Chapter 74 |
“Hyung, are you feeling unwell today?”
Do Yuda glanced at my face and asked, tilting his head.
“….A little.”
I was actually quite tired right now, just as Do Yuda had asked. I didn’t expect him to notice that, so I was a little taken aback and told him the truth.
“Hyung, you need to be a little more sensitive. You keep tossing and turning when you sleep, so you’re tired. You should just pass out and sleep like I do.”
“It’s not like that.”
Do Yuda didn’t say anything other than thanking me for what I said about Woo Kangwon yesterday. He seemed to have a lot on his mind, but it was clear that he was trying hard to act like usual.
‘You have dark circles under your eyes, yet you pretend to be tough.’
Despite his pretense, there was a shadow in the corner of Do Yuda’s eyes.
“…….”
“…….”
Lee Hwayoung and Woo Kangwon didn’t return to the dorm until late yesterday. It seemed like Lee Hwayoung had stayed out overnight, but Woo Kangwon had sneaked out without permission. Fortunately, he managed to avoid the surprise inspection by the production team.
‘Even if he got caught, he would have been able to clean it up on his own.’
Do Yuda sat on the bed waiting for Woo Kangwon until the sun came up, but Woo Kangwon never returned. I knew he was wasting time for no reason. However, since he seemed to be aware of that himself, I just left him alone.
“It’s already the third ranking announcement ceremony. It feels like it was only a week ago that the program started, but I can’t believe how much time has passed.”
Do Yuda, who had stretched his body, looked up at the stage in the center of the studio. Yang Hajun, who was reading the cue cards, stood on the stage, and behind him was a pyramid with far fewer chairs than before.
‘This program will end soon.’
As I looked around, I saw trainees who had become quite accustomed to the cameras, sitting side by side with composed expressions. The passage of time really hit home when I saw that they were styled more sophisticatedly than when they first appeared on the program.
After the next competition, the 4th mission, the live broadcast competition where they would announce the trainees who made it to the debut lineup would take place. Once my debut was confirmed, I would have to immediately start working on songs and various other debut preparations.
‘Kang Hyukwoo … I’ll chase you all the way to the top and make sure you fall.’
From there, it was the real beginning.
I would climb higher and higher to achieve my purpose.
“Hello, Survive IDOL trainees! This is MC Yang Hajun. Now, let’s start the third ranking announcement ceremony!”
The moment I made that vow, the third ranking announcement began.
***
“Now that the ranking announcement is finished, we should move on to the next mission, right? I will begin the instructions for the fourth mission.”
The ranking announcement was no different than usual.
The top-two duo, with me in first place and Lee Hwayoung in second, remained intact and strong. Even without any benefits, Lee Hwayoung had such an overwhelming number of votes that he wouldn’t have fallen below second place.
‘Maybe when the competition results were announced, he wasn’t angry because of the benefits. Lee Hwayoung was the type to react more sensitively to the fact that his performance had lost, rather than not receiving the benefits.’
Lee Hwayoung, whom I glanced at, seemed bored by the ranking announcement as usual, resting his chin on his hand and looking down at the stage with a cold gaze. The tension of the ranking announcement ceremony had long since faded for the two of us.
‘If there’s anything surprising, it’s that the rank of those guys I had my eye on has risen significantly.’
Do Yuda, who had gained a strong fandom thanks to his growth story in the second mission, managed to secure the third place right behind Lee Hwayoung. Following him was Zen, and then came Baek Kiryang.
There seemed to be a lot of people who couldn’t understand why someone as quiet and low-key as Baek Kiryang was in the running for debut, but Baek Kiryang had a huge core fandom.
— Fashion glasses don’t excite me. Is there anyone who would eat food models just because they’re hungry? Prescription glasses. Now, that’s the real deal.
— I’ve been living the life of a hungry Socrates, but then I tasted the deliciousness of this Cheonggi Baekgi. Baek Kiryang-ssi, please stop driving me crazy….1
— If Baek Ki gets LASIK, I’ll kill everyone, and I’ll die too
What on earth is it about those glasses that stimulates them so much? I really didn’t understand. In the entertainment industry, where there were plenty of people whose faces look better without glasses than with them, I understand why people were happy to see a face like Baek Kiryang, but it was starting to get a little scary.
Of course, there were often additional reasons listed, like he had a good tone of voice, he was shy but still doing well on stage, or he was triggering their protective instinct. However, it felt like all those elements exploded through the factor of the glasses.
…I really wondered what it was.
There weren’t many other noteworthy factors. The trainees who hadn’t even exchanged a single word with me eliminated one after another, and they were in the bottom half of the rankings, so it was hardly surprising.
