Chapter 57
"Thank you for your hard work! "
"Oh, my whole body aches."
"I think I can sleep like a mouse for 10 hours today."
After the sports day filming was over, the trainees each moved to their cells.
I also returned to the dormitory building with my roommates.
"Ah, it's such a shame about protecting the princess. Since we were already winning, I wanted to win until the end."
"... I was so excited."
"No, you did well enough."
Song Hyeong-bin smiled faintly before entering his cell.
"Well, you're back to the Karis I knew."
"Yes?"
"Karis, who was burning with competitive spirit, was also fun, but I like this look better."
After saying those words, he waved his hand and closed the cell door.
The moment I entered cell 12 and lay down on the bed.
All the outrageous things I had said throughout the day came back to me vividly.
'It's too dangerous.'
This almost made me want to kick the blanket.
I know that when an abnormal status occurs, I cannot do what I want with my words and actions.
In short, it is an unavoidable situation.
But the fact that it was all captured on camera started to cause me great anxiety.
'So far, Karis von Walden has been building up a character that is both an otaku and a sincere concept, so it can be covered up to some extent. But....'
Karis is sincere enough to melt into the concept that he longs for and likes.
Additionally, it can be edited to appeal to a strong competitive spirit and show a passionate personality.
However, no matter how good the reactions of the trainees around may be, there is no guarantee that other people's opinions will all be the same.
I clenched and unclenched my fist as I recalled my memories.
Even in previous episodes, fights between individual fans occurred frequently.
Because it is a survival show, a competition where life and death are at stake, there is a strong tendency to try to cling on to the trainees who are doing well.
'... No matter how positively I try to think about it, if today's episode airs, it will be the perfect card to use against those who are trying to keep me in check.'
I'll have to wait and see when it airs, but my mind is still filled with dark clouds.
I worry that everything I've worked so hard to build could collapse due to an abnormal condition.
But this feeling did not last long.
[The trait 'The One Who Subdued the Demon King' is activated. Your judgment and cool-headedness increase dramatically.]
The dark clouds cleared, and the cold air cleared my mind once again.
'If I think about it objectively, the chances of the production team, who have already edited in a friendly manner towards me, changing their minds are extremely low.'
It's rare for a trainee who was on a roll to fall into the abyss due to a sudden change in editing.
Even if it exists, it is something that has really bothered the production staff.
This is what happens when something happens that even the fans who support the trainee can't cover up.
Today's event is a sports day where everyone is burning with passion.
This also happened during a short event that took place before the ranking announcement ceremony.
"Ugh, I feel like my whole body is going to break apart."
"I also used up all my energy for today."
"Go to sleep...."
Heo Yu-bin and Ken Hashimoto stumbled and opened the door to Cell 12.
Even though their expressions were clearly strained, the two were holding snacks in both hands.
"Karis hyung-nim! How about enjoying a small snack party today? "
"Meat is good, but I also like cookie parties! Oh, and."
Ken Hashimoto rummaged through his carrier and took something out.
A sea of chocolates with impressive, luxurious packaging.
"I brought more while on vacation. I thought of you because you seemed to enjoy it, Karis nim. Hehe. You must have had a hard time today, so eat some chocolate and cheer up!"
I looked down at the chocolate quietly.
It's the exact same brand of chocolate that was given to me when we were on the same team during the first competition.
It feels like it hasn't been long, but it's already been a while.
"...thanks."
"You were amazing today, Karis nim! You looked like a prince on a white horse."
"Hahaha, where on earth do you get such expressions? "
"The Internet is a fun place!"
There are even guys who say that it's cool to see the crown prince's ego run wild.
It felt really stupid, but at the same time, it didn't feel bad.
I cut the chocolate exactly in half.
"You gave it to me last time, and you didn't get to eat it, so let's share it this time."
"You, you can eat it all by yourself―!"
"Ex.cuse. me, hyung-nim? Are you saying I don't even have a mouth?"
Heo Yu-bin made a very angry expression while hitting my leg hard.
I shrugged and pointed to the three bags of peanuts already on his bed.
"It's okay; Yubin's stomach is already full of peanuts."
"Hey, peanuts and chocolate are totally different! "
"Chocolate probably isn't on your radar. How sad it was, Ken."
"No, hyung-nim? Can't you hear what I'm saying-?"
"Come on, let's eat."
"Hyung-nim!"
* * *
A very important day has come for Homma.
Today, episode 7 of
This is the day that Karis's narrative that appeared in episode 6 is completed, and it is the day that proves what a great stage it was.
'Honestly, I'm not that nervous. I saw it with my own eyes.'
Homma, who watched the second round in person, knows very well how crazy Karis' presence was.
The preview she uploaded also received a huge response.
There were also comments in the spoiler-related quotes saying that they were looking forward to the live broadcast.
But the most important problem was separate.
―But honestly, I feel pissed that ㅅㅁ [Suma] went to Hyeong-kong....
└What is ㅅㅁ??
└ㅋㄹㅅ Seobang [Karis search + prevention name]
└ㄱㄴㄲ I can see that he's using his head ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Since he's Jeong Byeong Jon, he must have gone to number 1 to ask for his share
[ㄱㄴㄲ is short for 그러니까
[정병존
└I think I would do that too if it were me... but he failed because it seemed like he was aiming too hard.
└Have you seen the expression change completely as soon as he was confirmed to be in the same group as Kong ging [baby]?? I feel uneasy now
The fact that Karis and Song Hyeong-bin were teamed up was revealed in episode 6.
