Chapter 40 - 40

Chapter 40

[The 48th-ranked trainee was on the Red Team in this Rival Battle round.]

Pyo Joo-hyun watched the ranking announcement ceremony with only a weak reaction.

Since she hadn't even watched the original broadcast of , she didn't really know who was who.

So she kept updating her timeline while watching her sister's reactions.

"At this rate, it'll take over an hour to get to 30th place."

"Don't you have anyone you root for? "

"I told you, it's just Ji Yoon-cheol. He'll definitely come out high."

It seems like she doesn't really care if the trainees whose rankings are announced are on the same team as her favorites.

As soon as one trainee's survival was confirmed, the camera turned to Ji Yoon-cheol, which helped Pyo Ji-hyun regain her energy.

"Oh, he's really handsome. Unni, can you believe he's 17? Should I show you his old graduation photo? His face looks exactly the same."

"People are already posting a lot of stuff like that. But even if it's an old graduation photo, if he is 17, isn't that 4 years ago?"

As she turned her gaze to the screen, enduring her sister's fierce gaze, Ji Yoon-cheol's expression, which had been shown so far, was almost unchanged.

However, as one or two survivors went up to the survivors' seats and shared their tearful thoughts, his eyes seemed to subtly turn red.

Fans who couldn't help but catch this immediately uploaded numerous screenshots and cried.

―Yoon Ging finally starts to get agitated ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

―(Photo) #Ji Yoon-cheol Real-time emotional changes…. (Emoticon)

└No matter how much of a poker face he has, a baby is still a baby… When he saw his hyungs crying, he reacted right away

―If Yoon-cheol debuts, he wouldn't cry out loud but rather hold back tears and shed tears alone.

└Ah, crazy! I imagined this, and my heart is pounding like crazy!!!!!ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

└I wondering about crying... I'm sorry for being this kind of older sister

└When is the finale coming? I want to see it soon.

Pyo Joo-hyun wondered if they would show him if Karis's teammates survived.

But unfortunately, the red team wasn't called until they broke through the top 30.

After a long wait, Karis appeared briefly at the moment when trainee Oh Tae-young confirmed his survival by ranking 28th.

[Choi Sia: Trainee Oh Tae-young, ranked 28th. There are still other team members below you, but is there anything you want to say? ]

[Oh Tae-young: I think I survived because of my friends and hyungs who have supported me from behind when I was lacking. I will be waiting.]

When Oh Tae-young bowed, the Red Team members all stood up and gave him enthusiastic applause.

Karis von Walden, sitting in the middle, nodded his head several times with a pleased expression.

That appearance really reminded her of a dignified crown prince.

"Isn't that really CG? "

"You like him that much? I didn't know you would become a fan so quickly."

"I didn't think much of it when you said, 'I'm sure you'll like it, unni,' but I fell for Karis the moment I saw him."

As the rankings were revealed one by one, the trainees expressed their anxiety to each other as they looked at the clearly decreasing number of empty seats.

[Should we still have our seats?]

[The ranking has gotten too high now....]

[There are still people sitting there who will definitely survive.... Ha, now I have to be called no matter what.]

[I'm sure and will be called.]

In particular, members of the blue team, which was expected to take high rankings, and the red team were still off stage.

Since they received an additional 5,000 votes, everyone thought they would all be in the top 20 at least.

[This is the 20th ranked trainee. This trainee took all the winner benefits and top 3 team benefits in this first round. And.... He was from the red team, not the blue team.]

[uh?]

[Isn't this the team?]

[The team members will already be called?]

One name came up in a slightly unexpected section.

[Congratulations, the trainee who has secured survival in 20th place is none other than trainee Heo Yubin!]

[They didn't call it wrong, did they?]

[I thought it would come out higher.]

[I feel sorry for Yubin.]

"Wow, I thought it would go higher."

Whatever she said—that she doesn't want to get up—Pyo Ji-hyun was already in the kitchen, bringing ice cream.