As I recalled the faces of the trainees who didn’t make it to the debut ranking, I realized that I had forgotten someone.
‘Oh, that reminds me … Woo Kangwon’s ranking dropped.’
Woo Kangwon, who originally had been in the top ranks within the debut line, fell to 9th place. He seemed greatly shocked by the fact that he didn’t make it into the debut line, but he didn’t show it. If you weren’t a sensitive person, you wouldn’t have noticed it at all.
‘Maybe Woo Kangwon won’t be among the final debut members.’
It was only natural. Compared to the other trainees who had consistently shown their presence, Woo Kangwon hadn’t shown any such appearance, and on the stage of the last mission, he was overshadowed by Lee Hwayoung and couldn’t stand out at all.
There was a reason why the trainees were fighting tooth and nail to appear on camera at least once more.
“…….”
‘If he stays like this, neither this nor that will work.’
I stared down at the head of Woo Kangwon, sitting two rows down in the 9th seat.
‘Are you seriously going to sink like this?’
It was different from the cases of Zen, Do Yuda, and Lee Hwayoung. At this moment, I had no intention of helping Woo Kangwon.
Just as I was scowling at Woo Kangwon, who was slowly sinking, Do Yuda looked up at me and shouted.
“Wow! Hyung, it’s finally time for you to shine!”
“….What?”
I was too busy thinking about something else, so I didn’t know what context he was referring to.
As I tilted my head, Do Yuda squinted his eyes as if to say, ‘You’re hopeless‘, and whispered, “The fourth mission. It’s the competition where trainees rearrange existing hit songs and create their own performances. Yang Hajun-sunbaenim explained all of this earlier.”
“How can the trainees arrange them?”
“That’s why it’s time for trainees who can compose, like you, to shine.”
“Ah.”
Since we haven’t had a position-based competition yet, I was just assuming it would be something like that, but it seemed I was wrong.
‘Well, every time there was a position battle, the dance position always came in first, and the rap position always ended up last.’
It was difficult to expect a different result in a trainee competition stage where making a strong impression was the only thing that mattered. The same results had been repeating up until season 3, and perhaps the production team felt something was off, so it seemed they tried a different approach this season.
By dumping the responsibility on the trainees.
‘These people, now that the program is doing well, they’re trying to get a free ride.’
Luckily, it wasn’t a completely impossible task, as the concept of “self-producing idols” was so popular these days that many agencies would teach their trainees how to compose and write songs on their own.
‘And that’s precisely who I am.’
Yes, yes. Idols have to dance, sing, do impersonations, act, compose music, choreograph, and even do variety shows. We play drum, kkwaenggwari2, and janggu3 at the same time. Isn’t that interesting?
‘Arrangement copyright? Not a chance.’
Even if that’s the case, would they pay arrangement fees? No, they wouldn’t. I had long since given up any hope for these broadcasting station people.
As I was staring into thin air with cold eyes, someone spoke to me.
“Han Seungbeom, do you remember our promise?”
It was Lee Hwayoung.
“…Of course.”
That’s right. I had promised to do the fourth mission with Lee Hwayoung. But could I, who had shown an almost non-existent presence in the previous team-selection mini-missions, really choose teammates as I please?
‘I tried my best, but it just didn’t work out. There’s nothing I can do about it.’
If I tried moderately and it didn’t work out, I planned to wrap it up with the words ‘I’m sorry‘.
I didn’t understand why he was in such a hurry. Once we debuted, we would practice together until we were sick of each other anyway.
‘And that guy, every time we practice, his gaze is too burdensome. To have to bear with that for several days, I’d rather avoid it if I could.’
“The order of member selection will be determined by the unavoidable fate of idols, the random play dance! Trainees who wish to participate, please come up to the stage!”
My hopes, which had been blooming along with my complacent mind, were crushed by Yang Hajun’s cheerful voice. Why, of all times, are we doing a dance mini mission right now? As I forced a bitter smile at the quickly sealed-off exit, a cold energy began to creep up beside me.
Lee Hwayoung was staring at me without blinking once.
“Do it.”
“…….”
“It’s a promise, right? You said dance was your specialty. Are you trying to back down now?”
I quietly got up from my seat.
And I slowly descended the long staircase.
‘This shitty world….’
As I came down to the stage and glanced at the ranking seat, Do Yuda punched the air with his fist and shouted, “Go, Dance King! Body slam!”
Dance, dance, dance King!
Since things have come to this point, I’ll show you.
Even though I didn’t appear on variety shows around the time random play dance became popular, and therefore had absolutely no experience with it, I came this far so I didn’t have any intention of backing out.
I’m Seo Yutae, a man who does what he needs to do.
