Chapter 22

### Chapter 22: If I Can't Debut, I'll Get a Terminal Illness

I tried to build up my stamina by exercising and practicing until the day the third episode aired. Fortunately, Park Munda's talent wasn't completely bottom-of-the-barrel; he followed along well with whatever I did. The downside was that he mostly maxed out his practice achievements at 500. "It seems like it will be difficult to quickly fill up my stats with level-ups now." The occasional stat rewards from reputation or successful stage event pop-ups were a small consolation.

After a somewhat productive week, I returned on Friday. I headed to the meeting place around five in the afternoon. It was a serviced apartment quite far from a suburban station, probably the residence of one of the former team members. On my way out of the subway station, I experienced something surprising. "Hey!" "Yes?" "Are you... that idol stock company, by any chance?" Someone asked me this. In fact, it was more of a rhetorical question; the person's eyes were already gleaming with certainty. After a brief moment of consideration, I nodded. I hadn't worn a mask, so if someone took a photo, it would be impossible to deny. "Yes, that's right." "Ah, I knew it!" The woman who had approached me looked visibly pleased. "I really enjoy watching you. Your singing is amazing... Hey, could you take a photo with me?" What should I do? I had dressed appropriately, considering that someone like Kwon Sejin might want to take a certification photo, but unlike during shoots, I was bare-faced. I knew from experience that even idols often needed editing for bare-faced photos. "Sometimes, I would add some overall editing out of conscience before selling rehearsal photos." But in the current situation, avoiding any commotion was more important. "Sure, is this okay?" "Ah! Yes, just a moment..." The woman quickly opened a camera editing app and took a selfie with me. It was fortunate that she knew the code of conduct. "Thank you so much. I'll definitely vote, no, buy stocks!" "Ah, thank you." Given that she probably wouldn't remember Park Munda's name, the chances of her actually doing it were low, but I thanked her for the offer. However, because of her reaction, people started to notice me. Passersby began to glance at me, and it started to feel a bit burdensome. I quickly bowed and wrapped up the conversation. "I have to go..." "Ah, yes! Thank you for the photo..." The atmosphere suggested that she was about to ask what I was doing, so I quickly left. As soon as I stepped out of the station, I bought a mask from a convenience store. I might be called overly self-conscious, but since an incident had already occurred, I planned to be cautious on my way back. It was surprising that someone recognized me on the street so quickly. I already knew that Season 3 was doing well, but this was still a shock. "It's going to be intense by the end of the show." The place I was staying was just a cheap room with poor security. If Park Munda continues to avoid being heavily edited, I might need a plan for later. As I walked, lost in thought, I soon arrived at the meeting place. It was a serviced apartment, clean and secure, which suggested that whoever lived there was doing well. I was envious. "Oh, Munda, you're quick! Come on in!" "Ah, hello." When I rang the doorbell, Kwon Sejin and Seo Ahhyun came out. "The living room is this way~" Kwon Sejin led the way, and Seo Ahhyun followed. It seemed like this was Kwon Sejin's place. After all, it's natural for the host to invite people to their home. I looked around the rather luxurious interior of the serviced apartment and genuinely admired it. "Nice place." "Right? I wish it was mine!" "..." Was it a rental? My brief question was answered by Seo Ahhyun. "Thank you." "..." It was Seo Ahhyun's place. Meanwhile, Kwon Sejin was almost lying on the living room sofa, and Seo Ahhyun was sitting properly in the corner. I observed this peculiar situation for a moment before stopping my thoughts. What did it matter? I just wanted to watch the third episode and leave. * * * In the editing room on the 9th floor of the Tnet building, the production team of "Idol Stock Company" was working overtime today. "The PR video live preparation has delayed the editing too much." "I'm going crazy." The final cut was completed just a few hours before the broadcast, a nerve-wracking situation. Writer Ryu Seolim thought irritably. 'If only the PR could have been outsourced.' Despite pushing for more advertising, the production budget was only slightly increased, making it impossible to outsource. As a result, her schedule, having just escaped being a junior writer, was a series of all-nighters. Moreover, the edited version she checked while working on the subtitles was... completely unexpected. 'Why did they push these guys and kill off those guys?' Her suggestions were not properly reflected! She wanted to grind her teeth but lacked the energy. She had been up for two nights, and her vision was blurry. 'Not that I have any power anyway.' Still, she had suggested it for the show's entertainment value, and it was disappointing. 'I had some hope after seeing the editing direction of the first two episodes.' She sighed and left the editing room. With an hour left until the broadcast, she planned to get some rest in the on-duty room. * * * "Let's start!" "Huhuhu! Please, our team this episode! Please!" The former team members gathered at Seo Ahhyun's place ordered delivery food, chatted about recent events, and passed the time. They mostly talked excitedly about the reactions of their acquaintances after the first two episodes aired, but it wasn't very substantial. -Munda, should we order chicken feet? ...That was the most memorable part, where he asked with a grin. Anyway, as I listened half-heartedly, the broadcast time soon arrived. 