Chapter 111
When we heard that the group name would be announced soon, the audience was even more excited than us.
'I understand completely.'
Unless it's something outrageously weird, the members don't take their group names too seriously.
On the other hand, fans who are always communicating with each other on social media are very sensitive to other group fandoms making fun of the name of the group they are a fan of.
In particular, groups created through survival programs occasionally had strange group names.
I was curious about the group name from a different perspective.
Will we debut under the same name as the
Or maybe another name will appear.
"The names by which the seven boys, chosen directly by the national managers, will be called in the future are."
Following Choi Sia's words, the screen at Jamsil Indoor Stadium lit up brightly.
A brilliant blue and white halo of light swayed as if dancing.
Luxurious, cursive-like letters began to slowly appear in the middle of the halo.
[Seleste]
"The word 'Select.' which carries the meaning that they were chosen and formed by the hands of the national managers, and the word 'Celeste' which carries the meaning of sky or the color of the sky, were combined to create the group name 'Seleste.' We ask for your continued love and support for 'Seleste' so that the seven trainees who were personally selected by the national managers from all over the world can shine like the beautiful sky color as they followed along on their journey for over two months!"
Seleste's name has been revealed.
The same group name will be used as in the previous episode of
I nodded and applauded enthusiastically, along with the trainees.
'It was a good name. It had a clear meaning and was easy for people to pronounce.'
They could just give it a pretty name, but fans value 'meaning'.
Especially if it's a group whose choices have had a huge impact.
In light of that, it's a good idea to mix in 'Select', which implies choosing, in front of the word rather than just saying 'Celeste'.
"Seleste, Seleste. Easy to say? Nice! "
"I really like the group name! "
"I'm really curious about what the fandom's name will be."
"Ah, this makes me want to debut even more."
It seems like the trainees also like the group name.
It's not like they're trying to put weird words together to keep the name of the program going.
It's not a long string of syllables that makes it hard to say the full name in one go.
'Now that the group name has been announced, let's get started in earnest.'
I felt a slight tension spread throughout my body.
No matter how calm my mind was thanks to my passive skills, the fact that the debut members were being announced was creating a tremendous amount of pressure.
Could it be because of the hands of Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin, which are tightly held on both sides?
"... Now it's just beginning."
"Hmm. The voting will end soon."
"Ah, if I had known I would be this nervous, I should have taken some tranquilizers beforehand."
Kang Si-yoon smiled, trying to hide his nervous expression.
But the slight trembling of his hands spoke volumes about his current state of mind.
As for Heo Yu-bin, well, it was just as everyone expected.
"Ka, ka, Karis hyung-nim! My heart is beating so fast! "
"Probably everyone here is the same. Don't panic."
"Wha, I was fine until I got on stage, but now that I'm standing still, I'm shaking so much I'm going crazy!"
"It could be because the music has disappeared and silence has lingered."
"I want to borrow your iron heart!"
I could feel it subconsciously.
Heo Yu-bin is now desperately trying not to reveal his true feelings.
'... Among us, Heo Yu-bin is definitely experiencing the most complicated emotions.'
The privilege of debuting is given only to the top 7.
Heo Yu-bin, who took 8th place in the 3rd ranking announcement ceremony, is in a do-or-die situation.
Get more votes and rise up the rankings from 8th place to achieve his dream of debuting.
Or, as if it were a joke from God, he would suffer the bitter cup of elimination while maintaining his ranking at 8th place, one step away from debuting.
'Unfortunately, I know that feeling best.'
How tough it is to have to finish the journey in 8th place!
How much despair and loss can a short statement bring to a person.
Having experienced it myself, I held Heo Yu-bin's hand tightly without saying a word.
An unspoken message that everything will be fine no matter what.
Heo Yu-bin took a deep breath, wondering if he had received my message.
His hands, which had been shaking continuously, gradually became stable.
"...It'll be okay. Right, hyung-nim? "
"Of course. I can say this with certainty."
"Hehe, I'm so glad you're here with me, hyung-nim."
I responded to Heo Yu-bin's words with a faint smile.
At that very moment,.
Choi Sia, who received something from the production team, organized the cue cards and picked up the microphone.
"
The countdown has begun.
Everyone gathered at the scene had their eyes fixed on Choi Sia.
"... Global voting has closed."
Now all that remains is to count the votes.
Once the tally is complete, the announcement of the fateful debut group will arrive.
"Phew...."
"Please, please."
Sighs could be heard here and there.
Chae Eun-gyu closes his eyes and repeats the word "please."
Song Hyung-bin looks at the ceiling of the gym and thinks about something.
Yoo Minha keeps shaking his wrists and ankles in place, trying to shake off the tension in his body.
And Ji Yoon-chul, who always maintained a poker face, stared blankly ahead with a slightly disturbed expression.
Even though they have learned how to control their minds through their numerous stage experiences, all the trainees are still young boys.
It is so difficult to silently overcome the trembling tension.
I kept holding hands with Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin, imagining the commercial break that would be airing on TV screens by now.
Although the commercial was originally only about 1 to 2 minutes long, to us, every second felt like a minute.
After the commercial, there were brief interviews with the judges who guided us.
