Chapter 39
The beginning was peaceful.
[Where is everyone?]
[I feel sleepy....]
The trainees, still half-asleep, stumbled out into the hallway.
The situation was the same on the other side.
Boys with disheveled hair were just turning their heads blankly like meerkats.
Then, slowly, the number of people coming out into the hallway increased one by one.
The trainees, whose endorphins began to flow, rushed towards each other.
[You have to tear it apart as you see it!]
[Don't scatter! Stay close to me!]
[Hey, there are people over there! Go, go! Run!]
"It's a total sports competition."
"But why did that weird editing happen earlier? "
The moment when Pyo Joo-hyun mentions fundamental curiosity again.
[Why, why isn't this coming off? Oh, it's almost done!]
[Snap!]
[(Two name tags falling at the same time??)]
A dark shadow appeared and disappeared quickly on the screen.
The scapegoat, who had been scuffling with the trainee in front of him, was startled and turned around.
[Snap! Snap!]
This time, the two small name tags on both arms were ripped off unilaterally.
It happened so quickly that Pyo Joo-hyun couldn't keep up.
The camera that was capturing this scene also seemed startled, and the focus shifted to the ground.
The moment when the focus is finally on the trainee who has stopped moving.
Karis von Walden smiled faintly, sweeping his bangs away.
[You must always watch your back during battle. Otherwise, you may die in an instant like this. Be sure to keep that in mind next time.]
"...."
"...."
The two sisters, who were watching TV fell into silence for a moment.
He looks like a nobleman, and his speech is like that of a character from a romance fantasy novel.
If someone else had said this, maybe they would have cringed and curled up like grilled squid, wondering where the hell they were reading a cartoon from to say something like that.
Strangely enough, it didn't feel that way at all.
Rather, she felt the refreshing sensation of her eyes being purified.
"Hey, little sis. Is he really that good at sports?"
"How would I know? This is their first time doing an event that involves their bodies like this. Wow, but even in a really shaky camera, his face really shines."
Pyo Ji-hyun, who had been waiting for her favorite Ji Yoon-cheol until just a moment ago, was captivated by Karis' performance.
Having earned three name tags in just one minute of combat, Karis von Walden showed no signs of slowing down.
He started to move faster and faster, and he started to show more amazing moves than before.
[Ahhhh! I'll take it off! I'll take it off! Please save me!]
[This is foul play!]
[... I'll just surrender. Take it away.]
The best part was how he easily subdued three trainees who rushed to rip off Heo Yu-bin's name tag.
Pyo Joo-hyun could only blink her eyes as she watched Karis's jumping ability boast an incredible amount of airtime.
A physique that is full of muscle.
Athleticism that overwhelms other trainees.
And that wonderful face that shows a very excited smile every now and then.
All three beats were in perfect sync, creating legendary moments at every moment.
Pyo Joo-hyun's SNS timeline was also in chaos.
—His form is crazy, really
―ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ No, I can't help but laugh because it's so ridiculous. With that face and that physique, he's even good at sports? Please don't lie.
└Did he really come from Estonia as a crown prince? I've never seen such a perfect person before, so I'm just dumbfounded...
└Kingly Godliness, okay?
―(Photo) (Photo) Suja-nim sweetly asks Yubin, who fell down after ripping off the opponent's name tag with a one-shot, one-kill, if he's okay...
└Ah, the difference in speech is so exciting
└Are you really that excited?? How is that possible??….
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ No, for a moment, I imagined when I went to the fan signing, I thought that Suma would use that tone of speech and ask "Have you eaten?"
└I don't think it would happen, but it seems like it would definitely happen to anyone ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Haㅠㅠㅋㅋ;; I'm seriously so shocked I think I'll forget what I was going to say
└I'm just smiling like this now, but imagine seeing that face right in front of your nose and hearing "Have you eaten?"... I'm so touched
"He...."
As Pyo Joo-hyun snickered at the sight of Karis von Walden memes flooding her timeline, her younger sister shook her head.
"Wow, you became a fan the moment you saw his face today? That's awesome."
