Chapter 20

If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me 020

Inside the two gold balls obtained from the treasure hunt, there were slips of paper.

[Acoustic Guitar]

[Flower Crown]

“...Ah.”

No response.

Acoustic guitar? I can't play.

Flower crown? Maybe I could rely on my A-level appearance stats or content.

No, even if I poured all the points I have now into my appearance, the flower crown wouldn't be a good choice.

It's an item that has nothing to do with likability.

Both items are objectively high-grade, but to me, they are landmines.

‘I’m going to go crazy.’

I should try to swap the unchosen slip with Daesejin or Gold 1. If that doesn't work, I'll try with other participants.

Just as I was about to turn around, the participants flooded into the assembly point.

-20 seconds left~

“Eeeeh!!”

“Hey, wait! Just a moment!”

They seemed to have rushed to the assembly point to avoid having their cheeks taken away after hearing the announcement.

Is it possible to request a trade in that gap?

Just as I was feeling doubtful, a familiar face caught my eye.

It was Seona Hyun, her face pale white.

In her hand was a brown ball.

Should I commend her for getting a bronze ball with her personality?

But from her expression, it seemed she had drawn a bad one.

At that moment, I saw the slip inside the already opened bronze ball.

[Frozen Food]

Jackpot.

I quickly pushed through the crowd and approached Seona Hyun.

-5 seconds left!

Seona Hyun looked flustered.

-5!

“Um, um...”

“Can you play the guitar?”

-4!

“W, w, well, I can...”

“Do you like flowers?”

-3!

“Y, y, yes.”

“Then do you want to swap?”

-2!

“W, w, what?”

I'll take it as a yes.

-1!

I handed over the two gold balls in my hand and quickly took the bronze ball.

-Clap! The treasure hunt is over!

Seona Hyun looked bewildered.

Amid the cheers and sighs from the surroundings, I looked down at the bronze ball in my hand with satisfaction.

It was a great trade.

I swapped one bronze ball for two gold balls; surely I won't get criticized for that.

* * *

Just before the PR live stream of 〈Rebirth! Idol Corporation〉 started, Thursday, 7:50 PM.

The internet's related communities and SNS were buzzing with all sorts of opinions and excitement.

-77 people live streaming at the same time again? lol They still haven't learned their lesson.

-These crazy people, they're doing blatant ads because their PPL is bad? Really cheap.

-★☆Kim Raebin☆★ is live streaming with this face. Even if he doesn't say anything, it's god content, right? (Photo)

-I'll buy a massage chair if our Yujin advertises it.

-These pigs who fall for such tactics are really annoying.

└If you buy through the video link, all profits are donated, right?

└Anyway, crazy fans believe anything lol Next pig~

-I hope the participants don't get hurt and it ends well. :(

└That's the most fun part, lol What do you mean?

Despite the chaos of various human characters expressing themselves, one thing was clear.

The amount of mentions about the participants had increased several times over.

Those who felt a liking for the participants after the first episode were really looking forward to the content.

And at 8:00 PM.

The 'Live Broadcast' sign appeared on the Vtube channel.

-It's up.

-Oh.

-I'm going in.

-I'm working overtime and can't watch, but can you relay the number of viewers? Who's in first place?

└It's Cha Yujin. Wow, the last place is a thousand times worse. lol There are 7 last places, so pitiful :(

-Oh, Won-gil has a bowl cut :(( Everyone come and see.

-Crazy Seona Hyun is wearing a flower crown, what a crazy face.

Soon, all sorts of promotional posts about the participants started to flood in. The comments were overflowing, almost drowning out the malicious ones.

Then.

-What, who's filming a food broadcast?

└? What do you mean?

└No, someone is eating very seriously.

└What are you talking about? In the self-introduction video?

└No, really;; (Link)

Some people who were interested clicked on the link.

“Hello.”

Park Munda's face appeared on the screen.

Holding a chicken foot.

The participants couldn't see the real-time comments, but Park Munda's live comments were already exploding.

-Why are you holding a chicken foot, Munda?

-LOL Munda again

-After popcorn, boneless chicken feet appeared.

-Wasn't it supposed to be a self-introduction video? Is this chicken foot real?

-Why did you choose this? Is it a penalty? lol

-I really want to communicate and ask so many questions lol

In contrast to the comment section, Park Munda continued speaking nonchalantly while holding the chicken foot.

“The product I will promote today... is (Jin) Direct Fire Boneless Chicken Feet from T1 Food.”

Park Munda was sitting in front of a table set up with a hot plate.

The boneless chicken feet in his gloved hand looked appetizing, but compared to the thumbnails of other participants' videos, it gave a strong sense of dissonance.

“First, I'll eat and review it.”

Park Munda stuffed a chicken foot into his mouth with gusto. After chewing hard and swallowing, he opened his mouth again.

“The grilled flavor is good, and it's not too spicy, so I think I can keep eating it. There's no gamey taste, so the aftertaste is clean. The texture is also very satisfying.”

-Is this guy a professional food vlogger?

-Tell your story! You can talk about food to the public, Munda :(

-We should have known from when you were enthusiastic about popcorn.

-LOL Really funny

-It's just that Munda lacks social skills; he's a good kid.