'It's nice to watch on a big screen.' I thought absentmindedly, looking at the giant wall-mounted TV that took up a quarter of the living room wall. "Ah, it's starting." Seeing the guys who had sprawled out on the sofa or floor sit up, it seemed like the monitoring wouldn't be disturbed, which was a good thing. But it was a mistake. [Since this is the first team battle, everyone must have a participant they want to team up with, right?] As soon as the MC's words were broadcast, an interview was inserted. [Cha Yujin: I want to team up with Rabin!] [Lee Sejin (B): Me? (edited) Ah, Munda is good too!] [Park Munda: (shakes head)] "Aaah, the seniors are on!!" "Kwon Sejin's interview cut is well done." "I told you! I'm not in it." Every time a team member appeared on screen, everyone reacted dramatically. It was driving me crazy, making it hard to focus on the screen. Amidst this, Kwon Sejin burst out laughing. It seemed that being called Lee Sejin (B) because of a namesake was a good thing. "Park Munda, did you really say that? Hahaha!" "No." There was no way. Kwon Sejin had listed at least seven names, one by one, and only my name made it to the broadcast. Anyway, I tried to focus on the screen. The broadcast continued amidst the chatter. [Wow!!] [Our team is good, right?] First, the moment the team was decided was presented warmly. They showed the participants hugging and spinning around, making it look like they were genuinely happy to be together. Unexpectedly, the editing direction of the opposing team, which included former national archery team member Ryu Cheongwoo, was different. [Lee Dojun: Ah, somewhat...] [Park Jeongsup: Why did it have to be like this?] [Choi Sangjin: It's really fun? (edited) That's not how it felt.] [Ryu Cheongwoo: Oh. (forced laugh)] The team, which had quickly recovered under Ryu Cheongwoo's leadership despite the relatively low morale, was portrayed as having a ruined atmosphere in the broadcast. "Uh..." "Hmm." It was difficult to comment, and an ambiguous exclamation came from the side. It was a situation where it was hard to like or criticize. After showing the formation process of the other teams, the next part was the song selection. Gold 1, who didn't even look at it properly, appeared in a solo cut, pressing the button on the panel with a scream. "Aaaa..." Gold 1 was suffering as he watched his own dark history. On the screen, he was babbling in a dazed manner. [Oh, Ohryun?] The following editing was... not serious. The team members' interviews were shown with a bouncy, comedic BGM. For reference, Ha Iljun is Gold 1, and Kwon Heesung is Gold 2. [Lee Sejin (B): Did you see our faces?? Like this!] [Kwon Heesung: What... should we do? Hehehe...] [Seo Ahhyun: (laughs and shrinks her shoulders)] [Ha Iljun: ...I'm sorry. Huhuhu.] [♡To a New World / Soft and Sweet♡] The panel flashed in the background like a joke. ...And here, for some reason, Park Munda's interview appeared. [Park Munda: I liked it. (thumbs up)] A subtitle appeared. [Fan heart conquers all...!☆] The living room erupted in laughter. "Ahahaha!!" "Haha, huk, my stomach hurts from laughing so much..." Even Lee Sejin's face was red from trying to hold back his laughter. "Huh, is that real? Did you really say that?" "I said the team was good." "Huh, ah~ I see? Thanks." Kwon Sejin chuckled and flopped onto the sofa. I... just stuffed a piece of chicken in my mouth. 'Don't get involved.' The atmosphere of the subsequent dance practice and trainer feedback was not taken too seriously. [Let's do it like this!] [Hmm, got it.] The initial practice, which was actually quite gloomy, was edited to make it look like they were enthusiastically trying without knowing any better. The first tense background music played when the choreographer gave a scathing comment. [No one stands out. ...What are you trying to do?] The subsequent personal attacks were broadcast with giant subtitles, emphasizing the words. "It's still intense, even on a second watch." "Now that I'm saying it, it was really scary." "Yeah, it looked that way." "Yeah, you too." As the screen showed the team members with tense expressions, jokes and genuine comments mixed in the living room. Fortunately, the scene where Seo Ahhyun was criticized by the choreographer focused on her shocked reaction rather than on me. And at an unexpected time, an unexpected scene appeared. [Are you tired?] [Ah, no...] The scene where I talked to Seo Ahhyun, who was struggling to focus on practice, was shown. It was the conversation where I used the "It makes sense when I hear it" trait. The timing was off. This conversation happened after the arrangement was decided. "Eh, eh?" "What?" Seo Ahhyun, looking flustered, dropped the chicken she was eating. I was also a bit puzzled. 'This was said when the main camera was off and only the corner camera was on.' I didn't think it would be used in the broadcast. However, because the camera was fixed, it had an off-the-record feel. As a result, the conversation sounded more genuine. [D, do you really think I can... do well?] [Why would I lie?] [...!!] With the addition of a touching edit, it almost looked like a scene from a shonen manga where a teammate is recruited. I was confused. 'Well, it's good that they edited it well...' Considering the character they had been building up since the first episode, it was an unexpected choice. Did they decide to overhaul the editing because it wasn't coming out well? Meanwhile, the Park Munda in the screen delivered 'that line' with a great BGM. [Just think about 'I will do this.'] And the living room erupted in reactions. "Ohh~" "This... I will do this?" "Munda usually thinks like this, kya~ a quote!" Just... ignore it. Amidst the mix of jeers and admiration, the broadcast showed a short interview with Seo Ahhyun. [Seo Ahhyun: I, I, am very grateful... and... I will try hard... (I have to do it.) I, I have to do it.] Seo Ahhyun, though a bit weak, clearly had a sense of loyalty. I immediately thanked her. "Thank you." "Eh, eh... Ah, no, I'm the one who should be grateful..." "Ah, it's heartwarming." "Yes, it is." As Seo Ahhyun, whose conversation was hijacked, became even more flustered, the TV screen finally showed a cut of the arrangement being done under the mentor's advice. [Kids, let's first decide on the direction.] This was the important part.