“Oh~”
Seo-yoon Unni gasped while looking at me.
“How is it? Pretty stylish, right?”
Today’s coordination: a suit set.
Suit pants, white dress shirt, black suit vest, and even a tie.
I gotta admit, it looks pretty good.
“No, it totally doesn’t suit you. You’re meant to be cute!”
Jealous Kim Seo-yoon struck again.
Tsk, of course, that’s her.
She should be wearing a white dress, not critiquing me.
“Does she think she looks good?”
“Of course! I’m totally bright and pretty, you know?”
Seo-yoon Unni twirled in place, her dress flaring out.
Doesn’t she feel embarrassed in front of her younger sibling?
What a sight, really.
“Okay, let’s just say you do.”
It had been exactly 11 days since the first ranking announcement filming, on August 9th.
It was the day of the second competition.
The participants moved to the Ilsan studio where the first competition was held from early morning.
In those short 11 days, all the participants prepared the stage with the help of the staff.
There were still some groups whose stage readiness was lacking, but the production staff couldn’t wait.
The sixth episode of the aggressive Season 3 was set to air in three days.
As episodes six and seven would showcase the second competition, once today’s filming was done, the production team had to jump straight into editing the stage.
There was a reason the main PD, Hyun-woong Lim, looked more haggard than the trainees.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere on set was tense.
The production team was bustling around to manage everything, while the trainees were busy getting hair, makeup, and coordination done.
Now, around 10 o’clock, things had somewhat calmed down as everyone waited in the waiting room for the final checks and rehearsal, which was the last preparation.
“Seo-yoon, come here and practice! It’s our first rehearsal!”
Na-eun Unni called out to Seo-yoon Unni from a distance.
“Got it~”
They were on the same team this time.
Soon, it would be time for the first rehearsal to begin.
The production team announced that the rehearsal would proceed in the same order as the upcoming second competition broadcast today.
Our group was the last in the lineup.
Being the last might be tiring to wait, but the rushed rehearsal process was even more exhausting.
Just sitting here is something.
‘I should enjoy a drink.’
As I reached for my drink to enjoy my scarce moment of leisure, I felt a weight on my shoulder.
When I turned around, there was Hana Unni glaring at me.
And behind her stood Sara Unni and Ha-rang Unni, looking upset.
“Do-hee, what are you doing…? You should be practicing…?”
“The rehearsal’s still a while away…?”
The weight of Unni’s hand was pressing down on my shoulder.
Her grip tightened.
Ah.
“No… I don’t want to… please…”
*
Outside the studio for the second competition, crowds filled the area.
The sun was shining brightly.
It wasn’t because there were suddenly a lot more audience members.
The studio could only accommodate up to a certain number, so the capacity was increased slightly from 500 to 600.
However, viewer ratings were steadily rising.
The rating for episode 5 was 1.7 percent.
Considering it aired simultaneously on Netflix, that’s not a small figure.
“Bold Season 3” was definitely generating enough buzz.
“Here, take your photo cards and fans, and please vote for the universe’s cutest Do-hee Lee!!!”
“My Chae-rin is a godly genius who can do anything! Please make sure to vote!”
Naturally, the fervent fans of each trainee started to multiply.
These dedicated fans gathered to share goods like panels, fans, and photo cards to support their favorite trainees, even if they couldn’t snag tickets to the event or buy overpriced tickets from scalpers.
Amongst the crowd, there was a woman standing in line.
She was one of the lucky ones who had won tickets.
“Ugh, this is so annoying. Why is it so hot?”
It was already the hottest, most humid August of the year.
Even though there was a tent set up along the line, it felt like it was going to fry her alive.
On top of that, the heat radiating from those passing about distributing goods was downright unpleasant.
It was especially irritating when someone handed out goods for trainees other than the one she was supporting.
And there were those giving away Do-hee’s goods.
“What’s so great about her?”
She was holding a sign that read [Eun Se-ra ★ The Trendsetter].
Currently, Do-hee and Eun Se-ra were splitting the top two spots from the first ranking event, along with Jeon Ha-rang in third.
All three had pretty much equal fan bases at this point.
Fortunately, there was no need to worry about the Zy fandom since it was divided between Yoon Seo-won and Gong Chae-rin.
“This time, she’s got to do well, right?”
Of course, she would.
Still, it’s in human nature to feel uneasy.
Even though Se-ra had beaten both of them in the first ranking event, it felt too soon to breathe easy.
Rumors of Do-hee’s specs were spreading like wildfire on community boards and Instagram and Facebook, indicating she was becoming a public pick.
“What’s so special about playing the piano?”
Of course, Se-ra was the ultimate public pick as well.
But she just couldn’t accept it.
Wasn’t it obvious that Se-ra should rank higher?
An idol is naturally a singer.
They ought to sing well.
That Do-hee girl’s vocal tone was rough.
Sure, she improved a bit before the first round, but she was still way behind Se-ra.
“Oh! Are you a Se-ra fan?”
The girl in front of her noticed her sign and struck up a conversation; she was also clearly a Se-ra fan.
