Chapter 41
"The sweet rest is now over."
"I'm already shaking."
"Oh, I should have slept more."
"What is this curtain? "
The day after the first ranking announcement ceremony.
As expected, the next filming of
The first thing we see when we enter the auditorium is a black curtain.
Judging by the fact that half of the auditorium is covered, it is clear that some kind of device has been installed behind it.
The trainees, who sensed that the next round would begin soon, could not hide their nervousness.
"Hyun, hyung nim! I'm so scared! "
"It's already the second round, and you're still scared, Yubin."
"What if I end up being separated from you, hyung nim? I'm sure that when the next round starts, all the cells will change! What should I do, hyung nim? What should I do? "
Heo Yu-bin, who just grabbed my arm like a koala, was a representative example.
As I watched him look around with an expression on his face like he was about to cry at any moment, I suddenly remembered the old days.
In the Grand Quest Saga, Crown Prince Karis von Walden was looking after his two younger siblings.
As the story progresses, the youngest brother is destined to die due to the Demon King's army's infiltration operation.
Even though I, an outsider, possessed him, he lost his life at the young age of 8.
Due to repeated battles, strategies, and factional fighting, the youngest brother's story naturally faded away.
Just like when I played basketball in the Han River, this time too, memories of
Yeah, that strange feeling I had from the first time I saw Heo Yu-bin.
His cautious personality and the way he followed me around like a piece of gum were just like the Third Prince, Ray von Walden.
'I'm sure Ray would have felt relieved if I had said that.'
I patted Heo Yu-bin on the back and recalled the memories that had become clearer.
"Fate is not something that can be easily broken. No matter how anxious you are right now, God is always watching over you. If there is a destiny that you earnestly desire, it will definitely come true. And don't worry, I will be by your side."
"Karis hyung-nim... !"
"If all this sounds like a pipe dream, let me tell you one more thing. We are currently ranked higher than average. Also, doesn't it feel like the new round starts the day after the rankings announcement? "
"We are telling you not to be too nervous, Yubin, because it's obvious that we're going to do something based on the rankings."
Kang Si-yoon approached me silently from behind and winked.
"I answered for you. Is that okay, Professor? "
"Why are you suddenly talking about professors?"
"Because your soothing tone when you were talking to Yubin was like that of a philosophy professor."
As expected, he's a guy with a good sense of humor.
I coughed, thinking back to my old teacher, who had taught me philosophy and anthropology in the Grand Quest Saga.
"Ahem. Anyway, as Siyoon said, the higher the ranking, the more advantageous the situation can be."
"I need hyungs, after all! "
"It hurts. Yubin, please relax your grip a little bit―"
"I don't want to fall! "
After confirming that all the trainees had gathered inside the auditorium, the staff pulled the black curtain.
Then, a huge structure that had been hidden behind came into view.
"There are panels attached? I can see some numbers."
Kang Si-yoon squinted his eyes and lifted his chin.
I also looked at the panels attached to the front of the structure.
1990, 2000, 2010, 2020.
Under the four panels with numbers written on them was a single doorway through which a person could enter.
'The format never changes.'
Changes in the number of participants.
Changes in the rankings at the first ranking announcement ceremony.
Changes in the results of the first round.
Compared to when I first appeared on
But if there's one thing that never changes, it's the program's pace and format.
I felt this way during the first round, but it became even more evident today.
"Hello, trainees. Have you been resting well?"
Choi Sia, dressed in semi-formal attire as usual, walked toward the front of the auditorium.
The trainees shouted, "Yes! "in an energetic tone, but their eyes were all turned towards the structure.
"
After the gentle applause ended, Choi Sia picked up the microphone again with a meaningful expression.
"I will now convey the next mission to the trainees heading to the second ranking announcement ceremony. Everyone, do you see something big ahead of you? "
"I see a wall! "
"I can also see the numbers with the year written on them! "
"Yes, there is a huge structure with the year written on it. So, what do these years and structures mean?"
I wanted to raise my hand and say the answer, but I barely held back the urge.
"The theme of the second round is
As Choi Sia gestured, a staff member walked over while pushing a machine.
The
"If you come out in order and touch this screen, a year will be randomly assigned. Then, when you enter the door of the assigned year, you must look at the mission songs belonging to that year and choose a song. However, the number of mission songs by year and the number of people assigned to each song may vary. If a certain song is already full, that song will automatically close."
"Wait for a sec."
"Then isn't the order in which we start so important? "
"But even if you go first, you can't choose the year you want."
"But still, there might be a song you know among the songs from that year...."
The moment Choi Sia's announcement was made, the trainees had a chaotic discussion.