As the interview progressed, Choi Sia finally grabbed the microphone again with a solemn expression on her face, as the counting was complete.
"Who will be the glorious 7 who will debut as Seleste tonight? The final round of global voting has concluded with a total of 10,091,987 votes from 180 countries. I would like to once again express my gratitude to the national managers for their enthusiastic participation."
The fact that a total of ten million votes were collected is truly an enormous amount of firepower.
It's not even a duplicate vote, and it's a system where you can only vote once with one phone.
These figures prove how much interest
"Who will be the first trainee to debut as a member of Seleste? We will announce the final Top 7 and the trainee who ranks 6th among them."
Without further delay, let's go straight to the announcement of the 6th place.
A magnificent BGM began to resonate inside the gym.
There was silence except for the BGM and the sound of a few national managers calling someone's name.
I looked at the screen.
The camera team was focusing on the faces of all the trainees who were likely to be nominated for 6th place.
Kang Dong-hwi, Heo Yu-bin, and even Kang Si-yoon.
"The first protagonist to be chosen by the national managers is..."
Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin, who felt that the announcement was imminent, held my hands even tighter on both sides.
The tension and desperation they felt were so palpable to me, through their skin.
"Congratulations, trainee Heo Yubin! "
The moment Heo Yu-bin's name was called, the pressure on my right hand disappeared.
This is because Heo Yu-bin, who had been holding my hand tightly like a rope just a few seconds ago, collapsed on the spot.
"Yubin aaaaaa!"
"Congratulations, Yubin!"
"Yubin, congratulations on your debut!"
Trainees from all sides surrounded and hugged Heo Yu-bin.
Yoo Minha was mercilessly hitting the shoulder of his friend of the same age as if it were his own business.
Ken Hashimoto also continued to applaud, shedding tears like chicken poop.
The hero of glory was so busy crying that he was out of his mind.
"Huhuhuhuhuung―!"
"Yubin, stop crying! Your face is ruined!"
"But, but! Huh huh huh huh! How, how can you not cry at this poinnnttt!"
"Oh my, oh my. Good job, good job! You really worked hard."
Kang Si-yoon hugged Heo Yu-bin tightly and lifted him up.
Heo Yu-bin's two legs were trembling as if he had lost all strength.
"Congratulations, Yubin. I sincerely congratulate you. I knew you could do it."
As I held his hand tightly again, he regained his balance, as if new energy had come into him.
Heo Yu-bin smiled at me, rubbing his face, which was a mess from tears and snot.
"...Karis hyung-nim, thank you so much."
"If you're grateful, buy me a big meal later."
"I'll buy it for you only after we debut, hyung-nim!"
"Okay."
Heo Yu-bin gave one last smile and left the stage.
Even as he walked towards the stairs on the other side of the gym, tears continued to flow from his eyes.
The national managers used all their might to tell Heo Yu-bin not to cry.
And did he hear that sound? Heo Yu-bin kept walking, greeting people on both sides.
"Trainee Heo Yu-bin has achieved such an incredible record that it could be called a miracle in
Heo Yu-bin, who barely managed to get to Choi Sia's side, took the microphone and expressed his feelings with difficulty.
"... My mom and dad, who introduced me to the world of music when I was young, even though I was timid, Thank you so much. I was always sob, afraid that I would become a son who would only cause trouble, but now that I can finally be filial, I'm so happy. And most of all, sob! National managers who believed in me, a trainee named Heo Yu-bin, from beginning to end, thank you so much! I will always sing without losing my original intention! "
Although there were some sobs here and there, I feel like he got what he wanted to say across clearly.
"Yubin's speaking skills have improved a lot."
"It's definitely improved a lot compared to the first ranking announcement ceremony."
"Ah, I feel like my child is debuting. I wonder how Yubin's parents feel."
Kang Si-yoon continued to laugh and wipe away tears next to me.
But after this, the time he spent on the trainees' stage was very short.
"Top 7, 5th place to become the next member of Seleste.... Congratulations, trainee Kang Si Yoon!"
When his name was called, Kang Si-yoon looked momentarily dazed.
And then he turned his head toward me and said just one word.
"... Really me? "
"Yes, you idiot. Congratulations."
Then, um. Again, clear communication became impossible due to trainees swarming from all directions.
"Siyoon, you've worked hard! "
"Congratulations, Kang Si-yoon! "
"Siyoon, ah, that's really fortunate. Ah, that's fortunate! "
This time, Song Hyung-bin hugged Kang Si-yoon with greater relief than anyone else.
It seems that they have been a great source of support for each other while preparing for the stage.
"Hahaha! Oh, don't hit me too hard! "
After enduring the trainees' congratulatory shower, Kang Si-yoon turned his head toward me.
And when I stuck my fist out without saying anything, he smiled and bumped his fist with mine.
'This is how all of Cell 31's friends debuted.'
The results are unbelievable.
Heo Yu-bin, whose name I don't remember hearing in the previous episode,.
Kang Si-yoon, who was eliminated in the final round like me,.
Both of them met Karis von Walden and showed off their outstanding skills, becoming proud members of Seleste.
Even now, every moment feels like a twist.
The full-fledged drama had not yet been written.
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