Chapter 44 |
After the other teams finished their performances, the results were announced as scheduled. After the audience had cleared out, the trainees entered the hall and Yang Hajun stepped onto the stage.
“From now on, I will announce the results of the second mission. To all the trainees who worked hard to prepare for this, thank you for your hard work.”
I made eye contact with Yang Hajun, who was cheerfully reading the script. He glanced at my face briefly before quickly turning his head away.
“…….”
‘What?’
I tilted my head in curiosity, feeling as if he was blatantly avoiding me, but Yang Hajun remained unfazed and calmly delivered his lines.
“This second round of the competition has been received with great enthusiasm by the public. It has even resulted in a 50-fold increase in subscribers to the JBS Plus service.”
‘They’ve been force-selling using us again, as expected.’
The fact that subscribers increased by 50 times meant they gained a considerable financial profit. Hearing those words made me realize just how popular the program had become.
“Yes!”
The trainees who ranked in the middle to upper ranks of the individual votes responded enthusiastically.
In the end, I secured the first place in the individual vote rankings, with Do Yuda and Lee Hwayoung tied for second place, Woo Kangwon took fourth place, and Zen was at fifteenth.
Most of the results were what I had predicted, so there were no surprises. The only unexpected parts were that Do Yuda ranked better than I had imagined, and Zen’s ranking had risen significantly.
‘Our team can take first place without any problems.’
Since the first and fourth place were in the same team, it was already a given that we would take first place in the team rankings.
“I’m really relieved that the results turned out well. Seungbeom-ah, congratulations on your first place.”
As if reading my mind, Woo Kangwon put his hand on my shoulder and smiled reassuringly. He seemed to feel guilty that all the responsibility for the betting system fell on me, even though he was a top-ranking trainee himself.
“…….”
My honest feeling was to tell him not to waste time on unnecessary worries, but I couldn’t say that right now. That’s because I knew for sure that every time results like this were announced, one of the cameras would be directed at me.
I placed my hand on top of Woo Kangwon’s and smiled warmly, “What do you mean, you’ve had it harder, hyung.”
“Haha, compared to you, my hardships are nothing.”
A warm atmosphere radiated around us. I got goosebumps, but I didn’t let it show on my face because I was a pro.
“As many of you have guessed, the individual vote rankings in this second mission have no merit. It’s the team rankings that matter.”
To prevent the awkward air from lingering, Yang Hajun cut in with an appropriate comment.
“The first place team will receive a benefit of 100,000 votes for each member, the second place team will receive a benefit of 50,000 votes, and the third place team will receive a benefit of 30,000 votes.”
‘The benefits are stingier than I thought.’
The benefits were a lot less than I was expecting. In other survival programs, 100,000 votes might have been a pretty big benefit, but considering the popularity of this program, it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Survive IDOL, as the most popular program right now, boasted tremendous viewership, and since the trainees’ individuality and charm were outstanding, fanbases were quickly formed at a rapid pace. As a result, trainees with large fanbases received extremely high vote counts, and any typical benefits did not dramatically change the trainees’ rankings.
And since the trainees who performed well in the competition were always the same, it wouldn’t offer much help to those in the lower rankings. In reality, the benefits didn’t determine survival, but only caused minor changes in the rankings of the top trainees.
In other words, it was a battle only among them.
‘I can see why the production team created this betting system.’
As the wall became firmly built, the morale of the trainees on the verge of elimination continued to decline, while the top trainees didn’t feel any sense of crisis. The production team created the betting system to prevent the lack of motivation that resulted from this and to maintain the tension of the survival program.
“Also, this second competition must take into account the newly introduced betting system. The team that revives a trainee in danger of elimination must meet the target ranking. If they fail, the trainee who placed the bet will lose half of his vote count.”
“…….”
When Yang Hajun mentioned the betting system, the trainees turned away from the camera and bowed their heads deeply. Those who placed a bet seemed to feel anxious about the risk, and those who didn’t seemed to feel guilty about abandoning their teammates.
“I will now announce the team vote rankings that will determine your fate, starting with the first team. The very first ranking to be announced is the first place.”
At the signal from the production team, Yang Hajun nodded and reached his hand toward the screen. Then, with the effect of a jackpot, the vote count increased like a roulette wheel.
“Not from the last?”
“You’re announcing the first place team first?”
At the announcement ‘I will announce the first-place team‘ the auditorium instantly became as noisy as a marketplace.
“Ah, could it be … because of Han Seungbeom?”
“I guess so. Honestly, everyone knows Han Seungbeom’s team is in first place.”
“I feel a sense of relative deprivation. This is a deep-rooted evil.”1
Typically, the first-place team should be the last to be announced, but it was already clear that our team had won the first place. So, it seemed that the production team decided to push the announcement of the first-place team to the front, as the suspense was already lost.
“The first place team is! The Motorcycle team!”
As expected, my team was called.
If I had overreacted to something everyone already knew, acting as if I was too moved, I could have been criticized for being fake. The best choice was to smile appropriately and offer words of support to my teammates.
“Wow!”
“We’re in first place! One hundred thousand votes!”
As I mechanically nodded while reluctantly accepting the members’ enthusiastic hugs, I suddenly found my feet no longer touching the ground. For a moment, I wondered what was happening.
“Long live Han Seungbeom!”
“Hooray!”
“Leada, you’re so light. Are you eating properly?”
‘Save me.’
The members tossed me up in the air multiple times to celebrate. I probably became the target because I was the lightest among the members.
“The Motorcycle team showed a very bold move by choosing to revive all four of the trainees in danger of elimination. Living up to that spirit, they delivered an outstanding performance and emerged as dark horses.”2
My body soared into the air, and each time I fell, I felt a chill in my chest. Why on earth am I doing this useless thing?
