Chapter 46

If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me 046th Chapter

Actually, the atmosphere of the show wouldn't completely fall apart just because of Cha Yujin.

However, when the scene where Cha Yujin's team atmosphere plunges into hell in episode 9 comes up, it will be quite solemn.

Is there any need to make things uncomfortable?

I held my smartphone and pondered briefly, trying to choose an appropriate refusal message.

Daesejin interrupted at that moment.

“What is it?”

“Oh, Kim Raebin is asking if it's okay to include Cha Yujin.”

“Hmm… It should be fine, right?”

Daesejin smiled.

“Surely the production team won't break up the team in episode 9? It'll probably be in the preview for episode 10!”

“……”

I hadn't thought that far.

Moreover, he said it so bluntly. After the school bullying controversy, it seems there's a strange trust, and he speaks more openly.

“This is a good opportunity to build camaraderie~ Oh, right, the landlord's opinion is important! How about Ahyeon?”

“I, I'm fine!”

“That's what she says!”

Seo Ahyeon coolly shouted "Yes" and focused on reading the board game rules.

This guy seems to have changed a bit too.

To invite a participant who doesn't even drop formalities to his house.

“Well… If that's the case.”

Just invite them.

I reluctantly replied to Kim Raebin.

* * *

Kim Raebin and Cha Yujin arrived after lunch.

“Ooh, come on in!”

Daesejin greeted them cheerfully.

By the way, Gold 1, who joined hastily due to Daesejin's statement that “since it's like this, I have to call my senior too,” was also sitting in the living room.

It's true that if Gold 1 wasn't called among the team members, it would look strange, but including Cha Yujin also makes it look strange.

“Hello. Please take care of me.”

To my surprise, Cha Yujin bowed deeply and handed over a garbage bag. By the way, the bag contained only snacks.

“I've already ordered chicken, but if you want more, we can order more.”

“Sure.”

Kim Raebin nodded and sat quietly in the corner. He means he doesn't want any.

However, Cha Yujin asked with sparkling eyes.

“Can we order pizza then?”

“Of course!”

“Wow!”

Cha Yujin only left an exclamation and opened the delivery app. I thought she would still be down, but she was as cheerful as ever.

Kim Raebin exchanged greetings calmly.

“Did you join in the morning?”

“Ah, I did, and Moon Dae came even earlier.”

“Really?”

There's no need to hide it, but it was a bit annoying.

Still, I couldn't ignore it, so I explained the chaos that happened in the one-room apartment.

Seo Ahyeon chimed in from time to time to add to the story.

It went something like this.

“…So when I went inside the front door, there were other people.”

“Eek!”

“Not just one, but three more people!”

“…Hmm, right. So it took some time for the police to take them away.”

“The police treated it like it was nothing… You, that was too much.”

“Too… much. Yeah.”

As this process repeated, the story became more exaggerated, almost like an internet rumor.

Thanks to this, the participants who heard the whole story were speechless.

“Wow, you did well to come to Ahyeon's place. It's scary.”

“Yeah. Hey… I've had someone come to my front door before, but I'm worried it might happen like that. I have a younger sister at home….”

“Whoa, who came?”

“Yeah. Later, I heard that they rang the doorbell and sat in front of the door, so my sister couldn't go out.”

“Oh….”

Similar stories from people living alone or in agency dorms followed.

It was a fitting eerie topic before the shocking and terrifying live broadcast of "Ajuja."

By the time they were eating chicken, the conversation had moved on to stories about friends of known participants.

“…So when I went in, the lens detector in the shower was beeping….”

“Crazy.”

While eating the next pizza, the TV started replaying episode 8 of "Ajuja" before the live broadcast of episode 9.

They enjoyed episode 8 with appropriate comments. By the end, Cha Yujin had also blended well into the atmosphere.

“Really, you weren't at all disappointed with third place?”

“I was disappointed, but it was good.”

“Hey, that's great.”

“Hehe.”

Cha Yujin smiled at Gold 1's admiration. I was amazed at what kind of madness happened in the "Huskya" team to make such a guy so dejected.

After the pizza boxes were completely empty, episode 9 finally began.

[Reopening! Idol Stock Company!]

The now tiresome logo appeared, and the first segment was a talent show.

The participants got a decent amount of screen time, more or less evenly distributed.

It's unclear whether it was to promote a healing vibe or to cover up a hastily prepared, poorly executed show with warmth.

Most of them got humorous scenes that highlighted their characters. Daesejin was a typical example.

The problem was that my segment… started and ended with a gag.

[This moment… dominating the stage!]

[Park Moon Dae, is he really serious about trot?]

They put such subtitles during the song.

They clearly made it awkward on purpose, meaning it was meant to be funny.

And everyone laughed well.

“Hahaha!”

“Phew…”

“The footage makes you look like a really nice person. Congratulations, Moon Dae!”

The last one was Daesejin. I silently hit Daesejin's back while he was drinking soda.

“Cough.”

You should have just laughed.

Park Moon Dae's segment didn't end there.

After the participants jumped out of the kimchi fridge and the scene turned into a frenzy, an interview was inserted as if to stamp it.