"As I live, there will come a day when I find a new oppa. Karis is really my type."
"Then go and read the NaXwiki first...."
Meanwhile, the name tag removal scene was becoming even more heated.
Pyo Joo-hyun was hoping that Karis von Walden would do a comedic scene again, but instead, he created a ridiculous scene.
[Oh my, this is hard. Oh, what is it? ]
[Are they all out already? ]
[....]
The trainees, who had been standing there blankly for a moment, watching their colleagues fall miserably to the ground by Karis, immediately started to run away.
[Let's go.]
[Let's go.]
[Wait a minute, it would be more fun to fight me―.]
It was so funny to see the trainees running away as if their feet were on fire, ignoring the outstretched hand of Kris von Walden.
As Karis looks at their backs with genuine regret, a close-up is shown, unintentionally creating a scene from a melodrama.
-No, just now Suma's expression… . The genre suddenly changed
└When he was excitedly tearing off name tags, he looked like a wolf, but now he's a puppy. What is this...
└Authority of faces. Ruler of faces. Demon king of faces. Emperor of faces. God of faces.
└? What the hell is this?
└I don't know, f*ck, he's just so damn handsome
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah, so funny
―(Photo) (Photo) (Photo) Excited Suja-nim, Sweet Suja-nim, Sad Suja-nim
└Why do these pictures come out so fast ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Excitement is a wolf, Sweet is a large dog, and Sad is a Maltese.
└With that face, whatever expression is fine
└ㅇㅇㅇ Of course, the face is the probability
└With bangs Karis was good, but I want to see the new half-cut Karis soon ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
"This guy has a lot of screen time, so it's really good. Is he a PD pick?"
"I don't know about PD Pick.... Maybe it's because he's definitely become more popular these days. Today's episode is quite long."
My younger sister had a somewhat dissatisfied expression on her face.
"So where did our Yooncheol's portion go! Why is it that we only see him sleeping and not tearing off name tag―"
The moment when she got angry and banged her chopsticks on the table.
As Karis stood up, supporting Kang Si-yoon, an incredibly tall man walked towards him with a limp.
The editing was done in slow motion, making you wonder who it was.
[Can I ask you one favor....]
Ji Yoon-cheol muttered in a languid voice, holding a giant rabbit doll in his arms.
Pyo Joo-hyun suffered a brain freeze.
Clearly, when she scrolled down the timeline, she saw Ji Yoon-cheol's face, which was expressionless and full of chic charm.
The boy staggering in front of Karis now had an air of innocence about him.
If she feels this way, what must her younger sister next to her feel like?
"Yoo, yoo, Yooncheol is so cute."
Perhaps because she had been hit so hard, Pyo Ji-hyun couldn't scream loudly.
Instead, she let out a breathless exclamation and fell to the floor.
"Hey, be careful; you'll get hurt. And if you do that, you might end up with spinal surgery that won't last for a thousand and seven hundred dollars."
"I feel like I'm already dead... ."
Ji Yoon-cheol obediently gave his name tag to Heo Yu-bin, who had not yet tasted the taste, and went straight into the cell.
Then he went back to dreamland as if nothing had happened.
[Zzzz… … .]
[Trainee Ji Yoon-cheol, who is just calm even in this commotion]
There aren't many name tags left that require Karis's cell.
While they were wandering around looking for a suitable opponent, they heard someone in Cell 23 and tried to sneak in.
[Come in quickly! Even though I look like this, huh, I'm definitely not tired!]
"Ah, it's Min-ha."
"Who is Min-ha again?"
"There's this trainee who has really good reviews. He's good at rapping and is cutely handsome. Oh, come to think of it, he and Karis seem to have good chemistry."
Pyo Joo-hyun didn't understand what her younger sister meant.
However, the moment the scene of trainee Yoo Min-ha and Kang Si-yoon confronting each other arrived, the questions began to be answered.