"I see that name a lot."

"He was his roommate and had been with him since the beginning. They were even on the same team. My friends liked Heo Yu-bin because he sang well, but he placed 20th, which was a little lower than I expected."

Although the onlookers might have commented that it was disappointing, Heo Yu-bin himself was very happy.

The moment his name was called, his eyes grew as wide as a full moon.

Only after numerous hands shook him from both sides did he seem to truly realize that he was alive.

He was so nervous that he almost fell forward when he tried to get up from his seat.

[Careful, careful.]

"Omg."

[congratulations!]

[Ha, haha! Thank you! Thank you!]

After that, a very cute Japanese trainee received a warm welcome.

Ken Hashimoto, who was sitting on the edge of the red team, moved around, shaking hands with each of his team members.

[Karis nim! Come up! I'm waiting!]

[Congratulations, I will follow you soon, so don't worry too much.]

He even went up to hug Karis von Walden.

"... It's explosively popular."

"No, you crazy KNet guys, hurry up and release the behind-the-scenes video. What on earth did Karis do to make all the kids react like that? I'm so curious, I'm going crazy."

The same goes for Heo Yu-bin and Ken Hashimoto.

It was clear that both of them felt a great affinity for Karis von Walden.

'He seems to have an aura that no one can easily approach. Is his actual personality completely different from that? '

Today was the first time that Pyo Joo-hyun encountered the existence of Karis, but as each minute and each second passed, her curiosity grew.

Trainees who had been assigned to top teams began to be called one by one.

Before they knew it, only the last 10 places were left for the first ranking announcement ceremony.

"Will the trailer scene be released soon?"

"It seems like it'll come out soon. I'm really curious about Karis' ranking. Whether he can get into the top 7 or not."

Pyo Joo-hyun sat up straight.

"Honestly, I thought Karis had a shot at making it into the Top 5, but I feel like he was pushed to the Top 7 because the kids above him had solid core fandoms before they even came out here."

"They were famous before they even came out? "

"Yeah. Song Hyeong-bin and Park Se-han were so popular that they even created SNS accounts for trainees at Awake. Chae Eun-gyu had already debuted, so it seems like a lot of his existing fans followed him. I heard that when Yoon-chul joined the company, people were crazy about his physique."

Pyo Joo-hyun nodded.

"Maybe because he is a foreigner, the domestic voting rate is a bit behind? "

"It might be a little bit lower than overseas, but I think it's only a matter of time before this is reversed."

"I want to see him rise to number one quickly."

It feels like this is real now.

Karis' ranking is important, and they also need to see who his opponents will be in a tight ranking competition going forward.

'I didn't intend to get this immersed.'

[1st Ranking Announcement Ceremony, There are a total of 11 survivor seats remaining. Before announcing the final survivor, 51st place, we will reveal which trainees are currently closest to their dream of debuting. Now, let's check out the trainees who will have the honor of making it to the TOP 7!]

At Choi Sia's shout, four lines were drawn on a large electronic scoreboard.

On the screen, divided into four sections, the logo was slowly rotating.

"Oh, I'm even more nervous watching it. Can't they hurry up and announce it instead of making the kids bleed every time?"

Pyo Ji-hyun blew out her breath while pressing the bottom of the soda-flavored ice cream.

[Please reveal the TOP 7 candidates!]

The camera started coming in from the left.

Pyo Joo-hyun, who had a premonition of what kind of scene would unfold, nodded the moment she saw Karis' blonde hair.

"Even if they mosaic the hair, we can still see the blonde hair."

Along with Karis, his roommate and fellow team member, Kang Si-yoon, and Yoo Min-ha were also included.

Kang Si-yoon and Karis, sitting right next to each other, gave each other awkward smiles and fist bumps.

[Four trainees, please come up on stage.]

