Chapter 85
The ranking dropped compared to last time.
In a way, it's one of those ordinary lines that could come out at a ranking announcement ceremony, but the situation is so different now.
What Choi Sia meant was that the Top 3 structure, which was considered a sanctuary among the trainees, had collapsed.
"That's ridiculous."
"It's surprising that I couldn't even scream."
"No, really? One of those three really got demoted?"
"That means...."
The gazes that had been pouring down fiercely since earlier became even more fierce.
Well, that can't be helped.
Excluding the last survivor, 14th place, the remaining rankings are 1st to 4th.
Having ranked 4th in the second ranking announcement ceremony, it is safe to say that there is absolutely no chance of me dropping below this rank.
"You're saying Karis went up more?"
"The upward trend is crazy, really."
"He finally did it. I'm jealous...."
"But honestly, I was surprised that the ranking didn't go up more."
Every trainee in the studio was thinking the same thing.
Some people might feel burdened by the one-sided attention, but I straightened my back instead.
'Because this is natural.'
It was only natural that he would be admired by everyone.
When I lived as the crown prince, the entire nation was moved and followed my every word and action.
Those numerous experiences naturally infused my blood with passion.
"Who will be the trainee who takes 4th place in the 3rd ranking announcement ceremony? "
As soon as Choi Sia finished speaking, the cameras in front moved in unison.
And on the big screen, the familiar lines were dropped, creating a split screen.
"There's no way Hyung-bin fell? "
"It's almost impossible to go from 1st to 4th place."
"Then.... Is it Yoon-chul? "
"Yoon-chul came in third last time, so I think he might have fallen... ?"
"Personally, definitely not Eun-gyu Hyung."
"I really don't know. My head hurts. Is there anyone among those members who would fall in rank? "
The faces of Song Hyung-bin, Ji Yoon-chul, and Chae Eun-gyu brightly appeared on the screen.
Everyone had already noticed it, but the trainees were quite shaken by the fact that it was made official like this.
Chae Eun-gyu, who continued to smile as if he felt relieved, began to straighten his clothes.
"I'll go up first! Since it's come to this, take your time."
"No announcement has been made yet."
I quickly answered his question.
But Chae Eun-gyu just had an expression on his face that said he already knew what was going to happen.
"I'll announce it. The 4th-place trainee is...."
There was a strange tension in the studio.
A silence came, as if all the trainees had held their breath.
Time passed so slowly that each second felt like a minute.
Choi Sia, who was looking at the camera in front while holding a microphone, finally opened her mouth.
"Trainee Chae Eun-gyu!"
"Yes?"
"Wow, this is crazy."
"Eun-gyu hyung fell?"
"Wow, no, wait a minute."
Exclamations erupted here and there.
Song Hyung-bin, who was watching the screen, was startled, and his eyes grew big like full moons.
Ji Yoon-chul, whose expression barely changed, opened his mouth slightly and stared blankly.
But the person who actually caused the reversal walked out smiling brightly.
"Trainee Chae Eun-gyu, who took on the role of leader and main dancer on stage in the third round. This time as well, he moved the hearts of many national managers with his unchanging leadership and outstanding skills. Let me ask you what you think."
"Um.... Every time I stand here, I think the same thing. I'm so grateful that I can sing and dance on stage like this and meet the national managers. I thought I would never be able to stand on such a big stage again and receive this much love. But thanks to those who voted for me and cheered me on, I was able to stand here again. Once again, I sincerely thank you."
It was a simple but full impression of Chae Eun-gyu's narrative.
I looked at his face and thought to myself, "Wow, that's amazing."
'It's not easy to manage your expressions so thoroughly and maintain your composure. Chae Eun-gyu is putting in a tremendous amount of effort right now.'
Because everyone has their own story and circumstances.
But among them, Chae Eun-gyu literally thought of this as his 'last chance' and took on the challenge of this program.
He must have received a lot of criticism and finger-pointing.
Since he already has debut experience and is relatively old, he was said to not be worthy of the title of 'trainee'.
However, the fact that he was able to work so hard while enduring all those things shows that Cha Eun-gyu is serious about this program.
'And this time, because of Baek Si-hwa, he suffered more than anyone else.'
I gave Chae Eun-gyu a heartfelt round of applause.
"Trainee Chae Eun-gyu also activated fever time and earned a total of 4.78 million votes. Congratulations once again on advancing to the finals."
The gap with 5th place Yoo Min-ha has widened considerably.
The difference was as much as 700,000 votes.
"At this rate, the first-place candidate will easily get over 5 million votes."
"... I wonder if I even got 500,000 votes."
"I'm really jealous."
The trainees, whose elimination was virtually certain, continued to express their envy as they watched the number of votes grow like a snowball.
Once again, we could see how successful this episode of
"Eun-gyu Hyung~."
"Thank you for your hard work, hyung!"
As Chae Eun-gyu rose to 4th place, the survivors around him gathered together.
Although it would have been understandable for him to have been flustered with trainees rushing in from all directions, Chae Eun-gyu hugged each and every one of them before sitting down in his seat.
After the commotion died down, tension, like an electric current, once again filled the air above the studio.
"The next rank is 3rd."
