Chapter 8

### Idol Guide for the Ending, Chapter 8

I've never heard of or seen anything like choosing debut members for an idol survival show.

This is nothing short of deceiving the readers, or rather, the clients.

I had my suspicions from the start, and indeed, I shouldn't have trusted it.

But then again,

[The first member candidate for ■■■ is... Choi Hyun!]

[※If you debut with Choi Hyun, you can choose the group name!]

The one thing I, who am living my life again, can't control is that group name.

The debut group name for the idol survival show is always decided by audience votes.

Normally, people would vote for the prettiest name they can think of, but...

During the group name vote for this season 4, people were literally risking their lives for fun.

I can still hear the chants in my ears.

"Powerful boys! Hello, we are Most Strong!"

Most Strong.

How can an idol group that debuted in the 21st century be called Most Strong?

I always avoided eye contact, fearing ridicule and controversy when we debuted around the same time.

The group name is a label that sticks to you throughout your contract period.

Naturally, this reward is something I can't resist.

I can find a way to solve everything else, but this is impossible.

"Why?"

The group name is something the fans decide, so I should be grateful.

"Hello, I'm Do Yunjae from Most Strong!"

"Heartbreaker Do Yunjae, nice to meet you!"

I can't tolerate greeting people like that.

Do I have to debut with Choi Hyun?

Then I'll do whatever it takes to put Choi Hyun in a high position.

I'll make sure all of Choi Hyun's skills are revealed.

"Yunjae, have you been assigned a room?"

I nodded naturally as I looked at Choi Hyun, who was wearing a calm expression.

Nothing is impossible.

I'll mark Choi Hyun closely and design him as a growth talent.

However, there's one thing I overlooked.

I have the worst luck.

"Yunjae, what room are you in?"

"Me? 302."

"I'm in 406. Looks like we're on different floors, that's a shame."

No, weren't we supposed to be rivals?

Even if I give you a perfect editing point, you're on a different floor?

This makes it as hard as picking stars from the sky to talk without cameras.

It will be difficult to practice together unless we're on the same team.

"See you later."

Choi Hyun, who had no idea about my feelings, waved and smiled.

I tried to say something more, but Choi Hyun disappeared like the wind.

...Is this going to fail?

I know.

It would be easy to just give up the reward, but that's not what I want.

Who wants to debut with a group name that looks like it was made up on the spot?

Now that my goal is clear, I have to grab and solve things whenever I meet Choi Hyun.

It's unacceptable to look awkward right after receiving the same grade evaluation.

To debut together, we need to establish a good relationship from the start.

There's a long way to go, even before the first performance.

As if to say, "Don't get swept up in your thoughts," a notification window appeared, and I nodded slightly.

You're always quick to notice things like this.

- 1 Coin

- One level increase in the judge's favorability

- Skill 'Can You See My Heart?' (B)

I instinctively relaxed my facial muscles, trying to frown.

I saw this when I received the scenario, but now I understand it clearly after getting the reward.

This scenario is being kind to me.

Why?

The scenario has always existed to corner me.

Packaged in the guise of fulfilling my wishes.

So, even if it seems to be treating me well now, it could be hiding something.

Maybe this Kim Doo-hyun isn't here to help but to monitor me.

The notification window of Kim Doo-hyun turned a shadowy gray, as if it were truly wronged.

And since the notification window usually maintains a blue light, the changing shadow color suggests that there might be a person behind Kim Doo-hyun.

Are they watching me?

No matter how good it is for me, I won't believe it easily.

As if reading my thoughts, Kim Doo-hyun tried to change the subject.

(Passive Skill) You can see the favorability of people within a 10-meter radius as triangles above their heads.

You can turn the skill ON/OFF in the status window.

- Black: Indifferent, Yellow: Friendly, White: Favorable, Blue: Affectionate, Red: Hostile

As soon as I read the skill description, my vision brightened.

...Even though I decided to stay vigilant.

