Chapter 78

Episode 78

Kim Seon-ye, unable to hide her embarrassment, looked at me and laughed, saying,

“Trade? Haha, that’s hilarious. What kind of confidence do you have to say something like that when just apologizing and kneeling wouldn’t even be enough?”

“If kneeling or prostrating myself would improve the situation, I would do it. However, right now, that action feels utterly unproductive.”

Honestly, what great thing would happen other than you slightly calming your hysteria? Let’s look at this situation calmly.

With the recorded footage already captured, Gyeoul and I can’t just cut it out. Can we really edit the A-class segment with just three of us?

At worst, you’ll just pressure me to force Gyeoul into a disadvantageous role.

And I won’t just sit back and watch that unfold.

“Besides, the responsibility for this situation doesn’t solely fall on me, does it? The fact that this situation has escalated so much is largely due to the judges’ evaluation criteria being excessively tight. What power do I have to sway the hearts of such esteemed judges?”

“….”

Kim Seon-ye, seemingly bored, took out her lipstick from her pouch, applied it once, and then said,

“So what you’re trying to convey is just a simple plea for lack of ability and avoidance of responsibility?”

“No, if that were the case, I wouldn’t have brought up the word trade.”

I bypassed the chair at the editing table where Kim Seon-ye was sitting and took a seat on a small folding chair.

Now our eye levels were equal.

With my hands clasped together, I stared directly into her eyes and said,

“Why does PD Kim Seon-ye think this situation is a crisis?”

She replied with irritation, as if it were absurd,

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Of course, it’s because the image I envisioned while creating the program has fallen apart. The image visible to the audience isn’t the sparkling competition I wanted, but rather one where a gem is fished out of a cesspool here and there!”

No, that’s only if the recorded footage airs as it is.

“That’s not a crisis. By shifting the focus of editing, it can be overcome more easily than you think.”

“You make it sound so easy. How?”

“Just turn the judges into villains.”
Honestly, looking at what they’ve done, it’s not an exaggeration to say they’re true villains.

The production team must have already provided the evaluation criteria and guidelines, yet they ignored them and forgot it was a broadcast.

So, the moral high ground is on our side.

But still, Kim Seon-ye voiced a negative opinion.

“Do you think those prideful people would allow that?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t they?”

It’s true that their authority is immense, but they’re still human.

“They can’t just ignore the fact that a broadcast is failing due to their mistakes. No matter how renowned they are, they aren’t at a level to overlook such blunders. If anything, with that kind of fame, there’ll be many who want to tear them apart. So, they can’t avoid it. Although we need to be cautious in negotiations to avoid antagonism.”

Of course, among them, there are exceptional cases like James Oh, so we need to be careful. That guy’s the kind of madman who can take on a broadcasting station as an individual…

“However, turning all the judges into enemies is risky; it’s probably more effective and easier to target a specific individual. Well, this is the area of expertise of the PD, so you would know better.”

Seon-ye, I saw your past broadcasting films, and you seem to be good at that?

Picking one person and turning them into a villain.

“And we must consider that most of the trainees who received evaluation already have debut experience, gained fame from audition programs, or have a fanbase on AllTube. Their fanbase won’t let the public opinion around these kids turn into a dumpster fire.”

While the size of the fandom may be lacking compared to top-tier current idols, that doesn’t mean their firepower is weak. After all, these are the people who brought voter manipulation controversies to light and initiated investigations that blew a broadcast wide open.

Such a fandom will step up and defend them.

“Hah… Well, perhaps they might go on the offensive and criticize the broadcasting station for portraying their star in such a way? It’s easier to criticize than to defend, right?”

“No, if the trainees on stage really showed poor performance, the criticism would flow toward the broadcasting station for malicious editing, but in this recording, the average performance level of the trainees was quite high. Viewers will surely find them attractive enough.”
“You’ll feel that way.”

There are various situations where you can blame the Broadcasting Station, but fundamentally, it’s about ruining the image of the trainees. However, the current stage level didn’t need to worry about such things. The evaluation criteria were overly high, leading to underestimation; the kids were more than charming enough.

With such an attractive pool of talent gathered, they had already swept the spotlight, recording millions of views in each stage during the previous episodes and achieving success.

Their charm and skills were beyond doubt.

…The real problem was that Gyeoul stood out to the point of seeming overly exceptional among them.

“Still, as long as the expert opinions lean towards negative reviews, the fans will be swept up in that.”

“That’s when your role as a PD becomes important.”

Kim Seon-ye looked at me with a skeptical gaze as she spoke.

“Tell me what that role is.”

“Rather than Demonic Editing, do Angelic Editing.”

“Become the shepherd who guides the viewers, Kim Seon-ye.”

“These mistakes that happen while moving the choreography, like an off-key note during a falsetto, are slips that can happen when getting on stage without rehearsal. Highlighting those is what we call Demonic Editing. Do the opposite.”

“Are you implying that it should look like the judges are begrudgingly criticizing them?”

Like one who orchestrates the grand scheme of vote manipulation, you catch on quickly.

“That’s right. Of course, it’s risky to be completely antagonistic towards them, so as I mentioned before, a balancing act is necessary. But I believe you can handle that part depending on your abilities. You can do it, can’t you, PD Kim Seon-ye?”

“….”

She scoffed once, crossing her legs in the opposite direction.

“You’re not exactly dim-witted, I see?”

“You’re being overly flattering. This kind of picture was likely already in your mind.”

At my remark, she let out another chuckle. But this time, if the previous context was disdainful, this one felt a bit different. It had an odd mix of admiration as if she were saying, ‘See that?’

“…You look young, but it seems you have quite a bit of experience? The way you speak and the thoughts you’re having… Alright, keep talking.”

I shrugged my shoulders and replied.
“There’s no way the PD wouldn’t have thought of something I, a mere manager, could come up with. Sure, there may be differences in details, but I believe PD Kim Seon-ye also thought of a similar approach.”

She nodded, intrigued, and spoke.

“That’s right. If I couldn’t do that, I wouldn’t have made it to this position. But why did I bring it up even though I thought I knew? If it was just a way to say to calm down, considering we could handle the situation, I feel like I still need to finish what I originally wanted to say to Team Leader Seon.”

She sure knows how to drop a line.

Don’t worry, the story isn’t over yet.

“Then, let’s get back to the main topic. Why does PD Kim Seon-ye think this situation is a crisis? We’ve discussed and prepared enough countermeasures after all.”

Kim Seon-ye’s expression hardened.

“That’s something you don’t need to know.”

“It may be something I don’t need to know, but I already figured it out.”

“…If you’re interpreting me positively, you’ve got some nerve. What do you think you know?”

What do I know? I know everything.

I loosened my grip and leaned back in the chair, crossing my legs like her.

“The eleven who will debut are already decided, right?”

“…”

“You’ve already wrapped up discussions with the higher-ups and the agency? You must be ready to rig the votes too.”

She took a sip from the paper cup on the table, looking as if my words were utterly ridiculous.

“I don’t know what you’ve picked up, but that’s….”

“Kim Yujin, Catherine, Ye Sua, Raechel, Rinmei, Misaki, Lee Bom, Song Chaeyoung, Jang Min-hee, Kaori, Emily.”

Kim Seon-ye’s mouth dropped open. The paper cup she was holding fell, rolling across the floor.

I couldn’t help but let out a little laugh at her reaction.

“See? I’m right, aren’t I? Eleven names.”

Do you know what the common point between a truck and a returner is, Seon-ye?

“This is insane….”

If you’re crushed, you can’t answer back.

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