Chapter 10

If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me - Chapter 10

Throughout the first shoot, no one even mentioned the previous season, but I never expected it to come up here.

The comment section is also being flooded with "??!?" and the like. Yeongrin continued speaking with a natural expression, without any change.

"To prevent a similar disaster, all of us in the production team will give all decision-making power to the shareholders from now on!"

The stage lights turned on one by one, intensifying with Yeongrin's words.

"Members? Let the shareholders choose them!"

"Number of members? Let the shareholders decide!"

"Would you like the team to be like this? Let the shareholders bind them!"

"Or..."

The lights began to flicker like a stage effect.

"Do you find a team member particularly unpleasant? Then kick them out!"

-Is the production team crazy?

An appropriate comment caught my eye.

Meanwhile, Yeongrin was delivering a serious closing line under the flashing lights.

"Our company's survival is in the hands of the shareholders!"

"‘Idol Corporation’ is now relaunching!"

The camera panned up.

On the stage shaped like a giant star, lights flickered like a galaxy.

At the center of the stage, the backs of ten people, the Platinum-grade participants, were visible, illuminated by the lights.

The camera made a full circle, zooming in on the participants. Due to the vast size of the stage, it only managed to show the full bodies of the ten people.

As soon as the camera stopped, the prelude music began.

The participants turned one by one, and the camera captured their movements.

This was the solo part benefit for the Platinum grade, but honestly, each person got less than a second, which was a bit awkward.

'Rather, it would have been better to just pick a center like the original.'

As I watched my brief moment on screen, I felt a strange emotion.

My movements were correct, but seeing Park Moondae's face made it feel unfamiliar.

'Hmm, but it might be less awkward this way.'

As the prelude ended and the song began, the Gold-grade participants appeared around the Platinum-grade participants. The editing made it look natural.

When the pre-chorus started, the lighting changed, and the Silver-grade participants appeared on both sides. The Bronze-grade participants appeared from behind as the chorus began.

And then the group chorus.

"Wow."

It looked good. Thanks to the skillful editing, the movements appeared perfectly synchronized.

The comment section also showed some positive reactions, though most were surprised by their own positivity.

-Why is the song good?

-Even though it's a failed company, the theme song is always a hit.

-The song is a shame. It should have been given to a better group.

Of course, the comments didn't forget to critique the participants whenever a close-up appeared.

-Their skin... it's a bit uncomfortable to look at.

-Did anyone see the part where he hit his own neck? It was hilarious.

-Indeed, if you're ugly, your skills are also terrible.

└Stop generalizing. It's sad for the octopus to hear.

└Well, the skills are good, but they look bad.

└This guy is really...

└Hahaha

Of course, there were moments of admiration.

-Wow, he's so handsome.

-Wow, why is he here?

-How did they cast him?

-If I looked like that, I wouldn't be here.

Generally, when a participant with an appearance stat of B or higher got a close-up, these were the reactions.

Oh, Seonahyun's close-up just passed. Indeed, the camera tends to focus on those with better faces.

...Wait.

I compared the close-ups of the participants with the reactions in the comment section.

"Did I make a mistake?"

If the initial buzz is too different, it could be problematic.

'Should I have made my appearance stat A first, regardless of singing, dancing, or anything else?'

If my appearance was top-notch, even a single close-up during the theme song performance would have made me a topic of discussion.

With just a few home viewers, my photo would have been taken at the press conference and posted on social media.

If I had solidified a fan base at this point, the chances of early elimination would have been low.

Then, with the status window, I could have shown growth in my skills.

I had abandoned this strategy, thinking that this season would start with ridicule and then rise in popularity after airing... I had overlooked that ridicule is also a form of attention.

I felt a chill run down my spine and looked at the stage screen again.

It was already the ending.

A few close-ups passed during the ending.

The most noticeable was the young actor Lee Sejin. The production team seemed determined to boost his pre-air buzz, dedicating a few seconds to him.

Thinking back, among the debut members I knew, more than half had a B- or higher appearance stat when their faces were matched at the filming location.

If the editing focused only on participants with high appearance stats, I would be in trouble.

Park Moondae had a decent appearance, but he wasn't a standout handsome guy.

Feeling a bit uncertain, I was about to reconsider my strategy when the screen suddenly changed. It was a commercial.

But I heard a familiar voice.

"‘Idol Corporation,’ relaunching!"

Was the first commercial airing here?

Considering it had been over a week since filming ended, there was enough time for editing.

I focused on the commercial, hoping for a hint about the editing direction.

"I hope a lot of talented friends come out."

"I have high expectations."

"Is (beep) coming too? The participants this time seem very nervous."

It was a cut of the judges laughing and talking. They seemed to be saying everything that usually appears in the previews.

