramen gets soggy."
Pyo Joo-hyun smiled faintly and brought out a folding table.
Then she hit her sister's back and gave her an order.
"Go back a little and watch. I'm going to set up a table."
"I can't; I took my contacts out at school, and I need to see up close."
"Then I'll find you some glasses, so fix your posture. Spinal surgery costs 17 million won."
"Oh, I see."
She used a semi-threatening tone and got a submissive reply.
Despite the inconvenience, Pyo Joo-hyun retrieved the glasses from her younger sister's desk.
She placed the steaming bowl of ramen on the table and received a thumbs-up from her mom, who was sitting on the kitchen chair.
"Unni, turn up the volume."
"Don't you have any hands? "
"I don't have hands because I'm eating ramen!"
As Pyo Joo-hyun took control of the remote, the EDM accompaniment rang out even louder in the living room.
She looked at the 15+ rating sign on the screen and asked her younger sister a question.
"Is that the program you watch every day? "
"Yeah. Idol survival."
Pyo Ji-hyun looked at her older sister while carefully chewing the ramen.
"Come to think of it, why aren't you doing any fandom activities these days? Until a few years ago, your room was covered in posters, so mom scolded you a lot."
"I just didn't have the money or the time to do anything. Back then, I was twenty years old, so I could just play around without thinking, but as I got more and more absorbed in my homework, it became impossible."
"Huh. Is there someone you want to be a fan of?"
"There's no one I really get hooked on these days."
In the past, Pyo Joo-hyun was a huge fan of idols.
But when faced with a lack of time and money, she was forced to quit fandom.
Maybe because they're talking about old times, she thought she'd check out this famous idol program today.
"Why are you suddenly so obsessed with this? "
"Me? I'm a senior in high school, so everything is fun except studying. My classmates all watched it, so I watched it too. But it was more fun than I thought, and there were a lot of good-looking kids."
Pyo Ji-hyun raised her eyebrows as she drank a spoonful of ramen broth.
"Do you want to see it too, Unni?"
"I wonder how handsome they are."
"The rankings announcement ceremony is happening today. I guarantee you that there's at least one person who's 100% your type."
It had been a long time since she had heard her sister speak with such conviction.
Pyo Joo-hyun sat up straight and took out her cell phone.
'Should I do it after a long time? '
She remembered the SNS account she created two years ago for fandom purposes.
Although Pyo Joo-hyun herself stopped working due to her current life, she has a feeling that some people will still be in the idol scene.
As expected, there was already a lot of news related to
—My heart is pounding so hard I'm going crazyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
―(Photo) It seems like the big shots in China are already preparing for Hyeong-kong's Jigwang [Subway advertisements]?? If he gets first place in the competition today, it'll be really great
―Everything is good, so I hope my child survives the first round… I want to see the stage one more timeㅠㅠㅠ
—Jigwang opens after the ceremony; who wants to ride with me?
Pyo Joo-hyun looked down at the posts with considerable interest.
She saw pictures of the trainees here and there, and she definitely felt like her younger sister was making a big deal out of it.
'Well, it certainly seems like all the kids who will rise to the top all have the face.'
"Unni, stop looking at your phone. It's starting now."
"Have you already eaten all the ramen? "
"It's only one bag, so of course I'll eat it right away! "
Magnificent music was playing.
A short trailer-style video played on the darkened screen.
[I want to survive. Please, I have to survive.]
[I don't want to leave this memory as the last. I definitely, definitely want to leave a better stage.]
[They say that everything is over the moment you give up, right? I never give up!]
[... I will survive.]
[EP 05: Crossroads]
While Pyo Joo-hyun was admiring the cinematic editing techniques, her younger sister, who was sipping ramen soup, grumbled in discontent.
"Aren't they killing time by showing other things instead of announcing the rankings right away? "
"Why are you asking such an obvious question? Even I, who haven't watched much of a survival show, know that."
"I want to see Yoon-cheol soon."
It must be her younger sister's favorite.
Pyo Joo-hyun searched for 'Yoon Cheol'.
Then, various photos of one trainee were created, one after another.
'He's handsome, but he looks a bit young.'
Looking at his profile, he is 17 years old.
Well, it's too young.
This way, it will feel more like a mother than a fan.
As she was absentmindedly scrolling through posts related to Ji Yoon-cheol, one photo suddenly caught her eye.
―I'm holding my breath until they become a team like Gaeanz.
He was a trainee with impressive blonde hair.
His pure white skin and broad shoulders cleverly combined boyish beauty and masculinity.
"Hey, who is this―?"
"Look, Unni! The kids are coming out now! "
Just as she was about to ask her younger sister who this trainee was, the fifth episode began airing in earnest.
The door with the
"Wow, wait a minute. Song Hyeong-bin got a perm!"
"Who is that kid? Is he in first place right now?"
"Unni, Song Hyeong-bin's popularity is no joke. Half of the kids in my class, he is their favorite. Song Hyeong-bin was also first in the early voting."
Pyo Joo-hyun looked at the TV screen intently.
Sure, he was tall and handsome, but....
"It's not my taste."
"You didn't like that kind of hamster statue, did you? Hmm, then maybe you'll like my favorite character? "
"No, there was someone I was going to ask you earlier―"
As soon as she finished speaking, two slender new models passed through the door.
A physique that stands out even among tall trainees.
Blonde hair that can be seen from afar.
And the screen was filled with luxurious appearances that seemed to have jumped straight out of a comic book.
[Ready, Su?]
[Of course, Shi.]
