Chapter 37

37

"Kids, I love youuuu!"

"Ha ha."

There was a slip in the middle. Seong Ji-won burst out laughing even though the microphone was on. The staff quickly adjusted the microphone volume, but the fans had already heard everything.

The stage lit up again, and Kang I-chae playfully nudged Seong Ji-won. When the members greeted the fans, cheers erupted.

Yoo Ji-a smiled at us.

"There's a lot to say…."

"……"

"First of all, I want to see you all again."

Yoo Ji-a's words instantly relaxed the members.

"Who could have prepared all this in just a week? The musical format and the unexpected werewolf concept. Who did the arrangement?"

"The arrangement was done by I-chae, the concept by Da-jun, the choreography by Seong-hyun, and the vocals were checked by Ji-won."

"Perfect distribution… So, what about Ho-yoon?"

"I was buried."

It was sincere, but everyone burst out laughing.

Kim Seong-hyun picked up the microphone next.

"Seo Ho-yoon supervised the entire production. He did a great job in conveying the plan to the production team and setting up the stage."

"Yes, it was a fantastic performance. Lastly, I'd like to ask for a word from our audience."

Hmm, it's fine to see a warm scene in front of the camera. I shrugged, and Seong Ji-won picked up the microphone. He looked determined.

"We've prepared a lot over the past week."

"……"

"As Ho-yoon said, if our efforts were visible on stage, that's all we could ask for. Thank you for today."

Seong Ji-won spoke well today. As he spoke, the members' faces were filled with determination.

Am I the only one who can't read the atmosphere here? Why are the audience all looking so moved?

Anyway, we did a group greeting and were about to leave when Jeong Da-jun suddenly hung onto my left shoulder. Everyone patted my shoulder or head as they passed by.

'What's this…'

"Today is entering!"

As we entered, our eyes met with Today, who were the last to perform. They all looked like they had eaten something bitter, probably because they had seen our performance. However, they passed by without a word, perhaps mindful of the egg incident.

Today went on stage, but their cheers weren't as loud as ours.

"Seems like we did pretty well. We did."

Jeong Da-jun laughed heartily.

The camera that followed us seemed to be shooting an exclusive, filming closely.

As we moved to the waiting room, we were greeted by the performers and staff with every step. In the end, we couldn't even make it to the waiting room and had to return to the stage.

We hurriedly greeted and went up to the stage where Today, Re:Fine, Mars, and Nightmare were standing. The attention was intense.

"Don't just stand there, kids!"

No, I'm sorry, guys… I can still stand. Yoo Ji-a pretended not to hear and held up a card.

"All five teams did a great job. Now, it's time to announce the honorable rankings."

Yoo Ji-a spoke slowly, deliberately announcing the rankings from the bottom.

5th place: Nightmare, 4th place: Re:Fine, 3rd place: Mars.

Only Today and The Dun were left.

Jeong Da-jun's eyes widened.

"Bro, are we losing?"

"……"

It's possible.

"Now, it's time to announce the honorable 1st place."

Actually, I didn't expect that much. I didn't really think we would win the first round.

I had other plans.

We only looked straight ahead, avoiding looking at Today's side. Jeong Da-jun, clueless, kept whining.

"The Shining Star 1st round winner is…."

An exciting song echoed throughout the venue. I could feel Today's Yoo Hyuk glaring at me.

Hey, manage your expression.

At that moment, Yoo Ji-a took a deep breath and picked up the microphone.

"4,700 points, The Dun, congratulations on 1st place!"

What?

"Yaaay!"

"The Dun! The Dun!"

The Dun won 1st place?

With 90% of the score from the audience?

This is ridiculous.

I frowned slightly and caught PD Kim Hee-young's eye. PD Kim Hee-young looked distorted, staring at me.

'What's going on?'

My head was spinning.

I couldn't hear what Yoo Ji-a was saying.

"The Dun, congratulations. Your stable vocals and surprising concept successfully captured the audience's hearts."

' Audience.'

Ah, now I get it.

They were going to rig it so we wouldn't win 1st place, but the agency chickened out after seeing the atmosphere. Since I got hit with eggs, Today winning 1st place would have made them look bad. Anyway, winning 1st place in the first round wasn't that important.

