I grabbed Lee Hye-jeong’s hand and watched the screen with tense eyes.
Now the final Ranking Evaluation for A Rank was about to begin.
First up was me. After being the first to go through the final evaluation of the A Rank, I received high praise from Han Si-woo and maintained my A Rank.
But then…
[First up, Kidship’s Lee Hye-jeong Trainee!]
‘……huh?’
The broadcast was different right from the start.
Hye-jeong, who was supposed to be second right after me, was introduced as the first.
Gulp.
“……”
Already feeling the vibes of editing, Hye-jeong unknowingly tightened her grip on my hand.
I pretended not to notice and focused on the broadcast.
The tense face of Hye-jeong appeared on the screen.
The expressions of the judges looking at her on screen were not kind either.
[Han Si-woo: Well then, let’s begin.]
In such a heavy atmosphere, Hye-jeong’s stage began.
In reality, Hye-jeong had successfully completed her stage and proudly maintained her A Rank.
-The moment you saw us.
Hye-jeong on screen continued with her performance just like in reality, without any major issues.
But then, the next moment…
-We open our eyes!
Performing dance and singing at the same time isn’t easy even for current idols.
We couldn’t expect vocal ability at the level of a recorded track, and even veteran idols sometimes make small mistakes during live performances.
Naturally, it was unreasonable to expect a trainee to deliver a flawless performance.
The fact that Hye-jeong stumbled on a syllable was a mistake, but considering it was a performance, it was something that could be overlooked.
However…
[Here, Trainee Lee Hye-jeong has made a timing mistake!]
The production team added subtitles to embellish it, as if it were a critical error.
And there…
[The judges grimacing.]
They inserted clips of the judges grimacing.
‘No way.’
Being present there, I knew better than anyone.
None of the judges were making those faces watching Hye-jeong’s stage.
The production team had spliced in footage of the judges reacting to a low-ranking participant’s stage and omitted all the good parts of Hye-jeong’s performance.
Excluding the good parts and packaging minor mistakes as major ones for the broadcast meant that viewers would only think Hye-jeong had ruined her stage.
…The outcome was bound to be obvious.
[Han Si-woo: …Trainee Lee Hye-jeong will be downgraded to B Rank.]
[In the end, Trainee Lee Hye-jeong was downgraded to B Rank!]
The scene where Han Si-woo declared Hye-jeong a B Rank was definitely reshot.
I, therefore, searched the set with resentful eyes to see if Han Si-woo was present.
Even if there were requests from the production team, I disliked him for filming such a scene with lies.
But…
“…Ye-rin.”
“…Unnie.”
“…It’s okay.”
Despite trembling hands, Hye-jeong only told me she was okay.
Brush,- Brush.
As Hye-jeong got a B Rank due to the devil’s editing, other participants glared at her out of the corner of their eyes.
Oblivious to those gazes, Hye-jeong continued to watch the broadcast.
Her cheeks looked even more gaunt today.
Thus, Hye-jeong’s final ranking evaluation wrapped up with a brief segment of just over a minute.
[The next participant is Haye-rin from Brotherhood Planning.]
Originally, I was the first, but on the broadcast, I appeared as second right after Hye-jeong.
As I entered, a dark atmosphere filled the broadcast.
Simultaneously…
[Kim Ye-sol (Vocal Trainer): …Ye-rin! You need to perform like Seol and Hye-jeong?!]
[Kim Ye-sol (Vocal Trainer): Ye-rin, you have definitely shown remarkable achievements considering your practice time. I want to commend you for that. But your vocals fall too short compared to your dance skills. Am I right?]
[Kim Ye-sol (Vocal Trainer): Tomorrow… I will see how much you’ve grown in the vocal part. And if there’s no improvement… I can’t guarantee you’ll stay in A Class.]
They highlighted the moment I got criticized during my tailored class for my singing ability.
It seemed like they were hinting I was headed for B Rank.
When pushed to the edge, showing something good would only amplify the shock.
‘Perhaps they’re thinking of pushing me again this time.’
And my predictions were spot on.
-We are always dreaming!
-The moment you saw us.
[Haye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): Huh…, that’s it.]
As soon as I successfully finished the stage…
[Kim Ye-sol (Vocal Trainer): Sniff, ugh…*]
[As soon as Haye-rin Trainee’s stage ended, Trainer Kim Ye-sol burst into tears!]
[What happened there?]
The camera zoomed in on Trainer’s tear-streaked face while showing past footage.
[Yoo Seol (JJ): Alright, since the final ranking evaluation is just around the corner, let’s all give it our best!]