I took a deep breath and sat up straight.
The troika, which was called concrete, is now broken.
Now, the question remains: how far can the pebble penetrate through the concrete?
"This trainee has won a benefit in this third round of competition. And.... The position is, in today's terms, all-around."
It's that time again when she's just throwing out common hints.
All-around, Song Hyung-bin and Ji Yoon-chul are trainees who have been in the top ranks of this survival show for a long time, so they are trainees who excel in all abilities. If they have made it this far, it is hard to find a single area where they are lacking.
The production team is probably expecting that if this ranking announcement ceremony is broadcast live, the current segment will have the highest viewership ratings.
So, they are just looking for ways to somehow stall for time and raise the blood pressure of the national managers.
After another 5 minutes of drying off, the real announcement finally came.
"This is a trainee who has shown truly amazing growth. With his natural visuals and charming character, he has won the great love of the national managers. The third place is.... trainee Karis von Walden!"
It's in third place.
The moment my name was called, a loud cheer filled the entire set.
And among them, there were many familiar voices.
"It's Karis Hyung-niiiiimmm! "
"Good job, Karis! "
"This is the best! It's awesome! "
"Great, great! "
On my way out to the studio, Song Hyung-bin and Ji Yoon-chul also congratulated me.
"Karis, you've worked really hard. Congratulations! "
"...Congratulations."
I nodded in response.
As I stood in front of the podium where Choi Sia was standing, I saw my final vote count displayed at the bottom of the large screen.
[3rd place: Karis von Walden: 5,214,099]
This is truly an incredible record.
I broke the 5 million vote barrier, starting in 3rd place.
There is even a significant difference in votes between me and Chae Eun-gyu, who came in 4th place.
"Trainee Karis. Did you expect that you would be able to make it this far? "
"Any trainee gathered here would naturally want to stand on the final stage. I am just happy that I was able to achieve that wish, and I think I am incredibly lucky. It was not just my strength alone, but also the strength of my teammates and national managers that allowed me to dream of going to the finals."
After briefly answering Choi Sia's questions, I slowly shared my thoughts.
"I never thought I would be able to make my dream of becoming an idol come true when I came to a foreign country. Since I participated in
I paused for a moment and then bowed in greeting.
This time too, I stepped back with one foot as usual, becoming a luxurious nobleman.
"At the last ranking announcement ceremony, I said that I would go higher with the trust that the national managers gave me. I would like to tell you today that I am truly rewarded and happy to be able to repay that trust. And I will not be satisfied with this, and I will always strive to become an idol who maintains a beginner's mind and moves forward. Thank you."
At my sincere words, the trainees paused from cheering for a moment and gave me a gentle applause.
Choi Sia put the microphone to her lips, thinking that my comment would stop here, but I quickly added.
"Oh, and there's something I've been thinking about doing but haven't been able to do."
"Trainee Karis, have you prepared anything separately? "
I smiled faintly at Choi Sia.
And in my field of vision, a system window appeared with a small text.
[The skill, 'Foreign Language Magician' (B) is activated. Your command of the set language, 'Estonian', increases significantly.]
"Tahan tänada kõiki, kes minu poolt hääletasid. (I wanted to say thank you to everyone who voted for me.)"
When I spoke fluent Estonian, everyone let out a short gasp.
"Karis finally speaks his native language! "
"Wow, this is the first time I've heard Estonian in my life."
"How on earth do you pronounce that? "
The last time I was interviewed by the writer, an idea came to mind.
After acquiring foreign language skills, I decided to make myself known to more overseas fans.
So, I drew a card for this 3rd ranking announcement ceremony.
An opportunity to appeal exclusively to overseas fans.
'It was a stroke of genius to obtain this skill by half-threatening the system.'
I concluded my Estonian speech by promising to show more progress in the future.
And then said a short message in English.
"It is always an honor to perform in front of everyone. Thank you for trusting me and giving me your faith. I promise that I will make you proud."
I chose English words to mimic the speech of Karis von Walden as much as possible.
Although it is not as fluent as Estonian, I was able to finish my speech without any major problems thanks to the help of my skills and prior study.
As I went up to third place, Chae Eun-gyu, who was sitting next to me, smiled brightly again.
"I told you to come up late."
"I'll try harder next time."
"Are you saying you'll be in first place in the finals? "
Next, the announcement of 1st and 2nd place followed.
No abnormalities occurred.
Song Hyung-bin still held onto the top spot, and Ji Yoon-chul bounced back to take second place.
But here too, some pretty impressive indicators emerged.
"Wait a minute. How many votes did Karis get? "
"Wasn't it around 5.21 million? "
"There's only a 20,000-vote difference between Yoon-chul and him. Wow, it really was a one-point difference."
"Hyung-bin Hyung wasn't completely superior either. He had 5.28 million...."
At the time of the second ranking announcement, the gap between the top-tier trainees was incredibly narrow.
Today, the gap has narrowed even further.
Now the gap between me and Ji Yoon-chul is only about 20,000 votes.
Even compared to Song Hyung-bin, who is in first place, the difference is only 70,000 votes.
As time went by, that sparkling throne of number one seemed closer and closer to reach.
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