Can we win later?

"Bro!"

"We're 1st place!"

No, not really. There's more to it.

While I was thinking, the members were beaming with emotion.

Well, they did prove their worth and win the audience's hearts. I patted them on the back and picked up the microphone.

"I'm Seo Ho-yoon from The Dun. Thank you so much for voting for us despite our shortcomings."

"Yes, congratulations! How do you feel about it?"

I shifted my gaze to Yoo Ji-a, who was smiling like she was wearing a mask, and continued.

"First of all, I want to thank our fans who always support us, and all the members of our team. I also want to thank all the staff who worked hard with us, and the other teams who always inspire us with their amazing skills."

I really was grateful to the other teams.

Thanks to Today's aggression, our team's morale kept rising.

As the typical speech flowed smoothly, Yoo Ji-a seemed slightly disappointed and tilted her head, but she continued the show professionally.

"Then, let's confirm the 1st place privilege."

I wish it was money… but it probably won't be.

"What's good?"

"Is it something like beef?"

Jeong Da-jun asked cheerfully. Yoo Ji-a looked momentarily embarrassed.

PD Kim Hee-young was still tightly pursing her lips, staring at me.

"What can we do… It's not that, but it's a bit more special."

Yoo Ji-a slowly flipped the card and awkwardly smiled at the audience.

"The 1st place group can choose another group and turn their score into a negative!"

"……"

Silence enveloped the venue. Everyone looked shocked.

"In other words, if a group scored 3,000 points, it would become -3,000 points, affecting the final total. It's a crucial opportunity to bring down a group you've been keeping an eye on."

Wow…

'I did ask for a confrontational setup…'

It's spicy.

Really spicy.

'Or is this PD Kim Hee-young's doing? Or Today's agency?'

It could be. PD Kim Hee-young was subtly soft, not the type to push the performers this far, even if she created the setup.

So, when PD Kim Hee-young asked if I was curious about the 1st place privilege, that's what she meant.

The members of The Dun were too shocked to even open their mouths. More accurately, they couldn't.

If they said anything here, they might get hit with not just eggs, but stones.

Finally, the audience, regaining their senses, burst into boos.

"Are you crazy, production team?!"

"Do you want to get sued?!"

That's the gist of it.

Moreover, except for The Dun's fans, everyone was glaring at me, ready to tear me apart.

I was used to hostile gazes, but this level of animosity was rare, making me break out in a cold sweat.

"You can decide now."

What would I usually do?

"Okay, The Dun. Which team will you choose?"

No matter who I pick, I'll be torn to shreds. I'll probably turn to ashes on social media and forums.

Now I understand why Today didn't win 1st place.

In the first round, the 1st place team is the loser.

'I got played.'

Before picking up the microphone, I looked at the members. They all looked at a loss.

"Hyun."

"……"

"I'll answer."

Seong Ji-won suddenly grabbed my shoulder and whispered. Whoever answers will be torn to shreds.

I could see deep fear in Seong Ji-won's eyes, but he tried to act calm. It was his sincere intention.

"It's okay. I'm fine."

"……"

"Guys."

I met their trembling eyes. The piercing gazes made me feel like I was being skewered.

I looked at them straight.

I didn't expect to use this so soon, but—

"Do you trust me?"

A contingency plan I had laid out just in case.

Third, if Seo Ho-yoon does something that will get him criticized, always trust him.

Kang I-chae gave a hollow laugh and nodded.

Stopping Seong Ji-won from answering, I slowly turned to Yoo Ji-a and the audience. Yoo Ji-a smiled sympathetically.

"Have you decided?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

"Then, please say the group's name."

I turned my eyes to the other groups. They all flinched. Meanwhile, Today sneered, clearly enjoying my predicament.

Since the confrontational setup with Today was already established, choosing them would only break the sympathy I had gained.

[No need for sympathy]

[I've repeatedly said I'm strong, haven't I? lol]

These titles would flood the forums.

So, they thought I would choose the smallest fandom, Nightmare, or at worst, Re:Fine. That's why Today was just enjoying the show of my downfall.

But… guys.

What can I do?

"I…."

I picked up the microphone with a smile.

"I choose Today, seniors."

I'll just take down one guy.