I, along with Lee Hye-jeong, immediately rushed to the trainers without even finishing our meal.
The trainers responsible for the A Rank, which included me, Lee Hye-jeong, and Yoo Seol, were busy preparing for the upcoming shoot in their respective waiting rooms.
That place was normally off-limits for participants, but Hye-jeong, in her anxiety, seemed to have forgotten that and kicked the door open.
“Teachers—!”
“…Huh?”
Fortunately, the trainers didn’t kick us out upon entering the waiting room.
But….
“Ah…”
“…….”
Like a lie, they began to avoid our gazes.
Specifically, they avoided Hye-jeong’s eyes.
“…….”
They all turned their heads as if they had practiced it together.
From that moment, I could tell something was wrong.
“Teachers….”
Did she feel it too? Hye-jeong approached the trainers with a cold, stiff expression and asked.
“What… what’s going on? Suddenly a writer came in and said I’m a B…”
“…….”
“What… this has to be a mistake, right? I got an A rank yesterday, and suddenly I’m being told I’m a B… that can’t be right, can it, teachers?”
“…Hye-jeong.”
The trainers looked down, clearly embarrassed, and then….
“…I’m sorry. It happened. The PD will explain everything later.”
With those words, they all swiftly exited the waiting room.
“…….”
“…….”
Not understanding the situation, Hye-jeong and I stood there, dumbfounded, staring into the empty waiting room.
It was Hye-jeong who first regained her senses.
“…Ye-rin.”
She spoke to me with a trembling voice.
“…Let’s get out of here. We shouldn’t be here.”
“…Unnie.”
“Well, there must be a reason for this. So let’s just go. …We need to prepare for the theme song shoot.”
She was trying hard to keep a calm expression, but her hands were shaking.
Just as she finally placed her hand on the doorknob…
“Hey, what do you mean you suddenly sent Hye-jeong down to B?”
“……!”
We heard the voices of some women talking in the hallway outside the waiting room.
Since this floor was supposed to be used only by trainers and the production team, those talking seemed to be part of the production team.
As soon as Hye-jeong’s name was mentioned, we stood frozen, like mice, eavesdropping on their conversation.
“That’s how it is.”
“No, what the heck happened? We had the editing points all set for ‘The Story of an Idol Challenge by an Able Trainee ranked 7th in K Star.’ Why are we suddenly sending her to B? We have to completely change the editing direction.”
“Well, we can’t help it. If they order us from above, we have to follow it.”
“Above? Who made that call?”
“Shin PD.”
Shin PD.
He was definitely the main producer for Na Ah Ah.
I had met him directly with Kang Hyung-man during the preliminary interview.
I often saw him directing the overall production at the Na Ah Ah set.
But that person dropped Hye-jeong…?
“Shin PD looked at the A rank contenders and thought it would be better to drop Hye-jeong. So it was decided.”
“Really? But she definitely has skill, so why did that happen?”
“I guess they didn’t like that she was a bit chubby.”
“Chubby? Her?”
“Hey, put her next to the other four A rankers. She being there completely ruins the visual. Don’t you know viewers are sensitive about that? What if she makes the other A rank contestants look bad?”
Damn it.
In that moment, it was hard to suppress my rising anger, but I couldn’t move.
If I caused a scene here… it would only bring more harm to Hye-jeong.
“Shin PD made that decision after careful consideration. Honestly, it was reasonable to drop her to B.”
“Yeah, well… if the PD decides that, then it has to be done. But what now? We’ve already filmed her being promoted to A rank in the class and maintaining it in the final rank evaluation.”
“I don’t know. They said they would just edit it to show her being demoted to B in the final rank evaluation.”
It wouldn’t be easy to turn a nonexistent event into reality.
But those people didn’t seem to harbor any worry or concern in their voices about how often they must have done such things.
“But Hye-jeong isn’t going to take that lying down. If she goes from A rank to suddenly being demoted to B, she’ll throw a fit.”
“PD said he’ll handle it well. And if she throws a fit, what can she do? We have to follow orders.”
“What if she exposes this on the internet…?”
Exposure on the internet.
At those words, I perked up.