“Guess chatting about Se-ra while waiting for the competition won’t be too boring.”
…
…
…
“Can we get started already? This is so annoying.”
“Right? It’s not like this is M-Wave or something.”
“I thought it was going to be okay.”
They said they increased the audience size, but the standing seats were way too uncomfortable.
“I remember last time there was at least a little space between us.”
This time, shoulders were brushing against each other.
“Hello everyone!”
Finally, the long-awaited MC entered.
It wasn’t the main MC from the previous season, but a special guest idol MC.
Thanks to the good-looking idol, my annoyance slightly eased.
“This second round evaluation is none other than the double position assessment! Each trainee will create a stage consisting of two out of vocals, dance, or rap!”
Even though this was all going to be broadcast in three days, the MC just briefly explained the simple rules and voting method like in the first round.
“After each stage performance, the jury present can cast individual evaluations through a vote for the trainees they think did well. You can vote multiple times, so if you think everyone did great, feel free to press all their numbers!”
“Still, I won’t be voting for Do-hee Lee or Jeon Ha-rang.”
She had no intention of voting for Sara’s competitors.
“Now, it’s finally time to reveal the first stage. Let me introduce your girl!”
On the stage screen, the words ‘Vocal & Dance Position’ appeared.
“Vocal & Dance Position, trainees who chose ‘Rendezvous’ by Cupid, who has gathered much love for their pure and innocent image! Please come up to the stage!”
She watched with hope that perhaps Sara would be among the trainees coming up, but ultimately, there was no sign of Sara.
“I really just need to see Sara, nothing else matters.”
Her interest waned, but with nothing else to do but watch the stage, she decided to focus on it for now.
“Hello! We are the Déjà Vu, who want to meet the Chusuhnim all day long!”
The trainees on stage were greeting the audience.
“Is the cover song ‘Rendezvous’ a play on Déjà Vu?”
That was quite a clever name.
Since there were no competitors against Sara, it was time to vote properly.
At least Kim Seo-yoon, currently in 5th place, was here, but she didn’t feel threatened against 1st place Sara at all.
With twelve stages to perform, the schedule was tight, and the Déjà Vu group finished a quick interview and team introduction.
The stage went dark, and soft, pitiful lighting came on.
-“Rendezvous, starting again today on this path…”
An emotional song reminiscent of a girl.
It was exactly like the original.
“Is it just the original? I was a bit hopeful since they said it was rearranged. Looks like they just tweaked a few high notes.”
As she thought this, the interlude leading into the second verse began.
The fragile lighting became progressively stronger with the flow of the interlude, and a powerful beat was added based on the emotional accompaniment.
Got it.
– Tonight’s rendezvous with you
Let’s start our own story that we’ll share tomorrow
And instead of the smooth choreography from before, a powerful and strong group dance created by the trainees unfolded.
‘… Not bad. I admit.’
She unknowingly stopped her critical gaze and immersed herself in watching the stage.
As the stage ended.
“Wow…”
Looking at the audience cheering for the same Eun Se-ra, they were gasping in amazement.
‘Ha, you said you’d only pick Se-ra this time.’
She had also watched with immersion, but was critical toward others in a classic “do as I say, not as I do” fashion.
Still, she couldn’t help but admit a little.
Her ears and eyes were entertained throughout the performance.
When it was time to vote, she cast her vote for all the trainees who staged the performance.
Deep down, she believed herself to be quite generous.
Then she spoke to the Se-ra fan next to her.
“But if they did this well, Se-ra would do even better.”
“Oh, yeah! Right, right!”
She firmly believed that Se-ra was the best, no matter what.
After that, while trying to view the subsequent stages with a critical mindset, she was willing to vote for some trainees who she deemed capable.
‘What’s up with their arrangement? Did they really have no ideas?’
‘Wow, the rap is so bad. I’d do better than this.’
‘Did they create a dance or just go with the beat?’
‘Gong Chae-rin? She’s just Zy. Fourth place. Even if she performs well, I won’t vote for her.’
During the breaks between the performances, she tried to recall the trainees who hadn’t performed yet.
‘Come to think of it, Idohee and Jeon Ha-rang haven’t gone up yet. I hope they mess it up together.’
Such a wicked mind.
She was indeed a toxic fan.
Before she knew it, the 10th team’s stage had ended.
Only two more stages remained.
Contrary to her malicious wishes, neither Idohee, Jeon Ha-rang, nor Eun Se-ra was in the 11th performance.
That meant the three were on the same team.
‘Shit… Just try to mess up our Se-ra.’
And finally, as the 11th stage ended,
The MC grabbed the mic.
“This stage is for the vocal & rap position. Ah, this song! Full of wild masculinity, it’s the popular boy group! 2Q’s ‘FATAL.’ Let’s meet the members who covered this song. Please come up to the stage!”
‘FATAL? Isn’t that a dance song?’
Four members went up on stage.
Hana Kwon, Jeon Ha-rang, Eun Se-ra, Idohee.
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