"It's not like they're announcing 1st and 2nd place, and if they do that with 7th place, I can guess what they'll do later. The kids' legs must be really sore. I wonder how much time they're trying to waste here."

Although Pyo Joo-hyun had hardly ever seen this type of survival show, she thought she knew why her younger sister was so angry.

The ranking announcement ceremony already took a long time, so it'll be even more boring if you put the candidates in line like this.

Fortunately, the announcement was made quickly.

[The 10th-place trainee is.... trainee Kang Si-yoon!]

Kang Si-yoon, whose name was called first, showed no sign of regret.

Rather, he hugged Karis and the other trainees with a very carefree expression.

[I didn't know I would receive such a high ranking from the beginning. I think it's all the result of the efforts of the national managers, and I promise to show you that I will continue to grow in the future. I will do my best! ]

Kang Si-yoon, who briefly shared his thoughts, moved to his seat while receiving congratulations from various trainees.

Then, as the 9th-place spot was taken by another trainee, expectations of Pyo Joo Hyun rose even higher.

'At this rate, will he really be able to join the debut group from the start? '

[Next is the 8th-place trainee. Ah, this trainee was really a hot potato. With his gorgeous visuals and physique that were beyond compare, he monopolized the love of the nation's managers in an instant.]

But as soon as she heard Choi Sia's comment, she realized who the 8th place winner was.

[Congratulations, trainee Karis von Walden!]

"ah."

"Wow, it went up to 8th place this time. I think it'll go up even more next week."

"I feel like my expectations naturally grew higher as I listened to what you had to say. It's a shame."

"But honestly, Karis has only one way to go. Don't worry too much."

Karis von Walden smiled faintly as he took over the microphone.

The words that came out of his mouth slowly were laid out in a heavy, low tone.

[It wasn't easy to get to this point. There were things to overcome and things to prepare for. I did my best to show a better side of myself. I'm so happy that my efforts have reached the national managers, even if just a little.]

Karis bowed, stepping back with his right foot.

Although it looks a bit odd, it creates an elegant movement.

'Isn't this just a concept? Or is he really some nobleman or something straight out of an animation?'

[It goes without saying that I will show you my growth in the future. I will work hard every moment to become a talent that fits the principles of , not just simple growth. I will make sure that the national managers who voted for me will never regret it. I am ready and confident to do so. Thank you.]

These lines had a completely different vibe from the general sentiment.

It felt more like a pledge and a promise than a thank-you to those who voted.

The weighty words had a strange persuasive power.

"That's what I always feel when I see him, unni."

"Huh?"

"If another person said something that would be extremely unlucky, would it seem plausible if Karis said it? It's the same now."

Pyo Joo-hyun nodded to her younger sister's words.

Somehow, everything he said felt like it had well-founded confidence.

7th place naturally went to Yoo Min-ha.

Park Se-han, who was on the same team as Karis, took 5th place, and 4th place went to a trainee named Baek Si-hwa.

And the announcement of TOP 3, which was expected to take a long time, ended unexpectedly blandly.

Cha Eun-gyu, who had previously debuted, came in third.

Her younger sister's favorite, Ji Yoon-cheol, came in second place.

And Song Hyeong-bin, who comes up with an incredible number of articles with just a little bit of searching, took first place.

[We will now announce the final 51st trainee.]

In fact, all of the main trainees survived, so there wasn't much tension.

After watching one lucky trainee survive with a chin-up, Pyo Joo-hyun started clearing the table.

"It was fun after a long time."

"I knew you'd like it. Let's meet again next week."

"I'll have to take a closer look to see if there's anyone who's a good match."

"I really like that attitude. If you start using your account again, you'll become a RT star."

"Stop talking nonsense and put the dishes away."

She was secretly looking forward to it.

It remains to be seen what Karis von Walden will show in the second round.

Meanwhile, at that time,.

"...."

"It's a bit messy over there."

A cold wind was blowing on the set of .

—