The comments were in an uproar at Park Munda's sincere review. But soon, the atmosphere changed again.

Park Munda's food broadcast was more interesting than expected.

-But he really eats well.

-He doesn't spill and puts it in his mouth neatly.

-Chewing is so cute :(

-He would score points just by eating quietly at a formal dinner.

-I wish you would eat chicken feet wrapped in perilla leaves, Munda :(

└LOL I'm hungry

-He eats without getting his mouth dirty, so good.

-Indeed, it's nice to see someone eat well.

Park Munda continued his enthusiastic review.

He even took out a tuna mayonnaise triangle rice ball, saying it goes well with chicken feet, which made the comment section flip again.

By then, posts were appearing on SNS and community sites.

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

[Participant Park Munda eating chicken feet.jpg]

: Holy cow, Park Munda is eating chicken feet.

I thought he was the main vocalist, but he's a food vlogger on Vtube?

Park Munda's PR video is insane lol

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

The number of viewers skyrocketed.

Park Munda, who was already in the upper ranks, was now in the top 5.

The participants couldn't see the comments, but they could see the number of viewers. Park Munda blinked at the number of viewers, which had already surpassed ten thousand.

“The number of viewers... is quite high. Thank you. I'll do my best.”

-Munda, that's not it. Now tell your story :(

-Why? It's nice to watch you eat.

-Are you a new food vlogger? You eat well.

-You're an idol audition participant!

-You're a participant who sings well lol

-But why are you eating?

-I don't know lol

-We don't know either lol

-I never thought you would eat without singing a single note.

Park Munda was still giving a detailed review of the triangle rice ball.

Then, the alarm on the clock in the corner of Park Munda's desk went off.

“Ah, time's up.”

The PR live stream was given a basic 10 minutes.

The top 33 participants, based on the number of viewers and likes, received an additional 5 minutes and a special gift.

Park Munda thought, 'These guys are shamelessly making us do ads too,' but of course, he didn't show it and nodded.

“I might be done, so I'll say goodbye in advance. Thank you.”

Park Munda bowed. After a brief pause, he added:

“... I hope you enjoy the 2nd episode of 〈Rebirth! Idol Corporation〉.”

-The production team gave an example sentence. I'll bet a thousand won.

-This guy can't say empty words lol

-It's okay, Munda. You're cute.

-Yeah, you're cute.

-You sing well and eat well. My grandma will be happy.

-LOL Everyone is getting into it. Really funny lol

About 10 seconds after Park Munda's goodbye, a bell sound suddenly came from the screen.

“Ah, the results are out.”

Park Munda took out a bulky smartphone from under the desk. It seemed he received the results via text from the production team.

But the comments, which already knew that Park Munda was in the top 33, were focusing on something else.

-That's a filial phone.

-He's frugal.

-He's responsible.

-He looks like he would use a filial phone instead of an Apple phone, which people treat as a sign of backwardness... Somehow appealing?

-LOL Everyone is crazy.

-Munda, I'll buy you an Apple phone. Let's debut, Munda :(

Park Munda had chosen a free phone to live on a minimum budget, but it was creating an unexpected synergy.

Anyway, Park Munda had already guessed his high ranking, so the results were announced without tension.

“Ah, I'm in the top 33, so I can continue the broadcast. I hope you enjoy the next 5 minutes. I'll do my best.”

Park Munda bowed and soon picked up the chicken foot again. He stuffed it into his mouth with gusto.

-LOL You're asking for a good review through a food broadcast?

-He's so serious, it's the funniest thing.

-At least introduce yourself in the extra time lol

-Ahhh, Munda, tell us TMI. What's your favorite color? Are you a cat person or a dog person? Even your MBTI, please :(

The speed at which comments were posted increased dramatically. Even if Park Munda was watching, he wouldn't be able to read them all.

Then, Park Munda's smartphone rang again. It was from the production team.

‘What is it? Ah, is it the special gift or something?’

“The production team has another announcement. Please wait a moment...”

Park Munda checked the text. It was quite long.

[Special Gift for Participants! Direct communication with viewers! From now on, viewer donations are possible! Participants can see donation pop-ups for amounts over 〈10,000 won〉.

Please inform the viewers.^^ (※All donation amounts will be donated, please announce this!)]

Donating all the donation amounts was to prevent any potential controversy.

However, considering that the participants would receive the donations and the donations would be made in the name of the program, it was a rather annoying move.

‘They know how to take advantage without spending their own money.’

Park Munda thought indifferently but read the text aloud obediently.

-Donations??

-They set it at 10,000 won to block trolls.

-What kind of donation? They're just taking care of their own face.

-If they give it to the participants, they'll be called cheap. They just want to save face.

-If I send Munda chicken money, will he do a chicken food broadcast?

-It's as bad as a failing company's hole-in-the-wall store.

Most of the comments were cursing the production team, but that didn't mean there were no donations.

The first fanfare appeared on the screen almost immediately. It was a donation notification.

-That's fast.

-It's a chicken donation?

-LOL Someone should ask why it's chicken feet.

“Ah, thank you, 123...”

Park Munda, fighting a deep sense of disappointment, read the donation message that appeared on the screen.