[Clock pointing to 1 AM]
Under Yoo Seol’s leadership, A Class trainees practiced overnight for an entire week.
[Trainer Kim Ye-sol looking proudly at A Class trainees.]
The screen transitioned back to the present after showing the trainer watching us practice overnight.
[Kim Ye-sol (Vocal Trainer): I have been… sniff, harsh on A Rank kids… sniff… Ye-rin must have felt hurt too… But, sniff… despite all that, you all practiced hard every night, and I’m so glad and sorry for showing such a great stage….]
Even I, who knew everything, found Trainer Kim Ye-sol’s tears moving, so viewers must have felt it even more.
This touching atmosphere continued onto Yoo Seol’s stage.
Thus, the final ranking evaluations ended with me and Yoo Seol gaining major beneficence.
And next, the show concluded with a behind-the-scenes look at the group theme song and the preview for Episode 3.
After the broadcast, the production team began calling each participant separately for reaction interviews.
They probably wanted a reaction from me too, as the production team’s gaze turned towards me, but….
“…Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
“Ah, me too.”
Instead of responding to the production team, I followed Hye-jeong to the restroom.
Since everyone was busy with the reaction interviews, the restroom was empty.
Bang.
As soon as I entered the restroom, Hye-jeong looked at me with a sly smile.
“Are you worried about unnie, Ye-rin?”
“……”
“Thanks, Ye-rin. But I really am okay, you know? …I just need to work harder than now.”
Working hard is important. But Hye-jeong’s way of doing it was wrong.
I didn’t want to see her fall again. I didn’t want to see her go off track.
Chin.
I held Hye-jeong’s hand and said.
“…You’re not okay. You’re struggling right now. That’s why you came here alone.”
“……”
At that moment, tears welled up in Hye-jeong’s eyes just like before.
Of course, I knew that from the case with Yoo Seol last time.
Such unnecessary meddling, such pity… can actually hurt the other person more.
“Tomorrow… our First Team Competition, we’re performing live in front of an audience for the first time, right?”
“…That’s right.”
“Let’s work hard tomorrow and get good results, and…”
But I couldn’t help saying this to her now.
“Let’s definitely debut together later.”
“……!”
“We will… debut as part of the same idol group… in Na Ah Ah.”
Hye-jeong.
She bled and sweated while practicing with me.
But while I made a significant impact and caught the viewers’ attention, she was discarded like an old shoe on the broadcast.
Despite her equal, if not greater, effort than mine, she received no proper reward, which made me feel sorry for her. She was on my mind.
And… she was special.
Snug.
Maybe my feelings got through to her, Hye-jeong came near and hugged me tightly.
Just like when she was downgraded to B Rank and hugged me in the restroom saying it was unfair…
Shiver.
Her body trembled.
“…Alright, let’s definitely debut together.”
“……”
I will debut through Na Ah Ah.
But I won’t be alone.
There would be five more members besides me…
And I resolved to place Hye-jeong in one of those spots.
Of course, for that to happen…
‘Tomorrow’s stage. I will crush it overwhelmingly.’
To make tomorrow’s stage shine brightly, I need to make Hye-jeong shine too.
Thus, another reason to immerse myself in the stage arose.
I promised to absolutely devour the stage tomorrow.
So, Hye-jeong and I returned to the set, hands joined with the promise of debuting together…
“Alright, let’s start the competition filled with the girls’ dreams! We’ll begin the first stage now!”
Time flew by quickly; the day of the Team Competition had arrived.
Rewinding to the day my Idol Academia Episode 3 First Team Competition was broadcasted.
XX Division Headquarters, Guard Company.
After roll call, 43 members of the guard company, excluding six on duty, gathered in the training center, separate from the living quarters, for the company meeting.
Of course…
“Hey, you bastards!!”
…It was a gathering named the company meeting.
“Damn it! How poorly did you stand guard that it caused this division to fall apart, you bastards!!”
The venue, where all company members gathered, used to be a training space for ceremonies by the troupe.
Since an officer on duty had no business there, seniors shouted freely.
It wasn’t to unreasonably bully the juniors; there was indeed a matter worthy of gathering today.
“Is it possible that these insane bastards couldn’t locate the division commander for five hours? Hey, Lim Seong-bin.”
“Corporal Lim Seong-bin.”
“Did you think just because you got a position in the first squad you could slack off? When the commander of the 77th regiment called you today in the afternoon, what did you answer him when he asked where the division commander was?”
“……”
“What did you say, you bastard!”
“I-I said he was in the official residence.”
