Chapter 5 of the Idol Guide for the Finale

In Bnet's conference room.

Kang Hyun-gyu, the main PD, raised his head with a serious expression.

"Isn't the applicant too safe?"

At his words, the production staff all lowered their heads.

What's the biggest point of an idol debut survival show?

It's the provocative editing.

Kang Hyun-gyu was confident in his spicy editing.

He even liked his nickname, 'Galgyu,' which he earned by making several survival programs hits.

The viewers were enraged, and the ratings went up, fitting his reputation as 'Galgyu, the one who grinds to drink.'

However, this time, most of the trainees who applied were good-looking, had solid backgrounds, and had decent skills.

This was all due to the aftermath of the previous season.

Starting with the numerous mid-season dropouts due to continuous exposés, the debut members were ruined by drug and sex scandals.

Public opinion fiercely criticized the show, asking how a nationwide audition program couldn't screen the contestants' character.

As a result, Bnet's budget was cut, and the contestants were just average compared to the previous season.

How much hope the higher-ups had placed on him to revive the profitable survival show.

No matter how good he was at making villains, it was all for nothing without the right material.

"Then, weren't there any standout kids during the pre-interviews?"

"There weren't any significant ones on our side..."

"Same here."

Kang Hyun-gyu sighed deeply as he looked at the application forms handed to him by the writer.

The training was just around the corner.

He had to gather whatever he could.

"PD, sir."

Han Ji-yeon, who had been silent, spoke up while looking at an application form.

"There was one weird guy during the interview."

"Weird guy?"

"...He was a bit odd. Number 92, Do Yun-jae."

Kang Hyun-gyu carefully examined the application form Han Ji-yeon handed him.

His face was top-tier, he was 180 cm tall, and his position was dance.

But there was nothing particularly striking about him on paper.

"What made him stand out?"

"Watch his audition video."

Han Ji-yeon fiddled with her tablet and played Do Yun-jae's audition video.

"...As you can see, he dances like that, but his head stays still."

Kang Hyun-gyu looked at the audition video again, confused.

Clearly, his limbs were moving independently, but his perfectly symmetrical face stayed centered on the screen.

Whether he waved to the right or kicked his leg up, Do Yun-jae steadfastly looked straight ahead.

"Is this kid crazy?"

"...He's not exactly ordinary. Should I say he's subtly eccentric, or a clean kind of crazy? He wrote that dance is his specialty, but the way he filmed his audition video..."

"Is he just a good-looking nobody?"

"Being 'very' good-looking is the key point."

Han Ji-yeon answered seriously.

"Interesting. We've definitely got an editing point... Is there anyone who could pair well with him in terms of screen time?"

In response to Kang Hyun-gyu's question, another PD handed him an application form.

"Here's Number 89, Choi Hyun. He was in the same agency as Do Yun-jae and applied together this time."

"Which agency?"

"Platform."

A place he had never even heard of.

Kang Hyun-gyu chuckled.

Two close trainees who fled together from an unheard-of agency.

They must have burned with ambition to succeed together.

But this is a survival show.

What if, after the show starts, a crack appears in their friendship?

Years of survival show experience screamed this was the moment.

"Let's pair them up."

"As trainee classmates?"

"No, as a comparison cut of trainees with different skill levels. A good-looking dancer and a good-looking vocalist. A lazy trainee who relies on looks and a hardworking talent... something like that."

"Sir? That's too obvious..."

"Obvious? That's what we do best. Two close friends with completely different skills. If they fight during filming, it'll be a huge hit."

Kang Hyun-gyu laughed in front of the speechless production staff.

The essence of a survival show is exactly this.

Kang Hyun-gyu's eyes gleamed fiercely, filled with the desire to gather both controversy and ratings.

* * *

Outside, a cold wind was blowing.

I stood in front of the trainee dormitory arranged by Bnet, looking at the notification with a troubled expression.

I had accepted that the scenario was different now.

I had also accepted that I would participate in the program after the document and pre-interview process.

But the big problem now was that I was about to check into the dormitory.

Visual: B+

Vocal: E+

Dance: D-

?? : ??

?? : ??

Coins: 4

Skills: None

– Current Title Slot is Empty.]

"Ah..."

I sighed deeply, looking at the stats that made no sense no matter how many times I looked at them.

I had practiced harder in the past few weeks than I did for the regular album rehearsals in Likers' era, but my stats had only improved to this level.

In a survival show, a trainee with these stats was probably only me.

Kim Do-woom, who was fixated on me, sent another notification.

...Yeah, using that skill shop is definitely the easy way out.

But the scenario wants me to use it willingly, right?

"Please come this way to enter!"

A production staff member shouted loudly.

There were already quite a few trainees milling around the gathering area.

All these trainees were my competitors.

But I had been in the idol industry for a while, so I never thought I would be overshadowed among trainees who hadn't even debuted yet.

I frowned at the notification that suddenly appeared.

I wasn't going to use it willingly while this discomfort was still unresolved.

"Please sign here!"

I moved my gaze to the trembling voice while standing there in disbelief.

The production staff under a makeshift tent were waving their hands to guide us.