'Isn't this too much of an advantage?'

In a survival show with 99 participants, there's nothing more advantageous than easily distinguishing who is friendly towards me.

In the dark corridor, the inverted triangles above the heads of the trainees walking in front of me glowed brightly.

Most were faintly lit in black and yellow.

There were occasional red ones, but not many.

However, the most brightly lit triangles were white.

It looks like there's a separate light source.

To clear the scenario, I must debut with members.

...A few more besides the problematic Choi Hyun.

If white means favorable, it's good to know.

Even if the debut members are chosen by luck, as a person with debut experience, relationships are a crucial selling point.

I sneaked up behind a trainee who suddenly entered 302.

The white triangle above the head of the trainee, who was looking around the bunk bed, turned and smiled warmly.

"Hey! You danced really well earlier!"

He looked to be around 185 cm tall, with a good build.

I'm tall, but I had to look up slightly.

"Nice to meet you! What's your name? I'm Yeon Jisu."

Yeon Jisu pointed to the name tag on his chest and tilted his head.

I recognized his face.

He received his grade evaluation almost last, was from a major agency, and received a unanimous A grade.

Most impressively, he showed remarkable charm in the interview.

"Trainee Yeon Jisu, your dance and singing skills are top-notch. I expected an A grade."

"Thanks to all the practice, I trust myself. I hope my trust isn't misplaced!"

No one saw Yeon Jisu's confident and refreshing laugh negatively.

His stage presence was full of confidence, and his straightforward personality was likable.

His friendly eyes were a bit overwhelming, but he has the highest chance of debuting.

Because Yeon Jisu was a member of Most Strong.

We often met because we debuted around the same time.

Yeon Jisu was always the one to greet the cold Likerz side.

I always found Yeon Jisu's energy overwhelming.

What do you want from me.

"I'm Do Yunjae, nice to meet you."

"Age?"

"21."

"Ah~ I'm 22. Let's be informal and get along well?"

You're the one who started it, you...

His gentle appearance and overflowing ease.

His clear eyes and well-defined smile.

Yeon Jisu had a very fitting aura even before debuting.

His actions exuded confidence, making him seem like the main character.

A rare breed in a survival show.

If I had to describe Yeon Jisu in one word.

Yeah, he's a charming guy.

Then a yellow triangle entered.

"Hey? Oppa!"

Yang Garan approached me with a happy expression.

I thought he would be a bit down after getting a C grade, but he was still lively.

"Oppa, we're in the same room! Oppa, why are you so good at dancing?"

"It's all practice."

"I was so surprised, I thought you had no bones!"

This guy is full of energy.

Yang Garan's eyes were full of pure admiration.

His bright eyes made me a bit uncomfortable, so I nodded and avoided eye contact.

No matter how good I am at image management, someone as straightforward as Yang Garan is a bit overwhelming.

"Is this the dorm? Yes?"

"Hello, everyone."

Then two yellow triangles entered side by side.

"Morikazu. That's my name. Call me Kazuma."

"I'm Kang Jihan. Nice to meet you all..."

Both had innocent faces.

Morikazu had a D grade, and Kang Jihan had an F grade, but both had bright expressions.

Since I don't recognize them, they must have received their grade evaluations before me.

Except for me, everyone has a soft face.

Yeon Jisu is a cool upperclassman, and Yang Garan probably gets called cute.

Morikazu has a gentle, younger brother-like face, and Kang Jihan looks like he could cry at any moment.

In contrast, I have a well-known delinquent look.

It's inevitable to feel out of place.

"Everyone, how old are you? I'm 22, and Yunjae is 21."

"Ah! I'm 19."

Yang Garan smiled and raised his hand slightly.

Kazuma and Kang Jihan also hesitantly revealed their ages.

"Korean age? 18."

"I'm... 16."

"I'm the oldest here~ Let's all get along well. Be informal and call me oppa!"

