Chapter 90
"I... will go here."
Song Hyung-bin's firm tone was heard.
When he grabbed Ji Yoon-chul's shoulders with both hands, there was silence for a moment.
Everyone would have had the same expression on their face.
Staring blankly with your mouth open or with your eyes wide open like a full moon.
Soon, my brain realized that Song Hyung-bin had pushed Ji Yoon-chul away.
"Wow!"
"Wow, wait a minute! "
"Omg."
"Wow, this is really shocking."
Shouts of horror erupted from all directions.
It was already decided that someone would be pushed out.
It doesn't make sense for Song Hyung-bin, the top predator and number one, to volunteer to take the empty spot.
However, it was truly shocking and terrifying that the trainee who was pushed out was Ji Yoon-chul, who was in second place and had been the trainee right before Song Hyung-bin.
"...."
The parties involved in the incident were instead maintaining silence.
He followed Song Hyung-bin with heavy steps to the remaining position of sub-vocal 2.
My teammates just looked at the two trainees with astonishment.
The set rules for the final round.
If you push out a trainee in the position you want, you must assign him to one of the empty positions.
What this means is that if you get pushed out when there is only one seat left, you have to go there no matter what.
"...Sorry."
"...It's okay."
It was a really short conversation, and then it ended.
Song Hyung-bin patted Ji Yoon-chul on the shoulder again and then went to the center position and stood tall.
The other trainees were still reeling from the shock.
"I feel like I'm watching a horror movie."
"Yoon-chul was in second place. Wow, I never imagined that second place would be pushed out."
"And the last remaining spot just so happens to be the song on the other side. Not only did he lose his position, but he ended up playing the opposite song from what he wanted...."
"Hey, I told you, right? That's why the center is the most dangerous."
"I'm glad I didn't pick center, really."
The position of the center is so sweet.
You can get a solid amount of coverage and focus the attention of the national managers.
But sweet fruit comes with risks.
'All the seats in the center were empty because of the pressure of the final and the thought of making a choice very carefully.'
Anyway, if your rank is low, you will inevitably be pushed out by trainees who are higher than you.
And the top-tier trainees are those who already have experience as a center or are optimized for the center role.
There is no way they wouldn't choose the center.
The other guys knew this fact in their hearts and avoided the center as much as possible.
To somehow avoid the same ending as Ji Yoon-chul.
Even if it is a part with a relatively short amount of content, it is to protect the song that they want.
'Of course, I don't know if all the trainees would have succeeded in that operation.'
I need to hear the full story to know.
If there was a common idea of avoiding the center, there would have definitely been a position where the lower-ranking trainees clashed with each other.
If that were the case, it means that they may have been pushed out even though they chose a position with less risk.
In the end, the fierce and bloody battle of wits ended up being the stimulating development the production team wanted.
"
"Thank you for your hard work! "
"Thank you!"
The official filming in the auditorium has ended.
After the regrouping time, the trainees must now move to the practice rooms assigned to each group and immediately begin repetitive practice.
The moment the slate was struck, a guidance window appeared in my field of vision.
[You have met the Emergent Mission clear conditions.]
Successfully captured the center.
As soon as the abnormal status was lifted, the tension that had been flowing through my body like an electric current disappeared.
I turned my neck around and reflected on what I had felt earlier.
'Obviously, when the abnormal status occurred, my body would feel a burning sensation due to the Crown Prince's enthusiastic ego. Also, because of his unique arrogance, the original personality would come out without any control. But in a situation like today, I was strangely able to maintain my usual tone.'
Earlier, when I spoke to Chae Eun-gyu and Song Hyung-bin naturally and politely, I had a strange feeling.
Clearly, during the sports day, I spoke to Chae Eun-gyu with a tone full of arrogance.
After comparing the two situations, I have come to a conclusion.
'The Crown Prince was originally set to have a crazy personality in battle, but also an extraordinary brain. Therefore, in moments like today when I need to use my brain to the fullest, it is safe to say that I have a cold and rational personality rather than a crazy side.'
Ultimately, this status abnormality also has different influences depending on the situation I am in.
If I continue to use my body and an abnormal status appears, I will become engulfed in heat and become unable to control my fanatic side.
In situations where I use my head in reverse, I feel like my cool and collected judgment and composure are on the rise.
For me, who always has to be prepared for situations like this, this is a very useful piece of information.
'That's fortunate. It means that I can maintain my original composure to some extent, as long as I don't overexert myself.'
Meanwhile, the trainees who had been confirmed to be on the same team as me came running and started to relieve their stress.
"Karis Hyung-nim! I really had a hard time."
"Why are you doing that? "
First, Heo Yu-bin grabbed my arm and groaned loudly.
