Chapter 37

If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me 037th Chapter

The next participant to enter the 'Rabbit' room after me was Seonahyeon.

"…Ah!"

Seonahyeon, with a tense face, cautiously peeked into the room. When our eyes met, her expression brightened, and she quickly ran inside.

Then she smiled widely.

"Th, this time, it's good to be together."

"Uh, nice to meet you."

"Y-Yes, I'll do my best…"

Seonahyeon, who was excited and immediately started talking, suddenly froze when her eyes met those of Kim Raebin, who was staring blankly at her.

"…!!"

Seonahyeon seemed to have just realized Kim Raebin's presence, and she was startled and stiffened.

'Come to think of it, these two don't have any connection.'

They have different ranks and have never met in team battles.

Seonahyeon quickly alternated her gaze between me and Kim Raebin, swallowed, and greeted Kim Raebin.

"P-P-Please take care of me…"

She looked extremely serious.

"Yes, I'll do my best."

"A-Ah, no, I'll do my best…"

Kim Raebin also bowed deeply with a serious expression. Seonahyeon immediately followed suit, bowing so low that her head almost touched the floor.

It was a peculiar scene, something you might see in internet humor.

'If it's just these two, the conversation won't progress.'

While watching the endless greeting battle between Kim Raebin and Seonahyeon, the fourth team member burst into the room.

"Who's the rabbit?!"

It was Geunsejin. He was waving a rabbit-shaped badge with one hand, completely immersed in the room's concept for some reason.

Geunsejin quickly checked Seonahyeon and Kim Raebin, then burst into laughter when he saw me.

Why again.

"What, why are you here, Moon?"

"…?"

I gave him a look that said, "What nonsense are you talking about?" and Geunsejin continued slowly.

"Well, there's a 'Dog' room, so I thought you'd naturally be there. Can't we be together this time?"

"……"

Wasn't the Tibetan fox interview enough? I had planned to go with the dog image, but this guy was a different story, and I wanted to punch him.

Geunsejin, being quick-witted, changed the subject and approached the others.

"Anyway, it's good to be together, right? Our team members are great this time! Let's do our best! Only one more person, right?"

There were a total of six rooms with nameplates. Considering that 30 participants are still alive, it's highly likely that each room will have 5 members.

'So, if 4 people have already come, one more is correct.'

But I don't know who will come.

'At least the positions and rankings are already set.'

The team members are well-balanced without overlapping images, and their rankings are in the top tier, and their skills are all good.

Kim Raebin will handle the arrangement, and Geunsejin will likely take the leader role, so that's settled. With Seonahyeon, an all-rounder, the stage composition will be easy.

In fact, it's fine even with just these four.

'As long as no troll comes.'

I thought of a few people, including Joo Won-gil, who I'd like to avoid. As long as it's not them, it doesn't matter who comes.

The problem is that the team composition has never been smooth so far.

I gauged the situation.

'Here… I can handle up to Geunsejin.'

He's uncooperative, but he's not the type to pass the buck to others. I can gently persuade him.

Still, there's a possibility that his mental state might have been affected by the recent ranking announcement, so it's better not to be in the same team.

If the last member is someone I hope for… well, there's only one left, excluding those who are already taken in alphabetical order.

'Gold 1 would be the easiest.'

While I was thinking of the participant with the highest possibility, Geunsejin suggested with a grin.

"Should we hide behind the door? It would be great to welcome the last member with all our enthusiasm, right?"

It was a cliché idea, but if the last member's reaction is good, it could be a fun scene for the broadcast.

The problem was the thought that the atmosphere might change if Joo Won-gil came in, but the other three had already gone behind the door, so I gave up.

If I tried to stop them, I'd just look strange in front of the camera.

While listening to the team members whispering behind the door, Geunsejin, who was leaning against the wall, called out softly.

"He's coming!"

He raised his index finger to his lips and made a fuss. Since I was already keeping my mouth shut, I continued to do so.

Soon, footsteps approached, and the door opened.

"Excuse me… Huh?"

"Ta-da!"

One by one, heads popped out from behind the door.

"Kyaaah!!"

The participant who opened the door and looked inside jumped up in the air, making a physical comedy move. It was more dramatic than expected.

'Congratulations on the broadcast time.'

The last team member, who rolled on the ground with a strange scream, was a familiar face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, senior!"

An unexpected Gold 1 joined.

'…Not bad.'

For the first time, I gave a positive evaluation of the team composition.

* * *

"We, the Rabbit Class, will do our best~"

"Yaaah!!"

Clap, clap, clap. The discussion started with a reasonable reaction, without a single person looking sullen.

Including my college life, this was the most harmonious team atmosphere I've ever experienced.

With the cameras rolling, there were no curses or distractions.

'Really like a kindergarten.'

Of course, not all teams were as smooth as the 'Rabbit Class'.

For example, two or three teams with participants bunched in the lower ranks had already given up halfway.

"Ah…"

"Um, let's do our best…"

"…It's come to this."