Short clips of the participants receiving praise appeared.

"An amazing, truly amazing performance..."

"This is a natural talent."

"Wow!"

"Where have you been all this time?"

Oh, my ranking evaluation also passed. This reduced my worry about the overall editing. My shoulders finally relaxed.

It was my first exposure to mass media, so I had overreacted.

Even if it's a battle for early dominance, the game usually takes shape by the fourth episode, so I shouldn't be anxious and should calmly refine my strategy.

Feeling more at ease, I watched as the judges, with no warning, suddenly delivered harsh comments.

"This... can't even be called a performance."

"Do you know that's an excuse?"

"It seems they just weren't prepared enough."

"Aren't you embarrassed?"

And the participants' tense expressions, biting their lips, overlapped.

...Looking at the background, it seemed they were just practicing and making faces.

Suddenly, a cut edited to look like an unexpected situation appeared.

"(Beep) sir? (Beep) sir, wait, wait...!"

"(A participant suddenly leaving the stage.)"

A close-up of the young actor Lee Sejin crying appeared.

"(What happened?)"

The screen darkened, and the logo of the Idol Corporation appeared grandly.

As the altered theme song reached its climax, the logo disappeared, and the MC's voice was heard.

"The newly refreshed Idol Corporation relaunch! The first hurdle is... (beep) evaluation!!"

"Whoa!"

The preview ended with the participants covering their mouths in shock.

"..."

When I lowered my head, the comment section was flooding with comments.

It was understandable.

That evening, the internet entertainment news comment sections were in chaos.

* * *

After finishing my workout and warming up dinner, I logged into a portal site.

The main page had these headlines:

"‘Idol Corporation’ bows to the ‘shareholders,’ what's the new stock? ‘Male idol’"

"‘Re-launch! Idol Corporation’ unveiled, ‘Shining Star’ first performance!"

"‘Please invest, shareholders!’ 77 participants of the new season of ‘Idol Corporation’ on stage."

The titles seemed neutral, but clicking on the articles revealed the public reaction.

The entertainment news comments had been blocked for quite some time, and the only visible emotional expressions...

'Shocked' had over 12,000 reactions. Since there was no 'Angry' option, this clearly indicated that public opinion was going wild.

Columns were also pouring in.

"Idol Corporation, the low-quality freedom."

"‘Please buy me!’ Children turned into stocks."

I clicked on one.

"Now it's not even ‘Please pick me.’ In a program where participants shout, ‘Buy my idol stock,’ they no longer receive humane treatment. The sadistic act of handing over life and death to the public..."

Well, I don't need to read more.

On internet communities and social media, most posts were criticizing the program.

-These guys have no remorse.

-From the first season, they've been shoving all sorts of things into stocks and selling voting rights. They're back, even though they should have died. Is the money from selling kids so good? Hahaha

But the production team must be celebrating. The participants getting criticized is not their problem.

The failure of the second season was the loss of popular participants.

But this season, the production team's sadism in the program's structure was overshadowing that image.

Whether the program's structure is overtly cruel or pretends to be gentle, survival programs are tough.

At least, having some buzz might be better for the participants.

Thanks to the program's rising popularity, such posts were also appearing.

=======================

[Summary of this season's Platinum-grade participants.]

: Captured the Music Night stage. I did this because I felt sorry for the talented ones appearing here, so please refrain from negative comments.

=======================

Most of the comments were about good-looking or expressive participants, but a few mentions of Park Moondae made me feel strange.

Mainly, they were about how cute he was or how he fit the current popular image.

-I watched Park Moondae's stage once because he's cute, but the camera didn't focus on him much. However, after seeing the preview, it seems he did well in the ranking evaluation, so I'm considering watching.

"..."

It felt strange. It was the first time in my life I saw someone openly express interest in me.

Even when I sold data in college, it was surprising how people could invest time and money just because they liked someone they barely knew.

Maybe it's because I live a life without time or money.

But being the subject of such attention felt even stranger.

However, it wasn't a bad feeling.

‘...What should I do next?’

I suddenly felt the urge to move.

After reviewing the participants' reactions comprehensively, I organized the priority order for my future stat allocation.

That's when it happened.

[The beginning of fame!]

1,000 people have remembered your existence!

: Draw a general trait ☜ Click!

Such notifications also come.

I read the popup content again, noting that the 'draw' option was similar to the one in the previous stage-related popup.

I clicked it, and a slot machine appeared.

This time, there were occasional bronze slots mixed in with the gray ones.

I hoped to get a trait that could quickly boost my appearance or talent. I waited for the slots to stop, more hopeful than before.

Just as the slots were about to stop, another popup appeared.

[Slot machine grand success!]

: Drawing a hero trait!