[Yoo Min-ha: It was really hard back then. I'm not the type who's good at exercising. But when the Cell 31 trainees came in, I was a little flustered. But I kept telling myself, 'I have to get up somehow! ' and barely held on. Because if I gave up, that moment would be the end!]
[(Trainee Yoo Min-ha who has honed his determination)]
[(But the result was so sad...☆)]
"Is that guy an otaku too?"
"Who knows? If you look into it more, you'll find out, but Karis also said that he taught himself Korean by reading webtoons and novels. That's why his speech is like that. That must be when the two of them first met."
The one-on-one between Yoo Min-ha and Kang Si-yoon ended unilaterally.
Cell 31, who had harvested the remaining name tags, celebrated with a round of applause.
[Q: Have you decided what concept to go with?]
[Kang Si-yoon: Hahaha, well. Honestly, I thought it was okay to do anything. But when I actually had the choice, I had decision paralysis... .]
[Heo Yu-bin: (After thinking deeply) Karis hyung-nim said that I'm good at singing, so I should think about it that way. Hmm, ahem ahem. So, even though it's not perfect, I think I'll try filming with a singing concept!]
[Karis: ... It's simple. I'll show you the real me, just as you saw me. (Laughs) You can look forward to it.]
"So he was planning to push forward with a romance concept from the beginning. Now I understand."
"I'm already watching."
By the time Pyo Joo-hyun started watching Karis von Walden's PR video on YouTube, the entertainment portion was almost over.
The screen once again showed the ranking announcement ceremony set.
The trainees who were watching the name tag removal continued to laugh, but the tension hidden behind the smiles was clearly visible.
[Do you all know the benefits of the first round of [Idol Producing Simulation>? Each member of the team that wins the Rival Battle will receive an additional 5,000 votes. And the top three teams with the most votes will receive one more special benefit. It is the chance to maintain their current team until the second round.]
The first ranking announcement ceremony determines survival and elimination, with small differences.
Since there was no trainee who didn't know this, they all put their hands together and listened to Choi Sia's instructions.
[As a result of the selection, the
"Okay, really, what are they going to do?"
Choi Sia, as if she heard Pyo Ji-hyun's muttering, continued talking without wasting any time.
[On the day of the second round of team selection, the remaining members will be added randomly by drawing lots. In short, no one knows their fate. Then, we will announce the top 50 trainees.]
There wasn't much interest in the trainees who survived by doing chin-ups.
Pyo Joo-hyun took a drink from the kitchen and drank it while waiting for the top numbers to come out quickly.
"What rank do you think Karis will be? You've seen it from the beginning, so you should have a rough idea."
"I'm not a shaman, so how could I guess? Well, at least I think he should be in the top 10? There are benefits, and Karis's fancams have been really popular for the past two weeks."
As Pyo Ji-hyun was giving a tsundere-like answer, a commercial broke in.
[20th-ranked trainee!]
[It's not a mistake, is it?]
[Is this all that came out?]
[(And then the TOP 7 candidates are announced)]
[TOP 7, meaning the right to debut. Who will be the candidate who can make it to the last place? We will reveal the four trainees!]
[Omg.]
[Wow-!]
[No, really? Wow, this is awesome!]
Split screen, a classic survival feature, has appeared.
It was impossible to tell who they were because they were covered with mosaics, but the trainees' reactions were incredibly enthusiastic...
"Wait a minute. I think I just saw something."
"What did you see?"
Pyo Joo-hyun spoke as if possessed by something.
Sure enough, she thought she saw something on the mosaic screen.
She went on social media because she thought she saw something wrong.
—Did anyone just see the mosaic?? No matter how I look at it, wasn't the left end blonde?
└Wow I saw it too
└Even if it's mosaiced, you can still see the color ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's Suja-nim on the far left
└No, I'm not sure because there are many blondes ㅠ I want it to be Suma
└I don't know what the context is because it's a split screen out of nowhere, but it definitely seems like it
As expected, what she captured in the moment was right.
Her sister said the same thing, and she confirmed that there were indeed many people who supported Karis, but it was a series of very surprising situations.
'Are you going to join the debut group from the beginning? '
—