“Oh! Here comes Trainee Han Seungbeom! Our program’s best dancer, acknowledged by everyone! Will he be able to wash away the humiliation of the last mini-mission?”
Do Yuda’s voice flowed out from the speaker. Yang Hajun didn’t know the trainees well, so it seemed like he left the hosting to Do Yuda.
Beep, beep, beep, peeeeew.
“Ah, three, uh, twooo, ah, oneee! Let’s get it!”
The whistle sounded along with Do Yuda’s count, and the first song came out right away.
“I’ll seduce you playfully. Kitty kitty!
Want to kiss my lips?
Mischievous and swet kiss give me a kiss.”
‘Oh, my God.’
It was a song by a girl group that had a ‘gag’4 concept. I think they put it as the first song because the choreography was easy, but for me, who had lived a life full of pride, this was even harder.
“…….”
As I was performing the choreography in a very dry manner, a trainee who was known for specializing in girl group dances and and having a sassy tongue shouted, ‘Oh my goooosh!’, pushed my shoulder, and jumped forward.
He was called ‘Queen Daehyun‘ by the public. When I asked why he was called ‘Queen‘ despite being a man, he replied that it was simply because he was a queen.
‘Does that even answer the question?’
“I’ll shake it like a cat My Booty booty is sexy.”
And that Queen Daehyun started shaking his butt at an incredible speed. I thought that sooner or later, his head and butt would merge.
“Ahhhh! Trainee Kim Daehyun, you’re a fish in water! He’s not giving any other trainees a chance to join in! Is this what you call the Queen’s dominance?”
I broke out in a cold sweat as I watched those godly moves and perfect attitude. And then, I thought.
‘This random play dance … if you jump in with a careless attitude, you’ll lose your life!’
You can support this translation through Buy Me a Coffee!
Translator’s Corner:
- Cheonggi Baekgi is a 청기백기 a “blue flag, white flag” game in Korea, in which you will raise or lower one of the flag according to the instruction. The game originates from the Korean term “청백전” which refers to a historical concept of government officials being as pure and clean as blue and white colors
Interestingly, this game was originally adopted from Japan, like you know the Japan flag color is red and white, right. The red color was changed to blue after Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule to symbolize a fresh start and a move away from Japanese influences.
If you’re wondering why it’s mentioned because this is a wordplay for Baek Kiryang’s name, since his name is 백기량. The game is 청기백기 . ↩︎
- Kkwaenggwari (꽹과리) is a small flat gong used in traditional Korean music. It is made of brass and is played with a hard stick. It produces a distinctively high-pitched, metallic tone that breaks into a cymbal-like crashing timbre when struck forcefully. ↩︎
- Janggu (장구) or seyogo (세요고; 細腰鼓; lit. slim waist drum) is a drum often used in traditional Korean music. It consists of an hourglass-shaped body with two heads made from various types of leather. The two heads produce sounds of different pitch and timbre, which when played together are believed to represent the harmonious joining of Um and Yang. ↩︎
- Actual word is harsher … it’s 병맛, shortened from 병신같은 맛 (lit meaning: ‘sick people-like taste’). It means ‘out of context, poor, and ridiculous’. It mainly implies the meaning of ridicule and fun for the target. ↩︎
UGH I’M TORN ABOUT THIS FOR HOURS. Actually Baek Kiryang’s name is 백기량, and the most commonly used romanization system for Korean is the Revised Romanization of Korean, which transcribes “기” as “Gi”, because “기” is closer to the English sound “gi“. BUTTTTTTTT I LIKE KIRYANG BETTER THAN GIRYANG. Every public figure with 기량 name literally used the romanization Kiryang more than Giryang, like that No. 1 most famous cheerleader of South Korea, Park Kiryang. But this Cheonggi Baekgi joke worked better (since I need to write it as it is in alphabeth) if it’s Baek Giryang, but ???? I LIKE KIRYANG BETTEEER
Okay you guys give me opinion, I’m already thinking for four hours and still can’t decide … should I use Kiryang or change it to Giryang …. ? I will wait for … 24 hours before deciding ugh I felt like I need to change it to fit the jokes … Baek Giryang … Baek Giryang … what do you think about Baek Giryang … but baeK Kiryang looks nicer since it’s K met K …. I like Kiryang …..
EDIT: NVM GUYS KIRYANG IS THE RIGHT ONE I CHECKED THE RAW IT WAS MENTIONED ONCE (1X) (and apparently I missed the fact that it’s bum not beom, but I like beom better anyway so I’ll pretend I didn’t see it) (I’m not strong enough to edit 70 chapters) (Seungbeom sounds more right than Seungbum)