Chapter 49 |
“SU Entertainment has informed us that they want to terminate the contract with Trainee Han Seungbeom. Did you receive the notice?”
“I didn’t.”
The program had a rule that phones were not allowed, so there was no way I could have communicated with them. I shook my head. The PD sighed and put his head in his hands as if he was having a headache.
“This is our first time dealing with something like this, so we’re really shocked … I mean, how can they act so irresponsibly?”
“…….”
“We initially accepted Trainee Han Seungbeom’s filming based on an agreement with your agency, but if this happens, we can no longer continue the filming.”
“…….”
I remained silent, not responding to the PD’s words. Something was off.
Since I had overwhelming popularity on the program, even if there were troubles with the agency, they wouldn’t have come to the conclusion of having me leave the show. After all, that would end up causing harm to them as well. Still, it was strange that they were taking this attitude.
And SU Entertainment would never let me go so easily. It would be foolish for them to give up on me after I had delivered the best results without any special investment.
Lee Yooin wasn’t the type to notify someone of their removal in this manner. She was someone who would speak to them face-to-face.
Sensing something was wrong, I calmly used my abilities after hearing those words.
‘Lee Yooin.’
“Who wants to go drink with me after work today!”
After such a notice, the atmosphere in the company would naturally be chaotic, but I didn’t feel any such hint from Lee Yooin.
‘Ha.’
I swallowed back a sneer. Then I looked around, convinced.
“This is a lie, isn’t it?”
“Trainee Han Seungbeom, why would we lie about something like this?”
The PD responded naturally with a look of sympathy, as if he thought I was in denial of reality due to the shock.
I shook my head and rephrased my words.
“I know this is a surprise camera.”
At the sudden remark, the production team gasped and began exchanging nervous glances, looking flustered. I let out a long sigh at the obvious reaction.
‘They’re making it too obvious how flustered they are, it’s hard to watch.‘
The reason the production team called me was for a surprise camera filming. The earlier lame interview was most likely a meaningless act intended to deceive me.
He made an exaggerated effort to appeal that the filming was stopped, but I still kept my microphone on while talking to him, the interview questions were insincere, they intentionally made the production staff move instead of me, and they deliberately arranged our order as me, Woo Kangwon, and Do Yuda.
‘Human, pushover, fool. It’s in this order.’
When I thought about it calmly, there were many things that bothered me. The other trainees would be too shocked to notice such trivial things.
“Uh, we already got caught. Hurry up and come in.”
The PD, who had scratched the back of his head, realized that he couldn’t fool me anymore and called the rest of the production team over the walkie-talkie. Then he awkwardly burst into laughter and asked, “Haha, Trainee Han Seungbeom, how did you notice?”
“…I just noticed.”
“We didn’t think we’d be caught so quickly. We can’t ruin the rest of the filming, so could you tell us what felt awkward?”
“…….”
It’s me. Actually, I’m Seo Yutae, who died and came back to life. So I have enough broadcasting experience to easily notice something like a surprise camera. And it’s obvious that the question was carelessly prepared. Oh, and by the way, I also have the ability to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations. Fighting!
‘I can’t say that.’
“….The PD seemed to empathize with my situation so much that I felt it was a bit too much.”
“Is that so? No, I thought I was pretty good at acting.”
“Aaaah, PD-nim! I told you! PD-nim, your acting is awkward!”
“Why! I tried my best!”
Unable to find an excuse for my nitpicking, the other production staff’s playful attacks poured out towards the PD. The PD let out a loud shout, made a disgruntled face, and then bent down toward me again.
“First of all, can you please not tell the rest of the trainees? We have to do it one by one to get enough footage to put on the broadcast.”
“…….”
Hearing those words, I fell into deep thought.
Personally, I wasn’t a fan of surprise cameras. No, to be honest, I hated them. It was nothing more than deception, nothing less.
But that didn’t mean I could tell Woo Kangwon and Do Yuda.
‘It must have been planned as part of the broadcast. I can’t just ruin their opportunity. I should just let it be.’
Trainees were greatly affected by the amount of screen time. I had already secured enough screen time during the competition, but those two were different. They couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity. Especially someone like Do Yuda, who took up broadcast time with reactions.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few people who become fans from these everyday moments.
‘This is so annoying…….’
I kept my mouth shut, but I felt dirty. I hadn’t done anything wrong, yet a strange feeling of becoming an accomplice slowly crept up on me.
“I’ll make sure not to tell Woo Kangwon-hyung and Do Yuda for now. You need to film their reactions properly.”
“Thank you! Then you can go back to your room now.”
“What about the interview?”
When I asked one last time, the PD smiled innocently.
“It’s a lie for the surprise camera!”
‘I figured as much, you people.’
I got up from my seat and headed straight for my room. When I opened the door and entered, Do Yuda and Woo Kangwon, who had been sitting on the floor, quickly stood up to greet me.