The two trainees gave each other thumbs-up while reciting their prepared lines.
As she can see from the subtitles below, the blonde trainee is Karis von Walden, and his partner is Kang Si-yoon.
'... They introduced themselves as Sushi by taking each letter of their name?'
It was so trivial and yet so funny.
No, more than that, the face of the trainee named Karis von Walden was even more awesome.
"I can tell from your reaction. Was that what you were going to ask me earlier about Karis?"
"Oh. Isn't he the most handsome guy you've ever seen? "
"If you just look at his face, I admit it. Even everyone in our class admits it. He's a bit unapproachable. So even if he's not your favorite, you'll all still hold him in your heart as your second favorite."
Pyo Joo-hyun started to not understand.
No, he has an exceptional face that is associated with high prestige.
How on earth could you possibly think of putting Karis von Walden as your second favorite?
Meanwhile, the national managers were excitedly spreading the news about the appearance of Karis and Kang Si-yoon.
―(Photo) Oh my gosh, so cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Now our Suma has implicitly decided something...
└Two really tall kids are throwing sushi while doing this! What the hell!
└No, Suma's expression is so serious right now that I can't tell if he really thinks 'Sushi' is awesome or if he's trying to be funny
―Sushi isn't important right now... Our Suja-nim's half-bangs are really cool
└Oh my god, you're right?? I just realized it
└Really, Suja-nim, you were always wearing your bangs down, crazy
└(Photo) (Photo) I just captured the screen, it's legendary
└Wow, that face is truly the pinnacle….
└It's been a long time since I've been moved by seeing a face, really
└I love you, Suma ya. Please debut. You are the hope of the Korean idol world.
They weren't the only ones who were moved by the sight of Karis von Walden's face.
"... Ji-hyun."
"Why, is there anyone you like? "
"By the way, what rank is that kid named Karis? "
At Pyo Joo-hyun's question, her younger sister smiled with the corners of her lips raised.
"I told you there must be someone who suits your taste. Judging from people's reactions recently, it seems like Karis will go up a lot? I don't know about the debut rights, but I think it will come out pretty high today."
"This is safe, isn't it?"
After a long time, a spark is rekindled in her heart.
The desire to live is so strong that she can barely think about the problems of this life.
Pyo Joo-hyun decided to finish watching the priority announcement ceremony.
[A sincere welcome to everyone who has come to the first ranking announcement ceremony of the
Choi Sia, dressed in a suit, walked to the center of the stage.
[Which team will win after the fierce first round? And before we check out what benefits they will receive, There was a message that the trainees sent to the national managers, right? Let's go see the behind-the-scenes of the PR video production together.]
"Oh, I knew it. You're wasting time again."
Pyo Ji-hyun expressed her dissatisfaction once again.
But soon after, after seeing the released screen, her attitude changed 180 degrees.
[7:30 a.m.]
[Trainees sleeping soundly]
[Hmm? (Closeup) Discovering a strange sight]
The surveillance camera that showed the trainees going into dreamland zoomed in on the interior of one cell.
There was a very tall trainee sleeping while hugging a stuffed rabbit that didn't fit his size.
Even though his face was not visible, Pyo Joo-hyun's younger sister screamed.
"Crazy, is that Ji Yoon-cheol?"
[Trainee Ji Yoon-cheol holding a doll that is much smaller than him]
[The sleeping posture somehow seems similar?]
It is definitely an image reversal.
The owner of such a large height is sleeping like that, his ankles almost touching the edge of the bed.
Soon, the sound of a siren broke the peace in the dormitory.
[Notice to all cells! Check the box in front of your door right now! Notification to all cells! Right now....]
The trainees, who woke up in a dazed state, were not able to come to their senses at all.
Half of the people had their eyes half-closed. Half of the people couldn't even wake up.
But there is one thing.
Cell 31 was moving very quickly.
No. To be exact, just one.
[Everyone, you'd better wake up.]
[(Karis trainee, who was already up alone)]
[(Even took a shower!)]
Karis von Walden, who had dutifully woken up the rest of his roommates, quickly brought the box that had been placed in front of the door.
A split screen appeared, showing some of the people in the cells barely coming to their senses when opening the box.
The moment he saw the tracksuit and name tag inside, Karis smiled confidently.
"Wow, he's really handsome."
Pyo Joo-hyun let out an exclamation without realizing it.
Today, she first realized that someone who just got out of the shower can look so radiant.
Cell 31, whose power had quickly finished preparing, waited while carefully holding the doorknob.
[What are you doing, open the door! We have to hit first!]
[I want to see Karis hyung-nim being brutally massacred quickly!]
[... The basics of combat are to first hear who is outside.]
The sight of the three of them standing side by side was cute and trivial, but Karis' low voice sounded so serious that it was even funnier.
They were completely focused on a simple entertainment game as if it were an actual battle.
'His speech and appearance are truly that of a crown prince, but judging by his actions now, his personality is surprisingly the complete opposite.'
Although Pyo Joo-hyun thought that he was a trainee with a significant gap in skill and reality, her, mulling over did not last long.
[But they didn't know.]
[(Trainees changing into their tracksuits with bright expressions)]
[What kind of being might be waiting for them outside the door?]
[(Trainees putting name tags on each other, saying it would be fun)]
"What, what is this eerie music? "
"Is broadcasting originally like this?"
"I don't know either."
A meaningful subtitle was placed along with music that made it seem like something was about to come.
[That day, the trainees recalled.]
[The horror of being mercilessly slaughtered.]
—