Leaving people outside on a day when the temperature was below zero was almost like torture.

As I approached the outdoor table, a production staff member with a red face flipped through the documents and asked,

"What's your name?"

"My name is Do Yun-jae."

"Please sign here and then move over there."

The production staff member, without waiting for a response, flipped through the documents and opened the page with my name.

The name tag on his neck said 'Writer Lee Ye-rim.'

I recognized his face from the interview.

He was much redder than before, almost unrecognizable.

Being pushed around in such cold weather was almost like a performance at Imjingak.

I naturally moved towards the door but stopped.

The most important thing in this industry is word of mouth, and the starting point is the production staff.

"Excuse me, Writer Lee Ye-rim."

"Yes?"

"You look really cold. Here, use this hand warmer."

Lee Ye-rim looked at the hand warmer I offered with wide, surprised eyes.

I smiled kindly, placed the hand warmer on the table, and bowed.

"Ah, I'm fine, really!"

I pretended not to hear and moved on.

There were probably cameras around, so this was a beneficial action.

As I entered through the narrow corridor, a panel reading '76~99' stood there.

As soon as I entered the waiting room, someone loudly greeted me.

"Yun-jae! We're in the same waiting room?"

It was Choi Hyun, dressed in a neat casual suit.

He always looked tidy, and it suited him well.

Despite his casual approach, his nervousness was obvious.

I wondered if he was okay, given how much he was shaking.

"Your tie..."

"Tie? What's wrong?"

"Isn't a vanilla tie with an ice cream pattern a bit bold for a beige suit?"

"My sister picked it out..."

"It looks cute, though."

After this meaningless conversation, I found a seat in the waiting room.

I thought Choi Hyun would keep talking, but he was quieter than I expected, indicating he was more nervous than I thought.

Then I realized... I hadn't received the main scenario quest yet.

So, it means it will appear when the filming starts.

Kim Do-woom finally gave an accurate answer.

Soon, the waiting room gradually filled up.

"Everyone looks really cool, right?"

"You two don't look easy to handle either."

Choi Hyun tried to break the tension, and someone chimed in.

A name tag on his chest read 'Individual Trainee Yang Garan,' and he seemed quite sociable.

"You both look really good. Do you know each other?"

"Ah, yes. We were in the same agency before."

"Oh~"

His friendly smile had a subtle hint of wariness.

It was natural.

In a room full of trainees competing to debut, such wariness was necessary.

I smiled at Yang Garan, hoping to be edited in a friendly light.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 19. How about you?"

"I'm 21, the same age as you."

"Oh, you're seniors. Nice to meet you, seniors!"

Yang Garan smiled and extended his hand.

Then I remembered, in the previous cycle where I suffered due to the lousy scenario, there was an individual trainee among the Dolfes debut members.

I wasn't sure if it was him.

The confusion suggested it might not be.

Then,

"Senior, isn't that Ahn Su-hyuk? The online streamer with over 700,000 subscribers! I should go say hi."

Yang Garan jumped up and approached Ahn Su-hyuk.

A pale face with a cold expression.

He was the main vocalist who made it to the final debut group in the previous cycle of Dolfes.

Ahn Su-hyuk.

But appearances can be deceiving.

Ahn Su-hyuk was the reason the group from Season 4 failed.

His debut story was so well-known that even I remembered it.

He started online streaming to keep singing to his terminally ill brother.

But it turned out his brother never existed, and it was all a scam.

I was the one who exposed it to a journalist.

From there, a series of scandals erupted.

Ultimately, the winners of Season 4 stopped activities and disbanded after just three months.

I didn't want to be in the same group with someone like him.

At that moment, the screen in the middle of the waiting room turned on.

The flashy 'Idol Festa' logo appeared, and everyone in the waiting room reacted enthusiastically.

Choi Hyun and I also looked at the screen with surprised expressions.

Kaya, the main vocalist of 'Edwin,' who had covered several stages, appeared in the center of the screen.

Self-evaluation?

The waiting room buzzed with unexpected confusion.

It was something we hadn't heard from the production staff.

Even I, who hadn't been interested in the show, didn't know about it.

The production staff had only told us to wait in the waiting room, get evaluated by the judges one by one, and then take our seats on the set.

A stiff piece of paper had spaces for names, expected grades, and rivals.

The word 'rival' made the trainees start murmuring.

Names and expected grades were one thing, but rival designation?

The production staff's intentions were clear.

Kaya read the script with a playful expression, but his voice was serious.

The trainees' eyes naturally scanned the room.

I had heard about the notorious reputation of the Dolfes production staff, but rival designation among people who barely knew each other?

It was clearly a setup to stir up drama.

When our eyes met, Choi Hyun gave an awkward smile.

Of course, he could only write my name, and I could only write his.

Moreover, since we had said we were close in the pre-interview, the production staff would definitely pair us as rivals no matter what.

I frowned and thought for a moment.

'Too nice to be a villain...'

I was a bit tense about the sudden rival designation.

But in the end, this was a way to secure screen time for Choi Hyun and me.

In a survival show where every second of screen time is precious, this was a welcome gesture.

With a clear mind, I wrote Choi Hyun's name in the rival slot.