However, surprisingly, the most despairing situation came from another team with the top trainees. Joo Won-gil and Geunsejin joined the team of Ryu Cheong-woo and Cha Yoo-jin. Moreover, the troll who had grabbed Kim Raebin's collar was also in that team.

Some participants whispered.

"Can they be grouped like that?"

"The combination is interesting."

I could hear the sound of Ryu Cheong-woo's stomach slowly churning.

'Pity, but it's actually good for me.'

If they attract all the editing attention, it will be easier for us.

While I was drawing a quick conclusion, Geunsejin was leading the discussion.

"Okay, let's talk about the song first! Anyone have a song they want to do?"

Many team members raised their hands with shining eyes. Even Seonahyeon subtly raised hers, showing how excited everyone was.

It was understandable. This was the first 'free song selection team battle'.

Recalling the MC's announcement just now:

'You can choose every detail, from the song, choreography, and concept that suit your team, and create your own stage! It's called the 'Self-Produced Stage'!'

It was as if the production team was trying to get a free ride.

'In the previous season, they at least gave us something through mini-games.'

It meant that the production team had prepared about ten patterns of concepts, including costumes and stage setups, and the participants could choose from them.

But this season, they were telling us to figure it out on our own.

It seems that at the planning stage of this season, the budget was insufficient to prepare everything in advance.

At least, with the show's success, they managed to secure additional funding, and now there are almost no budget constraints for this content, which is a plus.

'That's why everyone is so excited.'

I listened to each team member's opinion.

The speaking order was set in a clockwise direction, and Seonahyeon, who got the first turn, called out softly.

"Wh-What about 'Waiting Is Good'…!"

'Waiting Is Good.' Its features include high notes and a musical-like choreography.

It was a song by a nine-member male idol group released five years ago, which gave the group their first number one.

Given Seonahyeon's background, it was a song she would likely enjoy.

"Wow, the first candidate is a great song."

"Right. We've never shown a clear youth! Fresh! Concept."

I added my two cents.

"Not bad."

"Y-Yes!!"

Seonahyeon nodded vigorously, looking thrilled even if it wasn't chosen.

'How does she manage to look like that?'

I felt a mix of pity and bewilderment.

"Next is Raebin!"

"Considering the team composition, I think 'Hone' by the VTIC seniors is the most effective choice."

His words flowed out as if he had prepared them.

"Since it uses many Eastern sound samples, the concept is distinctive, and the vocal range is appropriate. The choreography is challenging, making it easy to showcase performance elements, and it's easy to add a dance break. I can draft an arrangement within a day!"

"Uh-huh…"

'He really wants to do it, doesn't he?'

I wasn't the only one who thought so, as the other team members responded slowly with a bewildered look.

Kim Raebin, realizing his mistake, hesitantly added.

"Of course… if there are other good suggestions, those are also fine."

"Okay, okay, Raebin's choice was good, but let's hear other opinions slowly~"

Geunsejin quickly moved on.

'But it might be better to listen to the arranger's opinion in more detail.'

It seemed that Geunsejin himself had a song he wanted to push and didn't intend to give Kim Raebin more time to speak.

'I'll take care of it.'

I spoke up.

"Which element of what you said did you like the most?"

"Uh? …Ah, it's not that a specific element caught my attention, but I considered the overall suitability for the task."

He focused on the overall stage completion. I nodded.

"A perspective we need to keep in mind."

"Right. I was really surprised."

"Raebin has a plan!"

"…Thank you."

As the team members praised him, Kim Raebin bowed deeply and mumbled.

A warm atmosphere was briefly created as everyone watched the awkward Kim Raebin, and then Geunsejin gave his final opinion.

"The time has come."

"…?"

"We've come this far, it's time for a sexy concept…!"

"S-S-Sexy…"

"Ah!"

"Ugh…"

Shudders of disgust followed.

"Hahaha! Can't deny it, right? Can't?"

"……"

It was annoyingly shameless, but…

'…It's a valid point.'

It was hard to deny that it was a good idea.

'If we can pull it off properly, there's no stronger concept than this.'

If we can maintain a sophisticated level and look good, the sexy concept has traditionally been a proven path to success.

I crossed my arms and asked Geunsejin.

"What song do you want to do?"

"Huh? As expected, Moon has good taste. I don't have a specific song in mind, but I want to compare several songs and discuss which one best showcases the… sexy concept. What do you think?"

"……"

It was fine.

But the other two opinions were also good.

I turned my head and looked at Gold 1, who hadn't spoken yet.

Gold 1 looked pale.

"I… don't know. I just wanted to try to save the rabbit… But everyone… has such a clear vision…"

He seemed to have lost his fighting spirit due to the strong opinions. It was understandable. I shrugged.

"Wh-What about you, Moon? What do you want to do?"

"Me? I don't have anything specific in mind."

As I answered Seonahyeon's question, Geunsejin's eyes lit up.

"Oh, I want to hear Moon's choice! Which of our suggestions do you like the most?"

"…!"

The other team members' gazes were fixed on me.

It was very burdensome. But I couldn't ignore the situation.

'Which one is the best?'

I thought.