“Did the interview go well? They didn’t ask anything uncomfortable, did they?”
“I applied some lip balm to look good in the interview! How does it look?”
The two of them were smiling brightly at me.
Unaware of the threat that was about to befall them.
“Ah, I was fine.”
I forced a smile and answered. It wasn’t a lie. I was fine.
***
“Hyung, how could you not say a word! I was really surprised…..”
“I was really surprised too … I thought it was just a light shoot since Seungbeom came back so calmly, but I never thought I’d be fooled like this.”
“The production team insisted that I shouldn’t tell the other trainees, so I had no choice.”
When Do Yuda and Woo Kangwon returned from filming, they both looked disheveled and haggard. Do Yuda even came back with a puffy eye, so he must have been psychologically devastated.
In the end, I had to listen to their tearful complaints until the other team finished filming.
After the surprise camera filming was finished and we had dinner, we were able to rest a bit before heading back to the studio. I wondered if it was for a reaction video to the suprise camera, but there wasn’t enough time to edit it yet. That left only one remaining possibility, the second ranking announcement ceremony.
Whether it was announcing the benefits of the mini mission or providing details about the third mission, the second ranking announcement had to be made first.
“Ugh, my legs are still shaking. I can’t stand.”
Do Yuda, who had been carried to the gymnasium by Woo Kangwon, collapsed onto the floor and let his eyebrows droop dramatically.
“There are cameras everywhere, so please bear with it.”
“My legs are like this because of the production team….”
Just as I was about to grab him by the nape and pull him up, Do Yuda stood up on his own, his gaze fixed on something beside me.
“Kiryang-hyung!”
“….Yuda-ya.”
It was because Baek Kiryang, who had helped Do Yuda with the second mission’s performance, had come to see him.
‘Oh, come to think of it.’
It was Baek Kiryang who had informed me that Do Yuda hadn’t returned, but I had completely forgotten about him. With Do Yuda’s whereabouts, the conversation with the main PD, and the mini mission, things kept happening nonstop, so I had no attention left to spare.
“What’s going on? Did you come to hang out with us?”
Do Yuda, who had looked sullen just moments ago, brightened up and asked. In response, Baek Kiryang, seemingly unable to face Do Yuda directly, fixed his gaze on the floor and replied in a very quiet voice.
“I might not get another chance to talk to you now that I’m about to be eliminated … so I came to apologize one last time.”
“What are you talking about, apologize? And what do you mean by eliminated?”
Do Yuda and I tilted our heads at Baek Kiryang’s nonsense. Then, Baek Kiryang hesitantly began to explain.
“I’m definitely going to be eliminated today. Just like Trainer Frick said, I’m terrible … to be honest, it’s a miracle I lasted this long. So before I get eliminated, I wanted to apologize properly. I’m really sorry. I really regret not being able to protect you properly during the preparation for the second mission. I was so weak and cowardly.”
“…….”
“…….”
This time, even Woo Kangwon, who was just watching the situation from the side, tilted his head.
Baek Kiryang was a high-ranking trainee.
Basically, it was because of his decent looks and skills, and his glasses stimulated the tastes of certain people. Additionally, his psychological struggle caused by Frick, which was aired on the show, garnered sympathy from many viewers and contributed to his popularity.
But today, he was going to be eliminated.
There was no nonsense like this nonsense.
‘How low is his self-esteem?’
It seemed that, even after resolving the issue with Do Yuda, he had been digging himself into a hole on his own.
Well, considering he couldn’t say a word about that small part until I stepped in, I had a rough idea.
With slightly widened eyes, Do Yuda watched as Baek Kiryang was making his confession, then firmly grabbed Baek Kiryang’s hand.
“Hyung, I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong to me. I’ve never thought of you as weak or cowardly person.”
“…Why?” Baek Kiryang, with a puzzled face and tears welling up in his eyes, asked as if he couldn’t understand.
“Hyung, you were also treated unfairly in the part distribution, but instead of solving your own problem first, you tried hard to resolve mine. I’m the one who’s grateful.”
“But I was able to do that because Seungbeom helped me. If Seungbeom hadn’t given me the chance, I might have just kept watching the situation without knowing how to help you.”
‘I just exploited that guy to solve the problem.’
The warm friendship between the two and the atmosphere that seemed to be praising me made me feel like a piece of trash in real-time. In a hurry to escape the feeling of my conscience being crushed, I patted Baek Kiryang’s back repeatedly.
“Since he said he was grateful, if you keep feeling guilty like this, Do Yuda won’t be able to fully enjoy the results of the second mission. So let’s just wrap it up by saying we each did our best.”
“Yes! If you keep feeling down like this, I’ll get upset!”
“…Thank you.”
At our words, Baek Kiryang finally burst into tears and buried his face in his hands.
Jay, who was passing by, looked at us and asked briefly,
“…Group bullying?”
That’s not it.
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Translator’s Corner:
Pushover man with glasses … I can see why he’s popular…..