Since then, Song Hyeong-bin's core fans have intermittently expressed opinions such as "Karis did it on purpose" and "He's trying to be a parasite to the number one."
Of course, this was absolutely ridiculous.
'No, from the beginning, there were only three songs in the 2010s. He chose the one that best suited him, so why did it have to be criticized like this?'
Homma was so incomprehensible.
Of course, Karis' fans, including her and some of the other trainee fans who were watching this fight with interest, refuted this with objective opinions.
―Do any of the fans think that everything on this planet revolves around 'him'? It looks like he chose Labyrinth after looking at other songs and thinking, 'Ah, this is the best.'
└That's what I'm saying ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ In a weird place, the seizure button is pressed, and they involved him
[발작버튼
└Don't you know that being so controlling is really ugly.... But I guess it means that you bastards are nervous lol
―1. There were only three songs to begin with. 2. One side was already occupied by Yoon Fe, so there was one spot left. 3. So Suja-nim chose a song that suited his taste, and Hyeong nen was there.
[야민정음
넨
If you summarize it like that, isn't this it?
└ㅇㅇ Isn't this right? But now Kongrangdan members are acting unusually
[Kong = nickname of Hyeong-bin
Rang dan = fan circle / name]
└What's so special about it? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Do you think I won't be able to see it if you say it using Seobang? If you want to say something like that, just put it on Twitter Protect and say it ㅋㅋ That's so rude
[플텍
―The Kongrangdans just want to maintain their #1 spot, so they're just trying to belittle and restrain other trainees with their ignorance... Wouldn't it have been the same if another person besides Suma had chosen it? There's nothing we can do about it, but if these bastards curse like that, it'll only hurt their image
└And honestly, Hyeong kong is in 1st place so overwhelmingly that he won't lose it unless there's a controversy. But he's still getting criticized because they are making a fuss
└ㅇㅇ If you go to Hyeong kong's team, you'll get attention, but there's a greater risk of losing the leader and center, so there's no merit in that.
Thanks to this, the articles disparaging Karis have quieted down a bit, but there is still a sense of uneasiness.
Homma sat up straight and waited earnestly for Episode 7 to begin.
'Which number will it come out?'
The groups that received a hot response on the scene were all pushed back to episode 7.
In particular, the Avengers were also postponed.
She was really curious as to whether they would come out first or later.
After a few other teams passed by,.
At a point when more than half of the 7th episode had already aired, a magnificent BGM began to play.
[Hey, look over there.]
[Hehe. Isn't the ranking too high?]
[(Dejected laugh) What did we do to have the Avengers team appear already?]
Following Chae Eun-gyu, Baek Si-hwa, and even Yoo Min-ha being grouped together, scenes of the surrounding trainees gossiping were inserted in large numbers.
Homma was very surprised that they appeared first.
'They're not sending this out at the end?'
Then, it will automatically become the last one.
First of all, she watched it with great concentration because there were many trainees in this group that she had to keep an eye on.
[Chae Eun-gyu: Wow, our team is so good.]
[Yoo Min-ha: I'm really looking forward to this stage! I'm already excited!]
[Baek Si-hwa: (smiling and nodding)]
The atmosphere during the practice session was as expected.
The distribution of parts went smoothly, centered around certified leader Cha Eun-gyu.
The training process also seemed to proceed without a hitch through meetings between the trainees.
At first glance, that is.
[Baek Si-hwa: Here (the rap part), hyung.]
[Chae Eun-gyu: Do you want to change something?]
[Baek Si-hwa: I don't think it will be a huge problem, but if we add all the parts that Min-ha added, it will be difficult to see the picture before the dance break.]
[Chae Eun-gyu: (calling Yoo Min-ha) Min-ha, how many seconds are there in total?]
Baek Si-hwa's opinions had some rationality.
The process of making suggestions also avoided causing trouble, as he first sought advice from the leader, Cha Eun-gyu.
However, several similar scenes were captured in Homma's eyes.
[Baek Si-hwa: Min-ha, wait a minute. You shouldn't come out too far here.]
[Yoo Min-ha: Was the route a little off?]
[Baek Si-hwa: The movement is right, but if you take too big a pose, it feels like the balance between the two sides is off. When viewed from behind.]
She doesn't know if it's because they know each other, but she always felt like Baek Si-hwa was keeping a close eye on Yoo Min-ha.
Even minor discrepancies in detail were immediately noted.
Of course, there were many other opinions, but most of them were related to Yoo Min-ha.
'Is it just my imagination that he's keeping him in check? I see it often enough to say it's just my imagination.'
Homma was deep in thought, chewing on a potato chip.
Of course, it could be that Homma herself is overthinking things.
They successfully completed the midterm evaluation and showed a near-perfect performance on the actual stage.
But for some reason, a feeling of unease remained.
'Think about that later. Now comes the real big thing!'
Homma put down the snack she was eating and leaned forward.
[They're going to decorate the stage with the hit song from 2010.
The moment when the trainees come up on stage after hearing Choi Sia's introduction.
The screen went black, and an interview scene appeared.
[Song Hyeong-bin: ... To be honest, I would be lying if I said I wasn't very worried.]
There was some ominous music playing.
Song Hyeong-bin, who was being interviewed, slightly shook his head and lowered his eyes.
And Homma's mouth, who was watching this, also fell down.
'Why am I suddenly feeling so anxious?'
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