It’s true that in Na Ah Ah, the production team and trainees are in a hierarchical relationship.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no way for someone in a subordinate position to make it difficult for someone in a superior position.
Just like she mentioned, if the fact that they rigged the competition was exposed on the internet…!
“Hey, that could actually be a good thing! It would boost the traffic!”
But the Na Ah Ah production team seemed to be more concerned about ratings than I thought.
“You know? Even throwing a stone makes a splash right now. Wouldn’t a lot of people come to watch the first episode out of curiosity about the unfairly dropped contestant?”
The production team added fuel to the fire by saying this.
“I’d actually prefer her to expose it. That way she gets sympathy from the public, and we get higher ratings. By the finale, everyone will have forgotten anyway.”
That’s too much… really, just too much.
“Tsk… then poor Hye-jeong. She got demoted and… can’t impress the PD either. Let’s be real; if she doesn’t win over the PD, it won’t be easy to debut no matter how skilled she is.”
“Right. If she doesn’t impress the PD, she’ll have less screen time and won’t stand out to the viewers. But what can we do? Let’s stop talking nonsense and get to the set. Have you finished the setup?”
“Not yet. So please help me out.”
“Sigh, let’s hurry.”
Tap tap.
With that said, the production crew’s voices faded as they moved down the hallway.
Swish.
Having been frozen, I finally turned to look at Hye-jeong.
“…Unnie.”
“…….”
As expected, her complexion was even paler than earlier.
“…Are you okay?”
The moment I said that, I immediately regretted it.
Anyone could see she was not okay… and the situation was definitely not okay either.
But….
“Then I’m okay.”
Hye-jeong, with a face that looked as if it hadn’t stiffened at all, slowly nodded her head.
I was taken aback by her sudden change.
She continued, her face breaking into a small smile.
“Such things are common in audition shows. I knew something like this would happen eventually.”
“Unnie….”
“Ye-rin, you know I made it to 7th in K Star, right? Back when I was 17, things were worse than now in the broadcasts. I’m used to this kind of stuff.”
As she spoke, her face reminiscent of past experiences looked genuinely okay.
She even patted my stiff shoulder to comfort me.
“Ye-rin~ why are you so stiff? I’m really fine! It’s only a B. I was actually feeling a bit pressured being in the center anyway. A rank has to stand in the center, right?”
“…….”
She then cheerfully grasped my hand and led me outside.
“Let’s hurry. We might end up being late and get scolded.”
Of course, her insides were probably rotting away, but… on the outside, she truly looked fine.
At that moment, I thought that Hye-jeong was a strong person who could hide her true feelings so well….
Before the highly anticipated rehearsal for the theme song group performance.
Could it be because the filming for the long week was finally coming to an end? The atmosphere among the participants was more joyful than before.
The same was true for the A Rank participants.
No? A rank had so many perks for the theme song group performance that the mood was even better compared to other ranks.
Especially SAV Seo Yoo-jin.
She, perhaps intoxicated by her status as an A rank, smiled brightly and didn’t glare at me like usual.
“A rank participants, please go up first!”
With that, the four A rankers went up to the stage at the signal from the production team….
“Okay, I’ll tell you how to position yourselves. First, Yoo Seol will be here…”
“Wait? One A rank hasn’t come up yet? That… what was her name again? The one who made it to 7th in K Star. Isn’t she here?”
The atmosphere became strange when Seo Yoo-jin mentioned that Hye-jeong hadn’t arrived.
The production team tried to respond, looking flustered at her question.
“Ah… Hye-jeong has been demoted to B due to circumstances.”
“Circumstances? What on earth could be the reason for her to be demoted to B?”
Seo Yoo-jin tilted her head, seemingly confused….
“…….”
“……Oh.”
The other two A rankers, Yoo Seol and Na Han-na, seemed to have caught on to the situation and suddenly wore dark expressions.
…So did I.
Hye-jeong said she was okay, but I was not okay.
The notion that Hye-jeong was too chubby to maintain the visual….
While Hye-jeong was not fat, she certainly was plumper than other trainees, so someone could think that way.
But how could they demote someone who officially made it to A rank just for that reason?
I was angry, but there was nothing I could do.
This kind of tyranny from the production team was like a natural disaster.
