Chapter 26

If I don't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me 026

[This participant is known for her outstanding dance skills.]

‘Not even 7th place in Moondae!’

She clenched her fists and screamed inwardly with a thousand cries.

The effort of persistently posting videos and messages on social media, asking for votes... no, stock purchases, came flooding back like a tidal wave.

Then, passing 6th place, 5th place.

[This participant... was noted for her unique ideas and distinctive talent, right?]

Finally, the MC called out Moondae Park.

[5th place, Moondae Park participant!]

The camera captured Moondae Park, who had been sitting, suddenly standing up.

‘Crazy, crazy, this is so crazy...’

Unable to contain her overflowing screams, she started writing on social media.

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[Crazy Moondae 5th place, oh Moondae 😭😭 I really believed you would do well, our Moondae is a genius 😭😭😭 Thank you for being an idol, really 😭😭]

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Then she deleted it without posting.

A thin thread of rationality prevented her from posting, fearing that her already named accounts would be used as unnecessary points of contention.

Moondae Park, who had ascended the stage, bowed deeply, making his golden-brown hair sway, and began to speak.

[This ranking feels undeserved. I will strive to live up to the expectations of the shareholders who bought my stock. Thank you.]

Then he bowed again.

It was a standard speech, but the word choice made it feel more like a corporate fair than an idol event.

On social media, comments like ‘Is Moondae the CEO? 😂’ were rampant when the MC asked the prepared question.

[You gained a lot of attention with the chicken feet PR. If you debut, what kind of food broadcast would you like to do next?]

[Um... steamed pre-cooked large intestines?]

The MC burst out laughing at the unusual and precise product name.

[Is there a reason?]

[It was the second most delicious thing I tasted after chicken feet.]

Laughter broke out here and there at Moondae Park's calm response.

The MC packaged it humorously.

[Ah, another PPL product! This participant really thinks about the Idol Stock Company. Here's 5th place, Moondae Park.]

[Thank you.]

Moondae Park just smiled faintly, bowed again, and went to his designated seat.

It was a well-balanced speech, neither too clever nor giving unnecessary room for controversy.

She, who was watching, let out a sigh of relief.

She had been worried that the editing would subtly give strange implications about Moondae Park's attitude, as it often did.

‘They must have asked another participant.’

Sure enough, Kim Raebin, who was announced 4th, received an awkward edit.

It seemed to be a result of the conflict with the 7th place participant during the team battle.

In any case, she watched the rest of the announcements with a more relaxed mind.

Honestly, it didn't matter who made it.

‘If anything, I hope Seon Ah-hyun does well. Oh, and I hope Cha Yujin fails a bit.’

On social media, Cha Yujin's malicious fans were calling Moondae derogatory names and making dog sounds, which made her so angry she wanted to sue.

However, since 'Idol Stock Company' prefers participants who come from outside their agencies, it was traditionally difficult to quell public opinion through a lawsuit by the agency.

‘Especially since Moondae is a civilian...’

She was just worried that he might be hurt if he saw it while searching.

‘Once he debuts, I’ll send the PDFs to the agency as much as possible.’

She made a firm resolution and watched the broadcast out of habit.

Seon Ah-hyun was 3rd.

“T-t-thank you. Sniff.”

Seon Ah-hyun sobbed while giving her thanks.

The reactions of some Aektober 31 team members, their eyes red with emotion, were captured along with a touching BGM.

“I-I didn’t think I could... do it. T-thanks to... my teammates, and... the votes... I’m really grateful.”

The MC mouthed ‘votes, not stocks!’

But Seon Ah-hyun, who was in a daze, didn't notice, and the cross-editing added a subtle touch of humor to the emotional moment.

Seon Ah-hyun sniffled and found her seat, and in the process, the warm interactions among Aektober 31 team members, including Moondae Park, were briefly highlighted.

It was evidence that the production team was aware of the heated online reactions.

After that, as expected, Cha Yujin and Ryu Cheong-woo were the candidates for 1st and 2nd place, and Cha Yujin was announced as 1st.

“Really, I’m so happy!”

‘Ryu Cheong-woo would have been better!’

Cha Yujin, who was happily giving her acceptance speech, felt subtly annoying.

But she wasn't so foolish as to leave a nasty comment, so she decided to be happy about Moondae Park's 5th place.

The ranking announcement ended rather anticlimactically with a participant who didn't receive much attention being announced 49th.

The broadcast ended with a warm scene of Aektober 31 members gathering to tease and laugh with Seon Ah-hyun.

‘Disappointing.’

From a fan's perspective, there wasn't enough content. She wanted to see more.

She hoped that next time, they would film his commute, and she wished for Moondae Park's good performance.

The ranking announcement must have been followed by continuous filming for the next team battle.

‘Maybe one of Kwon Sejin or Seon Ah-hyun will be on the same team again.’

She made various speculations and deeply hoped.

‘Whoever it is, I hope Moondae can create a great stage with peace of mind!’

* * *

My head is going to explode.

What's happening now?

“Ah! Moondae Park has been chosen!”

The MC's excited voice and the participants' surprised exclamations echoed around.

“Wow!”

“Moondae?”

Even with the number of participants reduced from 77 to 49, the volume was still deafening.

Surprised? I was surprised too.

Why did he choose me?

“Moondae Park will... join Kim Raebin’s team.”

