Chapter 29

If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me 029

The judges seemed ready to deliver a line like, "So, you're saying it's all Raven's fault?"

So, I had to choose my words carefully.

'It has to sound like I'm just stating the facts, not trying to fix the situation.'

"Yes. Raven... has the ability to arrange, so I consulted with the arranger, and we all discussed and decided on the direction of the arrangement together."

"…!"

Raven flinched.

'You shouldn't open your mouth.'

Fortunately, Ryuchungwoo quickly jumped in.

"That's right. We'll discuss the issues you pointed out again and resolve them. We'll make sure to show you the best performance on the day of the team battle."

"……"

He saved the situation.

Ryuchungwoo and I wisely didn't say anything more.

The judges, who seemed to be thinking about various things, soon nodded.

'It seems they think the time to scold us has passed.'

Fortunately.

"Then, you'll have to start rearranging from scratch, which will put you far behind the other teams in terms of time. Can you do it?"

"We can do it. We can, right?!"

"Yes!"

"We can do it!"

If you've brought it this far, you won't give a vague answer unless you're a complete idiot.

Fortunately, this time even the troll pulled himself together and answered strongly.

Judge Youngrin nodded.

"Understood. However, you must be aware that this challenge might be futile given the time constraints, and you will have to bear the consequences."

"Right. There's no guarantee that changing it will make it better than it is now."

If the stage doesn't improve after making changes, people might say, "Why didn't you change it after receiving feedback?"

And there will be comments about the lack of a fighting spirit, so it's actually a meaningless statement.

Ultimately, whatever you do, the process will be edited and evaluated based on the results.

Since all participants know this implicitly, a sense of discipline and tension filled the team.

"Yes. We will keep it in mind and take on the challenge."

Just as Ryuchungwoo's answer seemed to wrap up the situation, a voice interjected.

"Can I say something?"

It was the original singer with the microphone.

"Ah, yes... Please go ahead."

The judges, who were a bit taken aback by the sudden interruption, answered somewhat reluctantly, and the original singer took the microphone with a deep look.

"Your performance didn't convey the power of the song 'Burning Like the Sun.'"

"……?"

What is this sudden comment when the conversation was already over?

The original singer continued, despite the evident confusion of the others.

"This song should inspire courage and passion in people's hearts, but that doesn't come across just because you're good-looking and can dance well."

"……."

Ah, yes...

"To be honest, when we were active, we really tried to convey that feeling. You shouldn't forget the respect for such a song just because you've become a bit famous."

Is it not embarrassing to say such things to audition participants who haven't even debuted yet?

It seemed like he mistook his condescending remarks for advice. He also seemed to have an inflated ego.

But his reaction would be included in the editing, so it was a painful point to consider.

We already had to squeeze out an alternative arrangement, and now we had to endure this nonsense.

Annoyed, but knowing that contradicting him would only make us look like we were taking the song away from the "poor unknown idol original singer," everyone answered obediently.

"Yes!"

"We will keep it in mind."

Well... that's how life goes.

* * *

After all the other teams had received their mid-evaluation feedback, it was finally just before the re-arrangement discussion.

The troll hesitantly approached Kim Raebeom.

"Um, I'm sorry…."

"……."

Is it okay to let him apologize in front of the camera?

After all, the team's cover had already been set, so it was up to him to deal with his own mistakes.

Kim Raebeom remained silent for a moment but soon nodded.

"No, it's fine. I did take charge of the arrangement."

In fact, it wouldn't have been strange to answer, "No, you suggested we do it that way."

In any case, Ryuchungwoo patted both of their backs and concluded.

"Good job. Let's discuss the arrangement again once we're ready."

By 'ready,' he meant the production team's camera setup.

"Yes!"

During the break, the participants dispersed, their spirits high.

Despite the tense mid-evaluation, their expressions weren't too bad, and it seemed that the situation had been salvaged at the end, giving them some hope.

'But a solution needs to be found for that hope to be meaningful.'

No one had come up with a clear direction for the arrangement, and it seemed they were just hoping something would come up in the discussion.

It means they were trying to be happy without having anything to back it up.

'The future doesn't look bright.'

"Um, Park Munda."

"Ah, yes."

While sitting in a corner, trying to think, Kim Raebeom approached me.

'Unexpected.'

We hadn't really talked much over the past four days.

...Actually, thinking about it, I hadn't really talked to anyone much over the four days.

How could I have time for idle chatter when I was struggling with practice?

Anyway, Kim Raebeom awkwardly knelt beside me and spoke solemnly.

"...Thank you."

"No, it's nothing."

He must be grateful for cutting off the troll's words earlier.

"In such a situation, it was the first time someone helped me..."

Indeed, that was the case. I understood the situation.

Kim Raebeom was also worried.

If this team couldn't adapt and ended up in a conflict, it would be a death sentence in terms of public opinion.

'No wonder he was so humble.'

Sure enough, a detailed explanation followed.

"I was very concerned about receiving another evaluation of poor teamwork after the first round, but thanks to you, I managed to overcome the crisis. It was indeed a wise choice to recruit the team member with the best teamwork first."

"……?"

Could it be that the reason I was picked first was for 'teamwork'?

