The key point of this episode 9 of Na Ah Ah was basically the competition narrative between me and Yoo Seol.
We had been alternating between 1st and 2nd place in Na Ah Ah.
At first, we were quite wobbly, showing some really crisis-like moments, but soon enough we left a legendary performance in the audition scene.
This kind of story would be welcomed by the production team as material, but…
“Let’s see where these two are.”
I thought that Shin PD, who had a spat with me last time, would either cut my screen time or do some devil’s editing as revenge.
But…
[Yoo Seol (JJ): I will choose participant Ha Ye-rin.]
[……!!]
[Wow, damn…!]
[Incredible…!!]
[The venue buzzes.]
[What will Ha Ye-rin’s response be?]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): …I will.]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): …I will accept.]
[Waaaaaa—!!]
Contrary to expectations, my screen time was pretty normal.
It wasn’t less than before. Huh? On the contrary, since the narrative was a narrative, it felt like I actually got more screen time than usual.
Moreover, the production team definitely didn’t do any devil’s editing.
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): …Ugh.]
[Ha Ye-rin looks like her ankle is uncomfortable!]
[Q: Did you hurt your ankle, by any chance?]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): Ah…, yes. (Due to circumstances) …I’ve hurt it a bit. But it’s not something to worry about!]
[Q: Could you show us?]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): Ah…, yes. Here.]
[Although she said it’s okay, Ha Ye-rin’s ankle is all swollen!]
[It must hurt a lot, but she’s overflowing with the strength to endure the pain.]
On the contrary, it seemed like the production team wanted to highlight my injured ankle to create a new touch of emotion and a growth narrative, making a warm scene.
If you just watched the broadcast, it would look like I was a foolishly passionate girl focused only on the stage without taking care of my own body.
Plus….
[Yoo Seol puts an ice pack on the sleeping Ha Ye-rin’s ankle!]
[A deep friendship blooms between the two girls who met to compete.]
By adding our warm scenes, the depth of our narrative increased.
This episode’s protagonists, without a doubt, were me and Yoo Seol.
“This is strange…, did they edit it so normally…?”
I was sure Shin PD would have done some petty things…
Feeling a bit bewildered, I continued to watch the broadcast…
“…Huh?”
I soon found a peculiar point.
“……Wait, what.”
“Why? Ye-rin? Is there something wrong?”
As my expression quickly turned pale, Lee Ji-woo beside me tilted her head and asked.
“I think so far there’s no issue at all? Ye-rin, your screen time was outstanding.”
“No…., not me….”
…Nothing.
“Hye-jeong unni…, the screen time for my close unni has been way too little.”
…It wasn’t just a little.
It felt as if a participant in controversy was completely edited out of the broadcast; Lee Hye-jeong’s screen time didn’t exist at all.
The few times her face popped up during group shots were the only instances, and I couldn’t even expect a solo shot of her; there was no sign of Hye-jeong in the broadcast at all.
“Hye-jeong unni’s group didn’t fail. Instead, it did well….”
Lee Hye-jeong had confidently won a 1v1 match after presenting a very polished stage with her opponent.
If that scene had aired intact, Lee Hye-jeong would certainly have pulled in a lot of votes.
This must have been quite a decent material for the production team too…
“Surely….”
At that moment, an ominous feeling struck my mind.
With trembling hands, I pulled up my phone to check my Instagram post.
Photos that boldly hinted that I was close to Lee Hye-jeong.
My Instagram followers were a whopping 1.56 million.
If such a hot topic arose, surely the Na Ah Ah production team would have confirmed that I opened an Instagram account.
“Surely they must have noticed I want to support Lee Hye-jeong….”
Did they bury her instead of me…!
Since I had already become an indispensable participant in Na Ah Ah, Lee Hye-jeong’s position was rather ambiguous.
It might have been hard to touch me, but it would have been easy to touch Lee Hye-jeong.
“…….”
Thinking that Lee Hye-jeong was bearing the brunt of my conflict with Shin PD filled me with profound emptiness and remorse.
I had tried my best to help Lee Hye-jeong…, but it felt like all my efforts crumbled under a few of Shin PD’s finger-pointing.
Only then did I recall what Han Si-woo had said to me before….
“Ye-rin, to challenge the PD of the program you’re participating in… that’s not a good choice.”
I finally understood what it meant for a participant to defy a director.