The more I resisted, the more I would get hurt. Remaining still was the only wise option.
So, while I took a secret sigh, the production team explained the stage arrangement, camera positions, etc., and then the B rank trainees began to come up on stage.
“Okay, now we ask the B rank participants to come up, please.”
Seeing them, I was the first to feel something was off.
“Hye-jeong… where did she go?”
She clearly came with me to the set, but now I couldn’t see her among the B rank trainees coming up.
“Did she go to the bathroom?”
Initially, I thought lightly about it, but she didn’t come back even after five minutes.
“What the… one B rank is missing….”
“Where did Hye-jeong go?”
The production team finally realized Hye-jeong’s absence and began looking for her.
But even after the crew had dispersed, they could not find Hye-jeong easily.
“She’s not in the waiting room, nor the bathroom?”
“What the heck. The rehearsal is soon; where could she possibly be?”
“…….”
Not in the dormitory… nor the bathroom….
In that moment, a vague thought about where she might be popped into my head.
Just then, the production team asked us.
“Does anyone know where Hye-jeong might be?”
Without hesitating, I raised my hand.
“I think I know where she is.”
“Ye-rin? Oh, you were close with Hye-jeong, right? So, where is she…?”
“I’ll go get her.”
“Wait? Ye-rin? Ye-rin!”
I didn’t tell the production team my thoughts but simply dashed off the stage.
I had a hunch about where she would be… but I didn’t want them tagging along to meet her.
“Ye-rin! You have to bring her back before the rehearsal in 15 minutes!”
So, I ran out of the set while hearing the desperate cries of the production team.
I started to think from Hye-jeong’s perspective.
At first, she must have tried her best to endure the unfairness from the production team.
But the tears that were welling up must have been too much to contain.
And since she couldn’t cry in the set, she probably rushed out in a hurry.
And then… she would have come here.
I arrived in front of the practice room, where I assumed Hye-jeong would be.
Where had Hye-jeong and I spent the most time since coming to Na Ah Ah?
The set? The dormitory? The cafeteria?
No… it was this practice room.
From 6 AM to 2 AM, we had basically lived in the practice room over the past week.
Hye-jeong probably headed to the practice room as if driven by the instinct of a salmon returning to its home when searching for a hidden place to cry.
Squeak.
“Ugh… sniff…”
When I opened the door to the practice room, a faint sob echoed from within, despite no one being there.
I followed the sound and stepped inside.
Into the A class practice room, filled with our blood and sweat from the past week.
“Sniff… oh, oh? Ye, Ye-rin.”
“…Unnie.”
When I entered A Class, as expected, Hye-jeong was curled up in a corner, shedding tears.
“Sniff… uh, huh?”
She began to panic upon seeing my face while crying.
“Uh, it’s not….”
She hurriedly wiped her tears, seeming to want to hide the fact that she had been crying, but she couldn’t hide her red eyes.
“Sigh…”
I had expected it, but seeing her actually crying made my heart sink even more.
I wished I had the talent to console her with words… but unfortunately, I was not gifted in verbal comfort.
So…
Tap tap.
Instead of saying anything, I took off my school uniform jacket.
Then, with just my white dress shirt on, I reached out and approached her.
“…Come here.”
“…Huh?”
“I said come here, unnie. …I’ll hug you.”
“…Huh? Huh-huh?”
Since I had no talent for verbal comfort, I could only offer physical warmth.
I sat down and leaned my waist against her startled face.
“It’s still before makeup. …It won’t be noticeable if you cry a little.”
After all, the actual filming would be done wearing the school uniform jacket. No one would notice if my shirt got wet.
Embrace.
As I pulled her head to my waist, she became dazed.
And soon….
“Sniff… Ye-rin…!”
She pressed her face into my waist, her eyes watering like a child again.
Crack.
The body they called chubby by the production team gripped my waist tightly.
“I’m so unfair… it’s so unfair, Ye-rin… sniff…”
My waist was getting increasingly wet… and her grasp on me was becoming more intense.
The tighter she held me, the more her unfair emotions seeped into my body.
I lowered my head and embraced her head against my chest.
“Sniff… Waaaaahhhh!”
Her crying continued for a long while.
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