When I asked, he nodded.

"Yes. I saw how you treated the team members reasonably. Of course, your singing ability was also excellent."

"……Oh, thank you. I appreciate it."

He was a unique individual who believed the content of the show, even though it had been edited to pieces.

Especially believing in the teamwork ability of Park Munda, who was edited to be socially inept in the early stages...

It's truly remarkable. If he had chosen Geunsejin, I would have understood.

'Ah, maybe he didn't pick him because his role as a leader would overlap with Ryuchungwoo.'

He seemed to have his own standards.

As I was surprised, Kim Raebeom spoke again.

"Ah, sir. You can speak freely; I'm fine with it."

"…Hmm, okay."

There's nothing wrong with being open with someone of higher rank.

I answered smoothly and then realized there was a question I needed to ask about the current situation.

"By the way, about the arrangement, do you have any ideas?"

"…Actually, it's a bit of a difficult situation."

Kim Raebeom's smooth thug-like demeanor softened, and he looked depressed.

"Even if we start rearranging again, it's a problem where to start and how much to change."

Given that we've already practiced the arrangement, it's unclear how much we need to change to meet the deadline.

"There's too much to change, and the current changes lack coherence, so I don't know where to start."

"That's true."

So, he doesn't have any specific ideas or a clear direction for changes, just like me.

Once Kim Raebeom started venting, he couldn't stop, muttering his worries.

"We need to reflect the original singer's advice, but I don't really understand what it means to 'inspire courage and passion' specifically."

"……That's true."

It's... really true.

It was hard to even call it advice.

'How do you inspire courage and passion? Idols aren't like American superhero comics from the 1980s.'

"……?"

Wait. I just... realized something.

I reviewed my previous thoughts and realized I had a strange idea.

But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to fit the situation perfectly.

An arrangement concept that could be adapted to the original key without much change.

We wouldn't have to change the already practiced cheerleader concept choreography much, and we could even capture that 'courage' and 'passion.'

It seemed like a brilliant solution. But the problem was...

'...It's too much.'

Indeed. It wasn't just too much; it could be overly childish.

That would be worse than not changing anything. If anyone made a mistake on stage, it would definitely turn serious.

Hmm?

"…No."

"Sir?"

"Just a moment."

I ignored Kim Raebeom's question.

Instead, I looked at the team members returning as the break ended and shouted in my mind.

'Status window!'

I quickly scanned the team members' statuses.

"……!"

I didn't know about other abilities, but all of them had a 'charisma' ability of B- or higher.

For reference, an ability at the B level means it's good enough to be used in a main position.

Indeed, a team composed of high-ranking members.

'This... might work.'

For some reason, the judges didn't criticize the outdated cheerleader concept much.

"Raebeom. About the arrangement."

"Yes, yes?"

I told the flustered Kim Raebeom the idea that came to mind.

"Ye... Yes?"

At first, Kim Raebeom seemed even more flustered. But as I added more explanations, he gradually calmed down and his eyes started to sparkle.

The reaction was better than expected.

"Wait a moment."

Kim Raebeom ran to the keyboard set up in one corner of the practice room and started playing something.

I recalled Kim Raebeom's status window from earlier.

[Special: Maestro (A)]

: A small trigger is all that's needed.

When inspired, creation speed +120%

"……"

Seonahyun is like that, and indeed, there are golden spoons in the status window.

'The ability to copy other people's special traits... doesn't exist, right? It's something I often see in web novels.'

I wanted to lament, but I had to do my job first. I quickly called up the status window.

And I invested the remaining points into the 'charisma' stat.

This brought me to the B- level.

'Good. The numbers are right.'

"Park Munda, why did Raebeom suddenly go to the keyboard?"

Ryuchungwoo, who had approached, couldn't talk to Kim Raebeom, who was playing the keyboard, and instead asked me.

I shrugged.

"I suggested a concept idea, and it seems he likes it."

"What kind of idea?"

"A transformation hero concept."

"…?!"

Behind the confused Ryuchungwoo, Cha Yujin whispered to the person next to her.

"What's a transformation hero concept?"

It was five days before the competition.

* * *

And five days later, on the day of the competition.

In front of the stage set for the second team battle of 'Idol Corporation,' there was a crowd.

The number of audience members hadn't increased much, but thanks to the soaring ratings and buzz, more people were milling around, trying to catch a sound.

Even though it wasn't the final episode, some people were already distributing slogans and photo cards, which was a bit concerning.

'Wow, this is serious.'

A woman, with a clumsy movement, avoided the crowd and joined the line to enter.

She had applied for the audience with a friend but was the only one selected, and after considering whether to go, she finally took a personal day and came.

'With the current fame...'

Of course, this decision was heavily influenced by her friend's plea, "Please, just tell me how Park Munda performs," with tears and food.

Still, she had a thought.

'Is it really that good...?'

She had seen a photo of Park Munda with golden-brown hair on social media.

He was quite attractive, but she didn't think he was that good-looking.

Still, since she had gotten free food, she decided to keep an eye on him.

She finally entered the building, unaware that in the future, she would beg her friend for a photo of Park Munda after the audience event.