“…Wait, are they not announcing the rankings?”
“…Isn’t this a bit too much?”
Hearing that there wouldn’t be a ranking announcement, the participants began to whisper in discontent.
I was just as unhappy about it, but…
‘Well, I can understand it.’
I understood the Production Team’s reason for withholding the ranking this time. If they announced the final ranks now and everyone saw it was predictable, the fun of watching the final results would diminish.
Not announcing the ranks now was probably a choice to enhance the excitement for the final.
Moreover, by not revealing the rankings, it could instill a sense of urgency and tension in the participants who might become complacent.
In fact, as someone aiming for victory, I couldn’t tell how close Yoo Seol was behind me, which left me feeling parched.
Yoo Seol seemed anxious as well; perhaps because she couldn’t gauge how close she was getting either.
This was equally true for other participants vying for debut rights.
The mood, which was already heavy, grew even heavier with the absence of the usual ranking announcement.
But at that moment, there was one participant who maintained her usual stance…
Rubbing, rubbing.
…It was Seo Yoo-jin, who was nuzzling against my arm with her face.
I felt a tickling sensation, as if a cat were rubbing against me, and I brushed Yoo-jin’s hair back and asked.
“Yoo-jin.”
“Yes?”
“Are you nervous at all?”
“Nervous? Ah….”
Yoo-jin paused, dazed for a moment, then nodded slightly.
“To be honest…, not really.”
“…Why?”
“Since I already gave up on winning.”
“…Huh?”
Her unexpected answer made me tilt my head, and Yoo-jin continued.
“After what happened, my vote count took a hit, so I think winning is realistically difficult for me.”
“What about debut? Don’t you feel anxious about not being able to debut?”
Yoo-jin looked at me as if she couldn’t understand my question.
“Huh? What do you mean? There’s no way I wouldn’t debut.”
“……”
“I’m just happy that I get to debut with you.”
After saying this, Yoo-jin nuzzled against my shoulder again.
I stared at her for a moment before smiling.
“That’s so like you, Yoo-jin.”
“Really? What do you mean by that?”
“Just, you know.”
Yoo-jin’s Arrogant Trait was currently deactivated.
But it seemed the influence of living 17 years with that trait hadn’t faded away.
Yoo-jin hadn’t even considered that she might not be able to debut.
Of course, the actual probability of her not debuting was extremely low.
Sure, her vote count had taken a slight dip due to that incident, but she had built up a lot until now and had narrowly defeated Park Yoo-jung in the previous competition.
‘But, normally, wouldn’t you get nervous no matter how secure you feel at this stage?’
I chuckled a bit, finding Yoo-jin’s nonchalance amusing, and patted her head while she was acting cute.
Pat pat.
…Is this why my parents would always try to pat me whenever they could?
As I patted the cat-like Yoo-jin, I felt my own tension easing a bit.
Without realizing it, I whispered to Yoo-jin as a form of lip service.
“I’m really happy to debut with you, Yoo-jin.”
“Hehe, thank you, unni. Let’s definitely be on the same team for this competition.”
“Sure.”
Feeling happy with my response, Yoo-jin snuggled closer to me.
I didn’t push her away; instead, I pulled her closer.
So, I hugged and patted Yoo-jin like a doll, easing my current tension.
Although the set was filled with a cold atmosphere like a winter blizzard, the space between me and Yoo-jin felt warm like spring.
“…With that, I’ll conclude the announcement of 8 eliminations from the 11 participants. Thank you for your hard work, eliminated contestants.”
After announcing they wouldn’t disclose the rankings, Han Si-woo immediately proceeded to announce the eliminations.
After calling out the eliminated contestants’ names, he bowed his head apologetically.
“Ah…”
“Whew…”
Today, the atmosphere among the departing contestants felt even heavier.
It was understandable.
The pain is always worse when falling from a high place.
From their perspective, Na Ah Ah’s final and debut were right in front of them, and the disappointment and sadness must be overwhelming.
The remaining survivors also bid farewell to the eliminated contestants with tears.
It wouldn’t be comfortable for the survivors either to send off the contestants they had persevered with this far.
Whether it was out of consideration for those participants or just wanting to capture one last dramatic moment…
Zing.
The Production Team gave the participants sufficient time and excitedly filmed the scenes of them crying.
After the tearful farewell ceremony ended…
“Now, we will proceed with team selection.”
“…!”
As soon as Han Si-woo said that, all the participants wiped their tears away.