“Hyung, help me.”
I quickly turned my head toward Woo Kangwon. The only person who could stop these fools was the more composed Woo Kangwon.
Woo Kangwon, whose eyes met mine, tensed his brow with a serious expression. Then, he quickly swung his arms toward me.
‘What?’
I told him to stop them, but what’s with him swinging his arms?
I could only stare in horror at the large hand coming toward me.
“Whooa!”
Woo Kangwon, with both hands under my armpits, lifted me up with a shout. Just like someone showing off a baby lion in a lion movie.
“…….”
My body was lifted over 2 meters into the air, swinging back and forth. Then, the guys, who had lost all sense of reason in their excitement, stared at me in shock.
This was the biggest disgrace of my life.
“….Put me down.”
As I quietly spoke towards below, Woo Kangwon carefully put me down.
“Motorcycle team, congratulations once again on your first place. Is it okay if we go straight to the announcement of the next ranking?”
“Yes.”
Yang Hajun, who had been watching us with a happy expression, asked, and I quickly responded.
I was so embarrassed, I wouldn’t be able to show my face around the neighborhood.
“Next, we’ll announce the second-place team.”
***
The content of the announcements that followed was quite predictable. Although they built anticipation with the setup of whether Do Yuda could defeat Lee Hwayoung, in the end, the winner was Lee Hwayoung.
So, to summarize the results of the second mission: first place was our team, second place was Lee Hwayoung’s team, and third place was Do Yuda’s team.
‘In the end, only one team failed to win the bet.’
Most of the teams that chose to bet succeeded in securing top rankings, so fortunately, none of the people I had chosen ended up shouldering the risk of failure. This could all be attributed to the trainees who, fearing the risk, chose to avoid the betting system.
‘I knew it was going to be like this.’
Since they couldn’t capture any tearful moments during the result announcement, the production team would likely try to extract fun from other aspects. For example, the growth story of Do Yuda and Zen.
That was indeed good news, but with such a peaceful conclusion, it was highly likely that the production team would come up with another trick for the third round of the competition.
‘I need to prepare myself mentally.’
There was a way to threaten the main PD and get a hold of the script in advance, but I wasn’t really inclined to do that. I didn’t want to create a reason for people to find fault with me, and I believed that I could overcome any obstacle without resorting to such tactics.
“Yuda has already arrived in the room. Let’s go back to the room quickly and congratulate him. I’m not sure if it’s because Yuda doesn’t get along well with the team members, but it seems like he hasn’t even heard a single word of appreciation for his hard work.”
As we arrived at the Lucky Center by car, each team traveling separately, Woo Kangwon spoke to me.
“Okay.”
“Yuda was finally able to say goodbye to the uncomfortable members. I feel relieved.”
“….Hyung, you worry too much.”
Woo Kangwon shook his head at my short reply, “Actually, I agonized a lot when Yuda was in the bathroom last time. He was trying so desperately to hide it, and I didn’t know whether I should pretend not to notice or rush out to help him right away. I just couldn’t tell what would be the right thing to do for Yuda.”
“…….”
“You are truly an amazing person, Seungbeom-ah.”
Woo Kangwon, with his hand resting on the door handle of Room 1, hesitated for a moment before muttering in a soft voice.
“….I wanted to be a person like that too. Someone who can be relied on, someone who is capable of protecting the people in their arms.”
“….Hyung?”
“Nothing! I said something unnecessary. I made you worry for no reason.”
As if to lighten the heavy mood, Woo Kangwon smiled broadly and opened the door wide.
“Should I say that the only thing I can do is to supress any potential violent conflicts if they arise? I’m really glad that such a situation didn’t happen!”
And then, he added a lighthearted joke.
‘That’s even scarier.’
He had an expression that showed no anxiety at all about the possibility of being the one to suffer if a fight broke out. It made me think that his words might not be a joke, but a serious statement.
“Haha.”
I laughed awkwardly, took off my shoes, and looked around the room. Then, I saw something completely different than I expected.
The room was empty. I was sure Do Yuda would be waiting for us, but there was no one in this room.
“Where is he?”
“That’s strange … he definitely said he would wait for us in the room.”
As I stared into the empty room and racked my brain, a thought suddenly struck me.
‘If the team was ranked third … they could have revived two trainees. But Do Yuda chose to play it safe and save just one person.’
The result was better than expected,
And Do Yuda stood out far more than the other members,
Did Do Yuda’s team members truly accept the results of the second mission with joy?
Was the betting system designed to end with the trainees’ victory like this?
Did the production team really not predict this outcome?
As I continued with those thoughts, someone entered our room and shouted in a voice mixed with tears.
“Haaa, haa …. heuk, have you seen Yuda? Huhuhuh … heuk, he went out with Song Hanseo’s group, but he hasn’t come back!”
It was Baek Kiryang.
A cold dread settled over me.
You can support this translation through Buy Me a Coffee!
Translator’s Corner:
- A deep-rooted evil is like in a way in Korean politics to describe systemic corruption or long-standing problems. (like this is systemic issue). I like to translate everything literally because it’s nice to learn other country’s expression. ↩︎
- I forgot to explain this before. Dark horse (다크호스) means unexpected winner. Not unexpected in “no one expected them to win” way, but in “no one know who are they”. This is used because as you know Seungbeom’s team filled with mostly low ranking trainees that’s going to be eliminated.
Wikipedia explanation: A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is expected to lose.
If you want example, personally for me, in kpop survival show history, the most impressive dark horse is Park Woojin from Produce 101 Season 2. The rise in rankings was no joke and no one expected him to make it to debut lineup at first. ↩︎