I had expected that the filming for the second team battle would follow the ranking announcement.

-This time, the teams will be chosen by a lottery!

-The seven participants I draw will be the leaders, and they will choose their team members by solving quizzes!

I had anticipated such rules.

But I didn't expect him to choose me.

Kim Raebin.

A participant from the same agency as Cha Yujin, currently 4th place. According to what I know, he will eventually reach 2nd place.

By the way, I've never even greeted him.

“Then, Moondae Park, please move over!”

“...”

I walked over to stand next to Kim Raebin.

‘I can't just ask why he chose me out of the blue.’

Who knows what kind of edit might be added. For now, let's just nod at each other like meeting a business partner.

“Please take care of me.”

“Yes, please take care of me.”

Fortunately, despite his intimidating appearance, he nods well.

‘He must not have had any ulterior motives.’

It seems my bias was influenced by his good-looking thug look and his squinty eyes, which are popular among today's teenagers.

‘So, he really chose Moondae because he thought he was useful.’

Since Kim Raebin is a rapper, it wouldn't be strange for him not to pick a main vocalist.

If a lower-ranked participant had chosen me, I would have thought they just wanted a main vocalist.

However, I remember that there was originally a main vocalist in Kim Raebin's previous team who was supposed to debut.

But he deliberately skipped him?

‘Ah, it must be because the previous team member was uncomfortable.’

Thinking about it, it makes sense.

Kim Raebin's previous team was the one where the atmosphere was ruined due to the individual 1st place reward.

Hmm. The previous broadcast comes to mind.

-Did you deliberately give me this part?

-No, I didn't. I assigned parts so that everyone could perform at their best on stage...

-So, you thought I could only do this?

Although it wasn't shown on the broadcast, I heard that someone even grabbed the collar of the person who announced the individual reward.

‘The intensity was well portrayed on the broadcast.’

Thanks to that, the only one who survived the broadcast edit in a good light was Cha Yujin.

The main vocalist of that team didn't have much screen time, but it wasn't strange for them to cut ties due to the uncomfortable atmosphere.

And if he chose the most verified vocalist, Moondae Park, it makes sense.

‘Still, choosing him first is a bit strange.’

But it's not an immediate concern, so let's move on.

I quickly organized my thoughts and assessed the situation.

“The next quiz is... five words starting with 'Park'!”

“Museum, applause, bat, Park Hyeokgeose, Park Goji.”

Kim Raebin immediately raised his hand and quickly answered. His momentum was intense.

“Wow! Kim Raebin, correct answer in a row!”

“Ah!”

“Isn’t this too advantageous for a rapper?”

With the participants' rich reactions, understanding the broadcast ecosystem, Kim Raebin immediately chose the next participant.

“Cha Yujin... I choose you.”

Even though they were on the same team before, he still managed to secure the 1st place. I would have done the same.

Surprisingly wise.

From the previous team battle, he seemed to have a worse social life than Lee Sejin, but it must have been the power of rumors and editing.

Just how this team composition will affect me is unknown.

‘It’s going to be very different from the first round.’

“Good choice!”

“Yeah.”

As soon as she was chosen, Cha Yujin ran over and acted familiar with Kim Raebin. Then she gave me a thumbs up.

“We’re together!”

“Yes... that’s right.”

“You do great on stage!”

“Yes, please take care of me.”

I don’t know how long we have to keep this conversation going. It’s awkward.

The funny thing is, I seem to be the only one feeling awkward. Cha Yujin is nodding as if she understands the context.

I can already predict the future communication.

Meanwhile, Kim Raebin was choosing team members without hesitation. His success rate was high, so the team filled up quickly.

“Ryu Cheong-woo.”

“Min Jeong-hoon.”

I started to feel uneasy.

The lineup was excessively good. By 'good,' I mean their rankings were high.

All team members were within the top 15. Just thinking about what kind of edit might come out is making me dizzy.

‘If we don’t perform at a heavenly level, there’s no way out.’

Moreover, I started to stand out in a strange way.

This was because one of the initial seven participants who chose their team members was Choi Won-gil.

“Seon Ah-hyun!”

“Kwon Sejin, oh, Lee Sejin!”

Choi Won-gil started with Seon Ah-hyun and almost restored the team from the first team battle.

Of course, I was excluded because Kim Raebin chose me first.

‘Hmm, even if I had the chance, I don’t think he would have chosen me.’

But Kim Raebin also chose another Aektober 31 member.

“Lee Sejin, the child actor, Lee Sejin A, joins Kim Raebin’s team~”

Lee Sejin walked over with a not-so-good expression.

The unexploded bomb that didn’t go off in the first round due to the crazy social life with Kwon Sejin and Gold 1, 2 was now joining Kim Raebin’s team.

“...”

Why did he choose Lee Sejin again?

Could it be because he had the highest ranking among the remaining participants?

Looking at the remaining participants who hadn’t been chosen yet, I saw Choi Won-gil’s team.

“Moondae~”

When our eyes met, Kwon Sejin and Gold 1, 2 stretched out their hands as if performing a comedy sketch with sad expressions.

Seon Ah-hyun, looking flustered, waved his hand anxiously.

“...”

Why do I feel like I’m on the wrong track?

My spine was tingling. It seems I need some supernatural help.

‘Status window.’