Those who had left were gone…
But those who remained had to stick around, right?
And team selection was one of the most important parts of the competition.
Just like during the ranking announcement, the participants focused on Han Si-woo’s next words.
“I’m sure all participants are wondering how the teams for the final competition will be selected.”
“……”
“And for the final competition, the teams…”
Han Si-woo slowly opened his mouth…
“…have already been selected by the Production Team.”
“……Huh?!”
Once again, the set fell into chaos.
“What does that mean…!”
“Why would they do that…!”
Until now, teams had been formed based on the participants’ choices, but suddenly, the Production Team decided the teams at the last minute…
“The Production Team has formed the teams in a very ‘fair’ manner, reviewing objective criteria.”
Na Ah Ah and the Production Team’s fairness…
…Haha, is there a more mismatched word than that?
After all, this was right after there had been friction with Shin PD, and now the Production Team was exerting their influence directly…
I couldn’t help but feel a surge of anxiety.
“Okay, now let’s reveal the teams! Please look at the screen!”
As Han Si-woo continued, the anxious BGM played from the Production Team.
And soon…
Bang.
…the screen turned on.
“…Huh?”
Upon seeing the teams on screen, I tilted my head.
There were 14 remaining participants.
The Production Team had divided them into two teams of 7.
The lists were as follows:
[Team 1]
Ha Ye-rin
Seo Yoo-jin
＊
＊
Lee Hye-jeong
＊
＊
[Team 2]
Yoo Seol
Na Han-na
Park Yoo-jung
＊
＊
‘Surprisingly…, that’s pretty normal?’
Shin PD had warned me about retribution back then. But my team wasn’t that bad considering all that.
Of course, the lineup of the opposing team was quite strong.
With Park Yoo-jung being a well-rounded dancer and vocalist, and Na Han-na, a natural dancer specializing in dance.
And with Yoo Seol, who was thirsty for victory.
Just having those three together could outshine most current idol groups.
“Now, please gather with your assigned teams!”
“Yay! Ye-rin unni, we’re on the same team!”
“Ye-rin! We’re on the same team!”
But our team wasn’t bad either.
With a good balance like Park Yoo-jung, the talented dancer and vocalist Seo Yoo-jin, and the highest vocal stats among Na Ah Ah, Lee Hye-jeong.
And…, me.
‘We can handle this.’
Looking at the teams, I thought this competition would be manageable.
Of course, something important still remained.
That was…
“Now that the teams are formed, we will select the songs.”
…song selection.
The choice of song could greatly influence the team’s performance.
‘I hope the Production Team doesn’t decide the song, right? That would be ridiculous.’
As important as team selection, everyone concentrated on Han Si-woo’s words.
“The theme for my Idol Academia final competition is [Glory].”
“…Glory?”
The unexpected word made the participants tilt their heads.
Seeing the participants’ reactions, Han Si-woo smiled and continued.
“First, let’s look at the screen together.”
Bang.
Soon as Han Si-woo guided, the screen lit up…
“Those seniors over there…”
“Ah….”
Hit songs from girl groups and boy groups played for a few seconds one after another.
The participants, including me, quickly found the commonality among the idols on the screen.
“The characteristic of the idols you see right now is that they were all produced through a program similar to Na Ah Ah.”
They were idols that came from the Shin PD squad’s programs.
The Shin PD team had successfully produced many idol groups through various programs over the years.
The idols currently on the screen were precisely those that Shin PD had created.
“You will choose one of their hit songs to showcase in the final competition.”
“Ah…!”
As Han Si-woo spoke, the participants’ faces began to brighten.
The idols appearing on the screen were all successful groups with numerous hit songs.
If they choose a suitable song from those hits, they could perform well in the competition.
But…
“Of course, this time, you won’t be able to freely select your songs.”
“…Ahh.”
It was expected that the Production Team wouldn’t just sit and watch.
“You will select the song for this competition through a small game.”
“…Game.”
“And the game is something you’ve already experienced.”
“……Huh?”
A game we had already experienced?
That phrase raised doubts in my mind.
And then…
“I will now reveal the game. Please look at the screen!”
At Han Si-woo’s command, we turned our eyes toward the screen, and soon the display switched to something else…
“AHHHHHHHHHH—!!”
The participants screamed.
And it was no wonder because…
“The song selection game for my Idol Academia final competition is… a cyber spinning wheel!”
The familiar spinning wheel that we used during the first round was now displayed on the screen, featuring songs with an absurdly high difficulty level.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
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