Years are assigned randomly, regardless of the starting order.
You don't know what songs are available in the assigned year or what the maximum number of people for each song is.
Even if there is a song you want, you won't be able to choose it if the seats are full.
I looked around and smiled faintly.
'It's all a battle of probabilities, so everyone is bound to be shaken mentally.'
Choi Sia waited until the trainees' voices died down a little.
"The starting order is simple. The year assignments will begin with the trainees with the highest rankings in the last ranking ceremony. The group that received the special benefit in the last round, please come forward."
Five people, including Ji Yoon-cheol, stood in front of the touch screen.
"The five trainees will be teamed together in the second round due to a special benefit. Trainee Lee Joo-han, the leader of the team, will press the screen, and all of them will be automatically assigned to the year that appears."
I turned my gaze towards Ji Yoon-cheol, who was silently staring at the screen at the very end.
'... Rather, I'm glad that Ji Yoon-cheol received special benefits. Of course, there are many advantages to being on the same team as that guy, but for me now, it's easy to get eaten up.'
Until I can borrow more power from the system, I have no choice but to wait for the third or final round.
"Then, now we will officially begin the second round,
Song Hyeong-bin smiled slightly awkwardly as he received the attention of 50 people.
I watched him closely as he touched the screen.
'As expected, the angle was turned so that it couldn't be seen by us standing behind.'
The production team's intention is not to even give spoilers about which trainee was assigned to which year.
Any more unnecessary actions will only waste energy.
But unlike me, there was a trainee right next to me who was still showing his passion.
"Karis nim! Karis nim!"
Yoo Minha, who had slightly curled his bangs, called my name energetically.
"What do you think will happen? Which year looks the best? "
"To be honest, I'm not that familiar with 1990s pop music."
"Even if Karis-nim studied K-pop a lot, it would have been difficult to get to the old songs. In fact, I was worried about what I would do if I got stuck in the 1990s, but I thought that since there were a lot of fun and interesting songs, I just had to not give up—!"
This time, Yoo Minha used his signature rapid-fire rap but was cut off by Ken Hashimoto, who appeared from the other side.
"Ka, Karis nim! I wish we could be on the same team! "
"I have no choice but to leave it to luck."
"I'll go with Karis hyung-nim...!"
Huh?
I turned my head at the sound of Heo Yu-bin's voice that came out of nowhere.
Heo Yu-bin, who was still holding my arm tightly, was staring at Ken Hashimoto with burning eyes.
As if seeing a potential rival.
But Ken Hashimoto, who was always cheerful, nodded with a bright smile.
"It would be even better if I were on the same team as Yubin! Because we're good friends. I'm happy because we're friends!"
"That, that's not what I meant."
When the expected reaction did not come back, Heo Yu-bin's awakening mode was slowly released.
I need to get things sorted out before his usual default state comes, and be anxious all over.
"I think I would be very happy if I could work with my previous teammates again."
"You can't leave me out, Karis nim! This time, I definitely want to be on the same team! "
"... Yes. If Min-ha comes, it will be great."
"Hey, so this is why the life of a popular guy is hard."
Even Kang Si-yoon, who had been silent for a while, looked at me playfully and whistled.
"Now that I look at it, I feel like I'm being abandoned? It's sad, Karis. It's like we're just talking for the first time."
"I never said I would abandon you―"
"That's why they say younger brothers are scary."
When Kang Si-yoon deliberately blinked his eyes a few times to tease me, the instinct of the crown prince hidden inside me stirred.
I gritted my teeth and smiled.
"That's right, Siyoon. There are many people who are looking for me even without you, so keep saying that. If you throw me away, that's the end of it."
"Huh, huh?"
"Think carefully about who will be harmed."
"Ah, really. This deal was a total failure."
As this kind of contextless conversation went on and on, it was Yoo Min-ha's turn.
"I'll be back soon! Good luck to you all!"
Now it's my turn.
I tried to think of as many possible scenarios as I could while recalling the mission songs from the last episode.
The concept that can be most effective with this body at present.
The number of people performing together.
Even the trainees who will board the ship of destiny together.
"8th place, trainee Karis von Walden. Please step forward."
I stood slowly in front of the machine.
When I pressed the screen, a year was created after about 5 seconds.
[Year 2010]
'The year is very good.'
First of all, the 1990s, which I most wanted to avoid, have passed.
It's not a bad start, considering that many of the songs that had a big impact on K-pop history span the years.
"...."
As I passed through the door and entered the room containing the 2010 mission songs, a completely unexpected situation unfolded before my eyes.
I was silent for a moment.
'Okay, what should we do from here? '
—