"No, I just went up the stairs, and Daehyun Hyung was in the main vocal position. That's why I had a total mental breakdown...."
"Daehyun originally chose that."
"Yeess. I thought that I would never be able to dance, even if I died. No, actually, I wasn't confident. I thought that I would be better at wave dancing than shuffle step dancing, so I thought that I had to go there no matter what! But then I had to push Daehyun Hyung away to get there, and wow. It was crazy! "
"Isn't that why you pushed him away so mercilessly? "
"I couldn't help it.... The only good thing was that the other main vocal position was empty, so Daehyun Hyung smiled and asked me to send him to the main vocal position."
It's a shame that the song was changed, but Kwon Dae-hyun is lucky that he was able to maintain his position.
Yoo Minha, who held my other arm, told me a rather interesting fact.
"Hyung-nim, you know what? Sihwa chose it at first, but then I came here."
"He got pushed out."
"But it wasn't just that he was pushed out once; he was pushed out repeatedly."
Baek Si-hwa was pushed back several times to get here.
Of course, there is no way that Baek Si-hwa would have chosen a less noticeable and ambiguous position like sub-vocal 3.
Was this the reason why he felt a little mentally unstable when I first saw him?
"Ken told me earlier that he originally wanted to be the main dancer, but he was pushed to be the main rapper. Then he was pushed from the main rapper to sub-vocalist 1, then to sub-vocalist 2. When all the other positions were filled, he was pushed out again and ended up here, on the opposite side."
"I, I didn't know this either. So he was pushed out four times?"
"That's what happened! "
Yoo Minha revealed a tremendous amount of information with a bright smile.
I was overcome with new emotions as I looked at his smiling face.
'I can't believe he is talking so freely about Baek Si-hwa, who used to hate him so much.'
The day Baek Si-hwa tried to harm Yoo Min-ha.
Yoo Minha showed a depressed and dejected appearance as he confessed his past story.
Even though I told him it wasn't his fault, he must have felt uneasy inside.
But now I think he has shaken off all those thoughts and is focusing only on himself.
Yoo Minha, who was smiling brightly, lowered the corners of his mouth as if something had come to mind.
Then he whispered softly in my ear.
"What if Sihwa causes trouble again like this? "
"That will never happen. Baek Si-hwa knows better than anyone else that he shouldn't cause another controversy here."
"Are you sure? "
"No matter how high the chances of not being able to debut on this program are, if he continues to show a bad attitude until the end, he will be aware that he will be labeled with this in the future."
I knew very well what Yoo Min-ha was worried about.
Baek Si-hwa, whose image has already been greatly damaged and whose elimination is certain, may intentionally cause trouble again.
But the program also has the meaning of proving one's future worth.
If Baek Si-hwa remains uncooperative and causes problems until the end, there will be no agency looking for him in the future.
Therefore, the probability of him intentionally trolling is considered to be significantly low.
Since I had to practice, I didn't eat a heavy lunch.
After eating a quick sandwich, I headed towards the practice room and naturally met up with Chae Eun-gyu.
"Please take care of me this time too."
"Please take good care of me, too."
"Haha, you ended up being the center again."
"I was lucky. If Hyung-bin Hyung-nim had wanted this song, I would have been pushed out."
"Oh, right."
At my words, Chae Eun-gyu sighed slightly and scratched his head.
"I think I know other kids well, but I have almost no idea what's on Yoon-chul's mind."
"That goes for me too."
"I see. I thought Karis would have talked to Yoon-chul about it."
"... Are you anxious? "
"I don't feel that anxious; I'm just worried."
Chae Eun-gyu sighed deeply again.
"Yoon-chul is only 17 years old. The youngest one is the most reserved. I worry a lot because I think friends who always hold back their words and hide their emotions are suffering from something inside."
That makes sense.
Ji Yoon-chul is currently 17 years old. It is natural that trainees would have started at a much younger age.
They must have spent their days alone in the practice room instead of going to school and playing with friends.
Even his personality itself is reserved and indifferent, so it is understandable for Chae Eun-gyu to be worried.
Wondering if he was shocked by being pushed out by Song Hyung-bin.
But that doesn't mean there's anything we can do right now.
"I think it would be best to wait and see. It would be rude to ask Yoon-chul directly if he's okay."
"I guess that's right."
Chae Eun-gyu nodded in agreement.
"Let's try to observe as much as possible while practicing."
"That seems like the best way."
"I'm looking forward to this one too. The members are really good, so I think it'll be fun."
All the trainees who survived until the finals have the skills to do so.
So, Chae Eun-gyu must have also been expecting a smooth and stable practice session.
"... Something doesn't quite add up here?"
"Here too."
"Guys, I feel like our overall flow is a little off."
Life doesn't always go as expected.
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