[Q: Do you like trot?]

[Park Moon Dae: Yes.]

A cut of him giving a thumbs up after a straightforward answer was inserted.

‘That was the interview where they asked if the team liked it, right?’

What kind of fabrication do these crazy guys do every episode?

The subtitles were even more damning.

[Trot lover Park Moon Dae, are you happy with the kimchi fridge?]

I haven't even received the kimchi fridge yet, you bastards.

What's more frustrating is that my segment in episode 9 ends there.

‘They only gave me such a hollow part.’

If it had been early on, I would have been grateful for the positive footage. But not now.

As the final team battle approaches, this isn't a particularly beneficial edit.

‘There are few comments as fatal to the survival final vote as “not looking desperate.”’

And so far, Park Moon Dae on the show… honestly, didn't look that desperate.

If the desperate scenes were fewer than the funny ones, it's understandable.

So even though I tried harder in this team battle, if this trend continues, it doesn't seem like my “desperation” will be highlighted.

‘What can I do?’

I didn't come here with the intention of debuting in the end. I haven't shown enough to aim for such a cut, and the timing to be picked has passed.

I don't have any backstory that fans could use to create and share a desperate image.

‘It's a bit funny, actually.’

In fact, among the people here, I am the most desperate. If I can't debut, I might be the only one who will die.

‘Maybe I should prepare myself mentally.’

If my ranking suddenly drops in the final episode, I'll just accept it. Whoever picks me, I can debut quickly.

I smacked my lips. For some reason… I felt a bit disappointed.

‘If I'm going to be active, it would be better to do it with more comfortable people.’

Probably more than half of the people here will debut. Thinking that I might not be among them, I felt a strange sense of defeat.

Compared to when I first started filming, I've changed quite a bit.

But I didn't have the luxury to dwell on it.

Surprisingly, the production team included the entire collapse of the "Huskya" team at the end of episode 9.

[Choi Won Gil: So, you can do this much, right?]

[Lee Sejin: Being able to do something and wanting to do it are different, right?]

[Choi Won Gil: You need to prove your skills now. Think about it…]

[Gi Jeonggyun: How about giving it a try? Don't regret it later.]

[Lee Sejin: …Stop it.]

The broadcast showed Lee Sejin's face deteriorating for a few seconds after this conversation.

Then, in a completely emotionally charged state, they showed a short Q&A where they almost came to blows.

It was clear they were holding back because of the camera.

Unfortunately, this happened when Ryu Cheongwoo went to submit the song to the production team, so there was no one to mediate.

[Cha Yujin: …….]

By the way, Cha Yujin tried to intervene once but was ignored as if she hadn't spoken.

It wasn't a fitting comment, as expected.

“……”

Cha Yujin looked at the screen with a sad face and soon buried her face in a cup, drinking soda.

To me, it seemed to have passed without causing any trouble, but maybe it was different from her perspective.

[Ryu Cheongwoo: …What happened?]

Episode 9 ended with Ryu Cheongwoo returning and being shocked by the completely ruined team atmosphere.

[In a critical situation, will they successfully complete the stage?]

“Ah, they did, right?”

“Yeah, they did well.”

Daesejin appropriately broke the tension. I don't know why he tried to get a response from me, but I went along with it.

Cha Yujin finally lifted her face from the soda and smiled.

She must be high on sugar.

‘…Is it my fault?’

I quickly dismissed the ominous thought.

On the screen, the end credits, disguised as mid-credits, were now playing.

Looking at the time, the show would probably end with a short preview or behind-the-scenes cut after the ads.

“Today, they're only showing the preparation process.”

“Yeah, we didn't appear much.”

The "Daltohwan" team was only briefly shown during the initial formation and had almost no screen time.

The production team can adjust the order as they see fit, but I had hoped that as the first stage, it would be shown at the end of episode 9, but they didn't even schedule any stage.

‘Won't the ratings drop like this?’

I was puzzled for a moment, but then the mid-credits ended, and "Idol Stock Company" appeared on the screen again.

The MC appeared on the screen.

“…It doesn't feel good?”

“You too? Yeah, me too.”

The participants instinctively tensed up and swallowed, as the MC appearing alone on the show had never been a good sign.

[“Reopening! Idol Stock Company,” did you enjoy today's episode?]

“No.”

“No.”

Weak denials came from various places.

It was a small act of rebellion that we couldn't do during filming.

[The part I will announce now… is the current stock status!]

“What?”

“Hmm, they probably won't reveal it so easily. They'll probably only reveal the top few ranks….”

[However, only the ‘reduced stocks’ will be announced! Which stocks did the shareholders sell the most?]

“Oh my.”

Kim Raebin sighed. It was understandable.

‘What kind of crazy person came up with the idea of only revealing the negative vote counts?’

I already knew the major drama, so I wasn't particularly surprised by anything major.

‘But I didn't expect such a surprise.’

The bold move of not including any stage in this episode was definitely here.

[Now, I will reveal the selling ranks!]

As the MC spoke, the screen showed a list of ranks with minus signs.

And the living room fell into silence.