“At that time, the division commander was in the command vehicle at the 77th regiment, you idiot!!”
Thanks to that, the commander of the 77th regiment got chewed out by the division commander, and the anger of the 77th regiment commander naturally fell on the headquarters guard commander.
It was indeed a catastrophe of utter bickering.
After pouring out a series of curses, the senior informed what punishment the guard company would face.
“Phew… The headquarters guard commander has chopped the guard company’s annual leave this quarter.”
“……!!”
“……!!”
As soon as they heard that, the training center buzzed.
The guard company got a three-day annual leave every quarter due to demanding work and duties.
That was the only joy of the guard company, and now it was cut…?
Sigh…
When the word came out, everyone’s spirits began to plummet, regardless of whether they were seniors or juniors.
In this atmosphere, the senior, Yoo Chang-seon, stepped forward.
It was for the final judgment.
“Thanks for that, Seong-bin. You’ve made our work three days longer, you bastard.”
“……”
“Of course, we’re not just going to let it slide, right? …The squad leaders have discussed it, and we’ve decided to cut your squad leader.”
“T-That’s…!”
If the squad leader was cut, who knew when the next opportunity would come.
Seeing the harsh punishment looming over Corporal Lim Seong-bin, feelings of defiance seeped in, prompting Yoo Chang-seon to harden his expression.
“This fool still doesn’t realize how badly he messed up…”
At that moment, when the tension was about to explode…
Swish.
Suddenly, someone raised their hand high.
“Y-Yoo Chang-seon, sir…!!”
“What the hell is this, damn it.”
…It was a private first class who’s only been with them for three weeks.
As the private first class butted in, the atmosphere among the seniors grew tense.
“Are you crazy?”
“Damn it, who the hell are you to interrupt?”
“Are you keeping your hand up, you crazy bastard?”
But the private first class did not lower his hand and bravely spoke to Yoo Chang-seon.
“It’s currently 10:48 AM…!”
“And?”
“It’s been 48 minutes since My Idol Academia Episode 3 started…!”
“……”
“……”
As the private’s words rang out, the training center filled with a suffocating silence.
Especially Corporal Heo Sang-do, who had been in charge of night watch whenever Na Ah Ah was on air…
‘Is this guy out of his mind?’
He couldn’t fathom how the private would bring up an idol program in a situation like this.
Unable to hold back, Corporal Heo Sang-do opened his mouth:
“This crazy kid’s got no brains…”
“Hey, you bastard-!!!!!!”
“……!”
“……!”
Before Corporal Heo Sang-do could finish his sentence, Yoo Chang-seon’s roar echoed.
Gulp.
Corporal Heo Sang-do swallowed, as he had never seen Yoo Chang-seon this furious.
“Why the hell are you saying this now!!!! I told you to let me know when it gets to 10:20 before Ye-rin’s stage finishes-!!!!!”
…Eh? Was that really the anger point…?
“I-I’m really sorry! T-the atmosphere was too serious…”
“You bastard-!! Hey! Everybody! Meeting’s adjourned! Get out of here, damn it! I need to watch Na Ah Ah!”
With that declaration, Yoo Chang-seon dashed out of the meeting place towards the living quarters.
“Yoo Chang-seon, sir! Me too…!”
“Oh, damn it. I said we’ll do the company meeting tomorrow!”
Seniors, who had been eagerly waiting, followed behind Yoo Chang-seon.
Thus, they reached the living quarters faster than light…
“Where’s the remote, damn it-!”
Finally finding the remote and turning on the TV…
[Han Si-woo: Alright, let’s begin the competition filled with the girls’ dreams! We’ll start the first stage now!]
Fortunately, just before Haye-rin’s team, the Mackerel Sandwich team went on stage.
But the moment the guards confirmed the Mackerel Sandwich team…
“…Huh? What the hell is this, damn it.”
Disappointment erupted from them.
“Why the hell are they dressed like that?”
“Why’s that skirt so long? It looks stupid.”
“Why did they coordinate like that?”
Wearing glasses, drab outfits, and tacky hairstyles, the stage coordination of the Mackerel Sandwich was filled with everything they disliked.
Still, in this situation…
“Shut up, you bastards. Our Ye-rin is no fool.”
…The fanatic Yoo Chang-seon did not abandon his faith and expectations for Haye-rin.
With the law firmly in place, Yoo Chang-seon managed the emotions of his comrades.
“If anyone doesn’t support Ye-rin or curses her, I’ll make sure to deal with them. Everyone behave yourselves.”
“Yes, yes…! Understood…!”
The Mackerel Sandwich team’s stage began.
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