Yeon Jisu naturally took on the role of the facilitator, laughing heartily.

The three gathered in front of him chirped like chicks.

"Let's decide our bed positions first~?"

"Let's play rock-paper-scissors!"

"Rock-paper-scissors? Sounds good..."

"What's rock-paper-scissors?"

The three chicks chattered excitedly, with the Japanese trainee not knowing the game and the others seeing an opportunity to secure screen time.

Good judgment.

In a place with 99 participants, it's impossible to give equal attention to everyone.

Naturally, content that can be edited into a story must be created to secure even 10 seconds of screen time in the survival show.

Showing that I get along well with other trainees increases my chances of debuting, so it's not a bad thing.

"Let's sit in a circle. Yunjae, come sit here too!"

Yeon Jisu plopped down on the floor and called me over.

We could have talked while sitting on the bed, but why sit on the floor...

The closer you appear to other trainees, the more screen time you get in a survival show!

Gather information on other trainees until the day of discharge to complete the blanks.

Reward: 5 Coins, Intimacy with a colleague, Random Skill (A)

Sure enough, I thought Kim Doo-hyun would throw something at me, but I didn't expect it to be this obvious.

Another window appeared.

Completion Status (0/8)

Targets are automatically assigned based on the user's situation.

- Choi Hyun's 'Uncomfortable Reason':

- Yeon Jisu's 'Weakness':

- Yang Garan's 'Confidence':

- Morikazu's 'Most Disliked Memory':

- Kang Jihan's 'Can't Do':

- ??'s ??:

8?

...Are you crazy?

I recoiled at the amount but then regained my composure.

There must be this many to solve to get a 5-coin reward.

Giving a random skill, especially an A-grade one, like 'Can You See My Heart?' is a good deal.

I smiled at the innocent faces.

The hardest part of debuting was having to smile in front of people who were friendly to me while planning to stab them in the back.

In this situation, nothing is more helpful.

Acting appropriately and matching their expectations while probing their deeper thoughts to fill in the blanks shouldn't be too difficult.

Except for Choi Hyun, who is a bit of a concern.

He was clearly uncomfortable being with me earlier.

Given Choi Hyun's personality, should I just grab him and ask?

"Let's take turns speaking."

"What is this?"

"Learning by doing. Kazuma, spread your palm."

Yeon Jisu playfully laughed and helped Kazuma spread his palm.

Yeon Jisu is as mischievous and playful as I remember.

I needed to show a caring older brother's image here.

I spoke kindly to Kazuma.

"Each person says something, and if it applies to Kazuma, he folds a finger. If I say 'from Japan,' we don't fold, but Kazuma does."

This will be the foundation for filling in the blanks.

"Wow~ Yunjae, you seemed strange when you did the palm dance earlier, but now you look so caring~"

"Of course, oppa."

Kazuma nodded gratefully and shook his hand.

Of course, I can speak Japanese.

But since there aren't many Japanese trainees in this survival show, it's better to stick with Kazuma and show that my Japanese is improving.

Yeah, that 8-page Death Note or whatever.

First, I need to build a good relationship in this room.

"Shall we start asking questions?"

Yeon Jisu held out his palm with a serious expression.

But the rock-paper-scissors game, which I thought would yield useful information, turned out to be fruitless.

"Fold if you were street-cast!"

"Fold if you like sweets~"

"Fold if you've ever sprained your ankle while dancing."

"Fold if you're an only child!"

"Fold if you have to go to the military... Surely not?"

I was street-cast, like sweets, sprained my ankle while dancing, and am an only child who has to go to the military.

"Hey! Oppa Yunjae folded all of them!"

Yang Garan waved his hand with two fingers folded and smiled.

Kazuma, who was clearly unfamiliar with the game, also raised his last finger stiffly and laughed.

"A bit cold, Yunjae. Ask for another blanket~"

After everyone else got their spots, the only one left for me was a drafty bed.

Ah... This feels like something is already going wrong from the start.