“…Damn it, damn it.”
Because of me, Lee Hye-jeong…
When I stiffened my face, Lee Ji-woo also looked serious and asked me.
“What’s wrong, Ye-rin? What’s going on…?”
“Because of me…, Hye-jeong unni…, because I challenged the PD….”
“Ye-rin, stop rambling and start from the beginning, slowly.”
“…That is.”
I slowly began to share with Lee Ji-woo the friction I experienced with Shin PD, down to the fact that it seemed like Lee Hye-jeong was suffering instead.
Upon hearing this, Lee Ji-woo exclaimed….
“Damn…, that bastard is worse than I thought…”
Cursing Shin PD, she hugged me tightly.
“Ye-rin, don’t think weird thoughts. You didn’t do anything wrong; that bastard PD is the one at fault. You don’t need to feel guilty at all.”
“But…, Hye-jeong unni is suffering because of me….”
“There’s still the final left. You just need to do well in the final.”
“…Final.”
As I muttered that, Lee Ji-woo brushed my hair back and continued.
“Just create a good stage with that friend Lee Hye-jeong in the final. It’s not too late to regret after all the results are out, and even if it doesn’t go well, that’s not your fault.”
“…….”
“So, Ye-rin. Don’t feel too down before the last shoot. You need to show a good side to the viewers, so that friend can debut too….”
After a brief pause, Lee Ji-woo spoke with a determined gaze.
“You will also win in Na Ah Ah.”
Winning Na Ah Ah.
The accent she placed on that phrase was emphasized.
“There’s only one chance left. So pull yourself together, okay? You doing well means that friend also gets taken care of.”
At her words, I slowly nodded.
“……Yes, I’ll pull myself together.”
…Right, there’s still the final stage left.
I have to do well to also take care of Lee Hye-jeong.
And….
I have to do well to win Na Ah Ah in the end.
Having come this far, I couldn’t help but wish for victory.
Of course, there was something weighing on my mind before winning Na Ah Ah, but….
“Ye-rin, about that request you made…, I did a bit of digging into that friend Yoo Seol. But that friend….”
…Yet that wasn’t a reason for me to give up on winning.
My mindset now was vastly different from when I first participated in Na Ah Ah.
I had started as a runaway to pay off my family’s debt, but now I was more sincere than ever.
So…, I would debut with this final.
I would win Na Ah Ah and end it all, having achieved everything I wanted.
With that thought, I grit my teeth and resolved myself, spending that night.
It wasn’t only Ha Ye-rin who was desperate for the Na Ah Ah final.
Other participants spent the night before the Na Ah Ah final as desperately as Ha Ye-rin… no, even more desperately than Ha Ye-rin.
[Hye-jeong unni! This time Ye-rin has come through her Instagram! I’m cheering for you! I’ll definitely vote!]
[Unni…, why did your screen time drop so much today? ㅠㅠ Don’t worry too much. We’ll vote a lot.]
“Alright…, let’s try. It’s not over until it’s over. Don’t give up….”
Someone, looking at their fans’ support, renewed their hope for the last time.
“Tomorrow will finally be the Na Ah Ah final…! Once the final is over, I can debut with Ye-rin unni…!”
“Yoo-jin! Tomorrow’s an important day, so go to bed early!”
“Yes, mom. I’m lying in bed now.”
Someone bubbled with excitement at the prospect of being on the same team as their favorite.
“Hey, Hannah, what are you doing?”
“I’m sleeping.”
“…It’s now 7 PM.”
“I’ve been asleep for over 10 hours preparing for the Na Ah Ah final from tomorrow.”
Someone went to bed early to conserve energy.
“…Considering the relationship until now, it seems a bit ambiguous to join Yoo Seol’s team for the final stage. …I really need to join Ha Ye-rin’s team for a beautiful narrative.”
Someone made last-minute adjustments to their plans.
And someone else….
“…Right now, my mom’s condition has worsened considerably.”
“…….”
“She needs re-surgery as soon as possible. However…, according to hospital policy, surgery is not permitted for someone with so many overdue hospital bills.”
“So then….”
“You need to either move to another hospital or pay off the overdue bills as soon as possible.”
I engraved the reason I absolutely needed to win in Na Ah Ah in my heart.
Thus, the participants spent the last night differently, each for their own reasons and in their own ways….
Finally, the morning of the Na Ah Ah final dawned.
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